Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Spring Beauty



We have had unusually warm and sunny weather for the last week.

The long April showers have blessed us with Lovely May Flowers! 

The birds are singing and the air is filled with the scents and sounds of nature. 




The strawberries are blooming in my strawberry pots on the deck. 

Of course, there are wildflowers that have moved in alongside over the winter, so I have left them to bloom along with the strawberries. 


They do look pretty and I didn't have the heart to pull them! 

You can see an empty spot where I am waiting for a runner to root. 

These are sweet little French Strawberries that I use to make Strawberry Scones


I have some growing here and there, too. They grow alongside the catnip (up high, away from cats), some succulents, and pink and purple creeping phlox. 



Here I have some beautiful yellow succulent flowers blooming in my Bird Bath Planter

Forget me Not and Candytuft, nestled in ivy, bloom in the background. 



Ling Ling looks on. 


To the left, the steps lead to the parking area.

The lilac tree against the house blooms right outside my living room and sewing room (upstairs) windows. 

The scent is heavenly. 

Forget me Not, ferns and ground covers hide the stone wall. 



The wildflowers have taken over the picnic area. 

Once they finish blooming, I will move the picnic table and have a new garden! 


Two different kinds of ferns love to seed themselves into stone walls and the nooks and crannies around the roots of trees. 

I encourage re-seeding! 

The lighter colored  'Deer Fern' dies back in the fall. The darker Ostrich Fern has tough leathery leaves that survive the winter. 


We walk around the front of the house - the 'North Side' that gets very little sun. A large grove of cedar and Hemlock trees is to the right. Very little grows under them, so I have introduced an aggressive ground cover called 'Yellow Arch Angel' along with several types of slow growing variegated ivy. The ivy grows in the deep shade. 

The grove of trees protects the house from water run-off, as we live along the side of a little mountain. 

It also hosts the doggie kennel under it's sheltering branches. It stays comfortable and dry, blocked from the wind and rain by the house and trees. 

A perfect place for the dogs when we have guests. 



Ferns, ground cover and ivy grow along the edges of the house and fence. 


I have introduced a few hosta and am having some success! This is a very large hosta sprouting up through the Arch Angel in bloom. 

I have to be diligent about the slugs. They love hosta leaves! 

I use 'Sluggo', an environmentally safe slug bait. 

It is safe for pets, birds and wildlife. 

But lethal to slugs because of the mineral content. 


Whitey looks at his kennel area, the hosta is growing under the big group of windows.



This is the view from the windows. Hubby's tool shed peeks out at  the top of rise. 

Buttercup grow alongside the fence and under the Hydrangea bushes. 



My 'Secret Garden' lies behind the fence. 

Here I have a bird bath and flowering trees. 


A crab apple and flowering pear. 


Bleeding Heart, 





Trillium, 


Motherwort with green bells, 


Lady Ferns, 


A secret view of apple trees and holly, 


And these.......Spanish Bells that have naturalized beneath the flowering pear tree. 

Can you see the break in the fence where the bear came through the summer before last? 

Hubby patched it up with wire fencing. 


I do believe there might be fairies living here! 


And as the sun sinks low and lights the surrounding hills on fire, 


I work in my secret garden and count my many blessings. 

That we survived another winter. 

That we have each other to share nature's beauty. 


I hope you are enjoying nature's beauty with your loved ones, too! 


36 comments:

  1. i LOVE your naturally growing garden! i know you put a lot of work into it, but you let it look wild and natural, too! beautiful!

    loved the pets, too. :)

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  2. Your garden is BEAUTIFUL!!!!

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  3. OH it is beautiful there...I just love all of the flowers and green growth! Our grass has turned green and everthing is budding...I can't wait! Thanks so much for stopping by, Karen!

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  4. Stunning, wonderful, restful gardens. Each is simply lovely - the views are magnificent. Thanks for the sweet tour. I love all the wildflowers.

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  5. WOW Karen I love your gardens especially the secret garden well the bear part made me nervous but it is so beautiful. I do think fairies must live there. Awesome photos and the flowers are amazingly lush and beautiful. B

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  6. Oh Mom, everything looks so beautiful! I just love it when everything comes to life. It makes all that rain worth it!
    XXOO ~H~

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  7. This is all so beautiful!!!! We are heavy on the May showers but light on any flowers.

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  8. Karen!!! Your gardens are stunning!!! Where do I even begin!!! Wow! I love the flowing forms of one garden space to the next! And your pots look fantastic!!! Blessed indeed!!!

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  9. Your garden is so beautiful, I love gardens a bit on the wild side, yours has many lovely flowers and interesting nooks and crannies and secret gardens are alway good.
    Merle.......

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  10. Such beautiful garden images! I just love how green everything is. Here in California it's already very hot, and I have to water my plants a lot, but they are not as lusciously green as yours.

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  11. This is not really a garden this is nature, forest, little paradise ! But the more important is that you said, we survived and we are here to share with our beloved persons nature's beauty and serenity . I'm so glad you feel like this dear Karen and I wish you enjoy the warm days you have ahead.
    Olympia

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  12. Amazing! It's difficult for me to understand, how flowers grow in place that was totally frozen several months ago. Here in Andalousia, where the weather is very warm, plants die if only we have several days of cold with about 15º. thanks for sharing Karen

    Marina

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  13. I can't even imagine the work you put into this. How amazing and beautiful!!

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  14. Hello Karen
    Thanks for the ride of your beautiful garden - so many beautiful flowers you have.
    Here in DK's it 2-3 weeks later than last year ..... still my rhododendrons not begun to bloom, but in a few days skipping the first out .... though. Wishing you and your a great Wednesday :) Hugs!

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  15. Your gardens are so beautiful! I love all the hidden places and secret gardens. We are in the midst of a perfect spring - not too dry or too wet. And everything is in bloom, but I can't post pictures. I'm still having troubles with blogger:(

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  16. Thank you for the tour - what a beautiful place you have! Nice photography :) I'm new to your blog - love it! I'll be back...

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  17. oh my gosh, i just LOVE your yard!

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  18. Beautiful post Karen, Your outside space is delightful, Love your secret Garden area.. I'm sure some fairies have set up home there.. it's so Beautiful! Ling Ling is enjoying the space too.. Your photography skill are Wonderful..Enjoy!! Hugs May x x x

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  19. I love the way your garden looks wild - it complements nature and works with it. Our land is very open near the house, and I have begun to spin ideas in my head of a not-so-secret garden to adorn the house. It will be a work in progress, for sure! <3

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  20. Your yard and garden looks like a wonderland! I love it! Thank you for sharing your world with us...

    Blessings,
    Dianne
    www.sweetjourneyhome.com

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  21. Garden of Eden -- wow breathtaking photos - makes me so thrilled for you to enjoy such a beautiful charming place -- #6 an #7 are my favorites today but I bet #1 photo I would spend way to much time there and #10 photo says welcome indeed!.
    Hugs

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  22. Lovely to catch up on your blog and to read all about your travels. With a garden like yours, though, your motto must surely be "East West Home's Best"! There must be fairies in your garden. It's so delicate! What a lot of work and thought you've put into it. You should give tours! Do people have open days for their gardens there?

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  23. You live in paradise Karen! :) i wish my country has spring too :)

    And I love the last picture the shadow.
    Blessing,
    Delvalina

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  24. I am definitely enjoying nature's beauty! Looks like your garden is really kicking into gear. Everything is so pretty! And lilac is one of my favorite scents of all-time. It is heavenly!

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  25. Oh what a lovely garden you have. You must just love your home!!

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  26. Dearest Karen,
    What a lush natural and planted garden you got! LOVE your yellow Arch Angel: Lamiastrum galeobdolon and I wouldn't mind if that would multiply as it would like to. Your forget-me-nots, the Fraises des Bois, it is so lovely. Why do you have that wire over the ground cover in the front of the house where Ling stands?
    Your climate looks like The Netherlands where gardens can be so lush and colorful. It certainly is a joy to visit. Thanks for sharing your bounty.
    I had to laugh at those loooooong shadows. In Curaçao we took a walk on Pieter's birthday and our shadows were just miniature dwarfs; the sun stood straight above us as it is close to the equator. Yes, we did walk and talk a lot; that's the best bonding time for family and pets (provided they're with you...).
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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    1. Dear Mariette,
      You are sweet and also so knowledgeable of plants! I am always happy when you share - I couldn't even spell those names! Nor would I be able to pronounce them! The names are lovely. To answer your question, the wire is an emergency, temporary fix to keep one untrained dog, (Champ) from romping through the groundcover to chase squirrels who tease him from the big tree! We are almost ready to chance taking the wire off again. He did a bit of damage. But he is learning. He thinks he is still a puppy!

      I know, the shadows are so long! That is living in the North! Long summer days with long shadows!

      So glad you were able to get away on your recent trip. It sounds so wonderful! xx

      Hugs to you! Happy week!

      xoxo

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  27. You have such a beautiful place, Karen! Love your gardens, especially the bleeding hearts. I really like the wildflowers growing you your strawberry pots too!

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  28. hello there! I would love to have you come over and join in the garden party going on right now at Fishtail Cottage...? it's very beautiful here! xoxo, tracie

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  29. Oh Karen, how beautiful! Your flowers are just gorgeous and I could stay here and look at your pictures all night :) Strawberry scones sound delicious!

    Thank you for sharing - I am always blessed when I visit you.

    Hugs and love!

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  30. You live in such a lush, green environment! I have never seen bleeding heart that looked like a shrub-beautiful!

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  31. Wow, SO pretty! What I wouldn't give for that much space! I'm in Oregon and this bizarre warm weather has been amazing. The garden doesn't know how to act!

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  32. Lovely garden - Visiting from Fishtail Cottage!

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  33. Karen, your property is lovely ~ lush and green and wooded. I love the idea of a secret garden. Nice to meet you. I look forward to many more visits. ~ Sarah

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  34. Gorgeous garden! Would love for you to share at Simple & Sweet Fridays. New Follower.


    Jody

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Thank you for stopping by! Your comments are important to me and are very much appreciated. xx Karen

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