Because They are Mine

Hi friends!
We have been breaking records here at the Cottage.  We have a record high 95degrees today and May was the second wettest month in our history.  It has been pretty hard getting all of my glorious outdoor plans to come to fruition.

Don't worry, I am keeping myself amused!

Madam Lu and I wandered the fabric store this morning imagining all sorts of craftiness...in case this heat NEVER goes away.

I woke this morning and saw....MY PEONIES ARE BLOOMING!!!

Why is this special?  It is not.  There are peonies blooming all over the city (well, in homes of a certain age...the new tans do not seem to have peonies?).  And my peonies are not special.  They are the same white peonies everyone has.  So, why am I beside myself with joy???

Because they are MY peonies.  And peonies are my FAVORITE flower in the universe.  These white ones are not my favorite color, but they are infinitely special to me because they came with our first house.  I took a little start with me to Agrestic and though I am pretty sure they never made more than 2 tiny flowers there, when it was time to move to the cottage I again uprooted their dear hearts and there you have it.  They have been a source of joy for 10 years.  Those ugly, boring, common flowers.

They do smell amazing.

Right exactly next to my pillow.  Ahhhh!

Also one of my roses bloomed today.  Was God giving me a hug today or what?  She is a bit singed, though aren't we all.

She smells delightful.  The remarkable thing is, I only buy roses on mega clearance...like they look dead.  I guess I like the challenge?  So she is special because she lived last summer and came back again this year.  I don't remember her name but she is an English Tea Rose (because those are the smelly ones).

There was a renegade type of ground cover taking over here, so I spent a day ripping it all out and was left with a little naked spot.  After a quick trip to the Lowe's Nearly Dead Clearance Isle, I planted some plain impatients.  They will fill in until the good ground cover, um, covers that area.

The hanging baskets were another Lowe's Dead Isle Purchase.  I added some freesia which I am hoping will get even more vine-ish and will cover and hang more wild-like.  Give it some time.

So, I took the baker's rack down (not enough sun for those annuals) and took the advice of the Bon Savant bonsavant.blogspot.com and put a climbing hydrangea there.  It loves shade.  It loves brick or stone.  It flowers all summer.  It will get as big as I let it.  Perfect!

Just a picture of one of my lush little corners.  There are some wee little starts of lily-of-the-valley my dear, crazy neighbor gave me.  They are my Crazy Mary Lily O'valley (again, common but special to me).

My tiny little rhubarb.  I have always wanted to grow rhubarb and I just planted these tiny little tubers about a month ago.  Very exciting.

One of my perennial beds.  I know its not much to look at yet.  But this is the creep year.  You know "first they sleep, then they creep, and finally the leap".  Well most of this stuff was planted last year as tiny little tubers or seeds.  So, in another year this should be glorious!  You can't see them yet, but there is a row of crimson cannas growing behind this garden.

And, I can't ever remember what this is called, but it is one of those old fashioned plants my grandparents have and people who live in proper cottages must have.  Hollihocks?  This is one that started as nothing last year and this year it is COVERED in buds.  I planted 2 new ones in this bed this year, so hopefully they will look this good next year! 

That is pretty much all I have time to share for now.  We are still immersed in about 50 projects and, well, you know...raising 3 children!