In My Backyard

Yesterday was a gorgeous day for puttering around outside.
I pulled weeds, or made a go of it anyway.
Last year my Lilies of the Valley didn't do so well because of all the other things trying to take over.  This year I put effort into removing most everything that didn't belong.  I'm having the most difficult time with onion grass.  THOSE are hard to get out!
The peonies are looking okay.  The clump in the front of the picture always starts out looking great, but never produces many flowers, and the flowers it does produce are small and white.
The clump farther back never looks like much, but tends to produce the most flowers.  Beautiful large pink peonies.  I love them!
It was nine years ago this month that we first looked at this house.  The peonies were blooming then, and they were GORGEOUS.
I've not done anything to them but admire them.
I hope my admiration is all they need to keep going!

 The magnolia tree is very sad looking this year.  I'm quite upset about that.

The ferns are popping up in all the right places.
They are fun to watch.
I'm sure if I had the patience to sit still just to look at them I would be able to witness them as they unfurl.  

Here's a closer look at the Lilies of the Valley.
I LOVE the smell of these when they are in bloom.
Not the onion grass though.
Blech.

THGGM must have missed a few of these!

At some point I hope to make a fairy garden.

But it may be confused with the dirt pile so I'll have to give it some more thought.

These Grape Hyacinth got a close up this year.  There are more of these than I remember ever seeing here before.

Hmm.  That may be because I did my best to stay on top of the weeding this year.

I didn't get pictures of any of the Iris yet, but they look to be doing better than last year too.

Whenever I feel badly about how my yard looks, I just remind myself that someday in the foreseeable future I may have more time to tend a garden than I do now.

And then I will be sad.