Beth's Garden

Let there be Flowers!

2012-01-19T10:42:00.000-08:00

It is January and it looks like this out...

So I thought I'd cheer myself - and you! - up and post these photos of last summer's flowers.

The snow is melting!

2010-03-15T07:43:00.000-07:00

Ahhh! I can smell the earth again.
The snow is melting and I can see patches of garden peeking out. The leaves on the aubritia are still green after a winter under cover.
I am now in a hurry to prune my fruit trees before the sap really gets running. I always bring in some of the cuttings and put them in vases all over my house so I will have greenery and blossoms before the trees outside begin to leaf out.
My forsythia bushes are big enough this year that I can steel a few branches for some lovely sun yellow flowers in my home. Welcome spring!

Summer 09

2009-07-02T15:54:00.000-07:00

Wow!
I have not posted since 2007!
Well last year was rainy and mildewy - that is my excuse and I am sticking to it!
We are just coming to the end of peony season and starting daylily heaven here in Elphin.
I wanted to post a photo of the center of one of my peonies - doesn't it look like a mandala? I love peonies for their beauty, scent and the structure they add to any border.

Spring Garden

2007-06-15T13:26:00.000-07:00

So far, the garden this year has been absolutely stunning. I thought I would share photos from April until early June with you by creating a gallery called Spring Garden. Please have a look! Go to davidfrancey.com/photos/beths_garden

Here's a photo from the spring gallery...

Daffodils Bloomed on my Birthday!

2007-04-27T18:56:00.000-07:00

The garden is coming to life! Buds are bursting and tiny leaves are emerging on some of my trees and shrubs, the spring wildflowers are blooming and look! These daffodils bloomed for my birthday (Earth Day)

Up through the Snow - Spring Bulbs

2007-04-18T05:29:00.000-07:00

As the big dump of April snow melts I see the first signs of spring in the garden. Peeking through the snow are the green and red tips of emerging tulips, crocus and daffodils.

When I first started gardening I grew only vegetables and threw in sunflowers for good measure. I was young, had small children and was mostly interested in growing pesticide free food. When David and I bought our first house there were a few perennials already growing on the property (you know the kind you see on old properties, an iris clump, two peonies and some columbines.) It was because of those plants that I started to notice perennials in other people's gardens.

One day I dropped my daughter off at a new friend's house and was awestruck by her mom's amazing perennial garden. The Siberian iris were in bloom and I went from casual vegetable gardener to "obsessed with anything that blooms" gardener right then and there. The local garden center saw me every weekend (I ended up working there!) I bought books on gardening, cashed in bottles to pay for my perennial addiction and let my thumbs turn green!

One of the first things I learned was that when you plant bulbs in the fall you get a brilliant splash of cheery colour at the end of a long winter - something to dream of when the temperatures are in the minus 20s and the skies are grey for days on end.

I now make it my practice to make sure I plant at least a few every year. Last fall I created a brand new garden area behind the house. I bought bulbs on sale at the very end of the season and planted many different varieties. I can't wait to see what I planted! I'll be sure to post pictures when the bloom!

April in the Garden, and there's snow!

2007-04-16T21:56:00.000-07:00

Look at the gate to the vegetable garden, just waiting to be opened on a brand new season! But not yet...look at all the snow! My favourite spring morning sitting spot is in need of a bit of warm weather.

Winter Garden

2007-01-02T14:31:00.000-08:00

Don't these garden tools look inviting? They hang on the back of our summer kitchen until the ground warms and I can start moving dirt and plants again.

Winter Garden

2006-12-04T22:02:00.000-08:00

I love the deep red of these crab apples covered in ice. Just as beautiful now as when the tree bloomed in the spring!

Colour for a dreary day!

2006-11-20T19:41:00.000-08:00

We have had so much rain, so many overcast days, that I just had to post this photo of daffodils from my spring garden to add some colour and some virtual sunshine to this site! Can't you just feel the warmth of the sun striking those petals?

Fall Garden

2006-11-19T09:02:00.000-08:00

After a long and sometimes extremely hot summer and a very long, very rainy fall, there is frost on the seed heads and I am putting my garden to bed. I managed to get quite a variety of bulbs in the ground this fall. I like to make sure I bury some before snowfall for then I have a surprise waiting for me all winter long. I made a new garden behind our house that was just begging for tulips and daffodils. Check back here in the spring and you'll see the results!