It has been far too long since I have paid attention to my blog.
Just over a year to be exact. 
Time to change that.

Spring, supposedly is making a return, though the temperatures here in Connecticut tell me otherwise. I am quite ready to open up the house, turn off the heat & let the season arrive but Mother Nature has different plans.
I've gone some pruning attempts in the back garden, mostly cutting back some shrub roses around an area for a future raised bed for tomatoes. I have started to varieties indoors; I also want to buy established plants once they arrive since my seed starting ventures have been very hit or miss thus far.

Hubby wants to remove a few small trees that are creeping in to his lawn space, making it challenging to mow is come areas. Though I've never been a fan of cutting down or removing trees, having a garden that needs constant maintenance has changed my views somewhat. What needs to go, must go.

Along with the plans for a raised bed or two, the fairy garden can use a clean up, a new layer of mulch and hopefully an addition of a garden bench. All of the beds can & will get a new mulch layer; I may also incorporate a layer of newspaper to keep the weeds out.

I'm starting to see the daffodils make their appearance. A last layer of snow seemed to not affect them at all. 


It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.  ~Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

fairy garden

or more like a bird viewing, sit and read & maybe you'll see a fairy-garden!

We've managed to do a lot of work to it; Mother Nature blessed us with some unusually warm weather earlier this month so we took advantage of it.

I now have a well defined path, covered in mulch, some areas that are clear of debris, fall leaves, twigs and dead undergrowth. There are a lot of wild roses that are a nuisance really, so we trimmed back quite a lot of them. I also planted some seeds at a few tree bases. Hopefully some flowers will come up from them.

Mike helped me create a natural wood arbor for the climbing roses that are coming in a few weeks. We had a design in mind and from the damaged limb from the hickory tree, we sawed off some branches, laid them out and decided which would be best for a trellis. It's a simple  archway design with the natural small twig & branches left attached.
After "securing" it to the ground, we twist tied it in some hidden places and took a few photographs. There is a John Clayton honeysuckle nearby that is leafing out nicely and it already reaching for the arbor.

Digging holes for the climbing roses will be a challenge. The area is quite rocky. What rocks needed to be removed, we got rid of and used as pathway borders. A lot of rocks stayed and we simply worked around them. If you put your shovel about 4 inches into the dirt, you are guaranteed to hit a rock. Probably a large one.

I think I may did a few inches down, just to clear a space of rocks and tree roots as there are some saplings nearby, and create a raised  bed of sorts for the roses. I'll surround the bed with a wide circle of rocks to make it look as part of the natural landscape.

Eventually I would like to add a bird bath and a bench in the garden as it is becoming a popular place for mourning doves, downey wood peckers, titmice, chickadees, juncos and cardinals. I have 2 feeders in there hanging from an iron hanging basked stand that are quite popular amongst our feathered friends.

Photographs to come very soon!

I sit in my garden, gazing upon a beauty that cannot gaze upon itself.  And I find sufficient purpose for my day.  ~Robert Brault.

First rose purchase of the year!

Spring is in exactly 16 days.
Clocks go forward on Sunday, March 11.
The weather calls for temperatures in the 40s and high 50s next week.
It's so tempting to get out in the garden and at least do some clean-up but I keep reminding myself that is is only March and no real planting should be attempted until the end of April.

But I couldn't resist at least purchasing a rose or 2.

I ordered 2 beautiful roses for a trellis I plan on building.
The first one is called 'Aimee Vibert', a white climber, repeat bloomer that will grow 15' -20'.

The second is an unusual rose called 'The Magician.' I discovered it on Heirloom Roses website who have a great selection and good advice for rose growers. Below is an image from the site; the only one I could find on the internet.

Looking forward to a combination of both on a trellis. I have some trees on either side of where I want to build the trellis that can be some added support for both roses. This will make a cool entrance to the fairy garden that I'll work on this summer.

'Cmon Spring!

The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another.  The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month.  ~Henry Van Dyke



Some new ideas

I have an area under my deck that is in need of a make-over.
On either side of the concrete patio that is my walk-out, are 2 huge concrete blocks. Retaining blocks, if you will, as my yard slopes downwards. There prevent a deluge of rain from collecting on that walk-out area.
They also make for a not so eye pleasing area which is in need of something to camouflage that area.

I have a beautiful Oranges and Lemons rose shrub near that area that might compliment a blue clematis nicely.

Thing is, I have to create a trellis of sorts for support as I feel the deck post alone may not be enough.
Luckily I have a wooded area in which I can forage and create a trellis of my own. I also came across an idea that used fishing wire for a trellis though I have visions of myself becoming entangled, knots appearing in the line out of nowhere and some few choice words being yelled loudly. Hmmm...might stay away from that one.

In doing some research, I discovered a few really pretty blue clematis'. I prefer the deeper blue-violet hue. Here are 2 I really like:



Romantika Clematis

Clematis Franziska Maria

Oh, did I mention, I'd like to a add a forsythia somewhere in the mix also. I have 3 in the lower end of the garden and love them.



I think this color combination might work well.

It's officially on my list of things to accomplish in my garden.

The list grows longer...

Half the interest of a garden is the constant exercise of the imagination.  ~Mrs. C.W. Earle, Pot-Pourri from a Surrey Garden, 1897

More dogs sick as FDA steps up scrutiny of chicken jerky pet treats

More dogs sick as FDA steps up scrutiny of chicken jerky pet treats


This disturbs me.
Not only because the products can make our pets sick, but how many people really check the labels of the treats they buy for their pets

I'll admit, I wasn't an avid label reader until a friend of my mothers, a vet tech, advised her to never purchase any kind of treat or food item for her dog if it was made in China.
I paid attention after that and closely monitored what treats I would buy, reading all the labels.

I started to look up recipes online for home-made treats, did my research on what foods are best for dogs & cats & what ingredients would make tasty & healthy snacks for them.
The simplest of ingredients usually popped up, chicken, rice, pasta, fresh vegetables, baby food...

Granted, I will buy Shelbs the occasional treat; always made in the USA though it be slightly pricier.

She's worth it, she's my furry 4 legged child after all.
One of 3 whom I love dearly & will continue to feed them the best I can offer.

Summer garden projects

This unusually mild weather has me thinking about what garden projects to take on already.
I know, it's only the end of January and winter can still rear it's ugly head still; I can still do some research, make a few sketches, look through some gardening books and get ideas as to what to accomplish.

I've recently discovered the site 'Pinterest'. it is an online pin board of sorts that you can post, like or even re-pin images, ideas, recipes, etc. Ive have gravitated towards the "garden" board & have found a lot of various ideas and likes. The trick is now to narrow down those ideas and actually incorporate one or two of them into my garden.

Talking to hubby last night after showing him an image I found on Pinterest of a wooden garden bench built within a pergola; we thought it may be a unique task to build it on our own with 'found' wood. Our property has a few acres of woods around it; rather than spending $$$ at a hardware store, why not use what we can from within the woods? I discovered a book I had given my father a few years back called 'Making Rustic Furniture' By Daniel Mack and in it, I found some good ideas for really unique looking garden benches. With some imagination, building a pergola around it might just be doable. I could replant my John Clayton honeysuckle around it, maybe an Iceberg climbing rose....possibilities are endless.

I'm also toying with the idea of putting a container rose or 2 on the deck. We bought some patio furniture last summer with dark orange, almost pumpkin colored cushions included. I like the idea of a similar color or blended color rose on the deck to compliment it. My deck pots usually consist of at least 2 basil plants, sweet, Italian, various pepper varieties, rosemary, thyme, alyssum and a mix of annual flowers (I like to try something new each summer). A large potted rose might be a perfect addition.

On the larger size, I really like 'Benjamin Britten.' A David Austin English rose, this can be planted in a pot, at least a 1/2 barrel size since it can still grow to about 4X4 feet. This is more of a red tone with orange mixed in & has a pear/fruit fragrance. Slightly smaller roses that have caught my eye are 'Tamora', an other David Austin, ideal size for a pot, apricot in color with a scent of myrrh, 'Judy Garland', 'Louis Clements' & 'Painted Moon'.

My to-do list continues...I'll be back soon with more ideas.

"We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses."-- Abraham Lincoln

One of my favorite places: Central Virginia at the foothills of the Shenandoah, Blue Ridge Mountains.