Flowers of Love

Warning lots of pictures!   Since nothing is really happening in my life to blog about, I thought I’d share what I spent my spring & summer doing. 

My rose bush that has traveled many miles with me.  It has flourished but at this time a bit on the sickly side but hopefully soon it will be back to it’s flourishing self .  Those dreadful Japanese Beatles cause havoc and are horrible pest to get rid of!

For several summers I've been sick that just making it one day at time has been a chore and blessing.  Getting out of bed at times are difficult and some days even impossible. 

This old ash bucket was at a garage sale It was in the for free pile and I took rescued it. It makes a great flower pot, don’t ya think?  Hidden behind the Zinnia's  is a bush that has beautiful yellow blooms in the spring so in the summer I Plant Zinnia's around it .. The first year I planted some beautiful freesias but they didn’t come back the next year and I didn’t think to dig up the bulbs.  I admit I’ve never really had a green thumb even though I have always wanted a beautiful yard with lots of flowers.

This summer has been better and I’ve been  trying Alternative treatment and it has helped make me feel better and I’m able to do a few things other than just surviving day to day.  The past few summers I've attempted to start flowers at the stick house but the problem was I just didn’t have the strength or energy to keep up with them. Hubby and the boys planted a garden for me as fresh vegetables have been in my diet but let’s be honest, their just not good care takers for flowers that require maintenance but they are great gardeners! 

I started my first summer with some Wildflower’s, Zinnia's and Marigold’s and it was a good thing as I just physically couldn’t care for them.  Thankfully hubby or boys would give them water when they began to look like they were  needing a drink.  The first fall my DH was so good to collect me some seeds for years to come. 

My autumn Joy has done great, I love how the blooms start out a pale green, then they turn almost white to a burnt red look! Plus it takes hardly any special care other than a bit of water here and there when it’s extremely dry.  I love succulent's and I love that this one can survive the winter to return in the spring!

 

This succulent I've had for several years, it came in a pot with multiple different types and has blossomed and grown.  I decided to take it out of the pot this year and plant in the ground and as you can see it’s grown.  Unfortunately it has to be dug up before the first frost as it can not take our cold winter.  I believe it’s called ghost plant (Graptopetalum Paraguayense)

My sister in law brought me a small amount of this and it has gone wild!  It’s a ground cover and she called it cemetery weed but I haven’t found it anywhere on the internet called that?  I love it as it requires no maintenance and grows anywhere! 

I bought (with my mother’s Day money gift) these red and pink polka dot plants at the flower shop and just love them and they have flourished this summer.   I’ve read they can’t take extreme winters and I’m hoping to dig them up and keep them alive inside for the winter.  Some Annuals will survive and some won’t. 

 

If not than I will be putting them on my mother’s day/birthday list for next year.  Some annuals you just can’t keep during the winter inside, I found that out last year when a friend was nice and dug up some of hers and brought to me but they just couldn’t get the sunshine they needed inside my dark stick home. (This was my garden earlier in the summer)

This is my Purple Dragon that I've had for several years my sister in law (Faye) got me at the annual spring flower sale.  I love it and it comes back every year!  She got me another this year but it hasn’t done as well as I think I planted it where there is too much shade (it may have to be moved next year, if it returns)

These round bricks my sister in law (Faye) gave me to make a small flower bed out in my front yard with.  The little bird cage my grand daughter Hailey got in her craft set for Xmas and made for Grammy!  This picture was taken during the 4th of July and bought some fake red, white & blue flowers and a couple of the flower holders you use at cemetery's  to add some color for the holiday.

 

The white you see is called Dusty Miller and I just love it, it adds such a beautiful addition and I got package on clearance and  5 survived out of a package of 6 for a buck so I'm happy with it!

Making my gift money go along ways, I've been visiting the local flower shop as on Wednesday they have flowers on sale for a buck! I got me some of my favorite flower Geranium’s.

In the spring this is where my pink peonies grow and after they bloom their mowed down and Zinnia's & Marigold’s were planted.  The hanging basket is a Geranium.

This is a view of my front yard past the side walk into my home. 

I was wanting some type of fencing for flowers around my side walk and I found these at Wal-mart on clearance for $2 bucks a box!  I bought all 5 boxes!

 

This Coleus is one that came back from last year and it has popped up in several different places and I’ve transplanted them.  They seem to do well

Pictures of my stick home … I love that I've felt well enough this year to plant and take care of flowers.  I will admit I have to work at weeding several days a week as I can only work a bit and then I'm exhausted

My brother and sister in law (Faye) live in the house across the street.  He takes care of his lil sister.

I planted flowers on the side of the house toward the road and the other side has my garden

see how much this flower bed has grown from earlier picture above?  I only had 3 bricks for the circle so I added a few chimney bricks which work great for holding the bird house.  It’s hidden on the back side toward the house.

 

In the far background is a small red flyer wagon that I've used for holding a Jade succulent plant

The side of my stick home facing the road. 

I have a couple old wooden small chairs that I put small buckets in but my other flowers over powered them.  Hidden is a small mini snow shovel that is old as well. 

Marigold’s have really done great and are so beautiful along the house and around the electric poles in the front and back of my house.

A couple of trees came in a couple of the flowers I purchased and being a tree lover I hated to see them go to waste I planted them in my yard.  One is a hickory nut which my squirrels will love and the other is a oak tree.  I pray they both make it.

 

 

 

 

I know these are not pictures of flowers but as you can imagine I can’t plant any in my backyard because that is service goat Sparky’s territory and well let’s just say he loves my flowers too much! 

Lexi watching Sparky eat his ear of corn and the first chance she get’s she takes it and runs off with it.  Although there will come a day he will rule over her but for now he gives into her when she takes his treats.

I told you earlier in this most it was a warning of lots of flower pictures but I am just thrilled with how well they have done even though it has taken lots of rain & AC water saving as well as city water since it’s been a dry year.

 

A better shot of the recycled ash pot I rescued.  On the down side of being able to work out in my flowers the grass I planted several years back is not meant for high traffic and my electric wheels have not been good to it.  The plan is to catch some of the good high traffic area grass on clearance at the end of summer to plant.  Plus there is an old side walk that went around the house from front to back that needs torn out that I've been slowly working on doing.  My yard is going to be a venture of a work in progress for several years.  Due to my health I’m limited and I’ve accepted that fact in my life.  I do what I can on my good days and on the bad days I spend them in bed waiting for a good day to return.

 

The chimney vent they took off my dad’s roof when the new roof was done, I decided it was something I wanted to keep in memory of my dad and so it spray painted brown to match the roof.

 

I found the Purple Coral bells on the end on clearance as well and the pink Coleus

 

Yes I even planted flowers around the stop sign!

 

 

See the small bricks with the Zinnia's planted, that is where the oak tree is planted as well, I'm hoping it makes it.

 

This Coleus is a transplant from a stray from the mother plant and the bucket is how I collect rain water, I have buckets under all the gutters to collect rain for watering flowers.  The metal roof is great at collecting water

these Coleus are doing good, the green one even grew back from something eating it and I had to cut it down and thought it was dead but it came back   this summer My sweet potato vine I had the chimney over the pot and not thinking the sun heated the metal up and was scorching it so it didn’t do too great but I got it on clearance so I didn’t lose a lot.  I’m planning to bring it in for the winter so hopefully it will be make it for next spring and it will flourish next Year, if it makes it.

 

The wishing well is a gift from Momma Rosie and Pops, they had it and didn’t use it anymore.  The plan was to get it painted but I've not found the energy to do it yet.  It’s going to be red & white.  Now you know what I've been doing all summer long  in between test, Dr’s appt, therapy and surgery.  The spider plant in the wishing well my sister in law got me, Yes she enjoys flowers like I do and she is great at getting me one when she gets her one.  Anyone have any extra flower starts they want to share, I'm taking donations Hope you enjoyed my flowers as much as I have!