Mary, Mary Quite Contrary...

I don't think a day goes by that I don't either think or say how much I love this house. We truly feel like God has blessed us so much our cup is overflowing!

We've deliberately not planned to plant a bunch of stuff this year so we could see what all is growing first. Boy are things growing! The property has this "back woods" feel that makes things nice and private. You have to look hard to see the houses on either side.

At our Memorial Day Pastor's Fellowship, Kris and Tim Endean were here and mentioned that we have some blueberry bushes on our property. Since they work with landscaping/mowing, I'm going to take their word for it. Judy Endean pointed them out which bushes they were, and now I have been noticing them everywhere! I am ecstatic at the possibilities. Last night as I was walking around the yard I noticed three very mature blueberry bushes chalk-o-block full of little blooms. Blueberry pie anyone? Blueberry smoothies? Blueberry jam? Oooo...the possibilities!

We are also thoroughly enjoying three lilac bushes in the backyard. As I type I can smell them! They are so beautiful and fragrant. I clipped some for the guest suite before Mom came and there is now a bouquet on the kitchen island. We also have two dwarf Korean lilacs on either side of the front door that are just about ready to bloom and I cannot wait to see and smell them.

I have a beautiful plant that is blooming profusely on the left side of the house. It has hydrangea type bloom, only smaller and white. I have placed a picture of it here on the right. Anyone have a clue? My mom says she thinks it is something called a "Snowball bush". These plants are fairly common in our neighborhood.

I am trying to learn all of the names of the plants we have in our yard and it seems like I'm finding something new every other day. I have mint and chives (left) growing in a backyard flower bed and I've planted some oregano, sage and thyme. I have three rhododendrons on the left side of the house, roses, phlox and azaleas on the other. There's May Night Salvia and pink flowering almond up front and a blue hydrangea that has finally decided to make a comeback after the long, tough winter. I don't know if it will bloom this year, but I'm encouraged by how it is growing. Up front in the "Cinderella garden" I have hostas, lilacs, some sort of ground cover, bleeding heart, double file viburnum and a rhododendron that is just about to bloom.

It all looks so beautiful. I need to learn how best to manage them all, but the managing of the blueberries is easy...we're going to eat them!