Coffee, Tea or Peony!

 

 

 

 

I love the beautiful lush flowers of the Peony. Their bloom time is so brief but I can't imagine my gardens without them. Peonies have a wonderful sweet scent that drifts throughout the garden. After several days of bad storms, it was so disheartening to look out and see all of the Peonies laying on the ground! I was happy that I was able to salvage enough to make two bouquets though. The blooms aren't as perfect as they were prior to the storms but still very pretty! These beauties look great in any type of vase....whether it's a simple, casual container like my old enamelware coffee pot or a more elegant container like my old silver teapot.

 

 

 

 

 
I collect old enamelware and have it displayed in my home and potting shed. This old enamelware coffee pot is one of my favorite pieces!

Someone once asked me why I had a silver tea set in my potting shed.....this is why! I love how roses, peonies and succulents look in silver pieces. The tea set was in a box of goodies I bought at an auction. As soon as I saw it I knew what I would use it for!

 

A few sprigs of Lady's Mantle fill the old enamelware coffee cups....

An old blue bottle holds a Peony blossom and two buds...

Mother Nature's Artistry

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Nobody paints a picture prettier than Mother Nature! We got to enjoy this beautiful sky from our porch last night ~

Tree Knot in the Garden

This is a tree knot that was sliced off of a downed tree. The hole was the entrance to a squirrels nest before the tree fell down. I thought it was interesting looking and kept it, thinking I'd use it in a project sometime. I was looking around the potting shed for some interesting containers to plant Violas in when I noticed the tree knot on a shelf. The thought crossed my  mind that a Viola would look really cute growing up through the opening.




 

                         Top of knot

                   Underside of knot

 

 

I chose one of the smaller Violas to plant in the garden.Then I carefully placed the tree knot down over the Viola, taking care not to damage the plant. It's grown and seems happy in the center of the knot! It sort of has a natural woodland look about it, which I like.

 

 

 

Sweet Violas

I always look forward to the sweet little Violas making their appearance in the spring. These cool loving flowers make colorful additions to both gardens and containers.

When planting my flowers I use a variety of containers. I have a lot of concrete & cast iron urns that I use. I have a weakness for urns ~ can't seem to pass them up at auctions! I use a lot of terra cotta pots because I love the natural earthy look of them. I also like to include a few vintage pieces every year that I've repurposed as planters. Here are a few that I've used this Spring as planters for my Violas...

 

 

 

A blue and white enamelware pan planted with Violas sits in the potting shed window.  This old pan is a favorite of mine and I use it in a lot of displays in my potting shed

 

 

 

 

Violas in my old wooden berry bucket

 

  

 

 

I love the old hardware on the berry bucket! 

 

 

 

 

I found this old oil can a couple years ago at a flea....loved the color of it! 

 

 

 

 

 

An old cheese box holds 3 small pots of Violas 

 

 

 

 

 I placed several coffee filters in the bottom of this old oil strainer to keep soil from coming out and planted Violas in it. 

 

 

A Viola tucked into an old enamelware cup.

 

 

 

 

An old metal dust pan propped against a tree holds a few Violas. 

 

 

 

 

Later....when the Violas finally start getting a little leggy I remove them from the containers, cut them back and then add them to other mixed plantings. This extends their life and I get to enjoy a second bloom out of them!

 

 

 

 

Lovely Lilacs

I love when the Lilacs are blooming. Their wonderful fragrance drifts throughout the garden. I have such fond memories of them as a child. I transplanted several of them from my childhood home to my gardens here many years ago.The last couple years they haven't done as well due to late frosts. I've missed having large bouquets of them to place in my home!

 I've fallen in love with this Miss Kim Korean Lilac that I bought three years ago. My husband found another one at the end of the season that was marked down. So now I have two to enjoy! It blooms a little later so it's less susceptible to bud damage from frost.

Lilacs are so pretty, even before the blooms open!

The pretty flowers seem to mostly open in order from the bottom to the top of each cluster.

 

 

 

 

Pretty flowers and wonderful fragrance ~ who wouldn't love to have Lilacs in their garden?