Sunday evening garden tour

Last fall, my hunk o' burnin' love got tired of being my garden slave and started his own garden in the dappled shade of our woodsy backyard.

It's looking pretty good for a first-year shade garden. Today I dragged the teakwood glider over so we can sit there together and watch his hostas, ferns, astilbe, lily-of-the-valley, and coleus grow into lush waves of color and texture.

Speaking of garden seating, the smartest thing we have ever done in our yard and gardens was to scatter plenty of tables, chairs, and benches around. (No, it doesn't have to be expensive. You can scour flea markets for sturdy, inexpensive furniture.) We sit outside nearly every day because everywhere we look, there's an inviting seat. I take my computer out to the patio or to the back yard where I can see and smell flowers, hear birdsong, watch butterflies and bees and hummingbirds and so on while I'm writing.

Have you tried writing outside? It's a change of pace and a treat for the senses that will refresh your writer's spirit. If you don't have a laptop computer, just print some pages to edit outside. Even if you live in a city apartment and "outside" means the fire escape, you can sneak a pot of colorful petunias and a comfy chair out there, right? Make it your summer office.

Back to my husband's shade garden. Here's a close-up, seen through the spray from a sprinkler. Looks like an Impressionist painting, doesn't it? (Click on the pic to see the amazing full-size image.)

Oh, look. A few more sunny days and I can pluck the season's first strawberry. If my husband doesn't beat me to it. He did last year, the rat--and his face took on a blissful expression as he described how warm and tart and sweet it was. The rat!

Here's part of the front garden. I love the red-tipped barberry bushes, but they're getting out of hand. Must cut them back because this garden is supposed to be all about the flowers.

I noticed today that the lilies are budding like crazy. There will be lots of flowers next month... unless the wretched deer come along and nibble off all the buds like they did two years ago.

If you like my garden photos, keep an eye on my Twitter feed, because I've been linking to pictures from there instead of posting them all on this (ahem!) writing blog. You don't have to join Twitter. Just watch the stream (you can also see it in the sidebar of this page) and click the link whenever I post a photo.

And now, I'll get back to writing romance. Here's hoping we all have a fun and productive week.