This is the time of year to be outside!

I can hardly stand to be inside right now. The weather is pleasant and the bloodsucking mosquitoes are still scarce. I do tote my camera around most of the time, so maybe pictures will help explain why I'm not here much.

Here is the asparagus, beginning to get bushier.

The bearded iris are beginning to bloom. I don't know the name of any of mine, but I find their complexity very appealing.

A bud from one of my new roses, Perle d'Or

Another of my new roses, the very confusing Mlle. de Sombreuil, labeled incorrectly in the US as La Biche. If I've interpreted everything correctly, this is a tea rose that can be trained as a pillar. It was one of my $2 Chamblees clearance finds.

The lovely China rose, Old Blush. I planted 3 of these in 2007 and they've really taken off this year. There's something nice about knowing that people have been growing this rose since the 1700s.