Spring has Sprung!!

I'm happy to report that Spring is (finally) in full swing around these parts!  Although, I do believe we broke the record for the wettest on record.  I'm thinking I may need to build an ark soon . . . here is a pic I managed to take on one of the (rare) sunny days we had recently.  It is supposed to be in the high 80's by Memorial Day.  I'm thinking we are just going to fast forward into summer.  Crazy weather!!

Checking In

Hello everyone! I've been away for a while, I know. It seems I have been extra busy and fell off the blogging bandwagon :) I will try not to go MIA again, for a while, anyway. I hope you're doing well and enjoying Spring. We all know how much I love this time of year, especially seeing all the flowers in my yard "spring" up. I am sure I've probably bored you all to tears in the past with tours of my little garden, so I will try not to repeat. However, I could not resist posting this picture that I took recently. This lilac has the most intoxicating fragrance! I wish you could smell it through the computer. One day I noticed there were at least half a dozen butterflies, like the one pictured, resting on it. Do you think they were getting drunk??

Weed Woes

I absolutely detest pulling weeds, but unfortunately it is one of those necessary evils of gardening. As much as we try to keep up with this daunting task, we got a little behind on it ~ in one part due to the July 4th holiday weekend (I refuse to do manual labor on a holiday!) and also because of feeling a bit under the weather during the week that followed. So . . . tonight Mr. V. and I went out and tackled those nasty weeds! What a job it was ~ now I know where the saying "growing like a weed" comes from ~ they really do grow much faster than plants! I would love to hear your suggestions for keeping the weeds under control . . . please!!! While we were in the garden, I snapped this photo of a busy bumblebee gathering pollen from my white lavender plant. I can see why Mr. Bee loves this one ~ it smells divine!!

Fun with Mosaic Maker

I've been having lots of fun playing around with fd's Flickr Toys ~ here is a mosaic I created out of photos I took of my flowers: They are, starting at top left: White lavender, purple day lillies, phlox, dahlia, isotoma, red day lily. Yeah, I know what you're thinking ~ I need to get a life!! LOL

Garden Update ~ Everything's in Bloom!

When we returned from our trip, I was pleasantly surprised to see all the new flowers that opened up while we were away. Not only were they fully in bloom, but looking extremely healthy and HUGE, due to the rain we got during that time ~ thanks, Mother Nature ;) The fluffy white stuff you see all over them is from the Cottonwood trees ~ they've been spreading their seeds around the neighborhood for weeks now. Not only does this stuff clog your gutters and the storm drains, but it irritates my nose and throat to no end. It's one aspect of Summer that I do not look forward to each year, but it's a small price to pay for fun in the sun and the rewards that come with it.

Multi-colored petunias that sit by my side door ~ love 'em!! A pot filled with Calibrachoa, Lobelia and other annuals.

This is my "mini" foxglove ~ it's actually quite big and spilling over with flowers

A sea of yellow coreopsis standing at full attention

Beautiful clematis ~ this year loaded with blooms

Avens ~ so sweet and a pretty shade of red

Found Garden Art

My grandparents grew up during the Great Depression and came from large families where even the most basic necessities were scarce. As a result, they saved everything in their later years. When my grandpa passed away, it took a crew of us to go through his house. It was quite a task, let me tell you. At the same time, it was also interesting to see some of the things he collected, such as these glass insulators. They were used on telephone and electric power lines. My grandpa lived in a very rural railroad town and he loved to go venturing through the woods. We discovered many of the items he found on his ventures, including a cannon ball, antique bottles and other remnants from Prohibition times. He had amassed quite a collection of these insulators and we were not even sure what to do with them. It turns out, they are quite collectable. When we held a garage sale, many of them sold. However, I wanted to save a few for myself, because I found them intriquing and oddly beautiful. Grandpa obviously found them special enough to keep, which made them feel sentimental to me. It then dawned on me that they would make excellent candle holders, but they are pretty heavy so I decided to keep them outside, in my garden. I place citronella candles in them and they look lovely when lit up.

Here are some photos I snapped this evening of the latest happenings in my backyard:

My lilac is in full bloom and it smells heavenly! This is a lupine ~ it's getting ready to open up, but not quite yet!

Digging in the Dirt . . . and Lovin' it!!!

This past weekend marked the beginning of planting season for us. We kicked it off by venturing on down to Detroit’s historic Eastern Market. Sunday was their 43rd annual “Flower Day”, but we got a jump on things by going on Saturday, when the vibe is still great but there are about 100,000 fewer people in the market. After a few hours of shopping, we ended up with a vanload of annuals and perennials. Some of it went to my parent’s home ~ they came on the trip too. Lucky for us, Sunday was an absolutely perfect day for planting ~ sunny, low humidity and not too warm. Thanks to our time spent digging in the dirt, in a few months we will have a harvest of tomatoes (three varieties), hot peppers (six varieties), and nine different types of herbs. It’s amazing how much you can fit in a small, suburban, backyard garden :) Aside from those veggies and herbs, I now have beautiful scenery to gaze at from a patio lounge chair as I sip cold beverages on a warm day ~ one of my favorite summertime activities.

Here are some of our beautiful finds . . .

I love to buy my bedding plants from this flower stand, which is located roughly one mile from where I live. As you can see from the photo, there is now an office building next door, however this area used to be nothing but farmland at one time. The family still owns a farm about 20 miles away, where they grow everything that is sold at this market. In late July they have the best sweet corn in the world. My PSA for the day is to support your local farmers whenever you can! You can learn more about how to do that here.

May Flowers Are Here!

The sun was shining today, so I ventured out into my little backyard with camera in tow. The rain showers that seemed never ending this past week really did help to bring May flowers, as you can see from these photos!

I just love this bleeding heart! I planted it last year, after my other one died. It seems to be loving its new home

Lily of the Valley ~ just starting to poke out their little heads

Lungwort ~ I love these little pink and bluish purple flowers!

Happy Spring and Happy Gardening!!

Early Spring Special ~ *FREE* Shipping!!

I got a little excited last Friday when temps reached close to 70 degrees here and then surpassed that on Saturday. Today, it feels more like April showers . . . however, I am still offering my early Spring Promo of *FREE* Shipping on all orders (yes, even International shipping qualifies). This is a very limited offer, so be sure to jump on it now ~ it will save you a few bucks, and we all like to save a little green. With that, I will leave you with this photo I took during an outing to Detroit’s Eastern Market a few weekends ago. These beautiful hydrangeas are a sure sign that the April showers we're getting will bring May flowers!

Move Over, Martha!

OK, so I'm having a little fun with the title of this post :) I am no Martha Stewart by any means, but I do have to brag a little about my green thumb. My flowers seem to be doing exceptionally well this year, which is due mostly to the extraordinary weather we've been having, not to my gardening skills! Usually by now our lawn is dried up and we're limited to watering every other day due to lack of rain. I'm glad to say that so far this summer, that has not been the case. So far it's been a balance of sun and rain, with very few days, if any, surpassing the 90 degree mark. As you can see by this photo, the flowers on my front step are loving it ~ they get full sun all day but they look happy and healthy as can be.

I can't claim the genius (and mass fortune) of Ms. Stewart ~ but I think she would be proud. The pot these are planted in (which is not visible in the photo) is one of hers, purchased at that store that begins with a "K" (on Clearance, no less!)

5/22/08 ~ Everything's Blooming!

I absolutely love Spring!! Of course, I love all seasons ~ except for Winter, which I can only stand for about two weeks. The bonus to living in Michigan is that each season is distinctly different and wonderful.

You can probably tell that I'm a freak about flowers. I feel like I have my own slice of Heaven when I can look out and see the beauty that is growing in my little backyard. It makes me happy :)

Some famous person once said "Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into". I would agree. These shots were taken this evening.