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?

Celebrating Mother’s Day during very trying times

Posted on March 22, 2020 by Mominthegarden

Helleborus Niger – an all white hellebore

Hi there, and welcome to my ‘Mom in the Garden’ blog. I think that looking at pictures of pretty flowers is exactly what we all need right about now. I’m all info’d out when it comes to Covid-19. Even with sticking to trusted sources, it just gets too much to focus on for too long. My family and I are doing our part and we are staying home. It was exactly how I would want to spend my Mother’s day, too. Join me as I escape from the realities of this pandemic with pictures from my garden.

a pure white hellebore – Helleborus Niger

The hellebores have had a very good run this season. This pure white one (helleborus Niger), and a few others in the garden, still have some new growth. But their season will be wrapping up as spring ends.

helleborus orientalis double Ellen red

Here’s another hellebore (double Ellen red) that still had pretty blooms!

I don’t know the names of all of my hellebore plants. This lovely dark pink one was given to me years ago by my friend Susan. It is lovely and showy.

Hellebore – dark pink

the same plant but on a rather wet day

a beautiful hellebore flower

chickens make the best backgrounds

My chickens had been getting some garden time in the evenings. But recently there has been a scare of avian flu, so I haven’t been letting them out. This is sad for all of us!

white speckled hellebore (with chickens)

The next plant is one I haven’t posted about in a long time. It is difficult to get a good picture of the flowers since they rarely open fully. It is called helleborus foetidus, or the stinking hellebore. It does have a strange smell, but thankfully isn’t too fragrant.

hellebore foetidus or the stinking hellebore

helleborus foetidus or the stinking hellebore

A full view of the helleborus foetidus or the stinking hellebore

Aubrieta creeping

As always, the garden offers signs of hope and new growth. The aubrieta is slowly creeping along in the bed and down the wall.

A full bed of aubrieta!

I still love the thrill of seeing flowers showing life in the new season. Like this Itoh Hybrid Peony ‘Hillary’. If you’d like to know more about the hybrid peony, you can read my post about this one, here.

new growth of my Itoh Hybrid Peony ‘Hillary’ (and lots of new growth from weeds, too!)

That’s really all the break I needed to clear my head. Honestly, I’m devastated for those who have lost their lives in this pandemic. I think about those who have already lost their jobs, or who will lose their jobs in the future because of this situation. The impact on all of us will be tremendous. It is tremendous. And it is during these times that I am most especially thankful for my family and friends. Because although we aren’t all close together, we are all close at heart.

I am praying for everyone affected by Covid-19, because I have a strong faith and I believe in the power of prayer. I pray that we will all get through this, together.

I hope that you, too, are able to find time to look after yourself and your well being – both physically and mentally. It really is important.

And although a difficult time, I wish all of the Moms celebrating Mother’s day today, a very special day.

Stay safe everyone.

In Peace,
Dana

Who’s got your heart?

Posted on February 2, 2020 by Mominthegarden

Rose and Daisy in their run

I always think of February as the month of ‘red hearts’. 🙂 O.K., maybe it has become somewhat commercialized, but I still see it as ‘the month of love’ for giving Valentine’s cards, maybe a small gift, but definitely showing appreciation for those we love.

January was a really busy month in our household. Holy Cow it has been crazy! Honestly, the schedule isn’t really slowing down much this month either. Thankfully, my husband and I are still able to manage a teeny, tiny bit of ‘down time’ to recharge, every once in a while. I’d be lost without that. We all would be! It is so much better for everyone, when we can recharge. I’m especially thankful because my husband makes it a priority that we both get the time we need to keep the work/life/family balance.

My kids are growing up – 21, 19, and 15 years old – so I really appreciate whenever I get to spend time with them. They are so different from each other! It is a joy to watch them grow into the wonderful people that they are. Those everyday moments can be quite special.

It seems we are too frequently reminded of how fleeting life can be. There are, sadly, no guarantees. It really is important to make the most of every day and to be the best version of ourselves. (That’s not always easy, but it is always worth it.)

I hope you are surrounded by the people you love, and who love you right back.

In Peace,
Dana