Someday We'll Have Sunlight and Color Again

The sky is grey and the landscape is mostly brown, plus a few faded greens and muted blue-grey.  By mid-afternoon it will be dark.  So I dug out photos of the garden from last summer to remind myself of color and light.  Above is 'Pretty Lady Emily' Japanese anemone.



Here are blossoms from a dwarf mockorange shrub, 'Miniature Snowflake' Philadelphus.  Yes, they really do smell like orange blossoms.  Though the two shrubs I planted were small, I caught whiffs of the fragrance each time I walked past.  Completely yummy.



These double lavender flowers are from a 'Farmington' Michaelmas daisy.  The bees were entranced.



Here is a maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum) unfurling in the spring.  I grow several ferns and this is my favorite. 



'Caradonna' sage (Salvia) glows with a warm plum center.  I also grow 'May Night' and love them both in the garden and in vases.



'Rolling Cloud' Siberian Iris has been a strong performer for me for several years, despite growing in partial shade instead of full sun.  The bloom time isn't long, but the spiky leaves add nice texture to the garden after the flowers are gone.



And finally, here are some leaves from Rodgersia.  This one is marginally hardy, so I'm crossing my fingers that it survives the winter to grow again next year.  The large leaves are very attractive, especially when backlit.  Surely the sun will show up again eventually.