Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Raindrops in the Garden

Hello everyone!

My husband and I finished putting out pine straw in the front yard and now we're working in the back yard.  We're almost done....finally!  After a light rain today, I thought I 'd show you what's blooming around my house again.  There are a few new things I haven't shared with you yet.

Don't you just love how everything looks after it rains? 

First of all, I found a colorful striped pillow for my swing. I'm liking the pop of orange with the black and green already out there.


Let's take a tour of the yard, shall we?

In the front yard, I have one peony bush that always makes me excited when I see this.


I can't wait for these buds to open up!!
 My knock-out roses are going crazy!  I have them in red and pink.






Looking back at the front porch, my hosta is very full.  I will be adding ferns by my front door later this week.


Down by the mailbox, I have honeysuckle vine and a forgotten rose bush that keeps rearing it's head!  It has bloomed now too.  See my little "puppies in a basket" cement statue?  That thing weighs a ton!

Let's move into the backyard now. At the back of our driveway is a retaining wall covered in ivy.  We planted rose bushes (not knock-outs) for height and flowers.  They do well this time of year, but not so great in the summer.  I think it gets too hot for them. 


This is just one bloom, but look at ALL the buds that have yet to open!


Over by the back deck, I have yellow iris.


And, I wish I could remember what these are called.  I just know that they bloom bright yellow flowers.  I think they're in the iris family because they started from bulbs.  My MIL gave them to us.  They haven't bloomed yet, but they will soon and last a long time.


Here is one side of our back yard.  I still need to buy hanging flower baskets for my back deck. They hang off the iron scrolled stand at the corner.  That way I can see them from inside the kitchen too.


Excuse our grass.  This time of year, it is still greening up and will eventually choke out the weeds. 

Taking care of our yard is a never ending process.  Certain times of the year it looks better and then worse.  I love this time of year in our yard the best though.  Everything has new life and there is a promise of beauty to come.

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kelly ~

Linking to: 

Wow-Us-Wednesdays
What's It Wednesday

33 comments:

Andrea said...

your yard is looking so pretty! It is waaaay ahead of ours...there are only a few blades of green grass, and no flowers at all. We moved from an area (Vancouver Island) where anything would grow, and you start seeing growth as early as Jan, to an area where late April/May before you see any progress in the garden. I'd love to live in a better garden zone (like you do) and do some serious gardening!

Debbiedoos said...

Beautiful Kelly. Your knock outs made me excited...as I just planted some this year and can't wait for them too look like that.

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

You do have a lot of roses getting ready to bloom. My knockouts are full of buds and soon they will open up. Mine are tiny though. You do have a lot of pine straw to put out don't you? Love the vines growing over the arch. We only had a sprinkle for a few minutes.

Olive said...

Your back yard is pretty too. Love that swing and the arbor. You could try lantana in that hot spot, it takes heat well and attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. We have five varieties of lantana and they are covered with butterflies and love them. We feed about 23 hummingbirds too.

Princess Kate said...

So beautiful. I just love this time of year. Enjoy and thanks for sharing.

Deserae said...

Your garden is so beautiful....love all your roses! My Peonies don't have any buds yet....I can hardly wait :o) I am hoping to whip our yard and gardens into shape this year. They have been neglected for far too long with the whole home renovation!
~Des

Linda said...

Those pillows on your swing give the impression that the background is a still picture. What a lovely neighbourhood.
Your flowers make me envious. We only get the bulbs flowering now and not until May do we see roses or iris, or even peonie...
Thanks Kelly for sharing.

SHERRY HART said...

Hmmmm.....everything is looking so fresh and green! I love Atlanta in the spring and especially after a rain!

ℳartina @ Northern Nesting said...

Everything looks so pretty Kelly and I love the vine growing around your arbor.

Gail said...

Your yard looks so pretty Kelly! I haven't touched our yard yet nor have I done anything to the porches yet. The pollen has been terrible here. Hopefully, in a couple of weeks, I'll be busy in working in my yard and the porches. I love your swing! Enjoy your evening, Gail

NanaDiana said...

Kelly- Your yard is looking wonderful. It is so pretty. I need to get something planted by my mailbox this year, too. Your whole yard is great! xo Diana

Judy at GoldCountryCottage said...

Kelly: The promise of things to come. How exciting and your garden is starting to shine. Your home is beautiful..Happy Tuesday..Judy

Rosemary@villabarnes said...

Looking good, Kelly. The pillows are a great pop of color, and your blooms are beautiful.

Anne said...

Kelly,
Your garden is so lovely.It is only 42 here today.I am longing for my flowers to bloom.
Anne

Pinky at Designs by Pinky said...

Your yard looks so pretty! I love your roses, so pretty. We live on a very wooded lot, and I can not grow many flowers here and as a floral designer that has been HARD!!!! BUT, we are building a new home in a very sunny place so I will be growing LOTS of flowers!!! XO, Pinky

Tanna said...

So many beauties in your yard, Kelly!! Not only do I love how things look after the rain, I also love how it smells! Your pillows look great on your porch swing! Beautiful. blessings ~ tanna

Pam - @diy Design Fanatic said...

Your yard is absolutely gorgeous! I love how it looks after it rains, as well. Stopping by from Wow Us Wednesday.

Vickie @ Ranger 911 said...

It's my favorite time of year when everything starts to bloom and I can hardly wait! We've had snow flurries the past 2 days, so we won't be seeing any flowers just yet.

Richella Parham said...

Your yard is lovely! I must say that your grass looks much better than ours--you're lucky that the grass will choke out the weeds; I'm afraid we don't have any grass. Ugh. But the plants are my favorite things. You have things looking great at your place!

Anonymous said...

Hi Kelly! What a wonderful front porch you have. Love that swing and your pretty new pillow!
Your grounds looks so pretty too. All ready to start blooming! ;)
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Heaven's Walk said...

Wow! What a beautiful home and garden you have, Kelly! Your stone steps amaze me! What awesome vine do you have growing on your arbor by your deck? It's so full! :)

xoxo laurie

Angie said...

Your flower gardens are so pretty! The hostas are beautiful next to the stone. I have peonies planted for the first time. I'm anxious to see how they turn out. Thank you for sharing all of your gorgeous flowers!
Angie

Amy Chalmers said...

Wow what a pretty back yard you have! I love the archway with the climbing vines or are they roses? Quite magical looking. Did you know in Hollywood they often spray the streets down with water to make things look prettier before they film a scene~

SImple and Serene Living said...

Wow, your yard is looking great. We are definitely behind you and our cold weather this week may set us back a little. I was just talking about planting some knockout roses yesterday. They do so well. :)

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

Your blooms are lovely!

Shenita @ Embellishments by SLR said...

Kelly, your yard is looking great! I can tell you have put a lot of work into it! Love knockout roses! They just thrive here! Mine are in full bloom now!

Sunflowers With Smiles said...

Kelly,

I love your yard and flowers. I miss my knockout roses that I used to have at my other home. What type of vine is growing on your trellis?

Sherry @ No Minimalist Here said...

Kelly, Your yard is beautiful! Love the roses. Hugs, Sherry

PAT said...

Everything looks so lush and beautiful Kelly. I love the stone steps and the landing of your front porch. Gorgeous!

chateau chic said...

Hi Kelly,
You have a beautiful yard! So many pretty flowering plants. I love your porch swing too.
Mary Alice

Carolyn@Sweet Chaos Home said...

Beautiful!! I love all the roses! My favorites are peonies, and I'm so jealous that yours is blooming already. I only have one peony plant, but I want to add more.

What do you have on your arbor?

You yard looks lovely and the new pillow is perfect :)

Pinky at Designs by Pinky said...

Kelly, you are so right about the meaning of Spring and Easter as new beginnings. Thanks for pointing that out to me. XO

Calypso In The Country said...

What a gorgeous home. I love all the flowers!
-Shelley