The lupine have been especially lupilicious this year.  And while it was a wee bit hot and muggy to be out in the sun for too long at the height of the day today, it was worth the ride across town to see them.

Here are a couple of views of the garden, with the lupine, that you probably haven't seen yet:

The Siberian irises are out in force, too:


And poppies are popping all over the place:





(the bottom two are from Tony's garden, by the way.)

And, on my way home, yet more peonies on Orchard Street:



I've said it before, I'll say it again: there are few pleasures purer to me than being in the garden. Since I started gardening in earnest in the spring of '04, tending my dad's when he was dying, it has been a source of discovery, inspiration and balance, among other things, for me. 

Getting my spot in the Fenway was a coup. Before that I had a postage-size plot in Jamaica Plain, but as nice as it was, nothing compares to the Fenway.  And I was determined to make the most of it. 

Gardening is not for sissies, that's for sure.  This is what my plot looked like when I got it back in '05:


And this is what it looks like now:


I'm just sayin'.

A lot of blood, sweat and tears so far.  Couldn't have done it without a little help from my friends (and the constant guidance of a slightly cranky garden gnome), but there it is: my little kingdom.