In the garden....................

All winter, all 7 months of it, I waited.....and waited. Now that I can finally get outside the window of opportunity was small. The mosquito's this year are just terrible. I hate to use sprays on my skin. Those chemicals are absorbed into your body and I prefer to not do that. So, being outside is not as pleasant as it could be. Meanwhile I am taking pictures of some of the flowers. I did do some rearranging too.
First of all I must show you this.......does she look as though she is up to something. I did ask but she just stuck her tongue out at me

In the back garden we had some very big evergreens next to the deck. They have been there for many years. Because the poodles use the deck to potty when the snow is too deep, it gets thrown over onto them. In Spring they bounce back from the huge snow drift and I spray them down to get the dead leaves and what nots off of them. Well this year they looked particularly horrible so I trimmed them back. I put in a bird bath and wood chips. Now it looks nice. Even the rose bush that got lost in the bushes can now bloom happily this year.

Cutting back the evergreens has allowed the bushes in front move themselves into the space and bloom even better.

Eventually I think the space will fill if I don't trim back the other shrubs. I like this new area and so does Tristen. We have the wire fence so that the poodles do not go under the deck. We have creatures that like it under there. Like the skunk who often visits the bird feeder. I think I will try to move more of the dead parts out soon and make the area that the rose is in more accessable. That thing is very thorny and is the most horrible rose in that respect. On the other hand it blooms without fail year after year. It was a long ago Mothers day gift. Its pretty and reliable, you just do not want to have to touch it.
I put wood chips in there so I can rake it as the bird seed that falls there sprout. I love the flowering shrubs

Some of my Iris have bloomed. I bought this one last year because of its leaves, they are striped. After the visit to the Iris farm I am thinking I may get a few different colours. I might just buy from a catalogue in the Fall.



I just love the Dutch Iris, not sure if they are all called that or if its just a common term used for that group.??????


This one is darker,

I have planted some berries. A mistake I think but nowhere to move them to. The bush is getting bigger all the time. I didnt think it through. It likes its spot so will stay for now. Somehow I also have one out front. I have no idea where that one came from.

Other things I grow that are edible are Chives. Well I like those for the flowers more than anything else.

I also have some garlic chives because I loved their flowers. I put those in a pot but they do not look as though they will bloom so not sure I did right by them. The flowering shrubs seem to be the most faithful of bloomers in my garden. I have this one to cover the air conditioner along with a Quince on the other side. The snowballs do very well on the side of the house, just to give Bud the neighbour something to look at.

The Azalia does very well too although it is still small, all of them are still small. When I have success then I stick with what likes it here.

I like this pretty little thing but it really struggles each year.

Some of my roses are in bud. Maybe soon I can show some off, my roses are never much though. I must figure out what they like more than where they are now......Fussy things and they get black spot.

sharing with Make it pretty Monday at the Dedicated House
I am going over to Friendship Friday at Create with Joy
come on over to Fishtail Cottage and join the party there.
I think we can also party at A Dedicated House, anything Blue Friday

Wildflowers of Glen Arbor................

Sunday was Fathers day, Reina and Laura came over and we all went for a drive. We can never decide where to go, we have favourie places. We headed out to the sand dunes. I was hotter than we thought it would be. Our first stop was at Wildflowers in Glen Arbor. Wildflowers is a garden center and gift shop and so much more. We saw that this year they have expanded. They have another building close by.
Wildflowers is unique. I love to stroll through their woodland garden and check out the pond. They have lovely garden ornaments. They make up baskets and pots of flowers. Too expensive for me. I always find something though. I did take pictures but I am on a different computer so have to use some from their web site. Thats OK because I can show inside the store.

The area around Glen Arbor is full of art galleries and stores that carry merchandise made by local crafts people. Wildflowers has its share. Inside the store you can buy fashion accessories, some clothing that is rather unique to them. Not your usual things. They have Christmas things as well as things for the house or garden.

It is the garden that holds special appeal to me. I always find unique things and seldom walk out empty handed.

Wildflowers also have plants that you can see in the woods but can not gather. Like Trillium. It is illegal to pick it even though the woods are full of it in he Springtime. I think I have also seen Jack in the Pulpit for sale.

Trillium

What I like most I suppose is wandering around the gardens and wishing they were mine. I could live in the house, its a wonderful house (converted to store)

The pond used to have fish in it, I didn't hang around too much to check yesterday because of the mosquito's

Well that was just the beginning of the afternoon out but I just wanted to show everyone one of the lovely places we have here in Northern Michigan. Wildflowers has a Facebook page and website.

Fairy Garden....................

This was Tristens weekend at Auntie Laura's. My daughter Laura had to work so Reina spent the day with us. What to do. I decided she would be bored with out Tristen so had to come up with something. I wanted to work in the garden because the weather was perfect for it.
SO we went off to Four Seasons Nursery. We saw this guy just down the road.

We want to make a Fairy garden so I knew they had the fairy stuff there. Boy was it expensive. Anyway they have a little garden set up as you go in. It has a pond.


There are frogs and taddies in the pond.

And fish

I wish I could grow Lupines like this

I also want some of these. Alum? is it?

This is the entrance........there are just so many greenhouses in this place. I mean they have a different greenhouse for every catagory, Perenials and annuals. They sell Native plants too.


Anyway we got a few things to make the fairy garden. I got a little house, a birdbath, some mushrooms and two fairies. The plants were tiny things and two ivy plants. I can not believe it came to 118 dollars. I bought two plants at 9.99 each apart from the fairy stuff.

Reina has a good time, she was very helpful. She swept the drive and she planted some plants.

I can see we have to look for more fairy things but that was all for now.

Sharing with A Dedicated House Anything Blue Friday
and also with Boogie Board COttage

June 2014.............

A view of the back garden..........when we moved in here this was all just grass. No hedges, no trees, nothing. It has grown over the years to what we have now. Sometimes I look back, for example where the wood chips are now, to when it was grass. It was pretty. Because it's all shade now it was hard to keep nice. Now it's Tristens play area supposedly. He is also destroying what grass we have left. I am debating putting it all down to wood chips. It would not be too difficult to do. Probably easier to keep up as well. Maybe next year. We also intend to fence it in with a 6' fence. That would help a lot for noise. Like the poodles not seeing everything that goes by and barking.

The deck itself is a bit bigger since Gerry added to it. Eventually when we move the back door it will be nice to be able to sit out there a lot more. This is the lower deck (above)
The Poodles love the deck, when Tristen is not around.

On the new part I have set up a temporary poodle bed. They love it.

Down below the pond is pretty with its yellow Iris growing good this year.

A small pond but it's pretty and adds a nice element of noise of water bubbling. The old rusty wheel barrow out front also makes an interesting focal point. This year I have planted some flowers in it that I hope will survive. Usually they don't for some reason. It probably gets too hot and dry.

The Azaelia does well in my garden. I will be getting more as I go on to populate under the pines. I need to feed the evergreens, they are getting thin. I have bought some tree spikes.

A few other things blooming today

The sun through the leaves, so pretty

I saw today the poppies are opening but its raining cats and dogs at the moment so will save for another day.
Sharing with Fishtail Cottage.........also with Lavender Garden cottage

Baby Buffs........................

A week or so ago I took pictures of the Buffalo. Well on our way to the thrift shop we noticed there were new babies. On our way back we stopped and I took some pictures. We also took the side road to see if we could find more. These are my pictures.


They are so cute. I sure hope that they have a nice life. They have a wonderful field, fields to roam.


These little guys will grow up in the Oleson's herd. Some will end up as meat no doubt but at least before that happens they will have some great pastures and great food. There is always huge fresh bales of hay in the fields. There are still quite a few fields as well.

I have not quite worked out who is kept where. This is a huge field that goes way over onto the side road we went on. Are they all cows? I don't quite know. The farm itself has a few close by in seperate fields so maybe those are the boys? Or destined for other things. I will have to try to find out. I will add some links to Oleson's farms

Oleson's Buffalo Farm Us old timers remember old Mr Oleson. He always worked in his store right up to the end of his life. He said hello to everyone who came in and always a smile. A local charactor, a very nice man who dedicated so much to this community. Still does even now through the NMC BBQ and many other donations and support for local causes.
I am sharing this with inspire me Monday at Create with Joy

June is busting out all over..............

Finally some colour in the garden. I got most of the clean up done. Still much more to do but now I can take my time. The wind has now blown all the blossoms away. It also blew all the little "helicopters" off the Maple trees. They are a mess. A nasty mess. Well the deck is finished now, this week I hope Gerry will work on the doors. Any rate the poodles are enjoying the deck for now.


The birds too.

But we are more interested in the flowers for now. One surprised me and came back. That means I can invest in more for that space. When a plant does not thrive I don't buy it again unless I want to try it in a different spot. This one is doing well.
Now if I could remember what it's called

The Spirea has Lilly of the Valley growing under it. The lilly is very invasive and I have to keep it tight under control.

I also have Honeysuckle growing in the bushes of Spirea. This year I bought a different Geranium. I usually get pink but thought I would be different.

The Granny Bonnets are doing well.

I love the Candytuft. It spreads and comes up faithfully year after year. Its doing so well in the barrel.

One mans weed is another mans flower

I have more pictures but will save them, this post is getting long and I don't want to bore anyone. I will have a few left for another day
Shasring with Home and Garden Delightsome Life