A View from the Garden......

My Passionflower is finally shooting blooms!

I love roses...but I am so particular about them.   If they are not David Austin roses, I don't want to grow them!   He specializes in old, antique varieties...my favorite!

Unfortunately, even David Austin roses are not immune to those horrible Japanese Beetles!  I keep spraying them with garlic juice (they hate garlic juice), but if I don't get them re-sprayed after it rains right away, the beetles come back to much away....

Evidence of more beetle damage...

My victory garden....the peas are gone, the yellow and green beans are just about done, the cukes are going.  Waiting for the peppers, tomatoes, red and white onion and my son's jalepenos!

Black hollyhocks....

My favorite wildflower (outside of Queen Anne's Lace, which is really considered a weed)....Black-Eyed Susans!

The frog pond...completely loaded with frogs and tadpoles....

Pink Phlox...

Oh, and my hens and chicks made this crazy flower stalk!  I have had them in my memory garden for about 7 years and I have never seen them do this before :)

Balloon flower...I know, I need to dead-head....

hydrangeas....

rose of sharon....

 and finally, Bee Balm....

(a bee balm flower just opening....)

Thank you for joining me for a stroll through my gardens!  There is so much more to see, but I just wanted to share with you my favorites :)

Have a great weekend....and spend some time in your gardens....

Fabulous Friday, WWII Style: Grow a Victory Garden!

During the time of great conservation of goods in America for the boys overseas, Americans were encouraged to grow Victory Gardens, or Gardens for Victory.  This idea ensured that families on the home front had access to fresh fruits and vegetables while more of these goods could be sent overseas to the boys.

A typical victory garden could be planned like the suggestion below. There were not fast and hard rules, just plant what your family will  need or what you will be willing to share with those who can't grow a victory garden.

If you haven't noticed, victory gardens have really been making a come-back.  More than likely due to the slow economy as veggies from your garden are far less expensive and far superior in quality to the veggies available at the market.  Some people, like myself, continue the tradition through family:  My father had a victory garden for years because my Grandfather always grew a victory garden after the war.  In turn, I have always had a victory garden because I loved all the fresh produce when I was a kid.  Chances are, my children will grow victory gardens, too.  At least I hope so!

There is a wealth of information on victory gardens on the Internet.  The Victory Seed Company has a great spread of info and history on victory gardens, be sure to check it out.  Since we are only in early June, it's not too late to start a victory garden of your own.  All you need is a small plot of ground that you have turned.  It may be too late to grow from seed in your area, but it's not too late to head to your local nursery and get veggie plants.  However, if you want to start one, you better get on it soon!  At least if you live in the North!

All you have to do from there is fertilize it once in a while and keep the weeds under control.  If you have never grown produce before, I really encourage you to try making a garden, even if only a small one.  Your family and your kids will certainly appreciate the benefit of fresh veggies and you could even enlist them to help you take care of it so they learn how!

My Creative Space

I have been working on a new design using a vintage element which is NOT a button or a piece of old jewelry. You will have to wait for the finished product to see what it is. I designed the pattern to be an Art Deco piece, however, I didn't account for the lack of stretch in design with peyote stitch and the design looks a little squashed. I'm not certain if I will finish this piece or not...I may have to go back to the graph paper and re-design it. Oh well, that's what happens from time to time. Not everything in the studio works out as it was planned.

On to other things...

So, I am sitting here...in a suburb of Buffalo, NY....at the beginning of April...and the temperature outside is 77 DEGREES! This time last year, my gardens were buried under two feet of snow still! So, my plans this weekend are to get to my gardens, clean them up and prepare them for planting, moving or seeding! Whoo-Hoo!

This is my Victory garden. The gate broke off over the winter as you can see. I grow peas, radishes, beets (Go, Dwight Shrute!), jalapeno peppers for my son, sweet peppers for me, spinach, onions, shallots and potatoes. On the far right of the garden you see the ground tilled. That's because I put my pea seeds in. I know, a little late, but I had to wait for hubby to till it!

I have to remove dead stuff from my memory garden (this picture only shows half of the garden). A cafe table sits on the brick pad I built. This is the garden that I honor deceased loved ones or put plants that family and friends give me. I am still in the process of painting rocks with the plant name and who it is from (or who it honors).

My frog pond needs to be cleaned out, drained and refilled. I love this pond in the morning because I totally love frogs (since I was a kid!), and every morning, the rocks are loaded with frogs sunning themselves in the early morning sun. This is by far my favorite part of the yard. The brick pad is right next to it on the right and I spend time writing out there because it is so quiet and tranquil!

My pathetic rose garden (they are all cut down for the winter now). I put them in before Black Spot came to America, so they have to all be moved this year as this garden only gets morning and evening sun. It is going to be quite a job, but most of the roses are David Austin roses, so they are worth trying to save. David Austin breeds old, antique rose varieties to repeatedly bloom like modern roses.

And finally to show today is my Woodland Garden. It gets full shade all day (it's on the north side of the house) and looks pretty bare now, but as things start growing, watch out!

I have several more gardens to share, but this post would last forever!

So, what are your plans for the weekend? And hey, let's see your studio space on Fridays, too!

Dew-ey Wednesday

Okay...I admit. I'm having floral envy from all my favorite blogs showing their beautiful florals (thanks, WillOaks and the others!). So, this morning, I took my camera out to my many gardens to capture what is left of summer before it disappears. However, we got a very heavy dew this morning, so I thought I would share that with you. Just think, in another month, that dew will be frost! Above are my blueberries. Wow, what a crop this year! Guess all that northern rain worked out for something in my gardens because my veggies are not very happy!

Dew encrusted clematis. They look like they have coralline on them! I actually have two of these...one on the back patio and one winding up the bird feeder pole in the bird garden.

And, of course, no die-hard Victorian lover would be caught dead without these in thier gardens! My pansy varieties are yellow, purple and blue. This is one of the yellow ones.

Now, who says you can't grow oranges in New York? Okay, so I cheated. Back in 2005, my big brother/best friend who lived in Tampa died of melanoma cancer. He was only 39. He was as passionate about gardening as I am, so on the drive back to New York to make the arrangements for his memorial, I stopped at a gift shop and purchased this Panama Orange tree (it was a small bare root stick with a few leaves on it when I purchased it), and threw it in a pot when I got home. Of course, it winters indoors, but I have it to remember his gorgeous orange trees back behind his house. The first year it didn't do anything, however, this is the third crop of oranges I have gotten from this tree. Simply one of my favorites!

My black hollyhocks. I love hollyhocks, and the black ones ar the only ones I will grow. I got smacked with rust disease this year. I'm supposing from all the rain we have gotten. I lost alot of hollyhock plants despite my fungicide applications, but I had to let a few grow so I could get some more seeds. I have alot of people who get seeds from me. Will have to treat early next year. Maybe one more spraying before things go dormant in the fall.