A handsome, healthy frog sits on top of long green grass.

It is fair to say my garden has gone a wee bit tonto this year.

No mow May turned into dreich June, my hover mower died, and I got a bit no weel.

So, my garden is a bit more out of control than before, but then this wee beastie popped up and, suddenly, messy becomes a welcome virtue
#MessyGardens

This is the out-of-the-iphone-camera red, red, red of the ‘Beauty of Livermere’ oriental poppy. I wait for its brief yet happy-making appearance every year.

The crinkled tissue-papery petals of the freshly opened flower and the inky black markings and purpley stamens just add to my joy.

My growing patch lost two buds to (probably) marauding squirrels climbing the obelisk placed to keep the stems upright. This spring in Toronto has been particularly wet, so those stems are taller than usual. Naturally, the flowers lean into the sun, so my neighbour enjoys the best view.

That red certainly draws the eye in my messy front garden.

The arrival of the ‘Beauty of Livermere’ poppies is always a thrill. So red! So crinkly! So look-at-me-everybody! #bloomscrolling #canadagardens #torontogardens #gardensky 🌱 #messygardens #photographingflowers #nofilter

Autumn toadstools in my garden always make me happy! I've gone from no fungi to three different toadstools this year.

#MessyGardens
#NatureFriendly
#Fungi