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Tuesday, October 21, 2014

pumpkin pickin'

crisp weather.  leaves changing.  hot chocolate.  fire~pits.
sipping coffee. roasting marshmallows. planting pansies  
......and pumpkin pickin'. 



it is something we look forward to all year long. 
so today we went together to find the ultimate pumpkin for
our night of pumpkin carving. 

we head to our favourite little place for 
pumpkins...reed's produce stand.
and so the search begins. 
abbey has found the snake neck gourds. 
there are little pie pumpkins, light coloured pumpkins, striped gourds.
there are pumpkins with bumps, pumpkins that are shiny, blue pumpkins, white pumpkins, cinderella pumpkins, and on and on. 
daddio is looking for the perfect pumpkin.


                       
ethan, jesse,
and daddio still looking.

        daddio is even scratching his head to figure this one out.


finally after much searching high and low,   everyone found the exact right pumpkins they want to carve....but you'll have to tune in next time to see that. 



after the pumpkin pickin' is concluded we have another little tradition of taking pictures of the kids on the wagon. 

and the silliness ensues.




we had a blast pumpkin pickin'. 
now for the carving...stay tuned.

happy days of fall,
marmee


Saturday, July 19, 2014

world's collide

i love how in the garden unexpected things happen...not all of the unexpected things that happen are good. like when all the purple broccoli you planted gets eaten by something invisible or how some seeds just don't germinate at all.  i planted nasturtiums in the spring by seed...i don't have a single one in my beds.  or how the tomatoes i grew from seed and planted on the hottest day just dried up and shriveled.

but back to the good things. this is about those things. like the fact that i adore rust and i adore plants. when these two are combined i have a surge of inspiration.

it's a rainy saturday but i don't mind...of course because i'm a gardener and we gardeners love rain.



rain brings new life like these tiny leaves on my purple moustache beans...it's growing on an old wrought iron bed in my front victory garden/potager. i love the way these tiny bright chartreuse green leaves look on the twisted purple stalk all the while twisting around this rusted wrought iron bed post. 

another view of the purple moustache beans tendrils on the rusty bed post.


also the contrast between the brightness of the green leaves of the sunflower not yet blooming and the darkness of the rusted garden gate just says to me.
 "this is right".


add in white and i'm all in. this tillandsia or air plant on a bed of moss looks so happy in this ole' bird feeder with it's rusty base. 

don't you just the love the idea of something freshly painted next to an old rusted white chair?  i do. 
lavender and rust...a must.
some of my nandina are already turning to that lovely burnt orange hue...well sitting in front of an old rusted stroller makes it twice as nice to me. 


this persian shield and ruby red caladium looks so at home next to the rusty bit of fence stuck inside the plant container. 


i got two of these white columnar stands at one of my favourite local antique spots(City Farmhouse)...i am still trying to decide the best suited area in the garden to place them. but don't you just love the bit of rust on the the top capital and the fact that they are white and textural is a big plus.

my oak~leaf hydrangea are turning from originally white to blush pink to russet pink and now this amazing colour of coppery rust. 
this could well be my favourite plant in my garden. 
close up of just one cluster of this beauty



this 1930's birdcage is hanging just outside our back door leading to the patio garden. the patina on this antique couldn't be any more beautiful. my intention for this is to put in some succulents but i could look at it all day just as it is. another find at city farmhouse here 


i hope y'all are enjoying your summer gardens and adding in whatever tickles your fancy. 


happy july,
marmee





Saturday, June 14, 2014

snippet of june in the potager

june is all about growth. it is always surprising to me after winter's bleakness...just how quickly everything bursts into life. the photos below are from our potager in the front fenced in garden...it gets full sun.
 i love this new geranium.



teddy bear magnolia blooming



tickseed

southern magnolia blossom

hot lips salvia

hot lips salvia

purple fountain grass

tri~colour sage

 pansies still blooming

lettuce heads

red leaf lettuce, lettuce heads, pansies, and beats.

i love lettuce leaves

another view of hot lips salvia

oregano

thyme with strawberries

strawberries

greens of june are bright and vibrant

birdbath

dusty miller, red pentunias, & cosmos

rosemary standard, red potato vine, red leaf lettuce, lobelia & wisteria
&
we have had constant hummers visiting the hot~lips.

white drift roses coming up on the other side of where they are planted.

limon

dahlias

dahlia buds

of course vivian is always right there with me

sedum

twirling pollinator attractor

wisteria

we have been constantly putting out suet

bright yellow dahlia

antoinette on my front porch

one look through the potager


dahlias 





happy june,

marmee