Tall Beauties.

Such happy faces reaching for the sun... you can't help but smile when these bright yellow faces greet you in the morning. The kids and I planted sunflower seeds very late this year, so they are in full bloom in late August. Lucky me. I cannot think of a better place to sit and have my coffee, than in my own back yard. Just look at these colors. They are bright, happy, and pure.

Before & After

So it's a little top-heavy...but when the blooms begin, it's going to be gorgeous.
Everyone should have a tepee in their back yard!

Our Tepee

We did it! The kids and I built this in May using bamboo from the farmer's market. We've watched it grow all summer long. The heat wave has made it very difficult to keep everything healthy and green, but the tepee has survived. We used a combination of morning glories, scarlet runner beans, moonflowers, and purple hyacinth beans. It's surrounded by sunflowers, which are just about to bloom.

Bonnie's Iris

Another special treasure in my garden... my beautiful Iris. Of course, there is a story here...

These were given to me by my friend, Paula. Paula's mother, Bonnie, was a serious gardener in St. Matthews. She passed away a long time ago, so I never got to meet her. Thanks to Paula's heartwarming stories, I feel like I know her. Bonnie was well known for her flower-filled back yard. Seems she gave one of her lady friends a few Iris for her yard, I'm guessing it was in the 1960's. Paula ran into her mother's friend a few years ago, and she invited Paula to come over to her house and dig up some of the Iris for her to enjoy in her own yard. Paula shared some of the bulbs with me. Now we both have Iris from Bonnie's garden. Imagine having flowers blooming in your yard that came from your mother's garden, from many years ago. When the Iris bloom, it always feels like Bonnie is watching over my garden in approval. I'll dig some this fall, to share with my daughter. Bonnie's plants bring joy to my heart, and a smile on my face. She always told Paula, "Sunny Days Are Ahead". Thanks for the Iris, Bonnie. xoxo

Mermaid Garden....

                                                                         

 In a shady corner of the yard sits a couple of lovely mermaids. They are a special addition to the garden, as they remind me of a very special friend. Paula and I have had many years of fun and laughter together, and our Mermaid Weekend is one of our finest memories. Many years ago, we enjoyed a mommie's get-away weekend, in a hotel right here in Louisville. One evening, as we cooled off in the pool, we laughed about our poor attempt at synchronized swimming. As we laughed at ourselves, and at each other, it became perfectly clear that we would prefer to be Mermaids. We both have a collection of mermaids, but the memories of that weekend get-away will always be our finest treasure.

Garden Fairy

All she has to do is look pretty and watch over the garden.

Colors!

When flowers are paired with contrasting colors in the garden, they really put on a show. I often use white to pack a punch of brightness here and there. It's not just about placement, or how much sun a plant gets. It's about planting with a plan. A lot of thought goes into the perfect combination of colors and textures. I love the slender blossoms of the Day Lily next to the softer, round petals of the Hydrangea.

Pesto, anyone?

Another favorite...
Fresh herbs from the garden. I make pesto every year and enjoy it all winter long. I love to grow herbs, to use in my recipes, and cut them for vases to make the house smell good. What I love most is the variety of colors and textures the herbs bring to the garden. And when I cut them, the aroma is pure summer. Rosemary chicken, basil olive oil, chive butter, and many more flavors are right outside my back door. Green Goddess basil is wonderful for snipping right into a salad. It has beautiful little tiny basil leaves that grow in a solid mound of bright green goodness. Love the fresh flavors.

Our Tepee project

My grandchildren and I decided to build a tepee this year. I have had magazine photos of this idea in my garden notebook for years.....and we finally did it. It's coming along pretty well, as the vines are beginning to crawl up the bamboo poles. We planted Purple Hyacinth Beans, Scarlett Runner Beans, Morning Glories, and Moonflowers. Should be quite the show when the blossoms come along. The kids will be able to sit inside, surrounded by vines and blossoms.

Butterflies and blooms

It's always a joy to see the butterflies land on the blossoms in the afternoon. They arrive like clockwork, every day around 2:00. I've seen a variety of species, but so far this one is my favorite. My step-father, Mark, adored butterflies. I always think of him when I see them. It's almost as if he's stopping by to say hello.

About to Bloom

Here's a Black-Eyed Susan getting ready to bloom. It's amazing to see how the petals look woven across the center.

Reflections

I have always wanted a gazing ball. I used to think they were tacky little objects, sitting in unkept yards, next to the concrete figurines of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. They have made a huge come-back, as they are now seen in many of the finest gardens. Mine is happy to sit amongst the hydrangeas, nestled in a sea of blues and greens. The reflections are amusing and lovely at the same time. I may need another one.

Allie Rose

 

So I name some of my flowers in the garden...this one is named after my Goddaughter, Allie Rose. To me she is just like this pink tea rose - very gentle and quite lovely.

Nana's Day Lillies

I have hundreds of bright orange day lillies - straight from my grandparent's yard, 800 miles away. 26 years ago my mother shipped them to me as tiny plants, when we first bought our house. She packed the baby bulbs in zip-lock bags, and enclosed a wet sponge to keep them alive as they traveled from Long Island to Louisville. Each spring, as they push up through the ground, I am reminded of many happy memories from my grandparent's home. I lived there when I was 2 years old, while my father went to Japan in the Air Force. There were always day lillies in that yard. We used to sit together on a glider swing out in the back yard. It was wooden, painted white. And Nana made homemade lemonade.

We have split up the day lillies, and shared them with friends and family. Now my daughter has her own home, and her yard is bursting with day lillies from her great-grandparent's home. They are a piece of the family tree that will always be with us. They are a treasure from years ago, when the blooms would wave in the breeze while we all sat in the yard. If only they could tell the stories from those days.

Mom's project -

When I was in high school, my bedroom was on the second floor of our beautiful home in Connecticut. My mother planted morning glories below my window. Sure enough - I had the most beautiful vines of bright blue blossoms crawling all the way up to my bedroom window. It was truly amazing. This was after she created an entire rock garden on a stubborn slope next to the driveway. A plain parcel of land turned into a lush display of flowers and shrubs within the first year of living in our new home....

Happy Father's Day...

I have to say, it was my grandfather who got me started with gardening. When I was a newlywed, I lived about 4 miles away from Pop-pop. He asked me if I'd like to help him with the garden, and I said yes. He taught me how to plant a huge vegetable garden... we used twine to make perfectly straight rows, we labeled each row with a sign and a magic marker, and he explained why some vegetables do not care to be planted next to one another. Everything was planted from seed. I couldn't understand why the cucumber seeds had to be spaced so far apart. He stood over me as I pushed each seed down into the soil. Now I know why he asked me to join him... his back couldn't take it anymore, and I was young and strong. Or so I thought...

As the summer went on, he would call me, and insist that I get down there to water the garden. I would drop what I was doing, and get to his house as fast as I could. He would be standing at the window, waiting for his helper.

If only I had taken pictures. We had a great garden that year. He talked about his life, and I listened.

Last season's blooms.

One of my favorite summers in the garden. Thank you to Eddie Slate (video). Many changes since then -

Garden Room

This used to be a carport. It's now my favorite place for coffee in the morning, or drinks in the evenings. We've had a few dinner parties here, too. The roll-up blinds have been a nice addition after losing three big trees over the past few years. Now that our shade is gone, the blinds have helped a great deal.

Gardening - creating memories.

Today I told my daughter I wanted to start a blog about gardening. Her reply was, "so do it!".





It seems to me, that when I am working in my garden, everything else in the world is on hold. When I am teaching my grandchildren the correct way to plant seeds, or as we watch a bird build a nest in the trellis, time stands still. It's just me and them - and the dirt, the blossoms, the water hose, and the breeze.





Dalen and Bennett were 2 and 3 years old when we first planted seeds in little clay pots together. My mother bought them little garden gloves. We had to work in the shade, even though the sunscreen was applied. These were very young gardeners, but they were very serious from Day 1.





They are now 9 and 10. They know the names of the herbs, they have their favorite flowers, and they work very hard with me whenever they get the chance. We had a late start this spring, but we're excited about our progress. We have built our first tepee - with Purple Hyacinth Beans planted round the base. We plan to take pictures as the vines crawl up the bamboo poles. The bamboo was purchased at the St. Matthews Farmer's Market - grown in Old Louisville.



Dalen has her own Giant Dahlia. She picked it out at Bunton's Seed Company downtown. She chose a bright yellow. Her other purchase was an heirloom tomato plant called "Mr. Stripey". We have some fun plants this year.......