Tuesday, April 23, 2013

The Garden Makes Me Smile!



Even though we had a late frost last Friday that killed most of my annuals, the garden continues to grow more beautiful every day with new blooms and leaves awakening from their winter slumber. I can't help but smile every time I see something new. Let's take a look....


The Azaleas are almost ready to burst into bloom and the Columbines are blooming.

"Frisk Me" Dwarf Iris, Silver Artemisia and Creeping Phlox.

This little fairy likes to hide among the Columbine and Poppies.

Penstemon "Prairie Twilight" in foreground surrounded by Penstemon "Husker Red", Daylily, Sedum, Poppies and Iris.

"Cat's Eye" Dwarf Iris with Sweet William.

These little gnomes live down the path from the other family of gnomes. Their house is surrounded by Bee Balm and Black-Eyed Susans.

This past weekend my hubby cleaned out the herb bed (last year's  Apple Mint had gone crazy) and planted new herbs. Included are Chocolate Mint (yummy!), Cilantro, Oregano, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme.These are right outside the back door so they are very close to the kitchen.

Many of my gardening friends have decided to raise chickens so I thought I'd get some too....I bet mine are easier to take care of! They were a gift from my hubby.

And to think this vine was only a foot tall and very sick last year. We gave it a lot of TLC and look at it now!!

These flowers surround the Zelkova tree in the front yard by the seating area. Last year I tried something different with my seeds...I mixed them all together and threw them down instead of planting each kind separately. This is what I got....I really like this look! 

More "Frisk Me" Dwarf Iris, Mums and the old wheelbarrow is planted with white Salvia.

The shrub is a Mock Orange and I believe it's going to bloom for the first time since we planted it about three years ago. The orange flower is "Apricot Swirl" Wallflower.

The Columbines and Dianthus in the front corner bed. Soon there will also be Coneflowers and Black-Eyed Susans.

Columbines surrounded by Dwarf Iris, Black-Eyed Susans, Cheddar Pinks, Coreopsis and Lilies. 

Our spring weather continues to improve with warmer days and nights. I've been able to do quite a bit of work in the garden...weeding, trimming, planting and mulching. One thing I know for sure....I will never be done....my garden is always changing and improving!
 I just love it!!

Happy Gardening!

Words and Photos Property of Christys Cottage Wildlife Garden.
















56 comments:

  1. Nice garden awakenings! I laughed when I saw your chickens -- I have the same set, but two of the baby chicks lost their metal legs. I have to set them on the ground on their little tummies. Happy spring!

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    1. Hi Laurrie....How funny that you have the same chickens!! Poor little babies lost their legs...LOL. Our neighbor (has since moved) had real chickens. I thought they were great until I saw them scraping huge chunks out of my flower beds with their big claws. That was the last time they were allowed on my property!! Happy spring to you too!! Thanks so much for visiting!

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  2. The 'frisk me' iris is so sweet. Cute fairy and love those chickens.
    Your whole place looks so neat and ready to go for the season.

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    1. Hi GoSS....Thanks so much! The Dwarf Iris' really outdid themselves this year. I love having cute little decorations in the garden. I think they add a bit of whimsy. Thanks for dropping by!

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  3. Gorgeous! You have so many beautiful blooms. The combination of the pink Azaleas and purple Columbines is stunning. Those metal chickens are so cute:) Looks like Spring is in full swing.

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    1. Hi Steph....Thank you so much for you comments. I must be drawn to shades of pink, purple, red and yellow because when I look at my garden, those are the dominant colors (just like my clothes.)I really like the chickens too....that was a nice surprise from hubby. Thanks so much for visiting!

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  4. I absolutely love those blue columbines! Gorgeous! And your azalea is full of buds! I have a hard time with azaleas, so to see that many buds is just amazing to me! I also love your little chicken family. Those are the kind of chickens I would want to have, too. No trouble!

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    1. Hi there! Thank you so much! I just love Columbines and finally this year they began to put on a show. I buy a few each year but sometimes they don't make it...not sure why. I never do anything special to those Azaleas and every year they just shine! Those chickens were such a thoughtful gift from my hubby! Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  5. Oh yes, your garden has Sprung to life! I am sorry you lost your annuals, sigh. Love love love your chickens and your gnomes are just the cutest. My hubby does not like Gnomes but I have snuck a few into the gardens. He just frowns every time he sees them. My garden and yes, we are Never finished with gardening. I am sure when my time comes to an end, I will be holding a hand full of dirt....

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    1. Hi Skeeter....Yes, I will probably be holding some dirt too!! We sure love our gardens don't we!! I wouldn't have minded losing the annuals too much except that I have to replace part of the Big Surprise, so now it will take even longer for it to mature enough to post a picture. Thanks so much for visiting!

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  6. Your gardens are so beautiful, Christy! Love your columbine. Love the view with the tree surrounded by flowers too. Everything looks great!

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    1. Hi Beth....Thank you so much for your comments....I really appreciate them! I really liked the "look" of all the flowers coming up together after I mixed the seeds and threw them down. I will probably do it that way when I sow the seeds in Morrow Park III. Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  7. Your garden is beautiful Christy! I love all those irises and the phlox and artemisia look really good together. So sorry about the frost. It is unusual around here but again they are calling for it to be cold. Unreal-but good gardening weather. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow!

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    1. Hi Tina...thanks so much! The Dwarf Irises really outdid themselves this year. I have to redo part of the Big Surprise because the frost really got to some of the flowers in it, but I will be able to post a picture at some point! Looking forward to our Garden Buddy lunch and will see you today!! Thanks for visiting!

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  8. I think I'm a little in love with your garden, Christy! Such a wonderful array of beautiful plants. Your old planted up wheelbarrow is a particular favourite of mine, along with the stunning columbines ( we call them Granny's Bonnet here :-) )

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    1. Hi Paula....that is so sweet of you to say!! I have to say I'm a little (lot) in love with the garden too!! You can't see it in the picture, but the wheelbarrow has a metal wheel in front which makes it really special to us. I will post another picture once the Salvias mature a bit. I think I like the name Granny's Bonnet better than Columbine! Thanks so much for visiting and your wonderful comments!

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  9. Okay, Christy, I just HAVE to have those dwarf irises! I'm going to look for them online RIGHT NOW. They're just GORGEOUS! Well, your entire garden is gorgeous!

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    1. Hi Kylee....thank you so much for your comments! I'm pretty sure I bought those Iris from the Schreiners Iris catalog I got about a year ago. They had grouped them together for one price. I hope you can find them as I agree, they are really pretty and don't take a lot of care. Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  10. So sorry to hear about your annuals, Christy; our last frost date isn't for a couple of weeks, so I'll be waiting to plant mine, but I know there's always that chance of an unusual late frost. Everything looks so beautiful, though! I've come to love columbines--you have such a lovely selection. And all those irises--gorgeous! Having grown up on a farm where chickens roamed around--and made messes everywhere--I much prefer your easy-care chickens, too:)

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    1. Hi Rose...thank you so much! The Iris and Columbines really look good this year so I'm very happy. I never realized how destructive chickens were until my neighbor, who has since moved, got some and they came into my yard and dug up my gardens....that was when I decided they weren't as "cute" as I had originally thought they were! I prefer my chickens too! Thanks so much for visiting!

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  11. Your garden is truly spectacular! Love it!

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    1. Hi Beth...thank you so much! I really appreciate your nice comments! I'm so happy you stopped by!

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  12. Just beautiful...I love the charm of the flowers and ornaments...and that herb garden is really wonderful.

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    1. Hi Donna...thank you so much! I think the ornaments add some whimsy to my cottage garden and I can't wait to start using some of those herbs...especially the chocolate mint!! Thanks so much for dropping by!

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  13. I love your dwarf iris. :0)Beautiful garden.

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    1. Hi Randy....I'm so glad you found my blog. I got lucky with all my dwarf Iris...I think they're all so pretty. Thank you for your nice comments and I hope you visit again. Soon I'll be revealing the Big Surprise my hubby and I made in our front garden....it's pretty amazing!

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  14. Beautiful gardens coming in bloom. We are so far behind you, but have a whole week of days in the seventies which will push the bloom. I love your chickens. Mine live inside in my dining room and kitchen.

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    1. Hi Donna....thanks so much! I'm so glad you're getting some nice spring weather! I really like those chickens too....surprisingly low maintenance for chickens...and I didn't need to build a chicken coop...LOL. Thanks for visiting!

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  15. Sorry about all those annuals! I love the twig fence in your herb garden! Wonderful!

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    1. Hi....I just replanted some of the Big Surprise yesterday, so hopefully no more frost! We saw the twig structure while visiting the farm garden at the Biltmore Estate so we came home and copied it. I love getting ideas from other gardens and places! So glad you stopped by!

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  16. Beautiful garden can really help change mood of your outdoor living space and make you feel comfortable especially if your garden have colorful and blooming flowers and plants.

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  17. And besides the gorgeous flowers I love your rock borders. I do the same thing only with limestone. Sadly though I think its in the soil as well meaning azaleas don't do well here....:(

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    1. Hi tb....Thank you so much!! When we had our soil tested we were right in the middle of the scale! I know how lucky that is for a gardener! For the most part, I can grow just about anything. For plants that like acid soil, I occasionally give them some Muracid after flowering. We've touched every one of those rocks numerous times...it's quite a workout! Thanks so much for dropping by!

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  18. The garden is looking just beautiful. I love pink in the garden and you have lots of it. The pink columbine and the "Cat's Eye" Dwarf Iris particularly caught my eye.

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    1. Hi Jennifer...thank you so much! I do seem to have a lot of pinks and purples and also reds and yellows. However, I must just be drawn to these colors because my wardrobe also has these colors, except yellow. The dwarf Iris and Columbines really outdid themselves this year! Thanks for visiting!!

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  19. Christy, Your garden is amazing. I especially love the color of the purple columbine in the first photo, it' so intense it almost looks fake. I don't grow columbine but they look so lovely in your garden I'm wondering why I don't have some in mine.

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    1. Hi Donna...thank you so much!!I just love Columbines...they are easy to grow and come in so many pretty colors and shapes. I really appreciate your nice comments...thanks for dropping by!

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  20. Your iris and columbine look fantastic! My columbines have a mean early case of leaf miners this year. Sorry to hear about your annuals, spring can be so capricious!

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    1. Hi there....thank you so much! Yes, some of my Columbines (especially in the front corner bed) already have leaf miners. I don't do anything about them though. There's always something going on out there. I've already replaced some of the annuals, but still have to replant all the big pots! Thanks for visiting!

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  21. Hi Christy,
    You really are ahead of us! I love all the color you have already! Your gardens are so lovely!

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    1. Hi Sue....Thank you so much for your nice comments. I really appreciate them. Thanks for stopping by!

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  22. Oh, and I love your chickens, and I'm sorry you lost your annuals.

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    1. Hi Sue...Thanks so much....I just love those chickens too. That was such a nice gift from my hubby. I've replaced some of the annuals, but still have to replant all of the big pots (12 of them!).

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  23. I really like the colors in your dwarf intermediate iris! The azalea is wonderful as well... I planted several last season and I'm not sure they even survived.. That's the hardest thing about this season.. So many questions about what has come through the winter, but we should know soon enough as we suddenly find ourselves in the 70's... Appear to have basically skipped the 50's and60's altogether!! Larry

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    1. Hi Larry...thank you! This season has been really odd. In the eight years we've lived here we never had a late frost (our normal date is 4/15). This year we've had three. It's rough on some of the plants to have so much warmth and sun, then frost...my poor babies!! I've replaced some of the annuals, but still have 12 big pots to replant....I'm actually a little nervous about doing it and may wait a little longer. This can get pricey!! So glad you stopped by!

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  24. Gorgeous iris! It's great to see your beautiful garden waking up and putting on its spring party clothes! I really like your old wheelbarrow with the chickens. I almost bought a similar wheelbarrow last week. Regretting that I didn't and knowing it won't be there if I go back...

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    1. Hi Deb...Thank you for your nice comments! Yes, spring is such a wonderful time in the garden. We saw that wooden wheelbarrow and fell in love with it. I realized long ago that if you see something you just love and you're able to get it, do it because it won't be there long! Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  25. Hello Christy!
    It's so nice to see your garden fresh and green, Thank you!

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    1. Hi there!! It's so good hearing from you! Thanks so much for your comments! I appreciate you visiting again!

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    2. can't wait to post something beautiful too))
      We have 2 weeks of hollydays in Russia now, so it's good time for planting :)

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    3. I'm looking forward to seeing your garden again!

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  26. Lots of wonderful things in your garden. I love the idea of mixing seeds. I have some columbine foliage showing but it will be a while before the flowers appear.

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    1. Hi! Thanks so much! Yes, the mixing seeds idea worked before so I'm doing it again. It looks much more random that way. I hope you show a picture of your Columbine flowers once they bloom...I just love Columbines! I'm so glad you stopped by!

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