Miss It!

 front side

I drove by my old house the other day with a friend and they were really cutting back the old growth and overgrown vegetation from the property.  Good thing it needed it.  I might have over planted just a bit ;)

back side

One thing I hope they never cut back though is my lovely rose arbor.   I think there are new owners and I do hope they wait to see this arbor in full bloom before they take it out!  Oh how I miss that display!

The Weather is holding me back!

 I am a little tired of this long drug out winter scene around here. We literally had a showing of snow March 1st. Ridiculous!  I am so ready for sunshine and warm temperatures.  I have ventured out a bit around the beds closest to the house.  Winter decorations are down and I am thinking spring around here!

 I was able to plant my goodies from the garden show in the ground.  The printed cloth on the left was an Italian apron I purchased at the show alongside the yearly poster they give away.

Some new nests for a mood of spring time

I need to go find some pansies and primroses and plop them into these wooden containers to keep my mind thinking spring is almost really here=)

Seattle Garden Show

garden bench in entrance  Click here for better pictures

The scent is intoxicating when you first walk into the entrance lobby. 

We made a mad dash over the pass a few weeks ago on an early Thursday afternoon to spend the weekend in Seattle with friends and to attend the Seattle Flower and Garden Show.  After arriving in Seattle I spent the remainder of the the afternoon in Daniel Smith, my favorite art store. $$$

Later we checked in to a boutique hotel and had a lovely dinner at the Wild Ginger an asian fusion style restaurant that is very popular in Seattle.  It definitely had a Seattle vibe, but ya know I like our local asian restaurants around here.  They are quite good and authentic.  Usually run by families.

After dinner we were able to stroll into the garden show for the last 30 minutes for free.  Dan got a quick peek and saw as much as he wanted too =)  I was thrilled to get a good view of the show before the crowds would hit the next day.  

The main hall was filled to the brim with lovely gardens.  The theme this year was "A Floral Symphony"

Barbara Wise  was the designer of this garden.  She handed out lists of all the plants that she used in her design.   I also enjoy her seminar the next day on container gardens.

 This was my favorite display.  Spring Time in Paris

You can google the show and look at all the images if you'd like.  My pictures were kind of crummy due to me using my I phone.  I just get so carried away in the moment I don't want to fuss with the camera.

Our friends came in the next day. I had already spent the early morning hitting all the retails spaces and chatting it up with some very special company owners.  I ending up meeting the head of the Seattle Rose Society.  Every one was so friendly and wanting to visit during the early part of the day.  So when the crowds came pouring in I went and spent a relaxing few hours sitting in on the different seminars.  It was a very good set up this year.  I was able to really enjoy the show on this schedule.  

We had a blast with our friends that evening and hit Pike's Market early the next morning.  We found a lovely french crepe's place to have our breakfast, and twirled around the market for a few hours before heading home again.  

There is always so much to see and do in a big city, but I only like it in little bites at a time. 

Sunshine

I have been very busy with moving Dan's folks again, babysitting, and a host of various other commitments that I have not had one day home alone  since before Christmas LOL!  I have been in a bit of a twirl, as my good friend says.

I am stopping this morning to take a moment to remember a lovely summer morning when I visited a friend's very special garden.  She had the amazing idea of  planting a whole bag of sunflower bird seeds  in her yard.   Join me if you'd like and take a peek at her sunflowers drenched in sunshine.

I can remember the delight in my heart that morning as the heat of the day was just starting to build up.  I was looking all around at these amazing sunflowers basking in the light of glory when I knew I just had to go home and paint them =)

Sending some sunshine your way!

Humor Me...winter storm on the way

 Dear Gentle Readers...Humor me today as I need to be reminded of flowers and summer. As you suspect this is a repost of scent and bloom.  There is apparently a huge snow storm coming my way.  So Vee it looks like you did let me borrow some of your winter ;)

Y

 My favorite rose of the moment...Lillian Austin

Taking a break from garden carnage to have a cool drink and breath.   Two days till vacation at the beach, and life in the garden needs some control!!!  I rather love it though really.  Whacking, prunning, planting, weeding, dead heading, lifting and rearranging.  I have friends that are flabbergasted that I keep such a large garden in their opinion.  My last garden was three times the size on 3/4 of an acre and every square foot planted. 

 What they don't get is that first I love being in the garden, whether it is to do a morning or evening posy walk, pluck a flower, arrange a bouquet or grab an herb for dinner.  Second, it is one of the few forms of exercise I truly enjoy.  I am bored, bored, bored out of my brains in a gym.  My daughter just went to one that was like a movie theater in every room...well maybe.  Still a bunch of other stinking sweaty people around me panting and huffing...I don't care how cute of an outfit :) I would much rather be outside accomplishing other tasks.

 My lily walk on the north side...the scent is intoxicating!

   The only thing that would complete this for me is a pool.  If we can ever figure out how to put one in the ground with out spending a fortune. Prices have literally tripled since we installed our last pool. And yes swimming is one of the other forms of exercise I enjoy! Perfect combo really!

This was what we woke up to this morning.  Actually I woke up to the sound of Dan shoveling snow.
The snow is quite lovely and I will pretend I am back in New England for the few days this will last.  I know I have no legit reason to whine.  Some of you must feel stuck in eternal winter.  Mmmm breath deeply, can't you just smell that heady scent of lilies <3

Posy Walk

 

 Persian Market daylily hanging out with lavender and oregano flowering in the background

This new rose Pink Traviata is already a favorite

Forever Summer hydrangea's starting

I love this salvia, but it barely survives our winter and never gets very robust

 Hollyhock dolls and my little garden helper =)

Summer is moving along quickly and I am trying to savor every moment.  Next post we are going on a road trip, and finally leave my garden for a change =)

Summer time, summer time, sum sum summer time

Da dah!  Summer is here the pool is finally finished...well almost.  Contracter still has the concrete coating to finish and the pool tile edging to be installed BUT my work is DONE!  I never could have imagined how hard this was going to be on both my husband and I.  We were much younger fifteen years ago when the first Rutherford pool was installed.  LOL

So here are the before and after photo's...finally!

 The big dig in October

 My winter view

 Fence going in

The never ending sprinkler re-do =(

 First pool day with family =)

I planted the last flower this morning. The baby grass is filling in nicely.  Sorry the pool was covered, but we had a delightful wind storm going on!

 Before they tore up my side yard

 and then put in an UGLY mess of equipement

I was thrilled with the garden wall solution to hide the mess =]

I think I was crying when this was my spring vision =(  Definitely whining anyway at this point.

 Much better!

 In this little strip garden up against the wall, I removed two out of control climbing roses and replaced them with four clematis, one of which is in bloom now, two miniature roses, and for me a new hydrangea called "Twist and Shout"

Here is to the rest of my summer to relax and enjoy!  We have given ourselves a strick rule...no more projects till next spring!