Hello sweet friends! It is mid-January and I am thinking about all things gardening, so much so, I’ve even ordered seeds…zinnias, sunflowers, and marigolds should arrive tomorrow !
“The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing.”
Isaiah 35:1-2a ( ESV)
Find a comfortable spot, grab a cup of coffee or tea, and come along as I share my garden journal!
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Daffodils – The Harbingers Of Spring
In early February the cottage garden starts to wake up. Green shoots begin to break through the soil and the bright yellow daffodils, the harbingers of spring, start showing their happy faces by middle to late February.
I can’t help but smile when I see the blooming daffodils while everything else is still sleeping in the garden!
One of the first early spring blooming shrubs/trees is our Snowball Viburnum. Our late frosts can certainly nip its showy blooms. The blooms are large, about eight to ten inches in diameter, and resemble snowballs. Many people mistake their blooms for hydrangeas. These flowers start out lime green and then open to pristine white.
Lady Banks climbing rose is considered by many to be the quintessential cottage garden flower. The Lady Banks Rose blooms in early spring. Its buttery yellow double flowers are held in clusters and displayed on thornless slender branches.
Peonies & Other Garden Happenings
By late April, peonies become the stars of the garden! With its gorgeous white-ruffled blooms and enchanting fragrance, Festiva Maxima is a stunning cut flower!
Vernique Blue Speedwell was planted in the cottage garden spring of 2023. It is a perennial and features dark purple-blue flowers. It attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds!
Sarah Bernhardt is a stand-out among peonies. We had to move her last fall, hopefully she will bloom!
In our June garden, daylilies are in full bloom! They are one of my favorite garden flowers; easy to grow, almost maintenance free, survive drought, and virtually disease and pest free! They can range in color from sunny yellows and blushing pinks to deep purples and electric greens. ‘Endless Beauty’ is a prolific bloomer!
There is something that is old-fashioned about the gladioli. My grandmother always had them in her small flower garden. I bought the bulbs at Lowe’s a few years ago and didn’t really think they would come up. The past two years they have spread and need dividing. Their blooms open from bottom to top. I love the way they look in the June garden and rarely cut them. I just enjoy their beauty from my kitchen window!
I had said I would never plant cosmos again! But last year when the I saw the ‘Double Click Bicolor Pink’, in the seed catalogue, I had a change of heart! They were beautiful for several weeks, but they quit blooming even though I tried to baby them. I have given up!
My sweet RM has been planting sunflower seeds for many years. I can’t imagine the summer garden without their happy faces! They are one of my favorite flowers to photograph.
Bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies are attracted to sunflowers!
Limelight and Vanilla-Strawberry hydrangeas are the stars of the July garden! In the rear corner is the Black-eyed Susan that the gardener at The Swag passed along to us in a cup two years ago!
The focal point of the garden is an old bronze statue that was originally a fountain. It has aged to a patina that is more suitable for a country garden!
Zinnias: Summer’s Colorful Flower
Zinnias are a perfect summer flower. They love full sun and can withstand our hot Alabama weather!
Zinnias are annuals, but we always have some appear from the prior season. They do not like to be transplanted, planting from seed produces a healthy and happy crop.
The garden’s two crape myrtles had one of their prettiest summers!
Are you making garden plans?
Thank you for your visit 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,
Life and Linda