Wednesday, May 27, 2009

garden tour

Behold!...





The fragrance is intoxicating!
This is a veiw of the beginning of the path as you enter the herb/rose garden.





Although there are many blooms on the rose bushes, some of them have already shown signs of blackspot...Unfortunately, I think all the rain we got a couple of weeks ago spurred that on. However, I think everything is greener now than it's ever been.

Growing roses in Pennsylvania is an uphill battle, (it's very humid and hot here in the summers), but I enjoy them so much, it's worth all the hours I put into this hobby!

In addition to blackspot, we also get Japanese beetles which are beyond destructive. I seem to have planted a Japanese beetle garden...grrrrrrrr

I haven't been able to go the organic route when treating my roses for diseases--(other than a manure tea that I make up for them). I have to use bold chemicals to keep the blackspot at bay.






Collette climbing rose...







Lemon balm, oregano, lavender, daylilies, calamint, English roses, oriental poppies...




Shrub roses, russian sage, foxglove, tea roses, floribunda roses...


verbascum (peach flowers on right) and lime thyme

Brian keeps asking me why I don't have more peony plants since I'm so in love with them...

Just wait until they open up!!! I'll be sure to document that glorious occasion!


I love the irises that grow all along the perimeter of the pond! The yellow ones bloom first and are then followed by the purple.




This is a picture of our shade garden in the side back yard. This was another project that Brian and I did together. This little shade garden wasn't here when we moved in, either.
Look at how the color of the creeping jenny really pops all of the different shades of green...



This plant in the middle is called Lady's Mantel. It's one of my favorites to use in flower arrangments. Unfortunately, it only blooms in late spring / early summer.




I keep forgetting to take weekly pictures of the vegetable garden to see how quickly things are progressing from week to week.




Gardener's Creed

I believe in good brown earth,

sun and seed and soil,

Rest is sweetest when it

comes after happy toil.

I believe in miracles, bud and

leaf and fruit,

Springing into loveliness from

the miracle root.

I believe that God, who made worm and bird and bee,

Wanted us to make His world

beautiful to see.

Meant us to be gardeners,

making green things grow,

I believe we do His work

when we plant and sow.

I believe that He whose hand

fashioned Eden's bowers,

Put into the heart of man,

love of trees and flowers.

That is why a garden gives us

blessing manifold,

Health and healing and

contentment, peace and joys

untold.

By Martha Lowry

**What is your passion?

22 comments:

  1. WOW!!!! i am really speechless. it's gorgeous. i cannot imagine being able to create something like that!!!!!!

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  2. You know you live in Eden right?! I think I'm gardeningly-challenged enough to not be filled with jealousy right now, but am filled with admiration instead. Your home and garden look like something out of a magazine...oh wait, they are! Everything is so dreamy and wonderful, I want to come vacation there. I'd want to sit by the lake and read and write. What a triumph this place is for you and Brian!

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  3. Thank you for the tour! Your garden is fantastic and beautiful!!! It's a dream garden/ yard. You must have a lot of vision in addition to all the hard work. Please share pictures of your lovely garden any time you feel like it!

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  4. I can smell it from here! It's beautiful!

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  5. I love your garden. I wish we lived closer: I could enjoy a beautiful garden without all the work and my kids might get over their irrational fear of ducks. My passion is teaching: teaching my children, teaching the gospel, and teaching anything.

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  6. Your garden is AMAZING! I do not have a green thumb, I am ashamed to say...

    The house is so cool. I am so interested in old houses, and they history that they hold. Have you learned of the history of your home? Who owned it before and stuff like that?

    I have some rose bushes and one of them is looking very sickly and thin like it is fixing to die. Any suggestions?

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  7. amazing! I have been known to have a black thumb... I can experiment killing more plants now that we have our own house.

    :)

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  8. wow! everything looks incredible- lots of work, i know..

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  9. Your yard so beautfiul!! I would love to have a yard that looks like this! All I can say is WOW!!

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  10. There are no words to describe this! Thank you for the beautiful video tour. What an amazing place to call your own--a Garden of Eden indeed!

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  11. I am so amazed by this!!
    What a great idea to document the gardens with video- such a delight to see!

    I am truly in awe & amazed at your passion & talent- I love it.

    thank you so much for sharing

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  12. absolutely stunning. i always feel so accomplished at getting a couple of daisies in the flower bed every year. WOW. you are one talented lady. and your house is gorgeous.

    and, i CAN smell the flowers. great job documenting everything.

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  13. That was breath taking. Thank you for sharing. I just don't know how you have time for it all?? I cry when people give me a plant, I know it will die in less than a week.

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  14. i don't even know what to say, shannon! it's absolutely breathtaking!

    someday...

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  15. If you don't already, you should charge admission. I can't stop the drooling, everything is so gorgeous.

    It's clear that is your passion and you do it beyond WELL. Oh my goodness!

    So that's what it's like to have a green thumb...

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  16. oh my.... i'm overwhelmed! okay, i am buying you a first class flight straight to my house to help me get started when we buy our own place someday.. really breathtaking!

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  17. Just the sight of this overwhelms me! The beauty, the size, the wonder of it all and the time to do it!! I think I would love that, but I can't fathom when it would be done!! It is a true beauty and a wonder of wonders to me. I must get my daughter Jessie to take alook , she's be in touch with you!

    .....have you gone to see my designer room???????
    I'm crossing my fingers......Sunday is the last day. No guilt here.

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  18. sigh.
    beauty.
    sigh.
    someday.
    sigh.
    so amazing.

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  19. beautiful. No wonder your house/garden was featured in a magazine:-) You have so much talent!

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  20. You are sooo talented. I love to garden but it looks absolutely nothing like this. How did you get started? How do you know what to plant? How do you know where to put it in the ground? I basically just do a lot of planting and experimenting but lack so much knowledge.
    Also, who is the lucky one that gets to mow all that lovely grass??

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  21. Too, too beautiful. I admire all the work that goes into such a very beautiful estate - as that what it looks like!

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  22. What are some of the rose varieties that you grow and do well, I live in bucks co pa as well.

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