“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It Goes On.”
Robert Frost
Showing posts with label rose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rose. Show all posts

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Summer Flowers


Hello friends! I am taking a brief break from the gardening to just step back and enjoy for a bit.  I wanted to share a few photos I took the other day before our torrential rains hit.  I rescued these blossoms in the nick of time!








Some of you gardeners know what these flowers are, but for you non-gardeners I will identify them for you.  At the very top are white Mock-Orange blossoms. I truly adore them for the unmistakable scent, they smell like orange blossoms! OK, so I've never actually smelled an orange blossom, what I have smelled is the orange blossom perfume they sell in Florida. Maybe some of you Floridians and people in orange territory could clarify this point!  Whatever! They smell fabulous!!






The next flowers down are a couple of very pale, blush-pink roses (again, wonderful scent)! At the bottom are the Peonies, a dark pink one on the left and at the center and right are some creamy white ones that fill out the vase.  If you are wondering about the tablecloth, it is one I inherited from my Mom. Those are strawberries decorating the border.  It is one of my favorite treasured keepsakes from her.






We had absolutely terrible storms that rolled through last week. This was the same storm that started in Canada around Calgary and then continued down through Fargo and then into the Twin Cities and then Chicago. Anyway that evening I was worried about our large trees, the branches were whipping around violently and I was sure they would come tumbling down! It rained, it hailed and all #%@8 broke loose!

We headed for the basement for awhile till the worst passed. There was so much rain hitting the windows we couldn't even see out. About half an hour later  it was all over and we had two inches of rain in the gauge. The good news was that only one small limb broke off of our silver maple tree. We were extremely lucky, not so for many others. The Minneapolis Parks and Recreation has estimated that 3,000 trees were completely destroyed by the storm.

Thank goodness the weather has started to calm down again and we have several gorgeous days ahead in the forecast.  After I have rested up from pulling three wheelbarrows of weeds ( errant wildflowers) and now that the Aleve has kicked in for my arthritis pain.... Oh my I am getting old!!

Well, LOL, I will be trying to get around to all your blogs 
to check in with what YOU have been doing!
xo ~  Diane


Friday, June 1, 2012

What To Say About June...


"What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer,
the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, 
and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh 
young beauty will ever fade."
                                                                                         Gertrude Jekyll


































Happy June!


Sunday, May 20, 2012

My Overgrown Jungle

Over these past fourteen years my garden has changed quite a bit. It started out tidy and precise and now has become wild and somewhat untamed. I have never been a person who liked straight lines or straight rows. My garden beds have huge curves and I like them that way. I let stray seedlings grow where they want.  I don't even put hoops around my peonies all the time! I let the bugs chew on my plants.

Last year we had an event at our house for about forty people. Most of the guests seemed to like my garden and several asked for a little tour. Those who walked with me through the garden asked interesting questions and related similar experiences with their plants and were a joy to have in my garden.

On the other hand, one person who had been silent on the tour, waited until everyone else had drifted off, and then made a point of commenting that my garden was kind of overgrown and like a jungle. Her tone at first took me by surprise because she was serious, as though I was committing some kind of crime. Like she was letting me know that everyone else thought my garden was a mess and she was going to tell me the truth.

                         When it registered what she actually said, I started laughing... and then...

I replied with a smile,"Why, Thank You!"



Oh look, this columbine seeded itself here on it's own -- and I am leaving it there!

























 Yes, my roses loll over the fence.







 My refuge and my heaven on earth!






 "Nature knows no indecencies; 
Man invents them."
Mark Twain (1835-1910)












A blue clematis is being overrun by an exuberant autumn flowering clematis. I am thrilled because for many years the autumn clematis has had a hard time getting established.  I look forward to it's blooms in September.

My garden looks like a jungle and I like it!


Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Spring Slips into Summer...

Peonies & Petals

Spring is slipping away and here comes summer. My peonies are almost finished blooming and before it rains again today, I will cut the rest and bring them in. The bowl holds the petals that fell in clumps from previous cut flowers and I added a few small peony buds too. It was so pretty I had to capture it.

Swallow Tail Butterfly & Mock Orange Shrub

The Mock Orange shrub smells so heavenly I look forward to it's bloom every year. The flowers do smell like orange blossoms. There are two Swallow Tail butterflies that have been enjoying the blooms for several days. I was able to get a picture of one and it only took me about ten tries to get a few images that weren't blurry!

Marigold Carnival Glass Deer

This is a beautiful little covered dish from Jeannette Glass company from the 1950's. I've read that it was originally sold as a container for loose powder. It is so cute I am not sure that I can part with it even though I bought it intending to sell it in my shop. Maybe I will just keep it a little while...

Strawberries & Vintage Embroidery

My dear husband bought this vintage embroidery piece for me at a garage sale. It is so pretty with the little Blue Bird and lovely with those yummy strawberries!

Blush Pink Rose

I wish you could smell this rose it is divine and has a true rose scent. It starts out pink in the bud and slowly turns white as it ages. I lost the tag and I don't remember it's name so I just call it my Blush Rose.  With all of this beauty surrounding me in my own home and backyard, I would say summer is off to a good start. I hope you too will look around your own place and find the beauty there.