All Dressed Up for Summer

 

Our little house was voted Yard of the Month in July of 2015!  In a small town, this is an honor.  We worked very hard at landscaping and planting, with help from Springwater Greenhouse and Landscaping in Marshall, Mo.  

The windowboxes were filled with plants from The Garden Cart near Alma, Mo.  I also bought plants from Hilltop Farm and Greenhouse in Dover, MO.

We added a privacy fence built by Tom Barker from Lexington, Mo.  I also placed a screen house from L.L Bean in the backyard to use as a bug-free relaxation spot and art space.  It worked out very well, except for the many stains on the roof from the walnut tree branches overhead!  Looks kind of camoflage now.

So, now we have moved from this delightful place, but I still own it.  It is presently rented for $500 a month.  I still love this house and didn't want to sell it, but I needed space for my considerable supply of art media.  

I love that tree hydrangea.  It bloomed all summer.  So did the pink phlox and, on the far right, the yellow Stella d'Oro daylilies, though you can't see that right now!  

 

Tiny Cottage - Plans and Plants

Our New Home!

We have done it again! We have downsized for the last time....(I said that last time!) This little dollhouse is our new home. We have not moved into it yet, since our present home is for sale. But we are working on it, and having electrical work and painting done. I am showing you this austere picture, taken in December, so that you can watch the progress from this to a lovely little cottage with shrubs, flowers and other delightful plants.  We have lots of ideas but a small budget. 

Fortunately there are lots of great greenhouses and nurseries nearby, and inspiring catalogs from White Flower Farm, Wayside Gardens, Jackson and Perkins, among others.  Then there are so many places like Plow and Hearth and Gardener's Supply Co. that sell many garden supplies and decorative items for your yard.  Right now River Reader Bookstore, our local book shop in Lexington, Mo, has many wonderful gardening books for sale. 

I will begin with foundation plantings, definitely evergreen, and plants that like sun.  Our house faces east, though not precisely, so it will get morning sun for sure.  The side that you see as the left side faces south.  These are the two areas I will begin planting this spring.  I love flowering shrubs and bushes, such as hydrangeas, viburnum and crape myrtle. 

For some reason, part of this post is in bold type, and I can't seem to change it.  Just mentioning this, because you may think there is something special about what is written in bold.  Not so!

Just getting your attention!

Some of my favorite plants.....

 

 

Roses!  Hybrid teas, climbing roses, old fashioned David Austen, etc., etc.

Hydrangeas of any color, but especially blue!

 

Hostas...so many beautiful colors available

Growing Herbs : An article from Gardener's Supply

 Click on the link below for some helpful information!

Growing Herbs : Gardener's Supply

I have been growing herbs for about 30 years.  In pots, in the ground, in raised beds.  My first inspiration was from the book Herbs by Emily Tolley and Chris Mead.  I still love that book! 
 

A photo from my 2010 potted herb garden.  Alas, my poor frog planter is now in pieces, thanks to a Missouri wind storm this spring.

I still prefer to grow my culinary herbs in pots, preferably on the deck.  Since our downsizing move this year, I have a much smaller deck, so I am resorting to perching 30"  planters right on the railing.  More herbs are growing in large pots in the back yard.  I am looking forward to making some basil pesto this week, and using the cilantro in soup.

June of 2011...the dill is at its peak!

Pots with a Personal Touch: Hypertufa - Martha Stewart Gardening

Pots with a Personal Touch: Hypertufa - Martha Stewart Gardenin

I made my first Hypertufa pot with my gardening club.  It's fun and not too difficult.  Click on the article above to learn how!

  My first Hypertufa pot, made with a shoe box as a mold.


Two videos that may help.....

Spring Sweets: How to Candy Flowers

Spring Sweets: How to Candy Flowers

Another great article from The Herb Companion!  I love using edible flowers and herbs in salads and as a great garnish.  Violets and rose petals are my favorites.  The main problem is making sure they were grown without pesticides.
I have been visiting a lot of garden centers in our area lately and we have some great ones.  There is Hilltop Farm and Cedar Lane within 25 miles, and if you want a little drive, I love Vintage Hill north of Boonville, MO.  There is also Springwater Greenhouse in Marshall, MO.  
The last time I was at Hilltop, I photographed several flowers and played with the images in Photoshop.  I love to do that, and often use them later in my digital collages and other artwork.  Here are a few I did this week...

The last photo, yellow zinnias, has the Orton Effect, for all of you Photoshop fans. 

Well, I am off to plant the last bunch of herbs and flowers that I bought.  Happy Gardening!

Jacque's Dreamscapes

It's time to start dreaming over all of the gardening catalogs that you are getting in the mail and begin to plan your garden for spring.  Right now my herb garden is covered with snow and more is expected this week, but it is fun to think of warm spring days and what new plants I will add this year.   We have an entire new area to plant in the back, after all of the hardscaping that was done last year....many tons of rock made into retaining walls, walkways and patios.  Now, if I could just win the lottery!
One of my favorite catalogs is White Flower Farm.  Here is a photo from their web site.....

Another great source is Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.  I want to try more heirloom plants in my garden this year.  One of their retail stores is located in Mansfield, Missouri, and I plan to visit this spring.

I also believe in growing native plants, and native wildflowers are great  if you are concerned about conserving water.  In Missouri, we have a wonderful nursery near Jefferson City, the Missouri Wildflower Nursery.   The photos below are from their catalog.   I suggest that you google "native plants" for your state.

I love to photograph flowers and often I will digitally work with them, using them in a collage or card.  Here are some of my favorites..

If you are interested in learning to digitally enhance your photos, contact me if you live nearby, but another way is to learn online and I have discovered one place that you can do just that!   Go to Digital Montage Studio and take one of her classes.  You will need Photoshop CS3-5 or Photoshop Elements 6-9.  I am using Photoshop Elements 6 and there is a lot that you can do with it, especially if you are just starting out.  You can get the latest, Elements 9, at amazon.com for under $100!  You will have so much fun and you will be amazed at all of the great things you can create.  Check it out!