While the PC was down

June 3, 2012 was locked inside that hunk of metal, and no amount of wishing could get it out. That Sunday morning's photos had just been downloaded from the camera (and deleted) before I went out to work in the garden. I came in for something and heard this odd noise. After walking around like Sherlock Holmes for a few minutes I realized it was my scanner trying to phone home to the mother ship…over and over without success. The new power supply was hooked up last Saturday, but I didn’t give a thought to the ‘hostage’ photos until just now. So here’s to the day that was almost forgotten.

'Mulberry Frost' was loving up to 'Le Vesuve' so nice that morning, but remember, my chores in the afternoon included removing these daylilies because they were plagued with rust. So sad.

'Le Vesuve' was heading for a nice flush.

The nitrogen-fixing cover crop had sprouted. Another sadness... some critter (gee, I wonder who) has chewed most of them off at the knees. Do you think they'll keep growing without leaves?

The buds of 'Full Moon Rising' were open.

Blooms were boisterously merry. Don't worry. That's not a real bunny.

'Sweet Chariot' was all green and leafed out.

'Lauren', too.

'Le Vesuve' was simply perfect.

'Lauren' wasn't quite in focus here, but that's no reason to discard such a pretty thing.

The Leaf-Footed Bugs were makin' whoopee on 'Madame Lombard'. Disgusting, aren't they?

'Quietness' was all ready to put on a show, and she did...in the rain. And I missed it.

'General Schablikine' (foreground) was so proud of himself, blooming and leafy. He hadn't always been this way. Behind him, 'Maman Cochet' was proud, too, having almost doubled the number of her canes this spring. She's no longer invisible to the camera, just playing hide and seek this day. For perspective the bed is almost five feet wide, and the bushes are almost six feet tall.

'Maman Cochet' was lovely that morning.

'Mary Guthrie' was getting ready for a pink blast off. Do you see a grasshopper in the middle of this shot? Yes, I certainly do.

A lot of the daylilies were done with their first bloom, waiting for the rebloom on new scapes.

'Secret Splendor' was preening.

The potted begonia, back from the frozen dead, and Gingerland caladium were happy to share their garden with the Impatiens volunteer who decided to show up in the gravel.

The young 'Duchesse de Brabant' was showing off her first vertical cane.

She'll be a beauty queen when she grows up.

'Reve d'Or' was beaming in the morning sun with her cadre of caladiums enjoying the shade of her canopy.

'Reve d'Or' was really looking fine considering she didn't get her spring clean-up until a week before this photo. She had an awful lot of dead canes from our last winter freeze. A lot of new growth had sprouted in our too-early spring. Some got zapped by the cold, and so much was cut down by the squirrels at about 8 inches (squirrel height?), but I was so pleased to see a few thick basal canes that the squirrels had missed.

A sunny spot for a rose was discovered that morning. I hadn't realized it was so sunny here, not being a morning person. The new hydrangea will get moved. Roses get first priority in my getting-shadier garden.

It’s an encouragement to see the garden back on a pretty day in pretty condition. The rain we had last week was most welcome, but it wiped out much of what these photos were foretelling, leaving the garden with not much to look at. What a blessing that the third of June of 2012 really did happen and wasn’t forgotten.