Sunday, May 5, 2013

Seriously Gardening


Hello again!

Yes, I still have my blog. I have thought about it each day I've been away from it and have missed all of you! I not only haven't posted, but am so far behind reading your blogs that I'll never catch up.

But you see, I've taken advantage of the (somewhat) warm days and stayed outdoors from almost sun-up until.....

There's just something so therapeutic about being in the garden. The sunshine and fresh air are rejuvenating, especially after a long winter. And I have ideas for new things I want to accomplish outside. And that's not even taking into account all the weeds that are flourishing in the rich, warm Earth.

I've not been lonely, however. The animals have been my constant companions. They enjoy being outside as much as I do.


Kris taking a rest among the thyme and oregano

Not to be outdone, Valerie decides to lie down in a different bed of thyme.

Even Kitty Myrtle joins us. Her two brothers, Carl and Murtie, are off hunting for mice.

Another view of the thyme with the oregano and rosemary in the background. My herb garden is looking good. The tall dark green shrub is a yew.

St. Francis is a sentinel at the herb garden entrance

Liriiope border outside the herb garden

Potted up new this year



Kris is never very far away from me.

More pots

Ivy trained around a small baker's rack. A pot of bocappa sits on a shelf.

Sweet Potato Vine, which grows almost as fast as Kudzu Vine here in our Southern climate. Love the lime green color.

Assorted Succulents.

Creeping Jenny - a great ground cover.

There was much weeding to be done in this flower bed. At the forefront are Sedum Autumn Joy and Iris.

I have tons of Lemon Balm -- a quite invasive plant.

Hydrangea

Vinca ground cover interspersed with hostas and hellebores.

Lamb's Ear, Lavender, Poppy and Snapdragon.

Wire Vine from last year. It stayed outside all winter so I found out it's winter hardy. Sweet Potato Vine peeking out at the bottom of the photo.

Snowball Bush. The blooms were huge this year.

Zephirine Drouhin Rose. Thornless, disease resistant and extremely fragrant. What more could you ask for in a rose?


Strawberries growing in concrete blocks - a new project.

My old bicycle fromthe 1980s has become a garden ornament.

Knock-Out Rose

Doublefile Viburnum 

Mock Orange - smells like heaven.

Mock Orange close-up

The beginning of my new Moon Garden

The unfinished rock garden. This is an on-going project. I have planted tiny succulents between the rocks, although part of the green you see is grass I haven't successfully eradicated just yet!


So, I have shown you many more photos than you likely wished to see. But as you can see, I haven't been bored.


I'm hoping that now the worst, or best -- depending on how you look at it - of the garden chores are complete, I'll get back on a more regular blog posting schedule.





16 comments:

  1. Hello Sanda, welcome back to the Land of Blog! And what a fantastic post on your fabulous garden; I have marked it for future study and inspiration. After our holiday I plan to do much the same and really get into sorting our garden and improving it. Your photos are so lovely, especially the roses.

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    1. Thank you, Patricia. It's good to "talk" to everyone again. And thanks for the kind words about my garden. I hope you have a safe and wonderful trip north. But of course it will be wonderful because you're meeting your new grandson!

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  2. Hi,
    I guessed what you were up to. Me too. Only I´m doing only the basics, the endless raking= yarding.
    The wind has blown so hard from all possible directions, that only now I´m able to get closer towards the house with my " tool ".
    Your spring looks like summer to me; you are at least 4 months before us over here in Finland.
    What lovely arrangements you have created!
    I have no intention to plant anything, as you already know, Hampel is grazing all over the yard.
    No gardening over here.
    The thing we both seem to share is the good company of our furry ones.

    Yesterday, being an extra windy day, I gave Morty a full bath - fun for us both!
    Working/ being outside all of a sudden so much, gives a good sleep, and I too feel lots more energized than 2 weeks ago!

    I have noticed, that the blogger comments on every site have dropped, some bloggers have even ceased blogging.
    Perhaps we all could do with a small brake, those writing, those reading. Just an idea...

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    1. Hello Mette,
      What sort of implement do you use for your raking? Is it the leaves you're getting rid of? Are you allowed to burn them or do you compost them?

      How nice that Hampel is grazing in the yard. Bath time with the dogs are always fun; NOT, at least in my case. Neither of my dogs like baths.

      I suppose bloggers are just too busy to read, comment and post blogs now that the weather has warmed somewhat. It's been a long winter for most of us and we're only too happy to be out of the house.

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  3. Those little glimpses of your garden show that it is very beautiful - lots of wonderful trees and meandering pathways. We have had a reprieve in the garden with the long winter, but now everything is all on the go, and that means the inevitable - clearing up winter and keeping the weeds at bay.

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    1. Thank you for stopping by, Rosemary. There is indeed so much to do outside this time of year; mostly enjoyable work but extremely tiring with all the weeds to be dealt with.

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  4. Dear Sanda,
    Your garden is stunningly beautiful.. it has a romantic flow about it.
    I like the way you have it laid out, and your herbs also mixed in.
    You have really worked hard.
    I have been in my garden. Tomorrow Pedro my garden and handyman, will come and we will be getting stuck into more garden work.
    I like your rockery, and I especially like Valerie.. she is named after me.. she is beautiful.. your kitty too.
    lovely post.
    We all need time to persue the things we like.
    happy Monday and happy gardening.
    val xx

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    1. You are very kind to say so, Val. Herbs are among my favorite things to grow and I like having them handy to the kitchen door to snip a few for cooking.

      Oh, I knew you would enjoy the picture of Valerie. She came to us from a Rescue group already named, but we liked it and left it as is. She is the SWEETEST doggie in the world. (Of course, Kris is pretty sweet as well!!)

      We have three outside cats (all from the same litter) and the mama cat inside. As you can see, we have plenty of pets.

      Hope you and Pedro had a successful gardening day.

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  5. Your garden is beautiful and shows all your hard work. How rewarding it must be. Sometimes we just need to live our lives and let the computer sit there don't we?

    Darla

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    1. I do find manual labor in the garden to be rewarding. And great for staying in shape! I went for more than a week without even turning on my computer and didn't miss it too much. But I was anxious to get back to blogging!

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  6. I have enjoyed strolling round your lovely garden, especially the flowers in the basket of your bike made me smile.Ahh Zephyrine De Drovin agree one of the best climbers mine is just shooting out on the West side of the barn the scent will drift into the sitting room when it flowers.
    Happy garden days.Judith

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    1. Hello Judith,
      The wind blew the bicycle over so I had to prop it up against a tree. I want to place more colorful flowers in the basket but that's one chore I still have to do.

      Wow, the Zephirine D. must smell wonderful drifting in the sitting room winders. It's a wonderful scent.

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  7. i'm impressed with your garden. thyme is one of my favorite plants :)

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    1. Thyme is one of my favorites as well. I dreamed for years of having a thyme lawn, and now I have it in a small area -- in one of my "garden rooms." The smell is divine and I enjoy cooking with it as well.

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  8. What a beautiful post and even more so because I have seen it first hand. Everything you have done is so beautiful and well planned. It's like a mini vacation coming to your yard and strolling through the "rooms" of the garden. Job well done and now if it will just stop raining awhile so we can get out and enjoy the outside.

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    1. I'm just hoping that two full days of hard rain hasn't damaged our plants too much! Do you think gardening is in our blood, or was it "learned" behavior. At any rate, we seem to be addicted. You have done wonders with your outside space; I love your garden!

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