Spring in Swing!

Spring in Swing!

So I thought I would give an update on the overall garden as a whole. As we are finally getting some warmer weather and rain, plants here are going crazy! Most of the landscaped beds are getting out of control and really need a whole re-haul, but here are some of the highlights:

When MIL (mother-in-law) came to visit last weekend, she was kind enough to bring some of her perennials that needed dividing. (Score!) I got some lillies, irises, and hostas. For a yard that was already landscaped, our new house only came with 3 hostas. I was amazed! Usually these hearty, low maintenance plants are a staple in Midwest landscaping.







I was most excited for the irises, and let me tell you why. The ones MIL brought originated from her father's garden. My mom also has some irises in her yard that I will get my hands on in August, which originate far back on my dad's side of the family. (Possibly all the way back to Germany? Mom, do you know?) So soon I will have irises from my family and DH's family that have been passed down for generations. How cool is that! Not only to have plants passed down, but they are both irises!

Here are some other highlights (surprises) from the landscaping:

Giant hydrangeas - I don't know if they will bloom or not, 

but I may need to move them eventually.

A surprise peony - I swear this appeared overnight!

 

 Funky succulent-like plant - don't know what these are, but they are all over the neighborhood. I plucked off last-year's dried stalks that had flowers on them.

My hops that I planted are doing well!

My tomato "seedlings" are going crazy - I really need to fill the raised beds with dirt to get these planted!

My sweet william -  I planted these from seed 2 years ago and they are finally blooming!

Then of course there are always the trouble-maker plants that seem to take over...

This strange bulb-grassy plant:

This invasive groundcover:

Shrubs that I tried to kill:

And this scraggly bush that maybe could
 be nice if I actually trimmed it:

Oh, and it looks like Eva doesn't approve of the tree stump left in her kennel... you can see the holes she has started digging around it. (That is her skeptical/guilty face).

Any idea what my mystery plants are?
 
UPDATE! I found out from my mom that my family's irises come from my Dad's Grandma's Mom... (my  Great Grandma Mayme's mom) so that makes it my Great Great Grandma. We can't confirm, but IF they went back one more generation, they would have come from Germany. Which they very well could have! Talk about a legacy!