You guys are the best. Thank you. You’re as thrilled as I am about the article in American Miniaturist. It’s so fun to share it with you – it’s not as if I have a lot of friends and neighbors who are into dollhouses! You made my day.
A day, I might add, where I felt like my brain was functioning at about half its normal level, where I had no energy at all. Neither did Don. My guess is that it was a combination of a couple of things; very muggy and humid weather, which always makes me congested and tired and sluggish, and the fact that I was letting go of Work mode and relaxing into Back Home mode.
But nothing stops me from taking some pictures:
Portulaca on the Funky Patio.
Overwintered impatiens. Hurrah!
Remember the Endless Summer® Hydrangea I planted last year? (Click the link if you want to read about it.) The blooms were a deep purple when I received it in the mail. Bloom color depends on the pH of the soil. I don’t fancy manipulating the soil to get a certain color – I like the element of surprise. The blooms this year are fat and lush and a soft lavender. They’re gorgeous. It’s looking very healthy and is much bigger than last year.
I have a lot of day lilies on the property, but this one (Sssh! Don’t tell the others) is my favorite. And there are so many of them this year! All that rain has resulted in a lush, overgrown-looking big garden bed. Just my style.
Don likes to sit on the porch in the morning. Note new utility pole, replacing the one that snapped in two during the Microburst and pulled those lines you see down to the ground.
The bee balm I planted to replace the plants I mistakenly yanked out of the ground is doing very well. I also found a few plants that I somehow managed to miss and they’re doing well, too.
The remembrance rose – in memory of my mom.
Unfortunately, the dreaded Japanese Beetles are eating up the roses in front of the porch. I won’t use chemicals, so I’m currently researching non-toxic sprays. Two of those rose bushes are older and they didn’t come through the winter all that well. I had to cut them back.
Sometimes I think it might be better to simply remove them.
We’ll see.
Happy Wednesday.
Everything is looking lovely Claudia!! I love the variety of flowers you have in your yard. Every time I see your porch, I want one more and more! Glad you are home, it does take a day or so to get the cobwebs out.
hugs,
Linda
It sure does. I felt like I was walking through muck yesterday. Thank goodness, I’m feeling better today. But it’s really humid out there.
Some kind of mildew got to three new roses I planted last year. I didn’t want to spray them with chemicals but I got overruled by the gardener and my husband. I’ve read that you can sometimes use a dairy-milk solution. We did pull out one rose bush, to my deep regret. I’m disappointed that I’ve lost too many plants this year because even in SoCalif drought, we do have drip irrigation but it’s all on one side of the property where the problems are so there has to be some correlation to what’s happening (we’ve checked the drip lines and they’re fine)…we’ve lost what should be very hardy and indestructible plants, such as lantana. Yet several other plants in that section (including other lantana) are doing just fine. It’s expensive to replace this stuff, so we’re not, and I’m disturbed at the loss. It’s frustrating when you’ve tried to do everything right and then not have it work out.
Your porch and flowers are so nice. I’ve had no luck growing hydrangeas, EVER.
Belated congrats on being featured in a magazine(!), and I so hope to be able to find the issue in the local miniatures store I visit in a nearby city. Somewhere I’ve missed along the way that Caroline’s house is called Hummingbird Cottage!
I am about to buy my first dollhouse. Said I wasn’t going to, but I changed my mind. It’s one of the pre-built minis, more affordable and space-saving for me; nothing elaborate or custom. I figure I can decorate it to dress it up! My hands are arthritic and my vision isn’t what it was, so I don’t have the dexterity, skill or patience…or good eyes…to build my own house like I might’ve in previous years, so it’s a good compromise and I’m looking forward to it!
So glad to hear you’re getting a dollhouse, Vicki! I’m interested in one, too, but the one I’m looking at I would have to build….hmmm. I’m not sure about that!
The dollhouse is officially named Hummingbird Cottage, but I rarely refer to it by name, so, of course you had no idea! I think the Editor pulled it from my posts, which is fine. I called it that because it’s a mini and a hummingbird is smaller than a mockingbird.
Your flowers are looking so beautiful Claudia. Something is going on with our deer population and available food – for the first time EVER they have eaten almost all of our daylilies — we have had maybe a dozen blooms…normally many, many more. The deer have also consumed a good portion of our tomato plants — again this has never happened before. Strange. I’ve even watched them munching on a climbing rose we have around a tree (ouch!!) and an evergreen (ouch again). We also normally have a lot of purple loosestrife in our bog area and this year we don’t. Not sure if the deer took that as well or if the loosestrife is not as invasive as folks claim. It is muggy/humid/damp here in PA as well. Guessing we are into the HHH (hazy/hot/humid) summer of Philadelphia.
The deer seem to have stopped chomping on my plants – at least, momentarily. Maybe because we have woods around us and there’s plenty to eat there? I haven’t seen any of our purple loosestrife yet. I don’t think I usually see that until late July/August.
Good morning, Claudia! I’ve been following along on your Chautauqua adventures every day, but haven’t had a chance until now to chime in on all the good news! My actor son, Matthew, was Stage Manager in Our Town so I have a deep fondness for this moving play. I’m so excited about your dollhouse news–whoo hoo! I still want to get one, but right now I’m overwhelmed with all sorts of other projects and need to plot my spare time wisely. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to retire and then have fun with my granddaughter and a dollhouse! Those darn Japanese beetles have struck my roses as well. Oh how I detest them! A master gardener told me to go out every morning and pick them off the roses and drown them in dish soap. Blech.
Have fun being back home with Don and Scout, even if it does mean lots of weeding!! xxoo, Martha
It’s hard for me to drown a bug. I know it’s the thing to do…but I somehow can’t make myself do it intentionally!
Lovely flowers! You could pick off the beetles with tweezers…and drop them in a bucket of soapy water…it’s time consuming…but no chemicals. And, best part…it works! I have long handled tweezers…they are Jim’s from his mechanic days…when you drop a critical screw and must retrieve it! Weather here has been cool….low 70’s, perfect for gardening. I’m into my 2 nd round of weeding, and mulching…almost done. Enjoy your day! ;)
See above answer. Can’t make myself drown them!
Oh, Claudia, it is so good to see the flower pictures after a few weeks. The cottages were amazing, but it is so fun to see the pictures and places that are MHC again.
I am so sorry about the Japanese beetles. They are so nasty. We had a horrible infestation in 2012. This year I had several things not come back which were eaten so badly during that time. We have all been told it can take a few years for their “work” to be truly felt. Makes me just sick.
Beautiful hydrangea! My new one I planted last year is also full of budding flowers.
Every day is new and different when one gardens!! It truly makes us aware of the farmer’s plight as they are more at the mercy of the weather and things like bug infestations than are we.
I wonder if that’s the reason my two older rose bushes are so seemingly weak this year? Maybe the devastation from the beetles has finally taken it’s toll?
I agree that it is good to see your gardens and flowers again after your three weeks away from home..it is also good to see your sweet blue stone porch again..how nice it must be to sit there with a cup of coffee and a good book to read plus enjoy the pretty scenery around you..Hydrangeas are amazing with their ability to change color according to the soil they are planted in..Just relax for a few days and get used to being back home with all of your loves..
It is very nice to be out there, but it’s so humid this week, that I don’t stay out there for long!
Same here Claudia..and you know I have a breathing problem..but I got some gorgeous cone flowers on sale yesterday that I must get in the ground..thankfully my son is going to help!
Good for your son! Stay inside as much as you can, my friend.
i kept aphids off my miniature rose bush for years by planting a mint plant right near it. Worked like a charm. You could try planting mint or another fragrant herb near the rose. I think that works .I have a great Greek Oregano that the bees and butterflies love.
I wonder if catmint would do?
Great tip about the mint, and one I’ve never heard before, Jan! Thanks for sharing – I’m going to add this to my list of natural gardening notes right away. I hate using chemicals too – it goes against Nature, which can’t be good in the long run. I predict by the end of the 21st century humans will be eating far healthier than now, growing and raising their food with much less “chemical intervention” – and even using more humane ways of dealing with those critters we usually think of as pests. I hope, anyway…
Cedar oil spray is a natural way to fend off Japanese beetles. It’s sold online and in hardware stores, also at Home Depot.
Beautiful garden photos! And congrats, Claudia, on your lovely dollhouse being featured in a magazine!
Yes, I’ve heard of it. I’ll check it out at Home Depot, Lily.
Want a non-chemical solution? Diatomaceous Earth!!!! ~FOOD GRADE~!!!! It is so safe you can mix it up and drink it yourself…….I do, 2x daily!!! Great for dogs too!!! Too many benefits to name…but Google it up yourself. Also can be seen on Youtube. My thin weak fingernails and hair is a thing of the past. Lowers cholesterol ….and on & on & on & on!!!!
However, cannot stress enough FOOD GRADE!!!! There is a company that deals in ONLY food grade…if your interested let know!!! I have NO connection to them…just use & love the stuff.
Addie
Thanks for the tip, Addie! I’ll definitely research it.
That daylily is gorgeous. I’m a huge fan of day lilies. I save practically every photo I’ve ever seen of them because I’ve yet to see one I didn’t covet! Especially love those with deep purple and white, or periwinkle and white. So you ended up having a Microburst, huh? That’s better than a tornado with funnel cloud I guess, although I’m sure the experience was the same on the ground. We had a microburst in Rochester on Labor Day almost 20 years ago. The winds weren’t too awful, but there was nearly non-stop lightning for two hours. You can literally read a book without a lamp being on, and in the end there was a power outage that actually knocked out the computers at area banks and our major grocery store chain. People couldn’t use bank cards for several days – it was incredibly weird.
This microburst was as bad as a tornado – 90 -100 mile winds were clocked and it was the equivalent of a an EF-1 Tornado. So no difference really. The damage was extensive and many people had damaged homes and property. A microburst involves about 2 square miles and is short and extremely dangerous. You can tell I’ve been reading up on them.
I get attached to some of my plants and don’t want to face the reality that they will not look any better because they are simply too old. Taking them out is hard for me, but probably better for the overall health of the garden. Expecting thunder storms….I just want some rain!
I so hope you got some rain, Wendy! Fingers crossed.
What a wonderful tour. “Lush” is the word. Your photographs are so full of color and texture.
Is Scout being camera-shy these days? Her fans miss seeing her lovely face. (blatant hint)
Thanks for the garden tour.
You’re welcome, Nancy!
I can’t get the Portulaca to bloom. Seeing the leaves on yours… I’m wondering now if that’s what I have!
Your flowers, in the pots and around your home…are gorgeous. The rain does wonders for the gardens; especially in summer.
The rose and the hydrangea… winners!
I hope the weather lets up, and the humidity tapers off…so you don’t become ill! Take a break, now that you’re home. You deserve some time off.
Working back into an AT HOME routine with your family…takes a little finagling doesn’t it?
The humidity levels seem to be a bit lower today, Pat. We have the windows open and the A/C off – at least for the time being.
I’ve made the transition and now At Home is sitting very comfortably!
The garden looks pretty good for being gone so long. Is it a big temperature change? That is always so hard on me. I know your little family is delighted you’re back.
No, the temps are basically the same in both places.