Thursday, May 30, 2013

Celebrating with flowers!

 I have a whole garage full of painting projects going at the moment. But it's my three-year blog anniversary and I'd like to celebrate with flowers. So here is what's blooming in my garden!


I've been crushing on potting benches for the longest time and now I finally have one of my very own! Karla's husband came home with two old work benches from a barn. She put one in her garden and I  was lucky enough to get the other one.


 It was a little rough around the edges, but nothing a little paint wouldn't fix.


I had a can of chartreuse green oops paint on hand - the perfect pop of brightness I was looking for, but also a perfect color to blend seamlessly into the garden.



One of the things I love about my yard is the combination of sun and shade. I get to grow a wide variety of plants. This little corner of our yard is the shade garden.


I picked up the wheelbarrow at a yard sale. It is so heavy, I can hardly push it. But I think it looks pretty cool propped against the tree.

And it says Elizabethtown on it. That's a town not far from where I grew up, plus you might have guessed that I'm kind of fond of the name Elizabeth!


The azaleas sign came from a barn sale!


This variety of azalea is called Mother's Day and sure enough, it knows exactly when to bloom.


A shade garden is the perfect spot for ferns.


Oregon Grape Holly with VERY sharp pointy leaves.


And all kinds of hosta.




Coral Bells and Brunnera


Columbine -  I definitely need a few more varieties!


And this is the old iron arch that we took to the winery for Megan's wedding. (That required men and a truck!) One day it will have a happy home in her yard and be a sweet reminder of a very special day!


I see every nook and cranny as an opportunity to plant something!




I was so excited to see this little guy growing through the rocks! No, I didn't actually plant this one. He's a volunteer!


And even the moss growing on the rocks makes me happy!



Summer Snowflake Viburnum


Baptisia


I have five bushes of this variety of rhododendron called Very Berry. Last year they were fully covered with blooms. This year I only got one single bloom.


Clearly something bad is happening here!




But these rhododendron are just as happy as can be. They
were planted when our house was built over 30 years ago. We transplanted them a few years ago and they are bigger and better than ever!




This is a very cool tree called a Chinese Fringe.


It is just covered in fringy white blooms and the fragrance reminds me of Hawaii!


And who can resist a peony? Even if they do make me sneeze!


Even the bud is pretty!


Coreopsis and Nepeta


Purple Iris


Delphinium


Yellow Yarrow

I think a little rust is good for the garden, don't you agree?


I even have rusty flowers!



My husband isn't sure why someone in Maryland needs an olive bucket, especially since it is filled with holes. Silly boy!

And a little chippy paint is a good thing too!


Ryan built this bench for me - sweet boy!


And really, can a girl ever have too many sprinkling cans?


So that's what's growing in my garden at the moment. I'll be checking in over the weekend with some features from our May Garden Party!
Elizabeth and Co.
I hope your day is filled with sunshine and flowers!

I'm sharing with...