~Terri, Terri, quite contrary ~

Terri Terri Quite Contrary

How does your garden grow?

By leaps and bounds

and a profusion of blooms

and in a blink of an eye it's gone. 

 

Or at least that's how it seems to me,

as most perennials come to visit for such a short time.
Let's take a look around the garden and see what she has brought us this year

Step inside the garden gate.....

Mr. Wonderful still has to stain the fence 

(boy he loves to hear that)

We moved the arbor here just this Spring, so everything is still in it's infancy stage.

We still have a lot of work to do here. 
And when I say 'we'....I mean 'HIM'. ha ha

I planted the Pink Mandevilla

but the Morning Glory was a volunteer.

WHAT A HAPPY SURPRISE

'Geurnsey Cream ' Clematis

I even love this Clematis after the flowers are done blooming

These little whirly gigs, are so cute.

 Knockout Rose 'Sunny'

I'm lovin' it.

They burst on the scene in this gorgeous shade of yellow

and then fade to a creamy white

A plant will tell you when they are happy. 

My 'New Dawn' climbing rose was moved to this location 
after the end of her season last year.

She seems VERY happy in this sunny spot.

Here she is at the start of her show

This creamy pink blush color is to die for

 

'Johann Strauss ' Rose

I love the beautiful soft apricot color
But let me tell you, she's one finicky bush.

But when she's good, she's very very good.

 

Peonies.........one of my all time favs

I can never get enough of these big billowy blooms

 

All of my Peonies are heirlooms, transplanted from long abandoned farm houses

so I don't know their names

Crepe Myrtle 'Natchez'

 

with her flirty crepe paper blooms

Here we are in the third week of June,
but Spring started several weeks early for us due to the unseasonably warm temps.
So our season is actually much further along than the calender states. It's more like mid-July as far as the flowers are concerned.  Most of these beauties have been here, graced us with their charm and now they are gone.....except for a few

Window box of annuals

Aren't  the green edges on this petunia 'Pretty Much Picasso', pretty much adorable?

 

Hostas still thrive in mid summer

I love the southern saying

"A welcoming front porch is just good manners."

And St. Francis takes it upon himself to be part of the welcoming committee.

He does a fine job.

He and his rabbit warren of friends.

Hmm....I could have sworn I started out with only TWO rabbits..... oh well

My doorbell

'Bolivian Jew and Bacopa' in urns at the front door

Hope you enjoyed the little tour

So I say to my garden:

Thank you 

I am grateful for the show

I applauded every bloom

though your beauty was  fleeting

and ended all too soon.

See you next Spring

~Long Live the Queen~

It's here Diamond Jubilee,

with major events planned all this week-end.

And of course I'm celebrating with a cup of tea and my fake British accent.

60 years on the throne

She is the only British Monarch I've ever known,

so to me....she IS England.

I think I've always been so fond of her, because of my grandmother, whose family roots were Canadian , loved her Queen.

I remember my grandmother had a large picture of Queen Elizabeth in her bedroom.

And this lovely Elizabeth looks very much like my grandmother Elizabeth, her complexion, her smile,

her purse!!!

I love it.

 But it seems to me that she has always been ...old.
(As a child, I thought 30 years old.....was OLD)
But let us not forget that she was once young and enjoyed the adoration of her people very early on.

She was loved, and every bit the celebrity that the young royals are today,
without the bothersome tabloid press.
In 1947 the British citizens even donated their ration cards so she could
have material for her wedding dress.

As happy as any bride on their wedding day

And Philip looked every inch the dashing Prince.


Here she is on her coronation day in 1952. She seems so small in this sea of pomp. It reminds me of the scene in the movie 'Young Victoria' when she ascends to the throne for her coronation and her feet don't even touch the floor.

But of course Elizabeth was older than Victoria. Elizabeth was 27

Newsreel of Elizabeth's Coronation


British or not, she is everyone's Queen

And she is still well loved today.

 

So let us share a scone and raise our tea cups in honor of this milestone anniversary.

Tea in pretty cups, and lemon cream scones.

(I didn't cut out my scones quite thick enough, 
but they were still de-lish)

My beautiful flowers from last week's luncheon have provided such pleasure for over a week now. They have brought beauty to a living room vignette

and now they lend their gracefulness to Tea Time with the Queen

Pip pip, well done ol' girl.

I say,

well done.

~April Showers.....~

You know how the rest of it goes.....

But one of my favorite plants BLOOMS in April
Meet Guernsey Cream , a lovely Clematis

I even love her name......Guernsey Cream.
I love her big creamy petals.

Isn't she lovely?

She is very happy where she lives and wears this little bird house as a crown.

She puts on quite a show in early April
And since she's the only one blooming this time of year, she gets all the attention.
So,  a big round of applause......thank you Guernsey Cream for your beautiful April Show. !!!