Just a Bit of "Garden Whimsy!"

Nan Ondra at

Gardening Gone Wild

has asked gardeners to participate in
"Garden Bloggers' Design Workshop,"
a monthly posting of interesting topics.

This month it's "Garden Whimsy."
Enjoy your visit!

This metal rose was "created in Mexico."

I believed it, so I purchased it. These flowers are being sold as a fund-raiser in support of the mural project on the exterior of our community's new civic center.

(Click on the photo below to better appreciate the mural.)

My 2-year-old granddaughter is patting one of two "turtles." But in the meantime, it looks as though she'll be soon making a new friend!

I thought this looked like me. At least she represents most of what I like to do outdoors...

She's waiting patiently for more butterflies... as am I.

If you look down, at her feet, you'll see what she stood on to get where she is!

Rounding the house to the backyard,
you never know who might come crawling out from under a hosta.

If you experience the need to go stepping into "light-footed" areas, you may as well have a pleasant place to rest your toes.

Hose guides can be fun, too. Are little white perch-birds nocturnal?

Knee-deep!
This fellow's mom taught him to "sit up straight!"
I believe he's quite proud of himself.

A long-time friend and former neighbor presented me with my first and only Faire Flower Fairy a few years ago. She likes to hide in cozy green places with scented pale petals.

Faire FF's able bodyguard enjoys the bolder blossoms. I don't blame him, as he is often called upon to defend FFF and her territory. Thus, Smell the Roses Whenever You Can, has become his most appropriate motto.

As we enter the Valley of the Shed, hopefully your first welcome is the ever ready teacup... for you and/or anyone needing a refreshing sip of water.
As you begin your South Woodland Walk, you'll notice the emerging hellebore bed. Aren't these plants worthy of a little extra attention? Someone else might give them a pillow...Notice your mid-journey's guide. Just follow her gentle nod.

Did you stop for a rest on the bench shown above?
If so, you were being guarded by our friend below.
He's really a good fellow, so don't be taken aback
by his rakish expression.

Whimsical it may be, for you and me, but the balloon flower is not joking around. She's only trying to whisper in your ear. She caught me the other day. And she has the sympathy of her neighboring daylilies. What was her message?

"Please move me."
Another cozy sanctuary for birds and their buddies.

I found this bespeckled fellow at an art fair two years ago this past June. My sisters and I were spending a "Sisters' Weekend" together, near the quad cities.I'd like to introduce a couple of my gardening buddies. They've appeared on this blog before, but some of you may have missed meeting them. :-)

This is Gardener Gladys.
She is good company while I garden in the backyard.
(soft sculpture, created 4 years ago)

This is Susan Scare-the-birds.

She's known for occasionally hanging around in the raised bed gardens. She vacationed last year, but has been begging to resume her position again this Summer. I'd better humor her. She's pretty good at what she does!

(soft sculpture - created 5 years ago)
Perhaps this isn't exactly whimsical,
but it is exactly where my heart lies.

I can hardly think of any other place I'd rather be,
especially when I'm finding it hard to be out there!

Not a "shady" sentiment. ;-)

Stone in the Garden

Stone in the Garden

Part I
A Continuing Saga!
:-)

I've recently posted about this...
...it's finished and it will be soon planted.

This is where it all began... chunks of concrete (April 14, 2008)!

This photo was taken last Spring (2007) of the shady Southern corner
of our front yard. (Limestone rocks)

This untidy area has oak "drippings" and an uncleaned mini-pond (sorry).
(limestone rocks and a few other rocks)

This little limestone rock path takes off from the right side of the little pond and heads down between the two parts of the bed in front of the house.This is a little detail of the front of the bed... not far from the mini-pond.
This is the front of this same bed. A mix of limestone rock and rocks picked up in a friend's field.

This is the south end of the front bed. Plants and rocks.

On the Southeast side of the house... east of the raised bed gardens, is this meandering pathway I began with a little help from a son of a neighbor 4 years ago. We were allowed to peruse the local "County maintenance area" for some concrete sidewalk chunks for the pathway. The front border edging is limestone. Other areas are "a mix." These photos were taken at the end of May, 2007.The plants have spread since then... and increased in number. ;-) You might also catch sight of a couple of those concrete Windsor Blocks available "most everywhere."

The photos below were taken a couple of days ago, of the lower (easterly) section of the largest
backyard bed. I'm widening it slightly and extending the north end
a few feet further. It used to be all limestone and field stones... now it starts with limestone and ends with concrete chunks and field stones.

I was standing on the right (east side) of this bed as I took
the following photos.

You might notice several items waiting to be planted,
most of which will not be planted where they are sitting,
but they're all filling the space where I'm widening this bed.

This shows the new area, beginning just after the City Lights hosta, frizzalae fern, and the little variegated hosta.

The photo below shows the west part of the largest backyard bed. It's edged in mostly stone, but a couple of concrete chunks here and there.

The right side of this photo is a little grassy.
That's because it isn't part of this bed...
yet! :-)
My plans are to enlarge this bed very soon.

There are other beds with rock... but, I think this is a long-enough post, don't you????

Join Nan Ondra at Gardening Gone Wild and create your own post about Stone in Your Garden. :-)

Garden Bloggers’ Design Workshop - Front-Yard Gardens

I'm a "slow-comer," but I really like the looks of this Garden Blogger's Design Workshop series. Check it out at Gardening Gone Wild! And Join In! :-) This month's subject deals with Front Yard Garden Design.

Not only do I love to garden, but I love to design! Usually it's "by the seat of my pants," in that I am inspired with an idea, give it a bit of thought, and then I do it. At this point in time, we are in the very early stages of Spring (and every day gets better!). These first few photographs are from last Summer.

This is a bug's eye view (August/2007) of the very "frontest," looking from the driveway through the gardens in front of the deck/walkway. In
the foreground is a Water Hyacinth in the tiny "pond."

Of the pictures below, the one on the left was taken after I first sank the pond June 1st. I also put the birdbath nearby. The beds themselves, complete with rock edges and both the rock and slab walkways were built in the Fall of 2005. About half of the plantings were done in 2006.
The rest of the plantings were added last Spring/Summer.
The photo below continues to look down the front bed... this photo was also taken June 1, 2007.
I'm sure you can't tell, but the bed behind the bricks and in front of the lattice holds some upright varieties of sedum. The entire rest of the bed was filled with flowering annual vinca and impatiens. They were just beautiful! I plan to yet add some upright plants in front of the lattice. There's a little concrete slab "walkway" edged in sideways brick. This wonderful waterway was designed and built by my husband. We're on the "downside" of a fairly good incline. When it rains, we get a LOT of water. The "walkway" takes it away from the house. These photos were taken this morning. Remember, there's an absence of plant material, yet! And the little white specks are actually daffodils planted last Fall.
Looking East (my new little wall edges the front bed)... Looking Southeasterly









There's much that is not yet apparent. I'm sorry I didn't take more photographs last Summer!
You'll soon be seeing many more photographs!
Looking south - here's the waterway. There's a rock-edged bed around both sides of the evergreens.










Here we're looking towards the raised beds... see the birdbath? The bed in front of the evergreen has astilbe and hosta.

The little bed around the Shagbark Hickory is filled with pachysandra, flowering Spring bulbs, and short iris.







The following are photos of various plants within the front long bed. I was having a lot of fun with the close-up and macro settings on my digital camera last year! :-)

water hyacinth & duckweed; sedum on rocks, miniature rose nearby; sedum and heuchera beside birdbath.












This peach daylily is behind the yellow one, when you stand looking towards the house.
Looking carefully at the yellow daylily, perhaps you'll see buds of the peach one.









I'll apologize for not having providing the names of the plants. I'm currently involved in mapping all the flower beds with the current plantings. An achievable goal if I continue to persist every day. :-)