Spring Stroll 2012

Are you ready to stroll? Join me as I show you the fruits of my labor, the source of my pain... and one of my most uncontrollable passions. Gardening.

How appropriate is this? Thunder and Zoey on a stroll

Remember the Huechera I was telling you about? Here she is in all her glory... Georgia Peach!

White columbine... so pretty. But wait, there's more... much more.

couldn't you just eat these?! 

Pansies with their pretty little faces. Good thing I covered up the cat shit with the mulch, you're welcome ;o)

Geum... the beautiful Mrs. Bradshaw

Joseph's Coat, I believe

Wine and Roses Weigela (in the wind)

Oh! If you could only smell these fragrant white flags (iris)

Sedums, one of my favorite plant species

An enormous Silver Maple in our front yard. See the metal rod holding the twins together? Hopefully, it stays intact or it will smash our living room :/  I cannot bring myself to cut down any trees... they speak to my soul.

My sweet girl, Zoey

Clematis, the exquisite Miss Bateman


Now for some proof pictures of said hard work that is breaking my back... My husband saw me weeding the edges just like I do every year and him having a slight case of ocd mentioned that I might like having some edging. I was against the idea whole heartedly at first. I'm not an in the borders kinda girl. I like it wild. I'm a terrible housekeeper and I know it. The same kinda goes for my garden beds, they tend to get out of control but I like it. No fences, no borders to keep me in. If I wanna break out and make the garden go this way or that, I grab my shovel and do it. 


Well this all kinda makes him cringe. Since I have some body aches that are tending to get worse, I gave it some thought and began to think that maybe with the edges it might look a little more complete and perhaps easier to maintain and my mulch wouldn't get mowed away. It only took the words well maybe... and we were off to the big box store to buy edging. 2 skids of it in 2 days. He saw his chance and ran with it. Before I knew it, I was unloading tons of this shit. He didn't complain any, but wow it really wears you out. I have bursitis in my hips and they've been screaming ever since.


When we got the first section done, he had a look of such satisfaction on his face. I on the other hand wasn't as happy. I thought it looked like Disney World. Too perfect and neat. I'm not a neat and tidy girl, like I said I like it wild. Thunder the cat loves it, he thinks it's his own personal balance beam. But... it has grown on me and I did gain about 2 feet out on all my beds to plant more flowers! So here are some before and after pictures of Disney World:

Before being caged in...

and after

Before, wild and free!

after... ok I kinda like it. this bed needs a little work, it's kinda wonky

Side view before

side view after

kitchen window chaos, ok it is a little crazy but I hadn't weeded yet

all neat and tidy, even the sunshine likes it... meh.

shade bed before

shade bed after

one of my favorite little areas before

yeah yeah... I know

Ok, after seeing these before and after shots like this I'm starting to see it really wasn't that great before. At least not as much as I thought it had been in my super star gardening head. Score one for the hubby. It has grown on me. I only wish we could have used a natural stone, but it was too costly. Oh well, I'll soon have the plants flowing over :) I'm going plant shopping Wednesday... yippee! I'll share those pictures soon ;)


Still lots of work to do and boy do I have some new ideas brewing that are awesome and if they happen, I can't wait to share them with you. BIG ideas.



p.s. see my greenhouse goings on here

Spring is wearing me out

I worked out in the gardens for about 5 hours today and I'm stiffening up and can hardly move! Even my fingernails hurt. I've pulled weeds and mulched. When I look at what I've accomplished, it's not near enough for 5 hours of sweat and pain! I'm trying to make my gardens easier for me and scaling down a tiny bit. Well that is a total lie because I've removed one garden but am planning another by the koi pond. Jeesh. Good thing I love it, cause it's gonna kill me.

I peeked out the window tonight to admire my handiwork only to see the damn dog laying on the cushy 3" of mulch I put out and crushing my newest Heuchera!! It's a beauty, too. Georgia Peach, got it last summer. Dark pink with burgundy veining. It's also called coral bells.

Everything is so far advanced this year. I'd say by about a month! I keep waiting for the the shoe to drop and have a snow storm. Some crazy kinda weather we've got more and more it seems. 

I've been rearranging my greenhouse too to accommodate my heirloom tomato seedlings. They have only been out in the greenhouse for two days but wow what growth they've put on! No pics of them yet.

Late winter and early spring is a great time in the greenhouse. All my geraniums and pelagoriums are blooming. Plants are flushing out fresh green all over. I just love it. When we are having a "normal" spring and the weather is cool, the greenhouse is so warm and green smelling. It's a perfect sanctuary.

So here are pictures I took Sunday of what's up in the greenhouse for the most part. I meant to take pics of my handy work from today but was too pooped to care. I'll take some and post them soon, cause I love to get ooohs and ahhhs over my labor ;)

Purple Datura - also called Angel's Trumpet. Flushing out from a winter slow down.

The forest-y corner with ferns, corn plants and 

philodendron. Fern's will go back on front porch

Lantana - butterflies love this plant

Rosemary

See the white in the background, that is Diamond Frost Euphorbia. Great little plant.

Taken from the outside looking in. I'm standing close to my koi pond, another story there.

Bougainvillea, just so dang pretty

The wall of flowers and some dead plants, too.

Some Salvia I kept and now it's blooming. It's called Hot Lips, love it!

Hibiscus that I've overwintered for my friend

My mom's sweet little bird statue

My friend's overwintered orange tree and geranium

My all time favorite petunia - Burgundy Madness from seed. This coloring isn't quite right, too much light

a vining geranium I've kept for quite a few years

Spike with a gorgeous little geranium that I can't remember the variety at the moment

Scented geranium, too bad there is no smell-o-vision

I hope you enjoyed my little tour :)

Let's Stroll

Isn't inspiration and beauty everywhere? As I take these pictures of the beautiful flowers around my house I always have plans of painting or drawing them. I'm building quite a reference file. Ironically, keeping all these beauties going is time consuming thus taking away from some creative time.... Ah well, I need to have these around me. Literally, my soul needs to have green growing things around me that require my attention, touch and love.

I came by it naturally, maybe even genetically. The nut didn't fall too far from the tree. My mom was a gardener and I have the fondest memories of her digging in the dirt. Even when the dirt came by the way of just being pots on our apartment balcony. She always had gobs of plants inside and out and had the greenest thumb of anyone I've ever known. That woman could put a stick in the ground and it would grow. I miss talking plants with her as I walk my paths that I always walk, looking at my summertime beauties. When I would visit her she would always take my arm and we'd stroll through her garden together even though we had just done the same thing a couple days before. There is always something new and exciting popping up somewhere, you just have to slow down and look. Whenever I'd ask her "where did you get that?" She'd reply "A little bird brought it to me". I'm fairly certain she stole that line from my grandpa, her dad, cause I remember him saying that too. Her nut didn't fall far from his tree either, he was a great gardener and had the most beautiful and bountiful sweet peas. They still remind me of him.

Well I have no idea where I'm getting the energy for this. I did corn all day today then it was trash day, plus I cleaned out the freezers (had to cause there was no room for more corn!). While doing that, I didn't have room to put a pie crust back in without assaulting it, so I made an apple pie! Last night I didn't go to bed until 3:30 and now here it is 2:20 and I'm still awake. Granted, I'm sitting in my most comfy chair and not doing much but letting my mind wander and fingers do the walking. I should be upstairs in my art studio creating something in my journals for the Sitsterhood and PPF but that would require the stairs and I'm far too lazy for that. In fact, I think I'll go to sleep now.

Oh, but first take my arm and stroll around my gardens with me.... won't you?

be still my beating heart ~ a glorious Zinnia

The boys follow me as I give you the tour for this year but I think we're getting the cold shoulder at the moment

Sunflowers make me happy

my greenhouse

inside plant getting a summer vacation outside

huba huba ~ doesn't this Mandevilla look like the sexpot of the flower world?

I love to have color all around even if there aren't many flowers and these coleus are tried and true

Ditch lilies ~ love 'em

see my little toad house in the background? Vacancy...

sweet little guy ~ look at his little antennas, precious!

Coral Bells

never mind the Johnson grass...

look at me! the bouganvilla screams

Alright tour's over... good night!