Our Backyard in Bloom

Thanks to the recent rain, all of the plants around here are lush and green.  Honestly, the humidity and rain and soggy ground kinda reminds me of southeast Texas... minus the sweltering heat and mosquitoes the size of your fist.  And fire ants and venomous snakes.  Plus those horrible ground dwelling wasps I had a run in with when I was mowing the lawn several years ago.  No wonder I prefer the summers over here.


There are several rose bushes planted around the back patio and they have been producing some pretty buds.

There is a circular bed right off the patio where you'll find these little plants with purple flowering stalks.

All throughout the neighborhood where we live, you'll find tons of rhododendrons.  Most of them are purple, though I have seen some white, too, when I'm out walking the dog.  It makes me wonder if most of the original owners used the same landscaper.  And they're even planted in the green belts scattered throughout this development that dates back to the 1930s.

There are a few other plants in bloom in the backyard, but they're "one offs" and thus I'm thinking they're courtesy of some bird who helped scatter seed via poop.  I have no idea what they are and am tempted to say weeds of some sort.  But no matter - they do add several bright pops of color to the greenery.

While I was taking these pics, I noticed a lone snail scaling the back of the house and thought its shell was quite attractive.

And now on to the NOT so attractive aspects of an English garden... the slugs.  After a rain, it's a veritable slug buffet.  No wonder so many doves, ravens and magpies are always landing in our yard for a looky-loo to see if the slugs have made an appearance.

I have to go tippy toeing across the back patio when I take Ollie out for a potty break because they're everywhere.  

In the above shot, I included a big rose petal for scale.  They can get quite long and stretched as they ooch their way across the grass.  But if you touch them with a stick or the toe of your shoe, they immediately contract.

They kinda remind me of poop, for obvious reasons.  And as gross as they are, I just can't bring myself to break out the salt.