One of the first trees to leaf out in spring

This buckeye (Aesculus hippocastanum), commonly known as horse chestnut, is native to a small region of southeast Europe but is widely planted in Europe and North America. Like other buckeyes, it's one of the first trees to leaf out in late winter/early spring.  In our yard in Quebec Province, I first noticed the leaf buds expanding and leaves emerging in mid-late May this year.

Expanding leaf bud on May 19

Newly emerged leaves on May 27

More newly emerged leaves

Dandelions!

From mid-May through early June we again had a bumper crop of dandelions in the meadowy areas in the far western end of our garden. Dandelions are one of the most ubiquitous plants on the planet. It's very common in our landscape as you can see in the following photos. It's a plant that I have a love-hate relationship with --- I like it's showy flower heads but hate having to pull up the too numerous vegetative rosettes that seem to pop up everywhere in our garden.

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Notice the mix of yellow flower heads and fruiting heads. The seeds are dispersed by wind; as the seeds mature, the subtending inflorescence stalk elongates increasing the likelihood that the seeds will be carried away by the wind.

Corn lily-ostrich fern garden planting

From largely bare ground I created a new bed in the garden in May consisting of corn lily (Veratrum viride), ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) and a sprinkling of yellow loosestrife (Lysimachia punctata). All three are upright herbaceous plants. It's one of the showiest beds in the garden and a personal favorite. I hope the site is shaded and moist enough (with occasional hand-watering) to be sustainable.

I dug holes and added some additional nutrient-rich soil to each hole in mid-May

I first planted corn lily by transplanting recently emerged plants growing on the slope below our house

I then added a dozen or so ostrich fern plants, interspersing them with corn lily

Burying a dozen ostrich ferns would have been a bit expensive;
instead, I transplanted recently emerged plants growing on the slope below our house. 

The outhouse out back

I never thought we'd have an outhouse outback but what do you know.... our house in Quebec came with one. We have not had occasion to use it but it's there if we need it. Perhaps I need to supply it with TP and a bit of hand soap.

Peonies in flower

Peonies, a favorite of many a gardener, grow particularly well in cold climates, including here along the Gaspe Peninsula. The previous owners of our house planted more than a dozen; most are herbaceous (non-woody) perennials but a few are small shrubs. Peonies have large showy flowers, often with a pleasing fragrance. The flowers have numerous anthers (pollen sacs) that attract pollen-foraging bees, including queen bumblebees. Peonies are in the genus Paeonia and are native to Asia, Europe, and western North America.

Looking out our living room window we see peonies in full bloom in early July

Peonies along the stone path outside our living room

These are double-flowered peonies. The attractive foliage contributes to their appeal.

The large flowers sometimes get top-heavy and topple to the ground

A queen bumblebee foraging for pollen on a peony flower.
Note the round, yellow pollen basket on her back leg.

Five fruit pods developing from a single flower.
This was a flower from a shrubby peony - they tend to flower (and produce fruits) before the herbaceous ones.
I wonder if the seeds are fertile and how difficult it is to grow peonies from seed.