Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Flowers and Fool's Gold

Hello my friends!  We have blue skies and sunshine and things are looking lovely around the farm! The roses are blooming, especially this "Double Delight" - my sister Denise's MIL tested roses for Jackson and Perkins and actually got to name this rose!  If you only have one rose, this should be the one.  It's not only beautiful but extremely fragrant!


It's a creamy white and then where the sun shines on the rose it turns a pretty pink.  Gorgeous!



This is a pretty pink and yellow rose.  My son planted them here for us when Kristi took them out of their last house.  We treasure them.


Kristi our DIL trimmed up our black bamboo and now you can see the huge new sprouts that are coming up.



The bamboo is green at first and then slowly turns a beautiful shiny black.  These are substantial canes and I can't wait to see them all black!


This is our Sweet William that comes back each and every year all on it's own.  How delightful is that?


I still love seeing the neon blooms of the Rose Campion.


This begonia is a treasure too.. we got it 2 years ago at Rasmussen Farms - we never expected it to live past that year, but Dayle wintered it over in the basement and now it's growing HUGE with big thick stems.. I just googled it and it's called a "Bolivian Begonia" - also "Bonfire".


This Dahlia continues to delight.


The Jasmine is opening!  I wish I could share the aroma with you!


The other pot.. LOTS of flowers!


The Koi and pond goldfish are enjoying the warmer weather.


We drove past a garden center yesterday and I wheeled in.. I wanted to get some Sweet Peas to plant.. I have admired other blogger's little bouquets of these adorable pastel flowers and wanted to grow my own.  Helen Phillips always has sweet little posies of these blooms and her crafty makes usually involve the same pastels and she's inspired me.  :-)


Dayle and I went to AAA yesterday to get a "TripTik" for our road trip in a month and they had these colorful zip bags and I had to have them.  I plan on taking some of my craft supplies in these on our trip and make one my sewing kit.


Kristi asked if she could trim this bamboo so I gave her the go-ahead -- it sure looks tidy now!  And it gave more light to the Hosta I planted.  She also dug all the weeds in that patch of dirt and laid down weed barrier.  We're going to get pea gravel to cover it and hopefully some big flat rocks to put on top.


The pretty Hosta.. I love all the different varieties of them together.


The Hydrangea is COVERED with flowers.. I'm so pleased!


Here is nature at it's best.. showing us how pretty lime green and purply-lavender look together.



We got a pot of Umbrella Papyrus not long ago and it looks pretty on our koi "house" we built so the koi could hide from predators.


Kristi has purchased a lot of educational and fun things for the boys to do this summer.  Today they got to use a hammer and break open rocks of Pyrite (Fool's Gold) - they were very excited at all the gold they had!  They pronounced that they were very rich, richer than us even.  :-)



Too bad this isn't real gold!


Our first attempt at growing Hollyhock is budding out.. I can't wait to see what color the flowers are.


Pink?  Red?  What color do you think?



Kristi loves unusual plants and is growing these white strawberries that taste like a cross between strawberries and pineapple.  She gave me the first ripe one and it was tasty!


Kristi also shared this great shot she got of this Oregon Swallowtail Butterfly!  It's enjoying the Mock Orange.


OK, I must dash.. I'm meeting Gracie for lunch and then we're swimming together.  I hope you're having a wonderful day!!  ((hugs)), Teresa :-) 

21 comments:

  1. Wow!!! Thanks for the bouquet of beautiful photos, Teresa! See you soon :) xx

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  2. You have the most gorgeous flowers. Have a wonderful swim. Isn't it just a perfect day here in Western Oregon? I am glad that it is a bit cooler than the last two days. This morning at 5:00 was divine. I stood outside and listened to all of the birds welcoming the day. It was magic.

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  3. Your yard is a treasure trove of beautiful plants and flowers! I love seeing them. I need some of Kristi's energy so I can start transforming our yard when we get to Washington. I'm so looking forward to that. I'll probably have to wait until next spring since it will be mid-July before we get there and the end of July or later before we're unpacked and settled in. I'm going to be bugging you via email for tips and suggestions about plants and flowers! Get ready!!! :)

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  4. Everything growing around you looks so amazing. I can't even imagine being able to name a rose, well officially name one that is. Love those boys, they are growing so fast. I have never heard of white strawberries, very fun!
    Hugs to you Teresa,
    Meredith

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  5. You have such beautiful landscaping. Kristi sounds like a treasure to have around.

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  6. As always I love your farm and all of the beauty surrounding you. I have never seen or heard of a strawberry like that. It's amazing! Could Kristi come stay at our house and do some landscaping? :-) she sounds like she's full of energy and good ideas. Fun with Gracie. Now that sounds perfect. I miss you girls.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  7. You are certainly surrounded by beauty with such beautiful plants. I have never come across a strawberry like that before. Enjoy your swim.

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  8. Wow my friend it's amazing hoe many beautiful flowers and healthy plants you have on your fam. Just amazing. Hope you are having a wonderful summer.

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  9. That rose is fantastic! I am usually not a pink person (but enough of it has made a home in our gardens) But that rose is really special! Isn't it wonderful to go outside each day and see what new is blooming!

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  10. Your flowers are just beautiful, Teresa...and you take such lovely photos of them! The boys look like they are having a lot of fun there. Thank you for the link to me :)
    And thank you for inspiring our dinner last night with your previous post...yummy!
    Happy summer days to you all.
    Helen xox

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  11. Sooo many beautiful flowers. Your garden is well ahead of ours in terms of what is already flowering. We bought dahlias last weekend end and I can't wait for our Sweet William to come back. The white strawberries look great. Wish I could taste one!

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  12. It's all looking really beautiful around the farm now. I love your flowers. The bamboo is so interesting. I like to walk through a bamboo garden at our botanic gardens, it's so cool and shady inside there. I like your zippered bags. My bag for the pool is made of the same material, but mine is all green, the stripes too. I got it at Target a few years ago and they still sell the same kind if you ever want a big bag like that. Hope you had a good swim with Gracie.

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  13. Beautiful flower photos, as always! I need Kristi to come here and help with my gardening! :D I'm scared to death of snakes, and unfortunately, that holds me back in the gardening department. I did plant a few flowers this year, and hopefully the critters won't use them for a salad bar. I also have lots of day lilies planted, and always enjoy those. :) Glad the boys' summer is off to a fun...and rich...start! :D

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  14. Your plants are all just beautiful! That begonia is unusual and I've never heard of white strawberries. Really gorgeous yard!

    Judy

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  15. So many beautiful plants and flowers!!! I have never seen a strawberry like that, I imagine that the combination of flavours is lovely though. That first rose - the double delight - is a real delight isn't it, so lovely to hear about a rose that has a wonderful fragrance as so many of them don't do they. xx

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  16. Your place looks like you live in the tropics... so lush and green and so colorful! You are so lucky to live in this little bit of paradise in Oregon. I've never heard of white strawberries... they are so beautiful to look at! how pretty would they be in a bowl on the table! We learn something new every day. I think dahlias have to be the most perfect flower... but well then there are the hydrangias... and the roses...... just can't decide. I bet that hollyhock will be pink!

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  17. Wow, wow and wow!! This is what I call a garden and I mean one of the prettiest I have ever seen!
    Every plant, every bloom is vibrant perfection, if this were my garden I would sleep in it too.
    Truly it is paradise and you have a extraordinary green thumb!
    Thank you for your visit too-guess we were both thinking plants!
    Hugs!!!
    Jemma

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  18. Hi Teresa, So many interesting and fun photos in this post. Love the Koi pond always, the new strawberry /pineapple mix looks like something i would love to try. Really great flowers Teresa, your place looks exquisite! Fun times for the kids too.
    Happy weekend, xoRobin

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  19. So much beauty there on the farm!!!!! I just saw your fb post and visited your web page and all of your photos. What fun!!!!!! That houseboat!!! Oh my!!
    XO Kris

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  20. Beautiful blood.s Teresa. Hugs Anne x

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