Wednesday, February 26, 2014

A Garden for all seasons

Gardens should have four-season interest, don't you agree? Here are a few photos of mine in the four seasons of the year.

 WINTER - VIEWS FROM ABOVE:






SPRING:



We call this area the "hosta farm."




SUMMER:

 One of my favorite flowers:  Echinacea


 A monarch caterpillar on common milkweed




 A view from above


Lavender


AUTUMN:

 Deep red of a dogwood tree and brilliant yellow/orange of a maple. Autumn is so glorious!




 Morning glory 'Heavenly Blue'






There are seasons of our lives, too. Days become weeks, months, and years, and suddenly we find ourselves aging. Perhaps we wonder where all the years went.  One thing is sure, life moves on; time flies by more quickly than we think.  Cherish each day. Really LIVE each day. Don't put off the things you want to do, and the things you want to say. Life is a precious gift. Make the most of it.


Monday, February 24, 2014

Tea with Old Country Roses

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I am using my pretty OCR teapot today.


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Perhaps you’d like to join me.


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We’re going to have Boston Blend by Harney and Sons. It has  cranberries…mmm


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I’ve made almond tea cake too. Help yourself to a slice.


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I'm joining Bernideen for Friends Sharing Tea
 and
Also Sandi for Tea Time Tuesday.

Thanks for visiting!

Beth

Friday, February 21, 2014

Butterflies in the Garden


Eastern Comma


 Female Black Swallowtail, Female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Pipevine Swallowtail, or Spicebush Swallowtail - Any experts out there who can clarify for me? I've looked at a number of these butterflies online and there are great differences in coloration in the same species. My best guess is that this is a female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. The males and some females are yellow. Since I was seeing the yellow ones in my garden at the time, that makes me think this is probably of the same species. Again, experts feel free to weigh in in the comment section.  :)





 Black Swallowtail seeking nectar from a daylily


Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 







Giant Swallowtail

Painted Lady

We also see monarchs but I wasn't able to find a good photograph. Here's hoping for many beautiful butterflies at Sunsplash Gardens in 2014!

Linking to Fertilizer Friday




Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Sunrise/Sunset for Vee's Notecard Party

Today I'm joining the monthly Notecard Party at A Haven for Vee. I have chosen the theme Sunrise/Sunset.









Last but not least, my notecard box lid:



Enjoy colorful sky shots? Three different sunrise and sunset shots I that I took can be found here.


Saturday, February 15, 2014

A Rose is a Rose And Giveaway Winner!

I'm pleased to announce that the winner of my Grow Your Blog party giveaway is Maggie of The Mag Rag. Congratulations, Maggie! I'll be emailing you for information on where to send your Starbucks gift card.

It's still winter here in the midwest, but I do have lots of pretty garden pictures on my hard drive. I recently re-visited this post from last summer, and thought you might enjoy it as much as I did.

If only the smell could come through the computer screen....  :)


 The roses have been simply spectacular the past week. They like the cool weather we've been experiencing.

The rose garden is one of the first gardens planted when we moved to our home 23 years ago. It's by the front porch. At that time, I didn't label plants so I do not know the name of most of these.





 'Double Delight'







 Buck rose 'Carefree Beauty' - in the cottage garden

 Also in the cottage garden - not sure what this rose is but it too is pretty.

Also wanted to share my martagon lily...planted 2 or 3 falls ago, finally making a spectacular appearance; this is its first time to bloom.

Still hanging around, Baltimore orioles eating a 32 oz jar of grape jelly every week...I'm happy to provide this for them as I so enjoy seeing them. I also have catbirds and robins eating the jelly.

Have a great weekend and for the fathers out there, Happy Father's Day!

Added later:  WHOOPS!!! Guess you can tell this is a repost from June!!!  lol


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