Digging

Finally! I started digging out the new bed in the front yard. It's much more difficult that I anticipated. The turf is very thick and very tough. I have to jump on the shovel to cut it. And this is after it has rained a few times! The ground should be easy to work. It's amazing what rain can do. One day there is nothing, then it rains and plants just pop up:

Those are heirloom Double Dwarf Jewel nasturtiums under daylilies. The lilies will bloom first. When they finish, the nasturtiums will start blooming. I'm slowly finding the right combinations of plants to flower in the right sequence for constant color.

My columbines continue to amaze me. The poor little columbine whose flower stalk was eaten by squirrels refuses to admit defeat and is blooming in bunches rather than on a stalk:

In the Wildflower Garden, more wild columbine is blooming:

They are supposed to attract hummingbirds, to literally "pull them from the sky". I still haven't seen any hummers.

My yellow iris is blooming. It was given to me many years ago. I've never liked the color. It always looks dirty to me:
I much prefer Beverly's bright yellow iris . I've ordered lots of iris for the fall, including some for the bed I am still digging. I also have daffodils and tulips on order for it. Last week when I was weeding the veggie garden for my Master Gardener project, I came across some yarrow which I was allowed to dig up and bring home. It is temporarily planted in the same bed where I started seeds for the new bed. Has anyone else ever done this? Planned a new bed and had tons of stuff to plant in it before it is even dug? I feel really silly. I literally have plants in three different beds waiting for permanent homes in the new garden which is still being dug. I feel like I am running a homeless shelter system for plants. Next thing you know, they'll be demanding FEMA trailers!