Christmas Notebook

wednesday’s walk in the garden

June 17, 2009 – 10:48 pm

The daylilies are blooming all over the yard. It’s a real pleasure to stroll through the garden to see what has opened each day. And there are a lot more to bloom as you can see in this picture. The daylilies along the front of the bed haven’t blossomed yet.

‘Mary Todd’ is one of my favorite golden yellow daylilies.

The Russian sage is beginning to bloom. I love the light and airy look of this plant. Did you know you can lay a branch of this (still attached to the main plant) on the ground and cover it with a brick to get a new plant? In a couple of months there will be roots on the branch where it contacts the ground. Cut it from the parent plant and you’ve got another Russian sage. You can do the same thing with hydrangeas. 🙂

In the fenced garden, some of my favorite daylilies are beginning to bloom.

Between the back yard and the little woods at the back of our property, the “ditch lilies” are blooming…in the ditch.

At the back door, the ‘Moonbeam’ coreopsis blossoms look like stars sprinkled around the bird bath.

Currently, we have 337 different daylilies in our yard. Tomorrow, when we check the garden, there will probably be 25 or 30 more “first flower out” blossoms to document. I’ll keep you posted. 🙂

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in garden 2009, our garden | Tagged daylilies, garden, garden 2009, our yard | Comments (11)

love the garden right now

June 16, 2009 – 10:46 pm

The flower beds in the front yard are beginning to fill with color again. The daylilies are coming into their own.

The birdbath in the front yard is almost swallowed up by the flowers.

The hydrangeas by the front porch are pink to lavender. Just around the corner of the house, the hydrangeas in front of the addition are blue. Go figure!

We planted the hosta ‘Squash Casserole’ in front of the Japanese maple which sits just to the side of the hydrangea. The hosta will receive more sun in this space and should brighten up quite a bit, turning more yellow. I’m hoping that will be a nice contrast to the maple.

In the back yard, the bird bath bed by the kitchen has a pretty lavender plant coming into bloom. I need to check the lavender plant in the fenced garden to see if it’s blooming, too.

We’re having a plant sale tomorrow. All proceeds from plant sales go to the mission fund at church. We’ll do it again the first of July.

It’s always fun to have visitors in the garden. I’m looking forward to tomorrow. If you’re in the area, stop by! And if you can’t visit our garden, do stop by Jean’s Bloomin’ Tuesday to visit the gardens there!

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in garden 2009, our garden | Tagged garden 2009 | Comments (5)

menu monday ~ june 15, 2009

June 15, 2009 – 4:23 pm

Daylily season is well underway. It’s a beautiful time in the garden and we like to spend as much time outside as we can. To “sandwich” the week’s menu, here are a few of our favorites from the past few days.

‘Bubbly’………………………………………………………’Little Fat Dazzler’

‘Tiger Track’……………………………………………….’Monterrey Jack’

Because I am still recovering from a cold/cough and am not feeling very well, the next few days of the menu are easy items.

Monday
ham sandwiches
mac and cheese
fruit salad

Tuesday
hamburgers / buns
coleslaw
corn on the cob

Wednesday
tacos

Wednesday evening, DH’s sister is coming for a week. We’re looking forward to her visit!

Thursday
chicken cordon bleu in the crock pot
rice
peas
spinach salad w/ strawberries

Friday
pork chops
baby baked potatoes
corn on the cob
green beans

Saturday
lunch / eat out

supper
grilled rosemary chicken
grilled scallops and BBQ shrimp
grilled corn on the cob
green salad
stir-fried sugar snap peas and cherry tomatoes
crock pot apples over vanilla ice cream

Sunday
roast beef
scalloped potatoes with bacon
peas
corn
garden salad

You will find more menu ideas and recipes at Menu Plan Monday. Check it out!

A few more daylilies…

‘American Revolution’……………………………’Chicago Picotee Lace’

‘Night Beacon’…………………………………………..’Feisty’

I hope your week is a good one! And remember, planning the week’s menu helps make everything else go more smoothly!

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in menu | Tagged menu | Comments (5)

corners of our garden

June 13, 2009 – 2:53 pm

It’s easy to take pictures of individual flowers and I love to do that. The detail is beautiful and it’s fun to take closeups for even more detail. But sometimes I like to see the whole picture. I love to visit other blogs, to see what other people are doing in their own gardens. For me, it’s even more fun when I get to see the whole flower bed, not just the individual flowers, as awesome as they can be. To that end, here are a few pictures from different corners of our garden.

A long bed stretches across the front of the yard, near the sidewalk. This picture actually shows both beds…the one along the sidewalk in the background and the long bed in the lawn. It is just on the brink of an explosion of color. The daisies, daylilies, and coreopsis are going to look spectacular in a few days.

Walking back toward the house from the front yard takes us past quite a few beds. Right now, they are sporting lots of orange and melon yellows…the ditch lilies (Hemerocallis fulva) and the Stellas…bright and cheerful, a foretaste of what’s to come.

I don’t think the front birdbath bed can hold one more plant. Unless it’s a weed, of course. There always seems to be room for one more weed.

Our front yard used to be all grass. A big, blank, boring expanse of grass. Now it’s a maze of flower beds. One by one, they added up!

Volunteer hollyhocks come up here and there. These are along the east edge of the yard.

We’ve planted a lot of redbud trees in the yard. The small trees make pools of shade in the yard, adding interest and structure without blocking all the sun. They make great spots for hostas.

We’ve also placed quite a few benches throughout the yard. Perfect spots to stop and enjoy different corners of the garden.

Our garden is always open to visitors. Come over, claim a bench, and enjoy. 🙂 And then, stroll over to Share a Garden Sunday and visit the gardens there. Enjoy!

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in garden 2009, our garden | Tagged flowers, garden 2009, our yard | Comments (3)

wednesday in the garden

June 11, 2009 – 3:40 pm

DH and I spent quite a bit of time in the garden yesterday. It was hot, but he likes to use the hot days as prep for his ride across Indiana in July. “Heat acclimation” he calls it. So I drove the tractor, pulling the wagon, and he shoveled mulch. We mulched quite a bit. Also had to replace a wheel on the wagon. The last replacement finally let go.

The front yard looks so lush. Must be all that rain we’ve been having. Every one of DD’s softball games has been cancelled so far, due to all the rain. The field is just too wet for games.

I like this clump of zebra grass. We’ve sold quite a bit of it at plant sales, so I guess others like it, too. 🙂

The purple coneflowers are starting to show up well.

The Southern Magnolia makes a great screen between us and the parking lot next door. At least the school buses are quiet neighbors. 🙂 And now that the magnolia is blooming, the sweet lemony scent of the blossoms makes that side of the yard smell SO good!

Here’s a rundown of the first flowers out (FFO) on our daylilies yesterday.

‘Wine Delight’

Dee Dee [GN] was sold to us as ‘Daring Deception.’ Not.

‘Yellow Lollipop’ was a Wal-Mart purchase that actually seems to have been labeled correctly!

‘Children’s Laughter’

Sold to us as ‘La Cucuracha,’ I have never been able to find any references to this plant.

‘Rose Mark, TN’

‘Siloam Double Classic’

‘Dominic’

It’s been a long day and I haven’t been able to get outside yet. Am looking forward to seeing what’s in bloom today! I’ll let you know…

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in garden 2009, our garden | Tagged daylilies, garden 2009 | Comments (0)

bloomin’ tuesday

June 9, 2009 – 6:31 pm

A lot of rain fell last night. There is still water standing in the center of the driveway. DH took this picture this morning from the roof of the house.

The rainfall filled the birdbaths.

The cats like to drink from the birdbath at the kitchen door. Perhaps they like bird-flavored water? 🙂 Zilli looks like she expects lunch to fly in.

By the front porch, the hydrangeas are turning pinky purple.

I don’t remember where these lilies came from, but they are a lovely shade of red.

Here are a few daylilies…

‘Little Heavenly Angel’

‘Chorus Line’

‘Lady Emily’

I wish the sun had been shining when I took this picture. The catalpa tree is in full bloom and, in the sunlight, it gleams.

Hollyhocks have popped up here and there. They have a way of wandering around the yard. This one showed up in the front birdbath bed this year.

The ‘Paprika’ achillea needs to be divided. A candidate for the plant sale we’ll have in a few weeks, for sure.

With all the rain we had, yard work will be a bit slow for a few days. We’ll probably work on potting things for the plant sale. The damp ground IS good for digging.

Enjoy more garden tours at Jean’s Bloomin’ Tuesdays. Take time for a walk in someone else’s garden. It’s fun to see what others are doing.

~~Rhonda 🙂

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in bloomin' tuesday, garden 2009, our garden | Tagged bloomin' tuesday, daylilies, garden 2009 | Comments (9)

riding lessons and a rainstorm

June 8, 2009 – 9:00 pm

DD had her first riding lesson this evening. Can you say “EXCITED!” She has been looking forward to this all week.

I had planned to get more pictures, close ups, etc., but a it began to rain and they went into the barn to continue lessons there. Next time, I hope to get some better pictures.

There was a tornado warning while we were there, but the storm passed us to the north and later, another storm cell scooted around to the south. Besides the initial fat raindrops that drove them into the barn, we didn’t see rain at the farm. But, on the way home…a different story. I drove 30 miles an hour with my flashers going, wondering if I should pull over or not.

We drove through water over the road in seven or eight places. Not deep. I know better than that. 🙂 We made it safely home and, after an hour of pouring rain, it has finally subsided. We have a lake in the front yard and a river in the back yard.

This will make the grass grow. 🙂

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in family | Tagged DD#3, riding lessons, storm | Comments (1)

menu plan monday ~ june 8, 2009

June 7, 2009 – 10:59 pm

I hope you enjoyed the garden tour in the previous post. I didn’t include these daylilies that opened this weekend. ‘Little Heavenly Angel’ also opened, but I didn’t get a photo. Now that the daylilies are getting started, it will be fast and furious for a few weeks.

‘Siloam Ury Winniford’

‘Riseman’s Flame’

Before I head to bed, with dreams of more daylily blossoms, I’ll post my menu for the week. Need to make that grocery list, too. We have a riding lesson, music lessons and softball games to work around, so some meals are going to be quick and easy. Summer has a way of being busy, doesn’t it?

Monday
hamburgers
homemade buns
celery and carrot sticks

Tuesday
tortellini w/ ham
peas
corn on the cob

Wednesday
tacos

Thursday
spicy shredded pork / homemade buns
coleslaw
grapes

Note: I use the ingredients in the spicy shredded pork recipe, but I don’t follow the recipe. I put the roast in the crock pot, put all the ingredients on top (I don’t bother mixing) and cook it on low for 8 hours. Yummy! Oh, yes, I substitute balsamic vinegar for white.

Friday
chicken cordon bleu in the crockpot
rice
corn on the cob
asparagus
garden salad

Saturday
fridge food

Sunday
salmon
baby baked potatoes
broccoli
corn
garden salad

You will find more menu ideas and recipes at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in menu | Tagged menu, menu plan monday | Comments (0)

sunday in the garden

June 7, 2009 – 8:18 pm

While I’m still not up to par, I am feeling better. Coughing too much to go to church this morning, but well enough to walk the yard with DH this afternoon. Actually, he walked. I rode the mower. Less coughing that way.

Hydrangeas are easy to propagate and we should make more of the ones along the front of the house. The east side of the porch needs a few. The front of the house would look more balanced.

The east side has a nice rhododendron, but no other shrubs to give it structure. Nice hostas, though. And some pretty astilbe blooming right now.

The birdbath bed in the front yard is getting most of its current color from the coreopsis, but the daylilies are loaded with buds. More color to come in the very near future.

Common white achillea is an aggressive plant in our garden. I guess it’s happy here, even though we try to irradiate it. But doesn’t it look pretty while it blooms?

Oreo found the little volunteer patch of ‘Zebrina’ a nice place to stop for a rest. And just look at that wonderful mulch pile in the background. Fellow gardeners, feeling some envy here? We are grateful to our friend Paul who brings more when we need it.

‘Zebrina’ close up and personal.

The hollyhocks in the fenced garden come up where ever they like. And in any color they like. We’ve moved some to the fence on the west side of the yard in past years and they continue to come up there as well.

The hosta ‘Pineapple Upside Down Cake’ is a nice bright spot on the east side of the house.

In the back yard, we always leave a few Queen Anne’s Lace to encourage the swallowtail butterflies to lay their eggs in our garden.

We have a few Louisiana and Japanese irises in the back yard. I used both ‘Imperial Magic’ and ‘Black Gamecock’ in the bouquet for church today.

Tomorrow will be a busy day around here, providing I feel up to it. But you can bet I’ll be in the garden to see if any daylilies have bloomed. I’ll let you know. 🙂

Take a break, visit Share a Garden Sunday, and enjoy more garden tours.

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in garden 2009 | Tagged garden 2009, share a garen sunday | Comments (1)

double-decker

June 5, 2009 – 9:40 pm

I am feeling enough better that I rode the mower around the yard and checked out the garden with DH. We even built a fire and roasted hotdogs and made S’mores. DD made a double-decker…and ate the whole thing.

Doing all that wore me out a bit, but the day was so pretty and I was so tired of being inside, that I couldn’t resist.

~~Rhonda

By ~~Rhonda | Posted in family | Tagged DD#3, s'more | Comments (0)

Christmas Notebook

wednesday’s walk in the garden

love the garden right now

menu monday ~ june 15, 2009

corners of our garden

wednesday in the garden

bloomin’ tuesday

riding lessons and a rainstorm

menu plan monday ~ june 8, 2009

double-decker

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