Remembering those summer days, those warm days of summer.

This is another fairy that resides in the secret garden.

This is a picture that was taken in the secret garden.  Love the little fairy that is being held.  I have quite a few fairies that call this secret garden their home.

This glad is one I have had for years and I mean years maybe every bit of twelve.  It has been in the same place and is still going strong.  It is the darkest rust color.  They seem to like direct sunlight best and that will give you the most blooms.  Flowers last only a single week.  What a shame, but well worth it when they are so beautiful.

Gladiolus are very special .  This one was a gift from one of my customers.  It is the darkest purple color ever and looks like velvet.  Gladiolus are perennial.  Because of the shape of the leaf, this plant has also been called sword lily, and in Rome it was considered the flower of the gladiators.  The name gladiolus is from a Latin word meaning "sword".

This is the flower for August, according to the English floral calendar.

This is a very sweet smelling iris because it smells exactly like grapes.  This is called a variegated
iris.  As you can see the horseshoes on the rock.  My garden is a cottage garden and I love using anything I can find that is old and rusty.

In the garden when a plant travels across the garden I tend to let it there til it blooms and then maybe it stays or maybe it goes. I cannot bear to remove it til it has a chance to show off that bloom.

Last year I had a daisy plant come up in the middle of a pathway and I walked around that thing until it was done blooming, then I moved it somewhere else.

This iris was a gift from one of my customers.  It had came from her Mothers garden so that made it even more special.  Sorry don't expect me to have names and types of all the flowers that I will be sharing.  I believe I'm the type of gardener that does not take time to learn all the big long names. I will be able to share with you the common name though.

This Iris was the neatest blue color that I ever saw.  Just started it last year so hoping to have more this year.  It had the sweetest smell.  I believe that I can always find room in the garden for more, cause you know that we can find that one empty hole to fill.

This is a picture of the garden in early spring.  I have the Stella day lily and behind it Iris are blooming.  Did you know that there over 200 know species of Iris? 

Bearded irises can withstand long dry periods in the dormant state but need abundant moisture when in bloom.  Rhizomes should be lifted every three to four years.  Cultivate the soil around the clumps and lightly fertilize them in early spring.  

O.K. Most information reads that you should cut back the plant to within 4 to 5 inches of the rhizome and removing dead or shriveled leaves.  Well I guess I must be doing it all wrong because this is what I do for all my flowers once they are done blooming.  O.K. lets take the Iris.  When it is done blooming I will let it stand until most all leaves start to turn yellow. This is in late spring. Then I cut them back almost all the way to the ground.  This way the green leaves will pop up again and I will have the green leaves there for the rest of the summer. The new leaves look just like spring again. Of course it does not bloom again til next year, but at least you will not have an empty space in your garden.  One thing to remember is that when you cut any plant off you must keep it watered good til it starts to grow again.  I don"t mean everyday, just give it a good soaking and if its hot and dry again in a couple of days.  

Oh by the way I'm talking about the plants that come back every year, so don't cut back the annuals cause they probably will not come back.  

  This is one of my favorite roses.  Zephirine Drouhin  has the sweetest smell and the petals dry to a beautiful dark pink.  It will keep blooming all season for me.  It also has no stickers which I do not miss at all.  This is a must have.

Goodmorning everyone.  This is a sure sign of spring.in Ohio.  This picture was taken at the end of May.  The peony is such a sweet smelling flower.  It will also dry great.  The leaves even stay a bright green color.  Simply pick and hang them upside down in warm dark place.  I pick the bud when it is about half way open.

I am holding my breath til lilac time is here again.  Just hope the weather lets my bushes have a beautiful year.

Lazy Lazy day for this guy.  My cats always seem to love the garden.

Simply flowers from my garden.

White yarrow is also a very nice plant to dry.  It even grows in the wild.  That is where I first got my first plant. When it is ready to pick for drying it will be rather firm to the touch.  If you pick it to soon it will just wilt and if to late it becomes a washed out color.  Perfect picking gives you a creamy white shade.

 Just sitting all alone waiting for me to add some color around it.

It simply has its own personally.

  This little shed used to house chickens.  My husband's grandfather build it and used it for chickens.  It had been setting down in the woods for years and I got Gene, my husband, talked into bringing it up to use in the garden.  Took a little talking, but it finally found its new home.

Looks like a sea of yellow.  When I pick I put twelve stems in a bunch and fasten with a rubber band.  I then hang them in a barn upside down to dry.  Keep out the light as much as you can and also keep some air moving with a fan on low.  Its best not to dry them to fast because this will make them much more brittle.  This is the best way to dry anything.  If picked at the right time your dried flowers will stay color true and not fall apart for years.

    Yarrow is a very special flower used for drying.  I use it in my arrangements.  Love growing it because it just takes care of itself without much care at all.  It dries to a beautiful bright yellow and holds its color when picked at the right time.  It took me a couple of years to learn that, but once you see it with that look then you got it.
  It can be used with any color scheme.  It simply makes a room pop.

Lavender is such a great all around plant for everyone's garden or flower bed.    Just remember that it has to have good drainage and loves full sun.  It is also a favorite for the bees.  We don't have any bee hives, but bet the close ones to us are getting lavender honey for sure.  It's kind of neat when I'm picking the lavender with the bees flying all around me. They seem to realize that I am not going to bother them.  As I move down the row picking the bees move onto the next plant.  Setting on my knees in that straw is next to paradise. O.K. stop laughing because it is also plenty hot.  I try my best to wear my straw hat for sun protection, but that thing gets so warm.

This is my field which starting on the left is yellow yarrow,white yarrow, pink yarrow all the way at the end, lavender, silver king, more lavender, and then clear on the right side is the daylily rows.

Lavender seems to love all the drainage it can get.  These lavender plants are planted in an old driveway and are doing great.  I just dug down to dirt level and covered the plant up with the sand and gravel that were there.  They have been here for 4 years and are still looking great.

Lavender Scents

  Lavender simply has to be my very favorite plant.  To begin with the aroma is very pleasant and totally relaxing.