A Sunflower Garden For Me…

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Mominthegarden

a view before the full bloom is as beautiful as the full bloom

I am not sure if a love of gardening is something that is inherently inside of you. Or maybe the interest starts with a teeny tiny seed of curiosity and then with tending, time, and trial & error that curiosity grows into a full fledge love of gardening.

a different perspective

My first memory of noticing flowers was when I was in college. Is that late? Even at that I was just thinking “hmm, those are pretty”… It was not until years later that I had the chance to grow my own flowers. I was pretty busy with young kids, so it was a very small garden. My next door neighbour, a Master Gardener herself, assured me that one day I’d have plenty of time to have a garden, and that a small garden was a great start. A very kind and wise woman!

A look at my first garden in the spring

My first garden later in the summer

It was a good start! It was also a great learning experience. What I love about our garden now is that we mix it up every year and try something new. This year, our new addition is the sunflower. Oh wow! I am in love!

the bees are also enjoying the sunflowers

These guys are only about two to three feet high but boy are they lovely! My father-in-law started them from seed in his glass house for me. He could grow *anything* from seed! That is a whole other story as he is simply a gifted gardener!

teepee structure

I know these guys are rather short for sunflowers, but our area is incredibly windy. One afternoon I was watching the bigger plants sway back and forth and I just couldn’t sit there and do nothing. My daughter and I tied up some sticks in a teepee formation around the bigger plants. They just seemed that bit more secure to me!

more and more blooms

They are all coming into bloom now and it is a lovely sight to see.

Sunflowers with a full apple tree behind them

Sunflowers with an apple laden apple tree behind them

Some of the flowers have multiple blooms

Sunflower view in the evening (a week or so ago)

A look at the garden now

Our garden is definitely a work in progress! We have strawberries on the far left, peas front right, with blueberries behind them. On the left in front of the strawberries we have garlic and squash. Way in the back on the right are the asparagus fronds. I think the sunflowers frame the garden nicely!

Sunflowers in mid July

The most important aspect of gardening though, is having fun with it. I now have my growing love of photography also spurring on my working in the garden. That makes all of the required weeding worth while!

I hope I have encouraged you to try growing something new in the garden! What do you think, will you give it a try? 🙂

With flowers,
Dana

Growing the easy stuff: Strawberries

Posted on July 3, 2015 by Mominthegarden

fresh strawberries

Strawberries: growing this fruit in the garden works for us. When we first moved into our home and looked out onto the open space of our lawn, my husband and I both saw potential for “growing our own”.

This is our side garden in 2010 right after we planted our two apple trees.

Our side garden in 2010 with only the two apple trees we planted. They are to the right of the very ugly sewer pipe (which I yarn bombed last summer).

Getting the garden ready to “grow our own” would require a little bit of work! It is now five years later and we can really see a transformation. There has been quite a bit of learning involved, too. Learning, making mistakes, learning, making mistakes: you get the picture. We’re not done with either the transforming or the learning!

a look at the beds in May; on the left is asparagus, on the right are strawberries

The above picture isn’t the same view as the one above it, but it is the same space, just all filled in! (Note that we have since moved both apple trees, a perfect example of learning, making mistakes, learning!)

June view of the beds (extending the stone pathway, too)

June view of the beds (slowly extending the stone pathway, too)

We’ve decided to grow veggies and fruit that are the least amount of maintenance because like everyone else in the world, time is precious and always in short supply.

our newly added this year, third strawberry bed

It is important to do what is right for you and your family. Right now, this is right for us.

A sunny view in June. On the right are blueberry plants, on the left is garlic

Strawberries do require a bit of work. In the fall the plants should be thinned out and divided to provide a mix of mature plants and new plants. Those new plants, formed from the “runners”, really do run rampant, so you’ll have plenty to share with friends, family and neighbours!

lots and lots of strawberries

It is good to have space between the plants, too, for air circulation.

a tiny detour from topic with a pic of one of the sunflowers about to bloom

For some reason, basically family life, we weren’t able to work in the garden at all last fall. That made for a messy strawberry patch this winter. Very early this spring my husband divided the plants and cleaned up the beds. I was worried we’d left it too late, but thankfully that was not the case and we have plenty of strawberries. Our beds this year are more full than I would have liked. (Did I mention that my husband is in charge of the strawberry beds?) 🙂

We cover our strawberries with netting after the fruit has formed. It does keep out the birds for the most part!

behind the sunflowers are the covered strawberry beds

I think they are a bit later this year, as usually June is strawberry month. Our last bumper crop was two years ago, but this year is nearly as good as then. Most importantly, they are incredibly sweet! Some of them, well actually most of them, are not a deep red, but nonetheless taste delicious!

the sunflowers are slowly starting to bloom now

I posted a wonderful recipe for angel food cake during our bumper crop season. That year we had neat and tidy beds, too! You can have a look here: https://mominthegarden.wordpress.com/2013/07/15/bumper-crop-of-strawberries-an-angel-food-cake-recipe-with-strawberries/

This picture was taken this morning. I see a little more yellow coming from the sunflower plants!

I would highly recommend growing strawberries! You don’t need a lot of space as they can even be grown in containers. What’s the point of my post? To encourage “growing your own”, because it is much easier than you think, and so tasty!

Happy Planting!
Dana

Contentment… and a perfect visit to the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin!

Posted on June 27, 2015 by Mominthegarden

A slightly tilted photo of one of the glass houses at the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin

Contentment. Do you ever think about whether or not you are content? It is something I’ve thought about a lot over the years. These thoughts on contentment all first started while I was in the throes of really struggling with my strong-willed toddler. I attended a parenting course in the hopes of finding a magic solution to the challenges I was facing.

one of my favourite flowers… peony

Turns out the main discussion in this course was actually about contentment. When the teacher started talking about contentment I had too many “yes, I’m content, BUT…” thoughts in my head and more importantly, in my heart.

Gladiolus

I wasn’t “there” yet; that place where you find peace no matter what the circumstances are. It would take me quite a few more years to be able to feel contentment.

National Botanic Gardens

My life has been so full and I just feel so fortunate, even through the many ups and downs.

Iris

Recently I was lucky enough to steal away for an hour to the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin. (http://www.botanicgardens.ie) It was a perfect afternoon for a relaxed stroll through the gardens.

water lily

The weather was amazing; warm but not hot, sunny but not too sunny to bleach out photographs!

statue in the gardens

I love this statue.

Their faces sure look content to me!

unusual daisy-looking flower

It was just me and my camera, and we had a ball together!

inside a glass house

I was following two elderly ladies on part of my walk. Not in a stalking kind of way, but simply because I entered the garden behind them. I loved their conversation about the different flowers and where they source their own flowers, and the new varieties! O.K., maybe I was eavesdropping a little bit! 🙂

interesting color combination with this bearded iris

I was enjoying my time of peace in such a gorgeous garden. That is when a wave of complete contentment came over me. I even sent my husband a text about it!

These remind me of pretty birds flying together...

These iris remind me of pretty birds flying together…

I was doing exactly what I wanted to be doing.

Lamb's ear: these colours remind me of winter.

Lamb’s ear: these colours and textures remind me of winter.

I know I’ve said it before, but I have the most amazing people in my life. I actually had a motto for a while: “People First”. I think at the time I was struggling with some issues, and the clarity came when I started saying “people first” to myself. So simple, but so important.

National Botanic Gardens

I’m happy with the decisions I’ve made over the years, especially with regards to being a stay-at-home mom, working from home, and finally working outside of the home. I’ve done it all, and I have enjoyed it all. I’m not saying it was a piece of cake, but it was all worth it.

heron by the water

heron

Life is still full of challenges but along the way I’ve managed to find my inner peace, my contentment. What a huge difference that makes!

geranium

Being content doesn’t mean I’ll stop trying to improve myself, or work with less effort in the many projects I’m involved in. Not at all.

foxgloves

foxgloves in front of fern sculpture

fern sculpture

It does mean I have a much better attitude about everything!

from the rose garden

I hope you’ve found your contentment, too.

In peace,
Dana

In a Vase on Monday: Peony Pause

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Mominthegarden

Peony and Bluebells

Peony are such lovely flowers. It is a shame how short their lives are! I have to be sure to pause and take a moment to really enjoy them because all too soon they will be gone. My plants have finally established themselves enough for me to cut a bouquet to enjoy in the house.

I had a couple of monkshood stems left from a bouquet I had made last week (which I never posted about!). I like the purple and red together, although the two stems seem to me like antenna. This is the first year that I have been able to fully see that hosta on the left. Normally the slugs eat it completely! I rather like it.

Up close and personal.

among the plants

The vase is among the plants due to the high winds we’ve been experiencing! I do really hope that warm weather comes soon. I am linking up with Cathy at Rambling in the garden https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/in-a-vase-on-monday-pink-and-proud-of-it/ for her “In a vase on Monday” meme. Won’t you visit and join us?

Happy start of summer! May the warm weather find us soon!

Peace,
Dana

Striking a balance as mom.

Posted on May 24, 2015 by Mominthegarden

Muckross House and Gardens, Killarney, Co. Kerry

Last week my daughter and I travelled to Killarney, County Kerry, for her to dance at the Irish National Championships. We were making it our special ‘Mom & daughter’ time and every minute of it was special. She loved having all of my attention and being pampered by staying in a lovely hotel (thanks to deal rush!). Do you know what she was all silly-happy about? Me sleeping in the single bed and her getting the double bed! Such simple pleasures. 🙂

Heights Hotel in Killarney

Killarney is beautiful. We had some time to go to Muckross House & Gardens and despite it being a misty and slightly wet day, we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Muckross House on a misty day

My daughter, who is 11 years old, took 70 pictures of the gardens! When she realised how many pictures she’d taken she exclaimed “wow! I guess I do like gardens!”… a girl after my own heart.

My daughter taking LOADS of pictures

no need for a caption here…

Rhododendrons!

frilly edged white rhododendron flowers

The reason for this post, though, was because I’ve spent quite a bit of time reflecting on how much energy my kids put into their activities. My daughter danced her absolute best at that dance competition. There simply isn’t a word to perfectly describe the immense pride you feel when your child does their best, especially after they’ve worked so hard. She herself was overwhelmed at having “recalled” in her competition. It was a great achievement which everyone was so proud of her for.

A very proud moment for mom and daughter

A misty day at the gardens

I have to say that being “Mom” is how I identify myself. Just look at my “handle” Mom in the Garden. I love being a mom to my three kids. And with as many different people that there are in the world there are as many different styles of being a mom.

Her teams also did fantastic, one of them placing first!

I’ve always been one to push myself and strive to improve in whatever I’m involved in. That hasn’t changed in motherhood. Now I find myself helping my children to be the best that they can be. This can be challenging in striking a balance between disciplined practice of their sports and schoolwork, and allowing them to be kids with free time and free will.

she liked this shrub as it reminded her of a Hershey’s Kiss candy!

Swimming and Irish dancing are the two sports our kids participate in. I’ve been involved long enough to know that behind every great athlete are supportive parents (read: promoting healthy eating, exercise, rest, keeping track of practices, driving all over creation for events, and still more practices!). It is a lot of work, and I’m not even doing the actual activities!

so delighted she enjoyed going to the gardens with me!

The really hard work is definitely done by the kids. But I’m glad that I’m able to manage their activities and encourage them to work hard and do their best. I hope that as they get older they will bring forward the discipline of working hard, making goals, and that sense of achievement once they reach their goals. And I also hope they stick with a healthy lifestyle including healthy eating and exercising.

rhododendrons

In the days that it has taken me to finish this post, my other daughter had some really good results in one of her swimming competitions. Believe me, we don’t always get the results we want! But I’ve seen my kids continue on and work harder when that happens.

Swimming medals from one gala

If you walked into my house unannounced on any given day you would not be impressed! You’d find laundry hanging on drying racks, dishes in the sink, papers on the kitchen hutch and a house that definitely had a “lived in” look. This is how I strike my own balance. It works for us. So please, if you’re dropping in for a visit, just give me a call beforehand so I can tidy up a bit!

This tree makes me think of the values it takes to live a good life…

It is those moments, when the kids have their feelings of accomplishments, that make all of the crazy schedules and business (and messy house!) worthwhile. Someday there will be time enough to tidy the house…

I hope that you have the balance that you need in your life, too.

Peace,
Dana

Having it all… and a garden, too.

Posted on May 4, 2015 by Mominthegarden

Garden by the Playhouse in the springtime

I have had this title floating around in my head for quite a while now. Isn’t “having it all” what everyone strives for? I think most of us probably do have it all, in one shape or another – it just depends on how you measure “it all”.

misty morning (up too early to drive my daughter swimming before school…)

Over the years I have learned to not wish for anyone else’s life but my own. Oh I used to think about all the other people who I was convinced had it better than I did! It is so easy to think ‘doesn’t she have everything?’, or ‘doesn’t he have it so good?’. I think there is a story to tell in everyone’s life. Some stories are much harder to read than others, but everyone has a story.

a view from above (foxtrot tulips)

Recently I had the situation where I really thought I was having a bad day. But then I learned someone else’ story that day. Yeah, my day was a walk in the park compared to her day. Sometimes you just never know what is going on in people’s lives. If only we could all be a bit more patient, kind, understanding…

Ballerina tulips with our playhouse as a backdrop

My life is quite full just with our three kids and their activities! Then add in my coaching swimming, working, trying to keep the house looking like a hurricane hasn’t passed through (too recently), gardening, and balancing life with my husband and kids. I’m sure everyone’s life is equally as busy and full and rewarding!

weeds are just a part of the garden

Life is so full that time in the garden is precious these days. Precious and rare! Our garden is where we find peace and enjoyment, despite the amount of work it takes to care for it. For me, time in the garden is how I recharge. I’m in the process of learning how to just sit and relax and enjoy the garden after a full day. “Just sit” doesn’t come easy to me, so it is a learning process, but I’m getting there.

Parrot tulip

How about you? Can you “just sit” and relax in the moment? I hope that you too, have the “all” that you need in life.

Peace,

Dana

a not entirely stormy sky

My First Weekend in the garden and boy was it lovely!

Posted on March 8, 2015 by Mominthegarden

Pulmonaria

What a wonderful weekend I had in the garden! The weather was perfectly spring like. There was so much weeding and cleaning up to do it was a bit overwhelming at first. Ever feel that way? All I could do was start with one little job at a time.

Primrose

There are lovely signs of spring.

Anemone Mr. Fokker

I also had some new plants to plant, and others to move around the yard. My husband is very good and does the planting for me, even the movings around of plants (sometimes more than once).

Anemone

I had forgotten that I had some very pink anemone growing in a container. What a lovely surprise to see them this week!

Anemone

Our strawberry plants are in a mess. You should really clean up the plants around September. Some how our schedules got in the way of our gardening last fall. So we are now in the process of cleaning them up and what a job it is!

Strawberry beds in need of attention

I cut back all of the green leaves of my Hellebores. Some of their leaves were turning black and it wasn’t pretty. They have been flowering all winter, so if you are looking for a winter blooming plant, this is definitely one to get (and so many colours to choose from).

Hellebores

Our winter garlic is finally up, growing and doing well. And look at that, another strawberry bed in need of attention! (arg!)

Garlic bed

Garlic

This is the first daffodil in my yard. It is kind of lonely all on its own. Hopefully the others will be up soon!

Daffodil

I’m so happy to have had time in the garden this weekend! I hope spring has sprung for you, too (or will soon)!

Happy spring!
Dana

Wordless Wednesday Dried Flowers

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Mominthegarden

The wine jug we purchased in the Alsace region of France 18 years ago

Hello there! Just a quick “Wordless Wednesday” post showing you the dried flowers I have in my kitchen. I do think they look lovely (shall I write “still” since I’ve had them since late summer???).

Dried flowers from the garden

Very long stemmed lavender from my garden and Globe Artichokes (some of which seem to be blooming apart!)

These Globe Artichokes have still kept their colour!

My favourite arrangement because I love the purple painted eucalyptus and the purple hydrangea.

I hope your New Year has started off well! We had a lovely time over Christmas and now we are all back to our routines. We have so much to be thankful for.

Thank you for stopping by!

Peace,
Dana

Beauty in the Frost

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Mominthegarden

Beauty is everywhere. All you have to do is see…

Calendula Orange Flower

We had a hard frost the other night, the coldest it has been this year. I found the resulting crystals on everything to be quite beautiful. The morning started out rather foggy, but as the day wore on the sun came out and everything became that much more beautiful!

Calendula in the sunlight

Everything was so white it looked as if it has snowed. But much to my children’s disappointment, it was just frost which by the end of the day had melted away (mostly anyway).

Playhouse and fruit garden view

Everything was white, even the sky!

Fruit garden view

My crochet-bombing of the sewer pipe is still brightening up the garden.

frosty crocheted sunflower

and then with the sun…

Fruit garden in the sun

What a difference the sun makes! I was busy tidying up inside our house because family were coming to visit us later in the day, but I kept being pulled outside to the garden to take pictures!

A frozen spider’s web

Here are some before/after sun pictures:

Beech hedges

beech hedges

I have had very little time in the garden recently, so it was fun being outside even if just for taking pictures.

A frosted hydrangea flower.

hydrangea

American Pink flowering dogwood: Cornus Florida ‘cherokee chief’

This lovely little tree I planted a year ago. You can see that it still has a few leaves on it. I bought it because it reminds me of ‘home’ back in New York. My parents had one in their yard when I was growing up.

Cornus Florida ‘cherokee chief’ (American Pink flowering Dogwood)

I can see this little tree when I am washing dishes in the kitchen. I envision seeing lots of lovely birds in it when it grows bigger, well, eventually.

A frosty Cornus Florida ‘cherokee chief’ (American Pink flowering Dogwood)

Dogwood up close

another pic of the Dogwood

On the other side of our hedge there are a row of weeds lining the fence (you can see them in the picture above). They usually annoy me, but I thought they looked quite pretty covered in frost!

Winter Weeds

The birds hadn’t finished eating all of the hawthorn berries (there were tons!).

That’s a lot of berries from earlier this winter.

Now there are fewer berries and they have quite a frosty look.

Frosty Hawthorn berries

We placed a bird nesting container in the trees not too long ago. Unfortunately, it gets a bit too windy around here so now the nesting materials are everywhere!

Bird nest gone wild

I love seeing the different looks of the fields around us, even when it is rather grey.

View from the back of the side yard.

Frosted Calendula Flower

earlier in the week

As 2014 comes to an end, I’d like to thank you for reading my blog, commenting, and “liking” it! I blog because I love to share my love of gardening/photography/baking/crocheting! I hope that I inspire you, even if just a little bit, to try something different.

I wish you a very Happy New Year and only best wishes in 2015!

In peace,

Dana

To everything there is a Season …

Posted on October 19, 2014 by Mominthegarden

Mosaic at Dublin City Universtiy

I have truly missed blogging. It isn’t for lack of things to talk about that you haven’t heard from me. It also isn’t for lack of photographs to tell a story with, as I have so many that I haven’t even gone through them all on the computer. There has been so much going on in my life. I’m really not one to simply go through the motions of any activity. I like to give 100%.

Mosaic at Dublin City University

That is where my problem is. I have not been able to give 100% of myself to blogging. Because blogging isn’t just about writing a post. It is about relationships with other bloggers, and visiting their sites, and commenting on their posts, too. I do love visiting other blogs, learning new things, seeing gorgeous photographs, all of it! But that takes time, and well, having started a new job I don’t have the time I used to have. So I do apologise if you haven’t heard from me.

Mosaic and garden at DCU

The original reason I started blogging, though, was to let those at home, in the States, know what I’ve been up to. So in that vein, I am carving out some time to do that. I took time yesterday to go through photos from the past 6 weeks or so. It was fun to do! And I just thought that this mosaic at Dublin City University would be perfect for my blog post.

Dublin City University is where my husband and I first met 25 years ago. It has grown and changed dramatically since then! Kinda funny to find both of us back there together now, all these years later! I find the campus to be rather lovely.

I especially love this mosaic.

To everything there is a season…

Life is not always smooth sailing. This post is incredibly timely for me; A gentle reminder which I needed.

a close-up

Seasons change. People change. Circumstances change. All with purpose. It is not always easy, but it is a part of life. I’m feeling grateful for the amazing people in my life. …pause for moment of reflection … 😉

I always have my camera in my purse. Always. Here are just a few pictures I’ve taken while walking around campus. It was easier to get non-people pictures before the students came back a few weeks ago. The campus is really bustling now that the semester has started.

Changing colours…

I really like the arbor, even though it is made of steel beams. You can just barely see the mosaic on the brick building, too!

A couple of weeks later.

I try to really see my surroundings and to be 100% present. I think that is why I want to capture everything with my camera. There is beauty everywhere!

The other side of the arbor

The Rose Bowl Garden

This beautiful sculpture commemorates the life of a Kenyan woman named Rose Atieno and all who have lost their lives to AIDS.

Rose Bowl explanation

Rose Bowl sculpture

beyond the sculpture

Some modern art and some flowers.

DCU around campus in the fall

The other side of the modern art and flowers!

Fuchsia lined sidewalks (foot paths)

I studied at Dublin City University just before the name change. It was still called the National Institute of Higher Education when I was here. Our graduating class were the first DCU graduates. That is me on the right covered head to toe in jeans (and sneakers of course…). I’m standing with my dear friend Amy, who also studied Business Administration with me. We had a fun year at DCU!

Walk down memory lane… The National Institute for Higher Education – months before receiving university status.

DCU entrance today

Wow. What a difference 25 years makes. I love the Giant’s Causeway look.

DCU entrance

To everything there is a season and a purpose under the heavens. Changes are all around us. But always, there is beauty. Beauty is everywhere.

I hope you can see the beauty around you too.
Dana

Mom in the Garden

Enjoying life. In Ireland. With my family.

Category Archives: Gardening

A Sunflower Garden For Me…

Growing the easy stuff: Strawberries

Contentment… and a perfect visit to the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin!

In a Vase on Monday: Peony Pause

Striking a balance as mom.

Having it all… and a garden, too.

My First Weekend in the garden and boy was it lovely!

Wordless Wednesday Dried Flowers

Beauty in the Frost

To everything there is a Season …