Bloomin Tuesday

It's Bloomin Tuesday hosted by Ms. Jean.

I'm lovin' that it's finally spring, and I've been working in the garden as much as possible. This is what's bloomin' here in my little garden.

I just love this ground cover. Ajuga, or bugleweed, it makes a thick mat that chokes out weeds, and spreads quickly, with a bonus of cute little purple flower spikes in the spring. Mine are just beginning to bloom. All of these little buds will stretch up to about 8 or 10 inches.

Right behind the ajuga I have lots of these pincushion flowers, or scabious. I bought one of these about 5 years ago, After the 3rd year, I divided it, and now I have about 20 of these. The blooms are just adorable. And being a seamstress, well, of course I love a pincushion flower.

Evergreen periwinkles.
Love this too. Spreads like crazy...



Some people call this invasive...
I call it gorgeous.

This is evergreen euphorbia. The foliage has a deep maroon hue in the winter, when there's almost no color anywhere else. I even surprised myself, at how much I love this little plant.

These unusual, brightly colored bracts are the euphorbia flowers.

Even if the squirrels get all the strawberries, it's such a pretty plant.

And evergreen, that's hard to beat.

My first Iris blooms of '09.

These aren't fragrant, but they are just so beautiful.

My flowering peach tree is loaded with blooms.

I love the color.

My very first camillia blooms !!!

I've had a little something extra in my flower beds this week.

For the last 5 days, I've had this little visitor.

Do you see it?
Here's a closer look.

Not exactly "little".

The wooded lot next to my home is a tangled mass of wisteria.


In the next day or two, the blooms will be fully opened, and the next few weeks, I will LOVE the intoxicating fragrance. You can bet I'll be filling lots of vases with this.

Down here in Georgia,

this vine is rampant. Most men won't allow their wives to have this plant anywhere on their property. I'll show you why...

See these small wisteria vines, wrapped around these pines?

Look closely and you can see how the wisteria vines have cut right into the bark of these pines. Are you thinking that when those pine trees grow larger, that those wisteria vines will stretch, then break?

Think again.

And let me introduce you to

"The Ugly Tree".

Once it was a strong and majestic oak tree.

Then along came this beautiful vine.

Ladies, THIS is all wisteria vines.

VINES, I say.

Like a Boa Constrictor,

this wisteria has wrapped itself around,

and choked the life out of every branch on this tree.

The branches eventually break, but rarely hit the ground, as there are so many vines holding it up. Some of these vines are as big as my waist.

I don't know who planted this vine here, years ago. I heard there was once a home on the property next to mine. You'd never know it now. But who ever she was, I'm glad she planted it. If you plant a wisteria, just make sure you plant it far away from any other plants that you have, trust me on this one.