“The earth is the Lord ‘s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.”
Psalms 24:1-2
Hello dear friends. Tuesday usually means a tablescape, but with the clouds and rain it is next to impossible to take decent photos. However, gloomy days are perfect for garden dreaming and planning. Longtime readers know that we established our garden in the late spring of 2015. I had zero experience in gardening. It has been a giant learning curve that will continue. Gardening is not for the weak of heart. We have experienced so much joy in seeing the garden mature and flourish. But with the joy also comes aggravation. Last summer we dealt with armadillos digging inside the garden. There is no easy way to rid the garden or yard of armadillos. Country living has its fabulous perks, but also its pest problems! Let’s take a look at my 2019 garden photo journal!
To view the original posts click the blue highlighted link.
We have a couple of snowball viburnums, they are early spring bloomers and are stunning when in full bloom!
Adagio maiden grasses were pruned in mid January. Early spring shows they are back!
Azaleas make a beautiful show in spring…pride of Mobile is a showstopper!
We planted zinnias in late April. Seeds are inexpensive and produce a large crop!
“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.”
-Margaret Atwood
The bronze statue is the focal point of the garden. It was sourced locally and came from an Atlanta estate. In case you noticed, it is a fountain. We have had it for many years and initially it was a working fountain, but too much trouble for my Renaissance Man. Intensia blueberry phlox was beautiful in the May garden, but it didn’t survive the heat of summer. Even though I loved its color, I won’t be planting this annual again.
By mid-May the garden is green and growing. A misty fog often appears behind the garden, a phenomenon we can’t explain! A possible explanation is the proximity to a big bend in the river and nearby ridges.
Summer in the garden brings the much loved hydrangeas
The dining area of the garden shows how much the adagio grasses have grown. Limelight and vanilla-strawberry hydrangeas are blooming
Day lilies (echoes of mercy) are dependable and provide beautiful color!
“Gardening simply doesn’t allow one to be mentally old, because too many hopes and dreams are yet to be realized.”
-Allan Armitage
I have a severe case of sunflower love!
We plant seeds each year with hopes that they germinate before the birds discover!
Their bright yellow faces make me happy!
“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”
-Audrey Hepburn
Zinnias have become a favorite flower! Two rules to follow. Don’t plant sparingly and don’t thin.
So many colors to enjoy!
Late August in the garden with the showy limelight and vanilla strawberry hydrangeas…I highly recommend them!
Last year was our first time to try our hand with dahlias. Lavender perfection was our biggest success, in spite of the armadillos!
Bodacious dahlia lives up to the name!
Mid-October the Monarchs visited the garden with zinnias as their preferred flower!
Sunshine Ligustrums and Bloodgood Japanese maples bring autumn color!
I can’t wait to be out in the garden again. For now it is still enjoying its winter sleep. Thanks so much for your visits and gracious comments. Wishing you a delightful day!
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Imparting Grace, Calypso in the Country
Gorgeous Pam! I love that mysterious fog that hugs your garden. Thank you for turning me on to planting zinnia seeds last year, so much reward for such little effort…the bees and butterflies love it! I’m going throw out more seed this year in a virgin mulched area after our frost date in April. We’re late to clean up the garden this year and just cut back the Limelight Hydrangeas last weekend. I wore out my hand cutting those thick canes! Thank you for the garden dreams on a dreary January day. ♥
Thank you Mary. Zinnias are wonderful and so easy. They give so much color to the garden and are fabulous for cutting!
I’m going to try planting zinnias again this year. By the time I got my bed ready last year it was too late to plant for success. You have inspired me.
We have had armadillos for years. We have trapped them, sprayed for grubs they like to eat but it is a losing battle. They have damaged our grass but now the moles totally have destroyed it. Armadillos are better than moles.
Your garden photos are beautiful and it is fun to dream about spring coming and gardening time.
You have done a lot in four years.
Bonnie, moles and chipmunks can wreak havoc. It is always a challenge. Have a good day!
Dear Pam, you have given us a post of beauty in abundance. So much to look forward to in the days ahead. My favorite photo, among all the beauties, is the photo of the garden in fog. I do love it. I don’t envy your dreadful armadillos. I hope for you they will take up a new residence this year. Enjoy your dreaming, it is what all gardeners do this time of year. Have a lovely week, sweet friend.❤
Thanks so much Sandra. I didn’t even mention the digging of skunks 🙄 Happy Tuesday!
Your garden is filled with exquisite beauty and I suspect has great beauty even on the grayest of days. I rather like the fog behind the fountain, that’s a beautiful image. I never even THINK of armadillos up here. To have an invasion of them is something that baffles me! Ah, the challenges that vary in different regions! Thanks for sharing so much color and beauty with us today. It’s gray and gloomy here, too and this is a burst of joy.
Thanks so much Jeanie. You are correct, there are challenges for the gardener wherever you live. Have a wonderful day!
What you all have done in a short time to create such beauty is amazing. My green thumb is lacking, but I keep trying.
Linda, thank you. Your Maine garden is beautiful!
I always look forward to your garden posts and seeing your garden in all it’s glory during all seasons! I am so impressed that you and Butch have become such prolific gardeners in such a short time! As much as I love flowers, I don’t like to dig in the dirt, that is hard work 😂 I might try zinnias this year, I really enjoyed seeing your zinnias last year…your dahlias were amazing too! As I always tell you, your garden always looks beautiful to me…I love the photos with the fog, magical!
Jenna
Jenna, give zinnias a try. Gardening is hard work, but it does have dividends. If only I could paint the flowers in my garden, I guess I will have to settle for photos!
Good morning Pam! Your beautiful garden pics are so colorful on such a dreary day. The fog in your garden makes such a lovely picture & is a favorite.
Your fountain is gorgeous and I’ve always admired it! Your garden is magnificent & you’ve had great success in these past 5 years! Congratulations! It seems all our gardens are always subject to predators! I hope your armadillos move on to greener pastures and leave your wonderful garden alone! I have always loved zinnias & they are a favorite. Gardening is so much work but it’s so rewarding. Thank you for a lovely post! Enjoy your day! Clara ❤️
Clara,thank you dear one. Your comments are always so sweet and encouraging. Armadillos have become my enemy for certain. I am afraid they are here to stay. Have a most wonderful day ❤️
Pam, I adore your beautiful garden, and today’s visit had me dreaming of spring! Yesterday, it got up to 66 degrees. However, today, it is back in the 30s with more rain. I’m going to research Zinnias and see if they will grow in my area. If so, I’m definitely going to plant some seeds. Happy Tuesday, sweet friend!
Yesterday was so dreary here, but hopefully the sun will break through the fog soon. I hope zinnias will work for you and I think they will. Have a wonderful day my friend!
Your garden is lovely and your photographs and comments would make a beautiful book!
Aw, thank you so much Mary!
It is hard to believe your garden is only 5 years old. It is simply magnificent!! I’m glad to hear you don’t thin your zinnias with success…I have good intentions to follow the instructions but never get back to that! Someone has bought the house across the pond from us. My private shangri-la has been destroyed. My late neighbor was a master gardener. This man has had a crew with bulldozers out for weeks cutting down literally everything, including the trees on the bank. Every time it rains, the pond fills with red mud. Thousands of daffodils, peonies, rose bushes, camellias, etc…gone. I feel physically sick every time I look out the window.
Roxanne, what is this man thinking? He apparently has no clue. Cutting down peonies, roses, daffodils, etc., that would make me physically sick. I am so sorry you have lost the magnificent garden view.
Pam, he bulldozed a raised stone bed similar to yours, filled in a beautiful fish pond full of koi, knocked down an arbor covered with New Dawn roses with a swing. Harold must be rolling in his grave…50 years of hard labor gone.
Unimaginable and so sad!
This post is all about my favorite word . . . Hope. Gardeners have hope in their hearts, vision in their eyes and seeds all over the garage! I’ve always wanted one of those snowball trees, but have limited nursery resources. I may have to try mail order. Thanks for the inspiration.
Yes, gardening is hope. Thank you Leslie Anne!
I love your garden! I saw an Agapanthus in one of your pics. What kind of success did you have growing that plant? I garden in Zone 7 up here near Nashville, Tn and think our winter is too cold. (even tho this winter is turning out to be quite mild….so far.)
Hi Mildred, thank you. I have had success with that agapanthus, but some I planted last year never bloomed. I don’t think I will plant anymore.
Pam, I honestly believe you have one of the top gardens on the web. So lush, and I can imagine the movement you get with a breeze….with the grasses and larger plants. And, I’m like you—already collecting seeds and gazing wistfully at the greenhouse….chomping at the bit to get plants started maybe in March out there! First thing will be a batch of Caladiums in their pots for our shady backyard—as they take so long to come up. Thank-you for all your gorgeous posts. Sigh, winter is so long in Chicagoland.
Sandi, you are so sweet and kind. I hope you are doing better sweet lady.
Your lovely post is a beautiful bright spot in an otherwise hum-drum day. Thank you for taking the time to write it and include such wonderful photos and links to more loveliness. In spite of the snow covering my gardens, the inspiration found in your post was so great that it had me looking out of my own window and visualizing some of your garden’s enamoring beauty in my own.
Thank you for your sweet and kind remarks. I think of you and your mother often. My hubby’s 93 year old dad passed away two weeks ago, he had dementia. So sad.
I’m sorry for your family’s recent loss. Thank you for your caring thoughts. One only needs to walk alongside a loved one with dementia for a little while before their hearts open wide to those on a similar path.
I look forward to reading each of your beautiful posts.
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
I so enjoy reaping the rewards of your labor. Thanks for sharing one of the prettiest gardens that is not professionally planted and maintained. A garden of love and hard work. Hope this will be the best year ever. Looking forward to all your posts.
Thank you sweet Bobbie. No, you are correct, Butch and I do all the work.
how beautiful and inspiring!
Honora – via IG
Thank you Honora, I am so happy you visited❤️
It has been so long since I blogged. but I have added you to my reading list – couldn’t manage to subscribe on your blog, but have accomplished the work-around.
I don’t know the reason why some have trouble subscribing and commenting. I have that same problem on others’ blogs. Thanks again Honora!
oh Pam, these stunning blooms bring life and hope to a dull winter day. bless you for bringing them our way!
Thank you and my pleasure, Linda.
There has been no sun in Michigan for days. Lovely lady, you have brought sunshine in my life today. Thank you.
Thank you Nancy. We had a sunny day today and it was a welcome change!
Roxanne’s saga about Harold’s garden got me teary…all that labor of love through the years to be brought to a close by a bulldozer of all things. They may bring in their own rendition of a
garden service and spend a fortune reformulating the terrain, but wind up with a synthetic vision
of what they consider a landscape… Can’t you tell I am annoyed and ready to protest across the
pond?? On the other hand, you and Butch have created a garden of great bones and design
and allowed nature to take its magical course…Great labor – great love. Our garden awaits the sunshine Ligustrums, vanilla-strawberry hydrangea, with beaucoup packs of zinnia seeds in
readiness.
I thought the same thing about Roxanne’s saga. There will be a cookie cutter landscape job professionally don and maintained. Tragic is what I call it.
Thank you my friend. Have a delightful week!
Oh sweet Pam you have me yearning for our LakeHouse Gardens! I am hoping there was enough snow this year. I hear they are having a mild winter again. It makes me worry for my perennials as they love that blanket of snow for insulation.
Your garden always makes me smile… and you know how much I love Zinnias. I may have to ask my sister to get over to the LakeHouse and plant Zinnias for me in Early May or late April. We get there just a bit too late in May and I don’t get the Zinnias until August/September.
The fog makes for amazing pictures I am sure! I love it! Thanks for the Garden Therapy today! Happy Tuesday sweet one! 💗
Thanks so much Nancy. Yes, get the zinnias planted earlier if you can. I love your Arizona garden also, so different from mine, but absolutely stunning!
I love the winter stillness that happens before everything wakes up again in spring! It always brings a rest and peace to my spirit. Each season has its own beauty and charm, if we just look for it. You demonstrate that so beautifully here on your blog, sweet friend. May the dear Lord bless you and your family today!
Thank you Cheryl. Winter is a wonderful time of reflection and rest.
I always enjoy pictures of your beautiful garden!
Thanks so much Penny!
Fabulous! Magnificent ! It is a pleasure visiting your adorable garden! Hugs!
Thank you Maristella!
Your photos definitely make me ready for spring!
I think we all get anxious!
Pam, it was such a joy to take this trip through your gardens. You and Butch have done an outstanding job. Hard work. A few disappointments (bad critters). Mostly joy. You inspire us by living life beautifully Every Day. God Bless.
Thank you so much my friend. Blessings ❤️
Good Morning Pam.
I am marveling at the stunning natural and formal beauty of your gardens. To think that you have accomplished all of this glory in such a short amount of time, is a testimony to your hard work and God’s blessings!
I enjoy sharing the joy of gardening with you.
We both tried our hand a Dahlia’s this year and we both love the easy carefree style of the zinnia.
I am in awe of those hydrangeas.
We had a beast of an armadillo in our Texas home too. In fact one morning we saw the perpetrator scurrying through the woods with her two children! From that point on, I sort of forgave her troublesome ways. Sort of….
Happy Friday!
Jemma
You are such a sweetheart, Jemma. Oh, those armadillos😳. Thank you for your gracious visit and wishing you a most wonderful week!
Your garden is gorgeous!! I love looking at the photos on such a cold and dreary day. They brighten the day right up! I love the hydrangeas! So pretty!!!
Delightful journal of blooming days Pam! Your Garden is in Winter quiet now isn’t it?
Anything interesting happening though, as sometimes we get little surprises in our winter garden. 😉
Bless you dear friend,
Jennifer
Thank you Jennifer. No winter surprises yet. Have a beautiful week!
You too Pam! 😀
Your garden is beautiful. I love the bronze statue.
Thank you Sheryl!
These photos are stunning, Pam. I love flowers, and these are so beautiful. I am amazed at your talent with this, and your, and Butch’s, hard word. I wish that I had the patience to garden.
Thank you my sweet and dear friend. It is a lot of work as you know. Love and hugs❤️
Pam, your gardens are magnificent!
Thank you dear Shirley!
Beautiful flowers and garden! Spring gives us so much to look forward to.
You have such a lovely garden, casual but with a touch of formality and elegance! It is obvious how much joy you derive from it. I think for me it is very motivating -to dream, to enjoy, to do!
Thank you so much Maria 👩🏻🌾
Wow, those Hydrangea and Azalea blooms are amazing ~ beautiful! I love the Margaret Atwood quote. Thanks for sharing your garden again. Visiting from Best of the Month.
Thanks so much for visiting Allyson!