Thank you! And thanks for making me not feel stupid. I thought the pictures looked like geraniums, but I couldn't make the connection....
My Cottage Garden
ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhmyyyyyyyyygoshhhhhhhhh!!!
How lovely!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
Great job!!
Where'd ja get the over the fence pot hanger thingys?? Very colorful and I love it!!
Susan
I got those from Lillian Vernon. I'm hoping them might have them again this summer. I'd like to get another set or three. They also had them in red, white and blue, but I liked the pastels the best.
Thanks! I'm going to keep my eyes open on their site too.. :)
Susan
Oh my Lord! Those puppies are soooo cute! I just have an ole dawg, but I really, really want a puppy, and those are absolutely so darling!
Suzy
But that's the problem, Suzy. Puppies grow up to be ole dawgs.
Oh Pat those puppies are sooo adorable :o) If I were picking one, I'd snag the one in the middle too =o) There is just something in that face.... But then I would probably want to keep all of them lol...
Oh btw happy belated birthday, don't know how I didn't see that...
Connie
Pat, thanks for sharing your lovely garden with us! I love your effective use of annuals and containers to fill in. I've been feeling pulled into the world of Pels lately; they are so much more than grandmas red geraniums these days! I've been loving the varieties with mottled, variegated or dark foliage.
yes, the one in the middle !!!!!
I have no words for your garden - all I can say is that it is what I wanted mine to look like ! I have made such a mess of mine. Too many of my plants are too big for the tiny cottage garden - many salvias and they all need large spaces. They are crowding out so many other smaller plants ! Your combinations are just wonderful !
Would love to have you as a neighbor so I could sit and enjoy the fruit of your labor !
LOL, yeah - now *that's* the way to do it - just move in next door....
Well, thanks for all the compliments. I think I'm getting a swelled head here,LOL.
Corgi, don't be afraid to get rid of plants. If you can't bring yoursef to just toss them, maybe you could take pieces of your Salvia to a plant swap or give away to neighbors. My garden didn't magically happen and things don't always work out the first time around, or the second, or the third...
Great garden beaker! Love that hydrangea too, please don't sacrifice it for more space. It makes a lovely background plant. Like you asked me, LOL. I just found this thread, and knew when I saw Reggie, I wanted to tell you how sweet he was. I'm so sorry you lost him. Puppies are so cute, but lots of work too. I have a cat now, but she can fetch, which almost makes up for it, LOL.
Guess what Beaker.. Lillian Vernon doesn't have the pots in stock right now.. but I have about $75 in other stuff coming as a result of checking!!
:)
Susan
Susan, It's great that you're helping to make room for new goodies at Lillian Vernon. I had to go out and look and it appears everything is on sale. I was thinking that some of the items might make good shower gifts/door prizes Every month our auxiliary names a "Poppy Queen" for outstanding service to the club and I think there are a few items that might be good gifts for that.
So, what did you get?
Gorgeous garden! I hope that mine can look like that one day! Tamara
Looks great, i am starting a cottage garden from scratch again. I had one before but have fought, clay rabbits and mainly, crabgrass and gophers. Got the crabgrass under control, which aint ez, you know and it wasted a planting year. I have been working on gophers but i just don`t know, so i have constructed some wire baskets and will lay out more for my garden. Here you absolutely need sprinklers so i have a lot to accomplish in a short time or i will lose a lot this year too. If you don`t get things going in early spring here, you better wait for Early fall or mid fall after hot heat has passed. The rabbits are another problem, everything has to be fenced and it gets annoying and expensive.
Beaker, I got some monogramed Supersized Canvas Duffel Bag
forr my sons.. Some bags for me, Gravemarker Address Marker, and some halloween costumes for the kids to dress up and play in.. We're big into outdoor displays for all seasons! :)
Speaking of animals... I just had someone working with the neighborhood association come over and tell us that they are going to start putting out traps for the coyotes that are encroaching the area. We don't live too far from a large river area and creeks that branch off are even closer. A few years ago, one was caught by a park and I thought it was a very isolated incident. Turns out they are breeding and being heard at night. I told him that I thought they only came out at night and our neighborhood representative told me that they have been seen out as "late" as 9AM. As I was leaving my home I saw my backyard neighbor riding his bike with his daughter and since they have an outdoor cat, I stopped him to tell him that traps would be set and to watch for his cat. His daughter told me that they had just seen a coyote in their back yard a few weeks back and it gave me chills as their property backs up to mine and mine is closer to the creek where the traps are to be set out. It is just very surprising to me that this has never ever been as issue in the past and that their in no remaining farm land left and everything is getting as developed as it is, and theres a coyote problem developing now??.. I'm very concerned.
I'm not trying to highjack.. sorry.. this is just on my mind!! :)
Susan
I totally understand your fear, Susan. Being the owner of small animals, I worry all the time about hawks and eagles (depending on where I am). I was standing just outside my garage one morning when a hawk swooped down and took a squirrel. I can't remember what kind of hawks they are, but several years ago a program was started to bring a certain type back into the area by placing breeding pairs on some of the highrises in downtown Minneapolis. The program has been successful. Also, along the rivers and many of our lakes you can see eagles during the summer.
Usually, wild animals won't come into urban areas unless forced to do so by lack of good food sources. If you have small animals, I would keep a close eye on them when out. Here in Minnesota, we occasionally hear about deer or bears and sometimes during hard winters, coyotes moving south along the river towards more populated areas. I wouldn't obsess over it, but it wouldn"t hurt to be more watchful.
your right.. Thanks :)
Susan
beaker, wonderful garden......what are the beautiful pels you have on your steps? ....and I can relate to the "sitting and looking" time spent in the garden.
Susan, like Beaker said, the coyotes probably are appearing because there has been so much development - they no longer have a home. We have them around here as well, but there's lots of woods, etc. I have seen them occasionally in the middle of the day crossing the main highway! I worry myself sick sometimes about my cats when they're out, but the two older ones (both rescues) are pretty savvy I think. The youngest one (also a rescue, but as a tiny kitten) doesn't have those kind of smarts so I don't let her out much - mostly only if I'm going to be out there, too. We have eagles all the time, as well as hawks, so I'm pretty watchful.
Beaker, again, I am so delighted to see your gardens - so inviting! And like others have said, I'm so sorry you lost Reggie, but do please share the new puppy with us, along with your gardens!!!
Just stopping by to say I'm counting down the days till the 19th! He he he he. Puppy Power!!
Hi Tammy, the Regal pels from bottom to top are Red Solstice, Tirely Garth and While Royality.
Hi Healthjoy, yeah, it's almost more than I can stand. This past week just crawled by and I'm sure next week will be just as slow. I'm starting propagation classes at the Arboretum next Saturday and while I'm down that way, I plan to stop and see the new pupper. I'm going to bring him a blanket and a toy so they can get the scent of his mother on them. Then on Wednesday the 17th, I start puppy obedience (without the puppy) and then on the 24th, he starts. I've asked the breeder if I can pick him up on the 18th and she thought that might be OK. I plan to take my digi with me next Saturday and see if I can get a few pics. He'll be seven weeks old on Thursday, so I expect he'll be pretty active.
Here it is such a problem, it is open season always to kill coyotes. My DH has friends that enter contests weekly to see who kills the most at night. We have arodent infestation, rabbits and mice this year so i assume snakes drowned in our flood 2 years ago. So coyotes are well fed here and multiplying.
We are heavily residential and very wooded, so accidental shootings will prohibit ever opening up to killing coyotes here. I can just see it now.. guys running out on the local golf course at night to hunt by night and golf by day.. or they can just pack extra in their clubs and do it all at once. There is a national forest nearby and some have been seen there.. I wonder what action they will take.
poisoning or trapping probably. I am on the floor rolling, picturing the golfers in their bright orange nickers.
LOL!! Bright orange golf nickers!
Hey, sounds like that puppy obedience class does it right. They start training YOU first. Is that to teach you to always have treats in your pocket, a velvet pillow for pup to come home to, and a T-bone steak for his dinner? =^)
This will be my fourth time though puppy obedience. Maybe one of these days I'll get it right. I think I was getting a little PO'd last time because I thought the person training the class treated me like an idiot. However, I agree owners are the ones who need to be trained first. Even so, my Westies were spoiled rotten. Hard not to spoil them.
Ours are spoiled to, but I have been trying to be the top dog since that is what Ceasar Milan says to do, My DH though, tries to tell them in a cute little fubby wubby woobie, puppy get down, voice, that aint a workin. So what are ya going to do? It is working good for me though. Do you guys tell your pets how lucky they are to be spoiled by you? We do. They`l never know, thank God.
Hellnzn11, the mental picture of you dh talking to them in a "cute little fubby wubby woobie" way just cracked me up!!! My dh doesn't like animals so the only time he talks even semi-nice to my cats is when he's been drinking. He has a tiny fondness for our black cat as when we got her she weighed about 1.5 pounds and he had never seen one so small - I think he felt like her big strong rescuer. She's the ultimate character, though, and he does shake his head at her antics (once in awhile even 'brags' about how athletic she is - lol!!!).
I have three miniature Schnauzers that allow me to live here. I also have one elderly Border Collie that I took when my parents couldn't take care of her anymore. When the collie moved in 15 months ago, she decided that she finally had her sheep (3 schnauzers) Things haven't been dull since. I needed lots of training, but somewhere I miss out!
rotfl, Murmur, my x was that way with animals too, i hated it and it hurt me sometimes. The kids say sometimes when he thinks no one is around, he will pet the dog or talk to it. If he sees the kids seeing him, he walks away. How dumb. susanna,I am glad your babies are willing to share their dwelling with you. lol
My Chloe up at the Chatahoochee river. We love this girl. The only thing my husband and I argued about when we first got married was about getting a dog. His mom had so many he was just over them (so he thought). I knew I wanted a white picket fence and two kids and a dog! One day right before getting pregnant with my first I went to the humane society just to pet the dogs and give them some love. I met her and knew she was perfect so I brought her home unbeknownst to my husband. I had to stop at the store to buy food and some bowls for her. She's the best hound.
Irony is that she's like a psycho girlfriend over my husband. She pines for him and waits for him to pull up and gets all excited to see him.. she gets upset if he goes outside for a minute and she can't be right there with him. I know it's illegal to have a dog unleashed in our yard, but she just lounges in the grass and watched folks walk by.. I've seen new walkers give me the look, but I guess they realize she's fine. Haven't had anyone call on me yet.
She gives a mean bark when someone comes onto the property and I love that she lets me know someone is here.
Susan
This message was edited Jan 9, 2007 7:11 PM
She is absolutely beautiful, Susan!
Beaker - I just came across this thread. What a beautiful garden you have! (And what a cute puppy!) I lived in Northeast Minneapolis for a while until I migrated to Saint Paul so I kind of know your neighborhood.
My question - what kind of clematis did you pick for the north of your Garage? How's it doing so far? I'm debating about putting a clematis along a kind of shady fence. Thanks, Peg
That was Claire de Lune. After I planted it, I found it it can be finicky and prone to wilt. I'll have to give it a few years before I know if it's a keeper or not. I've also planted some shade lovers along the north side of my house, also just last year. Again, it will take some time to figure out if they will do well there or not. Those were Warsaw Nike, Pope John Paul II and Will Goodwin. If you go out to Chalk Hill Clematis site, they have a page of suggested clematis for a north exposure. I've never bought clematis from them but do recommend Silver Star Vinery and Brushwood.
This is Fujimusume, not a shade lover, but looking forward to seeing more of it next year. Hope it makes it through this awful winter we have going. I planted it pretty late.
She is beautiful Susan and such a sweet girl, you can see. Which is odd because she appears to have some chow in her somewhere in her past, I am thinking. Does she have a purple tongue or spotted purple?
Pam, I get the multi-blue petunias at a local nursery. So far they've had them every year for about the past 10 years. They're nothing special, just regular old petunias.
Beaker, I have so much to say, I don't know where to start--yes, I do: your gardens are gorgeous
I have dropped big bucks on hyd. Annabelle and they just don't like Richmond, TX. As beautiful as your hydrangea is, I believe it is entitled to all that real estate
Beaker loves lilies and lilies love beaker
I wonder how long before my Jackmanii puts out a show like that. And Fujimusume, wowzers!
I bet the guys at the FVW love to walk by your property
I fell in love w/ pels once I learned they need shade in my area. Your stairs flanked w/ pels is so cottagey-like
admiringly and jealously yours,