Celebrating Fall with Sunflowers

I can't think of a better way to celebrate the fall season than with beautiful sunflowers. 

 These stunning orange and red sunflowers grew from seed next to my studio window. 

They're lovely and soft in the early morning shade.

 But when the sun moves higher in the sky, they really earn their name.

  

 Sunflower!

 The bees adore them.

 And I adore them! 

 This is the first time I've had a bouquet of sunflowers from our garden.

 I can hardly believe all this beauty came from the little seeds I dropped into the earth last spring.

  I'm a neutral decor kind of gal,

 but I love bringing all the deep jewel tones of autumn into my home.

What a perfect celebration of fall!

Yay for May!

YAY for May!

Yesterday, I beat the weekend crowds at the nursery and shopped early for my spring plants.

And today's forecast is for perfect planting weather! 

Sunshine, here I come!

I hope you have a wonderful day, too!

Join me again this year for the fun and fabulous Elizabeth & Co. Garden Party! 

A Peek Into My Summer Garden

I've been peeking into a little corner of my summer garden today through my camera lens.

 My camera helps me see details in my garden that I don't otherwise take the time to notice.

Like how the daisies are growing all the way up to touch the new Fresh Flowers sign hanging on the side of our shed.

 

And the way these tall lacy flowers fit perfectly beneath the window box

 

 and cascade over their shorter neighbors.

How the lacy yellow petals on one flower complement the bold yellow fringe on the other.

And how the textures of these two so different flowers, when captured together by my camera, help me to appreciate the beauty of the other even more.

 

I just love how my camera slows me down and opens my eyes wide to details. It lets me see and enjoy my garden in a whole new way.

How about you? Do you peek into your garden through your camera lens?

 

 Please join me as I slow down to smell the roses at these lovely garden parties:

Elizabeth & Co.

Fishtail Cottage

A Joyful Cottage

Happy May Day!

Happy May Day to you! 

To celebrate the first day of May I'm sharing my favorite part of my spring garden. 

  

This corner of our garden is always the first to show signs that spring has arrived. My daughters gave me this Bleeding Heart, so of course it's my favorite flower in the garden.  

 

   

These are our very first blossoms from our new little Eastern Redbud Tree we planted last summer.

  

This corner has always been pink and white in the spring.

 

Next to the Redbud Tree and the Bleeding Heart is a lilac tree. 

 

For years this lilac has been struggling under the shade of our big locust tree. 

 

But since we had that tree cut down last year, it's happily basking in the sun it needs and putting out lots of new limbs. 

 

I never wanted to rob it of its few blooms in years past, but this year there's more than enough to cut and bring indoors.

 

As I sit here writing this post in my studio, I'm surrounded by the sweet scent of lilacs. 

 

Tucked into a mason jar high up on a shelf with the birds.

Nothing says May Day like lilacs!

I'm so happy to announce that my good friend Sharon is hosting her Elizabeth & Company Garden Parties again this year. I'm heading over there right now, and I sure hope you'll join me!

  
Happy May Day!

Don't stop partying! This week I'm also over at

 Common Ground

 French Country Cottage

Fishtail cottage 

 From My Front Porch To Yours

Rooted In Thyme

 

 

My Urban Garden

Have you ever seen an elm tree seed? 

 They're light as air and scatter in the spring breeze like snow flakes.  This little one came into my garden from my neighbor's trees way up there across the street.

With a few hundred thousand of its friends.

Just when Tuck and I finally finished cleaning up the last of the elm tree seeds, we looked up to notice the maple tree helicopters laughing at us. 

Just wait, they smirked. 

Sigh...

But cleaning up Elm tree seeds isn't all I've been doing around the yard lately. I reseeded some bare spots in the lawn.

Delighted in the Clematis.

 

 Brought out some of my garden friends.

and divided some hostas.

In the vegetable garden I harvested some radishes

 and lettuce.

And planted some tomatoes.

I planted some Karl Forrester Grass (the ones with tall waving plumes in the fall and winter) along the back fence.

And delighted in some more Clematis.

I planted my pots

with these flowers:

Tucker helped.

I splurged on this succulent "tile" for the table on the deck.  

And delighted in the first rose.

I wondered if our potato barrel is going to turn into Jack's bean stalk. 

But all in all, I'm happy to report that my little urban garden is having a good spring.