Floor Makeover

Here are the before and after shots of my floors--green living room, purple office, yellow dining room and rose toile parlor.  Yes, my rooms are a little like Easter, and yes, on purpose!

Longing for Spring

I've decided that spring, not fall, is now my favorite season because it's so exciting to see the flowers budding. I especially like bulbs, and planted 40 tulips, 15 hyacinths, 35 Dutch iris and 10 allium last fall. Unfortunately my brother-in-law and I stepped on some of them while putting together my wisteria arbor. The Dutch iris had popped up during our very warm January weather and then they disappeared. I finally located them in the back yard and across the street in the neighbor's front yard. I've replanted them and hopefully the critters will leave them alone now.

My first year I discovered various daffodils around the back and side yards and I've transplanted them to the front gardens. I also had a lone hyacinth show up in the front bed opposite from where I planted mine (all of them came up), so I don't think that was one I planted. Is it moles or squirrels who move them? I can't figure it out.

I couldn't resist some pink and white tulips at Home Depot, so I'll be planting them this year. Also, my friend Holly gave me some bulbs that she got free with a plant order, so those will go in, too. I hope my daffodils come back. I'm never quite sure I've transplanted things successfully, although I transplanted about ten hostas last year and they're all fine. The sad little peony I transplanted from the side yard didn't get any blossoms this year. I've only seen one blossom on it, anyway, unlike my white one which is beautifully full.

My wisteria this year was a big disappointment because I only had seven blossoms. I'd hacked the heck out of it last year, when it was leaning on an old ladder. Before that it was just flopped into one big unattractive mound. There are two wisteria, one on each corner of my L-shaped porch. This spring I spent a considerable amount of time untwisting it and laying it across the arbor, plus digging up the parts that had rooted itself from lying on the ground. What a chore that was, digging about eight feet across and two feet down. It's now way too full, but I won't cut it for fear of removing blossoms like last year.

So here are some shots of the wisteria, last year and this year, and some spring flowers. Also, this year I planted 95 gladiolus bulbs, but only about 35 came up. I get so disappointed when the package shows all kinds of beautiful colors but only a few come up. Most of my glads were salmon-colored but I've thrown in pictures of most of what came up.