The trip to Washington and Oregon was a joy, but as always following a week away I’m happy to be home. The past week I’ve hiked mountains, visited gardens and seen more nursery plants than most will see in a lifetime, but I’m thankful to be back home and in the garden.

Yes, there are weeds to pull, but after a week away I must catch up with old favorites. In the week away I’ve seen gardens to inspire additions to mine, plants I must have, but I’ve missed the first blooms of the stewartia (Stewartia psuedocamella above) and hydrangeas (below).

Flowering of irises continues, with yellow flags and versicolor irises faded but with Japanese irises (Iris ensata, below) now at their peak. While aggressive yellow flags have bullied other irises away from the edges of the koi pond, clumps are swelling nicely in the damp lower, rear garden.

I’m pleased that several ‘Aphrodite’ sweetshrubs (Calycanthus ‘Aphrodite’, above) are flowering, but later than others that faded weeks ago. All are planted in shaded areas where I was concerned there was too little sunlight. Somewhere, I’ve planted the white flowering ‘Venus’, but with no flowers yet to identify it.

Uppermost branch tips of the dark leafed bush honeysuckle (Diervilla splendens ‘El Madrigal’ Firefly Nightglow, above) were nipped by deer several weeks ago along with flower buds, but lower branches are flowering. A second, more shaded honeysuckle will flower later, if at all.