We had a very hot day --80 degrees! --on Friday.  I had just gotten 4 plants in the mail, and got very hot planting them.  Three of them were goldenrod --one for the back bed, to see if it will work with the black walnut, and two for the birch bed.  I've also ordered some purple dome asters, to put at the base of the goldenrod in the birch bed.  The last plant is a spiderwort, and I decided to put that in the east bed.  I took out one area of iris and planted it there, nearest the door we don't use.  It will get morning sun, but not the hot afternoon sun, so the blooms may last a bit longer into the day.  

Rob and Emma spent the day planting trees at Nygren, and brought two home.  One is white oak, the other is hickory.  They've planted them --one along the dying white pine tree line, and one out close to the road.  

Rob has been buying bags of topsoil and peatmoss and we've been emptying them into the bed in the front created by the new wall, but it's taking a lot!  I don't know if we'll get anything planted in there this year, given how slowly it's filling.  

The Korean Spice viburnum is leafing out and has at least two flower buds --quite good for such a small shrub.  The wiegelia is also leafing out, and the serviceberry tree as well.  That looks like it has flower buds as well, although it's harder to tell.  The tulips I planted a few years back are beginning to decline --the flowers are smaller and the color is not as intense.  And I'm still waiting to see if the poppies develop buds.  The baptisma is coming along nicely, but I have to figure out how to get it to splay out less.

Yesterday it started raining, and a cool front came through --we're back in the high 40's with lots of rain, which is good for everything that got planted.