So many Susans

 The Black-Eyed Susans have taken over my yard and every year I think I should take some serious measures to fight back, but I never do. They're just so happy, and they last so long. I love them. They are my signal that summer is fully entrenched and I should stop to soak it in.

This is my current view:

Oh, but wait: there's more! When Ali was little, this patch was full of ground cover and her plastic house where she first had tea parties (once I'd cleared out the spiders and debris from its dormant, winter time, and later climbed on and used as a perch.)  Thanks to my sister Deb for the metal flowers that will bloom even in the snow. The hydrangeas are new, and the middle one is shy, but they'll come along. The pots are newish, too: reclaimed and waiting for inspiration.

The lilac tree outside my kitchen window is coming along, and was pretty this spring but I didn't get a great picture. Here's the current  view from my kitchen window and a cameo from the springtime star gazers who've given way to the Susans. 

Below is the view of the back porch that my eastside neighbors get. I often wonder if they're tired of all that yellow, but they haven't complained yet.  The lilac is pretty when its in full bloom and I need to do some research about how to prune it so it's even more vibrant. I have another one in front that's on the struggle bus but is still upright. On the right of the back porch is one of a pair of tree/bushes that came with the house. They're green right now and home to a pair of cardinals. They're fire-y red in the fall, so Mark and Jerry do get a little color relief, I guess.

Alison picked out the colors to paint the backyard shed, which we had built when our stuff filled the garage and I couldn't fit my car in there. It a fun pop of color and one of the best home improvement projects we've had done. We painted it ourselves - it's always an adventure when the three of us tackle anything together.  

I'm hoping to have a mural painted on the west side of my garage this month. Until then, this beauty (below) from my friend John Vielee is the most attractive part of that section of the yard. 

John shared bulbs with me last year and these fire-engine red beauties are popping up all over my yard. I'm super excited about them. I shared a few Susans and possibly some lilies of the valley with him as well. 

Funny thing about sharing plants with friends and family. It's one of those things you do in a moment and then for the rest of your life (if you're lucky and don't move and leave them behind) you get to remember that wonderful memory every year when the flowers spring out to remind you that beauty is in more of the eye of the beholder: it's also in the memory bank. 

I've shared hostas and day lilies and Susans with a lot of my friends, and they've reciprocated. I have grape hyacinths from Cindy and my former neighbor (still friend Debbie) gave me her peonies, which are loving life on my side of the fence.

We even planted some down at our neighborhood park where they perk up the corner flower beds and call to me to rip out the weeds that have invaded. I never do. I think about it, but I'm always on my way to something else and never seem to get back there.

The day lilies don't last long (which is perhaps an invitation to the weeds)  but they're beauties in their moment. Here's a look earlier in the year in my front yard along that brick wall where the Susans took over in the back. 

They came from home down near my grandmother's house. I dug them up from the side of the roads all along her house. They're hardy, and like the Susans like to spread out. I intended for them just to ring the oak tree, whose roots were kind of garish. 

I also have irises from my mother's yard. They're slowly accepting their city lives and were pretty this spring for about five minutes.  In the front yard, the current focal point is my hibiscus from last year, which my friend/neighbor Lois says I need to split this fall. I'm terrified of harming it but I'm going to try. 

I started taking pictures of the yard after my childhood friend, Sheila, posted flowers of her gardens. She's sick right now, and I hope on the road to recovery. I told her I'd share some shots, and this is what that thought turned into. I hope it brings her a little joy -- and you, as well. 

This morning, Jeff and I spent some time with our friend, Alison, who put together a wonderful celebration of life for her parents. It was in the middle of a covered bridge in historic Roann, a northern Indiana town I'd never been too. Her parents were both involved in restoring the bridge, so it was a fitting venue. It was a lovely service made even nicer by the bouquets on each table.

Flowers have power, man. They're just an amazing thing. I spend a lot of time in my yard, but I don't often stop to take in all the aspects of their beauty. This has been a fun little project. At least for me. 

I'll leave you with a mish-mash of the yard in the spring. I can't take credit for the magnolia in the back, which like mine in the front came with the house. The backyard magnolia flowers over our driveway but lives in Lois' yard, which is like Eden. There's every color and tons of color. She also works way harder than I do, which shows. Like, a lot.

The magnolias are glorious, and I am happy when they burst out. Not so happy when I'm knee-deep in their gone-by blooms in the spring and huge leaves in the fall. But really, the spring view is worth it.  Hope you find some flowers to bask in this summer. I know where you can get some starts if you're in the market...