Spring has been off to a slow start. Not surprising with all the cold and rain. But it seems to have finally arrived in time for Bloom Day.

Not near as many plants are in bloom this year, compared to last year, but I’m sure enjoying what is showing off.

DAFFODILS
A small variety of flowers in the daffodil family are blooming in most of our flower beds.

VINCA MINOR
I love the blue/purple color of this flower. I am disappointed, though, that it’s creeping nature doesn’t keep out the weeds. And, it’s a pain to pull the weeds among all the vines.

RED FLOWERING CURRANT
The Red Flowering Currant does grow naturally around our house. I bought this one, though, and two others. They are in my Bird Village.

LEONARD MESSEL MAGNOLIA
One of the very first plants I planted when we bought our property was this beauty.

CAMELLIA
I don’t love the Camellia’s, and I don’t dislike them. They grow well and flower beautifully, so they stay.

KING GEORGE HEATHER
Heather in the front yard with our new bunny, Thumper.

WESTERN TRILLIUM
Growing among the ferns and fir trees in the natural areas surrounding our house are Western Trilliums. They are one of my fav’s.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSuzdDRhZWl/?taken-by=ridgetop_farm_and_garden

I’m hoping the weather clears up soon. My flower beds are in desperate need of some TLC. Hopefully next month I’ll have more on display.

To enjoy more Bloom Day posts check out May Dreams Garden

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Another June, another great display of color. All the flowers seem to be blooming earlier this year. I’d guess my flowerbeds are nearly at there Summer prime and summer hasn’t even technically begun.

BIRD VILLAGE

Lupine and Shasta Daisies.

Potentilla ‘Goldfinger’

Yarrow

Hairy vetch in our little meadow area. Purple is the usual color. But, I spotted a few white blooms, which I have never seen before.

SHADE GARDEN

FRONT YARD & POND

Creeping Jenny

Lavender next to the pond

Lavender ‘Grosso’ near the cement wall

Black Lace Elderberry

Thyme

WILD FLOWERS

Wild red elderberry & daisies

Foxglove

All year I wait for this time of year in the garden and it always seem to pass too quickly. I need to learn to step outside and just enjoy it, as opposed to stepping outside only to do yard maintenance.

To enjoy more Bloom Day posts check out May Dreams Garden

The post Bloom Day – June 2016 appeared first on .

• I moved some herbs from the greenhouse outside. The basil especially wasn’t thrilled with the move.

• The sage in the garden is flowering beautifully.

• Bees are loving our pink escallonia.

• I completed a hodge podge of items to create a cement area in front of our coops. So excited! Hopefully this will cut down on the mud during the rainy season and icy, slippery mud in the winter.

• I’m not a huge rhododendron fan, but I love the purple color of a small plant we have.

• The bottom left photo is an attempt by birds to make a mud nest. They also tried in a couple similar locations with no luck. They finally moved on and found a flat spot to build their home.

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May & June are my favorite months to enjoy our flowerbeds. This May has not disappointed. The foliage is filling in and the blooms are lovely.

BIRD VILLAGE

There is a lot (almost too much) going on in the bird village. After many years, this area is finally starting to feel like a complete project. If only I could keep the weeds out…

Snowmound Spirea

Lupine
This has been a great year for the lupine.

Lincoln Star Clematis

Allium

And more beautiful blooms

Near the Bird Village is a native rose that’s looking great.
And, there are a couple iris’ in our little meadow.

SHADE GARDEN

Top Left: I’m not a huge rhododendron fan, but I love the light purple blooms on this one.
Right: Variegated Weigela. Love it and all its pretty pink flowers.

FRONT YARD & POND

The lithodora is looking fabulous this month.

Top Left: Variegated Vinca Major
Top Right: Cotoneaster
Bottom Left: Thyme
Bottom Right: Hardy Geranium

Top Right: Columbine ‘Aguilena’
Bottom: Easter Egger hen searching for bugs in the creeping thyme

To enjoy more Bloom Day posts check out May Dreams Garden

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Spring is officially here and we have lots of color. Yay!

A few daffodils & tulips are still blooming nicely.

Grecian Windflower – not many came back to bloom this year

These two are newbies that I don’t remember flowering previously.

Black Lace Elderberry
Flaming Silver Pieris
‘Mediterranean Pink’ Heath
‘Heavenly Blue’ Lithodora

Apple Tree

Creeping Phlox

Plum Tree

Left: Japanese Rose
Top Right: Spanish Bluebells
Middle Right: Viola
Bottom Right: Camellia

Lilac

Bleeding Heart

Left: Osmanthus Burkwoodi
Right: Pink Dawn Viburnum

Holly

Ajuga

Barberry

Leopard’s Bane

This is a plant we got from my parents yard years ago. I’m not sure what it is.

English Daisies
I found a fun double headed daisy on one stem.

One evening Farmer John & Farm Girl were going on a walk. I told them to take my phone and take a photo of a trillium when they came across one. Apparently, they didn’t find a trillium so they thought they’d be funny and take these photos claiming them to be trilliums.

To see other gardens on this Bloom Day check out May Dreams Gardens.

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There is a lack of blooms around here during the winter. However, spring is nearly here and we have a few flowers showing off. Not many. But, a few.

FRONT YARD

The daffodils and heather are putting on a nice show in the front yard.

BACK YARD

The back yard is in pretty poor shape. I cringe every time I look out there. But, the weather has been so crummy I just don’t feel like bothering to clean it up. Among the weeds and stems from last years perennials are a couple flowering plants.

Vinca minor

Pink Dawn Viburnum

SHADE GARDEN

I really enjoy our shade garden. Unfortunately, every year the spring flowers look horrible. They bloom, but they sure don’t look great.

Camellia

Hellebore

BIRD VILLAGE

Daffodils and crocus have been blooming in the bird village, as well as one of my favorite native plants.

Red Flowering Currant

And that concludes our first Bloom Day post of 2016. It’s not wowing, but it’s pretty typical of our mid March blooms.

I’m sharing this post at May Dreams Gardens Bloom Day.

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We’ve had a number of spring like days this week. Brisk in the morning and slightly warm in the afternoon. Woo hoo! I’ve been loving it. Thanks to this glorious weather I went outside and tended to the flowerbeds this week.

• I even put Farm Kid2 to work trimming last year’s flower stems.

• While he did that, I cleaned duck poop off the creeping phlox. I would have rather have been the one cutting the stems.

• Kale is growing in the greenhouse.

• A few of the herbs I planted last week have germinated! I’m waiting impatiently for the others.

• Awhile ago Oliver, the pot bellied pig, busted through the door of his home… twice. Since then there has been a trough full of water keeping the door shut. This weekend Farmer John fixed the door.

• Heather, hellebore and crocus are blooming. I was shocked to see the crocus. It seems a tad early. But, it was a welcome surprise.

• I haven’t been doing much bird watching these days, but I did spot a Northern Flicker in a tree.

• When I make pizza dough, I make a double or triple batch. I put the extra’s in the freezer. This weekend I pulled one out for dinner. As it turned out our friends brought over pizza that night, so I turned my dough into cheesy bread.

I’m sure this is just a tease. But, this spring weather sure has been nice.

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Well, I’m just gonna say it, I’m ready for the changing of seasons. This summer was too hot and way too dry. I didn’t spend near enough time in my flowerbeds deadheading, weeding and watering. And, it shows. I’m ready to move on and try again next year.

FRONT YARD

One. Literally one, flower is blooming in our front yard.

AROUND THE FRONT POND

The thyme still has some flowers. The bees are loving them.

The marigolds took awhile to get going, but they eventually flowered and are still putting on a good show.

A couple nasturtiums are continuing to bloom. However, most gave up a long time ago

SHADE GARDEN

A few weathered impatiens and violas are hanging on.

BACK YARD

The lone bit of color in the back yard.

BIRD VILLAGE

Left: A few flowers are doing their thing in our itty bitty meadow. But, most interest comes from the seed heads.
Right: The barberry is a fabulous crimson color. I wish I would have planted more.

Renegades – these rogue flowers opted to bloom in our gravel driveway near the Bird Village. They’re pretty, but out of place.

In the Bird Village Pond:
Left: Last September I transplanted a few geraniums to our greenhouse with the hopes of overwintering them. In the spring I moved them back outside. They’re still blooming along the pond’s edge.
Right: Pretty purple pickerel weed bloom

Many blooms died off long ago.

GARDEN

The self sowing calendula continues to bloom. Just a few years ago I introduced it to the garden. I’m so glad I did. I love it.

It’s not much, but at least there are a few bits of color to brighten the flower beds this month.

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Here it is already. August’s Bloom Day. Our flowerbeds are not impressed with this crazy, hot, dry summer we’re having. I’m not impressed with it either.

The flowerbeds in general look quite crummy. But there are a few, very few, plants that have powered through the weather and are blooming.

FRONT YARD

These two photos are literally of the only plants blooming in the front yard. It’s lookin’ pretty dead out there.

The pond area still has a few things in bloom, though. In fact, the marigolds just recently started taking off.

SHADE GARDEN

Not long after I planted the impatiens and violas some of our chickens scratched and pecked the area, digging at bird seed that had fallen. It has taken all summer, but those plants have finally came back and are blooming.

BIRD VILLAGE

The bird village is not in good shape. It has received very little water over the summer and it shows. However, there are a few random blooms spread about.

There is a lot of tan and brown going on right now.

There is not a lot going on around the pond, either. There are a few pickerel weeds & geraniums holding on, but that’s about it. The cardinal meadowlark doesn’t seem to mind the lack of flowers.

The meadow still has some blooms trying to make it through the season.

GARDEN

Left: Inside the garden fence I planted an area with hundreds of sunflowers. This is the one that made it. It’s pretty, but quite underwhelming. I think right after I planted the seeds birds devoured them before they even had a chance to germinate. Boo!
Right: Calendula that I planted last year reseeded and looks fabulous this year.

Well, this summer was kind of a bust in the flowerbed department. I’m glad we get to try again next year.

Sharing this post at May Dreams Gardens.

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June is definitely one of my favorite months in the flowerbeds. Here’s some of what’s blooming now & why I love this time of year:

SHADE GARDEN

Our shade garden is pretty in pink right now. I like all these plants, but I’m most excited about the bleeding heart. I had been wanting one for a long time. Last year I finally planted a couple and this year I get to enjoy their beautiful flowers.

FRONT YARD

Top Left: Black Lace Elderberry
Bottom Left: ‘Pride of Donnard’ Escallonia

FRONT YARD POND

Nothing is blooming in the pond, but there are pretty flowers around it.

Top: Cranesbill ‘Biokovo’

BACK YARD

There is not much blooming yet in the back yard. It’s primarily green & more green, with spots of color scattered about.

Top Right: Snowmound Spirea
Bottom Right: California Lilac

BIRD VILLAGE

Top Left: Potentilla ‘Goldfinger’
Top Right: Lincoln Star Clematis

To see what others have blooming in their yards, check out May Dreams Garden.

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