Prettification, in full swing

Last fall, I planted yellow tulips. It seemed the thing to do. Browsing over the offerings (I think I was at Agway) I thought of how the yellow would look against the teal-painted house, and I was certain it was a good decision.
Last week, strolling past and looking them over (performing the thorough meandering flower garden assessment that happens whenever my mother and I are together between April and October) Mom reminded me that I've loved yellow tulips for a long time. I don't really remember, but of course I trust her. 

I guess I've loved yellow tulips a long time. I may even have painted our house teal, subconsciously imagining this sight.

I can't even tell you how happy they make me. So simple, and so lovely. Siiigh.
This is the time of year when I have a hard time not making every trip outside, and every trip to Frog Pond or Lowe's or Home Depot, about my flower garden. It only lasts a month, six weeks maybe, but for at least the whole of May all I want to do is watch new things unfolding, and wonder at the pace of progress, and bring home pots of pretty leafy things to fill in the (still plentiful) gaps. Just got home from Lowe's, in fact, with a few sticks of lumber for one last tomato trellis, a few cans of bug spray, and... $50 in clearance perennials, weed block fabric, landscape pins, and "river pebbles" decorative stone for an impulse extra-prettification project I couldn't avoid. 
Prettification is happening in all corners, at all hours. Over the weekend I moved 60 square feet of sod to widen and plant this bed here, on the side of the garage. 
I know it looks like sloppy, floppy, weedy hell, but bear with me. 

There are three tartarian dogwoods in amongst the mess. I have ogled these suckers for years, and pondered over whether they would be right for this spot, and finally decided they would be, and then finally also decided to NOT go the budget route and try to find 10 dogwood TWIGS for $20 or something ridiculous (I am tired of planting twigs. I have planted a lot of twigs here that have died. DONE WITH TWIGS.) and so I screwed up my courage and spent $150 on three freaking shrubs. Sting. But. Look at these fat gorgeous suckers. 

Woooeeee. In around there are irises, and in the front I set in a row of sedum, which I made from some of the big momma sedums lurking around the edges of this place. Once everything recovers and starts filling in, it should look right purty. 
Gardening is just the best thing. Right now I know I should probably better be installing baseboards or spackling or painting the rest of the kitchen (ORDERED COUNTER TOPS TODAY!) but I am not. I am buying pots of pretty things and planting them. It is way more fun than caulking or painting or spackling, and I don't care who knows it. 
It is May, after all.
Psst! Click here to subscribe to the feed!