Well, it would be garden porn but we’re at that in-between stage right now.
Flowering plants are still budding up…
Vines are twining up…
And if it weren’t for the Jack In The Pulpits, cuddling up to an overwhelmingly tall hosta…
And these sweet little wild anemone flowers cozying up against the stone wall ….
And the vegetable garden, with tomato plants and eggplants and peppers and herbs shooting up in the hot sun….
Or the annuals in pots, under the guardian’s unwavering gaze….
Or the empty coffee mug forgotten on the Muskoka chair….
And green stuff on the ground or climbing up the walls….
And this one and only bloom on this most reluctant tree peony…
Overseen by a multitude of ferns and other shrubs not yet blooming…
I’d have nothing to show you at all!
Absolutely enchanting! Summer is sheer delight, isn’t it?
Love it! I’ll be right over for a cuppa’ and we can chat/read books side by side:). So inviting . . .
What a great image you created in my mind. I’d love that. I think we wouldn’t be reading though – we’d be chatting about your boys and how nicely they are growing up, making you a deservedly proud mama. Heck – I’m proud, and I haven’t even met them!
Aw:). Thank you! And your kids would be in that mix. Maybe they’d even be sitting there, chatting away with us :-). It appears you have raised a beautiful humans, inside and out :-).
Your gardens look beautiful, Cynthia! They do look inviting!
Of the several peonies I planted a couple of years ago, only one bloomed this spring. We have had a cold, dry May, followed by a couple of days of cold rain. Our pepper plants and tomatoes were not very happy. Next week the weather patterns should boot us into the 90s. 🙂
So pretty! 💖
Beautiful and family friendly! 🙂
Family-friendly garden porn?
🙂
Lovely photos! Hostas are one of my favorites that come back each year, and I have two reluctant tree peonies myself! I can’t even seem to keep mine alive. Your garden is stunning and like others have said, so inviting. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for your lovely response, Jennifer. When we moved, we left behind a stunningly beautiful garden, created in the weeks before my injuries from a car accident, and lovingly cared for by my husband in subsequent years. That garden represents so much in my life — from great hope and love to despair — that it remains the quintessential garden. I’m surprised and uplifted by the positive reactions to this garden, perhaps because it is so very different, and because it is also in its infancy in some ways. thanks for your kind comments.
You’ve made me think, Cynthia. Perhaps it is that all gardens are beautiful, and only you know the emotions attached. I loved that your husband lovingly took care of your past garden. My hope is that this new garden brings you lots of emotions as it matures and grows.
Gorgeous,it is what it is. No ish.
So glad you had something to show, Cynthia!
Me too!
Hello Spring! Beautiful post.
Lovely. How’s the leg
Broken bones in left ankle healing nicely, Derrick. Thanks for asking!
Good
Your garden is really coming along. I was recently up north and got to see lots of Jack-in-the Pulpit and peonies.
Delightful! Both the garden and your expressive, descriptive writing.
I love the phases of growth in gardens as your lovely photos show. Great title too!
Thank you, K. I just had a visit to your garden, and those are some beautiful blooms!
So lovely! And so tidy! I wish mine looked like that!
Our garden — tidy? I never thought it was! It was such a jungle when we came here that I didn’t quite realize that it looks tidy now. Thanks very much!
Your garden looks like it’s doing very well. Pretty!
Two questions. 1) Do you have any idea what those flowers are that are cozying up to the garden wall? I have them, too, and was thinking they were beguiling weeds. 2) what makes your chair a Muskoka chair and not an Adirondack chair? Your garden looks wonderful and about to get better!
The little white flowers: Canadian Anemone. The Muskoka chair: It appears to be bigger, the arms more curved and the seat slightly different than the American version, but there are many variations. Americans claim they made their Adirondacks first, and we claim we made our Muskokas first. The Muskoka chair was already in use in the late 1800’s. Meanwhile, one Thomas Lee was vacationing in the Adirondacks when he built the chair associated with the Adirondack area. Could he have earlier vacationed in the Canada and seen the chair? Could that be why he did not claim ownership of the design? Muskoka’s cottage country and its great hotels attracted many Americans in the 1800’s to 1900’s, and there are apparently images of the Muskoka chair going back to those early days, so there is likely a connection.
Great answers! I wrote a blog post once about Adirondack chairs and I can’t remember, now, if I came across the Muskoka chair while working on it. Whatever they’re called I love the look of those chairs but they’re hard to get up from!
Your garden looks beautiful and lush, Cynthia – even if it’s not fully in bloom!
It’s happening! How beautiful, Cynthia! I designated your day to be the day between Livenhac-en-Haut and Figeac because I knew there would be a lovely house at the end. The walking day was full of difficult path markings and some grueling kilometers, but the home at the end was one I think you would like – full of Asian art from the hosts’ past travels and also some antiques and pretty quilts. I’ll try to figure out how to send you the images, and there will be more from one more French Chambre d’Hote in Arcambal tomorrow night. If I can’t send them via your contact email, I’ll post them on NotesfromaHike.wordpress.com. Bonne continuation dans votre jardin, mon amie!
Hooray! You did it! Merci beaucoup, Beth. I shall await the pictures. When do you finish up?
It will be about 2 more weeks of walking and then a few days in Santiago and getting home. I’m going down to Spain on Saturday for more. There surely are some interesting things to see out here, but I sometimes think that home is even more beautiful. I’m considering taking vacations online🙂.
Part of the blessing of travelling is enjoying it and then coming home and saying: “There’s no place like home!”
We have gotten behind on June Weeding Season, but hope to catch up within the week (before the next round of guests arrive). I did get to mowing along the driveway, keeping the grasses in check, while avoiding various interesting plants that we want to encourage. I found the beginning of sunchokes, perila (Korean plant grown for the leaves to make wraps with), tansy, some wild plants whose names I do not remember, lots of irises, various mints and sages that have escaped into the wild, and even a cluster of jack-in-the-pulpits! Now, if the deer have pleanty of other things to eat… – Oscar
Gosh— you do love nature. And lots of outdoor work involved! Jacks are one of my great favourites— between its name and its looks.
You made me smile a big smile when I read this post, Cynthia! Such a lovely garden with so many plants and flowers! I love the winding path disappearing round the corner and the chairs all ready for you to sit and admire the view and sip a drink or two!
I love your garden porn, what an exciting time in the garden.
It is. In our previous garden, we had many, many blooms at this time of year. This garden has a lull, then picks up at the end of the month. (Unlike yours, which has various blooms year-round and especially in spring and summer.)
Garden hugs maybe rather than garden porn 🙂
Oh your garden looks absolutely divine .. lush and green with splashes of beautiful colour 😃
How lovely! I can’t imagine how lush it will all look in another month.
It’s looking fab. So lush and verdant. And your tomato plants are waaaaaay ahead of mine.
Cheers
MTM
Cynthia, I couldn’t figure out how to get pictures onto your site or your comments, so posted the pictures on NotesfromaHermitage.
Will check. Thank you, Beth!
Your garden looks so lush and green Cynthia, a perfect place to rest and enjoy nature.
It is a beautiful morning in your garden.
Such a beautiful garden, Cynthia! It looks like such a peaceful place.