The Colors Of Spring

 

Color...this is definitely a spring full 

of color for us here on the farm.

This time last year

THIS 

is what our fenced in

area close to the house looked like...

  ....it was brown dirt and sand.

  

 

On March the 24th THIS year

I mowed the lawn for the first time this year

and most of the plants I had put in the garden

last year were up.

The daffodils were blooming.

It was the beginning of color here on the farm.

 

 

 This is my favorite Hosta...

it's name is Marmalade.

:)

It's a perfect name don't you think?

 

Right now the Columbine are the stars

of the garden.

I love their soft pinks and yellows. 

I'd like to plant more of these if I can find them.

 

The 'Fairy House' yard needs a bit of work.

 

 

 

The rhododendron I planted last fall

is starting to bloom.

I just hope all these plants still look good 

when the hot summer sun is here

as one of the trees that gave 

a lot of these plants 

the shade

they needed has

all but died. 

Many of them will have to be moved

if the sun becomes too much for them

but time will tell.  

  

This is another Hosta I really like.

I thought the heat and drought 

last summer had killed it 

and a few of the others

including 'Marmalade'

but they shocked me by

coming back. 

:)

 

This poor weather vane 

has moved 3 times

with us and has been knocked over

and blown over

and been beaten with hail. 

This summer it will again be covered

with Red Trumpet Vine

that has been here for many years.

Yes it's definitely 

a colorful spring on the farm

and summer will

have a hard act to follow.

I hope you are enjoying a colorful

spring where ever you are.

~~~~~~~ 

It's Springtime In The Garden

It seems Spring has decided to

come early this year.

For many of us.

I planted 100 daffodils

last fall

and I think I'll

plant another 100

this year.

All 3 of my Columbine are

looking good.

This little fern is peeking its

head out of the ground...

perhaps it's being cautious

since it knows it's a bit early

for it to be unfurling. 

I love these daffodils with the

yellow centers.

They're like little sunny faces!

The lilacs buds are getting larger.

I just hope we don't get a late frost.

The tree's are leafing out and the

pastures are turning green.

I even mowed the lawn the other day.

We even got a load of compost

for the veggie garden boxes this weekend.

Now I just need to get the seeds

and start planting. 

Don't you just LOVE this time of year!

Our Weekend (Part 1)

This is what we got up to Saturday morning.

The sun was HUGE and beautiful

and after a couple of days of

storms and tornado warnings

and high winds it was

WONDERFUL

 to actually see the sun

and not have any wind. 

It has been a busy few days for us

as we've been working outside

trying to get a few things done.

I worked on planting the

shade perennials

and even had fun with 

a few fairy decorations I had 

bought online. I usually don't do things

like this in my garden but this tree 

was PERFECT for this little set up.

I'll tell you more about it in Part 2 

;-)

While I was doing that Hubby worked

 on finishing our picket fence.

He still has to cut the posts off

and we'll have the 

daunting task of staining it all

but I don't want to think about that right now.

I'm just REALLY happy to have

gotten this far!

Hubby went to a lot of work

trying to get a curve in the fence.

I think he did a WONDERFUL job.

Eventually inside this fence and growing

along it will be some 

David Austin

Graham Thomas 

climbing roses

(rich yellow)

Or

James Galway

climbing roses

(warm pink)

along with some 

hydrangea's and clematis.

I still haven't made up my mind about

the rose colors

because if all goes well this 

spring we'll be painting the house.

What color have I chosen for the house?

Yellow!

So

if any of you have 

any suggestions for different roses

or any other flowers on that fence I'd love

to hear what you have to say.

OH...I will also be planting 

lavender

somewhere in the garden

too!

I planted my concrete 

planters with

pink geraniums on the front porch.

I think I'm going to miss the blue

for a bit but probably not for 

too long.

Today we have a break

before more storms tomorrow and Thursday.

So far we have been very fortunate

considering we live in 

tornado alley.

My heart goes out to all those

who experienced the tornado's

and bad weather late last week 

and this weekend.

Especially to those who lost loved ones

and homes.

I hope this is the start of a good week 

for most of you...and a better one

for others.

Maura 

:)

Lilacs and Butterflies and FFF

They're here!

Our lilacs are in full swing now

and every time you open a window

or step outside you are greeted with that 

wonderful heady lilac fragrance.

I close my eyes and I am taken back

to my Grandparents home in 

Canada

where they had the most beautiful

English style gardens.

They had two lilac bushes 

that would fill the air with that

beautiful scent that

would drift into the veranda where

I sometimes slept on weekends

and summer holidays.

Funny how a scent can do that...

take you back to a wonderful

memory.

For the last two days I have been

trying to photograph

our lilacs

and some beautiful

Monarch Butterflies that have

been flitting around the farm.

Unfortunately 

the wind was blowing so 

hard that the butterflies were

having a hard time trying to find a spot

to land where they would't get blown away!

I finally got a few photo's

but it wasn't easy.

The wind was so bad that in nearly 

every shot the lilacs are a blur!

The grove of Lilacs as you come onto

our farm. 

This grove is between the house 

 to the left and our south pasture. 

Here is a pretty Swallowtail

I found in the grove

behind the house.

It was very hard to get good lighting

as they were flitting all over

the place trying to find a 

calm landing place.

The lilacs aren't doing well this year.

I noticed that we don't have many blossoms

and they are faded and not as 

colorful and lush as last year.

I took a closer look at them

and I see that our late

frost killed some of the

buds before they opened.

Such a shame but that happened

the year we moved in.

A late frost had killed 

all the blossoms on the lilacs

and the fruit trees on the farm.

So no lovely lilacs or fruit that year

but last year which was our first spring

here on the farm we had an abundance

of everything!

The cottage is waiting for it's new

paint job

and the front porch is waiting for

steps and a sidewalk.

The door is waiting for it's 

new trim boards.

We did manage to get the 

porch swing up though!

Everything is on hold until

we get the picket fence up

and stained and the veggie

and flower gardens in.

There's just no rest for the weary!

I have to keep

reminding myself

that 

Rome wasn't built in a day.

It's not easy ;)

I'm linking up with 

Amy at Verde Farm for

So hop on over and 

check out all the other 

Farm Friends...

I know you'll have a ball.

I hope you all have a

WONDERFUL

Thursday, Friday

and 

Weekend!

Maura :)