In the garden

I Love my Garden!

Every year in the Spring I look forward to getting out into my garden.  I make small changes...moving plants that didn't do well in particular spot...adding new plants...planning...dreaming.

It always amazes me how much I love to work in the yard...especially since I am usually a pretty lazy person.  But I never mind working in the yard...even mowing the lawn is fine with me.  Now granted I have a tiny yard so it doesn't take much time to mow.  But to me it is so much more satisfying working in the yard than cleaning...ugh...I hate to clean.  My mother on the other hand LOVES to clean...obviously I did not inherit that gene from her.

This year I did not make a lot of changes to the garden.  I have just worked on adding to my perennial borders and have worked to keep things neat and tidy.  My favorite part of the garden is my shade garden under a beautiful red maple in the back corner of the yard.

This tree was here when we moved in and is just beautiful.  Several years ago we added a privacy fence to the back of our tiny property due to a very annoying neighbor - long story.  This created a nice area behind our garage under the red maple that I decided to turn into a shade garden. The grass in this area looked pretty bad due to the deep shade.  But since we were getting ready for my son's graduation party I had no time to dig and plant a new garden.  Instead I layed a thick layer of newspapers and spread mulch under the tree to make it look nice for the party.  I left it this way for the rest of the season and by next Spring had a lovely area for planting - no sod to dig out. 

We decided that we loved this area created by the fence and garage and decided to add a brick patio under the maple.  With the help of our youngest son we dug an area for the patio, layed down the proper base and installed pavers.  I then added a border of pavers under the tree to create a bed for planting.  I had no experience with shade gardening.  After some research I decided to not worry about flowering plants as much as working on texture and color through foliage.  I found a company online that sold hostas in pretty inexpensive groupings because they were ones that had lost their tags.  So for $15 I received 10 bareroot plants of unknown origin.  And planted away.  The problem is you never know what type you are getting...so eventually I had to move some around the next season as some larger ones were planted in front of smaller ones.

 
Over the years I added a variety of ferns - Painted Japanese and Autumn - as well as a few other hostas.  This is my favorite area.  It is cooler under the maple and I love all the shades of greens and the textures.  We added a half barrel water feature - although my son and I would like to add a small pond. 

A Volunteer

I have a huge old crock that I fill with plants each spring.  My hubby drags it out of the garage and I pick a color scheme and plan away.  This year I chose orange and chartreuse.

I planted a yellowy-green coleus, orange zinias, an orangey-yellow million bells and a variegated leaf geranium.

I love the color combination.  Everything grew very nicely...and then up popped something I did not plant...can you see it?

 

At first i thought it was a weed...I almost pulled it out....but then it developed a flower blossom... I think it is a sunflower...we'll see.........

Hydrangeas

Coneflowers

 

Glorious Weather

 This summer has been glorious in PA so far this year.  We have had sunny warm days in the low eighties with little humidity and cool nights.  It has made gardening pleasurable this year.

 

I love this weather!  And so does my garden!

Lovely Summer

This has been a spectacular summer...cool nights and days in the low 80's with no humidity...I love this weather.  Because of it my gardens are looking great.  Usually by mid-July it is so hot that everything is beginning to dry up.  This year everything is so fresh looking.  I even added new perennials this past week...something I never would have done in July in the past.  I still need to water them daily to make sure they get a good start...but so far so good...as long as I can keep the bunnies from munching.

Garden 2009

I started this blog back in 2007 and have neglected it for so long.  I plan on putting pictures of my 2009 garden here as well as ideas and goals for the garden and yard.

Neglect

I have been neglecting my gardens lately...the hot hot weather and my bout with bronchitis has left me with no energy.  I'm lucky I've been making it to work!

With the hot weather has brought drought-like conditions and my yard is  looking tired.  But this past weekend was cool and brought glorious rain!  Yesterday it was actually chilly here with temps in the low 60's and rain most of the day.  This weather is supposed to continue for the next few days.  Hopefully this will revitalize not only my garden but me as well.  My cough is getting better so once the rain is over I hope to get out and weed and deadhead and trim back overgrown perennials. 

I have some plans for fall in the garden.  I have a border that I would like to widen and we plan on removing the grass/weeds between the sidewalk and curb out front and will replace with cobblestones and some creeping plants to tuck between stones.  We have all the supplies but have put it off since the weather has been so hot.

This weather is not only revitalizing my garden but also my energy!

Red Garden Chair

While browsing other blogs today I found another red chair planted up for the garden.  Cherry Hill Cottage  has a sweet red chair picture on her sight today.  Hers is all bright and shiny and I love the red and white enamel pot.

It is soooo hot here....and very humid.  I'm trying so hard to keep up with the watering and the only thing really thriving are the weeds....and the groundhogs.  We live along a cemetary in the middle of a small town.  This cemetary is the home to tons of animals...but this year is the home to a family of groundhogs who have been eating their way through my garden.  They have dug HUGE tunnels in both of my neighbors' yards.  I'm hoping that our loud little dog is keeping them from moving into our yard.

  Here is my favorite birdhouse with a glimpse of the cemetary in the background.  Some people hate the fact that we live along a cemetary...but they have always fascinated me.  This cemetary has some very old headstones - some from the 1800's.

In the Garden

I've decided to start a blog just for my gardening efforts.  I LOVE to garden and have since I was a little girl.  My parents always had a beautiful garden - both vegetable and flowers.  Both sets of grandparents had had wonderful gardening skills as well.  When I was a child my dad let me have a small area to garden all on my own.  I loved it and from then on have enjoyed all aspects of a garden.

Two garden blogs have really inspired me to start my own.  Carolyn of Tumbleweeds and Thyme was one of the first garden blogs I visited several months ago.  I feel like we could be kindred sisters.  Her writings and garden style echo my own.

The newest garden blog is from northwestern Ohio - Our Little Acre - and this is the most inspiring garden blog I've ever read.  The pictures are just beautiful and so inspiring.

So today is the first of many posts about my gardening - inside and out. 

Here is one of the daylilies blooming in my garden.  Four years ago I bought a quart-sized pot of orange daylilies and planted it in the garden along my house and driveway.  It obviously liked it there because it soon grew into a huge clump that was always overtaking the driveway.  Two years ago my hubby dug it up for me - it filled a wheelbarrow - and we moved the  whole plant to the back side of our property.  We have a high fence along the back of our small yard.  We divided the plant into 9 smaller plants and planted this all along the fence.  Last summer I moved some more to a new garden along our UGLY garage.  This is one of the blooms from that  plant.  I love daylilies and also have Stella D'oro and Pardon Me.  I hope to add more next year.

We have a very small yard around our cottage-style house.  This doesn't leave tons of room for gardening.  Every year I am always trying to add new gardens...this year was not exception.  My hubby and youngest son dug up the bed I outlined with my husband's field-liner for soccer.  Hey if I have to have this in my garage I should have the right to use it!  The new garden took in an old gnarled white lilac and met up with another bed at the back of the yard.  After purchasing edgers and lining the bed my budget was shot.  So I planted a 2 rose bushes, some gladiolus bulbs and several perennials.  I still had a large open space.  Out of the garage came this old red chair.  I have had this chir for at least 6 years - since owning my little country shop. Each year my husband tried to out it out for trash and each year I dragged it back.  I had a plan.  Then I found an old enamel pot in my neighbor's trash.  I asked if I could rescue it.  She thought I was nuts since it had a hole in the bottom.  Perfect!  It fit nicely in the empty seat of the red chair.  I planted it with some gorgeous coleus and a few other annuals.  It filled an empty spot in the new garden.  Even my hubby likes it!