Something Old, Something New, Something Not Borrowed and Something Blue

That's a lot of Lilies of the Valley!

 

May - A Good Name For This Month  



This month showed us that we can't depend on weather reports, what happened last May or what we can expect in weather till June. Whether the sun 'May' or may not shine keeps us in a holding pattern in our garden plans. Still, after much heaving and hoeing, shoveling and planting, our cottage garden is starting to take shape. But though I still fight the fight to keep deer from my Hostas, the deer leave my Lilies of the Valley alone!
 
I don't remember when I first planted the Lilies, but over the years they have spread and I can't get enough of them. If you walk slowly through the yard you can catch their sweet scent. They never last long enough, but for now I can snip some stems and even enjoy them inside, when the pollen is too much to bear.
 
In the meantime, my Confederate Jasmine is looking a little straggly and I think it's had its last hurrah. This is the next aromatic treat that I enjoy, when we sit in our porch at the end of the day. By the time the Jasmine blooms, the pollen season is over and the porch is open for all to enjoy.
 
With all the blooming and warm temps finally here, it reminds me of the colors of spring and summer, that can be brought inside to enjoy year round - soft blues and greens.
 


Soft Colors Are Easy On the Eyes

 



So I'm off to find another Confederate Jasmine and to wage war on the deer (in an animal friendly way). This year my plan to steer the deer away consists of planting Garlic-Chive around my Hostas. We'll see if it works! It's gardening by the way - nothing is guaranteed, anything can happen!

 
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Why you should do it now or else..

Photo courtesy of John and Mary Ann Thesing's Garden

Why you should do it now or else....

If you have a few to-do lists as I do, you may notice there are those items that never get done.

For instance, on my list this spring is 'weed garden'. However, last fall's list includes "plant ground-cover to prevent weeds." So, when I set out to tackle the weeds last week, I not only had a lot of weeds, but I had to weed fast to avoid all the mosquitoes we have because of this winter's warm temps. Obviously, I did not get to the 'plant ground-cover' item and so I am paying the price now.

You would think after years of gardening, I would know that using ground-covers can save you from hours of weeding. Well, even though I do know that, I didn't follow through. If only I paid attention to my list last fall, the weeding and those mosquito bites may not be an issue that I have to deal with now!

So the message today is - pay attention to all the items on your to do list. For me, once I plant those ground-covers - weeding will no longer take up space on my to do home to-do list of things I really enjoy doing - like planting perennials, or re-decorating a room.

What is that one item on your list, that you could grab hold and deal with today - for once and for all?

How to look at a problem at Home or in the Garden that could keep you Stress-free



Just cut flowers from my late summer garden



Two weeks ago, my garden was a sea of green. Packed full of green leaves with hardly a bloom in sight.

A rhododrendron there is flanked by scores of once blooming flowers and plants. But, it was that time of summer that plants take a break and gardeners like me start to wonder what went wrong!

At first, I thought I would yank out everything and start again. Maybe there's too little, or too much sun. But, work kept me too busy to tackle my gardening problem for now.

This week I headed out to check on my green leaf dilemma. Surprise, my once boring mass of plants turned into a sea of color. Who could know?

Lesson learned: Don't be so quick to give up on something. Take a break, change the scenery and come back later and look at your problem again. It might have resolved itself while you were gone.

Have a great day!

Chop wood, carry water or just dig!

It wasn't the best of times.
It was actually the worst of times that caused me to make a change in my perception.
And since I wasn't sure where to start, I began with a project that was on my to-do list for spring.
The project was to move two hydrangeas that were hidden by overgrown shrubs.
So, in early May I moved my hydrangeas and with special care they survived and so did I.
What I love about gardening and decorating the home are the lessons we learn from each project.
Mostly, we learn to keep moving irregardless of the turmoil around us,

to try something never before attempted
and to believe in the chance for a better day.

Enjoy your this July 4th long weekend. Take heart, take to the shovel and take care!