How beautiful is the end of the day here?! It's breathless sunsets after a full hard day if digging in the ground to try to forge out a garden...
I never knew how much work went into a garden nor did I know how good it makes you feel to do so & to see the beauty of nature. It is a physical & spiritual experience for sure!
Sowing This Week-----------------------
The Miramich Garden Club had their plant sale last Friday. So armed with Bill's truck, Heather, Lynn, & I made our way to find some treasures to purchase. I found so many beautiful plants & so did they!
Lupins to enhance my white bleeding hearts!
Don't they just look like a gnomes hat?!
How east coast are these beauties?!
Maybe that's why I see so much character in them. lol
See their hats? Familiar aren't they! lol
These are the sweet flowers between the gnomes, I hope they grow as thick as weeds!
Thank you Heather.
Ross my neighbour, brought by some bulb plants for my garden & iris plants!
Three new bearded Iris, will be planted by the new ones that were planted last week. What finds were found at the plant sale!
I've had these stones for over 15 years & have never used them till now, how perfect are they?!
This wee plant will take a while to mature & it will be wonderful watching it.
First bloom from the peony that I brought with me last month, what a gorgeous colour it displays.
This is what size the climate in south western Ontario grows in the same time frame.
How fragrant the front of the house must be...those peonies come with me next year. :-)
This was called a bugle weed & I hope it spreads like its name in the area I've planted it.
We also took in the garden center at the Great Atlantic Superstore, where I purchased a tray of lavender & this Ornamental Onion which will have purple pom poms.
Bird Bath Job....I Mean Work!!
First I had to remove all the sod & weeds from the area & placed them around the cluster of birch trees on the side culvert.
The hen & chicks waiting to be transplanted in their new spot at the base of the bird bath.
With new top soil & a paper mache around the freshly planted hen & chicks, a thick layer of black mulch was added. I also put the top of the water fountain in the center of the bird bath. The rest of the fountain may come out next month but for now it looks right at home there!
Love the backdrop of the Bay du Vin Island in the background.
Some background on the fountain---in 2003 we were doing an elevator tradeshow & I wanted a soothing sound in our booth, so a fountain was needed. It was hard to find one that would be appropriate & I knew what I wanted when I would see it. There were so many fountains with cherubs but those are so sad to me as they were designed in the Victorian era to soothe mothers that had lost their babies to childhood deceases. They were to represent their babies in heaven as angels, to me I see dead babies... So to find these beautiful playful boys like these, were just what I wanted & next month I'll show you the fountain if it makes it here!
Looking at this picture I really should have raked the lawn! Sow much to do Sew little time! lol
This is the front garden & in the distance to your right, by the blue patio set, is the opening to the woods & in there, all the visual delights to come with time!
This is one side of the walkway that I'm constructing & it will be lined with lavender.
How heavenly will that be to the senses as it matures?!
They look so small but the instructions say 18" to 24" apart, glad I read it! I would have done 4 to 5"!
This is the otherside of the path, it to will have lavender. The center will have wood chips or black stone, I'm not sure yet. Time & money will tell. lol
Funny True Story--------
Before we venture into the side garden, I must tell you this story because it still makes me chuckle out loud whenever I think of that morning.
It was my arrival last month, the week that Mitchell & Nicole were visiting. He made Nicole a morning coffee & when she took her first sip she yell out loud "Mitch, it tastes like soap, yuk!"
Oh my, the first thing I thought of was my dish washing habits as I have no dishwasher. It's done with Jesus & I technique . First I wash them in hot soapy water & then rinse them with hot water & let Jesus do the drying. Did I not rinse the cup well enough?
I asked Mitchell ''Where is the sugar you used?" It's that little one next to the coffee maker he replied.
That's my salt cellar I told him! OH that explained everything. He told me that he thought it was a little sugar holder with a cute little ceramic spoon & it was next to the coffee maker...which has the stove to the other side. We all had a great laugh over this & I still do!
The innocent salt cellar...
You can see how he thought what he thought! lol
Side Garden---------------
This bleeding heart bush just looks the shade, it's so full of bloom.
I transferred my herb garden to a large box & found stakes that I had purchased years ago at a salw somewhere...I think I was destine to garden.
How cute are these, I might have to spray them with varnish to help keep them looking good.
Flowers & Birds--------------
I also spruced up the phone pole area with lilies that were given out at the EBH Garden Club.
Wow that was hours of work & I secured the rose bush to the pole. Can't wait to see colour from the lilies but that will probably be next year.
A new bird house was installed on the top of the pole this year too.
Potting Shed------------
I dug out an area to the side for some more lilies.
To the other side I planted cat mint. Years ago when the kids were little I use to pick & dry this mint thinking it was related to the lavender family. I would make sachets for inside their pillow cases only to have the pet cats take them out! Duhhhhh Oh my I'm learning so much through gardening! lol
I've added some creeping phlox & just love the colour next to the siding!
The lily of the valley was planted last fall from Jean's garden & I just love its ability to spread that's why it's on the side only.
This grape vine has been potted for now as it will need an arbor...that's another blog. It has wheels under it so I can move it around the yard, till I find it's forever home & arbor.
The front of the house is really coming together with a lot of sweat, something I never usually do. It's a good physical workout for me & mentally I feel how people say "Peace In The Garden".
The last of the lily of the valley. It has had its time & now other blooms will come to life after laying so covered with snow just a few months ago! Mitchell the sugar bowl is always on the table. lol
Thank you for stopping by today. And my you to take time to find your peace, in the garden.
Wow... again, you've been busy beautifying the place. I really need to redo all my flower beds and use papier mache and bark mulch but beds are all over crowded right now. I have bulbs that bloom early in the spring so if I use mulch it might interfere...
ReplyDeleteI have so many bad creeping weeds on my lawn that creeps into the flower beds that I 'm loosing the war on weeds.
You are very wise to put mulch from the very start. It will look beautiful next year.
I love your bad tasting coffee story. It reminded me of my daughter Nicole who cam all the way from Scotland one year and she was baking cookies and used baking soda from an unmarked container in my cupboard instead of icing sugar. That was so funny but she was not very amused after all that heard work she did but we thought it was funny.
Take care and good luck with all your gardening. Your sunset is out of this world.
Hugs,
JB