Oh my! I can't begin to show you how beautiful this spring is here in the mountains. I've been spending as much time as I can spare away from my computer and art desk to work out in the yard (to beautify the surroundings and to help minimize my waistline!) I've never been much for exercise videos and routines, I like my exercise to produce dual results! My thigh muscles are absolutely aching from bending over and pulling weeds and I won't even go into the shoulder muscles!!
The clematis is blooming for the very first time after planting it I think 2 years ago. There's another clematis that is climbing up the trunk of the ginko tree in the picture to the right of it. It's going to be so fun to watch it bloom. Being a warm country girl all my life, I could never grow clematis, peonies or tulips (my peony is going to bloom in about a week or two, yippee!!!)
If only I could capture the heavenly fragrances. My rose arbor has miniature roses that smell incredibly lemony and you can smell them all the way up to the house. I think that the roses really love getting a harder freeze. They haven't looked this spectacular in the three years we've been here.
I'm a lazy gardener, Martha Stewart is quite safe from me… my goal is to enjoy my garden, not to spend endless hours in it. I have a couple of lazy gardener's tips to share today. If there is a task that you can find a way to do once in a season, do it. There are wonderful timed released fertilizers now that work for an entire season and perfectly release the right amount of fertilizer as it's needed. I used to think that they were more expensive until I realized that they were actually less expensive! They cost slightly more than their counterparts, but you only use them once so they end up being nearly 1/2 as expensive overall not counting the time you invest putting them down.
The same goes for treating paths for weeds. If you can use a once a year weed killer, it costs just a little more initially but significantly less overall. Just be careful to read the directions and warnings. You can't use a yearly weed killer directly under trees or in the drip lines of bushes etc.
For any of you that don't have a garden, buy some beautiful plant pots and add them to your patio or front porch. There's something that just lifts our spirits about enjoying the beauty of flowers.
Audrey Jeanne Roberts
I don’t see the van LOL!
It is lovely to see the pictures from your garden- spring will soon blossom into summer and i look forward to seeing your next pictures
I like the arbor with the swing, I have to replace my white one this year. I am going to go with a wrought Iron one so It will not rot this time.
Your flowers are lovely, my flowers are just starting to bloom. The liacs are blooming now and the Iris will be next. (If you could see up close, the white paint on that swing is in desperate need, but will have to wait until next winter 🙂 any new lattice that we put up will be the vinyl, no termites no flaking paint! Enjoy your garden, AJ)
Lora
You gardens are beautiful, I want to come and sit under the arbor and smell your roses. (You’re welcome to come, just give me enough time to clean up after the birds :-)! AJ)
Miss AJ your yard is beautiful! I sure am impressed by all the pretty flowers you have grown. I have a black thumb so I am in awe of anyone that can grown flowers like you.
Your garden is beautiful AJ. Is this where you get the inspiration for the lovely flowers you use in your kits? My garden is screaming out for some water….. hope it rains soon. (Almost every flower I’ve ever painted has grown in my garden or been brought into the house live to paint from… I can’t help it, I just LOVE flowers! I got it from my Nanny! AJ)
Audrey, you have such a beautiful garden. I love to sit in a beautifully tended garden regardless of the season. However, I live in an apartment ( 4 stories up), have done now for about 11 years, but the 1 thing I still miss, when the sun shines and it is warm, is sitting in my garden. Enjoy your garden (don’t miss the hard work, though!!)