Monday, May 21, 2012

Gazebos are glorious............



The GAZEBO........  
  • A pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal, that may be built in gardens, parks, and spacious public areas.
  • Roofed and open on all sides; they provide shade, shelter, ornamental features in a landscape, and a place to rest.
  • Some gazebos in public parks are large enough to serve as bandstands or rain shelters


You know how I delight in my screened gazebo pictured above ~ a comfy retreat from the 'buggy' backyard world, especially now when the warm weather mosquitoes are arriving and already biting with a vengeance. The foxes are still passing through the garden often but I've yet to see any kits this Spring.  
I found these really beautiful Indian candle holders at TJMaxx recently. Reasonably priced at just $8 on sale, I bought two to hang in the gazebo. They have a removable insert holding a tea light which is easy to lift out and replenish. Just realized my reflection is in the glass.................and of course I'll be spending time out there as often as possible now the weather is so lovely.


Where do you sit in your garden?
Are you bothered by biting/stinging insects?

Friday, May 18, 2012

A slice of life................


Today will be busy around the cottage.  In fact the entire weekend is filled with things to get done.  Life is hectic but wonderful.


Here's my Saturday 'to do' list.

  • Early today, deadhead the rose bushes and trim the periwinkle and ivy bed
  • Water the flower pots and large shrubs before the heat sets in
  • Do laundry and ironing of travel clothes
  • Start packing for the trip to the North Carolina mountains next week
  • Shop for salad greens 
  • Make the delicate orange flavored Gâteau Piège for tea, pictured above from when I made it last time, yum! Thanks to the delightful Clotilde Desoulier's recipe from her sweet cookbook, Chocolate & Zucchini ~ Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen
  • Catch up on e-mails
  • Learn more about my fabulous new SLR camera 
  • Learn more about the fabulous lens I purchased to use with the camera
  • Complete the rebate paperwork to make the lens a little less costly!
  • Practice, practice, practice taking photos 
  • Gift a special first grader with a digital point and shoot to get her interested in photography
  • Check paperwork/packing list for the next big adventure coming soon!
  • Have afternoon tea in the gazebo with a slice of above cake
  • Make a healthy salad for supper
  • Sip an aperitif on the front porch while gazing through the blue hydrangeas
  • Listen to the evening songbirds as dusk falls over dinner in the gazebo
  • Watch the movie Cairo Time 

Are you resting and relaxing this weekend ~ or working on your own 'to do' list?


There is no such thing.................


Those of us with a patch of earth available be it acreage, a good sized lot, a raised bed, or a row of pretty terracotta pots, have all done a little landscaping.
It's not until we become avid gardeners, sometimes even garden snobs, that we suddenly realize this.........................


Yes most definitely!  A job forever.......or at least for as long as you have that patch of dirt requiring attention, and your knees still fold, and your back still bends without too much pain.


I'm growing lots of old fashioned cottage garden flowers for Spring and Summer. Here's a few blooming already during these rainy days before the real heat sets in here in the south. 


Nicotiana - flowering tobacco. I'm growing them in a large pot with petunias, creeping thyme, and morning glories, the latter hopefully will clamber up the fence in the background. Nicotiana attracts hummingbirds and has a sweet evening fragrance.


Foxgloves.......the ultimate cottage border flower and loved by big bumble bees.


 Bright and always beautiful, verbena spreads color through the garden beds. This is one of three shades of purple I'm growing..........they are perennial so flourish for many years if the weather is not too severe in Winter.


These petunias are in the kitchen window box. It just wouldn't be Summer without this simple but delightful flower. Old fashioned white and 'The Wave Petunia' in a deep purple which hopefully will tumble over the edge in a few more weeks.


.............as I was about to say in my header today, there really is no such thing as a low maintenance garden. It is a lot of work and to have blooms one must just get down and play in the dirt. It is worth the effort and you will love having flowers you have grown yourself.

So do tell me about the flowers you are growing this season.  
What is your favorite Summer garden flower?