More Flowers from Our Garden

Delphiniums, Blue Butterfly, I think

Hollyhocks, Peaches and Dreams

and Chater's Double Red

Close up of Hollyhocks

Foxglove, Camelot Rose

Snapdragons, Pansies, Nasturtium in small front bed

Visiting friend

These photos were taken in July. The Hollyhocks look sad and bare now, unfortunately. The Delphiniums are rebloomimg, though and so are the Foxglove. Kristian's vegetables are going to town! Our corn stalks are growing little ears. I'm very excited. We've also had tomatoes, peppers, peas, beans, and sun berries. We are farmers! ;)

Now, I'm looking ahead to spring and I'd like to start planting bulbs. I long for Crocus, Tulips and Daffodils, but it will mean clearing another bed. We'll see how ambitious I get!

Early (May-June) Photos of our Flower & Vegetable Gardens

My second year perennial garden in a wannabee Cottage Style

Pink Columbine, Biedermeier Mix

Dirty Gardener on the Job

Swan Pink & Yellow Columbine

Pink Bleeding Heart

Unknown Purple Iris

Kitty garden art in honor of my dearly departed cat, Rubaiyat

Cottage Pinks

Campanula Blue Clips

Anytime Rose Stocks

Peaches 'N' Dreams Hollyhocks

Bare earth just waiting to become K's vegetable garden.

Beginning to make the boxes

Box frames ready

Final garden plan, early June picture

Long shot of both gardens in progress

Little Eggplant flower

Jack and Zoe want to help!

More information to be added! Check back soon.

New Front Flower Bed

David Phlox from Garden Soyvey

 

Bright Eyes Phlox from Dunge Valley Rhododendron Gardens

Chianti Mix Pansy from Dave's Garden

Lemon Berry Fizz Pansies from Green Fingers

Alaska Nasturtium from Rich Farm Garden

Rocket Mix Snapdragons from Good Life Farm

Yesterday evening, I dug up the flower box  (maybe 3' x 3') in my front yard that had been bricked in by the previous homeowner and filled it up with soil to plant my little garden. I added the flower types that you see above, plus a red snapdragon and a Johnny Jump Up that I will need to report back on. It was a beautiful evening, perfect for gardening and I was visited by two dogs taking their people for walks and a beautiful lone cat.

Garden Kitty Angels

Here are the beautiful garden angel kitty statues that I had made to memorialize my cats Guinan (left) and Thelma-Louise. I plan to plant climbing David Austin roses up an arch and place the kitties nearby. I have a second year perennial garden growing, and my husband will be making raised beds for his Heirloom vegetables this year. I love cottage gardens, and if you're growing one, please share your blog links with me.

I found these angel treasures on Etsy. Please check out: PhenomeGNOME . She did a wonderful job and gave me great service!

My Cottage Garden choices

Photo credits and/or places to purchase:

Sarah Bernhart Peony from http://www.touchofnature.com/

Peaches n' Dreams Hollyhock from http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/

Silverado Iris from http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/index.html

Lady's Mantle from https://www.anniesannuals.com/

Heavenly Blue Morning Glories from http://www.parkseed.com/

Sweet Dreams Catmint from http://www.naturehills.com/

Indian Springs Hollyhock from http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/

Spring Beauty Cottage Pinks from http://www.burpee.com/

Biedermeier Mix Columbines from http://www.perennialfavoritesnursery.com/

Angel Tiger Violas from http://www.parkseed.com/

Bowle's Black Pansies from http://www.seedman.com/

Breakers Iris from http://www.vanbloem.com/

Stairway to Heaven Iris from http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/

Ultima Baron Mahogany Pansies from http://floriculture.osu.edu/

Finally Flowers!

Viola Angel Tiger Eyes. Photo from: http://www.georgiavines.com

On Saturday, my husband and I went to the the wonderful Friends School Plant Sale in Minneapolis to expand our garden. I had a ball choosing out of the perennials, annuals, wildflowers, water plants, and more that were stocked. They have the three day sale annually on Mother's Day weekend, so if you're local, check it out here for next year.

I have been planning for this since March, making lists of cottage garden flowers, and then pouring over the sale catalog to pick the best types of each. While I am interested in flowers and my husband wants fruit and vegetables. We want to expand the garden year by year to eventually get rid of most of our back yard and have a lovely cottage garden. I have been enviously looking at some beautiful blogs to learn from the talents of those gardeners.

Presently, we have raspberries, evening primrose, bellflowers and cranesbill. I had grand ideas of putting in twenty new perennials, but since I had the surgery, that seems out of reach. So, scaling down, I got Heavenly Blue Morning Glories to train up a trellis, and Pansies and Johnny Jump Ups that I planted in pots in the front yard. My perennial additions were Irises, Hollyhocks, Lady's Mantle, Columbine, Cottage Pinks, a pink Peony and bareroot Bleeding Heart. My husband got beans, heirloom tomatoes, grapes, cukenuts, corn, zucchini and maybe more.

Details soon!