After 12 bags of mulch

this is what the perennial garden looks like this morning.

It's a little gloomy this morning and I really wish I had taken photos yesterday while we still had sun.  Yesterday was gorgeous!

I love the dianthus and wish I had moved the darker pink a little further away from the lighter pink.  That one is absolutely enormous.  I bought these at Lowe's from the "scratch and dent" area last summer.  The lawn ornament was the gazing ball that my granddaughter, Emily, and I made last summer....bowling ball, glass chips/mirror blobs and grout.

I love this columbine.  Last year when they dried I shook seeds all over the garden.  There are about 12 little ones coming up right now.

I wish I could remember the name of this flowering shrub.  The branches are kind of floppy and the flowers are lovely.  The big, fat bumble bees love it.

I think the salvia blooms are the most incredible shade of purple.

My butterfly bush did not survive the winter.  I was really surprised because I thought you couldn't kill those things!  I also had a couple of other plants that did not come up so the portion of the garden that is closest to the house is a bit bare.  I am waiting for a good perennial sale to fill in some of the blank spaces.

How does your garden look this year?