Perennial Surprises

My love affair with my homey, run-down cottage named Midge Midgey Poo continues--as this year there are a few new perennial additions to her completely chaotic and relatively expansive yard. I have watched for over a year and a half and have identified the following highlights of my rental palace's grounds:

at least 4 peonies, only 2 of which bloomed last year

three rusty burn barrels, two of which were converted into lettuce and herb containers, one of which is a possible compost bin

a sidewalk tree (has a chunk of old sidewalk growing out of it)

a tractor tire, once filled with rocks and a stinging insect's nest, now filled with soil and ornamental grasses

a garden hose tree (has several strands of garden hose growing out of it from a long-gone tree house)

two sections of a dry stack retaining wall of sorts that has shifted and fallen into a less than elegant mess--but has several floral surprises including some peonies and hen-and-chicks

tiny siberian squill to greet the spring

a single red tulip

an overwhelming mass of hostas along one side of the house (not my favorites since they are heartily overused)

a perfectly shady spot at the bottom of the hill for a hammock

a low-enough dipping tree branch for a swing

incline and bumps that made for a whale of a Slip-n-slide and will again this summer

Weirdest thing: the yard is often dominated by a curious little creature known as "Hudson" that tromps around and entertains the locals. If you would like to see a fascinating rendition of "Lollipop" complete with umbrella (ala Planet 51) and performed on the sidewalk feel free to meander by when the weather is nice.

New this year: echinacea, hollyhocks, shasta daisies, astilbe, aster, sweet alyssum, sweet peas (fingers crossed for them), four o'clocks, clematis, delphinium, ...and hopefully a new song with a wider range of lyrics.