Lambley Dumble and side cutters.

Over the last year or so I have fallen in love with salvias. 
This shrubby one is called Anthony Parker and it grows over a metre tall and wide with those gorgeous spikes of purple flowers.

This one is called Russian sage and has grey leaves and long spikes of lavender flowers. It's true name is Perovskia Blue Spires but I

still put it in the salvia 'basket'. 

This one is called Royal Bumble. It's red flowers are on quite long stems and I have taken many cuttings from this original plant. (I also love the name.)

I am unsure of the name of this one simply because I have moved things around a bit ( who would've thought!) but once again I have propagated it very easily and I love the arrow shaped leaves.
The pink cosmos that I have written about before,

remind me of my Aunty Dell. She had them all over her garden in Ballarat and they are flowering their heads off here right now.....

There is another salvia that is not in flower at the moment but I adore it because of it's name. It is called 
Lambley Dumble...another gorgeous dark violet. They are so easy to grow and if you can be bothered cutting them back after they have flowered in Summer , they will bloom again in Autumn. I usually cut them all back in Winter.......love them!

We have just arrived home from seeing Mum and Dad again. 
Bill took Dad to a doctor's appointment to check the progress of his foot and hip after his fall a couple of weeks ago.  His sore hip seems to be giving him the most grief. Definitely not a candidate for a hip replacement though which is good news. It will all repair in time.
 Mum is still patiently (not ) waiting for her surgeon's appointment in early May to determine whether a hip replacement is possible.
 This is how we left them yesterday in good spirits. Mum had just had her toenails cut 'professionally' and Dad did his with the' side cutters' out of the shed!!!! ( Sorry Len, not the tin snips...I got it wrong). Tin snips are the only implements I recall from growing up as a plumber's daughter. Mind you I still wouldn't have a clue what side cutters are used for either!

 I just noticed this gorgeous flowering gum today. All the left hand side appears to be dead but the rest looks beautiful at the moment.
And we are loving the bright green grass that is everywhere right now.

This granny block number 4 could be my favourite so far......mmmm, still wonky though....