Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Welcome June and The Big Surprise is Revealed!



June has come in with a bang!! We had some needed rain and my summer flowers are starting to bloom while many of my spring flowers are still going strong. It makes me a very happy gardener. Let's take a look.....


 Daylilies with Larkspur




 Love all these blooms



Blanket Flowers do well in my garden and I have many different kinds...here are two of them







My first attempt at Gladiolus. I planted 20 corms and they all came up







The Clematis are still blooming!



"Red Rum" Daylily



One of the many places to sit and relax



The "Secret Garden"...surrounded by Salvia, Bee Balm, Phlox, Daylilies, Iris, Asters and Black Eyed Susans



The ground here is mostly gravel so I put this little vignette together. I made the hypertufa pot on the left



The Asiatic Lilies are opening



 Bee Balm is opening and the Larkspur are still blooming! Our current project is changing all the paths from mulch to gravel. This path was done on Saturday. The Mockingbird on the fence approves!



"Rocky Top Hybrid" Coneflower...a Tennessee native















Poppy Mallow



I have lots of Shasta Daisies...some are short and some are over four feet tall



Both sides of the driveway are covered with "Cha Cha Cha" Coresopsis
















AND NOW..... the BIG SURPRISE is revealed.....

This was originally going to be a square on the ground that was planted like a quilt (we got the idea from Asheville, NC Arboretum's famous quilt garden). Then we found the head/foot boards. The idea is that the lattice is the dust ruffle, the white Petunias are the pillow and the Calibrachoa and purple Petunias are the quilt. Due to the fact that we had four late freezes, I had to replant this several times, so it hasn't matured as much as I'd like, but I wanted you to finally see it! Eventually the Calibrachoa will cascade down the sides and foot of the bed just like a quilt!








In wildlife news....

The five Bluebirds babies hatched two days ago and mommy and daddy have been busy feeding them. So far, so good! 
 and....
could this be the kitty I've been wanting!!?? I'm not sure if he's feral, but he turned up several days ago and I've started feeding him. I've seen him every day and I've named him Beasly. If he turns out to be tame, we will take him to the vet for vaccinations and neutering and put a belled collar on him. 

What's happening in your June garden?
Until next time......

Happy Gardening!

Words and Photos Property of Christy's Cottage Wildlife Garden



Wednesday, May 29, 2013

A Fond Farewell to May



This May was a wonderful month for my garden. Maybe it was all the rain we got at the beginning of the month that made the flowers and shrubs so happy or maybe it was the late start we had for spring. Whatever it was, I'm grateful! Every day the garden gave me something new to smile about. Come along as we take our last walk-about together in May......










 "Pink-a-Boo" Deutzia



Veronica







 Sweet William and Coreopsis







 Our newest Clematis







 "Johnson's Blue" Geranium with Piglet











Here's a real oddity...this Blanket Flower has one stem and three flowers. They are attached back to back



















 A sea of Love-in-a-Mist. This is the view while sitting under the garden pergola



 Mallow



Viking Bellflower



 "Paprika" Yarrow







 "Prairie Twilight" Penstemon with "Hula Dancer" Coneflower



 We made these cages for our Blueberries this weekend. I'll show the vege garden once things grow a bit


In wildlife news:

 My Bluebird pair did make a nest in the house I showed you in my last post. There are five little eggs in it. I'm hoping they all hatch and the babies grow into beautiful adults. The Mockingbird babies I showed last time have all left the nest and there are more babies in the rose arbor nest. I also found another nest in the Honeysuckle arbor in the front yard. That makes six Mockingbird nests that I'm aware of!!

I wonder what June will bring us in the garden? I'm looking forward to finding out! Until next time....

Happy Gardening!

Words and Photos Property of Christys Cottage Wildlife Garden.