Garden Shed to Love

I love the simplicity of this little garden structure. It must be in some sort of Historic Village like Old Sturbridge or Williamsburg. I have never seen a wheel barrow with a basket but I love it. I prefer old tools to new ones any day. Happy gardening. xo via

The Peony Garden from My Window

It's hard to believe the very spot where my peonies are planted was buried in snow higher than the birdbath in March. They bloomed much later than usual and I was a little worried at first because the buds were so small. They slowly got larger and larger until they were back to normal in every way, including their beauty. This is the view from the window over my desk in the pantry. Covering this garden with woodchips last summer was a huge task but it paid off with fewer weeds to pull this year. So far I have been able to keep up with them on a daily basis.

Duchess Peony Painting

Duchess Peony ~ Mia Tarney via

No Mud Allowed in this UK Mud Room

Leave your muddy boots outside, please, and use the bootscraper. Isn't this entrance stunning? I love the brick and stonework exterior and the fine woodwork is beautiful inside. It appears to be new construction too in the old tradition. More photos below. I love the fabric in the window shade.

via: South Downs House, Bespoke UK cabinetry by deVol

View from My Living Room this Morning

I was sitting on my sofa this morning behind the laptop screen you see in the lower left. I had both French doors wide open and I haven't had screen doors on them in years. I picked up my phone so I could share my beautiful view with you. It has been so nice having a few nice days with no rain. xo

Antiques at the Bottom of The Stairs

I love this arrangement at the bottom of the stairs in an old house. The built-in bench is wonderful. The antique table is full of wonderful things, the man in the portrait is handsome, the wood in the basket is handy for a nearby fireplace and an antique sidechair completes the arrangement. The original poster said she wanted to straighten the portrait. I agree. Smile.

More Peonies and A Field Mowing

Here are my ruffled white peonies open. They are my favorites because of their beauty and because they don't droop since the heads are so light. They close up on cloudy days and at night to protect their delicate blossoms. Peony season is the best, isn't it?

My friend with a tractor showed up unannounced late yesterday afternoon to mow my field and he ended up mowing my lawn too. Everything will green up and be uniform in no time. I didn't come inside again until almost eight o'clock when I took this photo. I still have to do some handwork here and there and I had to use my leaf blower in the front but that was fun. I am so glad to have this task behind me to maintain my field so trees don't grow back there. An unmowed field will become a forest in no time. 

I took this photo today at noon so show how nice my front lawn and garden are looking.

Today, it feels more like fall with an overcast sky and 63° at ten o'clock on Sunday morning with rain coming tomorrow. Tuesday will be filled with nothing but sunshine though and that makes me happy. Enjoy your Sunday. xo

First Peony to Open 2018

My single ruffled white peony is always the first to open, followed by my red ones, and then the pink ones are last. This one opened when the sun came out yesterday after the rain. It was very translucent, as shown by the raindrops on the top petal. They are on the reverse side!!! For some reason, the petals have a pink tint when they first appear but change to a bright white when fully open and one of my Instagram followers says they look like fried eggs.

The sun is out, the sky is hazy and it's going to be hot and humid today with 84° as the high. Bring it on because tomorrow the high will be only 66° and will be wonderful for working outside. Mother Nature is so unpredictable, isn't she? Have a great weekend. xo

Giving Credit where Credit is Due

Flanders Poppies:
I forgot to tell you where I found the link and ordering information for the Flanders Poppy seeds.

Karen Heniger @karen_in_va formerly from Connecticut posted the photo, ordering information, and planting instructions on Instagram as her Memorial Day Post. Click on her link and make sure you view all three photos. Thanks, Karen ! ! ! She is one of my favorite frequent posters on Instagram and a long-time follower of my blog.

I was happy to find the photo below on Instagram. This is how I am going to plant my poppy seeds.

Could anything be more beautiful than this stunning bed of red poppies, growing at Amanda Cutter Brooks' Fairgreen Farm in Oxfordshire? I think not. 

Happy Friday. Happy June. Now summer can officially begin. xo

Photos Around My Cottage

Potted plants on my balcony. The pink geranium in the beautiful white ceramic pot with matching saucer has finally adapted to being outdoors again after a long winter inside. The blue flowers on either side are lobelias. I have never had them before but I'm looking forward to seeing them grow. The five pots in the fabulous galvanized tin planter from a rummage sale have nasturtium seeds that should be sprouting soon. Fingers crossed. The ones I planted in the front two weeks ago are already up.

The plant identification spike names this variety as "Heat Upright Dark Blue Lobelia" with improved heat resistance. They should be right at home on my hot balcony with no shade until mid afternoon. The flowers are self cleaning and need no dead heading. How great is that? 

These lamb's ears were transplanted to a back garden against my foundation and they are loving the support of a wall to their backs. They should be blooming soon and will be able to hold the weight of their heavy flower heads that the pollinators love. 

This amazingly beautiful sky with a moon was photographed from my balcony at dusk five days ago. In no time at all after I snapped this shot it was pouring rain. We have had more rainy days than sunny days and the upcoming first week of June from Friday to Friday shows nothing but dark days, most with rain. Oh well, what can you do?

I can't believe it's already in its last day so I'll say goodbye to May. Maybe her promised flowers will be more beautiful in June. xo