A Walk Around the Gardens

It's been a year since we moved into this house and we've made lots of improvements to the landscaping.  You may remember my post last summer where I shared all the weeding and digging we did, along with the 'treasures' we found.  If you missed it, you can read it HERE. This year, we actually have some garden beds and plants are growing....let's have a look around.......
First, let me show you the new hydrangea:
The front of the house had some forlorn bushes that had to go.  We tore them out and planted this beauty.  Blue is my favorite color and this shade makes me smile everytime I look at it.  I can't wait for it to grow even bigger!
We also added a Mr. Lincoln rose bush that never disappoints.
The Lemon Balm came back this year and is taking over.  I'm good with that since it smells soooo good.
I planted an herb garden that includes basil, dill, rosemary, and sage.  I harvested some dill the other day and it looks like I'll need to do it again soon. 

 I wonder if the caterpillars will be back again this year?  Trust me, if they are back, they will be moved and given an alternate meal.  Last year, they ate all the dill, but gave me gorgeous butterflies.
You can read that story HERE.
Then there's the side garden which continues to be a 'work in progress'.  We started with this:
Moved on to this:
There was lots of planting done.  (If you'd like the details on the chicken wire and the planting, click HERE.) After a few changes, the garden looks like this:
After a tough winter, the pavers we dug up had to be replaced due to the fact that they were crumbling.  The Bugle Weed spread out forming a beautiful carpet over this area. By next year, the ground should be completely covered.
The Painted Daisies bloomed, and I even had one that was a double flower.  Something I've never seen before.

The Carpathian Bellflower grew and is giving me some beautiful flowers.  
It may need to be moved next year so the Bugleweed doesn't cover it.
The wild grapevine is going strong, growing along the fence.
It's as tall as me right now!
And the sunflowers and Lamb's Ear seem very happy.
We'll have to take another walk later in the season to show off the sunflower blooms.  In the meantime, the strawberries are blossoming and starting to give us berries:
The lilac bush is past it's prime, but the fragrance was absolutely intoxicating when you walked by or sat on the porch.
The bees were quite happy with it, too!
We also managed to get our fire pit built, or, should I say, my husband got it built.  It's lovely to sit around it in the evening....... or the daytime.
The vegetable garden is starting to produce and I just love the fresh tomatoes, beans, and zucchini. Hopefully, I'll be freezing everything soon to enjoy next winter.   
There is more to share, but that can be saved for another time. Thank you for 'taking a walk' with me.  What do you have growing in your gardens?

I hope you'll pin, share, comment, and follow.  If you click on those 3 little lines at the top right of the blog, you'll see where to find me...or click on 'share'.


Featured at:
Best of the Weekend












OMHGWW












Gathering of Friends










Comments

  1. Oh my! Everything looks so gorgeous! I can just smell that lemon balm now! Mmmmm. Have a lovely week and Happy 4th!

    Cottage Blessings,
    Rebecca

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    1. Thank you, Rebecca! The lemon balm does smell wonderful and I always rub the leaves between my fingers when I walk by. Happy 4th to you as well!

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  2. Wonderful garden!Such beauty ...Happy Pink Saturday!

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    1. Thank you so much. I'm glad you enjoyed the 'walk'!

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  3. It looks just beautiful Ann! I've got my backyard transformed into a peaceful retreat that I love but the front needs serious work... I just can't get motivated!

    Tania

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    1. Thank you, Tania. It's still a work in progress, but I guess gardening is never done. Good luck with your front yard - just start with one thing, like a new hydrangea!

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  4. Such beautiful flowers! Especially the Painted Daisy! Thanks for linking up at the #GatheringofFriendsLinkParty 1. Pinned

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    1. Thank you so much. I'm glad you stopped by!

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  5. Blue hydrangeas are my favorite too! Sadly mine has never bloomed since the year we planted it; it's lush and green and large but no flowers. Lots of beautiful flowers and it sounds like all your hard wok has paid off.

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    1. How strange it doesn't bloom anymore. Maybe some fertilizer would help?
      Thank you so much for stopping by!

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  6. awesome article.
    thanks for sharing :)

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  7. Ann, how gorgeous! The only thing I managed to plant this year was tomatoes--two plants that grew so fast and so huge you could practically see it happening. Time will tell whether the crop will amount to much.

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    1. I've got tomatoes too, Jean, and they're growing like crazy! It looks like I'll be making lots of bruschetta!
      I'm so glad you stopped by!

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  8. Ann,
    Everything looks so lovely!! The daisies are amazing in those colors!! Since most of my yard is shaded by the trees, I can only grow certain perennials. A lot that I planted did well for the Season that they were planted but never came back....Thanks so much for stopping by!!
    Hugs,
    Debbie

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    1. Thank you, Debbie. That's too bad that your plants only did well for one season. Gardening sure can be tricky!

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  9. Beautiful. We got a bellflower this year, but after one set of blossoms it got bored with blooming.

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    1. That's too bad, Ellen. They should keep blooming, especially if they get lots of sunlight!

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  10. Happy Pink Saturday, Ann. I love the walk around your gardens. Everything is beautiful.

    This post is being featured on my Pink Saturday post this week as "the one that caught my eye"♥

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    1. Thank you so much. I'm so glad I 'caught your eye', Beverly!

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  11. Thank you for the tour of your lovely garden! So pretty!

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  12. Your garden is lovely, Ann! I cannot grow dill because of those hungry caterpillars--they eat it immediately! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm!

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    1. Thank you, Cecilia. I had that problem last year, but, at least you get beautiful butterflies! So far, I've harvested 2 good batches of dill. Lots of dip in our future!

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  13. Such beautiful flowers! The 100+ temperatures in my area are making it hard to keep things alive around here. About the only thing doing really well in my garden is okra. Thanks for sharing with us at The Blogger's Pit Stop!

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    1. Those temperatures are rough, Roseann. But I love okra!

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  14. Hello Ann, I wanted to congratulate you on being FEATURED on the GATHERING OF FRIENDS LINK PARTY 2. Your gardens are gorgeous! Thanks for linking up with us and hope you visit us again soon! http://graceforagypsy.com/a-gathering-of-friends-link-party-2/

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    1. Thank you so much, Sylvia! I'm thrilled to be featured at your link party. On my way for a visit...

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  15. How beautiful! I love all the colors - especially the pinks! Thanks for linking up to Best of the Weekend. You were one of my features this week! I will be pinning and sharing to Instagram stories this weekend. Please stop by my blog tomorrow to see your feature and link up your latest posts. Congrats and enjoy your weekend!
    Shelley

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    1. Thank you so much, Shelley. It's always a thrill to be featured!

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  16. Visiting from Calypso In the Country.
    Lovely walk about your garden. I can see you enjoy and have a talent for it.
    I also have lambs ear. It does really well in the heat, but can take over if you don't cut it back.
    Rachelle
    My Hubbard Home

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    1. Thank you, Rachelle. Gardening is my 'escape', if you know what I mean... The Lamb's Ear you saw was split this spring from one plant...it sure does spread...good thing I love it.
      Thanks for stopping by.

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