Saturday, May 7, 2016

Oh Glorious Gardening!

I don't get out a lot. That's a fact. My mom tells me so. My sister does, too. So does my hubby. It was also brought to my attention by one of my editors recently!

I write. A lot. I am in a constant state of home renovations. There's always something for me to tackle in this 125+ year old house. I wrangle my dogs. I try to keep my cats out of trouble.

There are many things that I love to do. I love working on my home. That brings me so much joy. Even the big projects, such as gutting the downstairs bathroom this summer and rebuilding it from scratch. That's on the agenda this year. So is tearing down the old deck and building a new one.

I love writing. A day when I can't write is a day when I feel like I'm a little bit more insane. I love to cook. I knit, crochet, weave, sew, felt, and make lots of different things. I love doing laundry and hanging things on the line. I even love to clean!

But there is no place where I feel more whole and happy than when I have my hands in the dirt. It grounds me, no pun intended. I guess I inherited that from my amazing dad. He could look at a plant and it would just grow. One of his many gifts.

So I ask you. If you lived here, would you ever want to go anyplace else? It's true, I'm not crazy about my neighborhood. But I am cultivating a fantasyland right in my own yard. I love it!

This is my happy place.

pink peonies
Peonies from my yard

gladiolus
Gladiolus from my garden

Sunflowers
Gorgeous, giant sunflowers towering over the garage! 

Camelot rose
Camelot rose

Baby pink tea rose
Baby pink tea roses

Red knockout rose
Knockout rose just getting established

Wild unkempt garden
Part of my wild, wild perennial garden

Neighbor kitty
Neighbor's cat, Kasey, checking out the garden


Morning glories tumbling over fence
My fist love, morning glories, tumbling over one of the fences out back

Perennial garden
Perennials in my garden

Perennial garden
Perennials in the garden, and the first year my calla lilies ever bloomed

Trees bent into archway
Two trees bent, wrangled, braided and otherwise wrestled into a garden archway

Red dianthus
Red dianthus

Red Asian lilies
Red Asian lilies. They are enormous, much larger than they appear here. 

African daisies
African daisies

Handmade wattle fence
So proud of this little wattle fence that I wove

Sunsprite rose
Sunsprite rose. This type smells amazing! 

Veronica
Veronica (Speedwell) 

Camelot rose
Camelot rose. 

Fairy garden homestead
I built a little homestead for any fairies who might want to take up residence in the garden

Wild garden
Wild, wild, wild and I love it!

Sunsprite and Camelot roses
More Sunsprite and Camelot roses


Bleeding heart
Bleeding heart

Abstract walkway in progress
Part of my new walkway. It's time consuming, but so worth it! 


Butterflies on privet
When the privet is in bloom, there are bees and butterflies everywhere!

Natural garden archway
Naturally occurring archway out back that formed from hackberry, porcelain vine, a mulberry tree, and who knows what else! 

DIY silver spoon screen door handle
One of my favorite things. A bent an old silver spoon, drilled and turned into a screen door handle for the kitchen. If there's anything crafty to be done, I'm all over it! 


My Mister and me. He's not here these days, but hopefully soon he'll be back to enjoy everything that I've done with our gardens since he's been gone. <3