In the Garden

Not a ton of photos today but I do have a blossom and others just itching to bloom. We are going outside tomorrow(it will be near 80!) to plant some new fleurs and put up some deer netting around the beds before they do any further damage. It won't be pretty but it will preserve my pretty beds :o) (BTW, the sunny photos are from today, the shady ones from yesterday)

The Caterpillar and a Bunny - WIP

Since I missed WIP Wednesday, I thought I would do a mini update today. I am finished sculpting the caterpillar. His Hookah and mushroom need a little more attention but that won't take long.

I also finished up Pinky, the bunny. Yeah, I stuck with Pinky because no other name really struck me (I'm sure it's just because Pinky got stuck in my head :o) I like how she came out. I wasn't originally going to have contrasting ears, and patterned at that, but she seemed so plain so I went 'wild' :oD

WIP Wednesday

Since I am doing a Monday Gnome update I am going to show you my "other" projects on Wednesday.

Two reasons for this:
1) I don't make that much progress on the gnome between Monday and Wednesday.
2) It forces me to work on the other things I have been neglecting.

So this week I have update photos on Patches the bunny rabbit. He is slowly transforming. I still need to put another coat of paint on his backside, repaint his plaid patch, seal and antique him(oh, and add a little chenille tail) Then he will be finished and I will list him in my Etsy shop. Hopefully all of this will happen before the weekend.

On the gnome front, was suppose to go do a promo event for Gnome and Garden on Sunday but will be working from home instead. (I think I may be coming down with something, could be the weather change but just in case, it's better I'm not around little ones anyway)

In the Garden

It's that time of the year!

The weather has been very good to my garden over the past couple of weeks and I was able to spend some time out there. I actually have my first blooms of the year, violas that survived from last year.

hollyhocks (year 2) will have terracotta shades of flowers.

My hyacinth that I don't remember planting.
I think they are purple but I guess we'll find out soon enough :o)

My poppies!(year 2) There will be blossoms this year and I am totally stoked. If I remember correctly they are all salmon or coral pink
(I am planting red poppies this year.How can I not have at least a few red poppies?)

This Year's Plantings

Oriental Poppy

The new yard has a much smaller planting space than the old one did. I am actually happy about it in some respects because it will be much easier to maintain. I did get a little sad yesterday when looking at some of the images I took of the old garden beds but I have already started playing in the dirt. Getting ready to plant this year's seeds. The new garden will be even more lovely than the last! Above is an oriental poppy which will go in the main garden bed along with seashell cosmos, salmon zinnia and California poppies.

Seashell Cosmos

Zinnia

California Poppies

Primrose

Primrose will go in our various planters that are at the top of our drive.

Hollyhock

Hollyhocks, bronze fennel and Linaria are going in front of the set back. I'm hoping to block where we keep out garbage dumpster with the Hollyhocks. The bronze fennel (which is the larval food for swallowtail butterflies) will go in front of that. It is also known to repel deer which I have a feeling will be very important this year. The Linaria will go in front of the fennel. I liked them and thought it would add a pop of color.

Bronze Fennel

Linaria

Milkweed and Sweet William are going down the side of the house. Milkweed is the larval food of monarch butterflies. Sweet William 'catchfly' was a free pack of seeds that just so happens to coordinate well with the milkweed.

Milkweed

Sweet William

Hopefully everything will thrive, the deer will truly stay away from the plants the *experts* say they dislike and I will be able to share some photos from our garden. We will find out soon enough. Happy Spring!

I Can't Wait for Spring!!

My mom just brought these over for me yesterday. I was already itching to get out into the garden but now I can't even tell you how much I'm looking forward to getting out there!

This year, blooming for the first time in my garden : bearded iris, astilbe, foxglove, moss pinks, sweet williams, daffodils

I have seeds for the flower pots that line my front steps and the hanging baskets on the porch and by the side door: four o'clocks, nasturtium, calendula, spanish flag

I'm starting an antique flower cutting garden from seed which includes: sweet peas, apricot sunflowers, zinnias, cleome, chinese forget me nots, tobacco, more columbine(I have suddenly become infatuated with these pretty little flowers!),canterbury bells



And my mom is going to help me move the hosta's from the back to the front under the apple tree and is bringing some of her overabbundance of small Rose of Sharon bushes to plant along the south side of the house.

I cannot wait to get out there and start gardening, now that the boy is a little older he can either play in the back yard or help me while we work. My guess is he'll want to help play in the dirt since he likes to help me do pretty much everything I will let him.

Like I said, I can't wait!! I'll share the garden's progress (and flowers) as time permits!