Toads love flowers

Mme Toad began the planting of flowers even before the rough grading was finished last fall. Since then, a number of toadally great friends have brought their special flowers to add to riotous gardens at Toad House.

The parade of gift givers began with Phyllis and the petunias and marigolds along the sidewalk. They are in full bloom and add gorgeous purples, reds, yellows and pinks to the rock wall where Toad and toads hang out.

However prior to the planting of these colorful blooms, Toad found clusters of carnations (pinks) that had been over-run by the grass and weeds on the hillside of the Ellingboe house. These, along with the Austrian carnations from Tony's mother, were the first to go in the ground. An order of tulips and other bulbs were next. A few primroses and yellow sedum from the Ziesler gardens followed and made it through the long winter.

In the spring of this year, daffodils (transplanted at the wrong time of year!) were popped into the ground to bloom just days after transplanting. Gardner Ruth offered lovely red sedum and other plants. Judy came by with hostas and tall purple sedum. Ann, offered white bleeding hearts, and other shade plants for the woods along with sweet little pink blooming plants and miniature Iris.

A childhood friend, Gwen, came with buckets of perennials from her garden for the newest bed of flowers. This prompted Toad to dig more perennials and add them.

The strangest thing is that almost none of the flowers have been planted in what would be the 'right' time. However, in this enchanted place, all things are possible.