
This Christmas cactus is a birthday cactus, it lives in the greenhouse all winter and comes out in May to celebrate my birthday.
Hooray, Hooray it’s the month of May, outdoor gardening comes to stay! I think we are past the potential for a hard freeze in the Pacific Northwest so the greenhouse door is open. The residents are getting used to cold nights and warm days before they make their potted progression to their summer spots.

All my cacti and succulents are looking forward to going back to their west facing bed in the next two weeks. Winter in the greenhouse is coming to an end.
The hostas have poked their noses out and are in the process of unfurling their gorgeous green leaves. Somewhere along the line I discovered the beauty in these plants that are so similar but each one is so different when you look closely. Little ones, enormous ones, yellow striped and blue-green striped, and as long as I put slug bait out they just get more beautiful by the day. I used to love a huge variety of brightly colored annuals, but over the last few years I have discovered the subtle pleasure of the same genus in a wide variety.

Don't these look like a green bouquet? Tightly furled hostas about ready to explode.

I have yellow ones, and green ones and blue green ones, and little ones and giant ones. they love the shade and they are just plain beautiful in the middle of summer.
I am a collector I think, I have a collection of Hostas, aka Plaintain Lily; and a collection of Heuchera, aka coral bells. They come in an unbelievably diverse range of colors and sizes.

Heuchera's are a pop of color with just their leaves.This one is called Limelight.

And this one is purply gorgeous

This heuchera is called Creme Brulee, great name!
I buy Sluggo slug bait by the wagon load. Its non-toxic to pets and birds and that is so important. I thoroughly enjoy strolling in the gardens at night in high summer with a flashlight and saltshaker taking revenge on slugs. If you salt those nasty buggers they melt like the witch in the Wizard of Oz. Take a pair of slug tongs and drop them in a can, you don’t want to salt the foliage of your favorite plant. I’m already putting slug bait out because if I don’t my lilies will be lily nubbins in no time.

Perennial forget me nots are great, the annual ones get mildewy and infect a garden. Every year I wind up fighting the self sowing annual beasts and loving this one.
The end of winter weeding is mostly done, a big patch of vegetable garden still waits for attention, but the main gardens and beds have been de-weeded. I noticed yesterday that outside the gate in the two front beds where my roses live I am going to need to go back and rip up more dandelions, endless….

Couldn't resist these pops of color that will go in pots all over the gardens.
I love May in my Rabbit Garden. The bunnies are back in place now that the hard freezes are past. I always put away the garden ornaments in the winter in the studio storage room, I do it so they won’t get water in them and then freeze and have pieces spall and split off. Love that word, its an engineer’s word. Spall, meaning to break off and fall, perfect no?
I have so many bunnies hiding in that garden that it takes the massive foliage of summer to give them hiding places. I want them to peek out and surprise, not look like Granny Clampett has been in the Wal Mart garden shop again. I’ve been working on beautiful garden hangers from some wonderful old salt shakers from the 20’s and 30’s. They look gorgeous in the garden and can be purchased for $18 each.

Scary blue kitty with cobalt beads would look great hanging in something green in the garden.
The hydrangeas are covered with little green leaves and so is the kudzu of the northwest, aka kiwi vines. I’m still getting my mojo up to give the kiwi’s a haircut before they take over the world. The blackberries need a trim and the grapevine will too if we want great berries and grapes this year.

Love these kissy fishies, they say "good together" on silver tags at the bottom. Too cute in the garden
My poor pond! Its clear but covered with green nasty slimy mossy weed. Sigh, time to empty it and scrub it down. That’s an evil job and I’m stalling as long as I can before I tackle it. I’m sure Misha will attempt to help, he was born this past November so any of the yard work is just fun, fun, fun for him.

I love this tiny little porcelain shaker that looks like a straw covered jug. I paired it with green and blue beads and it will look great dangling from a plant this summer.
Last weekend Terry and I visited Edmonds to see Manya Vee Selects shop, it was so cool and I got a great hat and a wonderful ferry ride out of it too. I also discovered an adorabale shop called Bountiful Home that made me want to empty my southwestern house and start over with shabby chic. Adorable! House stuff and a sweet plant nursery in one, I do want to go back and pick up some of their old wire baskets and containers next month, they’ll look fab in the pergola out front.

Vintage Japanese luster ware owl for the wise gardener!
The wicker furniture has all migrated to the front and the cushions will come out soon. The pergola is our outdoor room in the summer and we live out there in the middle of the gardens. I am planning an open studio art sale and show in late June and in July and really looking forward to having visitors come and enjoy my perfect little world.

Talk about a pop of color! Mr Penguin has turquoise blue and orange beads for a 50's retro look.
The sun is out, the air is warming, time for another cup of coffee outside where I can listen to the gurgle of the pond waterfalling and watch the chickadeedles having their morning bath.