My One GARDEN GATE & One that I Want Still

I have one large wooden garden gate, off the back of my garden, really unseen , that leads to my neighbor's house basically.

 The house had been vacant for about two years while a family was settling an estate, and I just had a chain-length fence and gate for many years. Then a nice family moved in, and I asked my husband to put me up a large wood fencing and a gate door, so I could have some privacy in my garden when I was back there. After about a year, he finally put one up. I had been asking for a large wooden fence for about 5 years.
One reason or another, then finally I got it.

 At first this was just a plain wood gate, no window. The man who lives next door , told us he was disappointed that he could not talk to us over the gate anymore. I then asked my husband to cut a little window out , and this is what he did.
I was never trying to be rude to our neighbors, I just need some privacy in my back garden .

 This is our viewpoint. 

 This is more their viewpoint, looking in. I rarely see anyone looking in...but that is Ok. At least they know they can if they want.

I am always enthralled when I see a gate with a small window that looks into someone's garden. I want to walk up and look inside. The gate with the see-thru makes it more interesting...at least from a distance.

This is what you see from that view....further inside.

 I liked this shot of me and some cut bush roses I was trimming , and in the distance is the small window of my garden gate. I asked my little boy to take a picture of me and my roses, but he got the gate and the window in the distance too. I felt like it showed what was in my past and then simultaneously what dreams I had for the future...all through that window of my garden gate. Probably makes no sense to you, that's just how it makes me feel when I see it.

These pink crape myrtles are draping my fence and my garden gate. They also give our neighbors a beautiful flowering canopy view on their side.

I used this shot in my header, I love the strong bright light coming through here.

Wait, I believe it is this closer shot of the sun coming through that I used,

This is looking through now , from the other side.

See how pretty in the early morning light it is , with my crape myrtles in full bloom ?

I enjoy looking at the delicate shadows cast by the crape myrtles branches and blossoms. Silhouettes on my fence and gate.

Sun is getting higher now, and I keep thinking that I want my husband to build my fence on the opposite side of the drive, and I want my special heart shape cut out the middle of that gate...the true entrance gate for my garden , for a window.

So it would signify that I love my garden, that I made my garden with love.

Corny and sappy right ?

Perfect for this yardlady. 

He says he will do it...sometime.

I know he will do it for me.

Hope everyone out there is staying cool , where it is sweltering...or getting rain if they need it, or basically taking care of themselves as we head into deep Summer,

Gina

" One thing I have desired of the LORD , That will I seek ; That I may dwell in the house of the LORD , All the days of my life , To behold the beauty of the LORD. " Psalm 27:4

A SOUTHERN Garden Party w/ Bonnets GALORE

I ended up going down the street to my first Garden Club party, I did not wear my black polka dot sundress, but ended up wearing a simple top and cropped pants...plus it was a party that you were supposed to wear a Summer hat or bonnet, and since I only have baseball caps...I decided to pick a hydrangea out of my yard , and stick it in my hair instead.

It was 95 degrees , humidity about 75 %, and I knew it was gonna be hot.

I looked out my window, and since this was happening only two houses down from me...cars were parked up and down in front of our houses , I got myself down to the party. I am going to show you some fun shots of a few of the delightful women and their hats. Some made special hats or bonnets for the hat contest they were having.

Below is the really cute lady who came right behind me down the sidewalk, she had on a dressy nice Sunday go- to -church dress, white gloves, high heels and this hat.

I walked up and asked her if I could get a picture of her hat ? She goes, " Would you like to wear it ? " I laugh and tell her,  " No, I just want to get a picture of it as it is so wonderful. "  I believe she was in her mid 90's , that is what I heard. She did take off these giant cool sunglasses at one time, and she had pretty blue eyes to match her hat.

A nest and bluebird in it hat.

This lady was so cute, she had made her hat from the day lilies in her yard.

I believe it was my favorite hat, this one and the big blue one I showed earlier.

 These were some of the 87 year old founder of the garden club's hydrangeas. Beautiful colors, she was very proud of these.

 Here was another really cute lady with her hat that she said had been used for about 20 + years, been borrowed, been lost...and found again, just in time for this party celebrating 60 years of this garden club. I like how her eyes sparkle.

 When I arrived I meandered around all these women and their hats, I would go up and talk to someone and try to find out more about this garden club and then ask about their gardens. I was kind of ( not really kind of, really definitely ) , like a little kid, going up and asking them about their gardens, what style is it , where do they live ? And then I would wait for a few moments and look at them, waiting for them to ask me about MY garden ( like a little kid wanting to show their treasures ).

It never happened.

I asked about 5-7 women about their gardens, hoping they would ask afterward about mine, expecting it...but nothing.

So, I volunteered the information about my garden each time. I just wanted to know about theirs and share about mine. I thought that is what people talked about at garden clubs.

I think they know all about each others gardens there. They were not used to my question I believe .

" My garden is done in a sort of cottage style way...", I would say. They would smile and be cordial.

 See the lady in the pink hat, to the far left ? That is the 87 year old garden club founder. She was having the best time , a natural hostess.

This was a fishing hat , that a lady said, " I used to be a lean, mean, fishing machine. " She says she doesn't fish anymore as she tied all her lures to make this hat for contests.

This handsome gentleman showed up in his seersucker suit , straw hat and white summer shoes. 

Dapper man.

The Yummies.

 Centerpiece

Her sanddollar pavers going to her back side yard area.

Vintage little girl garden statuary , looks like it was a fountain at one time.

Her garden gargoyle, vintage one.

 She had little birdhouses hanging from her trees.

 There is the 87 year old garden club founder in the crochet pink hat. She told everyone that she had knitted this hat.
When I left this sweet garden party, I stopped her and thanked her for inviting me. I told her I had a very good time, everything was so nice. Then I told her I loved the pink crochet hat she had made on her head.
She was in a group of other women , happy and relishing the attention her garden and she was receiving...and she looked at me, touched the pink hat and says, 
" I didn't make this hat ", and laughed and laughed . All her friends laughed too. Apparently she is a little trickster and I am the ready victim as I will believe anything someone in their 80's with a sparkle in their eye tells me.
I smiled and walked back home. Hot afternoon for a party, and I got my son to take a picture of my hydrangea in my hair when I got back. Look how wilted it is..

I liked the look of this picture so this morning I picked a fresh hydrangea and put it in my hair, and between my 9 year old photographing his treehouse, Maxine, clouds, bugs, the air...he got me a few cute shots. I am going to use one  for my new profile picture as I like the ' feeling ' it portrays.

Fresh hydrangea.

Bless you , and thanks for all the support in my trepidation of my first garden club party,
Gina

"Say to those that are fearful-hearted , Be strong , do not fear ! " Isaiah 34 :4 

A Quick WALK Around My LOST & Found GARDEN in May

I decided to take you for a walk through my garden to show you some progress in the last month. We are starting from my back deck , I like to stand here and figure out  if I like what I see.

Or want I want to see instead.

Down we go.

Shade garden in front is doing fine, ferns are green again, all kinds of plants that I have no idea what the names are, are also coming up.

 I am going to plot out my garden on paper, I read that in someone's blog about when you plant a plant to go to your layout and write what you planted when and where. I have so many little plastic name tags , I washed off a bunch yesterday and dried them by my kitchen sink. You know they get all dirty when you are planting. 

I have years of plastic tags in a ziploc bag, so at least I kept those.

When I do that ( make a layout ), I will be proud of myself, as organization is a weak area for me.

Looking better. trumpet vine is blooming for me again .

I also FINALLY put newspaper under my mulch to ward off weeds, I had completely forgotten to do that but I have a good excuse. Wanna hear it ? 

I did not put it underneath because I forgot No. 1 , and most importantly I was waiting for all those perennials I planted to show their little heads out of the ground and did not want to cover up too soon. Now if I had my layout I would have known, but my memory is on vacation most days.

I think that was 2 excuses, but they sort of blend together .

In the distance here is the old birdbath bubbling fountain that I put a lot of old seashells in, I do not like it as the contrast is too start with the black. I will plant some flowers in it soon. Ignore it back there.

That is red salvia I bought at our local zoo garden sale a few years back to the left.

It has been raining cats and dogs here as you can see. I picked up my son from school yesterday in torrential rain, and as we drove up....I saw down the street about two houses down, our big trash can ( Herbie-Curbie ), floating in a bout a foot of water, plus all kinds of things. I got my son in the house, put on my husband's large raincoat he never wears, had flip flops and cropped running pants on...walked down through a foot or so of water, and a mini-flood pouring into a neighbor's backyard. I then waded out, my pants were soaked , luckily kept my flip flops on...rushing water all in that area ( cars were turning around and not driving through it in front of me ), grabbed our big trashcan up and out of there and dragged it back in the thunderstorm. Why I was such a she-woman about this is I was worried our trashcan was blocking some drainage in the road and was causing the flooding there.

Also, it is OUR trashcan-Herbie-Curbie, it needed to be rescued.

My son was impressed how wet my pants ( up to my knees ) were when I got back, and at least he saw me take care of a problem .

Back to the garden,

Delphiniums, pink verbena, Shasta daises, and some plumbago and calla lilies are in here, plus more.

Sideview

I have lots of blue salvia coming up to the back left of the garden, in front of them are orange cannas I found at my neighbor's house.

My trusty blue plumbago getting bigger. I have three plumbago , and this is the first one I planted about 5 years ago. I cut it back after the first freeze, and it comes back every year.

Love this plant.

Keep ignoring the back fountain w/ white seashells.

Ok, since you keep looking at the glowing object in the distance , here is the up-close look at what I do not like and will change. Too stark with the black. But we always need to try out our bright ideas to see how they look.

This was definitely a BRIGHT idea that is going bye-bye.

Cute little birdbath I made into a planter so my husband could see it when he walks in and out of his palace-workshop. I do not know if he ever sees it, I do know he has almost tripped over it a few times.

View from the back. See that itsy-bitsy middle green something in the dark mulch ? That is my third plumbago coming back. I got so happy when I saw that ,as I have planted plumbago three times here, and it died. This one lived over the winter !

I stepped up in my son's fort to take these last shots.

A fort with a view ( a fort he never plays in, and may get taken down and have a small new garden bed here soon ).

I threaten that and he says he'll start playing in it.

Ok, that was a walk around the garden, I did not show you a side back left bed that is in dire straits with deep thatch that I have to fix.

That's what's neat about this tour online. I can blindfold you like this and only show you the parts that look good.

Hey, I think that's what internet dating sites do right ?

It is a cloudy overcast day here, gotta run and get busy with the day,

hope yours is very productive, 

Gina

" Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD ! " Psalms 150:6