A New Year

It was a White Christmas and today we're blessed with another snowfall.  I love the beauty of the snow, it's a thrill for this California born and bred girl :)

Spring is here!

I don't post here much but once everything starts growing I get excited about working outside. The herbs have been up for several weeks and a few have spread so much they'll have to be thinned soon.

July

The flooding has abated some and as the weather dries out and it warms up there are more flowers blooming.

New Plant

I put in a new Rosemary this year, it's called Island Spice. Has a slightly fruity scent, not as piney as regular Rosemary. Supposed to be excellent for cooking. While it looks similar, the leaves are quite thick. I've not cooked with it yet but looking forward to it.

June 23rd Catch-up

Our girls, Katie and Shyanne, on their first trip to the river. Our granddaughter took us down to Swan Creek, see below, for the weekend for Father's Day and the girls had a ball. They are Chinese Crested Powderpuffs and are usually soft and fluffy :) Their long hair has to be brushed every day.
Swan Creek. Was a beautiful spot and we had a wonderful time. She has a friend who has a cabin near there and that's where we stayed. Could just walk down to the creek. Really a river, swift moving and the bottom was very slippery. I think we all took at least one fall :)

Bougainvillea on the patio, and my little private garden right off the patio. I usually have several hanging pots on the patio, but this year there is too much chance of damage with the storms. They get blown down and it's too much trouble to try and bring everything in for each storm.

My husbands cat relaxing after we got the edging finished.
I don't rememeber the name of this plant without looking it up. I got it at the farmers market last year, was just a small plant with a few bells on it. this year it grew quite tall and was covered with flowers. The rains have beat it down some, but it's still pretty.
This is another Lysimachia, I can't remember what she told me. I get native plants from a woman at the Farmer's Market. This was taken early. The spires grew to about 12" in length and covered the plant. Unfortunately, the storms have almost destroyed it for this year.

Planting Time!

An early trip to the Farmer's Market this morning yielded a car full of small plants and annuals for color. Then on to Lowe's to pick up some larger bushes. A new hydranga, rhododendrum, some Mr. Lincoln roses which are the deep red ones -- a honeysuckle to plant along the fence line and several others I can't think of right now.

I've got them set in the location I want them, but now comes the hard work. Digging the dirt and planting. We'd planned to have two beds enlarged and turned ready for this day but the relentless rain and cool weather kept it from happening. I still need to move the lavenders I layered last year - they are already almost too big to transplant and they are all blooming! The sage is in full bloom, pretty but needs to be cut way back as it is one that needs to be moved. The lemon balm that got froze out in the ice storm has come back stronger than ever and is scattered over the garden. It's so pretty but oh my, way too invasive for the small area I have now.

My plans are to move all the herbs to a small garden just off the patio. Love the scents and it's easy to clip pieces for cooking. My lavenders alone will fill at least a 6'square area, maybe more. I did get a new rosemary this year, called Island Spice. Has a lovely scent and I will probably keep it in a pot as it won't take the winters here. I can keep one large upright rosemary all year long as it's up against a south facing wall and fairly protected by the lavenders. I'll let it grow larger this year once the lavenders are cut back.

Spring Flowers

Dogwoods are everywhere in Missouri and are all in bloom now. The white ones grow in abundance alongside roads and the pink are usually found planted around homes. These in the front are a beautiful shade and in full bloom.












Coral Bells growing on the east side of the house, you can see one of the Hostas that surround them in the lower corner.


Redbud trees are another Missouri favorite. Blooming in early spring, the buds come out before the heart-shaped leafs open. This is a closeup of a few buds on the trunk, the tree is at least 15' tall.







Lilacs are one of my favorite flowers, I love the scent. These have been slow to open this year due to the fluctuating weather. On the left is a picture I took yesterday, April 30th, the buds are just barely beginning to open and there is no scent yet.

What a difference a day makes! The picture below was taken this afternoon, the 1st of May. The warm temperature overnight has helped the buds open and the scent is wonderful, I brought a few in for my desk.











One thing I love about MO is how fast everything greens up once we get a few warm spring rains. One morning you wake up and it looks like the faries were here and painted everything this beautiful shade of green.