OK … maybe a slight exaggeration … but it makes up for last week’s Friggin Furious Friday post.

Another early morning (about 5:45 AM) out in the yard granted me oodles of positivity and these are the photos to reflect that. It was sunny and warm and I gobbled up that shit with a spoon.    

This is a Sedum ‘Matrona’ and I fell in love with her at the nursery yesterday. The shape of the leaves, the reddish/pink hue of the leaves and the fact that it is an upright Sedum had me at “hello”. The plan is to plant these along with some good ol’ Rudbeckia for a sweet late summer display.          

The Russian Sage foliage is looking sweet and I think it looks great even without the flower spikes. The gray/green color contrasts well with other green-foliaged perennials. I have three of these planted next to Daylillies and Purple Coneflower. This is also the only area these have thrived for me because there is good drainage.     

A lesson I have learned in the past year or so. Do not immediately pull weeds until they have developed and they can be further inspected. This is a bonus Russian Sage that emerged a few feet from the others. Welcome to the world little guy, we promise to make it a safe and secure place for you.  

The Daylily blooms are coming, the Daylily blooms are coming. And so starts the task of daily deadheading to keep things looking nice and to promote further bloom. Maybe I’ll take a short video on how to properly deadhead these. Sweet.  

This is a shot only a parent could love. It is an Achillea and it is all about perseverance for me. I have dragged this poor bastard all over the place and he continues to survive under adverse conditions. Mom and dad are so proud of you little guy.  

Echinacea/Purple Coneflower bloom. There is nothing more reliable than these and I have made it a point to deadhead regularly to keep them looking fresh longer into the season. And of course you have to enjoy the bee orgy that ensues once these are in full bloom.     

The whole family has been chowing down on this Red Salad Bowl lettuce for a a few weeks now. In the words of one of my all time favorite personalities “Isn’t she a beauty”. RIP Croc Hunter.    

More lettuce – regular Salad Bowl. Almost too nice to eat. I am going to get more creative planting these lettuces next year. The colors are tremendous and the leaf shape begs for mixing with other veggies.

This is an example of a typical ONG gardening practice. This is a Sambucus ‘Black Lace, google it and you’ll see how gorgeous these are. The problem is I have no room for it where I don’t think the deer will get to it. So the solution is always to pot it up and wait until some creative idea comes to mind.   

I know I know … wow Rudbeckia foliage … have never seen that before … how friggin unique ONG. Well, I don’t care, come deal with my water logged soil and then we’ll talk. On second thought, maybe it really isn’t all that riveting … oh well …we move on.   

I will continue to post photos of the Knockout roses because even though they are care free, they are still rose blooms. I do hope, however, that my Grandfather is not rolling over in his grave. He had the most unbelievable roses and tended to them night and day with supreme precision. Love you Pop!     

An Echinacea ‘Fragrant Angel’ bloom. As I’ve mentioned before, I have virtually no sense of smell but I can get a whiff of these if I stick my nose right in there. Real real incredible scent.

God I love Astilbe foliage. So unique and yes, I am going to say it, dainty. Now I should be shot. 

“Before” shot of one of my front beds. Also “before” I had my new camera. Like the pinkish hue do you?

Well I have since replaced the three shrubs in front with three Ilex ‘Bennet’s Compact’. These are much more full and compact (imagine that) and will grow to 4 x 4. I like them as foundation shrubs as they are evergreen and make a nice back drop for the perennials, bulbs and grasses that will be in front of them.

That is all for today folks. I will be spending all day Sunday making over my parents front beds so you can bet there will be a post early next week with the results. If not, you know I bombed bad.

Enjoy the weekend.