Share a Garden Sunday - Almost Garden Walk

Well, I finally found my camera ... on the count of three, lets have a collective YAY! 1--2--3, YAY!!! And because I found it, I was able to get a few photos of the garden today for the fourth Share a Garden Sunday! I want to thank everyone who has spent their time taking pictures of their gardens, and those gardens that inspire them to keep Share a Garden Sunday a weekly event. It's been a lot of fun! So, you know the drill! If you're playing along - leave me a note, and I'll link you up as soon as possible.

I'm still patiently awaiting bulbs and blooms in my backyard, though things are filling in quite nicely, and it all seems to be right on schedule now that the weather has started to cooperate a little more. As you all remember, I complained about the 7.5" of rain we got in just a matter of days last week, but, in light of all the set backs the rain had on the patio completion, it really did a fabulous thing for the stage of the garden. Things are happy, healthy, and on the road to being really beautiful!

Again, you can see that the color is still a bit lacking, but that again is due to the the true seasons here in WNY, zone 5. My flowers are mostly summer - fall blooming, so most have yet to get started. Give me a few weeks - and I promise, it'll be more impressive.

Please excuse my neighbors satellite dish ... no other way around it, really. That and their down spot, and their meter box, and their kitchen window. How lucky we are. ;) The banana is taking it's sweet time, but the dear friend who shared it with me says that I will see some serious growth on this thing in the next few weeks, and if I take the proper precautions, it will come back next year. Yes, a perennial banana here in NY. Now that's going to be something worth talking about!

And Earl looks happy as a clam, no? Now, for some close-ups of the favorites that just opened up or will in the next few days:

Raspberry beebalm. (I'm so happy I found my camera!) I love this stuff, and apart from the wait time, this glorious plant has been a super star performer in my garden. I can't wait for it to explode here in the coming weeks.

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea) - these I was a little worried about. It seemed like I had the lazy flowers on the street. When everyone else had beautiful purple coneflowers on their plants, mine were just lanky and green. But now look at them. Gorgeous!

The liatris (gayfeather) blooms in my garden til' fall in purple and white. This purple batch is about ready to open up. I can't wait to see the blazing purple with that white delphinium.

And speaking of, isn't it great? That white really helps the garden pop, don't you think? And the height of them really make a great impact. Next weekend I'll buy my annuals to fill in the barespots for the garden walk - and I'm thinking of white petunias, inspired by these beauties.

And finally, one of Scott's favorite, and one of the many contributions to the new garden - calla lilies. They're such a rare and unusual flower. ;) Thanks for taking a peak at the garden, now off you go to enjoy the others:

Traci @ A Thousand Blooms

"E" Street Garden

Deborah @ Midlife Poet

Martha @ Lines from Linderhof

bj @ Sweet Nothings

Jo @ Jo's 2nd Act

Carrie @ Oak Rise Cottage

ChrisC & JohnJ @ The Great Wall of Lutz

Bonnie @ Love Your Place

Sue @ Sullivan & Murphy

D @ D's DayDreams