Topiary Ivy

Beautiful vintage patinas for this shot thanks to our still-unpainted shed and old wheelbarrow :)

I am finally making another go at my topiary ivies this year! I potted these pretty containers up on our long holiday weekend just passed and hoping they will overwinter well this year for more enjoyment next year. 

Follow me on Instagram or Twitter to see more of what I have been up to in my gardens and my garden designs.

January Scenes

The first beautiful Crocus tommasinianus forced inside this January

Hello from the snow!
I hope this post find you snug, warm, and enjoying the cozy moments of winter in your region. We have been driven inside by sever cold, snow and ice since Christmas. We are making the best of our winter by keeping busy with school, crocheting and some rest before the spring gardening season arrives. Here are some scenes from outside and in this week at Havenwood....

First Clematis at Havenwood

Clematis 'Fleuri' by Raymond Evison in a pot on our front steps.

 Our first Clematis blooms around the garden this lovely June morning...

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day ~ January 2014

Paperwhite narcissus (Narcissus papyraceus) from a lovely friend.

Welcome to chilly Pennsylvania for GBBD!

It has definitely been too cold for outside flowers this winter. Last week it was -8 F (-22 C) in our area, with a windchill of -30 F (-34 C).  Last January, we already had snowdrops up. But each year has its own things to enjoy.

We are blessed to have a few white flowers inside this year to hold us over. And a new home to work on before spring plant begins! Here are a few views from around our new house...

Topiary Pots in the Snow

Alberta spruce clipped into a three ball standard.

Our topiary pots have found a new home by an old shed for the present, but I am itching to use them to get started on the layout for a new knot garden... any fair day now...

Gardening in Pennsylvania ~ GBBD August 2013

Pink Anemone japonica, Spirea 'Goldflame', red Canna 'King Humbert' and white Cosmos fill the Front Walk garden this week.

Welcome to August in Pennsylvania! We have quite a few flowers this month since the Japanese anemones and meadow rues have started their long season of bloom and the black-eyed Susans are prettying the curb. Come take a walk around!

Containers for July

The foliage of this begonia will make a beautiful pot arrangement for the whole summer long.

There are so many pots around our house this summer: hanging baskets on the porch, herbs by the potager, and flowers on the steps. Even while our summer days are full of going to the pool, the library, the park, etc., these hold their own and keep things looking pretty without much besides a good mulching at the beginning of the season and an occasional watering (every few weeks here with our current rain level). Here are a few of my favorites that are new for this year!

Ornithogalum magnum... and studying for the RHS!

Ornithogalum magnum

Ornithogalum magnum is a new flower bulb to me. I decided to try some from John Scheepers after seeing a similar variety at Phipps Conservatory for their Spring Show 2011.

Tulips for April

Tulipa 'Persian Pearl' in our garden this week.

Spring is in overdrive here in Pennsylvania. I took another walk around our garden today and I already see so much change from Monday tour for Garden Blogger's Bloom Day! The weather has been sunny and in the 60's, and we just had a few nice days of saturating rain last week.  The plants are zooming ahead to catch up to their normal April schedule, which was delayed this year.

These two tulips are sure to add some color to your April days! They are both very early bloomers, do well in containers, and have perennialized well here in well drained planting medium.

Chanticleer House in Spring

My visit to Chanticleer House & Gardens in April.

Welcome to the end of my Chanticleer series! It has been nice to finally post these photos from my visit last April with my garden blogging friends, Pam and Carolyn. Chanticleer is a beautiful garden throughout, and it was a very enjoyable visit. Keep and eye open for roosters statues (like on the pillar above), as chanticleer is french for rooster.

If you are interested in reading more about Chanticleer, I recommend looking at their book that was new out last year, Chanticleer: A Pleasure Garden by Adrian Higgins. For me, the real thrill of this book was the beautiful garden photography by Rob Cardillo. His photos cover many seasons of the romantic garden, and there is a bit of information for the plant and garden history lovers as well.

So here we are, at Chanticleer house...

Visit to Chanticleer Gardens in Wayne, PA: The Entrance

Bold container plantings at the entrance to Chanticleer Gardens.

Last spring I had the pleasure of visiting one of the most beautiful gardens in North America with some wonderful blogging friends.  Chanticleer, in Wayne, PA, is an excellent example of a public garden that still revels in being made by real gardeners.

Tulip 'Persian Pearl', Narcissus 'Tete-a-tete' and purple-tipped Echeveria: A Spring Container Combination

Tulip 'Persian Pearl' and Narcissus 'Tete-a-tete'

Spring bulb container with Tulip 'Persian Pearl', Narcissus 'Tete-a-tete' and purple-tipped Echeveria

Tulip 'Persian Pearl', Narcissus 'Tete-a-tete' and purple-tipped Hens & Chicks (Echeveria)... I love the pointed tulip and hen together.

A sunny combination for our patio that began in March this year and bloomed through the first half of April.

A bit of catch-up posting this week of the flowers that have been flying by in the warm March and April temps. We did get a bit of snow this weekend and a nice chill temperature, so hopefully we can continue to enjoy our tulips! See our other tulips pots here.

Tulip 'Virichic'

Tulip 'Virichic'

Tulip 'Virichic'

Tulip 'Virichic' in pots this week at Gilmore Gardens.