Photo Friday

Several years ago, I purchased this hand-thrown,
hand-made pottery bird feeder.

I put it out on Monday, Feb. 22 -
the only customers have been the Black-capped Chickadee.

'bye!

F for Fair-ness!

Shall we discuss "Fair-ness?" Let's!

One definition of the word fair is beautiful. It fits everything in this post.

Part of my front-of-the-house garden

In front of the lattice with the water walkway.
(I do tread on this little walk periodically, but it was constructed to direct rainwater away from the house.)

A glimpse of my backyard from the Woodland Walk
Another part of my backyard...

Another definition of fair is promise... to illustrate this meaning, you can see the contrast and purpose for change below.

One more view of a backyard garden that changed from 2008 (left photo) to 2009 (right photo) - click on them to compare. :-) I moved the Dappled Willow 'Salix integra' and replaced it with Hydrangea 'Quick Fire' - giving the DW a little more bright light. Click on the photos for nice enlargements, so you can see the changes for yourself. :-)

Now, another definition of fair is impartial. In the spirit of impartiality, I give you an example of how "Everything Might Grow Better in My Neighbor's Yards."

:-)

First, meet a couple of Friends located in the same shady neighborhood!
(wish I had photos of others' gardens!)

Dixie's Garden

Chris' Garden
(forgive my blurry photo)

Now - Friends in town.

Susie's Garden
Nancy H's Garden


Meet my friend that may have begun the 'gardening movement' in town years ago!
This is her berm...

Dorothy's Garden

looking at the top of the berm

A Friend on the way to town and back home again.

Suzanne's Garden

A gardening friend on the other side of town,

Kris' Garden

A couple of Friends in our little, local garden club

Nancy's Garden
(the photos of which will be changing, as they recently moved)


Joan's Garden


Kathy's Garden

Now... presenting

Family!

Dad and Mom's Garden

Our Daughter and Son-in-law and their childrens' garden

Our Son and Daughter-in-law and their childrens' garden
(note the markers - last Summer's project!)


Aunt MEA's Garden

Marilyn's Garden

My sister Barb's Front Garden
This stands for Fond memories.

And I've had a Fantastic time reminiscing about visits and walks through these gardens... Wish I could pick a Fistful of Flowers... but the time will soon come. For now, we continue to Forge through Winter's Fleet of Snow.

;-)

Are you ready to visit other sites in this ABC with Mrs. Nesbitt? Click on the logo below to visit her site. Click on the same logo there to find others that are participating. (You can join this meme at any time, yourself!)

Isn't this a Pretty Sight?

Even though we've had a lot of snow,
I had to share this photo.

"When snow falls, nature listens." ~Antoinette van Kleeff

Compare this photo to the first one in the post below.... same tree
with the result of yesterday's snow.

:-)

Green Thumb Sunday - February 21, 2010

The scene outside my kitchen window today.

Inside, though... on my kitchen windowsill,
you'll find a new resident!

A miniature African violet.

Too cute to leave in the grocery store!

The "Christmas Cactii" are still blooming - in fact, now it's the pink's turn to shine.

The hyacinths have been moved to the living room.
#1 is now #3... and definitely reaching the end of it's season.

But wait! Do you see another new household resident?

This was purchased for a friend,
but it turned out that I got to keep it.

(reluctantly? ha!)

The kalanchoe has begun to bloom.

And a lily bulb has outdone itself in the Valentine Bouquet!

"A flower's appeal is in its contradictions - so delicate in form yet strong in fragrance, so small in size yet big in beauty, so short in life yet long on effect." ~Adabella Radici

Did You Ask to See New Items in My Garden?

A Wish List?

A Hope-It-Happens list?

Dave (The Home Garden) has asked us to post about five new things we anticipate for our gardens this year. Abraham Lincoln once said, "The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time." In the spirit of that comment, I may be making plans, but it's all about "one day at a time." :-)

My project list for 2010 contains mostly hard scape projects. Such things as:

#1 - a short (not lengthy) white, lateral fence behind the raised beds (between our yard and that of our neighbors) where the chain link fence used to be... alongside the "water-disposal trench" that was created last year,

Can You Visualize it at all? As you scroll down, you'll get an idea of what I'd like.

photo on the left was taken May 2007
photo on the right was taken July 2008












Last Summer, the metal fence posts and fences were removed, and last Fall, the chain link was removed.

(A Google search brought up the photo of a plantation fence, shown below, from a custom gates and metal arts site) This second photo shows the water-flow ditch between our properties.












#2 - my five (wonderful) white panels placed on sunken 4x4 posts giving the appearance of a fence, with a free-standing gate (seen below) and a trellis or two - all in front of the raised beds,

(This project-in-process photo was taken early last Spring 2009)











Click on the photos below to see the "free-standing gate"









This above photos show a before and after view of the front yard where two very tall shade trees resided, surrounded by pachysandra.
Photo on left taken: April 22, 2008 - trees in place, at left
Photo on right taken: July 26, 2009 - trees gone, remaining bed at right

#3 - a small water feature in the front yard surrounded by a little island bed.








The pachysandra is still here, surrounding the seedlings begun last year of Gail's Tennessee Cone Flowers!

Photo on left taken Sept. 1, 2009
Photo on right taken May 2009 (bed at left front)


#4 - a small pergola with a small deck outside the sliding doors in our walk-out basement,

(Can you envision something here? Photo was taken last Spring during construction.)

#5 - the backyard wooden box, divided into two separate boxes, and placed at the east end of the raised bed areas for veggies, and

(Yes, the box is ugly. It will be "easy" for someone to cut it apart between the two lateral boards.)

(Yes there are a couple of other things to be moved here...
I'd like to sink the flower-holder stand into the ground in a garden, and the target into the garage!)

If I were to add a #6, it would be a combination playhouse/garden shed. The little building would sit where the "box" (above) is currently located.

But that's just a little waiting-until-everything-else-is-done happy thought!

:-)
Nothing shady here but the shade!