Last Day of April

I'm rooting spearmint on my windowsill. We have enough in the yard, but it's a long walk to get it, so I thought I might try potting some up. It took only three days for the roots to show, and while it was waiting, the tops grew about two inches!
We had a huge section of this mint in the shade garden but the deck got built right over the patch, and then it disappeared for a season, but it is back again adjacent to the deck, since the roots will find a way to the sun.

I had a few hyacinth bean seeds and decided to sprout them too. I will find someplace to put them...maybe in a pot, since I have many more empty pots and places to grow new plants. These are from last year's vines. Enthusiastic!














When we moved here there were lots of plants that didn't seem to want to flower. We waited and removed trees, and lots of weeds and soon they had enough light, water and room to flourish. Japanese iris are now blooming where once we had only the leaves. And our Mock Orange is HUGE and loaded with blooms. So much of gardening is patience.
  Dave decided to paint the concrete birdbath, pink and turquoise. He likes to use up leftover paint. File under Garden Art.
















Speaking of Garden Art, over the weekend Dave and our man Mike found a cache of mountain rock and made three trips with the trailer to haul it home. He has a thing for rock, and it ends up along our driveway, building the wall higher each year.
This time he added or rearranged the stone sculpture at the end of the drive. It balances better now with the larger base stones. Not that it would ever blow over...



 The privet hedge is in bloom now and stinks up the whole yard, but in a nice way. I read that privet is an invasive pest here in Tennessee, and when I was in Chattanooga last week I smelled its presence everywhere. We only have the one bush, so we don't have to worry, yet.
Here's a bug's eye view of the nasturtiums in the flower box, with their heads turned toward the morning sun. We got out early today, with coffee on the deck at daybreak. It'll be warm one, so an early start is smart. Note the baby basil on the right. I'll have plenty to share this year.
This is a starter batch of opal and purple basil, along with a few Genovese. Must get these potted up this week. I also have three dozen peat pots full of sprouting basil. Can never have too much.


There are so many blooms this year on the rhododendrons, and I have taken hundreds of pictures of them, as if I could save the experience of looking at them daily.
I try to absorb the lushness of the garden and it just overwhelms. Come on down for a visit.