White Flowers In The Front Yard On A Spring Morning, Or, Saturday at 8:29am

Boo-yah for Spring! My front yard is preparing for the yearly white rose display. In May those bushes you see between the white iris-shaped flowers in the foreground (they are irises, surprise!), and the tall bush in the back covered with what look like snowballs (it’s a snowball viburnum, surprise!), will do their cosseted rose thing.

For now, I poke around what’s growing in the early morning light. The empty spot on the fence used to support a climbing rose. But the conjunction of its dark red petals and chartreuse viburnum leaves reminded me of Christmas so I took it out.

That’s Erigeron below the snowballs, AKA Santa Barbara daisy, AKA fleabane. I do not have fleas, so perhaps it works.

That’s a pieris. All about the leaves, innit. The red sage is just starting to bloom. Blossom #3 gets a portrait. The humming birds are licking their lip-equivalents.

And now, having deeply enjoyed this peace, creams, bright whites, quiet orange-reds and so much green, in place of the banished climber I want to plant a tall hybrid tea with ridiculously large flowers. In a blue-pink that will expressly clash with everything.

Of questionable taste. That part’s important. Visible from my kitchen window. Also important. Like this, but even more so.

I am finding that in gardens (unlike life, where I often like the wholly new) I like change at the margins and tiny novelties. Mini-subversions always a plus.

Have a wonderful weekend!