Mermaid At Frog Hollow

Keep Rosemary by your garden gate,

Plant Roses and Lavender for luck.

Fall in Love whenever you can.

unknown.... or at least I do not know the original sayer!

Do you have favorite chick flicks? The movies that make you smile? Well this is a quote out of one of mine.  So, I did what it said.... I'm sure though that I shall never see cowboy boots peeping out of the grass below my roses!... Although that Dixie Chick song" Earl had to die"  was a favorite of mine  for a while!...  Then I grew stronger and life certainly got better...  If I had not gone through all of that I may not of ever had the courage to go back to college at 48 and take a two year diploma program in  Horticulture.

Rosemary that will be put in a beautiful ceramic pot I bought that is Red and black and looks like molten lava.

These roses just keep performing.... they are right out my front door and a very happy sight to see each morning as I leave for work....or to welcome me home!

This lavender really looked better earlier in the season... I actually took off shoots and just shoved them in the ground..They have rooted and will be moved a part to give them room to grow.

Here I have Hens and Chicks.... somewhere where I've lived they have believed that you planted them by your front steps to ward off evil..

This humming bird has came and sat on this fuchsia branch the past two mornings... He's really missing all the nectar this plant provided over the summer. There are blooms but it had a tough go of it when I went to Cape May and the bear had to water... He doesn't drink a lot of water himself so guess he didn't realize that plants... especially hanging plants need watering daily......NOT to mention the fact that it was over 100 with the humidex.... so a lot of my plants got.."touched"

We are having our first garden party. So off we went to Costco's.. Bear was looking for meat and well, I spied the bags of bulbs and that was far more interesting to me then what we were going to feed people!  I also have lots of other bulbs coming but these reminded me of all the ones I left in my Alberta garden...  I thought I did well to restrain myself to only two bags of 90...

So this is the North side of the house.... I have been working on this bed since August but I left what looks like a lot of weeds to grow because they are actually self seeded Digitalis... both whites with purple throats and beautiful pinks! Lots and lots of them...lots and lots of weeds too! Since people are coming though I thought it was best I get in and pinch out all the extra making room for the selected to grow. I have another area of my garden where I'm letting them grow too.

So this is the result.. Hopefully they will over winter just fine and I will have lots of beautiful flowers next year. They do very well in this bed. Next spring when all the self seeders get established then I will be able to mulch. I worked in the garden from 3 till 8:30...after all I do have over 20 people coming on Tuesday..

This  seems to be something decorating my bird hanger!

He just continued to hang there not moving as if he thought if he stayed VERY still.... I wouldn't see him!

At least he shares! He actually does get chased off when the Cardinals and Jays come in to feed. Even the Orioles will put a run on him.

The funniest thing the chipmunk has done was to actually be hanging in the V of this stand... at first I looked and could not figure out what it was... then realized it was  him.. he jumped down before I got back with the camera and I haven't caught him at it since.  I mean if I'm going to feed him the least he could do is pose for me! The little monster also has burrowed under the steps of our walk way which caused a couple of the stones to start falling in and I had to dig them out and tamp in the sand and replace the stones.. Not sure that he isn't or more like they aren't going to be more of a nuisance then they are an enjoyment! There is a man that the bear works with who has lots of "traps" I will have to discuss the best way to "encourage" them to move!

I hope all of you were able to spend time enjoying your gardens and doing whatever brings happiness into your life this weekend.. We had best make the most of these glorious days..I may be in Michigan but even here I know that Summer is slowly yawning and feeling the need to lay down and let the winter months blanket my garden in slumber...  

Have a great week and thanks again for visiting me here at Frog Hollow.