In Full Bloom

I've been updating the status of my Sweet Autumn clematis and I'm happy to report that it's in FULL BLOOM!

Isn't it gorgeous?

I'm so excited for a few upcoming vacation days so I can be at home to enjoy it more.

Daylilies Make Me Smile

I took a walk in my mom's garden this weekend.

Her flowers were beautiful...especially the daylilies. I heart daylilies! While I was writing for a farm newspaper, I visited a daylily farm...yes, a daylily farm! It was actually in a very lovely couple's backyard, but it was definitely a labor of love for them AND a great example of value-added agriculture.

Back to mom's garden, I got some great shots.

Like the dark red ones...

The pink ones...

The orange ones...

I'm pretty sure my mom got these orange lilies alongside the road almost 40 years ago...thus the nickname "ditch lilies."

These dark red spider daylilies...

My mom has also incorporated lots of wildflowers in her landscaping...

Out of all of the flowers, my mom and I agreed that this flower is our favorite...

I played with the PW's action sets too!

Dramatic color...

Soft color...

What's your favorite flower?

Wordless Wednesday: Poppies and a Puppy

On a rare dry and slightly sunny day, I looked out my parents' back door and saw these...

Poppies are my favorite flower and I love how Mom planted these on the spot of our old playhouse.

I turned away from the poppies and realized someone wanted some of my attention too.

Also linking up to Wordless Wednesday over at Pinke Post.

Happiness is like a butterfly...

Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp,

but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.

-Nathaniel Hawthorne

These butterflies were in my mom's garden earlier this month. There had to be hundreds of them! There would have been more if my mom realized earlier that the ugly worms she kept killing this summer were actually caterpillars!

Sprucing up My Little Outdoor Oasis: Day 1

One of the reasons I bought my condo almost two years ago was that I wanted some outdoor space again. I spent the previous 6-plus years in a second-floor apartment with no balcony.

After growing up on a farm in the country with multiple yards (our side yard was the perfect shape for a ball diamond - though the long ball got lost in the corn more than once), I missed being able to sit outside and read.

BUT I don't have the time (or really the desire) to keep up a big yard - or even a small one. So a condo with a small patio area is perfect for me. I have my outdoor space but not a lot of upkeep!

Still, there is some yardwork that is necessary and since last year I didn't get around to planting anything until late July, I'm determined to spruce it up before my gal pals come over for a well-deserved girls weekend later this month.

Before getting started, I went to my parents for inspiration. My folks have put a lot of time and effort into landscaping the homestead - especially the last few years since my mom retired from a 30-plus teaching career. You know teachers...they need to nurture. My mom has switched from surly teenagers to plants!

Here are some of my favorite features:

This was where our above ground pool once was!

 

My dad built my mom these window boxes and I love, love, love them!

 

The chicken house once stood here. When I was growing up only the foundation was left, We spent many a summer day playing house, school, store there.

 

This rock is now a part of the chicken house landscape feature. It broke my heart when my parents moved it from its spot under the tree in the side yard. It's a perfect standing rock - flat on the top, not too tall. Again it was a favorite childhood play spot.

So, I now had my inspiration...and thanks to my dad I had my tools.

 

I was tackling a rosebush so the leather gloves and long-handled clippers were a necessity. My first order of business was cutting back a rosebush that got out of control over the last two years because I don't know when or how to probably prune!

Before...

 

After...

 

Next up, planting some pretty flowers and spreading mulch. Stay tuned...