All Together Now

Well, my 2015 Garden Soiree has come and gone and by all accounts it was a success. The three days of intensive prep paid off, though as I joked to a couple close friends, only they knew the 'Before' and the 'After.' One friend needled me "It looks so ... clean!" Which is an amusing comment given we're talking about a garden, where the plants are grown in ... what do you call it? ... oh, yeah ... dirt.
It did seem that a good time was had by all and that's what counts. That and the special enjoyment for plant geeks in discovering my seemingly endless collection of less common plants.
And now I get to enjoy the garden's newly organized and well-weeded form, free of work for at least a few weeks. Certainly the fully-in-bloom Echium 'Blue Bedder' was a hit, for humans and bees alike. In fact I think I heard one of the bees say "Hey, we were here first. Scam!" The gorgeous coral-pink hues of the prolific Clarkia 'Aurora' were also a hit. The Shady Lane, as the walkway to the back yard is called, was also very much appreciated. It didn't hurt that the sweet smelling Philadelphus 'Belle Etoile' was in bloom there.
A friend was kind enough to take some photos that day and while he clearly is not a pro, the photos offer a bit of welcome human visuals. Here are a few: