Hydrangea Explosion

Wow. I love how happy these hydrangeas are all smashed together and blooming their hearts out. via

Rainy Monday Photos at My Cottage

My front entrance this morning on a rainy Monday

Pink and proud. Still looking lovely in a soft rain. Notice clipped boxwood in background,

Riffled white hiding from the rain.

Ruffled white peony. I love this variety.

Petals are falling.

Red barn garage with loft, back entrance. Don't my clipped boxwood look nice? I am liking my wild field too. Serious grass cutting will be done the next nice day. xo

Laundry Room Sink and Shelf Love

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I love everything in this room! The old ginger beer bottles lining the shelf are a lovely touch for a great photo shoot.

My clay chicken pot found on the side of the road on trash day several years ago is planted with on of my rosemary herbs that was originally rooted in water. This photo also shows my second cast iron chicken in the background. I haven't spent any money at all this year in either my front or back gardens. I have just been transplanting, rooting, or seeding with seeds I saved myself or bought last year. I am especially proud of a Limelight Hydrangea cutting I pushed into the ground two years ago when I was pruning that is turning into a handsome shrub.

Here it is in between two American boxwood I just pruned and haven't picked up the clippings yet. I pushed this clipping into the earth next to the mother plant when I pruned my huge Limelight in the fall two years ago. The following spring it sprouted leaves and I left it in place. I transplanted it to the side garden next to the driveway that leads to my red barn/garage this spring and now is thriving and is growing into a real flowing shrub. It will probably outgrown this spot but for now it is in its "nursery" stage. I planted another rooting in another spot but it is much slower showing off than this one. Plant propagating is another form of thrift and requires patience but is very rewarding in the end. Luckily I have a lot of patience that has paid off in many areas of my life.

Current rootings in progress at my kitchen sink. Left and center vases have many roots forming on lavender clippings and the far right has a limelight hydrangea cutting from my new shrub; I am curious to see if it will root in water. I have already planted one clump of lavender rootings and they are growing slowly but surely out back. My mother always had something she had pinched rooting at the kitchen sink and my brother and I liked to root sweet potatoes and carrots there too. Now I want to go out and buy some sweet potatoes and get a good vine going. xo

More of My Peonies + Happiness Quote

As promised, here are my red and white peonies opened up showing their yellow centers. I completely forgot they close up in the late afternoon and are still closed in the early morning. They are like me, they go to bed early and open slowly the next day. I shall watch them closely this morning to see what time they fully open and awake. For me, it's after two cups of coffee.

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I love this quote: 

"The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things." 

Henry Ward Beecher

Another view of my front garden from from farther back. I clipped all 15 of my American boxwood earlier this week and they look neat and tiny now. The large one left center is an English box I transplanted my garden when I moved. It is the mate for the two  at the end of my front walk at the driveway. I didn't clip this one at all. 

Enjoy your Sunday. xo

My Peony Garden

I took this photo late Saturday afternoon, the last day of May. This morning the peonies have opened showing their beautiful yellow centers. The ferns I dug from my woods are spectacular this year too. Will post a photo later. Happy First Day of June. The ferns I dug from my woods are really thick and healthy this year because of all the rain. xo Click photo to enlarge.

May Flowers in Bloom at My Cottage

I have no idea what this is or where it came from. A bird must have planted it for me. The purple flower is small, measuring only two inches across the two lower petals. There is a spider inside and some sort of winged pollinator on his way to the yellow stamens in the center. This looks like a small flat iris and I love having it in my front garden.

This is the third nasturtium blossom I have had from my overwintered plants.

My lamb's ears in the back are standing proud and tall this spring. The lace cap hydrangea in the distance is full of bud that will be blooming soon. The limelight hydrangea in the left foreground has no buds yet but it's are loving all the rain we've been having.

My pink peonies will be opening soon. This bud is the most advanced. They are already starting to droop because of all the rain drops inside. They are taller than ever this year, up to my chin. They are the loveliest of all spring flowers, agreed?

And last, but not least, the humble wild daisy.

Memorial Day at My Cottage

I posted this Pottery Barn ad on Memorial Day 2012. I still love it and this porch party is the perfect place to celebrate family and friends to remember our fallen soldiers.

I photographed this pool at a gilded age mansion in Bernardsville several weeks ago. I added the text to remind you to use your sunscreen. I also posted this on Instagram this week.

My nasturtium seeds are getting their second set of leaves.

Are you going to any Memorial Day parades today?

I hope you get a good place to see it. This dog found a great spot to see the marching bands.

Vintage Chambers Range + Red Maple Sapling

I toured a smaller country colonial home yesterday that was a few streets over from me and loved the vintage Chambers range in the kitchen. It featured a well used griddle and two ovens. The last one I saw in a local home was ripped out when the house was demolished and probably ended up in the landfill. Boo hoo, but I have to confess it was not nearly as pristine as this one.

There was a nice size Japanese red maple seedling growing in the front pachysandra bed at this house and the listing realtor said I could have it. I couldn't pull it up but went back later with my gardening tools and dug it up. It is already thriving in my back yard near one of my bird baths. I am such a scavenger and I am always looking for something to transplant. The pachysandra roots had a stronghold on this little tree and it was much too close to the house to be allowed to grow in place. Lucky me. Now a little red tree has found true love and a new home.

I had a request to post a photo of the sapling so its growth can be recorded over the years. I have to be careful where I plant things with deep roots because my septic system is in my backyard. I need to scrub the birdbath and remove the algae buildup so the birds will be happy. We had rain overnight but I think it will stop around noon and just be an overcast day. 

Isn't this little tree a beauty? My grandmother, the master gardener, always said to put a fifty cent plant in a ten dollar hole and I followed her advice when planting this free tree. I can tell it's happy the way it sways in a gentle breeze.

Old Photos from My Phone

I have no idea where this photograph came from but I loved it and saved it to my phone. I think this cottage is the ideal size and the construction materials are ones that will last several lifetimes. Isn't the chimney fabulous?

I don't know the source of this photo either but I loved the wattle fencing at the time and still do. Isn't this walled garden beautiful. 

I love this childhood oil on canvas portrait of a friend of mine with her cat. I photographed it when her house was for sale. She still has the same face. I didn't get her permission to post it online but I don't think she will mind. Isn't the embroidered name on the sash of her pinafore wonderful? She surely must have been an adored child.

I woke up this morning to a little shower but the sun is out now. Good weather for the seeds I planted yesterday. Have a lovely Sunday. xo

First Naturtium Blossom

The few nasturtiums that survived my overwintering project were planted outside a few weeks ago and I already have one blossom. I learned that they still need a lot of watering while overwintering indoors. I lost quite a few in the basement because I didn't go down there often enough to nurture them. Click here to see them in pots inside my cottage.

Here is a photo of the seed packet.

This photo of mine was posted in August 2008 when my blog was brand new and it still gets a lot of attention from my side bar when viewed on a computer. I remember thinking at the time it was awfully early to see any fall color.

I am planning to enjoy a day with no rain today. Fingers crossed. xo

Beautiful Astilbe Leaves in my Garden

My astilbe plant is loving the constant rain we've been having. I love the leaves even more than the white flowers that will come later. I found a link at White Flower Farm you can look up to show you what they will look like -- Astilbe x arendsii 'Bridal Veil'

Lovely Raised Bed Flower Garden

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I have always loved plantings so close together that weeds don't have a chance. I no longer look at photos like this and want them for myself. I know my limitations and am quite happy with what I've got. I like perennials, geraniums, nasturtiums, limelight hydrangeas and milkweed, lambs ears, and peonies. I overwinter my hardier plants. Right now my lilies of the valley are blooming and I have large buds on my peonies. My Lady's Mantle has been enjoying capturing all the raindrops we've had lately too. I don't do store-bought mulch like most people because I prefer wood chips in my beds. How does your garden grow? Enjoy all of my individual links leading to various photos around my cottage gardening. xo

Gorgeous Planter with Spring Bulbs

I never think of planting spring bulbs in a container until it's too late. This old cememt planter is gorgeous and I love the weathered patina. These bulbs look right at home and I love the contrast between old and new. via

Click here for an important message from the children's book author, Roald Dahl, on the death of his daughter, Olivia, when she had measles at the age of seven. 

Potting Shed in a Walled Garden

via my Instagram.

I took this photo yesterday at a Broker Open House tour. I have worked really hard for the past month on my three large 30-year-old English Boxwood trimming away the winter kill and yellow leaves and they look wonderful. I dug them up and brought them with me from my previous home. Every year, the deep snow breaks a few branches but I manage to rearrange the inner branches to conceal the gaps. I have noticed lots of new growth in the center and that makes me happy. Happy May Day!

Climbing Roses + Embroidery Stitches

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There are so many charming elements wrapped up in a single photo, right?

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This handmade cloth needlework book illustrating embroidery stitches is truly a treasure and a work of love. I think this woman is the creator of this embroidery book.

Watering the Pots to Start the Seeds

I should be doing this but I have yet to deal with my seeds. I love this old wooden crate filled with peat pots and lots of good earth. via

Wild Violets + My Living Room

I need to do a third mowing but I don't have the heart to decapitate my wild violets. They are considered to be a broad leaf weed by some, but not me!!!!

I love both varieties. These are solid purple.

These are white with purple pansy-like faces.

Grape hyacinths, crowded out by long grass, but still gorgeous.

A view of my living room as seen from my kitchen. French doors on either side of the sofa lead to my balcony that was power washed on Saturday. I cannot believe how controlling I am when I hire outside help. The workers did a fabulous job at the house I am getting ready to list but they didn't bring those skills to my cottage. WHY? But in the end, my balcony floor looks much better and my red barn garage looks brand new. So all is well I suppose. I am actually so much happier doing things myself. I am a hard taskmaster when I hire things out and I can usually work circles around almost any worker. 

Now if I only had a chain saw and a power washer of my very own. 😂

My Favorite Gardening Tools

I probably own every gardening tool that was ever invented but I use these two the most. All of my tools are second hand purchases from garage sales or in the case of these two, side of the road finds.

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Wonderful Vegetable Garden

Can you imagine a lovelier garden? I cannot! via

Hanging Box for Spring Flowers

I love this idea for an outside hanging box to plant with seasonal flowers in bloom! It would be easy to change varieties as the current ones fade and bloom out. via