Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts

Monday, June 25, 2018

Something New In The Sun Garden ~ Cosmos


I tried something new in the front sun garden this spring.
I spread Cosmos seeds early in the year, and we've
enjoyed a colorful bounty of delicate blooms since spring.

For over a decade, I've had Knockout Roses growing in the front.
They were a lovely welcome as you approached our home
and perfect year round in this sunny spot. Over the past
year they began to decline and limp along.  
I decided to pull them out to try something different.
Not knowing what I want to plant just yet, 
I simply scattered Cosmos seeds in after the new year. 

I'm happy I did!  
These easy growing flowers are perfect for 
our sunny spot at the front walk.

Cosmos is from the Greek word, kosmos, 
which means beautiful.

And beautiful they have been, with their tall feathery leaves
and vibrant colors ~ magenta, pink, orange, and white.

 Cosmos attract bees, and bees have certainly been buzzing around.
Here is one I managed to capture on the nearby Coneflowers.

My favorite thing about these pretty blooms, 
is that they are easy to grow, attract bees and butterflys, and are
perfect as cut flowers to bring inside to fill containers in our home.

Their bright colors and daisy like appearance 
are sure to bring a smile, don't you think?

 They are perfect happy blooms with which to fill my
MacKenzie-Childs vases, mugs, and flower frog bowls
of various patterns in the Taylor ceramics.

They are also the perfect addition to 
my favorite Courtly Check!

Since I'm linking this post to two special garden parties,
I baked Coconut Cherry Cupcakes for us.
It is a party after all!
Check back later in the week for a full post 
and details on these tasty cherry treats.
Be sure to stop by and visit the other garden posts.
Dates and links below.
Everyday Living with Pam
At Home With Jemma ~ Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson ~
Home and Gardening With Liz ~  Life and Linda ~
Poofing The Pillows

 Also Joining

Continue Reading....
31 comments
Labels: , ,

Monday, June 4, 2018

The Magnolias Are In Bloom



 Breathe deeply and take in the intoxicating scent.  
The Magnolias are in bloom!

 We don't have a magnolia tree growing in our yard,
but fortunately magnolias are abundant in our neighborhood.

 On occasion, I'll snip a bloom or two
from a neighbor's tree to bring into our home.

Few treees have such a magnificant bloom.

 The blooms are short lived, but oh my,
the fragrance is exotic and intoxicating.

 The magnolia tree is an ancient genus.
With many varieties, it is the Magnolia Grnadiflora
that commonly grows here in Austin.


The Magnolia is a harbinger of spring.

Each day as I take my morning walk,
the neighborhood is filled
with a very distinct lemony fragrance.


It announces the magnolia blooms
that are in abundance this time of year.

These splendid white beauties are named
for the 17th century French botanist, Pierre Magnol.

Native to both Asia and the Americas, the evergreen
tree has leathery leaves and gorgeous large white blooms.

Considered to be very primitive,
the blooms are similar to the very first flowers.

Magnolia blooms open in layers,
can be as large as 10 inches across,
and have as many as 14 tepals.

Both Mississippi and Louisiana
selected Magnolias as their state flower.


It's no surprise that these
blooms are associated with . . .

Beauty,

Perseverance,

Dignity and,

Nobility

Join me on the 
terrace for a cup of tea.

We'll talk spring gardens and take in the beauty
and fragrance of my neighbors' magnolia trees.

Joining  Pam @ Everyday Living
for her first Gardens Galore Party of 2018.

Continue Reading....
27 comments
Labels: , ,

Friday, May 25, 2018

Iris, the Perfect Pass Along Plant


My friends are hosting their monthly Garden Party.
This post is a reprise from one shared in 2015.
Do you grow iris in your garden.
I'd love to know your favorite varieties.


I 
is for Iris

In Greek mythology, Iris is the goddess 
of the rainbow and messenger of the gods.

In classical legends she traveled the rainbow down to
earth to deliver messages from the gods.

There is a tradition in Greece to plant purple iris
on the graves of women to summon the goddess to
guide the soul of the deceased individual to her heavenly home.

Irises, popular garden flowers,
take their name from this Greek goddess
because of the variety of colors
found within the species.

In Victorian times, an Iris meant
"I have a message for you."

The fleur-de-lys, modeled in the shape of an iris,
 and used by the kings of France as their royal emblem,
has been a symbol of France for centuries.

Digital Image courtesy of the Getty's Open Content Program

Irises, by Van Gogh, was painted in
1889 while at the asylum in Saint-Rémy, France.
One of the first paintings Van Gogh painted
while a patient there, his brother, Theo, immediately 
recognized its quality and submitted it to the
Salon des Indépendants in September 1889.
Today this painting is in the permanent collection of the 
J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, CA.

Iris are perennials
that grow from rhizomes.

My iris are mostly "pass along plants" from friends.
I grew up in a family of gardeners,
and it was common practice with my mother
and aunts and their mother before them to divide plants
growing in their gardens and share them with friends
and family who then planted them in their own gardens.

I rather like the tradition!


Beautiful as they are, 
cut iris only last a couple of days.
I usually just enjoy 
them blooming in my garden.

One of my readers, 
wrote to tell me that 
she has these wonderful "pass along" iris 
from her grandmother's garden.
How special is that?
Thanks, Gina, for sharing this beautiful heirloom with us.

Thanks to our garden hosts.  Stop by to visit their links below.
Home and Gardening with Liz ~ Life and Linda  
Poofing the Pillows




Continue Reading....
23 comments
Labels: ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)