Category Archives: Gardens

Destressing

Country Life, Gardens, Thoughts On Life, ,

I am recovering from a stressful day and decided that should be done with flowers.  It helps!  See new clematis above.

One of our four mandevillas. They are already growing so well that I had to make new trellises for them. Can you tell we went to greenhouses on Saturday? We also bought a gardenia, a new climbing rose, and a hibiscus, plus some annuals. Photos of those will be forthcoming when they flower. We still have to get our usual flats of flowers too.

And then we have our usual suspects that flower year after year. This clematis amazes us with its profusion of blooms. 

The rhododendrons are also in fine form.

The Wygelia is spectacular. 

The columbine pleases with its delicate blossoms. 

And the scent of the Miss Kim lilacs! I sit on the porch for hours just to smell them. Then I take some in the house. And to work. I want to enjoy their scent as much as I can before they fade until next year. Of course we have old fashioned lilacs, and the Miss Kims, and Royal lilacs. They bloom in succession so we are with lilacs for some time. Bliss!

And I am destressed! The wonders of the outdoors can work magic. 

Spring Blooms

Country Life, Gardens,

Spring rebirth and renewal is always appreciated here.  It takes place in the heart and soul as well as in the garden.  Let me take you on a tour. 

Tulips and hostas emerge from the bed beside the house. 

Candy tuft hangs over the side wall.

Bleeding hearts are just starting to come out.

The dogwoods are flaunting their finery. These are just a few of the sights that rejuvenate my soul. I hope that you are enjoying and communing with the blossoming of spring wherever you are.

Peace be with you. 

The Last Hurrah 

Country Life, Gardens, ,

We know winter is creeping this way but we still have flowers to enjoy right now. It is so warm that I am sitting on the patio with a book. One of my favorite pass times. I want to make the most of this opportunity. 


The snapdragons are still in bloom. 


As are the regal trumpet flowers. 


A self seeded celosia.


And the mandevillas.

I think this qualifies as the perfect October day. So my friends, my wish for you is that you may have an equally brilliant day.

Touring the Garden

Gardens, ,

Flowers-Lilies

The Star Gazers are my favorite of all the lilies we have. They are always bright and cheerful. Just looking at them makes me happy. Also they were a gift from my daughter which makes them even more appreciated.

Flowers-Garden Urn

I love my very large garden urn. My husband came home with it one day because he knew that I liked it. Each year I plant something slightly different in it. This year I used gladiolas in the center for height and it has worked quite well.

Flower-Begonia

This tuberous begonia was a late comer to our garden this year. I found a sale and couldn’t pass it up. It was the largest begonia I have seen. I had to lay it on it’s side for the drive home so the weight of the flowers wouldn’t snap the branches.

Flower-Phlox

Phlox comes up in our gardens every year by itself. I have never planted any. I am glad for it though because it always smells so good. It draws butterflies too.

Flowers-Cleome

The cleome re-seed themselves every where. I am not sure if I am glad we planted them that first year or not. When they are flowering like this, I am glad. When I am weeding them out of inconvenient places, I am not glad at all.

Hostas

And then there is the back bone of many gardens-the hosta. They are quite amazing. I dig them up and split them. The part I left of the original plant grows back as big as ever. And the new splits grow into an entire new plant very quickly. If only they were edible we could make quite a dent in world hunger. Never the less, a walk around the garden always brings a sense of peace. Except for those times when it brings an uncontrollable desire to weed!

Tastes of Summer 

Country Life, Gardens,

Apparently this is the year of cabbages. They are the best looking thing in our garden this year. We have red cabbages and green cabbages. 

And even Chinese cabbages.

It appears to be the year of cruciferous glory.

I also noticed some very nice looking zucchini. There will be one or two less of them tomorrow. And zucchini bread is soon to follow. 

The hiatus from limp, anemic grocery store produce is here!

Scents of Summer

Country Life, Gardens,

Peonies

I love this time of year! Every where I go outside our house, I encounter the most wonderful scents. The peonies are my favorite. I can’t think of anything that smells better. And they are also a very showy and appealing flower. I planted four new peony bushes this year so hopefully by next summer I will have new types to show you.

                                    Roses   Roses

The roses are also coming out in full force. The scent here is wonderful too. I worried about my roses because the past two years they weren’t very impressive. That must have been due to two cold winters in a row. Last winter was more mild and the plants are blooming profusely now. I also planted a new rose bush in the spring. I don’t know if it will bloom this summer or not. If it does, I will let you know. It is a bicolor rose, red & white flowers.

    Lilacs   Lilacs

And around the other side of the house are the lilac hedges. They provide a nice screen from the road during the summer months. And more olfactory delights. I must say, life is good!

Dogs and Peonies!

Dogs & Other Animals, Gardens, Rescue Happenings, ,

Shelby and Peonies   Baxter and Peonies

Dogs and peonies. It doesn’t get any better than that. Shelby and Baxter thought it was a great honor to get to go outside with mom, one on one while the other dogs stayed in the house. It’s not often they get mom’s attention all to themselves without another dog around. And they really appreciate it.

Nikki and Peonies   Phoebe and Peonies

The other dogs, not so much. Nikki and Phoebe were puzzled as to why I would ask them to sit and stay while walking away and then pointing that camera thingy at them. We could have been sitting together and snuggling. You can see what Phoebe thinks of my idea to sit. I don’t think so she said, laying down.

Kammie and Peonies

And the photo shoot would not be complete without our foster dog Kammie. She also seemed puzzled by this new concept of sitting in front of flowers. But she aims to please so she did her best to cooperate. Kammie is a nice girl.

Dogs and peonies are two of my favorite things so I thought what could be better than combining them!

 

 

Spring Comes

Gardens, ,

Azaela

Gorgeous coral colored azalea! This bush grows beside our house which was built in 1830. The bush itself is quite old judging from the size at the base of the trunk. I have never seen another azalea that is quite this color. We can’t wait for it to bloom when spring comes.

Bleeding heart

A profusion of bleeding hearts, or Dicentra, grow at our side door. The foliage is ferny and the flowers do indeed look like hearts. They are a pretty little plant.

                                  Petunial  Begonia

And these were Mother’s Day gifts. The petunia from my daughter is a beautiful color. And the begonia is from her boyfriend. How special is that?! Pretty great. I look forward to moving them outside when it warms up. The weather is slow to warm up this year. These two plants will definitely brighten things up, physically, and in my mind’s eye whenever I think of the givers.

 

Scents of Spring

Gardens, ,

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The scents of Spring wake up the senses. Lilacs waft through the air and remind me of childhood days. We had one growing outside our kitchen window and the fragrance can still transport me back in time. It also makes me think of my Mother’s lilac perfume.

image

The viburnum has a scent so glorious that it is the sole reason I planted it. One day I was at the library and noticed a most pleasing smell. I looked around the base of the bushes until I found an identifying tag. Viburnum. I obtained my own bush soon after.

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Lily-of-the-valley grow beside our door. I am blessed with its scent each time I go in or out of the house.

These are some of the plants that I would grow for scent alone. Their fragrance can calm my mind and make me focus, blocking out all else. These are gifts of nature.

More Flowers!

Country Life, Gardens, ,

Primula

These primulas came up in our yard this year. We don’t know where they came from but they are a wonderful gift. Once they are done blooming I will transplant them into one of the flowerbeds so we can mow that area again.

White violets

These white violets also grow in our yard. They come up every year and I love to see them. The flowers disappear before it is time to mow. How considerate they are.

Trillium

This trillium grows in our pine grove. Each year it adds another bloom. I would love to divide it but fear it would not flower if I did. I have heard they are very particular. Their trumpets surely are a thing of splendor and beauty.