this morning I started my day with a wander around the gardens…
I started with the vegetable garden and checked on the two tomatoes, miriad of peas, beans, and the couple of cucumbers that appear to have made a go of it…
the cucumber and butternut squash seeds have yet to reach the surface…
the columbines are getting ready to flower and it appears that the ones with double petals are happy in their new location along the house…
the dahlias are growing taller every day and the ivy slips from the house are holding their own…
next I checked out the pond garden, where the irises are blooming and the poppies are raising their heads slowly to get set to open… I had to detour back around the deck so that I didn’t brush against any of them… the hanging baskets are filling with flowers as they recover from the hail storm…
the petunias around the deck look good, but I need to find a way to raise up the new planter boxes as they are just a tiny bit too narrow…
the begonia and orchid in the back shady area seem to be doing well and the pansies by the bathtub pond are growing nicely…
the hibiscus is still in the shade since coming outside recently and the begonias and verbena are happy… sadly the pansies in between them are not doing well…the strawberry pot and dahlia next to the back door look excellent as do the morning glories as they come up…
on the deck the mandevilla seems content in its new location and the clematis continues to wind its way up the obelisk… the lobelia and alyssum on the table are doing very well…
after that lovely stroll, I brought out all the cushions, uncovered the deck chairs, and sat with my tea and read some of my book as the birds sang their morning welcome;-)…
we got our poppies a week ago and I put the buttons on them so they won’t get lost… I’ve been wearing mine daily, even though I don’t go out much, lol…
I’d seen something on social media about scanning your poppy to read a story about a veteran;-)…
Sunday morning I came across a link that took me to a story about a fallen soldier once I scanned my poppy…
I tried it on another poppy and got another story…
what a delightful day… got up, dressed, put out all the cushions and had breakfast on the back deck, admiring the ten or so poppies waving their lovely heads in the flower bed…
Hilda the Gardener arrived and started weeding and tidying everywhere…
a friend picked me up and we drove to Rosenort to eat and do a little shopping…
we had a delicious lunch at Lilystone Cafe, where we both picked up a few treats to bring home for later… I was happy to see them making great use of technology to take orders and prepare the bills… staff were friendly and treated us like family…
then we headed over to Lilystone Gardens, where we engaged in a bit of retail therapy, including a Christmas present… they are just now recovering from flooded fields and roads…
after an enjoyable return drive to the city we stopped at her house to check out some recent work and her very lush garden…
home, a wander around the garden to admire how tidy it is, and a sit down on the deck with a cup of tea and my book…
I have been enjoying the garden everyday and particularly my walks around to see what might be breaking through the ground or blooming…
the poppies continue to tease me in their slow process of blooming… each morning I check them out to see if any of them have opened, but not just yet, lol…
the vegetable garden is doing well… peas, beans and a few cucumbers have poked their heads through the soil and are keeping the three tomatoes company;-)…
I have also taken to weeding, which is rather new for me…
I have cleaned up a number of spots in the side garden and am excited to see the painted fern has come back and multiplied…
the wild columbine has popped up in about three spots and I am watching them carefully to ensure they don’t get pulled…
herbiggirlpants 