Stone Bunny has been hanging out on the stump lately.
She’s been having a ball. Just a BALL.
She came over here several weeks ago when the oxeye daisies started blooming.
She thought that was fun. So she stuck around to watch the dianthus come on.
She just loved the way they stood so tall and vibrant with so many pretty pastel colors.
She couldn’t resist watching while the coreopsis bloomed with the dianthus.
And those baby snapdragons. Oh, they were fascinating.
So delicate yet radiating such strong colors.
Stone Bunny could stare at the snapdragons forever.
Then. Gee. She couldn’t really leave when the nasturtium started blooming. 
And it was fun to watch while the sunflowers overtook the daisies.
And the gypsophila. Oh my.
Well, she knew her buddies were missing her. She knows that it’s more fun in the main garden when she’s there. Poor Puppy.
So she told them that she would be back soon. She promised. She just wanted to stay a little longer. Until the liatris blooms, O.K.?
You see, Stone Bunny was watching. She knew she couldn’t leave just yet. Not when the Poppies where coming so close to bloom.
Meanwhile, an indigo bunting was hanging out on the log. 
And Sasha came around to visit. Stone Bunny really wasn’t lonely.
She was thrilled – just thrilled – when one gaillardia bloomed. She thought they had all died during the terrible winter.
And something about the yarrow is comforting to her. So soft and subtle.
Now the garden is changing again. The Poppies are blooming while the lamb’s ear stands tall.
Oh, how she would like to get right in amongst those poppies…..
Just reach out and touch one.
And little wildflowers are starting to come up amongst the gypsophila.
It’s going to be quite a scene.
OH YEAH. The Gloriosa Daisy! How could she forget that? It has been striving to bloom right here by her.
And it has succeeded. 
Bunny wishes she could jump for joy.
But now the liatris is almost in bloom.
The flowers she came here with are passing on. Dianthus and coreopsis are fading.
While oxeye daisy flops.
She must leave. Good bye stump garden. 
Goodbye snapdragons and poppies.
Stone Bunny is going to be with her friends for a while.
They will be glad to see her. Plus, she can see that there are lots of gloriosa daisy coming into bloom over there. That is a show she really wants to catch. 🙂
In Jim's Garden 
Brilliant – really glad I came across your blog, the photos are great.
Thanks a bunch. I’m really glad you came across it too. So is Stone Bunny. 🙂
I think if my mom was even vaguely inclined to use a computer, she would love your blog. I’ll enjoy it for her!
Thanks. I hope you can share it with her somehow. As I recall, you are rehabilitating her gardens for her as well. Good job! Just yesterday I was asked to come to a local nursing home to share the blog via power point. That should be fun. 🙂
It was nice of Sasha to hang out with stone bunny for a while…great photos (as always)!
Thanks. Sasha is a good old cat. He doesn’t want Bunny to be lonely… 🙂
Stunning garden, Jim! Thank you for the wonderful, enjoyable tour!
You are most welcome, Amy. Thank you for your many visits to our garden. 🙂
I love your garden Jim, the flowers are stunning.
Thanks. Glad you like it. And thanks for the reblog.
You are welcome Jim
Reblogged this on The Daily Dom and commented:
I just had to reblog this stunning garden
Sensational Jim .. What a garden! Happy days stone bunny 🙂
Thanks Julie. Have fun in Australia. 🙂
I shall Jim, got my camera and charger 🙂 lucky me 🙂
I love your Indigo Bunting shot.
Great. It is a beautiful bird. It has been spending quite a bit of time lately bopping in and out of the brush below the log, occasionally sitting on the log, reviewing the little world it seems to have adopted for the time being. Thanks for reading. 🙂
Stone bunny makes my day 🙂
Thanks Julie. That comment makes my day. Naturally, Stone Bunny will be immensely pleased to hear that you like her. 🙂
I personally like wild flowers which grow in the forests and fields. Your garden looks close to that. I love that kind of flowers.
Thanks. You figured me out. The stump garden is intentionally wild. A few years ago we had to cut down the large poplar tree which had shaded this spot for the previous hundred years or so. Given excellent, fresh soil and a sudden infusion of light, I had the opportunity to create something fun from seed. It’s coming along nicely. Nice and wild. Thank you very much for reading. 🙂
Looks like an enchanted meadow. I can understand why Stone Bunny would want to stay there. And an Indigo Bunting! They’re just too beautiful to be real.
Yep, a very pretty bird. Stone Bunny moved after the story was published. Her little friends are just thrilled to see her, though the stump seems a little bare. 🙂
Hi Jim, You have so much packed into your garden. What a feast!
Thanks Margaret. A wee bit crowded, perhaps, but just how I like it. It is blooming rather nicely right now. I’m sure some specimens would prefer more light and air, but that’s just part of the game in the stump garden. Cheers. Have a great day. 🙂
I think (as a city-dwelling, non-gardener) that the second and third pictures are what we call Sweet William, which has a glorious scent. They were my daddy’s favourite flower.
Yes. They are called Sweet William. A member of the dianthus family. Sometimes I refer to plants by their common names, sometimes by their species name, occasionally by their scientific name and – if I don’t know who they are – by the name I made up for them. It varies. Your daddy clearly had excellent taste in flowers. Sweet William is one of my favorites. It has been blooming for weeks. Those plants are third year perennials grown from seed. I hope they keep blooming like that for many more years. I have a few second year perennials in another garden which haven’t bloomed yet, but should be looking good next year. Thanks for reading. 🙂
I love wild flowers and the English garden style! Lovely!
Thanks. Yes, it has been noted that I’m not the typical American gardener. Once when I was young and traveling in England a lady asked me, would you like to see my garden? I expected a square fenced-in area with vegetables. She showed me the most beautiful flower garden. A few years later I met my wife and repeated the same experience. Just look at us now. 🙂
Ah but the kind of garden I love. Have you visited Giverny, Monet’s garden? Google it if you haven’t seen it! I love wild flowers and also green gardens with lots of trees around the massive estates in Europe! Lovely. . . . do you mind me asking where you live?
I live in central Indiana in the heart of the midwest in the good ol’ U.S.A. I have not been to Monet’s garden but I have seen many pictures of it. We have a Money print hanging on the wall. Thanks for sharing your observations about my garden relative to the English and European gardens. That warms my gardeners heart. Our property does have a bit of an estate feel. That is not accidental. It was quite overgrown when we came here but I could see that it had huge potential and we have worked diligently to achieve a more gracious feel. We are finally beginning to realize that potential and I love sharing it with the world, via the blog. Cheers. 🙂