garden update

'Samba' was my most anticipated purchase when I bought a bunch of Amaryllis a year ago, and my biggest Amaryllis disappointment. It turned out to have difficulty flowering, the photos showing ruffled flowers that turn out to be distortions that make flowering a struggle. It's going to end up in the compost pile.

Meanwhile, 'La Paz' makes a third phallic ascent this year.

I'm not one for yellow flowers, thus this 'Crandall" gooseberry is in a pot to see if I can tolerate it. Lots of fragrant flowers, early in the year, but I'm still not convinced to like yellow

The side yard is shaping up, with the dying Mugho pine removed yesterday (so off to the spa today for some pampering of sore muscles!). The dying aspen trees have been removed, the purple plum and the overgrown cytisus removed, the Salvia 'Maraschino' removed (just clumps of old dead stems). The structure of the area is now visible, although it looks rather bare in comparison. Needs some growth.

Back in June 2012 after the half-dead aspens were partially removed:

The 'Iceberg' rose cutting from November has graduated to a gallon sized pot and has two buds on it.
2 months ago in a  2-1/4" pot:

The 'Mrs. B R Cant' cutting has also grown enormously. No place to put it, so I'm giving it away.
2 months ago:

I put in a bunch of 'Bolero' roses yesterday, which are supposed to bloom a lot, with fragrance and heat tolerance. We'll see. Right now, they are looking pretty pathetic, since they arrived in the mail partially leafed out, and of course immediately wilted upon unpacking.

'Polly' peach is blooming away in its second year. I'm surprised to find that the flowers are nicely fragrant.

Still a very small tree though, not the 3 feet of growth that other peaches put out.

'William Shakespeare 2000' was my first rose to leaf out, plants are still pretty small.

I am getting a little frightened by the extreme vigor of Annemarie's heritage rose. It put out these basals in the fall, which remained red throughout the winter with no cold damage. They look like they are making a bid to take on the world.

Violas enjoying the cool sunny weather.
 

I wish I had the energy to take out these 'Knockout' roses. I really don't like the color of the flowers even if the plants are very vigorous.

The spurias and the 'Walker's Low' are bursting forth.

Phlox kelsyi 'Lemhi Purple' putting out its first flowers, although they are more magenta than purple.

Petite Nigra fig, showing some life. I've given it an ultimatum: Make fruit this year, or you will be replaced by a Brown Turkey.

The overwintered kale bursting forth. Too much to eat, and it will have to come out for the rose bushes.

The Texas Redbud has opened its first flowers.

Oklahoma Redbud is thinking about it. It will have to come out this year, the shrubby, droopy form will not work in the courtyard.

The un-named tree peony has only three flowers this year. It too will have to come out, since it looks out of place. I will send it off to my mother come fall.

I was so proud of myself for finding a solution for the courtyard imbalance problem. I put in two more boxwoods, and plan on taking out the euonymus. Adding two boxwood to the already existing one, added structure, symmetry and balance to the courtyard. It also brought out the ire of the hubby who voiced his displeasure a month later. They will have to come out. He says he wants a forest in the courtyard instead of a garden. I get the last word, but it may become more wild looking. Still a garden.