Magnolia coming to life, and other promising signs

Posted on March 25, 2023 by Mominthegarden

Hi there! Growing plants from seed never ceases to amaze me. I am surprised every single time that I see the seedling push through the soil! Perhaps I should have a little more faith? 🙂 I started a bunch of plants from seed again this year and they are up and growing. Last year I had a terrible time with slugs eating my small plants once I planted them out in the garden. So I have just started a second bunch of plantings, as back up. So far, I have sweet pea, sun flowers, coleus, ranunculus, delphinium, and I just planted pumpkins (yesterday). Between the slugs and our windy location, the plants need to be quite hardy to survive here!

The weather has been quite unpredictable. We’ve had lots of rain and gray skies, but we’ve been lucky to get glimpses of the sun, too, which is great for lifting my spirits!

My Magnolia Stellata is starting to come into bloom and it is so pretty. I have it in my chicken run, which means that it is ‘caged up’ so the girls don’t peck at it. That’s not a problem for the shrub, just my camera. 😉

One thing I will be focusing more on in the garden, is companion planting. I honestly have not put much thought into this, until now. Starting small, I added some cyclamen to my iris reticulata (per my friend Susan’s suggestion) and to me it was a game changer. So I added some grape hyacinth to my daffodils, and again, I think it looks so much nicer. I’ll be eyeing the rest of the garden a little differently now.

I’m joining Jim at Garden Ruminations for the Six on Saturday meme. Feel free to join in!

Enjoy the tour!

In Peace,
Dana

1 – Magnolia Stellata. This was a gift to us two years ago for our 25th wedding anniversary (what a super gift!). I love how unusual the flowers are. Even more, I love how early it blooms!

2 – Helleborus Harvington Double Red. I’ve shown this one before, but perhaps a bit too soon. This hellebore is only now coming in to its full glory. It is living up to the ‘lenten rose’ description sometimes given to hellebores, with its late winter/early spring blooming.

iris reticulata purple and cyclamen pink

3 – Companion planting of Iris reticulata and Cyclamen. I’m very happy to report that all of the iris bloomed, despite me shifting them at the start of their season. They were spread out, and I moved them close together in a cluster. I got this idea following my visit to Altamont gardens where all of their iris reticulata were planted in clusters for more visual impact. Copying is the greatest form of flattery, right?

trays of seedlings (sunflower, coleus, sweet pea)

4 – My seed trays. The image is deceiving as the bottom right corner pic is taken from quite high and the other three are close-ups! Bottom right is mostly sunflowers with sweet pea in the bottom right of it. Coleus are in the bottom left picture, ranunculus are top right – those corms were from last year, so I’m happy even though all of them didn’t sprout up (yet?). And top left are some delphiniums. I’ve only had hit or miss luck with those, but the hits are always good!

5 – Daffodils with grape hyacinth. This is more a picture of a blue sky than the flowers!

6 – Anemone pink and purple. I like these guys in the garden as they are no maintenance and they spread. Who doesn’t like a little purple in the garden here and there? I now also have a pink variety growing, and I’m honestly not sure how they got there but happy to have them.

daffodils and grape hyacinth at garden arch

These big bunches of brightness have truly lifted my spirits during these gray days. We could have a blue sky in the morning, and hailstones in the afternoon – it’s just the way it is. I am so glad to have them and I truly go out into the yard just to look at them. 🙂

Thank you so much for stopping by. Let me know if you have any favorite companion plantings that you’d recommend!

A St. Patrick’s day to remember

Posted on March 18, 2023 by Mominthegarden

Hi there! Whether you are Irish or not, celebrating the patron saint of Ireland is something that is done around the world. St. Patrick’s day, March 17th, is a national holiday in Ireland, and the festivities (and weather) in Dublin did not disappoint this year.

This was our first time attending the Dublin parade, and I have to say that there was a wonderful atmosphere. The theme was ‘We are one’, which was perfect, given the times we live in. We enjoyed the music of the marching bands, the costumes of the performing arts, and the festive nature of the many participants! We were very lucky with the weather, too, as the rain held off until the late afternoon.

After the parade, we headed across Dublin to the ‘festival quarter’ at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks. There we went to the Céilí Mór – hosted by Dearbhla Lennon with The Shandrum Céilí Band. As it happens, my daughter was part of the dance troupe. It was really nice to see her on stage, enjoying herself! They split the time between the Irish dancers performing for us, Ciara Lennon calling out steps to teach us how to céilí, and volunteers giving their best shot at speaking Irish. Dearbhla did a wonderful job hosting. It was fun, entertaining and best of all, everyone enjoyed themselves! 🙂 One look around the crowd spoke volumes, as we saw countless people céilí dancing – probably not perfectly (me included!), but definitely with smiles on their faces. Even some ‘soft rain’ didn’t dampen their spirits. Thankfully, the sun did follow the rain, shortly after.

I’ve collated a few of the pictures from the parade and the Céilí Mór. It is so difficult picking just a few to post!

I was in Dublin earlier this week, too. I happened to walk through St. Stephen’s Green and was delighted to see the park all dressed up for spring! There were daffodils, primroses and hyacinth galore. And the beds are all starting to waken, with many signs of what is to come. Even though the day was gray, the flowers were so uplifting.

I’m joining Garden Ruminations for the Six on Saturday meme, although I’m possibly stretching the guidelines a tiny bit. I hope you’ll enjoy the pictures I’ve selected!

In Peace,
Dana

St. Stephen's green flowers of primroses and daffodils and hyacinths

Flowers from St. Stephen's green (daffodils and hyacinth)

1 – St. Stephen’s Green park.

1 – St. Stephen’s Green park. I didn’t want to squish these pictures into a collage – so I’m sheepishly adding them to my first item. It is such a joy to walk through the park and see the beds so well tended to. As far as I could tell, the main beds were just filled with daffodils, primroses and hyacinth. I thought it was beautiful!

2 – ‘Floating Gardens’ in Dublin. I love seeing flowers tucked into places that you might not think possible. What are the Floating Gardens? “The Floating Gardens were designed to enhance the biodiversity of the surrounding St. Stephen’s Green area, providing a source of pollen and nectar for bees and butterflies. We commissioned the gardens as part of our strategy to enrich our buildings and green our portfolio.” (per IPUT Real Estate Dublin).

Collage of pictures from St. Patrick's day parade in Dublin, including St. Patrick

collage of pictures from St. Patrick's day parade in Dublin

Collage of pictures from St. Patrick's day parade in Dublin, colorful dancers, masks and the globe represented in a puzzle

3, 4 & 5 – Dublin’s St. Patrick’s day parade. Aren’t those colors fabulous? It’s impossible to give the parade full justice in just a few pictures, but I’ve done my best here. You might find a reel or two on my Instagram account this week, that might bring the colors to life!

Ceili Mor as part of the St. Patrick's day festival

6 – The Céilí Mór. The smiles say it all! Definitely head to my Instagram account for some reels from the dancing. 🙂

How did you celebrate St. Patrick’s day? I hope you had fun!

A (last?) visit from Winter

Posted on March 12, 2023 by Mominthegarden

Hello! I might have been getting a wee bit ahead of myself there in the garden. Mother nature has put me firmly back in my place, though, with a cold snap and even some snow! We seem to be out the other side of it now, thankfully. The snow was pretty, but I’m done with winter and want to move full steam ahead into spring! 🙂

Thankfully, the flowers which were in bloom are no worse off after the cold snap. The daffodils, hellebores, primroses and iris reticulata might have had some droopy moments for a bit, but are back to standing tall and showing off their beauty.

I am sheepishly joining Garden Ruminations for the Six on ~~Saturday~~ Sunday meme. Enjoy the tour!

In Peace,
Dana

Daffodils in pots and one covered in snow

1 – Daffodils! One container is well on its way to having most of the flowers in bloom, while the second container is just starting to think about blooming! I’ve switched them around to play with the sun positioning, and that seems to be helping.

2 – Helleborus ‘Anemone Picotee’. This is now well established after a few years in the garden. It was just a teeny tiny plant when I bought it; a very simple, yet pretty flower.

Helleborus SP Isabelle Spring Promise 'SP Frilly Isabelle' LenzRose

3 – Helleborus Isabelle Spring Promise ‘SP Frilly Isabelle’, also known as a LenzRose. This plant is also well established in the garden, at this stage. It brings a pretty pink color to this bed in early spring, and it will be followed by hyacinth in shades of pink and white.

4 – Helleborus orientalis ‘Double Ellen Red’. I have four pictures of this one plant because I like the different aspects of it. This plant has been blooming for a while, already. I can’t say enough good things about hellebores. If you don’t have any in your garden, I would recommend you go and get some! 🙂

5 – Helleborus Harvington Double Red. This plant is a couple of years old, and not fully settled in yet. I bought two plants together, and one is thriving and this one is ever so slowly coming along. Hopefully, next year will be better.

6 – HGC Ice N’ Roses Picotee (Helleborus Gold Collection). This hellebore was added to the garden just a few weeks ago. I bought it at Altamont Gardens in February. I decided to go big this time, and not have to wait too long for it to get established. I’m definitely drawn to the simple flowers of white and pink.

collage of primroses, iris reticulata and aubrieta, all with snow.

And that’s a look at the garden this week. I’m thankful the snow didn’t last very long – just long enough to get some pretty pictures! Thanks so much for stopping by! 🙂

Beauty in the Garden (the show) begins!

Posted on March 4, 2023 by Mominthegarden

Hi there! Are you an excited gardener? I sure am! Because it’s happening. While there were some pretty blooms in the winter, now is when the real show-offs emerge from their slumber and start the show that we call Beauty in the Garden. We’ll get to enjoy fabulous displays of color and texture throughout the garden starting now and lasting right through until late fall! How amazing is that? The anticipation for all of the new bulbs planted last year, or the new beds waiting to be planted, or just to see the old favorites again this year, well, it’s intoxicating!

Primroses, hellebores, pulmonaria, and iris reticulata – these beauties are gracing my garden at the minute. There’s been lots of prep work going on for the later blooming plants – the rose shrubs have been pruned, as have most of my hydrangeas. They’ll also be getting a good feed shortly. I’ve been tidying up the garden and clearing away the finished sunflowers from last year – with still more to do!

I’m joining the Six on Saturday meme through Garden Ruminations. It’s nice to join the group and see what is growing in different parts of the world.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Enjoy the tour. 🙂

In Peace,
Dana

1 – Pulmonaria ‘Opal’. Whether this is truly ‘Opal’ could be up for debate. Nonetheless, I love this plant. The spotted leaves are quite quirky – which is right up my alley. These tiny, pretty flowers look lovely with daffodils, which is what they are planted among. Still waiting on the daffodils, though!

2 – Iris reticulata. More pretty, tiny flowers, although they are substantially bigger than the pulmonaria. There are four flowers, for 20 bulbs, so I’m hoping more will still bloom. They look a little bit lost where they are. I have made a note to at least get more bulbs to fill that spot. I’m still working on that bed, and possibly expanding it, so there’s lots of potential. 🙂

Ornamental grass cut down to 18 inches with primroses around the base

3 – Ornamental grass – cut! I love when we cut back the ornamental grass. I almost prefer it this way than in full grown-out bloom as it is so much easier to control now. It is a big job to cut it back, especially when I want to keep it small and manageable. I’m thankful that my husband does this job! I planted these primroses last year and was delighted to see them back this year. Small joys.

4 – White hellebore. It is quite disappointing to not have the exact name for this plant. I do have the name that was on the tag, Aspen High, but given the markings on the white petals, that isn’t right. It is very pretty, though!

5 – Helleborus Harvington Double Apricot. I used four images of the same plant because it is so pretty and looks different at every angle. The plant is filled with blooms and is well established since planting it in February 2021.

6 – Helleborus Anna’s Red. This hellebore is fabulous for having flowers that don’t hang down, facing the ground. You can see the inside of the flowers from across the garden! It is such a striking color, too. And last but not least, the leaves on this plant (which I’ve cut off for now, due to black spot) are so unusual and pretty. They are what drew me to this plant in the first place. It will be lovely to see them again later in the season.

Thanks again for visiting! Which is your favorite plant? Better still, which plant would you recommend from your garden, as your favorite plant for this time of year? Thanks! 🙂 Dana

Summer delights for motivation

Posted on February 4, 2023 by Mominthegarden

Hi there! It is February and thankfully the weather has eased up a tiny bit. I was able to get out into the garden more this week and every minute was such a blessing. And while I do have pictures from this past week, instead of sharing those, I’m going to share my pictures of some of the flowers that I am looking forward to seeing in just a few months. I’m using them as motivation! I’ve started with my feature image at the top of the page, which is what the garden looked like in July last year!

I’m joining Garden Ruminations for the Six on Saturday meme. 🙂

I hope you enjoy my motivational trip down memory lane!

In Peace,
Dana

collage of fruit from the garden including strawberries, blueberries, pears and apples

1 – Fruit from the garden. Last year we finally caged up our blueberries. What a harvest we had! Up until then, the birds were the beneficiaries of the delicious blueberries. We had a decent harvest of strawberries, too. The strawberry ice cream we made was quite a treat! It was the best harvest yet for our pears. My husband made a pear and almond torte (twice!) that was absolutely delicious – and well worth the work that went into making it. Finally, our apples: red eating and yellow/green cooking. There is something quite satisfying about eating an apple from your own tree! 🙂

collage of David Austin roses: colors coral, light pink, medium pink and dark pink

2 – David Austin roses. Clockwise from top right: Princess Anne is a beautiful deep pink rose, Boscobel is a pretty salmon color. The next one is either Olivia Rose Austin or Ancient Mariner, I have both, but at this point, I don’t know which is which and they are very similar. The last one is Harlow Carr, and this I know because it is *very* thorny! They all are scented, which is something I look for in flowers. I had a super rose season last year, and I have to give credit to Uncle Tom’s Rose Tonic, which I used for the first time. Per the label: it contains pure potassium phosphite. It’s not cheap, but I did see an improvement in the health of my roses.

collage of iris grown from February through July

3 – Iris from February through July. We can start with Iris reticulata (bottom center) that blooms in February. Mine aren’t blooming just yet this year, but are up from the soil. We then have a bit of a break until May when most of the others start to bloom. We have Dutch Iris (top right), bearded Iris Benton Storrington (middle right), and the Siberian Iris ‘Shirley Pope’. The Siberian iris (top left) also blooms in May/June. And lastly, to finish out the iris season, we have another variety of Dutch iris that blooms at the end of June through the beginning of July. It is planted among the Incrediball hydrangea. I usually use it in a fourth of July arrangement.

4 – White balloon flower. This simple little beauty is happiest in sun and provides sweet white flowers, starting in June. They will continue to flower with deadheading.

5 – Allium. Starting in May and going through June, allium are a treat in the garden! I planted some en masse and I really like how they look. I usually cut some to bring inside as they dry beautifully, too. I’ve even spray painted them! My favorite type is Purple Sensation, but the ones en masse (bottom three photos) are a really neat star-like shape which I find to be as pleasing as the coloring of the Purple Sensation!

collage of poppies colored orange, red, pink, lilac.

6 – Poppies. Of course we have poppies! Each year they seem to find a new spot in the garden. We have had a range of colors, including: orange, red, lavender, pink, and coral! The seed heads are also fun to work with in arrangements.

That was so much fun! I hope you are as inspired as I am. Which is your favorite flower? And of course, thanks for stopping by!

January blues

Posted on January 28, 2023 by Mominthegarden

Hi there! It’s the very end of January, and although I’m not a fan of wishing time away, I am happy to see it go. I chose today’s blogpost title with a couple of thoughts in mind. First off, January can be a tough month, can’t it? I find it easy to feel blue when I can’t work in the garden. We’ve had lots of gray days, too, which dampens my spirits. But the other meaning of ‘blues’ that I had in mind, was beauty through color. Just this week we had the most spectacular sunset with purples, blues, oranges, and yellow, creating an absolutely amazing show! I have been lucky enough to see quite a few of these beautiful sunsets and sun rises – all with hues of blue – this month. There is always something to be grateful for!

There’s been a little bit of progress in the garden, actually. A few of the hellebores are now really showing off. They look so pretty since I cut away their leaves (most had black-spot).

I have a flower situation that I would like to work on over the next number of weeks. Years ago we planted bluebell and daffodil bulbs along the hedge. Well, in truth, we seemed to have planted them under the hedge. So by the time the flowers are blooming, the hedge is covering them and their lovely blooms are invisible – unless you lower your head to look under the hedge… This year I’d like to finally dig them up and move them out from under the hedge. I know it will be worth it, it’s just a matter of making it happen!

Oh! And did I mention that something ‘big’ happened in January? I have jumped into (early) retirement! I’ve been processing so many emotions, but mostly I am very excited for what this will look like for me. I’m planning on traveling, visiting with family and friends, and lots more time in the garden.

This week, I am joining Garden Ruminations for the Six on Saturday meme. There’s always lots to see there, if you’re curious about other gardens from around the world!

Thanks so much for visiting! I hope you enjoy the tour.

In Peace,
Dana

Sunset with purples, yellow and oranges over the playhouse garden

Sunset of purple, oranges and yellow over garde

1 – Blues (purples) of January Sunset. This sunset was from Monday, January 23rd, the day I retired. It was a perfect way to welcome me into my new adventure!

Hellebore Winter Sunshine after cutting the leaves away

2 – Hellebore Winter Sunshine. I really do like the color of the leaves on this hellebore. They are a blueish green and very pretty – when they don’t have blackspot! But the plant is just so much prettier when it is full of buds and flowers and the leaves aren’t blocking the view. The collage shows the progression of the day, starting with the bottom left photo.

3 – Hellebore Double Ellen Red. The lovely flowers on this hellebore hang down. So for this picture I put my phone right under the flower. Awkward positioning, but I think it worked. I cut away the main leaves from this plant a number of weeks ago, and it is doing really well, with lots of flowers.

4 – Hellebore Anemone Picotee. This is the most delicate of all of my hellebore. It has taken a few years to get established, but it has been worth the wait. The flowers are so delicate looking, with interesting purple veins.

Bluebells or daffodils coming through the soil

5 – Bluebells under the hedge. This is going to be a bit of a pain of a job, but I know it will be worth it. I have ivy starting to grow under the hedge, too, so it really needs a good clear-out!

Dana and Susan celebrating at Strandfield Restaurant with Quinoa grain salad

6 – Celebrating with Susan! My dear friend Susan happened to stop by on my first day of retirement, so we decided to celebrate together with a trip to one of our favorite local cafes: Strandfield! It was such a serendipitous visit! The food at Strandfield is always delicious. We both enjoyed the quinoa grain salad which was as tasty as it was colorful! They also have a gift and flower shop, which is where I treated myself to my new favorite (and very pink) hat. We both left happily content!

And that’s a wrap! Although January was somewhat blue, I’m so grateful to have so many people and things to be thankful for to get through those blues. What about you? How did your January go?

Enjoying a beautiful winter color palette

Posted on January 21, 2023 by Mominthegarden

Hello! Welcome to my blog. Every week, before I start writing a new post, I always go through my photos first. That is usually where my inspiration comes from. I go out into the garden all week long, at different times during the day, and I take pictures. Unfortunately, taking pictures is all I’ve been doing in the garden lately. I can’t wait to get started in some actual garden work, which will hopefully happen very soon.

What has really struck me recently, though, has been the colors in the sky. The morning sky has been beautiful shades of pink and purple on the far side of the house, while near the chicken run, we’ll see darker shades of orange, red and purple. It is amazing! And then, just like that, the sun is under a blanket of clouds and the show is over. I’ve learned to appreciate the sun whenever it shines, and to take the pictures right then and not wait for a better shot later!

I am joining in on the Six on Saturday fun again, hosted now by Garden Ruminations. It’s good to be back!

I hope you enjoy the garden tour. 🙂

In Peace,
Dana

hellebore: Winter Sunshine, Double Ellen and Anemone Picotee

1 – Hellebores. Mine are not really ready to be photographed just yet, but we’re getting there. The one on the left is Winter Sunshine. This is probably the best opportunity for me to use the word floriferous, as it is always *covered* in flowers. There are a load of buds on it at the moment. I do need to cut away those ugly brown leaves, though. While most of the green leaves are ok, some are showing signs of black-spot, so they also need to be cut away. The top red plant is called Double Ellen Red. Its flowers are especially pretty. The smallest hellebore, in the bottom right corner, is called Anemone Picotee. The flowers will be white with purple. It has a more delicate flower.

2 – Primroses. I have to say that I was a bit surprised to see these lovelies in the garden. I planted them last year just to fill the space. I’ve not had great luck with primroses returning, so this was nice to see.

morning view of the flower arch with a pink sky

3 – Daffodils pushing through the soil. Can you see them in the large front flower pot on the left? It is in high gear with loads of green growth. I’m not sure what the hurry is though, as they shouldn’t bloom before March. It is so wonderful to see what is coming next. It bring hope that there will be more to come. You can see that I have not yet taken away last year’s sunflowers or sweet pea. 🙂

4 – Sunrise over the chickens. I don’t really have much to add to this picture. The sky looks amazing. As the sun rose, though, the clouds covered everything and it was a rather dark day.

5 – Pink tinted morning view of the playhouse garden. I love mornings like these! It was a little foggy and frosty and was so beautiful with that sky! Just being in the garden on mornings like this brings a sense of peace. ❤️

collage of new bed view in frost and non-frost in sun

6 – Newest bed view. While the main view is of the newest bed, the dogwood off to the left provides a lovely splash of color! I don’t know the exact variety of cornus that it is, but if I had to guess, I’d say midwinter fire. It is a mixture of mostly orange but with some red. This new bed isn’t fully planted out yet, but right now we can see the cherry tree on the left, a burning bush (Euonymus alatus compactus) to the right of it, and then two hazelnut trees. There are some snowdrops starting to push through the soil here, too.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I have had to look outside the box to find beauty in the garden this January. But I think it is still there. Don’t you?

The magical lighting of fall

Posted on October 15, 2022 by Mominthegarden

Hello! Welcome to my blog. The transition to ‘shorter days’ is slowly but surely happening. I especially notice this with the chickens, who put themselves to bed by 7:00 pm these days. Having it get dark earlier in the evening is a difficult part of the change of seasons for me, but this has been made easier with the wonderful lighting we’ve had in the early mornings and evenings.

There’s a lot going on in the world (a bit of an understatement, eh?). My garden walkabouts always calm me, which I am so thankful for. I have found the lighting in the mornings and evenings to be simply magical – maybe because of how they lift my spirits.

I spent a day in Dublin this week and was lucky enough to be able to visit the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin. While it had been an overcast day, my visit was highlighted with sunlight. The gardens are filled with color and are so beautiful! I enjoyed a peaceful stroll, meandering through the quietness and beauty of the gardens. I didn’t venture in the green houses as I preferred to soak up the sun and views outside. This gem is so easy to get to and so worth a visit. The food and coffee there at the Garden Tea Room was a nice way to round out my visit.

Is there something you do to calm your soul when life gets very full? Spending time in the garden – and it doesn’t have to be mine – is what brings me calmness.

I’m joining the Propagator for his Six on Saturday meme. I hope you enjoy the tour!

In Peace,
Dana

1 – My pumpkin display. I have some nicely shaped pumpkins this year, if I do say so myself. There are two quite big ones, and the rest are all a nice manageable size. The burning bush (Euonymus alatus compactus – Dwarf Burning Bush) is just starting to turn a brilliant crimson as the asters start to fade and the pumpkins transition to orange. These are all jack-o-lantern pumpkins and not the smaller baking pumpkins, which typically means they are tasteless, unfortunately.

Chickens and hen house in morning light and fog

2 – Morning sunlight over the henhouse. This was a very foggy morning, but was lovely with the sunlight burning through the fog. My five chickens are all there, if you can make them out!

3 – Our birch trees at sunset. I like this picture because you can also see the group of white incrediball hydrangeas just down from the birch trees.

4 – Sunflowers and lavender. I’m still in awe of how nice the lavender looks, this late in the season. This is from a second, much more substantial flowering than the first. That one sunflower plant has really been a super star when it comes to providing lots of flower stems with good quality flowers. It is in a weird spot, caged in with the blueberries, but I didn’t plant it there. It was planted via our compost!

5 – Red Kuri squash. Here is another example of something growing from my compost and not from me planting it! I actually have two of these Red Kuri squash in one of my flower beds. I am delighted to have them! We grew Red Kuri last year and they were delicious. They start out bright yellow, slowly turn to orange and then finish a beautiful burnt orange color.

collage of pictures from the National Botanical Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin

6 – The National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin. These pictures do not give it justice, I can assure you. If you have the chance to visit, I hope you do. I like to play a game of ‘name that flower’ and here they have tags on almost all of the flowers so you can check your answers! It’s the little things. 🙂

Thanks for visiting!

Is pink the new color of fall?

Posted on October 1, 2022 by Mominthegarden

Hi there! Welcome to my blog. Well, what do you think? Is it safe to say that pink can be considered a fall color? When I look around my garden, I still see so much pink: roses, dahlia, asters, and alstroemeria, there is a lot! The traditional fall colors of burgundy, red, and orange are still there as can be seen with the dahlias, helenium, persicaria, rudbeckia, pumpkins and Rowan berries. But they are joined by a lot of pink, which I would consider to be more traditionally a summer color.

Never the less, all of the colors are beautiful, no matter the time of year. We’ve had some pretty blue skies with lots of sunshine this week, helping to slowly turn the pumpkins orange. This gardener is also happy that we had some rain this week, too.

I’ve had a lot of fun creating flower arrangements recently. The dahlia are blooming ‘like mad’ and it would be silly not to do something with them. They are so easy to work with, too. One day I used berries from the yard with them, and another day I used asters. The point is to have fun while creating something pretty. For me, I find the process of making an arrangement to be quite therapeutic. I simply enjoy the process from start to finish. All other thoughts are banished while I play with flowers!

I’ll be playing more with my feature image, too, as the pumpkins turn color and the squash continue to ripen. Stay tuned!

I’m joining The Propagator’s Six on Saturday meme. Feel free to join in!

Enjoy the tour 🙂

1 – Asters. These guys sure like to show off. I have them planted around the ornamental grass. This year I dug up two large sections that had grass intertwined in them. I was quite happy with how that went until a few weeks later the plants seemed to be covered in a powdery mildew. I still don’t know what happened. Unfortunately, a few of my plants were affected (two delphinium on the deck and some of these asters). I am hoping that it was a once off occurrence.

2 – Alstroemeria Summer Paradise series ‘Summer Break’. I am so pleased with these lovelies! I planted them this year and they have happily been blooming ever since. There are still lots of buds to bloom on the three plants, providing a lovely splash of (pink!) color. They are great as cut flowers, too.

sungold sunflower with marigolds, asters and sunflowers in the background

3 – Sungold sunflowers with marigolds and asters. I could not resist using these sunflowers again this week. They are just fantastic for providing a substantial amount of color! My ‘caged’ sunflowers in with the blueberries are super pretty, too. I didn’t plant them, but I’m sure glad for them!

dahlia, ivy, black berries and elder flower berries arrangement

dahlias: cafe au lait, coffee at midnight, tam-tam, and maxi

4 & 5 – Dahlia arrangement with blackberries, elder flower berries and ivy. This was so fun to go around the yard and find different things to fill the arrangement with. I just had a thing for berries on this day, and it worked out so well. I’m still getting used to dahlias. If you wait to use them until they are fully open, then they won’t have long to live in an arrangement. It is best to use them before they fully open. I used chicken wire to keep the flowers in place. This works really well, and is something I can use over and over again. The dahlias are: Cafe au Lait, Coffee at midnight, Tam Tam, and Maxi.

6 – Dahlia and aster arrangement. More pink! This is a much smaller arrangement that I made with a focus on pink. I thought the tiny pink asters worked really well with the dahlias (Cafe au Lait and Maxi). Super easy, and I used the chicken wire again.

One more picture: My birthday is at the end of September. What a wonderful time to celebrate life! My daughter made this chocolate cake with meringue buttercream icing for me. It was so delicious!

I hope you enjoyed the rather pink tour! Have a great week!

In Peace,
Dana

A mild and sunny September

Posted on September 24, 2022 by Mominthegarden

Hello! Welcome to my blog. We have had mild and sunny weather throughout September, and I am so thankful for that. I know that for me, when life gets chaotic, as September tends to, I need to spend more time outside in the garden. Spending time in the garden is good for the soul. 🙂 I don’t necessarily need to work in the garden, just spending time among the flowers and trees is good enough.

While there is a lot of color in the garden, the pots on the deck are providing a fabulous splash of color, too. There’s no excuse to not have flowers as they’ll grow anywhere!

The sunflowers that were planted in late May are in full bloom now, and brightening up another section of the garden. Lesson learned: stager your planting!

This week I was able to gather enough roses to have a sweet little bouquet. The good news is that rose season isn’t over yet! There are still lots of buds to bloom. I did see quite a few aphids, too, though. So I was glad to have inspected the flowers and discovered those pests – and I promptly squished them.

Dahlias are now (finally) in full flower production. What a treat! I really like the color combination I have at the moment: cream, a deep, dark red and pink. I’m still debating which color I should add to the mix next year!

I will be joining The Propagator’s Six on Saturday meme, because I find it a fun way to show you what’s happened this past week in the garden. I hope you enjoy the tour!

helenium, sunflowers and marigolds at sunrise

1 – September morning sunlight. The morning sunlight, the dew, the colors of pumpkins, marigolds, helenium and sunflowers, all makes for a very beautiful morning walk about the garden. Some mornings are more beautiful than others, but always it is worth taking the time to stroll about the garden and soak up the goodness. The changes are so subtle, like the changing color of the pumpkins, and it is fun to note them.

2 – David Austin Roses. Just a handful of roses is all it took to bring some beauty inside! They are fragrant, too. 🙂

delphinium blue ocean and cobalt dreams on the deck

3 – Container garden. These are most of my ‘blooming containers’ on our deck. The delphinium (blue ocean) has multiple stems that are all filled with flowers. The super tall delphinium (cobalt dreams) was one that I planted from seed last year. It is very tall, and is blooming up the stalk! Behind those are the Cafe au Lait dahlias. There are quite a few blooms on them, too, providing a great show. While it is great having color on the deck, I’m hoping to get some of these plants in the ground next season.

sungold sunflower with bee and small tortoiseshell butterfly

4 – Sungold Sunflower. These ‘fluffy’ sunflowers are super fun. I love their texture, and so do the bees and butterflies (at least this small tortoiseshell does). They are short which works really well in my windy garden – no staking necessary. Their stems are rather short, which makes it tricky to cut them for an arrangement, but I’ll settle for enjoying them in the garden!

Cafe au Lait and coffee at midnight and maxi dahlias

5 & 6 – Dahlias Cafe au Lait, Coffee at Midnight, Tam Tam, and Maxi. As I’ve mentioned before, these plants were all eaten to the ground by something (unknown). It took them all summer to grow back and only now are they really producing flowers full steam. But boy was it worth the wait. They are so pretty! I especially like their different shapes and textures. I do plan on adding to my collection. 🙂

I’m delighted with the selection of blooms for September. The mild weather means that I’m able to enjoy being out in the garden, admiring the blooms! Which is your favorite? (I’m not sure I’d be able to pick just one.)

Take care!

In Peace,
Dana

Mom in the Garden

Enjoying life. In Ireland. With my family.

Category Archives: Six on Saturday

Magnolia coming to life, and other promising signs

A St. Patrick’s day to remember

A (last?) visit from Winter

Beauty in the Garden (the show) begins!

Summer delights for motivation

January blues

Enjoying a beautiful winter color palette

The magical lighting of fall

Is pink the new color of fall?

A mild and sunny September