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Friday, June 17, 2011

It's A Beautiful Morning!


This morning I arose to beautiful
sunny skies and calm weather.

I decided to grab my camera and 
take a few pictures of the gardens near the cottage.

Above is Annabelle Hydrangea


The shade garden is doing ok
after the hail last week
although a lot of the hosta leaves
are pretty beat up.


The flowers in the bicycle baskets
took a beating too 
but they're alive. 


I still have lots of room for 
more shade plants but I think
I'm done for this year. 


Hubby carried my heavy concrete
bird bath into the garden
yesterday...it's good to see it again 
after being stored for 2 years.


One of the Salvia's in the front garden
that received hail damage.

It's holding it's own though.


This garden was planted this year...
we still have to put a rock boarder around it.

In the background is the David Austin rose
Graham Thomas that will be trained to 
climb along the fence. 

I better get that fence painted before I have
to pussy foot around the thorns!


Annabelle Hydrangea's 
growing along the front of the house.

The house was a deep blue
when I planted them but now that the house
is a pale yellow I wish I had
planted blue Hydrangeas!

I still like them.




This was my fathers trike
that he was given by neighbors
in the early 1920's.

It was old when he got it!

We still need to cut the tops off the posts!

This is the only patch of nice lawn 
we have on this farm. 

When we moved here the old
foundation for the summer kitchen/laundry
house sat right there.

Our camper sat out there on gravel/concrete and dirt
for 3 months while we did renovations
to the house. 

It took lots of fertilizer and grass seed 
and water to get it this far!


Above is what this area looked like before.
You can see the power pole in both pictures.
The chicken coop/garden shed is still here
but the barn and round storage building 
and the metal building next to it are all
gone now. 

I miss that barn.



Just a photo of the old porch that will 
one day be replaced with a 
screened porch.

It's waiting for me to stain it...
but right now I'm going to 
sit out here with my coffee
and enjoy the morning.

I hope you have a WONDERFUL weekend!

Maura :)





29 comments:

Kay's flowers said...

Good Morning! Everything looks beautiful. I love to be out in the garden in the morning. So quiet and refreshing. I love those hydrangeas and the tricycle of your fathers is priceless.

Our little dog Lola is doing much better right now. She had her sutures out yesterday and is back to old-self. We are so thankful.

Have a great weekend.

Something Nice and Pretty said...

Isn't morning wonderful in the summer? Love how sweet fragrance of the flowers and grass! Love your hydranegas, I'm sure the color of them doesn't matter against the pretty yellow!

♥Rondell

Sunray Gardens said...

You've really brought it a long way. Lots of hard work but it's paid off. I think the Hydrangea still look gorgeous. Love that trike.
Cher Sunray Gardens

Kath said...

Wish us a DRY weekend please Maura, the unseasonal rain has delayed so many outdoor projects.
I have never seen white hydrangea, it is very pretty.

Deborah said...

Yes Maura you go ahead and sit out there with your coffee..thats what Im heading to do with a hot cup of chai!!
Everything looks so wonderful!
Your place is a dreamy haven :)
Enjoy your sunny day!!

Deborah xoxo

Country Gal said...

Lovely home and gardens you have ! Isnt it nice to wake to a beautiful morning sets the day off perfectly ! Have a wonderful day !

Sherri said...

Maura, lovely pictures! My hostas were beat up in a recent hail storm too! New leaves are coming up though.

Wendy McDonagh-Valentine said...

Your photos are beautiful!! I love all of your gardens. My hydrangea is not looking too promising this year. We have close to 20 bushes that line our property and I think that we may have waited too long to cut them back last year. No flowers on them yet. I'm not giving up hope!! They are absolutely gorgeous when they are all in full bloom. People actually knock on our door to ask if they can cut some. We have so many that I always say yes. Less for us to cut back at the end of the season. : ) Have a wonderful weekend!!

~ Wendy
http://Crickleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

Joy@aVintageGreen said...

Whew ! What a huge amount of work went in to the before and now photos. Thanks for sharing. Great birdbath/bike photo. One of many visual treats.
Joy

Cheryl @ TFD said...

Hi Maura, I love visiting your farm through your wonderful photos. The hydrangeas are so pretty. I have only one that I planted this year and it's not looking so good right now. Keeping fingers crossed that it perks up. Your gardens are looking great, thanks for the photo tour. Enjoy your weekend! ~Cheryl

Brenda Pruitt said...

I have always yearned for a screened porch. Specifically a front screened porch. I tried to grow an Annabelle hydrangea, but was not successful. They are so beautiful!
Brenda

A Brit in Tennessee said...

Gorgeous hydrangeas !
We planted hydrangeas last year, but narey a sighting of a bloom...we'll keep hoping.
That hail storm did a lot of damage, thankfully it should all grow back, with a little TLC.
Love your shade garden, when the hostas fill in, it will be splendid.
Thanks for sharing your beautiful home.
~Jo

Muffy's Marks said...

What a beautiful place you have. I want to sit on the porch and have morning coffee with you.

karen - Simply Inspired said...

love the bike and your father's trike - very fitting for father's day weekend! thank you for the friday afternoon break...so lovely. enjoy your weekend!
-k.

Giga said...

Szczęśliwa, ma jeszcze miejsce do sadzenia kwiatĂ³w. Pozdrawiam

Beatnheart said...

Just beautiful...I have my summer cold...so sneezing, coughing... outt of
itt. blessings and love to sweet yu. cynthia

La said...

Hi Maura!

Your gardens and yard are lovely. I hope you have a wonderful weekend as well. La

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

Hi Maura
That was a nice little tour around your place. The hail can be brutal on the plants; we're lucky and not had any this year.
I like Annabelle hydrangeas too and have the new pink version from Proven Winners called Invincibelle. It's something you might want to add to your collection.
Judith

Dog Trot Farm said...

Maura, your yard and gardens are just lovely. I enjoy seeing all the personal touches you incorporate, wonderful ideas! We received hail yesterday afternoon however, fortunately for me my gardens are not as far along as yours hence damage was minimal. Most days are spent happily working in the garden with my chickens weeding and Winslow Homer digging holes for future plants! Have a great weekend, Julie.

Jeanette said...

Beautful!

Bearly Sane said...

Your garden is looking lovely Maura...and I simply adore that little trike of your dad's.

My dad used to dig a little aluminium powder around the base of the hydrangers to turn the flowers blue...perhaps you can give that a try.

Hugs,
Sandi

The Bear's Blog said...

Maura,

Thank you for the BEAUTIFUL tour. It was wonderful. If you have a minute please drop by, we are having an anniversary giveaway that I think may interest you. (o:

Hugs

Garden Faery said...

Each of your garden areas tells a story. I think that I like the shade garden best, being partial to woodlands. I think of faeries and gnomes and magic places. Thank you for the spark of imagination lit in me now. : )

Hope you had a great day!

Kim said...

It all looks so good. I love the white hydrangea.

Donna Heber said...

Hi Maura,

Your Annabelle Hydrangeas look beautiful. Wonderful gardens and bird bath. I look back at old pictures and can't believe the transformation - it takes time.

Riki Schumacher said...

Hi Maura, nice to meet you. How could I not stop by a blog called Lilac Lane Cottage? My favorite flower, from my childhood, in Kansas! And I see that's where you are, small world. Love your pictures, your blog, everything. I'm glad you took the time to shoot those lovely pics, sip your tea, and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Take care, Riki

Skogkjerring said...

Maura, your gardens look wonderful!!! I have to ask is the Graham Thomas rose yellow? If it is I have that one too! I have planted mine in a pot though as I have lost so many roses the last years due to the cold winters we have had...so I thought I would plant my roses in giant pots and take them in this winter....hope they will survive better that way!!!

You and your husband have put so much love and time into your home, it is really lovely and I can "see" your screened in porch someday...it will be wonderful also...all those lovely Kansas evenings with a light breeze...sitting back drinking ice tea....ahhh I remember nights like that when we lived in Kansas....almost like it was yesterday :-))

Have a wonderful evening my friend :-) Hugs from Norway :-))

Julie said...

Your home and yard is looking so lovely! I've been working hard to get mine looking as good.

Sunflowers With Smiles said...

I love your bike and hydrangeas!

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