Happy Thursday sweet friends. By the middle of February I find myself thinking of springtime and gardening. I try not to rush the seasons and actually find pleasure in all of them. Last week I received my first box of seeds…zinnias, sunflowers, cosmos, and pumpkin. I must admit it made me want to hurry up spring. It has been exciting to see the daffodils that were planted in November break through the soil in our cottage garden.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Psalm 119:105
I keep an unorganized garden journal from year to year, but one way of photo journaling is through the blog. Grab a cup of coffee and join me as I take a look through my garden notebook.
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“The lesson that I have thoroughly learnt, and wish to pass on to others, is to know the enduring happiness that the love of a garden gives.”
~Gertrude Jekyll
One of our earliest blooming shrubs are snowball viburnums. I can’t remember when we purchased them, but they have put on a beautiful show for many years. They are not a part of the garden, but stand next to our driveway. As they start to bloom, their blossom clusters begin green in hue and turn snowy white as they mature.
The bronze statue is the central feature in our garden. In its former life it was a fountain in our front yard landscape. Candytuft is a beautiful blooming perennial that surrounds the statue in early spring!
This photo was taken from the garden looking toward the snowball viburnums. Our flag in the foreground made for the perfect photo opportunity!
The “stairway to heaven” iris bloomed for the first time last spring. A sweet blogging friend, Sandra from Maison De Jardin sent it to me a few years ago. I had never given up hope of eventually seeing these magnificent blooms!
Planted in 2019, Festiva Maxima peony, bloomed for the first time last year. The blooms have a lovely fragrance!
The first flush of apricot drift roses in the background provide a heavenly scent in the garden!
Also planted in 2019 were two Karl Rosenfield peonies in the raised bed by our driveway. Their blooms are a dramatic fuchsia-red!
The Sarah Bernhardt peony was happy in the large barrel and produced large showy blooms for the first time last spring!
A Late Spring Garden & Something New
I was excited to add a kinetic garden spinner. The girls are fascinated by it!
“Bold Awakening” is the first daylily to bloom each year!
This is my favorite spot for tablescaping in spring, summer, and fall with “vanilla strawberry “ hydrangeas in the foreground and the Sunshine Cottage in the background!
I have given up on dahlias, but this one still produced blooms last year. “Dahlia Avignon” with its burgundy-red stripes and speckles is a definite beauty!
The Cardinal Red hydrangea was new to the garden in 2021. A Macrophylla that produces large blooms in a rich shade of red or mauve depending on the soil type. This bloom had dried to a lovely shade of mauve!
Immature “vanilla strawberry” blooms in the foreground and “little lambs” blooming profusely in the background!
RM and I both love sunflowers and have planted them yearly since 2015. Some years produce a better crop than others! The “Firecracker” displays beautiful bi-colored blooms of gold and reddish orange. It is a lower growing sunflower reaching three to four feet in height. Our pollinator friends love sunflowers!
“Who knows what may lie around the next corner? There may be a window somewhere ahead. It may look out on a field of sunflowers.”
~Joe Hill
Zinnias: From Seeds To Flowers
Zinnias are a mainstay of the summer garden. We plant them within the garden and also in the raised bed next to the driveway.
Zinnias love full sun and can withstand our Alabama heat. They are an annual plant best grown from seed that we plant directly into the ground.
Blushing Hydrangeas + August Garden
Vanilla-strawberry hydrangeas begin blushing in mid August. With our hot climate they never take on a true strawberry color!
We had a wet spring and summer last year…it was impossible to keep up the weeding. My creative RM placed an old broken pot at the base of the large hydrangea. It adds a bit of whimsy!
Limelights are in the foreground with a vanilla strawberry as the background while a Sioux crape myrtle stands tall with its beautiful blooms!
“Autumn Fire” sedum was beautiful!
A drone shot of our garden space was taken by RM (another hobby of his). On the left is Sunshine Cottage. The cottage garden has progressed a little since last year, but there is still work to be completed. Hopefully daffodils will be showing out soon!
Pumpkin Carving + Chasing Monarchs
The monarchs were late visitors last year! I had almost given up hope. RM had cut down the zinnias and all that remained in the raised bed was lantana. This is a male, distinguished by the highly noticeable black spots on its hind wings. Their veining is thinner than the female monarch!
I hope you have enjoyed the garden therapy while winter is still in session! Thank you for your visits and gracious comments. Wishing you a joy-filled day!
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Imparting Grace,Life and Linda