Your Dog & A Gardening Poster

Here is another Illustrated Quote I made long ago and posted back in December 2010 so newer followers probably haven't seen it. 

The seed planting posture made me laugh. I use this position too when I have on my "good" clothes and don't want to get my knees dirty when weeding. Poster image found on Pinterest.

Hello, August -- Gather Your Rosebuds

First published on my blog back in 2008

New version of this etching from my Royal Book of Crests showing what a difference a thin black border can make. It's not that obvious when you view it on a computer and in the full version of my blog with the gray background. But it makes all the difference in the world when you see it in the email version if you subscribe or in the mobile version if you are viewing on an iPad or your phone. August always make me want to hold on to each day in the last month of summer and gather all the buds I possibly can before the leaves start falling.

xo

My Bookshelves & One More Dahlia

It's hard to show you anything but dahlias so here is a detail of the bookshelves in my bedroom.

And ONE MORE dahlia, shot this morning in my front garden. Have a great weekend. xo

Dahlia Day 7-- Fully Open

Overnight raindrops were still on the first dahlia of the season this morning around 9:00. We had very hard rain for about an hour at dusk last night. This variety has very substantial stems and stalks so no damage was done.

The shape has change dramatically from flat on the back to being rounded from the back view.

A profile view showing ball form.

Other side.

Front view showing the holly-shaped leaves and stems. I have decided this is a BLACK SATIN dahlia.

The limelight hydrangea I rooted from my mother plant in the back yard is very sturdy this year. Last year the stems were wimpy and couldn't support the blossoms so I cut it back to the ground. This year the stems are sturdy and the big blossoms are standing straight and strong. You really can't kill this shrub no matter what you do. Sometimes a severe pruning is just what the doctor ordered.

xo

Copper Cookware Love + Dahlia Day 6

I hope this kitchen has a full time copper polisher and I'm sure it does because it belongs to Martha Stewart. This lifetime collection is amazing and so very beautiful. I need to do some metal polishing myself, both silver and copper. Dust and tarnish are my personal indoor housekeeping enemies.  View the slideshow and see 14 photos.

Martha and the Art of Collecting Copper Cookware 

See my own copper pots HERE and HERE.

See an old post of mine about how I polish my brass and copper HERE.

Day 6 -- I got down low enough with my camera that the nibbled petals don't show too much along the top edge. Pam wanted to see the center and there are petals in that location still in the process of opening. I honestly thought it was going to be a center like that of a daisy but I think eventually the center will disappear. We shall see! xo

Dahlia Day 5 + New Ones

Miss Dahlia it is fully formed and an insect has nibbled away at some of the outer tips. The center has virtually disappeared. Now I know to pick them earlier and have them open fully inside the house. 

This one is blooming in the back yard and it's a beauty too and has some companion buds.

I really don't want to cut it since it is also a first bloom for the back yard but I'll keep an eye out for insect damage.

I was able to get in some quality mowing yesterday afternoon late when it was all shaded. Last night it rain again and I will wait a day or two before doing the front since there are two sunny days coming up with no rain or thunder showers. xo

Limelight Hydrangea + Dahlia, Day 4

When you read the label on a limelight hydrangea as seen in the right background, please believe it when it says the mature size can be up to 8' x 8'. All the rain we have had this season made mine get that large and I don't think there's any stopping it from getting even taller. Last year, I pruned it from the bottom to encourage height. I want it to become more of a tree so the deer can't reach it. They have begun to nibble recently so it needs to get even taller. They munched a little on the Lacecap too. I am especially pleased with my grocery store geraniums in the planter against the window wall. They are blooming their hearts out.❤️

Here we go with day 4 of my dahlia that is supposed to get to be 4 feet tall but I think it's a little taller. I think it will open up a little more around the center before it is fully "in bloom" and I can stop boring you with its beauty. When I look at the plant from inside the house through my living room window, it looks jet black with a yellow dot in the middle. As you get closer you see the deep red tones.♡🤎♡ I am so behind in my mowing and seriously must get out there this week.😩 

xo

Foggy Morning + Dahlia Bud's Day 3

The morning fog is the result of last night's rain and an already hot Monday morning. I watched Miss Potter again last night on Hoopla, a free movie service powered by my library card. That is a movie you can watch over and over and love more each time.

Here we have Miss Dahlia on Day 3. I couldn't be happier with this color which is a dark burgundy that looks almost black in a certain light. If all the tubers turn out to be this variety, I will be thrilled. This site is a good one if you want to learn more about dahlias. xo

Here is is after lunch when all the rain and dew drops were burned off by the sun. It gets prettier every time I walk past.