Everything's Coming Up Roses

My gardens have been exploding with color and smells and loveliness the past couple weeks.  Every day we go out and something new is blooming, it's a very exciting time :P  I love when the roses bloom because their beauty and scent is intoxicating.

The campanula is like a blanket of flowers. 

I got some new verbena since the boys accidentally uprooted mine last year.

"Won't you come into the garden? I would like my roses to see you."

Richard Brinsley Sheridan

The clematis vine is just gorgeous this year too, finally!

When Ricky and I were in Montana/Wyoming in the fall I picked up a pack of Montana Wildflower seeds.  I sprinkled the seeds all over my flower beds early this spring and they're now starting to come up and are adding a lot of interest to the garden this year!

Of course I don't know any of their names but that's ok sometimes!

My jungle of Salvia:

and some of my favorite flowers, Centuarea Cara Mia:

I was having trouble with those red spider mites again and even with the kids spraying them with soapy water multiple times a day they just keep hanging around.   I think they are the reason my bee balm is not doing that great :(  Since it's a butterfly garden I don't want to spray insecticides so have been searching around for natural methods of getting rid of them.  One website suggested getting predator mites or ladybugs.  I'm not sure where I would find predator mites but our local greenhouse had ladybugs that we released in there the other day.  Hopefully they help!

Kousa Dogwood in bloom and my darling JoJo :)

Another Montana wildflower... looks kind of like a lupine doesn't it?

and my morning glory vine on the kids "secret garden hideout".

Gorgeous.