Daily Inspiration: Compost!

We've started our composting journey!

 Follow along on our 'Compost Chronicles' page right here on this blog! 

Daily Inspiration: Currants!

This is my first harvest (about 3 lbs.)! There are at least 10 more pounds of these little red jewels beginning to ripen on my currant bush!

My favorite way to use them: Raspberry-Currant Jam and Cinnamon-Currant Swirl Bread. 

Daily Inspiration: Jacob's Ladder

'Blue Whirl'

Polemonium

(Jacob's Ladder)

This is a great perennial for your shadier areas. Clusters of blue, trumpet-like flowers rise above feathery, ferny foliage from May through June! It grows 18-24" tall and 18" wide. 

Daily Inspiration: Childhood Flower

Everyone seems to have a flower that reminds them of their childhood-Scabiosa is one of mine (along with Iris, Peonies, and English Roses)!

Scabiosa 'Butterfly Blue'

(skab ee OH sah)

Pincushion Flower

Scabiosa prefer full sun, and will bloom for most of the summer. They are great for cutting, and will attract bees and butterflies! Zone 4.

Daily Inspiration: Summer-Long Color

Have you ever tried Lantana in your sun-loving pots? This picture is of the blooms on a Lantana TREE that we have down here in the nursery (a beautiful patio tree FULL of these orange and yellow blooms)!

Butterflies and hummingbirds are attracted to it, and we love it for it's summer-long, intensely-bright color (not to mention the fact that it is a water-wise choice)!

Daily Inspiration: Pink Bells

Heuchera 'Rave On'

Coral Bells

I had to stop as I walked by the Heuchera table this morning. Almost all of them have bright, vivid bloom stalks on them. They are pretty enough with just foliage, but they are over-the-top when in bloom! 

P.S. I had a visitor in my garden a couple days ago... 

I don't mind snakes. In fact, I like them to be in my garden because of the beneficial rodent control aspect they bring, but they really should learn to start moving out of the way before I am 1 foot in front of them!  

Daily Inspiration: Coral

A 'Hawaiian Coral' Peony in mom's yard!

I wish peonies would bloom all season long (I wish there was a tree that REALLY grew money too... :)

BUT, I would settle for these beautiful coral blooms any day!

Daily Inspiration: Summer Blooms

We love Gallardia! 

It has already started to bloom for the summer and looks beautiful against this stone wall backdrop. If I had taken the picture from further away you would have seen it next to deep blue delphiniums and 'Tamora' roses.    Everything looks so fresh this time of year (except for the slight mess last night's windstorm left behind...).

Enjoy the cool day! Perfect day for garden projects!

I have to admit that occasionally I get in a planting rut. When I plant my garden, I ALWAYS grow Oregon Sugar Pod peas. I love them. They are sweet and tender, and produce like crazy, but this year I decided to try something different- Dwarf Grey Sugar Pod Peas. I liked the name. (What can I say? Any name  with the word 'sugar' in it is has GOT to be good! :) I seeded a touch late so mine are just now blooming, and I was pleasantly surprised by the color! I am just loving them!

~L

Daily Inspiration: Rare Find

The illusive Seagull Lily...

They only grow in our area, and they only bloom for a short time. 

We recently went on a day excursion to the hills and were lucky enough to stumble on a few!