Good morning! The weather here is absolutely gorgeous with temps at almost 70 already!
The sky is a gorgeous shade of blue with just some scant wisps of clouds!
I took a few pics of the backyard to show you some of what’s in bloom.
I can only show a bit because it is embarrassingly unkempt…..{sigh}…if I ever win the lottery
I am hiring a garden assistant to help me keep up.
{Before I do that…..remember the giveaway…details at the bottom of this post!}
OK…on to the backyard…at least the nice parts….
This is a corner of the screened porch to the right.
Behind the tree is my studio. I have my sewing machine right under the window
and really enjoy looking out on this little garden.
Just now the daffodils have finished
and the star magnolia bush behind the daffodils is also done.
But one of the real superstars of this little garden is this clematis….
which is in all it’s glory right now.
The name is Nellie Moser….my favorite
Isn’t that so pretty?
I won’t show the pic again but the tree in that little garden is a crape myrtle.
It will bloom from June through August.
The blooms are gorgeous and the trees are all over this area.
The man behind the Norfolk Botanical Gardens, Fred Huette,
campaigned to have them planted all over and they are really beautiful.
They line the highways and many, many neighborhoods here.
Mine is a dark purple which is not really common and we had to look hard for that strain.
The man behind the Norfolk Botanical Gardens, Fred Huette,
campaigned to have them planted all over and they are really beautiful.
They line the highways and many, many neighborhoods here.
Mine is a dark purple which is not really common and we had to look hard for that strain.
When it opens up I’ll share a picture of it with you.
Here is the azalea hedge behind the potting shed.
Please, I beg of you….don’t chop your azaleas into shapes!
They are most beautiful left to grow naturally with just some pruning to keep them healthy.
If you have a bush or tree that needs aggressive chopping because it’s getting into the wrong area, then it is the wrong plant for the spot…take it out.
Nothing is more sad than seeing a bush that will get to six feet across,
planted right next to the front walk.
Of course it will end up getting chopped off!
Something smaller should have been put there!
And just because you hire a landscaper to do your yard
doesn’t mean the same thing won’t happen.
Many are not GOOD landscapers and do not think of what the full grown plant will look like.
My neighbor had a landscaper and I now have LARGE grass plants
which were placed in a border between our houses.
Unfortunately, the border the neighbor was entitled to was only 1 ft wide.
Now I spend time chopping the 4 ft wide grass plants that hang over my side!
They also planted a jasmine vine on a fence which was placed directly on the property line.
I also spend time chopping the jasmine off my grapevine and my lilac bush!
So, a word to the wise…..make sure the landscaper is planning for the future
AND…please think of you neighbors…just a bit!
OK…off the soapbox about landscaping!
There’s another long azalea border along the water farther in the back.
Boy…trying to avoid the ugly parts of the yard is rather difficult! LOL
The pink dogwood is just starting to bud out.
We planted this tree for my little Lakeland Terrier, Katie.
She was my constant companion for many years
and died soon after we moved into this house.
It’s a very special tree to me….
Nearby, some wild strawberries are peeking through the creeping charlie
That’s pretty isn’t it? The chartreuse and red….
I usually throw away the Christmas amaryllis…do you?
Well this past year, there was an article in the paper about not doing that!
I can’t remember it all but apparently (probably in California…sheesh)
they are outside and will just get larger and larger with multiple flowers.
The author said to let it go dormant and then start watering it in the Spring.
Well, ever the EXCELLENT gardener that I am
(believe me…that’s a joke)
I set the pot on the picnic table after Christmas and………
did nothing….
Every now an then, I’d look out the window and say
“oh crap…the amaryllis…..I guess that’s dead now”
Well….look at this…
What do you know?
I’m not sure what to do now so if you ARE a real gardener
let me know……..
I am planning to pot it in something larger but beyond that….
sun? shade?wet? dry?
You tell me…….
I received some lavender the other day and will put this in the shop.
I know many people won’t buy the large pieces of furniture
so I want to have some smaller, affordable things that will still draw them in.
I don’t know if that works or not….it’s all new to me!
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Parisienne Farmgirl Magazine
I'm Lorraine. I have a love for home & design and I enjoy sharing that passion with others. I'm so glad you're here to join me.
email: missflibbertigibbet@gmail.com
Such wonderful photos of your garden, hard to believe there are any untidy spots! The flowers in bloom are gorgeous, great spots of colour.
Such a beautiful post!
I bought an azalea once and killed it, not sure what I did wrong.
Your flowers are wonderful and I ADORE your garage door!!!!
Have a great day!
Ha! I have the same dilemma with the neighbor’s cedar trees planted waaay too close to our fence. When they fly south for the winter, I’m on their side chopping the parts that are ruining our (ugly) chain link fence between the yards. I could probably get arrested for tresspassing or even worse.
Your flowers are gorgeous and now I have a hankering for strawberry shortcake.
I love my yard but the amount of work is always surprising….luckily once I beat it into submission I can cruise along through the summer if I’m just diligent!
Lorraine