Garden Treasures

Woke up this morning to the sun peeking through the clouds and into my bedroom window. Opened the front door to birds chirping in the tree out front. Heard the sound of rushing water in the gutters as the snow melts, revealing garden treasures. Hallelujah! Spring is just around the corner ;)

For the Love of Lavender

Lavender is my favorite flower, and smell. Last year I started 100 seedlings indoors and planted them along my walkway. They look so full and beautiful this year. I have been cutting bunches, and tying them and into bundles with scraps of ribbon, to give them to friends and also to hang around the cottage to dry and fill the air with their clean floral scent.

Mother's Day

For Mother's day this year, Kevin and the girls made me a beautiful card. The girls had so much fun playing with paper and scissors and glue with Daddy. I love the card! I put it on the shelf above my desk. It makes me smile every time I look at it.Daddy also kept the Girls occupied while I had the morning to myself to do some sewing. I was so happy to have a few hours of uninterupted craft time, as I have lots and lots of projects that need to get finished before Baby Chloe arrives. And as if that wasn't enough. They blessed me with 15 rose bushes for a hedge I wanted to make. We planted them along with the two bushes Kevin gave me years ago. Now we have quite the variety. From climbers, to tea roses, to everblooming, and super fragrant in all sorts of colors. He also put up a 40ft long split rail fence for me. I am so pleased with the hedge, It all turned out so beautiful. I can't imagine what it will look like when the roses are full grown. (Here are a few of the roses already in bloom)

I love my roses and enjoy cutting them and bringing them inside. I told my hubby long ago not to waste his money on buying me bouquets of flowers that die within a week, but to please give me plants instead, because then, not only does it make our yard look nice, but if I really want a bouquet on the table I can just go out and pick one ;)

Star Cottage Homestead

Before Kevin's surgery we had big plans for a backyard homestead this year, so he and I made some raised beds ahead of time in March, knowing he would be out of commission for a while after the operation. Then Grampa Gary, being the blessing that he is, trucked in lots of great soil and manure from a local farm and helped me fill the beds. We have lots of them! In fact we have done 3 truckloads full, and we still need more dirt/manure. Nothing like biting off more than you can chew ;) In the mean time, while Kevin was home recovering from surgery, he kept me company (snuggled up in a lawn chair with cozy blankets to keep him warm and comfortable) while I shoveled dirt and planted some strawberries. I was happy to do the planting, while he and I chatted and the girls played in the yard. When Grampa came to visit on Sunday, he kindly informed me that I had planted them much too close together. Woops! Live and learn I guess. That's what this whole experience has been, lots of living, and a whole lot of learning/screwing up along the way.

We've had such amazing weather that I have been so busy in the Garden all spring, Hence my absence from the computer & the blog. By the time I shower off all the dirt at the end of the night, I just don't have the energy to hop on the computer. We've both been falling asleep with the girls, and just barely waking up before them in the morning. I'm sure some of that has to do with the fact that It's still a bit rough and uncomfortable for Kevin to get around, and I am in my 3rd trimester. Yay, only a couple months to go ;) Chloe hasn't even arrived, and already I can't sleep well, I'm up every hour or so to go to the ladies room in the middle of the night, more of why I am so exausted.

Basket Case

Image form Tinker Nature Park
Which I just discovered is very close to where we live. Field trip anyone?

I love love love baskets! I have far too many, but somehow I always find uses for them. At least it's a practical fetish. Anyways I want to learn to make baskets of all sorts, But I really want to make a Skep Beehive. I would love to have one in my garden.

My dad was a bee keeper and we had the less romantic looking white boxes for hives in my cottage garden as a girl. I really do hope my dad gets back into bee keeping now that he is retired. The boxes are more practical and efficient, but Skeps really are so pretty. Here are some of the resources I have found tonight so far.

http://www.martinatnewton.com/page2.htm

http://basketmakers.com/topics/bytype/beeskeps/beeskepsmenu.htm

http://www.origincrafts.com/outdoors---garden-bee-skeps---traps.html

Here is another site I drool over. http://www.headcollection.com/ Incredible work.

Fall is in the Air

We've been busy... this is what we've been up too ;) As you can see... it's really important stuff ;)

2 Amazing Little Girls + 1000's of Leaves + 1 Beautiful Autumn Day = 1 Happy Momma ;)

Painted Pumpkins...& Gourds

The girls and I painted some more today. It was fun, they just couldn't get enough of the pink and purple paint. I have to agree, I don't think there is enough pink and purple during harvest season.

Oodles of Apples

...and pears too!

Kevin's Friend has an apple farm and was gracious enough to let us come and pick for the day. It was so much fun and we were blessed with tons of apples and pears. And Kevin got to drive the girls around in the gator. Not sure who was having more fun, Kevin or the girls ;)

Motherwort

More wildflowers in my yard. Here is the Motherwort. It has wonderful medicinal uses. I am hoping to learn as much as I can about the different herbs and how to cultivate and harvest them. So exciting.

I never use "Weed Killer" Ever! And this year I purposely didn't trim or mow the perimeter of our fence. Last Year we moved the fence, to include all of our property, the area previously outside of the fence had gone to pasture and had some lovely Wildflowers, Herbs and Wild Grapes.

I was hoping that all the wild flowers would come back, so I could start yet another garden. It has been fun discovering new treasures. I ask my Neighbor the Botanist to come over and help me identify the plants. George gets them right every time. I always go back to my computer to double check. Not that I don't trust his knowledge of plants, I just want to know more about each plant and make sure we've got the right name, being that I may be ingesting them @ some point. And some plants can be poisonous of course, so it's good to double check!

Moth Mullein

When we moved our fence last year, I thought for sure the Wild Moth Mullein was going to be wiped out. I am so excited it survived. And I am so glad I don't poison my lawn, otherwise I wouldn't be finding these treasures ;) I climbed my fence to take the second photo. So pretty. I love wild flowers.

Larkspur

Larkspur

I started these from seed. There are not many flowers yet, but there are tons of buds, so I am hoping for quite a show.

Strawberries!

Grampa Gary invited us over on last Thursday to pic strawberries @ his Organic Farm- "The Garden of Eating"

"The Girls" had a wonderful time filling their bellies, while he and I filled the buckets. Typical strawberry picking adventure with children. Hailey had fun off the leash. She enjoyed running and splashing about in the pond.

The strawberries lasted a few days, but by Saturday, they were gone. Yumm!

Planting a Hedge

Ten shrubs in a perfect row.

We had been thinking of putting a hedge along our driveway for quite sometime, but thought we would wait yet another year, cause it wasn't high on our list of priorities. We have plenty of other costly projects that need to be addressed. So you can imagine how psyched we were when Grampa Gary stopped by and surprised us with these lovely Globe Arborvities. He purchased them @ an agricultural auction, they were only $5.00 a piece, what a deal. We are so thankful. We had fun planting them with "The Girls".

We need to get more mulch, but I think it turned out pretty nice so far.