Grace Gardens

A January cattle drive

2012-02-04T19:36:00.000-07:00

On January 21st my husband got a call from one of his ranching friends wanting to know if he would help

gather cattle that day.

That morning we finally had a snow storm and the cattle which had been on pasture up until then

would now be out of feed and needed to be moved to where they are fed for the Winter.

In a normal Winter they would have been on dry feed much sooner than this,

but because there was no snow, they were able to be on

pasture all the month of November and December. Very unusual for us.

The cattle were moved five and a half miles and since they were going right in front of our place

I decided to grab the camera and get some shots of my husband and his friends.

By this time it was raining and the cowboys, herding dogs and cattle were getting very wet.

This is Brad and his border collie Sparky and horse Duke.

I love how the body heat rising off the back of the cattle makes
a mist above them.

Here comes Dale and Sunny.

And the rest of the herd.

The cattle were strung out for a long way and the traffic could get through easily.

Unlike when they are all bunched up.

This is Clayton and his horse Sherman.

The end of the line.

These mama cows will all be calving in about three weeks.

This is the better looking side of Brad.

A few late comers to the party.

Below is Rick on his horse Hancock.
Rick owns the cattle and today they moved about 120 head.

Bringing up the rear are Brad's children Wyatt on Chocolate and Katie riding Trigger.
This border collie is Stubby, who belongs to Rick, the rancher.

Katie and Trigger made it most of the way.

Pretty good for a cold and rainy day!

As of yesterday...

2011-10-16T11:48:00.000-06:00

This is the garden as it looked the past two days I have been working in it.

The trees except one remain green and lush and the shrubs have yet to start turning

their Fall colors.

I can see change almost daily however as the Autumn nights have been crisp and colder.

I worked hard the past couple of days moving and dividing many perennials and filling in bare spots

in the beds. It is hard work getting things ready for the Winter, but I don't know of too many things

that bring me more pleasure than this type of work.

As I walked around the garden this Summer I took note of beds that I thought needed reworking.

Sometimes (most times really) a garden needs to go through radical changes.

When I planted the beds in the garden most of the trees were very young and now

that they are maturing they throw their shade on many of my once sun-loving plants.

This makes for weak and rangy looking foliage.

So this week has been spent digging, digging and digging some more.

Many of the roses are blooming.

This is Morden Blush.

It rained much of last week and so this week I played catch up with the weeding while Dale did

the mowing.

Moxie rose

I love this rose that I transplanted from my mom's garden.

It isn't extremely hardy and has to start back from the rootstock every year,

but the blooms are so fragrant and the color

is beautiful.

This rose is Morden Sunrise.

I still can't get over the sweet peas.

They continue to bloom their hearts out everywhere in the garden,

but especially the bed at the south side of the house.

I can't quit taking pictures of them!

On Friday I harvested the last of the second crop of lavender.

I have a total of 30 plants in the garden.

Most are Hidcote and some are Munstead.

I prefer Hidcote because of it's deep purple flower

and the plant grows a little tidier than some other lavenders.

Many gardeners here have trouble with lavender because it is a zone 5 plant

and we are zone 3/4 because of our elevation,

but I have been very lucky.

I always know that there is no guarantee.

Every year that they over-winter I am thankful.

Limelight hydrangea

The Limelight hydrangeas are in their pinky stage.

Perfect for cutting and drying.

This is what the grape arbor looked like three days ago when I took the photos,

but when I looked out this morning in the rain, it has changed the prettiest

yellow and chartreuse green.

I will go out and get some photos of it tomorrow.

Pink Diamond hydrangea.

The Tardiva hydrangea tree.

Endless Summer hydrangea in an urn on the porch.

I usually buy them in the Spring for the urns and then plant them in the garden in the Fall.

and the last of the garden phlox blooming still by the pasture fence.

I will be back at it this week...

digging, digging and digging some more.

I can't believe these sweet peas!

2011-10-02T20:59:00.000-06:00

It's the first of October and the sweet peas are still going crazy all over the garden.

This is really unusual for me.

But I'm lovin' it!

What a joy it is to walk around to this side of the house.

Anywhere in the garden for that matter, because I planted these everywhere.

Sadly this week will be the last of them because a frost is coming.

I hate to part with them, but part we must.

I am taking full advantage of them now however, and will until they are gone.

In the guest room.

No scent sweeter than these.

So until next Summer my little sweet peas...

these pictures will have to do!

Hydrangeas

2011-09-16T21:51:00.000-06:00

and other fluffy things.

The David phlox is blooming now.

It is a late bloomer in my garden and I love that about it.

It gives the garden a much longer blooming season than all the other garden phlox

that are now almost bloomed out.

This hydrangea below is 'Limelight'

I will have a lot of it to dry this year.

My problem is that it takes so much space to store it,

before I can use it in arrangements and wreaths.

The riverbank grape that grows on the arbor has a tendency to hinder it's growth.

A few weeks ago I started really cutting back the vine and I noticed so much bee activity around it and

even got stung and then noticed there is a huge hornet's nest in the middle of it.

I have got to get rid of it because the children play around the arbor all of the time

and I can't risk them being stung too. I have a grandson that has to keep his epi-pen with

him all the time because of his bee allergy.

These Limelights grow next to the pergola over the front patio.

The lavender hydrangea here is planted in an urn on the patio.

It isn't winter hardy here so I plant them as an annual planting in the pots.

I have hydrangeas all through the gardens here and love how they really show off in the Fall.

They are such a great companion to roses in bouquets.

They give them such a beautiful, soft look.

I can hardly cut a vase of roses without adding the hydrangeas to them.

The pots are all still blooming beautifully too.

These little violas are all volunteers from last year in this urn.

Sweet little things saved me some money.

I just had to add the coleus and sweet potato vine.

I LOVE this color combination!

I have been so pleased with the way the garden performed this year even with the late start it got.

The vegetable garden is now giving us plenty of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and squash.

We are eating so healthy it's ridiculous!

Late Summer's garden.

2011-09-04T21:11:00.000-06:00

One plant in the late Summer garden that I can't have enough of is

the oriental lily.

I have many different varieties and am always looking for more.

They can be costly however, so I have to keep myself reined in a bit.

These are the Stargazers.

My favorite is the Casa Blanca.

It is my favorite not only because of it's pure white bloom, but

also for it's fragrance.

These are planted along the walk and the scent follows you all the way to the front door.

Now is the time when the garden phlox bloom.

They have actually been blooming for about two weeks,

but I am just now getting around to posting the pictures.

I can't think of the name of this particular phlox, but I love the color.

This phlox is 'Bright Eyes'.

More of the phlox in the garden beds this season.

My mother gave me the rose below and it is one of my favorites.

It's name is 'Moxie'

The shrub below is 'Ivory Halo' dogwood.

It has a variegated leaf and is the right size to place in a mixed border.

The sweet peas are still keeping the garden full of their wonderful sweet scent.

A gorgeous late blooming daylily.

Amazing color and scent!

Because the garden will not be blooming forever, I am soaking all this beauty

in and enjoying every bloom.

Still, everyday I feel so grateful to have all of this out my door

and never ever take it for granted.

Gardening is such a joy!

Coneflowers

2011-08-26T21:50:00.001-06:00

One of the pleasures of the late season garden is seeing the coneflowers blooming.

I usually refer to them by their 'real' name echinacea.

One of the reasons I have so many of them is that they bring the butterflies and humming

birds to the garden in abundance.

I like them white, and I like them pink!

They mix so perfectly in the border.

So easy to grow.

I like them single, and I like them double.

This one below is called 'Double Decker'.
(must have been a guy who named it)

This is a photo from about 10 days ago before it put on its second deck.

pretty enough...

but look at it now!!!!!!

Kind of a boring name for such a show-off!

Don't you think?

They look so different with their party hats on.

And yet there's something to be said for plain and simple.

This guy likes them just fine!

The bees and butterflies love them now and they

will feed the birds long after the bloom has faded.

I'm loving the late Summer garden.
So much color and texture that it makes me think it's my favorite time
in the garden.
Oops...I think I said that when the peonies were in bloom.

It can't be the middle of August!

2011-08-15T19:07:00.000-06:00

I don't even want to say it out loud.

BUT,

we are only a month away from our first killing frost.

Where in the world did the Summer go?

I haven't done half of what I have wanted to do this season.

But we really have had a beautiful gardening season here.

The daylilies are so pretty right now.

The daylily below is Carolyn Criswell.

So pretty!

Hollyhocks

They pop up everywhere in this garden...

mostly where I don't want them.

I just dig up the ones I don't want and let the others grow.

The Adelaide Hoodless rose.

The clematis are beautiful right now.

The one below is Cometessa de Boucharde.
(I think I spelled it right)
It was my favorite...

...until this one took over the wire arbor.

I will need to look up it's name and put one on the new pole trellis Dale built
earlier this Summer

It is so showy.

The jury is still out about this hydrangea.

I planted it last year. I only got one because I wanted to test it out first to

see if it would thrive in our cold.

It's called Invincibelle. I think I really do like it.

You can't compare it to the Annabelle, because if you do, it comes up short.

But if you look at it for it's color and form, it really is quite pretty.

I don't think I will find another hydrangea I like better than the Annabelle.

It really is a beauty!

This one is Limelight and I love it as well.
It is just starting to bloom.
It is a little late this year.

A little white asiatic lily.

Please let the frost be delayed this year...just like our Spring was.

Late July garden shots in August

2011-08-09T23:22:00.001-06:00

A little behind on the garden pictures here.

Most of these were taken in late July.

these two photos were taken in front of the studio.

Here are a few of the annual pots on the front porch.

Our Spring was so cold and the pots are about three weeks late this year.

They haven't really had time to fill out yet.

But I love the deep purples and chartrues in them this year.

The sweet potato vine was really stunted by the cold and never has grown.

The color is sure pretty though.

The clematis in this photo is 'The President' and the rose in the background is

a hardy climber 'Henry Kelsey'

The shasta daises put on a big show this season.

The roses didn't fair well this past Winter because of the extreme cold and wind we had.

All but 11 out of the 43 died all the way back to the ground.

Because all are on their own rootstock, they came back nicely and

bloomed moderately good this Summer.

This little rosebud is on the John Cabot and in the background is William Baffin.

Both of these roses Wintered just fine, thank goodness.

They are two of my favorite varieties in this zone 3/4 garden.

John Cabot

William Baffin

'House Hybrids' scabiosa

Bloom on the lady's mantel with Jupiter's beard (or centranthus) red valerian)) in the background.

snow in summer growing along the front walk

Lots of color in the garden right now and I had better get out in it and get some

photos taken.

I've been getting some weeding and deadheading done now that I am able to work again,

and it feels wonderful to be back at it.

I feel good as new!

A riot of color!

2011-07-28T23:54:00.002-06:00

Every year as I look over the garden day by day, I am always surprised

at how these plants burst through the ground and grow

to maturity and fill the place with all this color.

They then color and shrivel and lay under the snow, only to do the same thing year after

year after year.

It really is a miraculous thing.

A little bee enjoying the red pincushion flower

These self seed freely and will take over the beds if you don't keep them in check.

The peonies are now done blooming, but I have these drying in the bucket

to keep through the year.

This little daisy is a favorite of mine.

This is the prettiest rose bush.

The color of the foliage is a stunner in the garden.

The delphiniums are blooming now.

I lost many of these through the Winter this year and will have to buy

more 4" cups and plant this Fall.

Because I HAVE to have them in the garden!

I am crazy about them!

This deep blue below is called 'Black Knight'

Foxgloves are also another must have for me.

The oriental lilies are now starting to bud.

Soon they will fill this garden with a heady scent that you cannot believe!

Speaking of frangrance...

the lavender is blooming.

So since it will be another year before I get to enjoy the peonies again,

I will close my post with more photos of this amazing flower.

I took enough pictures to last me a year.

You can be sure I will be sitting many a Winter's day

going over and over them.

The July garden is coming to a close now,

but August brings it's own beauty.

I am looking forward to see what is waiting

to show off it's color next.

I love July!

2011-07-17T23:39:00.000-06:00

I know I should love June being that it is my birth month,

and I do, but July is my favorite.

I love the celebrations we have in July, the fireworks, the perusing the flea markets,

the parades, the camping, etc.
But what I really love is the show that goes on in the garden this time of year.

The poppie below is Royal Wedding and has just finished blooming.

I'm so sorry to see it go. It's one of my favorites.

I'll be back to show more July photos soon.

It's in the dirt!

2011-07-02T14:59:00.000-06:00

I give all the credit to the success of my garden to the preparation of the

soil in each of the beds.
At the time I was starting the garden from a bare patch of ground,

I was working at a local nursery in a neighboring town. I learned so much about the value of
starting with the best soil possible.

Here in my part of Idaho, irrigation is a big deal. We have very little rainfall

in the Summer and Fall months,and even very little in most Springs.

We depend on water that we own that is held in a reservoir nearby. Dale and I have 5
acre feet which is plenty for the property that we own here,
but we don't want to waste it unnecessarily and making the soil all it
can be is a good way to conserve.

When I planned the soil mixture I would build the beds with, I took into account

the kinds of perennials I wanted to grow and the type of watering I would do.

The soil must be able to hold moisture, because of the dryness of our climate.
We have a lot of wind here and it dries things out fast.

I was lucky because the topsoil that already existed here on this piece of ground

was very fertile. It had been a my grandfather's place and I understand that the

dairy barn sat here. I knew that I wanted good drainage as well as fertility.

I had the guys at the nursery mix a truckload of 1/4 soil,

1/4 reject sand (or C pile) for good drainage)) and 1/2 compost and then mixed

that with the existing soil I had here. I then decided where I wanted the

beds and had worked the soil in those areas. We then just had the truck

dump the soil into those areas and worked it in all little.

The beds have only gotten better over the years as those wonderful earthworms

works their magic at keeping the soil aerated. The weeding in the beds is even

a pleasant pastime. I love it when the soil is so loamy that the

weeds just pop out when tugged on.
Because we have horses, we have a lot of manure so I take advantage
of it by having Dale pile it when he cleans the stalls and we let it age and
use it in the beds as well. The downside to using horse manure is that
with it comes more weeds.
It's a good thing I don't mind weeding.

Whenever anyone asks me how to plan and plant a garden, I stress that they

must start with great soil. It will definitely pay off in a big way.

The poppies are blooming now and the peonies are starting to come on as well.

I love poppies!

I have many different colors in the garden and just bought a beautiful new pink one

called 'Juliane' today.

I wish these could seed true, but because they are hybrids, the seedlings always have

come back to the original orange.

Poppies do not like to be moved, so when planting a new (and very expense) poppie, try to be sure

you are going to love it where it is. The plant I bought today was $10.00 so I will be

looking around the garden today deciding where it should live the rest of it's life.

Because poppies go dormant soon after the bloom and seed (they are very ugly when the dry up)

I plant then in a among things that tend to bloom later than they do.

Usually among my tall garden phlox , Johnson Blue geranium, echinacea or some thing that will

hide them and fill

in where they were, but not interfere with them in the Spring.

Most poppies are so easy to grow, but for some reason the hybrid below
is extremely hard for me to have success with in this garden.
It is Beauty of Livermoore. I love it's deep blood red color and tall stems.
Unfortunately I end up planting about five new plants a year,
and only because I can't seem to live without it.
There are very few plants I will trouble myself like this for and this cultivar is one of them.

Carolyn or Carole, if you are reading this and have any tips

for me on this plant I would love to know.

I have a couple more poppies that are just starting to bloom and will post them
in my next post along with some of the other Spring bloomers.

Great-grandma Katie's lilacs...

2011-06-19T21:23:00.000-06:00

Today I went into the garden to cut lilacs.

I chose the ones from two of the bushes that we retrieved from my great-grandparent's home

that is just down the road from where I live now.

These are the very lilacs that I remember hanging over the walk when my grandparents

lived in the house and we would visit. My father told me were planted

by my great-grandmother Katie Dix and he remembered them as a boy.

When my parents first moved to this small town in 1970, they moved us into my great-grandparent's

home. This was the house that my grandparent's also lived in when my father was born.

I remember Dale's and my first kiss under these bushes the night he walked me to

the door after our first date.

The house was sold many years ago.

When the family living there now decided to remove the lilacs they asked if I would

want to try to save them.
Dale and I plunked them into the ground and of course have had to move them

two more times before they would find a permanent place here in the garden.

They are hardy old plants.

We cut them all the way down to the ground to give them a

new start and get all of the old wood out.

Last year was the first year that they bloomed well enough for me to cut an armload to

take to place on my father's grave.

He loved them, but couldn't have them around him in the house because they

would make his allergy symptoms unbearable.

Thankfully they don't have that effect on me.

To think that these lilacs are well over 140 years old. I'm sure my great-grandmother

got the cuttings from a friend, or maybe even from her own parent's yard.

They are special.

Special because I think of my father every time I walk near them.

Special because I think of my grandmother Ethel walking under them whenever she left the house.

Special because my great-grandmother Katie, who I never knew, planted them.

For me

(I would like to think)

My granddaughter was helping me in the garden this week and I was able to share the history

of these lilacs with her.

She loved the fact that they were the very lilacs that her gram and gramps had their

first kiss under.

Now for more of the beautiful lilacs blooming in the garden now.

President Lincoln

Primrose

Beauty of Moscow (foreground) Avalanche (background)

The beautiful Beauty of Moscow

The Brandywine crab apple started blooming this week.

We have two of these in the garden.

These don't have the scent that the other crab apples have,

but the bloom is huge!

and GORGEOUS!

Both of these trees are very young.

I can't wait for them to mature a little more.

They will be beautiful.

So I think you can tell I love this tree by all the pictures I took of it.

They never bloom long enough to suit me.

(but then nothing does, come to think of it)

The picture below gives you an idea of how large the blooms are.

I can't believe that I was able to get two months work in the garden done in about ten days!

I am pooped!

I need to pretend I am having surgery every Summer.

I get so much more done when I have a deadline!

Now I am just going to sit back and enjoy walking through it

with pruners in hand.

It will probably be the only Summer that the deadheading gets done like

it should.

Finally!!!!!

2011-06-11T09:18:00.001-06:00

The lilacs are blooming!!!

Now Spring is finally here in Idaho!

(here in my area anyway)

As I sit here typing this I can see many of my lilacs from this window.

I took a few pictures of the row we have behind our house near the little pasture we

have in the rear of the property.

The shed you see in the background is my husband's tack shed.

Above the door I put a sign 'The Cowboy'

Dale shoes horses as a part time job and this is where you will find

him a lot of the Summer.

This lilac is 'President Lincoln'

I ADORE the color of this bloom.

It may not be as showy as some of the doubles I have,

but the color makes up for any deficiency in it's petal size.

It's fragrance is amazing!

It is the first lilac I planted here.

I was working in a plant nursery at the time I planted this garden and in the Spring

as I was walking amid the hundreds of lilacs we had there, this one is the one I fell in love with.

It's color is so unique.

This is a double bloom I love too.

For the life of me I can't remember it's name and haven't been able to find the plant tag.

I save all of the tree and shrub plant tags, but this one is not among them.

The best thing this lilac has going for it is it's fragrance. It is unforgettable.

The entire garden smells like Heaven right now.

This lilac is "Sensation'

Very little fragrance with this variety, but I love the white rimmed petals.

I is a very beautiful bloom.

This lilac is 'Primrose'

This sits along the top of our long driveway.

This lilac was a sorry looking plant when I bought it and remained that way for a couple of years.

The third Winter after I had planted it, Dale ran over it with the snowplow.

I thought it was a goner, but from that point on it flourished and now

is larger than any of the lilacs on the place.

I love the hint of yellow in the bloom.

Last year this bush didn't bloom well, but is making up for it this Spring.

Now,

I got a little carried away with taking pictures of the Centurion crab apples.

A lot of photos here.

I am crazy over the bloom on this crab apple!!!

You cannot believe the smell that this spreads throughout the entire property.

A very homely shaped tree though.

But I will definitely forgive it for it's ugliness when it puts on this show in the Spring

and feeds so many birds during Winter.

Yep...I went a little crazy!

But they are gone too soon.

This way I can keep coming back to this post and remember why I love this

'ugly duckling' so much.

I have so many more lilacs blooming and will be back to share more of the reasons I garden!!!

This week in the garden.

2011-05-29T20:03:00.001-06:00

We had some beautiful days last week and I was able to get much accomplished

in the garden. I lost so many roses this year to the extreme Winter conditions we had.

I didn't lose them entirely, because most shrub roses on their own rootstock

will usually always flush back from the root. However, since

many of them were climbers, they have a long way to go to become what they were.

I spent most of this week pruning them back and cleaning the ones up that made it through a little better.

Really the only blooms so far have been the hundreds and hundreds of daffodils and tulips

growing in the space.

I took a ton of photos of my favorite daffodils in the garden. I didn't take the time to look up the name of this

daffodil before doing this post however.

Warning!!!

Too many pictures ahead!!!

Isn't it CRAZY GORGEOUS?

And it smells SO good too!

Yesterday was sunny, but so cold.

In the late afternoon I looked out the back door and saw the sun was going down,

so I got the camera and braved the cold (50 degrees)lol))

to catch the time of day that I love best here.

If I could bottle the late afternoon light I would do it.

Everything looks lovely in this light.

This tree is a Canada Red chokecherry. I love the fragrance of the blooms. It fills the air here in this space

for a number of days. We have 9 of these trees in the garden. 10, if you count the May Day tree

that is from the same family and has the same bloom.

I love the long shadows of the pasture fence that fall on the lawn this time of day.

I spent about five hours a day this week weeding, edging, and mixing soil for the vegetable beds.

I planted hollyhocks along the shed in the back and divided and transplanted garden

phlox in a new bed I started last year.

I think I have divided and transplanted everything that needed it.

I was able to give away a few things to friends that I didn't have room for here.

I can't stand to throw any plant away, and I think that keeps me from dividing things that badly need it.

It's one of the reasons that the garden just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

This is what the lilacs looked like yesterday. Still pretty tight in the bud.

Just a few more sunny days should do the trick though.

I can't wait!

I prune most of my lilacs into tree form. I just like the look better.

You do sacrifice blooms that way, but I just love how it opens up the garden.

A lilac bush left natural takes a lot of room in the garden. I have five that I have left alone, so I still have plenty blooms to cut and bring into the house.

This is the Centurion crab apple tree. It too needs just a little more sun to bring it into full bloom.

Two of these sit just out the french doors and off the rear patio. When they bloom it smells like Heaven here!

When I am designing a new bed and choosing the plants for the space, it is fragrance I consider first if the bed is anywhere near a patio or sitting area.

When choosing day lilies or peonies for my garden, I like to go to the local nurseries

and smell the different varieties.

While the colors are important to me, it is always secondary to the fragrance of the varieties offered.

Last year I found a picture of a pole vine trellis in a garden magazine.

I wanted it!

I hinted, then I cajoled, then pleaded, but no trellis materialized.

This Spring I started my begging early.

Finally I convinced Dale it wasn't going to be an eyesore.

(Well maybe for a little while until it is covered with vines and climbing roses.)

He built it exactly like the one in the picture I had saved. Using poles that were still

covered in bark and very rustic looking.

This trellis is BIG. It is 35 ft long and stands a little over 8 ft tall.

So far I have planted a Virginia creeper, a river bank grape, 4 clematis vines,

and sweet peas.

I will be planting 2 climbing roses when I find the ones I want on it.

Dale will be building an arched gate for it soon.

The trellis sits on the property line between our neighbors and us.

So all in all, I am happy with everything we accomplished in the few nice days

we had to work this week.

Unfinished business...

2011-05-13T22:52:00.000-06:00

I have only spent a total of three days in the garden so far this Spring because of unseasonable

temps and wind.

The past three days have been beautiful.

My list just keeps getting longer it seems, rather

than getting shorter.

Usually by now, I have the beds edged, weeded and mulched,

but

I haven't even taken down the Christmas lights from the pasture fence...

Or from the gazebos.

Every year I try to find enough lights with white strings, but I haven't been able to yet get enough

for the gazebo. I always seem to start looking too late, and they are gone before

I get around to it.

Next year I will shop for them early before they are all bought up.

The gazebo is so beautiful lit up in the snow in Winter.

It is one of those little things that make the season special for me.

I have so many comments from the town's people on how much they enjoy

seeing it glow in the snow.

From the house it looks magical.

But for now they had to go back into the box and back into the storage shed.

One thing off the list.

Check!

Then,

plants had to be moved, divided, shared or replanted elsewhere in the garden.
Check!

Yesterday I was able to weed two large beds and transplant several things.

Today was spent weeding and cleaning some more beds and getting them ready for the mulch.

I also took a few pictures today of some of the green showing up the past few days.

It always is a surprise to me how a little sunshine just makes things spring to life.

Even though it has been cold and windy, we have had some sun

and so the plants have been making their appearances.

The Canada red chokecherry trees are budding now

and soon will fill the air with a lovely scent that accompanies

it's bloom.

The peonies are up!

And the Annabelle hydrangea is peeking through a bit.

I love grape hyacinths.

It's a good thing too, because they are multiplying faster than I can move them.

I have purple and white in the garden.

They are everywhere!

I have been reminded again why I need to plant things that are zoned for my area.

The past few Winters here have been milder in temperatures than Winters in previous years,

so I relaxed a little and would plant some zone 5 plants here in my zone 3/4 garden.

I can easily remember 30 below zero temperatures in Winters past,

but we hadn't reached those lows in over ten years.

This year was extremely cold here and windy.

The snowfall was late and the cold came before the snow cover and that

means trouble for the garden.

I lost many plants this Winter and I'm still mourning their loss.

Mostly the money I spent on them! lol

I lost all the little foxglove 4" cups that I planted last Fall,

and many plants that have resided in the garden for four or more years.

I lucked out with the lavender though.

Lavender is typically a zone 5 plant and last Fall I planted 25

new plants. I have a lot of lavender in this garden, but wanted more

to harvest because I make a lot of sachets for gifts and never have all that I need.

They all survived and I am so pleased.

It almost makes up for the plants I lost.

(almost)

The Camperdown elm tree is budding.

I LOVE this tree.

It is a favorite with the grandchildren too.

They call it the 'faerie tree' because when the girls were younger they were sure that

the faeries lived under it's branches.

I let the branches grow clear to the ground and it makes a little 'room' under the leafy branches.

Perfect for little grandchildren to play under.

One year I discovered 2 children's chairs and a little iron child's table and dolls

and all the things needed to play house properly under there

after the kids all went home.

Some people prune the branched up high and thus the nickname of

Umbrella tree.

Some of the daffodils are blooming now, so I took the time to take a few pictures today.

It's so funny how I come out here and get to working and just lose track of time.

I spent three hours straight just weeding before even going in the house this morning.

I love that!

Dale started building a large vine trellis for me today.

I wanted it out of 'barky' poles. I wanted it to looked rustic and rugged.

I saw the idea in a gardening magazine a few years ago and had torn the page out and

saved it. I came across it again this Winter and a few days ago

shared it with Dale and he actually said he would build it for me.

No complaining or anything, just went and bought the poles and started it.

I'm a happy girl!!!

It should be completed soon and then I will be planting some vines to cover it.

I think I'll put some climbing roses on it as well for color.

It won't look great this Summer, but in a year or two, it will be amazing.

Tomorrow promises to be another beautiful day

so that means several more hours in the beds weeding.

I probably have about three more days of weeding

and then I start edging the beds. Tedious work because I do it all with a shovel.

I love a freshly edged bed though, so it is worth the work...

and it's great for my waistline!

Forcing Springtime...

2011-04-21T11:48:00.000-06:00

Out in the garden today, my forsythia shrubs are still just sticks.

I did see the buds plumping up a bit this morning though.

I know,I know...

my garden is very late compared to many parts of the country.

I live in south central Idaho and I am at 5000 ft.

Our growing season here is only about 4 months for crops

and shorter still for vegetable gardens.

I can't even think about planting annuals or setting out my vegetable starts

until the first of June.

Ten days ago I cut several branches and brought them in to force.

It only took them about four days to start blooming in this warm house of ours.

They are so easy to force into an early bloom.

All you have to do is cut them and put them into water and

they are good to go.

I couldn't decide which of the photos I liked the best,

so I posted a ton of them.

The picture above was in the living room before I decorated for Easter

and the few below were after.

You can see that in the couple of days between the pictures,

that the leaves have already started to come out as well.

I placed some of the branches in the bathroom as well.

Also in the reading room

(as we call it) should be called the napping room though))

before the leaves

after the leaves

I love the green of the leaves with the yellow best!

I also brought in the grape hyacinths to force.

They are only up a little in the garden right now.

These bulbs I dug out of the snow several weeks ago.

I love them and their scent.

Joining up today with Fishtail Cottage for Cottage Flora Thursdays.

There are some wonderful blogs linked up showing their gardens and blooms off today.

I am off to take a look myself.

A little photo shoot with a willing subject!

2011-04-11T13:05:00.000-06:00

An early day in March, I went to the market and picked up some

cheery pink tulips and brought them home to brighten up the house.

I can't remember a darker February than the one we had just endured.

Usually we have more sun during this month.

Not so in 2011.

Thankfully we live in a day where these can be found at almost any grocery store.

"If thou hast two loaves of bread then sell one and buy flowers,

for although the bread will nourish the body,

the flowers will nourish thy soul."

Needless to say,

I only came home with one loaf of bread.

A snowy Spring day

2011-03-28T21:25:00.003-06:00

On Friday, we woke to this beauty in the garden.

I know it's March, and I know it's officially Spring, but most of Idaho hasn't got the news yet.

When I drug myself out of bed finally, Dale said "you are missing out on some

good photo ops this morning".

So I pulled on the snow boots that won't be put away for another month,

because we know that this will go on for awhile yet, and out to the garden I went.

I took a ton of shots

so here I go!

I will be very happy if these are the last shots I take of the garden in snow for another year.

However, I am glad that I was able to capture the beauty of this day.