The State Of The Perennials

I took a walk around the yard to see how the perennials I'd planted were doing. The Blue Moon hardy Wisteria was awake and putting out leaves. It's planted at the base of a power pole, which I hope it will grow up on:

 The only plant I lost over the winter was a Mandarin Honeysuckle, so I ordered another one. It's still brand new, but already looking better than the one I planted last year:

Last year I planted a red Hydrangea and had some doubts if it would live through the winter. It did, however, and leaves began emerging this spring. Will I see flowers this season? It would be nice:

 My little rock garden is filled with lilies, iris, tulips and a few oddball perennials I planted last year. They all seem to be growing wildly, but especially the Asiatic Lilies. In fact, they seem to be reproducing and may soon take over the whole area:

 A favorite wildflower which grows in the lawn is Birds-Eye Speedwell, a colorful little plant with flowers about the size of small violets:

They are  adaptable plants, growing taller if not mowed but OK with growing shorter if mowed:

And a related wild species, the much smaller Thyme-Leaved Speedwell, growing all over my lawn:

 Thyme-Leaved Speedwell is so tiny that it's easily overlooked. Both species of Speedwell are members of the Snapdragon family:

 One of the two Ninebark bushes I planted last year is doing extraordinarily well, and showing the brilliant leaf colors it is noted for. The other Ninebark, which got a fungus last year, is up and colorful, but still struggling (that's it in the little fence behind the bigger one):

The old fashioned yellow and purple iris are beginning to bud, so I'll soon have them to look at. They were here when I moved in but seem to be doing better because of the compost I've added to the soil:

 You may recall that I ordered 14 fancy Day Lilies from an online nursery which were on sale because the varieties were discontinued. They sent extra, presumably because they were on sale and they wanted to get rid of them. All of them are growing. I'm keeping them more or less weeded for now, but when they grow up, they'll have to hold their own against that tall grass behind them: