Last year, my husband and I decided to make our yard pretty by planting various flowers. We both really enjoy roses, so we went a little nuts and planted six plants in the front yard. These roses are special though because they are the Knock Out variety.  All Knock Out Roses bloom from early spring to the first frost in zones 5-11 with little care. While the company states the roses do not need dead-heading, I still cut off the spent blooms to encourage more. After the roses are finished blooming their first time, I will prune and fertilize them.

While the roses look very nice, there are other flowers vying for attention. I planted four irises last spring, and only two survived. Luckily, the two that survived are different colors. Irises do very well if they like where they’re planted. Last year, the blue iris had only one flower while the pink had none at all. It’s amazing what a year can do! Look at all those blooms!

My love of bulbs compelled me to plant tulips and daffodils in the fall. These early-blooming variety of tulips are gorgeous. Both daffodil varieties here are very fragrant, and their blooms last for about a week.

There are yet more blooms in the backyard with more to come in the summer. The lilac bush was planted last spring, and it has a bit of a flourish. It will take a couple more years before it truly shines. Fragrant buds have opened from the Dianthus plants, giving off a wonderful scent. A Salvia survived the winter to produce many flower heads this spring. All these blooms encourage hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies to come into the yard.

Even my little crape myrtle survived after enduring quite a lot. My husband surprised me one day.  He brought it home,  dug a hole, and planted it. It was doing just fine until he mowed over it. That happened just before the weather turned cold. The little plant managed to grow some leaves only to have them chewed off and be pooped on by some animal. I thought it didn’t stand a chance through the winter. This picture is proof of how hardy the crape myrtle is.

Last, but not least, are the blooming berries. My husband and I made an above-ground planter for them last spring. We planted two thornless blackberries, two raspberries, and two blueberries. They all survived the winter fairly well except for one raspberry plant. It is very tiny compared to its companion. Time and good pruning are needed to get a bountiful crop. In another year or so, they should greatly increase fruit yield.