Gorgeous May day

I wrote to my daughter the following garden update:

The garden here looks really nice just now. Three kinds of Iris are blooming, dark purple with white center; palest lavender-blue; and the variegated grape iris planted by the wire fence by the driveway. (I have also planted a few red cabbage plants there.)
In addition, the dark purple Salvia is blooming, along with two clumps of purpley-blue flowers of catmint. Coming along soon will be the light yellow Coreopsis 'moonbeam' that flowers for several months. I recently purchased one little hollyhock plant to see how it would do here, and so far it seems fine. It's quite small - I assume it will grow taller, now only about 6-7 inches - but it is blooming already.

I am thinking of a trip to Whately Mass. to see the New England Wildflower Society plant propagation farm.

....(It) opens its 2009 Spring Season Thursday, April 16 and will remain open Thursdays through Sundays until June 14. The Society’s nursery propagates and features over 450 native plant species for sale

They have quite a number of New England plants for sale there, and their website provides a list with prices