Fresh bouquets with heavenly scents. .
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| Knock out roses starting to bloom. .I found 2 blossoms! |
Hidden surprises around every corner. .
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| Red honeysuckle is loaded. .it will likely be in full bloom by the weekend! |
Promises of what's to come. .
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| Clump of flat leafed parsely that overwintered nicely. It is along the sidewalk on the sunny west side of the house. The swallowtails will LOVE this. .and I might just learn to use it too. |
Growth and life. .
Never ending color explosions. .
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| emerging butterfly milkweed. .the host plant for monarchs |
Nourishment for my soul in the visibility of nourishment for God's creatures. .
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| Did I mention how MUCH I LOVE lilac scents?? |
Fresh fragrances in the heavy evening air. .
Best of all. .
the end of darkness and dormancy and the desolation and despair of winter!!
Speaking of desolation and despair. .
I started on my memory garden this week.
The first thing that caught my eye when I walked into the garden center Sunday was a really large stone cross. .I had been thinking that I wanted to buy something that WOULDN'T die. .so I wouldn't feel totally bad if the other things that I bought to go in the garden didn't live through a long, hot summer!! Crazy logic? Maybe!! The really large cross seemed a little too "over the top". .but there were a couple of smaller ones next to it. .I thought it was quite appropriate for this garden! It stands about 1 1/2 feet tall and is H-E-A-V-Y. .to withstand wind and children!!
I knew that I was after some type of blue evergreen tree with the memorial money. .initially thinking a dwarf spruce tree. I wandered around taking everything in, and decided on these three. .
Blue Arrow Junipers. They do have a bluish tint to them. .and will grow to 12-15 feet tall, but stay very narrow at 2-3 feet wide. Perfect for an accent. .that I can still see through. I really think they complement the blue atlas cedar that I had planted last fall. The cross is sitting to the right at the present. .and I am thinking stone bench right around there somewhere. The hardscapes are subject to moving still. By the way. .check the storm clouds rolling in!! We had LOTS of wind, but 1/2 inch of rain in addition!
The view toward the house also shows the wisteria vine I bought. Amethyst Falls Wisteria has fragrant 4-6 inch long clusters of flowers in June through August and grows 20-30 feet tall. Just directly out of the picture, is a wooden arbor that has a Silver Lace vine growing on it. I intend to have Jeremy make an adjoining arbor for the wisteria to climb on, perhaps with a bench attached as well. .shh, don't tell him yet, I haven't made up my mind on all the details :-)
My friend Becky has a really gorgeous flowering quince tree in the corner of her yard. .that just so happened to draw the attention of an unusual hummingbird last spring. .for several days!! I have been contemplating that in the back of my mind since then. .it always has a great pop of color in the early spring, before much else is blooming. I found some at Stone Creek. .Double Take flowering quince-scarlet storm variety is a new variety to them this year. It should get 4-5 feet tall with double flowers AND tolerates dry soil once established as do the junipers. I bought 2 and planted them on the south section of the cedar fence. The blooms on them now are just fabulous!!
The last thing I bought for the garden before I ran out of memorial money and birthday money was a variegated rock cotoneaster. This is supposed to produce red berries in the fall/winter that will attract wildlife. The nursery worker thought that it would be the best thing for my area that they sold. It should get 2-3 feet tall, 5-8 feet wide. So it was planted toward the front of the bed, so I could easily see the wildlife on it. .It also has a really daintly, variegated leaf that will turn scarlet in the fall. I can hardly wait to watch this one!!
Hoping to get some mulching and weeding done this weekend after the clouds and sprinkles subside!
What's do YOU love about spring??
Dan is in the doghouse. He ripped out one of my lilac bushes under the Mulberry tree because he claimed most of it was dead. SOME of it was dead. Not all of it. He can no longer use the shovel OR the lawnmower unattended now, since,the very same day, he mowed over some of my newly-transplanted irises.
ReplyDeleteI love spring, and I REALLY love THIS spring, with the rain and all the green grass in the pastures and the tulips that strutted their stuff. I planted a honeysuckle bush year before last and WOW! It really took off this year! Can't wait for it to bloom!
Can't wait to see your quince tree! Speaking of, I need to get my hummingbird feeder out!
Lilacs are wonderful. The tureen you have them in is very pretty too.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you have roses already. So many blooms. Everyday there is a surprise as to what is ready to show off.
Last fall, I pulled out my parsley and buried it thinking it would compost because it shouldn't survive our winter. When I was raking the garden one day, I found it still green in the soil. Weird. Parsley is great in Italian food. The little parsley logs I made last year worked really well. Pull from freezer, cut off what you need and return the rest to freezer for later. Maybe I should plant my parsley where I can leave it to overwinter and see if it makes it.
The cross is very nice. I like all the design on it. I forgot how much space you have in the new bed. You have lots of room for those junipers and shrubs. You chose a nice variety for colors and I hope the berries come on the cotoneaster. We got some more rain last night. Misty all day today. The garden just keeps getting greener.
Lilacs are one of my very favorites - loved the pictures! Too bad the computer screen isn't "scratch and sniff." LOL I like your "memory garden" project. Looks like it will be really nice.
ReplyDeleteI really love that cross and the idea of a memorial garden.
ReplyDeleteYour bouquet of lilacs is gorgeous! It made me wish I had a few different lilac varieties in the yard...and a better knack for pulling together flower arrangements.
ReplyDeleteIt amazes me how much quince can look like azaleas around here in the spring. It's a good, hardy plant. And I'm excited about the Blue Arrow junipers. I'm going to have to look those up and see if I can find a spot or two for a couple.
I love the cross that you purchased. I think it is a good size for your memory garden. Your roses...geeze, how beautiful! Looks like Spring is really treating you guys well out there!
ReplyDeleteI wish I was there to see all of your hard work. It is going to be so lovely this summer. I really like the cross. I like the idea of a bench. Things are looking so good!
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