A Mothers day treat.

So where does a mom who can not be with her children go on Mothers day... Well, if she is a gardener she goes to a garden!

I was lucky this year as Bear was actually working up in Chicago so I got to go up for the night and head over to the garden early.

If I can't be with my girls or the back of a horse off riding in the mountains... The garden is where you will find me. I was mesmerized by how much further along Chicago was then Holland. Colour galore 

 I love bold groups of colour like this. How can you look at this and not smile. You can't right? It just cheers me up instantly.

 Smart phones are wonderful as I was able to talk to two of the girls while sitting in this garden and enjoying the day. I found a wonderful quiet place to sit and gaze out on the gardens beauty while we all caught up on our lives. I actually was at the garden from 10 till 6:30 that night!

 Later that afternoon I was able to facebook with the middle daughter. Life was grand. No it doesn't replace actually being together but they are a text or facebook message away. When I left home it was to be a young army bride over in Europe. It was good old snail mail back then. Funny enough one of the places I always feel my mother is in a garden. My mom loved her flowers and was a fantastic vegetable gardener.

 Although my Magnolia is pink.. I can not wait for it to get this big!

This was also an information gathering trip. The Chicago Botanic garden is very educational. There are information signs every where as well as the tags for learning what shrubs or trees you like.

Seeing the large Imperial Crowns made me smile because a "happy" client just gifted me five from her garden. They didn't like being transplanted this spring but they will bloom for me next year.

They actually look like a plant out of a Doctor Seus book to me.

But arn't they beautiful and look how they the yellow primula look

as a fore ground to them. I'll have to take that in to consideration and think about where I put mine in. I believe they are in between some big yellow daffodils along the rock wall.  I may just have placed them in a very pleasing settling. I guess we will be waiting till next spring to find out.

Hope you liked this techno colour walk. I know I sure did. 

How did you spend your mothers day? 

thanks for stopping in and checking out whats going on ...

we will be back at Frog Hollow next post so I hope to see you there.

Kate :)

Ohhhh its been such a long time but I think I will link up with my friend out in Edmonton Alberta.... Hows it growing Tootsie.


This Blog is always entertaining and inspiring.
Tootsie time.

May 8th...just a little late!

 Tulip time in Holland Michigan is a festival.. not just a time when the Tulips are blooming. Its a time to celebrate everything that the people of Holland are rightfully proud about their Heritage. The Tulips of course are the huge attraction.

 As the festival began even the early blooming Tulips were scarcely open. However as the week went on with increasingly wonderful weather the rest were quick to catch up.

 In the Mermaids garden everything sprang to life with the warmth of the sun. Im pleased to say that the diligent weeding of last year has minimized the spring weeds. Although I should knock on wood because it doesn't take them long to get out of hand.

 The start of something sneaking up inbetween the vibrant red and blues....

 Some of the dwarf Iris have made their way over in to this planting and again I love the work that mother nature does...

 After the long months of winter the colours seem particularly vibrant

 Although the grass is looking very green here I am worried because we do live on pure sand. There is a value broken on our irrigation system and so the irrigation has not been turned on yet. We have been getting pretty much nightly showers though so it isn't as great of a concern as it could get to be if the weather continues to heat up.

 Yes this is the first week of May.. Looking very empty and not at all that impressive... But, I wanted to show it to you so that in the next few posts you can see just how incredible the garden looks with just another two weeks of rain, sun and lots and lots of weeding...

 This bed actually has a lot of colour in it early spring. Im very pleased that my first Magnolia has survived and went on to be very showy for a few weeks.

No I didn't plan this.. I obviously planted the red ones and then forgot they were planted there when I planted the others. It didn't help that these were Tulips bought two springs ago from the Tulip time organizers... They had been the "belle of the ball" or in their case the Tulip time parade. It was the year of "stem fest" and the City of Holland bought a lot of tulips in buckets to decorate the town and its floats.

 The Fairies stairs seem to of been brushed off lately some I think they may be awake from their winter nap too!

Well thats all from the Mermaid for the week of May 1 - 8th.. 

we will have to fast forward a few posts to catch up with what is blooming now in the garden..

Boy just wait and see what three years of growth can do for a garden..

Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek.

Leave me a note so I'll know that you've been.

Kate  :)

She's Back!

Since the frogs were braving the chilly weather the Mermaid thought she best take up her post.

Even with the very few days above 70 degrees everything is growing rapidly. Beds have been edged and its a fight to keep up with the weeds already.

I've really loved using the Creeping Jenny as a ground cover under the roses and I've started spreading it to other dark areas through out the garden for contrast.

This was actually taken May 1.  Morning teas are out on the deck even while having to still wear a light coat.

The Dragons blood Sedum added last fall is looking great against the light green and blue of the Forget me not just starting to bloom.

Ornamental grass really doesn't add much to the garden this time of year but everything has it time and place as the show goes on.

I love the dramatic blue with the grey rock back drop and then out pops these incredible tulips!. Soon the early dwarf Iris will bloom adding to the effect.

Here's the Iris along the walkway just a few days later with the one purple Iris that is in there..."Just because". 

Do you put things in your beds that might entice your guests to ask "Why"... or just to give yourself a smile.

I best get out there and weed..... 

Thanks for walking my garden.

See you next time.

Kate

Better late then never!

Hello from Mermaid at Frog Hollow...  Thank you for all the emails we received from concerned followers.

Really its all just down to the winter that won't end and then cleaning up all the damage once it did finally thaw out!.. Now work is keeping me busy as the housing market has really turned around in our part of Michigan. Thankfully!

I did take photos throughout the winter and even while over in Mexico this year. I just never seem to find the time to sit and get them posted. Then there becomes that point at which it all just seems so in the pass. 

I missed sharing all the crocus and how beautifully they are already spreading. The Hellebore are doing great although dividing them did take away from the impact they normally have. They really did Herald in the spring.

Primroses already had blooms opening even under the snow. I did 

actually have to remove some frozen leaves when the temps dropped just a little too much!

The cooler weather has a positive side though in that the spring time cooler weather flowers are actually lasting longer.

A little bit of Blue among the yellow that will hopefully spread and have a much bigger presence next year.

Not looking as spectacular but every bit of colour and green is a very well received bonus after the blanket of white.

I actually had the pond cleaned out and up and running a month ago in anticipation of the frogs. I finally heard some last weekend. Although the temps are back down in the 40's this week so they are hiding.

Tulip time here is Holland started off with a lot of green but then did flush out to beautiful colours as the week progressed.

Here's the first of the tulips in my garden.

More to follow.

Hows everything in your gardens. It seems Im running full out to try to play catch up!

Thanks for dropping by. I hope to be more consistent through the summer. But it was nice to be missed!

Kate.

Herks finally showing his shine....

Its Fertilizer Friday... As work and lack of anything other then Herk to share Im giving you the latest update...

Its Ground hog day with three feet of snow covering everywhere Im pretty sure no self respecting groundhog would come out of its hole... So instead of looking at groundhogs I thought I would show you something far more colourful.

To continue the progression of Herk blooming... Here he is on Tuesday morning....

A single bloom was opened on Wednesday night..

Here he is on February 1st.... I just wish you could smell the wonderful scent that he has. 

The weather continues to be "challenging"... But, Happiness is an attitude..  Well, my "attitude" is telling me that I need sunlight soon!

Happy Ground hog day... six more weeks before spring no matter what the rodent said..
Today is February 7th.... Yesterday while out showing homes we did see a Robin! Seriously... So either that Robin is extremely off track... Or the Ground hog was seriously wrong...Im voting for the Robin being correct!... Please God let the Robin be right...

Kate

During the days of winter.... its great to sit and catch up or read blogs from all over the world.. gathering ideas and inspiration... A great blog to read for ideas not only in gardening but home decoration and junkin is Tootsie Time...

Shivering and cold.. Herks Beauty is yet to be shown....

A very quick update on Herks progress... I believe that the lack of sunlight is slowing him down a wee bit!

Who can blame him...

This is what he was looking like on Saturday...

Here he is this morning.... each of the red "fingers" will open into its own fireworks of blossom... The smell is very heady. 

I won't show you outside... not even the freaky amount of birds I have in my garden. Its a bit like an Alfred Hitchcock movie!...

Check back and see how Herk is doing by Friday. Hopefully the first bloom will be open to bedazzle us.

Stay warm and safe where ever you are... or at least if your part of the vast majority of North America getting hit with this Polar vortex.

Kate

Herks blooming...

So just 10 days ago I shared how I had been given a SIGN  

I thought I should let you see what Herk has done in just 10 days!

 I've turned him so that his stock has to reach towards the sun and hopefully make it stronger rather then it getting so heavy and falling down if left on the window side... I will probably go a head and put in a support though because once he actually starts blooming the head gets very heavy.

 So this morning after getting up and going out and shoveling and plowing a full foot of new snow... I started in on cleaning up the indoor plants... removing dead and dying leaves and cutting back some plants that were just getting to look shabby. I noticed that Herks bloom capsule was already starting to split open... I took this picture... then....

within two hours of the first photo I took this one!...

I will probably take one tonight and then again one tomorrow morning for another update..... 

get ready to see just exactly what Herk looks like when he puts on the shine....

Oh and then is more snow coming... Its been a very fantastic winter if you are a winter person!.... 

Kate
Im linking up with my first Fertilizer Friday for 2014...
hope you enjoy...

Fertilizer Friday

Cold. Crabbiness and Courthouse steps

Hows the weather where you are? Ours has been considerably colder then normal with a lot of snow and icy roads.

So to combat the cold I have been enjoying several workouts a week at hot Yoga... Its wonderful! Its like being in Mexico. Not to mention the increase in my strength, improved balance and amazing flexibility. I'm sleeping better at night plus I figure I'm getting daily facials with all that deep sweating going on.

They won't let me just hang out on a mat in the heated room however so I do go home and sit with my full spectrum light shining on me as I quilt.  My way of keeping the winter blues at bay.

 This block is called Court house stairs... I am not going to put the blocks together like this. I just wanted to show you the "scrappiness" of the blocks that I have finished so far.  I figure I will keep making the green blocks until I'm done using up all the scraps I had. then I will probably add in something else.

I've goggled to see some variations of what these blocks could create. Its quite amazing to see all the different options.. So, I'm thinking I might actually make some blocks using these reds... perhaps some with blue! 

If you have some ideas or thoughts to share... I'm willing to listen..

send me a message.. share a picture...  

Quilting is something that usually only happens in the winter months..Or on the odd rainy days...

I'm counting down the days till I'm getting dirt under my fingernails again..Seed catalogs are arriving weekly. The garden centers are showing signs of activity... I am optimistic....

Thanks for stopping in and letting me share the weekends creative results.

Kate