Flower Power

I am loving this warm weather! My forsythia bushes are just beginning to bloom. The bright yellow blossoms make me smile. 

I spent some time this week planting purple and yellow pansies. I adore pansies! They are among the first to bloom in the Spring. They appear so delicate yet withstand the last snowstorms of winter. They are a beautiful reminder of endurance and strength. 

Isn't is interesting how the sight and/or smell of flowers can stir so many emotions and memories? Every year as I plant my petunias I sing a childhood song that reminds me to try to gladden the spot where I've been planted. Whenever I smell petunias their aroma transports me back to my youth to an amusement park where my family would go each year to celebrate my birthday. There is such a power in nature, which is one of the reasons I enjoy gardening.

Last year I happened upon a person who was so enthusiastic about gardening that they found a way to take their garden with them. (Please forgive the quality of my old phone pictures)

I truly admire people who find creative ways to share their passion! 

 I hope you can find some time today to share something you're passionate about. 

How Does My Garden Grow

We live in a zone 5 growing area. It's important to know your zones if you want to grow a nice garden. Being in a zone 5 means we need to wait until May to plant. If you plant your garden any sooner you risk the chance of a freeze that will mean you have to start over with your garden.
The last few years my garden hasn't been planted until June which makes for a short growing season. But this year, because I left town at the end of May I made sure to get my garden in early. And now I am reaping the benefits!

Green and Yellow ZucchiniCrook Neck SquashSpaghetti SquashEggplantCucumbersThe tomatoes should be ripening in a couple of weeks.I can't wait for BLT's. YUM!
There's even a watermelon.

And hopefully, come fall,
there will be many pumpkins in the pumpkin patch.Did you notice my secret to success?
I line my garden with black plastic before planting.
It helps to keep the plants warm and their roots moist.
It also cuts down significantly on weeds and garden critters.

Do you have any gardening secrets?
Today's the last day to enter the Ramsign Giveaway

Rain, Rain Go Away

We have had sooooo much rain this spring that it is really dampening my spirits! Rainy days equal no spray painting outside; thus my home improvement projects have been few and far between. But all this moisture is also having an affect on my surroundings outside. While the grass is a little greener than usual, my flowering bushes are the most sparse I have even seen.
Last year my "snowball" bush was huge and laden with blooms.This year I wondered if it was half dead. But upon closer inspection it's just shriveled and sad, with smaller blooms and ugly brown spots.Last year my homegrown bouquet was abundant with blossoms.This year I gathered a small cluster of blooms, determined to not let the rain shrivel my spirits as much as it has shriveled my bushes. It may be smaller than last year's but it's still just as beautiful!

A Letter of Warning

Dear Mr. Weed,

Will you please explain why you appear in my yard year after year. Your behavior is unacceptable. I have never given you an invitation and yet you and all of your relatives continue to arrive despite my efforts to keep you out.How is it that you can grow double the size of the flowers that I fertilize? Why do you try to crowd out my little pretties? How is it that your Weed relatives can look so different and yet have the same annoying behavior?Your Weed kin try to camouflage themselves as pretty blossoms and then they morph into nightmarish evil spawn to cause me further torment.For your information, I have hired the biggest, baddest bouncer in town to get you out of my yard for good. Consider this your final warning!

Sincerely,

Joy

Garden Delight

I want to thank you all
for your very warm and
welcoming comments
on my comeback post.
It's good to be back!


Summer days have come to an end but luckily
my vegetable garden is still in full production.
The tomato plants have filled the obelisks that we built. I grew heirlooms this year and it makes me giddy
to see them ripening.I've had so many tomatoes, zucchinis and summer squash
that I set up a table on my front porch
and asked my neighbors to come help themselves.I am delighted to see so many pumpkins and gourdsof all colors, shapes and sizes growing in my garden. I'm sure this may seem strange to some,
but sometimes I think that my purpose
for growing a garden is more for the
happiness
I get from decorating with my harvest
than from the eating of it. I suppose both serve a similar purpose;
one feeds the body, the other feeds the soul.

A Secret Garden

There is a shady little strip of land

at the side of my home. It isn't seen by many so I like to think of it as
my secret garden.

I've decorated it with odd little pieces of yard art. Because of it's less than ideal location,
plants struggle to grow and what plants do grow
become dinner to the snails that live there.But it is still a favorite little spot of mine,
to sit and ponder, or simply to walk through and smile.

Backyard Bargains

With the heat of the summer upon us, I was feeling the need for a gorgeous summer centerpiece. Not wanting to spend any money, I walked through my backyard to find what was in bloom. I grabbed my clippers and nipped off a few blooms from my butterfly bushes, then added some grasses for filler. Now I have a wild, bountiful, beautiful, and free bouquet.Since seashells evoke the feeling of summer, I thought I'd add one into my seasonal vignette. Of course, I couldn't resist giving the backside a glitzy little makeover

so that it would be as pretty on the outside as it is inside. Then I finished the setting with a little ceramic bird candle holder,
adorned with an old key tied on with rope.It gives me a thrill to add beauty to my home
without spending any money!

Bountiful Blooms

An enormous bouquetcompliments of my own backyard.Can you believe the size of this bush?Am I the only one that has a burning desire to have
a snowball fight with springtime blooms?

Lilac Love

My lilac bushes are abundant in blossoms. I thought I'd bring some of that beauty and aroma indoors.

I found that the blossoms last longer if you hammer the ends
of the branches so that there is more surface to drink up the water.

I pulled out this old thing to help weight the vase down and camouflage the stems.

You just can't beat a homegrown bouquet!