Hump Day Gardening

The North side of our house which faces our good neighbors was lookin' a little wrecked due to the rain, erosion and gosh darn f*&$%*# squirrels who are stealing my daffodils! I wanted to plant some shade plants and perennials, so I wouldn't have to do much in following years. I also thought about the bloom time for each, so that there would always be something there each season. I walk pass this area 20 times a day, so I hate when it's in disarray.

Shade area: (from left to right) "Lollipop" tree, yellow petunia (annual), "bridal veil" Astilbe, purple petunias, Polemonium (Stair way to Heaven), Daffodils, Coral Bells with Muscari in front, daffodils, Hosta with petunias mixed in. My neighbor was nice enough to allow me to take cuttings of her hosta.


Sun to Part Sun Area: (left to right) "Shirley Temple" Peony, daffodils, Myosotis (Forget-Me-Nots), daffodils, 2 red Knock Out Roses with daffodils in the middle, more petunias in the mix, Mums (not shown). I also left room at the end of the Peony to plant some Pink Tulips that I have in mind for next Spring.


Closeup:
Here's what the Astilbe looks like. It's supposed to be good shade perennial and ground cover.


Shirley Temple Peony


Stairway to Heavn - This plant is really cool to the touch and will have little lavendar flowers on it.


Knock-Out Rose - This is the *hot new* thing for roses. They have 1 large bloom at the beginning AND end of summer and all throughout the summer. They grow "bushier" too unlike hybrid tea roses.

Love. Thy name is Paeonia.

One of my peonies ('Kansas') is ready to bloom! Here she is this morning around 8:30 AM.



Here she is again later this evening beginning to unravel with its beauty!



Here is the entire plant. It has 3-4 buds and is an earlier bloomer than my other peonies.



Just as a reminder:
- fertilize with 5-10-10 in early spring and again mid-season when stems are 2-3" tall and add a few cups of fireplace ash.
- remove blooms as soon as they fade, so they don't waste energy producing seed which will affect next year's growth.
- water deeply and mulch during hot summer months.

Yard Sale Finds

It was "Treasure Day" in a neighboring town where the entire town participates in a yard sale. They are especially good when it's in a "posher" neighborhood because their junk is nicer junk! Yard sales are great places to find useful discounted things or things that you would rather not spend too much money on. I was hesitant because my mom raised me not to "take home people's junk" because it was perceived as greedy or lack of pride/confidence in one's self to acquire what one wants. But when my sister-in-law told me how she got Uggs for .50 cents, my interest was peaked. That's not greedy. That's awesome (and saves money)!

Well, here are my finds!

Lamp $6 - I've been needing one badly for some time now.



$10 Bolt of fabric - This lady bought it and meant to make drapes, but never got around to it. It was a decent enough pattern and there was plenty of it.



Mirror $3 - I've been looking for a large mirror to put on the wall over a console. I'm debating whether I should spray paint it silver or black for the living room.



Oversized Spoon and Fork Wall Decor $1.00 for both - Compared to Pottery Barn. I thought this would be cool to hang in the kitchen when it's complete. I'll spray paint them to the accent color I use.



Coffee Table $1.00 - For the seating around on the deck. I've been looking for something like this. For $1, it's going to sit outdoors anyway.



I also got current issues of Martha Stewart Living and BHG for .50cents each. And another small mirror for $1.00 for the hallway.

In other news, my geranium is blooming.



We found plastic edging at the Christmas tree shop for $6/25 feet. I put it along the North side of the house because the soil is constantly eroding there.



These trees really needed some nurturing and we winded up cutting all the bottom stems off. They look like lollipops now.

Scabiosa or Pin cushion flower

Here's my newest addition to my *purple haze garden* (the left side of the deck). A perennial Scabiosa or pincushion flower because it's spiky petals resemble a pincushion. It's just adorable and has many buds that flower throughout the summer.



Here's a picture of the violet flowers from the Silver Dollar plant.



I enjoyed my little red strawberry the other day. I think I'm going to relocate these and mix them with my flower beds. They're better ground cover than fruit producers!



We went to the Christmas Tree Shoppe and they had bags of lawn repair for only $5. Since it's showering, Keith laid down this "green patchy stuff" to take advantage of the "free water" and cool weather. If you do it in the sun, there is a tendency that it doesn't work and possibly burn.



That's it for today. I'm going to work on making a record of where all my flowers are. I'm starting to forget and then dig where I planted something already.

My *Purple Haze* Garden

In this garden, I gathered perennials all in purple or lavender shades.

Moonlight Magic hybrid tea roses - Lavender colored roses are my favorite color rose for some reason.
Scabiosa or Pincushion flowers - They look adorable and contain lots of buds per plant that bloom throughout the summer.
Hostas - I don't like hostas at all, but they are good shade plants and produce white/lilac colored flowers. They are a reliable space filler.
Dinnerplate Dahlias - Supposedly, they are the size of dinner plates! I'm excited to see how these look. Requires support.
Lilacs - Reminds me of my trip to Paris when I was a teenager. Nothing beats the smell.
Lunaria or Honesty - My mom calls them Silver Dollar plants. Good shade plant. They remind me of my mother.
Allium - These are so cool looking and seems like a fun addition to a garden.
Bearded Irises - Another flower that my mom gave me. Hers were really mature when she gave them to me so they are doing really well. Give them room because they multiply.
Petunias - Annuals that I buy at the nursery. Actually prefers soil that is on the dry side.
Hyacinths - Incredibly fragrant and I already had these in my yard so I just moved them.
Morning glories - the only thing with these is that they bloom very early in the morning (thus their name) and then for the rest of the day, they look like overgrown weeds/vines.
Cathedral Bells or Cups and Saucers - I started these from seed, so I look forward to seeing what they look like. Once established, they are supposed to be really prolific. They make me think of our wedding which is why I bought them.

Lunaria or Money Plant

Lunaria or Honesty. My mom calls them Silver Dollar plants as well.



Gardening can become an expensive habit, so I've been trying to move things around the yard that already exist and give them a place where they can really shine. On the left side of our deck is mostly shade and I've been lost as to what to plant there. I remembered that my mom pointed out how lucky it was that we had money plants growing in the house we moved into. They are low-maintenance biennials that also thrive in shade, so I went to the back of the yard and relocated them to the left side of our deck. They are perfect because they are tall and bushy and really "fills in the gaps" in the garden without having to wait years or spend loads of money. They are often mistaken for a weed and I was never quite fond of them before, but they remind me of my mom. They also produce purple flowers which is my mom's favorite color.

The Violets Meet The SnowPeas

Meet

I met Mrs. Violet back when I still just a wee reader of weddingbee. We had a lot in common and were instantly buds. She even made me Thank You cards for my bridal shower and I still go to her with my stationary needs. Recently, she, Mr. Violet and their dog Sam made a trip all the way down to my house for a visit.

Mrs. Violet (left) and Mrs. Snow Pea (me - right)


Mr. Violet and their beautiful dog Sam.



She is the most friendly, well-behaved, and fluffiest dog ever! I couldn't stop petting her.



Of course, no party of mine would be complete without photos of food. These are jalepenos stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped with bacon from Pioneer Woman.



They were a real hit!



I made my own salsa and hummus dip.



Mr. Snow Pea BBQ'd as per usual.



Oh yeah, baby!



Sam had dinner too.



Mrs. Violet brought me this adorable dish she got on Etsy. It's perfect for holding my rings.



After dinner, we played some games. Mr. Violet totally schooled us on all the computer related or video game questions.





My bridesmaid Lambchop brought cream puffs from Beard Papa's all the way down for us. It was to commemorate our trip to San Francisco where we met Mr. and Mrs. Plumeria.



Thank you so much for coming Mr. and Mrs. Violet! And Sam!

What's Bloomin?

Foxglove - These are really cool looking.





Peony - All my peonies are showing large buds. Look at the size of this one.





Strawberries



Mallow - This is a great perennial. It keeps growing and blooming, growing and blooming.





Brussels Sprouts



Thrift of Sea Pink - Another great perennial that I would recommend. It's hardy and keeps on bloomin'.



Dogwood - Our tree is totally taller than when we bought it. It's starting to grow in too which is great.



Parsley



Dill



Delosperma - Mr. SP's finger looking plant is starting to bloom! Strange.





Muscari



My jade plant isn't lookin' so hot again. I'm trying to nurse it back to health.



What's growing in your garden?