Diary May 2011 - The Good, The Bad and the Very Hard to Rid Of!!!!

I only managed to get 4 hours in the garden this weekend. Why? Because I'm so busy?? Well, I am but  no - it was because IT WOULDN'T STOP RAINING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was out from 8:30 a.m. until noon Saturday. I was ready to go back after lunch but the rain had started, just as the weatherman predicted. Sigh...
The only wonderful thing about spring rain is it makes everything this gorgeous, fresh, lemony lime-y GREEN colour - so refreshing - so New!
Here's what happening in my garden right now:
The viburnum x burkwoodii under the Dining Room window is ready to bloom - I can hardly wait - it's so fragrant.

The electric blue muscari are stunning in a formal setting or just in small clumps on their own

The peonies and lilacs are in bud - unless it gets very warm and stays warm, it will be about 2 weeks until they pop.

The Serviceberry has delicate white blooms

The magnolia is magnificent! It's short time of magnificence but very powerful

Over the years my tulips have really faded away, only 1-2 coming up where I originally had 20. That's because today's hybrid tulip does not have the staying power of your grandma's tulips. But narcissus divide and spread on their own and the best part? Squirrels hate them because they are bitter tasting

In the front yard the delicate Epimedium (Barrenwort) has come up - one type with pink flowers, the other with pale yellow. So pretty

Emerging hostas look like plump stumps but open into stunningly beautiful variegated leaves

Still with "the Good" I have new growth on the spruce trees (LOVE this colour and texture!)

....and a fabulous clump of Solomon's Seal

Dainty pink Bleeding Hearts

Emerging clematis get ready to go over the arbour

...and a few thin ferns have turned into a lovely clump under the pussywillows

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OK - there's lots of other gorgeous stuff sprouting everywhere.
Here come the ones that are Bad, but they are not the worst. The reason I term the "bad" is because they spread.

Nepeta (or Catnip)

Periwinkle

 and May Apple

But the Worst of the Worst are 2 plants related to the carrot family
One is Queen Anne's Lace

See the feathery little carrot tops? They grow tall in August!
But the most "insidious plant a gardener can plant (and I did, against all good advice) is Bishop's Weed or Goutweed.
I spent half of Saturday morning ripping out a small section of it and still am not nearly done.

Oh well.....such is a gardener's life! I still love (most of) it!!!!!!