Well I have to admit this gardener is not perfect. I strive to show the best view of the garden in photos, taking pains to make sure there is a balance of structure and order as well as beauty and movement in each shot. I go so far as to move a menagerie of  hoses and pond cleaning tools out of the perfect shot, or hope that nobody will notice the bag of mulch lying behind the lovely bush of flowering Sage.But alas, sometimes I think one just has to show the jumble and inperfection of nature (mine and Mother Nature) that makes it perfectly imperfect in its own right. Here are some pictures of the imperfect garden. The clutter and mess I usually deal with that helps make gardening fun.

Below a shot of the bog and pond. A jumble of colorful beauty.

I loved this shot of the back of the pond. Perennials are filling in and the trees and irises are just lovely. It would have been a great picture but for the bag of sand lying right there. The untrimmed Canna on the lower left is also irritating me a little. I have left it untrimmed till the new foliage fills in to give the emerging dragonflies a place to attach so they can molt in relative safety.

And this would have been a really cool shot if it weren’t for the bag of cow manure waiting patiently on the bench to be used in the tree bed…. Grrrrr…   Ah the perfectly imperfect world.

We aren’t perfect, and looking at these pictures reminds me that to strive for excellence is good, but sometimes there is beauty in the mistakes and clutter of the every day world too.

One of my favorite times in the year – when the irises bloom. The first flush has just started – purple and blue. Beautiful! The red and yellows will be showing up in about 3 days. Love this picture especially when it is opened to a a full window.

Spring has turned the grass a fresh green. A novelty here in Texas as the heat turns up.

Nicely tidied up garden for the year. Unfortunately the oak blossoms just fell, so I will be back in the garden, spending considerable time pulling those blossoms out of the bog and rocks. Just in time for mosquito season. 😀

And along the pond edge, the Gaura is sending out it’s butterfly blooms. What a pretty plant. I will appreciate it now because once the heat sets in, it goes almost dormant until next spring. I have found some Portulaca I will plant next to it, to cover the times it is not in bloom. One of Portulaca’s many blessing is that it loves the heat.After a day of work, a special place to rest with a glass of wine at sunset, to appreciate the Mexican plum blooms on a bench near the water. What a peaceful little sanctuary.

And finally as a parting shot of the setting sun barely touching the pale blossoms of the desert mallow.

This lovely beauty finally grew into high gear after being planted last spring and spending much of last year not not doing anything at all.  I was about to remove it this February, when it finally stepped up it’s flower power. I think it will stay.

I count myself very lucky. While my close friend up in New England is digging out of yet another heavy snow storm, with temps in the teens, I am looking out of the window at my drab, UN-snow-covered garden with temps in the upper 40’s, waiting for the sun to come out. I really can’t complain. And yet my gardening itch is growing daily. Last week we reached a record high of 82 degrees and I zoomed outside, furiously hedging and trimming perennials and shrubs. I wanted to get started early, for I knew the spring cleanup will be a very busy time for me. But invariably the cooler weather came in again and has driven me back inside to contemplate the veggie garden design and the plants that need to be moved, removed or just trimmed for this year.  For now I will spend a little time looking back at some pretty sights over the last couple of weeks before the weather warms up into the 70’s this weekend, when I will rush outside to continue my cleanup efforts.

Bandits at the bird feeder, the Blue Jay:

If they weren’t so freaking mean to the other birds around the yard, I could appreciate their beautiful plumage so much more.

A Cardinal contemplating a late morning dip. He looks so deep in thought….

And an American Goldfinch in winter plumage considering the same thing a little later in the day.

No hesitation here with these Lesser Goldfinches! They jumped right in and splashed around – it looks like fun!

Not too much noteworthy to see out in the garden, and for now I will cast my thoughts back to fall when the Lindheimer Muhly was in full bloom.And the butterflies were gracing the Gregg’s Mistflower. If you want butterflies by the dozens in your garden, plant this easy grower and be prepared to be amazed.

And the semi-completed island bed, which in retrospect I wish we’d made bigger. Lets hope those new plantings will survive the winter.And for a strange view of life in the garden I find this shell from a hatched Dragonfly larvae so fascinating. Can you see the top where the larvae broke out of it’s old skin, to finally take to the sky for the very first time? I wonder how that must feel.

And lastly a look at the bright and happy Orange Bells to shoo away the winter blahs: