Wednesday, May 22, 2013

The Story of Our Dooryard Cottage Garden (Part 3)

It has been difficult to think about anything other than Oklahoma. I admit I haven't been able to visit many blog friends, mainly checking in with those I know live there, rejoicing that they were okay but brokenhearted at the television news. I decided to go ahead and finish the last post about our dooryard garden, partly to get it over with but also because garden pictures comfort me. I hope they will you. Please don't feel that you have to comment. My brain's a little fuzzy right now and maybe yours is too. We'll all catch up with each other--sooner or later.


The years passed here in our garden at Valley View. Five kinds of clematis cover the pergola by summer. The three Alberta spruce that were once so small are now tall. This garden has become a spring garden and is as much like the dooryard gardens of Blowing Rock, North Carolina as we could make it.

When the Muscari flowers that intense blue-purple around the trunk of the Kousa dogwood that was once a mere sapling, I fall in love with our garden all over again. You could not pay me to leave home that week.


When the hostas begin to peep above ground...


And grow larger each passing day, joined by the pink azaleas, I would not willingly leave home.


The Kousa dogwood puts on its show, long after the early dogwoods are gone.


An old red climber blooms and white North Carolina mountain azaleas.


The Flame azalea reaches its peak after the pink ones fade.


I could sit for hours and look at the small Mountain-laurel that has tiny sweet old-fashioned blooms.


Do you really think I'd leave home then?

However, it is about this time of year that our garden starts to become slightly unsightly.

Let's face it, soon the only color will be pink astilbe and spirea, and the clematis vines on the pergola. Thank heaven for the faithful aquilegia that we planted 20 years ago and springs up each spring even between the paving stones.


I used to do the weeding in this garden, R.H. and our sons helping me. Eventually I went to a kneeling stool to do it. Finally arthritic knees protested and I weeded bending over. That ended when my back started fussing.

Sons grew up and left home and the garden lost those weeders. Grandsons grew up and the garden lost more weeders. Guess who gets stuck with it now?


No, not little Nora. It's R.H. who does most of the weeding now, after working hard all week. This is why most of our gardening effort the last few years has gone into container gardening around our shady back deck and picnic shelter. That is where we spend the most time, where we relax and watch the birds feed.

But the front garden is important. It is lovely now.


But when July arrives, unless we plant annuals galore, it will be a green jungle that R.H. attacks in spurts when the wisteria vines begin to snake their way across the porch floor and I envision them sneaking into our house and strangling us while we sleep.

"Something must be done." That's what we say each year in July, but really, something must be done.

Even Sammi Gayle knows that...





17 comments:

  1. Beautiful, Dewena. I love your charming garden!

    xo
    Claudia

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  2. Comforting to the eye after looking at all the Oklahoma devastation.

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  3. Dewena, Thank God for your faithful gardening companion RH. You have such a beautiful bunch of plants and flowers. I did laugh at the wisteria comment. Enjoy your garden honey. xoxo,Susie

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  4. Dewena, Love all your pictures! I too get comfort from planting a new plant, watering them and taking just being outside barefoot with the water hose.. My heart breaks for Oklahoma I have a friend who lives 15 min away from there and she says she has never seen anything like it. It truly looks like a war zone. she has been sending me pictures and really ... there is no words. Praying....

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  5. Breathtaking, Dewena! I love your Spring blooms.

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  6. Hi Dewena, what a paradise. I am with you. Why leave those blooms. The tornadoes are heartbreaking. Thanks for sharing this lovely garden. I caught up on part two which I somehow missed. xo, olive

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  7. I've enjoyed each post. Your garden is just beautiful!

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  8. We have had some sunny days and I spent them all in my garden, weeding, planting and enjoying. Today we have a cold wind blowing and the threat of rain and I am able to catch up with my blog friends at last. How delightful to find these three posts showing your lovely garden. Mine is very like yours but on a smaller scale. We seem to like the same plants but call some of them by different names.

    We have all been stunned by the pictures from Oklahoma and keep everyone in our thoughts and prayers.

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  9. Oh Dewena...I would love to come and help you in your garden...we could then stroll to the porch for sweet tea and talk about how blogging made us friends. If only we didn't live so far apart..“After all," Anne had said to Marilla once, "I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.”

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  10. OH WOW! Your garden is beautiful! Yes, it's an amazing amount of work...so much stinkin' work! My girlfriend's husband cut my grass last week and said, "If I could cut this grass every week, I'd have it looking really good in a few weeks." My response is...have at 'er, Pal! I cut it today and managed to get 98% of it; good enough in my book. I had to cut around Carly, my 19 year old sheep...she was just too exhausted to move -grin-. I also cut around the milk week...want to give the monarch butterflies something to eat when they arrive in August. Yeah, I'd say about 95%...now that I think about it -grin-.

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  11. oh good grief charlie brown! where to start!
    i fell in love with defee's sweet curls. i had missed part 2 so i mosied down and saw the family picture of wallace and nora and dewee. what a beautiful picture of the three. they are a beautiful young couple.
    then i went back to part 3. and that sweet face holding the precious moment.
    oh dewena. blessings hold no bounds for you! i'm so happy.
    your talking about your garden makes me think of the song lyrics in one of the most beautiful segments in any movie...
    from camelot.
    "if ever i would leave you... it wouldn't be in springtime. i'm bewitched by you so..."
    nor in summer. nor in autumn. nor in winter. never would i leave you at all.
    that is your garden dear heart. very english. very welcoming. very dewena. xo

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  12. why did i say dewee! correct it! don't let him see it. i know good and well his name is defee.
    which i find mysteriously wonderful. it has to mean something. hoping you'll tell us.

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  13. Dewena - your gardens look beautiful. Don't you just love watching hostas pop up out of the ground and then start unfurling their leaves? They just fascinate me every year.

    Judy

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  14. Hi Dewena,
    I just LOVE your gardens. So much hard work, but boy does it pay off. So beautiful!!
    Julie

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  15. Deweena, I don't know if you read my first post today... my day did not start well... and your flowers have made me feel so much better this evening. They are so beautiful, but I am in the same boat as you... as the years go by, it gets harder and harder to do everything, even though now I have time.

    Well done!

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  16. Your property is so pretty! I love these posts that feature your garden. Your daughter is so sweet to help with the gardening chores! What a great summer pavilion. I know y'all really must enjoy it! So happy you enjoyed your Memorial Day weekend!

    xo,
    RJ

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  17. Dear Deweena,

    You are blessed to have such a loving, sweet family who care so much for one another, and spend such quality time together! I have just finished reading several of your posts and am enchanted with your style, your sweet character and the beautiful images of your most charming home and garden. Your mountain laurel lovelies planted a smile on my face! So glad we have connected and look forward to your next 'view'; another thing we have in common, so have you on my page permanently!

    Thanks for the kind words on your visit earlier:))

    Poppy

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