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.