Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Garden Tour, 6.20.07

"Get out of that sewing room and come outside!" says my husband to me.

I'll admit that sometimes I don't notice when it is a perfectly lovely evening; I'm too busy stitching. But last night was just so exquisite...so I went outside with my camera, and invite you all to take a stroll. I have not weedwhipped or gotten my garden into tip top shape for this tour...let's just have a convivial walk-through together...

Out the front door we go. That's my car, a '99 Subaru Outback which I love.

Here's a view of the entry we just came out of. As a color lover, you can imagine how much those reddish mottled bricks and 70's yellow siding has bugged me for 15 years...but I have learned to live with it...I guess. Anyway, what is that gray thing under the edge of the roof?

Some new tenants this year! This is a paper wasp nest that I think is some of the most beautiful fiber art I've ever seen. Do click on the picture to get a closer look. These guys don't bother us in the slightest, and it's been fun watching this nest grow.

You can see more of the loosely structured front border. It is an out of control version of the cottage garden aesthetic....

OOOOPS! Forgot to keep up with spraying the "Liquid Fence" and the deer hit last night. All those luscious begonia blooms and potentilla flowers nipped. Those @#$%^& deer!

Oh well, they can't get in here. They won't jump this wall, and the other side of this garden is all fenced in now. My roses are so happy.

Don't they look happy, protected by that little mesh?
This rose was here when we moved here, and I don't know the variety. I call it "Robert's Rose", because it is his favorite.

Now we're inside my perennial garden, looking down at the house.

This is another area inside my perennial garden, kind of an herb border. Herbs do so well here, they become bushes! I've got two varieties of santolina, a pink flowering sage, and a huge rosemary here.

This is the entry/exit to the perennial garden. You can see I have had to hack those odd conifers back. It is kind of goofy looking, but fun, too.
See the edge of that building, by peeking through the entry area?

That is this, the funky old greenhouse. We replaced the fiberglass walls a few years ago, but now my lobbying is going to pay off, and we are going to tear the whole thing down this summer and put up a nice one in it's place...on top of the foundation, with a deck, too! And with a real potting bench. What you see there is the old cabinet from the Scary Bathroom topped by an ancient piece of plywood that we used for a baseball backstop back in the TBall days.
It works, though!

Here's the view from the top of Robert's vegetable garden...he really wouldn't want me to photograph it until he has spiffed it up in there. And my production flower beds don't look like much...yet...give us another 4 weeks...

And finally, here is Babe. She lives in the pasture on the other side of our house. She's an old gal, retired, belongs to our neighbor. She looks rather comely in all those daisies, doesn't she? I see her everyday outside my sewing room window.
Thanks for coming along!

15 comments :

Threadspider said...

Lovely, lovely,lovely. A real cottage garden border, a real vegetable garden and herbs too. And the horse completes it all. I sighed with delight on my tour.Thank you for inviting me.
P.S. Are you going to quilt something for the greenhouse ? : )

Magpie Sue said...

Thanks for the lovely tour! I've got some serious catching up to do on your blog... Been busy sewing! (what a novel concept!)

Possibilities, Etc. said...

What a beautiful tour - please do that more often - especially when the next phase of the flowers happens.

Charlene ♥ NC said...

Thanks for the tour - it was a nice getaway!

The blasted deer with a few rabbit friends got ALL my green beans and cucumber blooms. Thank goodness they didn't get the tomatoes - yet??

Gerry said...

You have a lovely garden. And the paper wasp nest is really cool.

B said...

I am new to your journal. I really enjoyed seeing your pictures. You have a lovely flower garden.

Granny Fran said...

I love your garden, that lush abundanza is just the style I love and I envy you that gorgeous wasp nest. I might just move in with Babe; a retirement pasture full of daisies, next door to your garden and studio appeals to me. But wouldn't I miss this high 90s weather? Never!

Marty52 said...

It looks so cool and inviting... thanks for the tour! Your neighbors are pretty cool, too. It's supposed to be 115° here today... I'd much rather be sipping a cuppa in your garden.

Unknown said...

what a great tour!!! makes me want to hop on a plane and come see you seester

Unknown said...

what a great tour!! makes me want to hop on a plane and come see you!!! seester

Susan said...

What fun to see your garden! The wasp's nest looks different from any I've ever seen. In TX, they were trying to build one inside my bedroom window, but outside the screen. It was interesting to watch it grow for a short time - little cells, almost like a beehive, only in a circular ball. Probably not paper wasps.

You have some seriously beautiful things growing there. I will love seeing a picture of the new greenhouse and deck later this summer.

Kay said...

Thanks for the look at your beautiful place. And a horse next door to admire but have not responsibility for is the perfect finishing touch.

Sandie said...

thank you for a walk around your garden, its nice being able to take a walk over the internet. Your garden is lovely, the flowers beautiful and I will look forwards to coming and visiting again when your new lot of flowers have sprouted.

Fiberina said...

Lovely garden Allie, but the wasp's nest is stunningly beautiful. Do you know more about them, and if so, could you let me know please? What is the nest made of, and how is it made, for example.

Thanks,
Chris (in rural Victoria, Australia)

Mowers Brisbane said...

wow you have a gorgeous garden. I looks absolutely wonderful. I know that you might have put so much hard work on it, to make it so beautiful.I hope you do continue your good work.