I cannot remember having such beautiful weather for Memorial Day weekend. Yesterday's weather was perfect for gardening just like the other three days. However, I have to admit that after four days of intense work in the garden, I was ready for a day off. It was supposed to rain last night and today but it hasn't so far.

We were finally able to finish weeding and mulching the large back bed. I hope that all of our hours of work and effort pay off. Two summers ago, it was really a scorcher; it was consistantly in the 90s every day. Last summer, the weather was much more mild but the mosquitoes thrived. I didn't keep up with the weeding the last two years because of these problems. I want to make sure that I don't have to spend a lot of time worrying about weeding that bed this summer.

The irises started to bloom yesterday. My neighbor gave me these plants two summers ago after she thinned out her bed. Last spring there was only one flower stalk but this year there are twelve. I know that I will have to dig them up in another year or two so that I can rejuvenate them but that will only mean that I will have more to transplant in another area! I think that these flowers have a very attractive shape (not too frilly) and I like their soft purple color.

The Coral Bells are in full bloom.

Driving home today, I saw some beautiful flowers in other people's yards. One house on Farmington Road had a beautiful display that included two large bleeding hearts. I also saw some Stella d'Oro in bloom so when I got home I checked out mine. I don't see any buds yet but I know that I should see them in the next two weeks.

The Salmon petunias that I grew from seeds and planted in hanging pots are doing very well. Each plant seems to have a slight variation in color. I noticed that one of them almost looks like it is red and not salmon.

Pots with four types of lettuce.

Yukon Gold potatoes growing in barrels.

Sunday, we enjoyed some of the bounty from garden. I made radish and lettuce finger sandwiches with cream cheese on pupernickle bread for a snack after we finished gardening. Then Ken made grilled chicken tacos for dinner and we used lettuce and basil as toppings. The basil was a great accompanying taste to the BBQ sauce on the chicken. YUM!