Some combination love!

The garden has definitely started cooking for the season. The combinations I so painstakingly put together are coming to fruition and let me tell you, it's like Christmas!  Enjoy!

So far, so good.

This summer has been so mild and wet so far that the garden is doing great. And I'm not exhausted from watering!  We've enjoyed long bloom periods, and lots of time outside enjoying the cooler air. Here are a few of my favorite spots in my garden this year:

More of Last Summer

Still going through pictures from last summer! I love the feeling of warmth it gives me just looking at images of summer.

 

This was inside our back porch gazebo last summer.

 

 

More lilies.

 

 

I found all sorts of quirky vintage planters at garage sales last year, and put many of them in my shed (most of them don't have drainage, and it they weren't covered they would flood after one rain).

I bought this vintage sofa and love seat at an auction. I wish I had a screened in porch to put them on, but for now they are on the grass. My husband built the table from reclaimed wood. I love it so much!

 

Another vintage planter with a succulent in it (sold this one).

 

More back porch sitting.

 

Containers in the driveway. This year, there will be a basketball hoop here, so I am trying to figure out what to put here?

 

More dahlias.

 

We bought this furniture at an estate sale. We got so lucky, as we put in a bid (very low, I think it was a $100) for the set. They had a bid box with a policy that if the seller was interested in the bid they could call you back after the sale was over- if it hadn't sold at the asking price. We scored!

 

We also built this little platform for our fire pit out of the blocks that were buried in various parts of the property.

 

Daylily.

 

Took this picture to show my mom how tall my love lies bleeding had grown-- the flowers were to the ground by mid summer. Also, this is how I look when I'm gardening- a general mess. lol!

 

One of my favorite succulent planting from last year. I still have it hanging in the window in my living room.  I drilled drainage in an old bundt pan, and attached chains to it.

 

Relaxing outside.

 

So glad I grew so many rudbeckia from seeds (and got a few plants from my neighbor the previous year that came back).

 

More dahlia.

 

One of my favorite zinnia, Aztec sunset. I already have the seeds again for this season.

 

The table my husband made, holding some containers.

 

Rex begonia

 

I found a bunch of alocasia on clearance for $1 at Lowe's. I brought them home and they grew wonderfully for me in containers and beds all season. I brought them all in to overwinter and they are all still doing well. I plan on putting them in the shade gardens again this year. I loved them with the ferns, burgundy oxalis bulbs (also overwintered wonderfully indoors), and dead nettle. Such a unique black, and white with mint sort of vibe.

 

Hope you enjoyed the pictures again. Happy gardening!!

Northern Inspiration

My family and I have become quite obsessed with northern Minnesota, especially along the coast of Lake Superior. We have been camping up there a half dozen times or more in the last 2 years. I noticed a few things last summer that I thought were garden blog worthy. I find the landscape up there naturally deeply inspiring and would love to emulate it in my own garden. 

Everything come so much later up there. We were there in late June and early July and the lilacs were blooming. It's fascinating to see what a shorter bloom season looks like.

 

Wildflowers everywhere.

 

 

Its almost like a rainforest, there's moss everywhere.

 

 

The beauty is unreal.

 

I was so excited to see Luna moths on the light poles outside of the bathroom, and on the check in station walls at Judge Magney State Park.

 

The rocks on the shore are incredible.

 

The driftwood is everywhere.

 

This wildflower was growing right on the beach in Grand Marais. The most beautiful blue you could imagine.

 

One time, our campsite was right in the woods.

 

 

The lupine are everywhere!

 

So many people have collected their own huge amethyst rocks. My son Ben loves it!

 

More rocks...

 

God's the best landscaper.

 

We found so many fresh berries on the mountainside at the end of the one of the trails, we felt like bears.

 

The smaller lakes are beautiful too.

 

More wildflowers...

 

One of my favorite parts of the trips we make- the old pines!

 

At the Fort near the Canadian border I was inspired by the natural materials/structures.

 

One of our favorite stops is the fur shop- where the antler shed is just how I'd love my garden shed to look.

 

More wildflowers and beautiful sky.

 

Grand Marais is just inspiring.

 

But so is every woodland path we found...

Frogs from the creek.

Crawfish watching.

 

And mushroom and fungi galore.

 

And asters... perfect.

I loved the little accents in this container garden outside of the shops in Grand Marais.

 

 

Every time I leave one of our trips I tear up. I don't want it to end. But I do bring so much inspiration back with me.

 

Happy gardening!