Sedums

Oh dear me...it's been forever since I've posted a pretty picture.
The weather has been absolutely beautiful here so I've pressed the "hold" button on the remodel to work outside...I've been weeding like a maniac, pruning roses, getting a few of the raised beds ready for spring veggie planting.
While I was weeding my little sedum bed I was reminded of this shot I took last year when The Husband and I went on a garden tour.
I love this!
I don't have an old urn lurking in the barn, but I do have a pretty terracotta pot that would work...and it's a great place to plunk some of the rocks I've collected on my adventures.

The weather report says rain for tomorrow...so I'll be back inside stirring up the dust and taking more photos of chaos.

The Dizzy Gardener

Lovely...absolutely lovely.

The Husband and I went on the Horticultural Society Garden Tour this weekend.
Ooooo Laaa Laaaa!

We've been trying to play catch-up around here, the last thing we need is to go trotting off to drool over other peoples gardens, and that's exactly why we try to go every year.
To dream, to gawk, to marvel at the time, energy, creativity and oh yeah...lots of money that other people spend on their gardens.

The other thing this gardener/blogger doesn't need is more ideas for her own garden, because she has about 3767 unfinished projects at this old farm.

But there they were, those chairs..painted black...next to a big black shiny pot.

Wait...I have chairs just like that! I should paint them black!
And set that big shiny black pot I have next to them..and plant purple blooming plants...and set it on the dock just like they did.
OK..so I'm lacking a dock.
I still want to paint my chairs shiny black and find a pretty spot for them with that big black pot.

Make that 3768 projects.

Glass in the Garden

I'm pretty reserved when it comes to decorative ornaments in the garden, but one thing I wish I had more of... is glass. I love it. Glass in the garden seems like such a strange combination but every time I see it I launch into full-blast covet, ya ya...I know it's a sin but I really really want it!Ok...so this is a little over the top, but it's so much fun. This garden mosaic was in one of the gardens on the tour last weekend. The detail was amazing, check out the vase on the left, pouring out blue glass baubles to simulate pouring water on a flower. This mosaic covered a large wall and it was full of details like this. Check out the reflection in the mirror of the blue garden goddess.

Glass beads and hearts in a bird bath instead of water, I like the look but I wonder where the birdies go to freshen up....the spa? HMB..high maintenance birdies.

This vignette was fabulous, it consisted of a brightly painted chair with plantings to match. The finishing touch was the half dozen garden orbs that picked up the colors of the chair and plants.

OK....screaming coveting....this one dang near tipped me over. I'm crazy for it...for the glass, the beads, the perfect pairing with the maple....ayyyeeee!!!!! This is one talented gardener.

Same garden, this little orb wrapped with glass beads was tucked at the end of a secret path. The photo doesn't do it justice, it was so dang cute tucked into a corner.

You can see it at the end of the path in this photo...still not showing it off like I should..blame the photographer, yeah...write her a pink slip and put her on notice.

I'm such a dummy, mom gave me money for Christmas and I've been looking for something special to buy. I've been holding off spending it because I want the purchase to be unique and it just hit me...duhhh....glass for my garden! Every time I see it I will think of mom and the gift she gave me, I know she will approve.

Gardens and Art

Yesterday I posted about the garden tour we went on over the weekend. I'm planning a few more posts about the tour...I have garden-tour-itis, hope you do too!
The first garden that we went to was down a long driveway with a wildflower meadow...full of multi-colored poppies, lupine, and grasses. I knew right then we were in for a treat.

Several artists had their work displayed in this garden, this was my favorite piece...I really like glass in the garden. This one is my favorite and it's only $3000 bucks, hey...my birthday is coming up...hint hint.

This metal art made every person that walked by it smile...whimsical...anndddd recycled!

These flags were all over the garden, it was a beautiful breezy day and they were all different colors and sizes.... made for a fun, party atmosphere.

The extremely rare blue bottleicus treeicus. These always crack me up, I have a few of these blue bottles around the farm, I think I would have a hard time selling this idea to The Husband. Oh....and check out the view of the harbor!

This garden had every plant one could imagine, really colorful combinations and great winding paths.

Check out the water feature by the front door! Wowza! Everywhere you looked in this garden there was a feature...mosaics on the walls, on the ground, art hanging on posts in the garden and on the house, mirrors in several places to reflect different features...it really was amazing.

I call these dinosaur eggs. The first time I saw one was on a garden tour in Seattle a couple of years ago, ever since then I've wanted to make one to put in my garden....the list of "I wanna" projects for my garden is um.... long ;)

At the very back edge of the garden was this path, 50 steps down to the beach and a jungle hut! Oh mannn...decisions decisions. I decided not to make the trek...I spent a few hours at the chiropractor this past week, I'm not taking any chances.

I have so many more photos of this garden but I think I'll save them for another post.

Happy gardening!

Gardens Galore

Summer means garden tours...I looove garden tours. I love it that there are people out there that are willing to open up their personal space to folks like me...we oogle...we ahhhh....we admire. This weekend the Horticulture Society for the county had their tour, it was
a-ma-ziiinggggg! I'd had a rough week but I was so determined to go, there was no stoppin' this garden gawker.There were six gardens in all, one in particular that I really wanted to see. I had checked out the web site, I knew from the description and location that it would be a wow garden...I also thought it might be something I could get some ideas for our garden here at the farm. We need to make some changes if we're going to stay living here, the maintenance on this place is a bit overwhelming for me these days. I looove to be in the garden but "this old body" of "this old lady" on "this old farm" can't work as hard as I used to, my body is wearing out a bit. Dang it!
Check out the the Dogwood blossoms in the shot above....crazy pretty! They had a half dozen of these trees along the driveway...absolutely stunning. I've planted that many....one after the other, and they all promptly died on me from anthracnose - I need to admit that this tree is not suited for my site....I'm in denial about that....and I will keep buying them, they will keep dying. Therapy? Perhaps that would be in order....for me....not the tree.

The entrance to the property, big beautiful pots placed on each side of the wide sidewalk... planted simply and stunning with a goregous tree.

This mass planting of lavender 'Otto Quast'...I can't grow that either. We live ten miles away from this garden but we're also a zone colder...with heavy clay soil. Bummer, I love this lavender....absolutely stunning planted in a huge mass like this.

Stone work to make me swoon..this garden had it - and more.

Stone pathway around the back of the house. I love going to the stone yard...rock freak that I am. Knowing the price of stone and big rocks is sometimes a bad thing. I was walking up the stone steps doing the math on the rock alone...never mind the cost of installation! Ohhh...it was so beautiful, I paused for a moment ...gave the math a break and admired all the hard work that went into this place.

At the base of the lavender walk this is the view that was waiting for you, this hidden cove. Ohhh man, be still my heart.

If you turn your head 30 degrees you get to look at this!

I should have packed a picnic! These chairs were placed perfectly to enjoy those goregous views. Ok...so this place was definitely not low maintenance, the grade was pretty steep as well. But it was pretty...ohhh mannn was it pretty!

I don't even want to think about the property taxes...uh oh...there's that math thing again.

Tomorrow's post? More gardens!