Hello sweet friends! With February’s soon arrival (Thursday), I am thinking about gardening and springtime planting!
“There is none like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is great in might.”
Jeremiah 10:6 ESV
It was so exciting to receive my delivery of Johnny’s seeds last week…zinnias, sunflowers, snapdragons, cosmos, hybrid marigold, and butterfly/hummingbird mix!
Photo journaling is the easiest way to keep me organized with what has been planted and whether it was a success or failure. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and join me as I peruse 2023’s garden!
To view the original posts, click the highlighted links.
For new readers, our garden was established in late spring of 2015. We were definitely novices when we began. We have learned so much in nine years, but gardening is always a learning experience. We will never be able to claim expert status and aren’t even trying, we just enjoy the successes and try to learn from the failures.
By mid-April, the garden’s Bloodgood Japanese Maples and Sunshine Ligustrums are showing off their brilliant colors!
Late March or early April the Kwanzan Cherry tree is in full bloom, and it is one of my favorite blooming trees. It is at least forty five years old, maybe older. It was original to the farm when we purchased it.
Snowball viburnum is another favorite spring blooming shrub/tree. We planted two several years ago by our driveway and both had produced big showy blooms every year and were healthy. We started noticing by early summer one was not looking good. We stayed hopeful but by late summer RM said it was time to cut it down, sniff! We plan on replacing it very soon.
We finally planted peonies in 2019! Karl Rosenfield is the most amazing color!
Sarah Bernhardt performed beautifully last year and she prided herself as being the star in floral arrangements! Not pictured is the fragrant Festiva Maxima.
Little Princess spirea has dainty clusters of rose pink blooms and mint green foliage. They make a pretty and compact border!
Stairway to Heaven iris is a showstopper and holds a special place in my heart. A dear blogging friend, Sandra, who was a lovely and knowledgeable gardener sent it to me several years ago. She passed away last February.
Plains coreopsis and cornflower thrive in RM’s wildflower garden. Both of us have enjoyed the two wildflower gardens which attract butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, and birds!
Ageless Beauty daylily is a great garden performer with large ivory flowers, a rose center, and frilly edge! I would love to have a spot just to plant daylilies.
Double Play Doozie spirea was new to our garden last year. It is drought tolerant, deer resistant, and flowers all summer!
Sometimes you get a lovely photo when you least expect it. I was taking photos of the amazing and vibrant gladiolus when a ruby throated hummingbird flew into the photo at just the right time! Do you see him?
Luna Red hibiscus is a compact and well branched perennial! It blooms continuously until fall.
When the sunflowers bloom, I declare a celebration! I love capturing photos of their happy faces! ProCut Bicolor sunnies are a favorite. I ordered 500 seeds of the bicolor and 500 seeds of Sunrich Summer Provence. We are trying two new varieties (new to us), Desert Sun that is a branching sunflower and Sunbright Supreme, 250 seeds each!
Last year we planted sunflowers in three locations. I loved seeing them behind the fence of the cottage garden! I can’t believe I never spotlighted the cottage garden with a blog post in 2023. I promise to do better this year!
The July stars of the garden are Hydrangea Paniculata! Five Vanilla Strawberry hydrangeas were planted in 2015. The large flower heads begin as a creamy white but will turn pink. Other panicled hydrangeas in our garden are three Limelights, two Little Lambs, and a Pink Diamond. Their blooms all grow on new wood which means they can be pruned without negatively impacting the blooms.
Through the hydrangea blooms you can see Sunshine Cottage, my adult and granddaughters’ playhouse. My sweet RM had it built for me in the summer of 2020. I have enjoyed countless hours reading, playing with dishes, serving up tea parties, spend-the-night parties on an air mattress with EM and EK, quiet afternoons listening to music, and an occasional nap!
The Garden’s Most Colorful Flowers…Zinnias
Zinnias are truly the gardens’s most colorful flowers! They give you a big bang for the buck! To keep them blooming until frost, you must deadhead! We received 2500 seeds with our recent order!
Zinnias are a pollinator’s paradise, bees and butterflies love them!
A photo taken from the cottage garden (zinnias in foreground) looking into the main garden and a view of RM’s workshop! The table is my go-to for spring, summer, and fall tablescaping!
“Gardens are not made by singing ‘oh how beautiful’ and sitting in the shade.
~Rudyard Kipling
Autumn Fire Sedum was relocated last year and it thrived in the cottage garden!
RM’s drone shot, taken last July, gives you an idea of the health of the entire garden. We had received reasonable rainfall, but soon after this photo was taken, a long dry spell became our companion!
Thank you for your visit and gracious comments. Wishing you a joy-filled day!
Linking with: Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Life and Linda
Good Morning Pam and Butch!
I so enjoyed your year in the gardens. They are spectacular! I look forward to this coming year.
So many beauties… I can not name a favorite. You photograph each plant so well. I will say I am partial to zinnias. They are so colorful.
I am off to purchase some seeds!
Then I am going to work in the Pennsylvania gardens today. They need to be tidied!
Thank you always for sharing your gardens with us. Enjoy your week to come!
Thanks so much, Nancy. Zinnias offer so much color and they are fun to grow from seed!
I always love your early garden posts, Pam. Because you are enough ahead of us that you see certain blooms before we do, it is a boost of inspiration during the last of winter! We woke to snow on the ground today so seeing these wonderful blooms reminds us that spring IS coming — maybe not tomorrow, but soon enough to plan!
Thanks so much, Jeanie. Yes spring is a ways off here, but I can plan!
I love the garden posts, especially in winter while we gardeners are dreaming about being out there! Your number of seeds is mind-boggling to me, Pam! Will you plant them all this year? Do you scatter, or methodiclaly place the seeds? Do you start any indoors?
I actually was outside last Th and Fri, weeding in my landscape, and pruned one plant. It was such a nice break after all the snow and frigid temps!
Im looking forward to your 2024 gardens!
Thank you, Rita! I like your questions, we have never started indoors. With sunflowers we will try succession planting again. A couple of years ago, the deer were a problem in the latter planting. Seeds are cheaper in bulk. Also we may keep some for next year. Butch has been out this afternoon tidying up around plants. I can’t wait for your garden this year!
Everything looks so beautiful! You are an inspiration. I dream of planting an English garden but so far everything I have planted has been eaten by the neighborhood deer. This year I am going to plant less and focus on the things I really love and can contain from them.
HAve a wonderful day!
Thank you, Elizabeth. Deer can be a problem as well as rabbits. Happy week!
Pam, Your garden is always gorgeous! I’m excited to see the new varieties of sunflowers. I also enjoy the colorful pics in the midst of a dreary winter. Today we’re to have sunshine and mild temps which is so welcome after all the snow, freezing temps and week of rain. We got our catalog from Johnnies in the mail yesterday. Thanks for sharing that in your posts. We’ll be perusing it soon. Enjoy your day! Clara❤️
Thank you, Clara! It was a beautiful day here and warmed up to 60 degrees. Let me know if you order any seeds from Johnny’s. I received a new catalog yesterday and I see a few things I want to try this year!
Pam, everything looks so beautiful and cheerful. Your pass-along irises are a true treasure. I have an entire bed of Louisiana irises given to me by the professor who hired me at Clemson, along with several Althea and nandina. He was such a dear man, affectionately called Repro Joe for his research with dairy cows. I too would love to know how you all prepare the seeds and plant your wildflower garden, zinnias, and sunflowers. I would like to start a wildflower garden too.
Thank you, Roxanne. Irises are a great pass-along plant! Your Louisiana bed sounds lovely. Butch is learning more about the wildflower garden and I hope he enlarges it this summer. I should do a post when he starts planting!
I can almost smell the garden. It takes a lot of sweat to maintain a garden but the joy received is so worth it. And even I get excited to know that you are planning another year of beautiful flowers for your enjoyment and ours. We have too much shade to plant in the ground but I still do plant pots that can be moved around to suite my whelms. Last year we planted red geraniums around the mailbox that has full sun that we enjoyed until October. We had a new weed that overtook the lawn and every planted bed. The lawn looked awful until we learned what the new weed was and had the lawn guy spray. I so enjoy reading about your ventures into gardening and seeing the beauty and the surprises sometimes that happen. Especially when Butch hides and gets the very best surprises. Thank you Butch.
Thank you, Alice. I love container planting, it is versatile and can be moved. I know the letter carrier appreciated the geraniums at the mailbox! I suspect Butch will be hiding attempting to get photos this summer!
I so admire your gardening skills Pam, and your garden is one of my favorite places to visit! It looks beautiful in every season, and your blooms are always so fabulous. I can’t pick a favorite, but the Iris is incredible, and I love your sunflowers and peonies…I love them all! That sounds like quite a lot of seeds you ordered, how do you ever plant that many? I’m glad that January is almost behind us and you will be gardening soon!
Thank you, Jenna. Butch has been out all afternoon tidying up the garden! It is a chore to plant so many seeds, some are kept for later plantings. Have a nice evening!
Snowball Viburnum! That’s what I’ve been searching for. I’ve seen it in yards around town but never knew what it was called. I tried to describe it – “like a hydrangea, but on a little tree” and I came up with nothing. “a giant carnation” didn’t work either. Thanks so much for labeling everything! Spring is near and God is good.
Yes, God is good. I am so glad you discovered helpful info on the blog post!
Good morning, Pam! Seeing your beautiful gardens always makes me happy! They are truly stunning. I am so excited for spring to arrive. We have had a very cold, dreary winter, but experienced a warm up yesterday with temperatures in the 60s. The warmup had me dreaming of spring. I’m going to do some research on growing spirea in my zone. Your varieties are so pretty, and I love that they are deer resistant. I ran a few out of my yard this morning. They seem to be taking up residence this winter. It looks like they helped themselves to my autumn blaze ferns and coral bells. Thanks for all of your beautiful inspiration this morning. It made this winter day brighter! Your gardens belong in a magazine. Have a most wonderful day, sweet friend!
Thank you, Shannon, you are so sweet! I hope you can grow spirea, there are so many beautiful varieties. Deer are really problem in so many areas. Enjoy the rest of the week, dear one!
Good morning. Your garden pictures are heavenly. My favorite flower is peony and yours are gorgeous. I just found out recently when I had them in my past gardens they need ants to bloom. I always wondered why ants were always on the plants. Do you think that is true or do you know if that is true? Very interesting. Have a great new week. Hugs. Kris
Thanks so much, Kris.
Here is an article that I read about ants and peonies.
It is a myth that peonies require ants to bloom. The relationship between peonies and ants is a type of mutualism in which two organisms of different species benefit from the activity of one another. Peony flowers provide food for ants and in turn, the ants protect the blossoms from other floral-feeding insects.
When I cut a peony bloom, I shake it lightly and this I gently mist off any remaining ants.
Unbelievably beautiful and always inspiring. Loved this photo journal post.
Thank you to my gardening friend!
Be still my heart…the drone shot says it all …well planned, lovingly planted and generously shared. All your blooms attest to the tender attention they receive… so healthy and happy .
The peonies, iris, and hydrangea sing out beauty and the sunflowers sing out with joy. What
a hard-won blessing this beautiful garden is to all.
Thank you, Mary. As you know, gardening is hard work. I hope we are both up for the challenge this year!
Beautiful gardens. What is the blue blooming plant growing in the pot next to the chair in the cottage garden?
EM’s pic in RM’s Sunday post is Beautiful. She has lost her little girl look, sadly, but she is becoming a beautiful young woman. I know you are proud of her and the other 2 as well.
Thanks so much Mildred. This is the first time to plant a ‘whirlwind starlight’ fan flower (Scaevola aemula). I am a fan of the fan flower…it has bloomed constantly and its blue/lavender color is unique. Thank you for your sweet comments about our EM!
I love all these pretty blooms Pam. As always, your sunflowers touch my heart! I was just thinking that I need to do some sprucing up to get ready for some Spring planting. Hope your February is filled with love. Hugs and blessings, Cindy
Thank you, Cindy! Hugs and blessings sweet lady!
Thank you for sharing your beautiful garden and flower therapy on a drizzly, gray morning Pam. I’m late visiting as I spent yesterday setting up my table and flowers for MMB to photograph today. Between that and an awful cold I came down with, I was worn out. I can appreciate all the sweat equity and work that you and Butch put into your garden to yield so much beauty. I always look forward to peony season and Sarah Bernhardt is a favorite. I need to be more diligent with my zinnia deadheading but August’s heat and humidity makes it a challenge. Look forward to seeing you garden as it grows and evolves this year. Your sunflowers are my favorites. ♥
Thank you, Mary! I hope you are feeling better Mary❤️
Pam, I love this post so much. The quote is so true. It is lots of work and you two do an amazing job.
Thank you dear one!
There is something wonderful when the seed packets arrive! And nothing better than paging back through the beautiful blooms that y’all enjoy during 2023. I’m excited to see all the beauty that will sound you during 2024!
Thank you, Mary. Happy February, spring will be here before we turn around ❤️
Your photos “sow seeds” (!) of joy and tranquility in my spirit, Pam! Every bloom is a gorgeous sight to behold!
You are so sweet and thank you, Nancy!
Nancy, I am so happy you enjoyed!
Amazing! Breathtaking! Great tribute to sweet Sandra too… Thank you very much for sharing! Hugs and blessings.
What a gorgeous garden and can’t decide which flower I like the best. Thanks for sharing at TFT#645. I’m sharing #67 through 71. Have a great week. Nancy Andres @ Colors 4 Health
oh my goodness, this is such a sight for all of us who are making our way through the gray damp cold of winter. thank you, friend, for reminding us of what is to come … beautiful blooms, green grass, warm fresh air, and smiles all around.
i hope you guys are doing well …
What beautiful flowers. Flowers, like music, evoke memories from long ago. I love the iris.
So many things we can’t grow here in the heat.
Yes, they do evoke memories. My grandmother always had beautiful irises. Thanks so much!
A delightful walk through your garden Pam with cuppa in hand!
Blessings sweet friend, Jennifer
I am so happy you joined me, sweet friend!
Oh my gosh Pam! All of these photos of your garden are beautiful and how nice is it that there seems to be something that comes into bloom almost every month. I love the snowball viburnum – I’ll have to research and see if they will grow in our zone here. Some people here have even had luck with hydrangeas – I can only dream lol. Spirea will grow here as well. Seeing all your lovely flowers makes me itch to get outside – sadly, there is about a foot of snow so I’ll have to live vicariously through your lovely garden. Have a wonderful week thinking about all those new seeds!
Thank you, Kim. Oh my, a foot of snow on the ground sounds difficult to deal with. I didn’t realize you could grow spirea. There are so many beautiful varieties! Happy Week to you!
So much beauty all in one post! The photos are absolutely stunning! I so enjoyed this.
Thanks so much, Cheryl!