After a cold, wet Wednesday, yesterday there remained a chill in the morning air as I took an early saunter around the garden.  Water drops clung to leaves and petals in places the sun had yet to reach. It was quiet except for calming notes of birdsong.

In front of the house (which faces east) a couple of plants rescued last year during a neighbor’s border renovation project were catching the early rays. (I think I have identified them correctly.)

In a border along the south side of the drive ascelpias is making good progress. This area also has lots of echinacea popping through.

This spring the southern side path heading toward the back garden has been flourishing with daffodils, irises, baptisia, and clematis.  Unfortunately this bed has a terrible infestation of bermuda grass that seems impossible to manage. I hired an organic company to help with it, to dig it up, but dosed with a great deal of mansplaining, their expensive efforts in March have proved to be merely cosmetic.

(I am focused on trying to keep it from getting further into the main garden and in two places have used layers of cardboard and piles of mulch to smother it. This can take two years from what I have read.  I think this grass came in a few years ago in some bad mulch at a time I was not able to pay attention to the garden. I am trying to avoid spraying harmful products but frankly it is overwhelming to manage.)

So even as this ginger lily emerges with vigor, the grass continues its rampage on this border.

In the midst of my indecisiveness about this dilemma I came across a white form of rose campion having an identity crisis!