Bloomin' Tuesday

It's Bloomin Tuesday, hosted by MsGreenThumb Jean.

Pop on over to see more beautiful blooms.

Let me just say,

you don't have to spend a fortune to have a beautiful garden.

I want to show you all of my "FREE" flowers.

Gladiolus Byzantinus.

The fire department was about to burn down an old deserted home here,

and ladies... there ain't no shame in my game!

I went and asked the fire department if I could gather the plants that were about to be destroyed. Wouldn't you, for flowers like that? I absolutely love them.

These fragrant white iris were given to me. A huge garbage bag full of them!

These pink roses are the most fragrant roses that I have.

I got this rose out of a ditch on a dirt road.

Have shovel... will travel.

FREE

If any of you recognize the above rose, I would love to know the cultivar.

This next rose was on my property when I bought it 6 years ago.

I dug up the roses that were here and moved them to another part of my yard. There must have been some healthy roots left behind, because, the next spring, this popped up. It is quite healthy, as you can see, so I decided to just leave it where it is.

FREE

These iris grow wild in several places here, so I have lots and lots of these, and I just love them. Just below this iris, you see my indian pinks, which are in bud now. These are so pretty. I collected these in one of my favorite places to shop for new plants...

my Dad's land.

FREE

It's just amazing what mother nature has to offer us,

if you just slow down,

take the time,

take a walk in the woods,

and look around.

More free plants from mother nature...

royal ferns,

cinnamon ferns,

and solomon's seal.

FREE

These were on my Dad's land too.

Jack in the pulpit.

The tiny little white flowers bloom underneath the leaves.

Don't you just love it?

FREE

And I find that most gardeners are the kind of people who love to share.

These Iris are pass along plants from friends.

FREE

FREE

FREE
Now for the first plants that I actually spent money on.

See that pretty little bud? It's gonna grow up to be a beautiful foxglove. And for this, I bought a pack of seeds.

A few years ago, I bought one little pincushion flower, I've divided it twice, and now I have about 2 dozen of these plants. You just have to smile when you see these cherry little blooms.

I love this clematis. And to the left, see those tiny little lavender buds? That's russian sage, which my little helper grew from seeds. The hummingbirds adore this plant, and we love to see the hummingbirds.



I have a few azalea's hanging on.

And this plant is so worth spending the money on.

French Lace Weigela.

The new foliage has a pink hue, even in bud, it's gorgeous.

And it blooms all along the branches, all the way to the tips.

As usual, being on a budget, I buy one plant,

if it can't be divided, I'll root it to have more plants.

Propogating is not difficult, and it's a great way to stretch your gardening dollars.

Gerber Daisies are so worth spending the money on.

They come back year after year.
Too cute.

I love cooking with fresh herbs.

And I love to just rub these leaves between my fingers,

they smell heavenly.

Here you see my oregano, chives, and lemon thyme.

Happy together, and they just get bigger each year.
Each was in a 3" pot, when I bought them.

So you see, you don't have to spend a fortune,
to have a beautiful garden.

Now, I'm headed outside to enjoy this gorgeous weather,
and divide some plants, because more is better.

I hope you're all having a beautiful day, too!