Yesterday Morning's Photos

I never tire of photographing lady's mantle in the early morning with the dew collecting on all the fringed leaves.

A portrait mode photo of the African Daisies that aren't awake yet.

The brilliance of this scarlet geranium that is next to my front door is amazing. I have overwintered this plant for years and years and years. It was a rescue plant from a friend who was going to throw it out. Free plants are my favorite.

May Snow: Lily of the Valley Blooms

Late Saturday afternoon photo showing sleet and snow on a tabletop next to blooming Lily of the Valley. Crazy May weather!! Legend says that when the lily of the valley blooms, happiness returns.

Photos Around My Cottage

A little iron bird awaiting real birds in the birdbath, photographed in portrait mode.

Daffodils I can see from my kitchen window photographed after a rain. These were dug up from the woods and transplanted in February during a mild winter's day.

Lady's mantle yesterday, on a rainy day on my way to the mailbox. This perennial plant never ceases to amaze me the way it captures raindrops.

My mother's daffodils transplanted where I can see them from all my back windows. Enjoy your weekend. xo

Lady's Mantle and Before Weeding Grape Hyacinths

Lady's mantle is lovely this time of year and especially with raindrops. The scalloped edges look as if they were cut with the pinking shears and they catch the droplets too.

This is a before photo of the edging I did by hand on my hands and knees with clippers that operate like big scissors. My poor grape hyacinths were in danger of getting choked out. It looks a lot better now and I will put down fresh woodchips around the two shrubs that no longer have leaves underneath to hold in the moisture. A hired landscaper would have whacked everything down to the bare earth in no time but I like my way better and it took hours. 

I baked sourdough oatmeal bread today and it it's delicious. I will post a photo and the recipe tomorrow. xo

Miniature Daffodils on Sunday

Last spring I went to a Broker Open House and the realtor was giving out pots of miniature daffodils instead of having a luncheon for the agents. I rushed home and divided the pot into three clumps and they are such a source of joy in these trying times.

They are planted near my hellebore.

I am still overjoyed with having this hellebore in my front garden. The window in my pantry where my laptop lives, overlooks this area behind my birdbath and I can see it from my living room too.

This intense shade of yellow is stunning.

My front yard photographed in the late afternoon yesterday. The governor officially closed down New Jersey last night to all non-essential travel and we are to stay home in order to prevent further spread of Covid-19. Stay put and be safe. I will continue to checkin and post frequently. xo

My First Hellebore Plant

I had a hard time picking out the perfect first Hellebore and here she is. I put her in the ground right away and topped the soil off with a fresh bucket of wood chips. It rained lightly overnight and I am thrilled with my new shade-loving perennial. The flowers are beautiful when there is nothing else in bloom except the snowdrops. We shall see when they bloom next year. They are also called Lenten Roses and this one is called Glenda's Gloss (Helleborus x 'Glenda's Gloss' PPAF)

I have been transplanting a huge grove of snowdrops I found in my woods where I used to dump my weeds. There is always a bulb or two in the mix and they multiply like wildfire. It's nice to have another flower in the garden before the daffodils are in bloom. 

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.

Random Photos at My Cottage

I was standing in front of one of the French doors leading out to my balcony for this photo of my kitchen.

I leaned out of my bedroom window for this shot of my backyard. You can see the brick pillars holding up my balcony and one of the Adirondack chairs I set in to cool off while and after mowing. I honestly have mowed more this year already than I did all summer last year. I mowed my front and my back yesterday starting at 6pm and finishing at 7:30. It was worthwhile since today it rained again around lunch time.

This male deer with tiny fuzzy beginning antlers waited for me to go inside to grab my Nikon and hadn't moved an inch when I returned to the balcony to photograph him. The two little wrens on the post were determined to get their picture taken too. The wild buttercups come back every year in this location and they complete this nature photo of the day.

My lady's mantle is the perfect perennial plant for capturing dewdrops and rain drops. It is grown primarily for its leaves but the chartreuse flowers are pretty nice too, especially in mixed arrangements.

That's about it for a Friday post. Click any photo to enlarge. 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'