do something pretty while you can...

It didn't rain on Saturday.
My Dad came by and hung these two window planters up for us.

I couldn't wait to see them with something in them so I packed them with some annuals - mostly pinks and alyssum.

I hope they fill in and get really lush. My favorites were these dark purple salvia:

I also popped the string beans I started from seed into the ground near the basement hatch.

Fernando did more toiling in the backyard, digging up bamboo and removing a huge rock pile by the fence. I should have taken a before and after photo of the rock pile. Here are the highlights: the before was ugly and the after is much, much better.

Our bamboo is doing really well (too well) and popping up all over the yard. I tripped over an overturned cobblestone from our patio on Saturday - there was a new bamboo shoot underneath trying to get out! Upon taking a closer look I realized there were four new shoots trying to get through the patio. We have huge runners running throughout the entire yard; this was a 5 foot length:

We have an accumulation of bamboo stakes and some pretty purple flowers blooming under one of the trees. Any idea what these are called?

There is a huge bunch of wisteria in full bloom too!

Fernando dug these up from the ground under the rock pile:

He came running around the front (I was planting the window boxes) when he found the first one. A few minutes later he came back with the other!

We think they might have originally sat on top of an elaborate iron fence but are not sure. I love them. I think they might end up on one of the fireplace mantels in the near future.