Category Archives: Gardening

The Importance of Friends

Posted on by
Reply

Now that’s a funny title for a gardening blog, isn’t it? But as I was gathering the pictures of my Iris plant which I was going to write about for this blog post, I was brought back to when I bought the plant and who I was with: my gardening girlfriends.

The Gardening Gals Gang on our “getaway to the UK” in 2017

This got me thinking about the friendship I share with these special women, and how important that is to me. There is a small group of us, all brought together by Susan. We enjoy each other’s company and we especially enjoy anything and everything related to gardening. When we first started getting together, we would tour our own gardens and share our plants. We’ve moved on to exploring other well known gardens both in Ireland and in the UK. Last year we ventured over to England to Chipping Campden, and visited the gardens at Hidcote and Kiftsgate.  But it was on one of our ‘Irish outings’ when I purchased my ‘Benton Storrington’ Iris.  We were in Wexford visiting the beautiful Bay Garden, when we then stopped by the Camolin Potting Shed, which is a great place to find more unusual items for your garden.

Iris ‘Benton Storrington’

We had a wonderful day out at the Bay Garden.  Our chat is never just about gardening, but about all facets of life! I’m sure we solved all of the world’s problems that day! Not only that, we were also rather successful on our quest for some special plants.

the Gardening Gals plant purchases in Wexford 2016

I can feel my spirits lift when I am around good friends, it is so wonderful. Sometimes life gets too busy, and we might only have time for quick notes on the computer, which is O.K. short term. But nothing beats a good ol’ chat – either in person or on the phone! It is just good for the soul.

Iris ‘Benton Storrington’

It is tough to find time to nurture relationships, especially when our lives are a little too jam packed with activities.  I am quite guilty of being involved in too many things sometimes!  But thankfully, I have good friends who are patient and always there for me when I show up 🙂

Iris ‘Benton Storrington’

It is a little funny, too, that a lot of the flowers I’ve planted in my garden have connections to the people in my life. I simply love flowers and plants and trees, so if I associate one with you, that means I really like you!

Iris ‘Benton Storrington’

Just a quick word about the Iris which this post was about: I wanted to add a bearded iris to our garden, but was looking for the right color. Having only a picture to go on, I decided to give this one a shot. I planted my two rhizomes in April 2016 and this year is the first year I have blooms.  It not only bloomed, it more than doubled in size. Unfortunately, it spread in the direction of one of my hydrangea, and was mostly hidden after it flowered.  I will have to move it to a more open space, where the rhizomes can continue to be exposed to the sun.

Iris ‘Beton Storrington’ – a teeny tiny bit inside the hydrangea…

I have a love of flowers, and because of that I like to learn about them as I go along. After our iris bloomed I did some research on the name. The history is rather interesting!  Cedric Morris, an artist and plantsman, bred the Benton iris, raising thousands of this bearded variety from seed. The name comes from the area in which Cedric lived: Benton End, in Suffolk. This all took place between 1934 and 1960.  Years later, Sarah Cook, a head gardener at Sissinghurst Castle garden, made it her mission to bring this collection of iris “back to life”, for which she has had amazing success. She teamed up with Howard Nurseries and achieved a Gold for their display at the Chelsea Flower Show 2015! These iris are known in particular for their subtle and delicate colors and markings. If you’d like to learn more you can visit The Big Delve website or for some amazing pictures of fields of the iris visit Gap Gardens website.

I’m glad for this lovely addition to my garden.  But really, more important than my new flower, the bottom line is to take time to nurture those friendships!

Which flower are you associated with? 🙂

In peace,
Dana

In my tasty June Garden

Posted on by
2

allium purple sensation is now “finished” in the garden

When it comes to the garden there are changes going on all of the time.  Just like in life, time moves forward whether we are ready or not!  The garden has moved from showing off spring flowers on to growing our fruit and veggies and showing off some early summer flowers. We live in County Louth, and although other parts of the country have had rain, it has missed us for the good part of 4 weeks.  I can really see and feel the dryness in the garden.

A very dry veggie and fruit garden

Look at that grass! Granted, we don’t pay any attention to the grass other than mowing it (probably too short, I might add), but it is usually *green* and not yellow.  Anyway, this is an early June look at our pumpkin and zucchini (courgette) plants, along with our blueberry and strawberry plants, and our pear tree.

organic zucchini (courgette)

The organic zucchini plant was given to me in May.  Actually, I did a little bit of a swap, and traded sunflowers for zucchini.  It is great to find someone who grows organically and likes to share! We mixed in a good amount of our compost when we planted them.

organic pumpkin plant

The picture above is of one of my pumpkin plants.  Pumpkins LOVE compost.  We worked in as much compost as we could into this bed.  The seed for this plant is actually from the pumpkins I grew in 2016.  While I did try to grow from last year’s seeds, they didn’t produce anything.  So I then tried the seeds from the previous year, and “Bob’s your Uncle” – they grew! 🙂

blueberries

The blueberry plants are overladen with berries this year and the berries are growing to a nice size!  I am still trying to figure out if my soil has enough acidity for blueberries, as some years they do well and some they don’t. I’ve given them lots of my compost early on in the season, and I’ve kept them watered during this dry spell.  We’ll see how it ends up!

green strawberries

The strawberries are still *very* green, and not very big.  They, too, were lucky recipients of our compost (there is never enough compost, so I have to pick and choose which plants get it!).  I’ve also made sure to water them, so again, I’m hopeful that over the next week or two we’ll get some nice color in them (and a little bit more growth!).

baby pears in early June (strawberry beds in the background)

Our pear tree is doing well again this year.  It is only in the past few years that it has produced fruit, but boy was it worth the wait!  These guys are teeny tiny right now, and only the width of a small finger.

This picture is of our pears in September 2017 (they were delicious!)

another look back at our fall garden of September 2017 with sunflowers, pumpkins, pears, and blueberry plants which have pretty red leaves

a full bed of sunflowers early June 2018

I have tried a new location for sunflowers this year.  I’ve alternated garlic and potatoes in this bed over the past few years, so it was time for a change.  We apparently didn’t dig up all of the spuds last year, as there are some growing up between the sunflowers…  These lovely plants are all grown from my sunflower seeds from last year. My father-in-law kindly started them for me in his greenhouse.  They have really shot up over the past number of weeks, and look to be quite happy!

You have to be sure not to wait too long to collect the sunflower seeds as the birds LOVE them and will clean out the entire flower heads before you know it! (sunflower from our garden Fall 2017)

I really should write a post just on compost, because it is so beneficial!  I’ll put that on my to-do list.  Here’s a look at our “summer” compost heap:

Compost heap (top layer is all new season grass) with a fab overhang of Elder trees!

Underneath all of the new grass is aged compost from last season

It is worth digging the good stuff out from underneath the grass!

I have a separate tumbler for food compost, but I think I will leave that picture for another post!  Thankfully, no one can really see our compost heap, and the sight of it certainly doesn’t bother me given how good it is for the garden!  But I really don’t want to end with pictures of my compost.  I’m going to first show you a picture of tulips and our Hawthorn trees when they were beautifully in bloom with white flowers.  This year I really think the flowers came and went too quickly!  And then I’m going to end with a picture of an early summer plant (peony).

Queen of the Night tulips with a backdrop of Hawthorn trees in flower

Paeonia Bowl of Beauty – all four pictures are different flowers but from the same plant

I hope you have enjoyed this little tour of my June garden. Anything tasty or pretty growing in yours?

In peace,
Dana

The charm of Lilacs

Posted on by
11

a view of our garden in May

The wonderful thing about moving into a home which doesn’t have a garden plan, is being able to create one yourself!  When we moved here, our home had some lovely lavender plants in one section near the house, but otherwise it was all grass.  It has been an eight year “work in progress” project, and it honestly still is a “work in progress”, but I’ve been able to add so many of my favorite things, including lots of lilac!

Syringa v. Beauty of Moscow sitting in a very small Irish Pottery milk jug

For all of the years I have lived in and visited Ireland, May traditionally has the most wonderful weather with warm temperatures and sunny blue skies.  This year was no exception, and the weather was a perfect backdrop for the lilac shrubs we planted a few years ago.  I love the scent of lilacs! Unlike lavender, where you need to brush against the plant to enjoy the scent in the garden, Lilacs are fragrant all of the time after their flowers bloom.

Syringa vulgaris ‘Andenken an Ludwig Spaeth’ has a deep wine color

Syringa vulgaris Ludwig Spaeth early in May in evening sunlight

I have five varieties of lilacs. Our first lilac was a pink variety called Beauty of Moscow.  The buds are a light pink and then when it blooms the flowers are white.

the flower buds of the Syringa vulgaris ‘Beauty of Moscow’ are light pink and when they bloom the flowers are white

The lilacs have taken a few years to settle in. The only extra care I give them is adding my compost to the soil around them.  This year the shrubs are the most floriferous.  It has been worth the wait!

Syringa v. ‘Sensation’, ‘Andenken an Ludwig Spaeth’ and ‘Charles Joly’

I’m not sure if I can pick one as my favorite, but I *really* like the variety ‘Sensation’.  It is the smallest of the tree-like shrubs, growing at a slower pace, but none the less, it also looked very well this year.

Syringa vulgaris ‘Sensation’

If you are looking for a small, extremely slow growing lilac shrub with huge bang for your buck in the fragrance category, then I would suggest Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’, pictured below.  This little shrub was planted 6 years ago! Although small, the fragrance is mighty!

Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’

The flowers are quite delicate.

close-up of Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’

My least photographed lilac is the Syringa v. ‘Charles Joly’. It just seems a tiny bit messy to me!

Syringa vulgaris ‘Charles Joly’

I have so enjoyed watching as these shrubs come into flower and bloom, and of course I’ve enjoyed their wonderful scent.

Watching (and smelling) these shrubs has been such a lovely way to transition from spring into summer!

I hope your weather has been as agreeable!

In peace,
Dana

Spring Reflections

Posted on by
1

Queen of the Night Tulip

I love spring! It is so nice to welcome in the warmer weather, the singing birds, and the colorful flowers.  These are such simple pleasures, and all it takes is a conscious effort to stop and make the time to appreciate them. I genuinely LOVE these simple pleasures! This is what I hashtag #beautyallaroundyou.  (Sorry, I can’t help myself!)

cherry blossoms and bluebells

It is also the time when I plan out any changes or additions to the garden.  I add at least a few new things to the garden every year.  I just like to have something new to look forward to!

New additions this year: Tulips Don Quichotte and Mystic van Eijk surrounding viburnum

Apple blossoms from our Arthur Turner (cooking) apple tree and our new tulips surrounding the viburnum

The viburnum in the photo(s) above isn’t new. I had it in a pot for two years.  It was happy for the first year, and then it wanted more attention which I neglected to give it.  So I hoped it would be happier in the ground, and so we planted it at the end of last season, and then added tulip bulbs around it last fall.  The viburnum has lots of little blooms on it, but they are a light green still, whereas when they are in full bloom the flowers will be white.

a nicer view of the colors of tulips Don Quichotte and Mystic van Eijk

I have some (O.K., LOTS of) ideas for additions to the garden.  I have to pace myself though, as it is a lot of work to take care of!  I don’t use any chemicals, so that means there are a lot of weeds to pull!  It also means that there are a lot of weeds I don’t get around to taking out, and that is O.K., too.  I really enjoy working in the garden, but I want to be able to enjoy other activities, too, so I just have to be conscious not to over do it.

Parrot tulips

This garden needs some more tulips!

The above picture shows the bed which has the pink parrot tulips in it. They are near the end of their lives in this picture.  But we have lost some of these tulips over the years, and I really would like to get more for this bed.  The bright pink flowers in front are bergenia and they are doing great!

bergenia in front and parrot tulips in the back

I will be changing around our vegetable/fruit garden a tiny bit.  I have been focusing more on flowers than food, and the garden just needs some adjustments.  It is all part of maintaining a balance.  Here’s a look at some of the fruit that looks great right now in the early stages!

blueberry flowers and a bee

teeny tiny pears

cooking apple (Arthur Turner) blossoms

eating apple blossoms

But my favorite bed at the moment is the one that has our Japanese Maple. It took us nearly three years to realize our Japanese Maple was extremely unhappy (we had different issues with it along the way).  But I think we’ve managed to finally get it right with this tree, as it looks beautiful this year!

side view Japanese Maple garden

I find it peaceful and rejuvenating when I get to spend time in the garden.  Oh, and I also LOVE to take pictures!  Lots and lots and lots of pictures!

Bluebells and Japanese Maple tree

I hope you also get to enjoy some time in the garden! But either way, I hope you enjoyed your visit to my garden. 🙂

In peace,
Dana

The Right Time (Boxwood Planting)

Posted on by
1

timing when to plant

My life can feel pretty crazy at times.  So I like to have some order to it, and sometimes that plays out in the garden.  I think boxwood plants, also called box, genus name buxus, are the epitome of orderliness.  Their shapes and lines in the garden can be so pleasing to the eye. They are easy to grow, shapeable, and are perfect for borders.

we have three round shaped boxwood plants on one side of this bed, with hedging on the other

my established boxwood, hedging a bed that is in transition (but at least the hedging looks good!)

They are also easy to propagate.  I like the idea of saving money, so we did a mass propagation last summer by simply taking cuttings and planting them in raised beds. The Royal Horticultural Society website is where I go to ensure I’m on track with my gardening.  You can click here to see their tips on propagation.  We kept the cuttings watered and weeded through the fall and winter.

boxwood cuttings in raised beds (gladiolus in the background)

Now, there are different theories on when to plant out those cuttings. You might decide to wait several years to replant them, or not!  I chose to wait only the one season, and plant them out in what would normally be spring, but what actually turned out to be winter weather.  Fall is another option for planting them.  So honestly, I don’t know how they’ll fare, but they are still looking O.K.

boxwood cuttings (and pumpkin vine) October 2017

A view of our second bed with boxwood hedging which is still filling in, while on the left we have rounded shaped box plants (the newest bed which the box are now planted in is that mess on the far side of this bed)

We spaced the new plants about 12 inches apart.  We have box in two other beds.  One is well established (which is where we took the cuttings from), and the other is still filling in.  Box is slow growing, and easy to shape.  It can grow in full sun, or in shade.

freshly planted boxwood plants

Like I said, it is an easy to grow plant!  There are two important things to remember: young plants shouldn’t be allowed to dry out (not an issue here!), and equally as important is they shouldn’t be allowed to sit in waterlogged soil.  The later could be an issue here in Ireland in winter.  They like to be fed, which I’ll do in the spring, well, now really but I was hoping the weather would improve a bit first.

second bed with boxwood hedging

the first bed where I planted box hedging

Young hedge should be cut back by a third in May to promote full, “bushy” growth. Mature hedging should be trimmed in August. This is also the time to shape topiaries. The difference between May and August trimming is that in May the freshly cut new growth branches are left susceptible to weather damage and diseases. In August the new growth branches are simply stronger (hardened off).  The last grouping, old neglected plants (imagine!), do well with a hard pruning in late May.

our fresh boxwood plantings

Please just ignore this small tree in the corner of the picture above, which needs to be relocated!

some of the David Austin roses in bloom last year – pre box planting

our rose bed filled with David Austin roses now has boxwood hedging

I am looking forward to seeing how this bed fills out with both the roses and the hedging.

Helleborus orientalis Double Ellen Red is a new addition to the Rose bed

I will keep you updated on how the newly planted boxwood fare!  Hopefully, there will be good news to report 🙂

In peace,
Dana

I am not perfect.

Posted on by
10

August garden of Sunflowers, Pumpkins, blueberries, apples and 3 pears

This post has been floating around in my head for quite a while now.  Here’s where I’m coming from:  I really like Instagram.  For me it is an easy way to flick through loads of pretty pictures.  Pick a category, any category, and you’ll find someone who eats, breathes, and lives all day long just that category.

I also love taking pictures!

Here’s where my feelings of imperfection come in.  That eating, breathing, living just one category of a thing, is just not me.  I have lots of interests and I’m always jumping all over the place trying to get as many different things in as possible. My Instagram feed covers just about every topic you can imagine 🙂

So my garden, while I love it, is anything but a masterpiece.  I manage my time in the garden to allow me to do other things.

early summer garden

My crochet projects?  If I set my goal to 3 projects a year, I can usually nail that!

This year’s crochet project challenge was a sweater!

Biking?  I really like biking but I don’t want to spend every free minute on my bike.  I’m happy if I get out twice a week; one short bike ride and one long bike ride.

My husband usually keeps me company on my bike rides, which I think is awesome. I love this route along the water in Annagassan.

My house is clean and tidy … if I am given plenty of notice before company comes over.  Otherwise, we sport a “lived in” look.

this is as tidy as it gets … Did you spot the Irish time on the left and NY time on the right? 🙂

This is me, and all of my imperfections.  I have fun with what I do, and I am O.K. with that.

August is for making lavender wreaths! They are whimsical and “artsy” rather than “perfect”.

You won’t find me specializing any time soon.  That jumping around from interest to interest is what keeps me going.

spring time garden

Last year I tried my hand at painting an old cabinet and I had so much fun I’m going to try painting a dresser this year.  One project at a time.

Refinished bathroom cabinet added some zing to this room!

At this stage in my life, I can tell you pretty certainly that this is who I am.  I love what I do, all of it.  I accept that I’m not in any “perfect” category, but I am in a category of “good enough to make me happy”!

How about you?  Would you say you are “good enough to make you happy”?

In peace,
Dana

Another one of my favorite past times: coaching swimming! I’m lucky enough to be a part of my daughter’s swimming.

 

A Summer Wreath of Lavender, Rosemary & Roses

Posted on by
3

lavender in the garden

I love having scented plants in the garden.  Three of my favorite scented plants are lavender, rosemary, and roses.  I also like to dry roses and lavender because they really keep their scent and they are so easy to dry.

this is how we hang

I dry my roses early in the season knowing that I’ll want to use them before the end of the summer.  I’ve learned that the dark pink ones dry best, and I need to cut them before they start to open too much.  I was experimenting with the yellow roses in the picture above.  They have such a beautiful sweet scent, but they dry a rather ‘brownish’ color that isn’t pretty.

this is what we start with

Lavender is usually ready to harvest in the middle to end of July here in Ireland.  I LOVE to work with lavender!  I’ve made wands and sachets and wreaths before. You can read and see about those here,  here and here.

Step one: Spanish moss

Making a wreath is so easy.  I use a straw wreath and floral u-shaped pins to attach everything to the wreath. The Spanish moss is a great filler.

rosemary as the base

I like to have green in with the lavender to brighten it up.  We have a rosemary plant that doesn’t get used enough in cooking so it is getting rather big.  I gave it a super trim and had quite a lot to work with then.

one bunch of lavender at a time

I did not have any design in mind when I started (ahem, probably not the best way to start!).  I just went with the flow and put things where they seemed right to put. 😉

just need the roses now

The roses are the most delicate. It was helpful to have the moss to use to help pin them in place.

My hands smelled so good while making this!  I’m not sure which I like more – the rosemary or the lavender!

My gladiolas ‘the dark knights’ and some of those sweet smelling yellow roses that tend to droop!

lavender wreath on our playhouse

This is our playhouse. I’m slowly creating a tiny garden around it and I’ve started with lavender.

wreath on the playhouse door

 

lavender, rosemary & roses wreath

Tadah!  It was so quick and easy to make and I love the result.  It didn’t require that much lavender, either, which means I still have loads left to work with!

Summer Wreath 2016

My wreath from last summer needs some freshening up, but I still like it 🙂  Are you making anything from the garden this summer?

In peace,
Dana

A Gardening Gals Getaway Weekend to the U.K.

Posted on by
8

This is supposed to be a post about gardens, but I have a feeling it isn’t going to turn out that way…

The Gardening Gals on the ferry (minus one gal who couldn’t travel this time)

It can probably be said of all of us that people are in our lives for a reason.  For me, I am pretty sure that every single person in my life has been hand picked just for me: and I laugh as I say “mostly to teach me things” as I think my motto in life is that “I am still learning”! 🙂

This lovely group of ladies in the photo above, which we nick-named “the gardening gals”, started out teaching me about gardening.  They know an incredible amount about flowers! I am amazed at how they remember all of the flower names, both common and scientific. And of course they know what conditions the flowers need to flourish, and the types of soil required, and so on. They are so patient with me, as I learn from them. Not only do they share their knowledge with me, they also share their flowers!  My garden has benefited season after season.

Happy Birthday Susan!

I digress a tiny bit.  Let me come back to this particular post:

Our gardening group gets together every so often to visit each other’s gardens, visit other gardens, or just to visit with each other.  We are all connected through one core “member” and her name is Susan.

Susan is an organizer.  She can organize anything and everything and she does so with flair!  She decided that for her birthday we would take our garden tour on an international level. And so the planning began and she did, in fact, organize every aspect of our trip!ferry time: Rosslare, Ireland to Fishguard, Wales

To start things off, we all met at in incredibly early hour of the morning to drive down to Rosslare where we would then take the ferry to Wales. I think Susan’s plan was that we’d be quiet and maybe even sleep on the drive down.  But the craic* was mighty in the back seat that morning!  The three of us in the back of the car jumped from topic to topic laughing all the while.  The fact we hadn’t seen each other recently and we all have so much going on in our lives helped to feed our conversations … non-stop.

*craic: term used in Ireland to describe what is going on

I managed to crochet on our trip (in the car, on the ferry, in the evenings…)

We planned to make a quick stop at a petrol station (or as I would say “gas station”) before arriving at the ferry.  I’d say our timing was perfect, at least for the young driver who was not making any progress with his attempt to push his car up the service station ramp.  A quick note here of what I observed: most motorists arriving that (early) morning were alone in their cars, so the fact that four of us could jump out of the car and help to push a stalled car out of the roadway and to a safe place is rather noteworthy.  He thanked us, and we were on our way, feeling all the better.

The grounds at Miskin Manor, Cardiff

We arrived for our ferry in plenty of time, and thankfully had a calm journey across the sea.  Funny enough, once we started our journey in Wales, the car started making an odd noise!  We ignored it for a while, but then decided to find someplace to pull over and investigate further.  How lucky for us that we decided to do this, because we happened upon the most lovely manor in Cardiff.

on the grounds at Miskin Manor, Cardiff

Miskin Manor is a former Abbey now converted into a hotel Manor.  The grounds were so lovely, we were delighted to have made this tiny detour.

http://www.miskin-manor.co.uk/

The grounds at Miskin Manor, Cardiff (those seats are carved crabs!)

The weather was sunny and warm and perfect for stretching our legs with an enjoyable tour around the beautiful grounds.  I can see why so many couples choose here for their wedding celebration!

The grounds at Miskin Manor, Cardiff

a woody and natural setting highlighted with daffodils and primroses

More good news: the car was fine.  So on we went with our journey.

flowers from the grounds of Miskin Manor, Cardiff

Our next stop was to Chipping Campden, in the Cotswolds.  It was a long drive to there, but it was so worth it!  The little town is picturesque, with lovely old buildings all of a golden hue, cobbled streets and everything within walking distance in the main part of the town.  We ate out, we ‘cafe’d’, we shopped (some more than others and I would be the most guilty here!), we meandered: We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

http://www.chippingcampden.co.uk/contentok.php

We stayed in an old converted Inn. The terraced house, named the Rose & Crown House, was absolutely charming, and perfect for the five of us.

What is your house named?

yep, I even liked the front door

We loved the beautiful, old converted Inn we stayed in

Our terraced house in Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds, U.K. (what lovely staddle stones!)

We, of course, loved the garden.  It was April and we were quite lucky with the weather.  The days were sunny and warm, while the evenings were cool, but not too cold.

the back garden of our converted Inn

my bedroom on the third floor (watch your step and your head!)

the family portraits in the dining room were interesting (although this one was rather intense)

Our time in the dining room stands out in my mind.  Here is where we delved into some deeper conversations, but also some very funny conversations (thank you Debbie!).  But in actuality, it was over the course of the entire weekend that we enjoyed true fellowship with one another.

out and about in Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds, U.K.

I had an overwhelming sense that these very special women were placed in my life to help guide and support me right now. What a wonderful feeling that is!

boots outside a shop – now this is my kind of town 🙂

I loved this door handle

the town was inviting

There is a special something in the air which you can only experience really early in the morning (other parents of swimmers can maybe relate to this!).  For those who venture out at that time, it is really an experience. We decided to go for a walk early on Sunday morning and the views with the sun were worth getting up early for!

early morning walk in Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds, U.K.

the only ones we saw on our early morning walk in Chipping Campden were these sheep!

I had to run to keep up because I was constantly stopping to take pictures 🙂

great spirits for such an early hour in the morning!

some of the beautiful buildings in Chipping Campden

something you don’t see everyday

and here it is! The Cart Wash!

We did, indeed, visit two incredible gardens (Hidcote and Kiftsgate) but I will save those pictures for another post.  I would certainly encourage you, should you be so inclined, to venture out and go see some gardens near and afar!  Before we had even finished our time away, we were talking of plans for “next time”!

just enough time…

I was so lucky timing wise, that I could make this trip. Maybe you know the feeling of having an incredibly busy schedule? Everything fell into place perfectly for me to take this trip.  Kinda like destiny 🙂

This little get-away was so special for me.  The ‘gals’ once again helped me to see that we should cherish the people in our lives, enjoy each other’s company, and whatever time you have you should spend it with those who love and support you.

In peace,
Dana

p.s. I have hundreds more pictures, and it was so hard to pick which ones to post.  I hope you enjoyed these! The garden ones WILL come, but it might take some time 🙂

Fabulous Flower Friday

Posted on by
1
hydrangea paniculata

hydrangea paniculata in early summer

Well hello there! On my drive home from work this week I was thinking about my blog.  I was thinking about how I really do miss writing posts.  I could blame it on a dozen different things, and they’d all be very good excuses.  But that doesn’t get me closer to getting back into blogging.  What I need is a plan on how I’m going to get back into the game.  And this is what I thought of: a plant highlight, on Fridays, called “Fabulous Flower Friday”.   What do you think?

Here we go!

hydrangea paniculata early in the season

hydrangea paniculata early in the season (with a lavender flower)

Hydrangea paniculata. Let’s start with “panicle”, straight from dictionary.com: any loose, diversely branching flower cluster.   That was easy.  Next?

hydrangea paniculata full bloom

hydrangea paniculata full bloom

It is a medium sized shrub which loses its leaves at the end of the season (deciduous). The flowers bloom in late summer to early fall, are elongated and turn from a creamy white to pink as they mature.

hydrangea paniculata turning pinky

hydrangea paniculata turning pinky

This hydrangea prefers moist, well-drained soil in sun to partial shade, and is tolerant of frost.

When to prune? Cut back to a few buds in spring to encourage larger flowers (but it is not necessary to prune).

The flowers are also good for drying.

hydrangea paniculata full shrub

hydrangea paniculata full shrub

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you’ve enjoyed my first “Fabulous Flower Friday”. 🙂

In Peace,
Dana

The front gate garden bed in full view

The front gate garden bed in full view

Gardening Goals: Got this one

Posted on by
2
"before"

“before”

Well isn’t it nice of me to pop in to blog-land for a visit?  I was beginning to wonder what was going on … But here we are now, ready to share some pictures and a gardening story.

I made a gardening goal for myself as part of my New Year resolutions.  It was to finally clean up this bed.  REALLY clean it up.  I figured without making it a top priority then it just wasn’t going to happen.

This is my “messy garden bed”.  The above picture is from late summer when the poppies were in full bloom.  I love the color that poppies provide, but I’m weary of the mess of them.

Part of the problem is that the border around the bed hasn’t worked.  I originally had a small stone wall around the bed but we couldn’t keep it neat.  I have two flower beds which have boxwood for a border.  There is a third bed (between the first two) which will also have boxwood.  I love the shape and neatness that the boxwood gives.

boxwood around the first rose bed

boxwood around the first rose bed

a small stone wall at the front of the ditch wall garden

we’ve managed to keep this low stone wall at the front of the ditch wall garden looking somewhat neat

So I’ve removed the stones and we will eventually plant boxwood.  I’m going to make sure to have enough space on the outside of the boxwood to allow the mower’s wheels to fit!  We just don’t have time to ‘strim’ around the garden.  I’d like to have more time enjoying the garden, and not all of my time spent working in the garden. That balance needs a little tweaking for me.

in full bloom in July with Philadelphus (Mock Orange), Globe Artichokes, Deutzia (scabra), peony, bergenia, potentilla, and various wild flowers

in full bloom in July with Philadelphus (Mock Orange) on the left, Globe Artichokes in the middle, Deutzia (scabra) on the right, peony on the right, bergenia, potentilla, and various wild flowers

We’ve had quite a time figuring out this center garden bed.  It can get *really* wet and the soil was anything but well-drained.  It has taken time and lots of compost to get the soil in a fairly decent state.  We’ve lost many a plant in this bed (nick-named the plant graveyard)!  Some plants I have managed to save just by moving them to a different part of the yard.

what a mess

what a mess

So with the help of my son and husband we’ve been working on giving this bed a proper shape and getting rid of the grass, weeds and wildflowers.  I just have to clear away this mess! It simply bothers me.

mostly cleared

(mostly cleared) on the left is a Buddleia BUZZ (butterfly bush) and on the right is a potentilla

It has been a lot of work.  I go out for an hour at a time to turn the soil, pull out the grass, pull out the weeds, turn the soil again…  arduous! But I think it is so worth it.  I want to be able to really enjoy the plants that are in the garden, which this year I think I will be able to.  These guys are tough, and have proved to me that they can survive this soil!

digging out a shape

digging out a shape.  The newest addition to the garden is a Cornus (florida) what I would call a Dogwood tree which is near the middle of the bed.

If I can manage it, I’ll pull the oval out just a tiny bit more.  I’d like to get it right before planting the border.  But I’m really happy with how it has evolved.  I like the different shapes within the bed, and the different heights.  I’m looking forward to seeing how the colors look this summer.

Hellebore

Hellebore

And that is what has been keeping me busy this last while!  I hope you’ve managed to keep some of your resolutions!

In peace,
Dana

a frosty view of the garden in February

a frosty and foggy view of the garden in February