My Sister's Garden

A Sisters Tea Party

noreply@blogger.com (Charley "Apple" Grabowski) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 11:12:00 +0000

Last weekend, Country Girl and her friend H hosted a Victorian Tea Party. The guest list included H's two sisters and their mother, Country Girl's friend D and her sister and me. I wore my yellow sundress that was completely inappropriate. The others were dressed in Victorian costume and when I arrived I was greeted as "Lady Apple." It took me a bit to get into character but it was great fun. We strolled the gardens, enjoyed delicious food and even made sachets.

This is the sight that greeted us as we arrived.
The path was created with sunflower heads.

Yards and yards of tulle and flowers everywhere.

The flowers made a lovely
backdrop for this beautiful tea set.

The tables were beautifully decorated.

H even brought her tea trolley.

H and her sisters.

We were treated to an assortment of sandwiches.
There were decadent desserts too!

It was great fun! Thanks for inviting me, Sis! I'm already planning my costume for next year in hopes that this is an annual event.

Nap Time

noreply@blogger.com (CountryGirl) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 23:20:00 +0000

Princess and Franklin love being outside now that the weather is so nice. I caught them both taking a cat nap the other day. Princess is a bit shutter shy and was ready to take off if I didn't put the camera down. Franklin could care less....

August Blooms

noreply@blogger.com (Charley "Apple" Grabowski) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:50:00 +0000

Finally a couple of beautiful days in a row! I missed GBBD so here are a few pictures of what are looking pretty right now.

This is my first year growing Lemon Mint.

It's so pretty, I just can't take too many pictures of it!

A gift from Kerri that has bloomed for a long time, much to my delight!

My new coneflower, still in a pot.

Indian Summer sunflower. This one is tiny.

I have lots of black-eyed susans around.

Starfighter

Globe Thistle

Strawflower

Stargazers with coneflowers

I have lots more blooming right now but I'll save some for later. Right now I'm going back out to play!

Critters

noreply@blogger.com (Charley "Apple" Grabowski) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 17:04:00 +0000

This little guy made quite a racket on the front steps one evening, hollering for his mama. It took awhile but he was finally coaxed into flying back to the nest.

This is my quiet spot in town where I go and sit with a book when I have time to kill. Just me and the geese by the river. Or is there someone else there?

The woodchuck seemed quite content to be with his feathered friends.

This muskrat resides in the pond in town. I pass the pond several times a day on my bus route and often see him. Alex and I stopped one day to see if he was there. Lousy picture but he's a bit camera shy.

This is one of the biggest spiders I have ever found in the garden. The center part of it's web looked like a machine zig-zag stitch.

We've had several hummingbird moths this year.

And the bees have indeed been busy.

You really need to watch where you step because there is a toad explosion this year.

The hummingbirds and butterflies continue to delight me but I haven't been very successful capturing them with my camera. The garter snakes are around and they don't seem to be doing a very good job keeping up with the slugs. I bet you're glad I spared you those pictures ;-)

An old Friend

noreply@blogger.com (CountryGirl) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:43:00 +0000

The ditch lilies surround their old friend and were here when we bought the place. I wonder just how many years they have been there. I love this old tree and marvel at how large it is (someday, I should measure it.) Sometimes when we get a really windy storm, I hold my breath a bit. It's a big one should it ever come down but I love it and the shade it provides. There are actually two maples in front of the house (the other isn't quite as large as this one.) Then there are two that are similar in size down the way just a bit but still by the road.

An old timer once told me it was a tradition to plant two trees to represent the couple that built the house and then subsequent pairs were planted as a new generations took over the home. I have seen trees planted in pairs with smaller trees in pairs just like we have in this area. I have no idea if it's true but I like the lore of the story. I can just image when this tree was just a sapling being planted so many years ago. Perhaps it was planted in the late 1800's to celebrate this home being built and a new beginning for a family.

Wildflower Walk

noreply@blogger.com (Charley "Apple" Grabowski) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:02:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago we all went to Country Girl's for our Mom's birthday party. One of the best things about going to her house is exploring. John and I headed off with Ron and the boys for a walk down to the creek.

View of CG's house from the field.

There were lots of butterflies along the way.

You never know what you'll find around the next bend.

I don't know what these are but the were very pretty!

Ron picked these along with some others for CG.

The boys enjoyed skippping stones but otherwise I don't think that they enjoyed the walk nearly as much as I did.

Gottcha!

noreply@blogger.com (CountryGirl) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:35:00 +0000

I love how everyone captures little creatures with their flowers. I can't tell you how many bugs, bees and humming birds I've tried to catch. Finally, a bee! It's the little things that excite me these days.

Assembly Required

noreply@blogger.com (Charley "Apple" Grabowski) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 22:49:00 +0000

Assembly required - Do those two works strike fear into the heart of anyone else? John and I have had to put together quite a few things in our 25+ years together and things don't always go well, leaving us annoyed with each other.

My garden cart came last week and I'm very happy that it went together easily in a little over an hour. There were a couple of left over parts but it was easy to see where they went.

I can't wait to start using it!

Look Up

noreply@blogger.com (Charley "Apple" Grabowski) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:41:00 +0000

Chimneys and steeples weren't the only things that had me craning my neck in Buffalo. There are dozens of second story porches throughout the neighborhoods we visited, something I rarely see in Syracuse or Oswego. Some of them had more plants than the garden! Some of these were officially on the walk and some weren't.

No porch? No Problem!

Even this pub downtown had us looking up!

Great Weekend!

noreply@blogger.com (Charley "Apple" Grabowski) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:30:00 +0000

Country Girl and I spent the weekend in Buffalo for Garden Walk and we had a great time despite the fact that she was tired and I was cranky. We got to meet Jim and his wife, Elizabeth and her husband, Susan, Michele and lots of very friendly gardeners. We really think Garden Walk would be a great place for a big bloggers meet up.

We started off Saturday morning at Jim's and he has the most unusual planting that we've seen to date. He has an espalier of fruit trees and of course I forgot to take a picture because I was too busy talking, but take at look at his blog.

The weather was a bit iffy Saturday afternoon and we thought that would cut down on the crowds and we could have the gardens all to ourselves. Everyone else had umbrellas too.

For the most part the walkers are polite but there were a couple of incidents that made me wonder if some of the gardeners will say "never again"! I don't know how this lawn held up. When we were there people were swarming all over it even though you could easily see this gorgeous bed easily from the sidewalk. Maybe I'm just cranky because I couldn't get a good picture without any backsides.

Several gardens had areas that looked trampled and there was no need for it. People were in a hurry and couldn't be bothered waiting to use the garden paths, sidewalks and driveways. One house sat on a teeny tiny lot quite close to the sidewalk and still had an incredible number and variety of flowers. We were appalled as an older couple boldly walked up to the house and started looking in windows! We're fairly certain someone was home. It would have made our day if the homeowner had opened the door just as the couple was trying to look in!

This fountain made us think of Annie in Austin.

A buffalo in Buffalo!

While my sister was engrossed in beautiful plantings I kept distracting her by making her look at various architectural details. What's not to love about this house? It was the chimney that held my attention.

Buffalo is full of churches.
The sun really washed out the dark stone facade.

This house didn't have a garden
but look at the harlequin design.

I would love to have a porch. Country Girl has a small one.
I loved most of the ones we saw but especially several rounded ones.

Over the next few days we'll share some of the garden and flower pictures we took.

Visiting in the Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Charley "Apple" Grabowski) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 01:31:00 +0000

The summer seems to be flying by. Over a week ago Country Girl and I had the opportunity to meet Martha in person. Her daughter was at a camp not too terribly far from us so she and her son were able to stop for a couple of hours one afternoon.

We had an enjoyable afternoon visiting in the back yard. Martha is just as pleasant and down to earth in person as she is on her blog. Maybe we will be able to get together again next year.

This past week I went back to work as they were short handed. The hours aren't bad but it has certainly thrown off my schedule. Country Girl is still working long hours but hopefully that will change soon.

Better Late Than Never

noreply@blogger.com (CountryGirl) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000

My peonies finished their blooms some time ago but I am finally finding a little time to post and thought it was better late than never to show them. All were gifts from the prior owners, a couple that loved to garden.

I love the yellow in the center of the hot pink one (notice I have no clue as to it's real name.) I'm not sure what happened but this one started coming up in the middle of the pink bush. I had a bush of the dual color but this year, there were only a few blooms. I think I dug some up for someone and didn't realize how much of it I dug up. Hopefully it spreads again.

The wild daisys just
grew by the peonies.
I liked them together
so I let them stay.

We're Ready for Garden Walk

noreply@blogger.com (Charley "Apple" Grabowski) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 12:40:00 +0000

We have our hotel room booked and are looking forward to a weekend away. There will be over 300 gardens open at Garden Walk Buffalo this year but we plan to take things at a more leisurely pace than we did last year!

I've been having a lot of fun playing with Wordle. Maybe we'll wear matching t-shirts, then again maybe not.

Blooms Galore

noreply@blogger.com (Charley "Apple" Grabowski) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:14:00 +0000

There is so much blooming right now! The weather has been perfect the last few days and I have been enjoying my time outside. My vacation has been cut short, I go back to driving on Monday so I'm going to enjoy the next few days.

A Mini Makeover of a Blah Area

noreply@blogger.com (CountryGirl) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:50:00 +0000

I struggled with what to do with this bed at the front of my house for some time. This is a photo from last year. All I could think of was that shutters would help and stalled on the garden end of it. You can see how blah it looked. The other side of the front is blah as well but there is a cement path that needs to come out before I can tackle that so back to the bed at hand. I decided I had to do something this year, even if it was minor. I had a hosta I could split so I brought the bed out a bit.

I realize it was a rather simple change but I feel I'm making progress and it's an improvement. Sometimes it's baby steps that get us there. I have color from the hostas when the bleeding hearts and phlox are done blooming. I added a baptisia there on the right side next to the steps. I got it at an end of year sale last fall but it's not very happy. I may give it another year and see what it does before moving it.

There are a few foxglove Apple gave me that should bloom next year. She gave me five starters that I put toward the back of the bed. I also found some toad-lilys on clearance that came back and will hopefully bloom this year.

I would like to line the bed with stones but I think I may make it bigger so I think I will wait and contemplate a bit. I can't wait to remove the walk on the right side in front of the porch area. We plan to put in a curved sidewalk in someday where two people can walk side by side and then have a garden area from the curve of the walk to the porch. When that happens, it may make sense to bring out this bed even more. If anyone has suggestions, I am always looking for advice from other gardeners. You can probably tell but the area gets shade most of the year.

Yippee!!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Charley "Apple" Grabowski) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:33:00 +0000

I won the garden cart! I can't wait to put my old wheel barrow out of it's misery.

My grateful thanks to Elizabeth Licata, Garden Rant and Troy-Bilt!

Maybe I should go out and buy lottery tickets.........

Nah, that would be pushing my luck I think.

Congratulations to the other winners, Gina at My Skinny Garden, Kathy Purdy at Cold Climate Gardening, Tamra at Eat Seasonally and Vivian at This is the place.

Red Storm Border Lilies

noreply@blogger.com (Charley "Apple" Grabowski) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 11:06:00 +0000

Remember the "mutant lilies" I wrote about back in May? They're blooming like crazy now but if I didn't know better I'd still swear they were to different varieties.

I bought them from Michigan Bulb and this is some of what their catalog says:

Botanical Name: Lilium 'Red Carpet' (Asiatic)

Height/Habit: 14 - 18"

Unique Characteristics: Border lilies are referred to as the 'garden charmer'. Extremely suitable for planting in containers or front position in a border.

After reading this I planted them at the front of the border on both sides of the walkway through the butterfly garden. The ones on the garage side, the ones that looked funny in May, are just as promised with a couple taller than I'd like, a little over 2', but OK. I have them planted with dwarf shasta daisies and behind them are bright yellow coreopsis.

The ones on the other side are 3 1/2' tall! I can't make up my mind if I'm unhappy with this or not. They flank a butterfly bush. Right now there is a small patch of sundrops and violets that really look terrible. Also there are some tiny dahlias and a mum to the left and sweet william to the right. I have no idea what this area will eventually look like and I may decide I have too much red here but the dark red of the lilies is gorgeous and I don't want them to be hidden behind something else.

Which brings me to the color difference.
The taller ones are a very dark red.

The shorter ones are a lighter shade
and the petals roll back a bit.

Of course if I move the taller ones to the back of the border someplace they will undoubtedly decide to grow just 2' tall and be lighter in color. I've had some other hilarious mistakes where plants I thought would stay short were planted at the front edge of the border but I'll save them for another time.

My Mystery Garden

noreply@blogger.com (CountryGirl) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 11:23:00 +0000

Well it's not much of a mystery anymore but that's what I've been calling this little garden.

Ron dug up this area sometime last summer. My kitchen table sits by the double windows that overlook the area. I love water features and thought how wonderful it would be to have a garden with a fountain below the window. I could relax at the table and enjoy the flowers along with the sound of trickling water (last summer I made Apple crazy with my hunt for just the right fountain but I digress...) Unfortunately things got busy and I didn't have many extra plants so the area sat there for awhile but the weeds were happy.

I found my fountain and it makes the nicest little trickle sound as a fountain should. Apple gave me a yellow lily and some liatrice from her garden. A friend gave me a hosta and some Giant Solomon's Seal. I found the blue salvia at the farmers market and had to try it after seeing it at Cornell Plantations. I also bought some Russian sage and a pink coreopsis that is now blooming.

I had seven plants I could identify. The rest were mysteries by the time I planted the garden. Apple and I went to visit Kerri of Colors of the Garden last year and she sent me home with some treasures. We also had a plant swap at the Garden Club at the end of the year and I am always getting pass-a-longs from friends. Life was crazy so everything ended up in this area which was really a holding bed, not a garden. I of course didn't label anything and couldn't remember what I had been given. This spring I dug everything up and rearranged it. Apple suggested I mark my path BEFORE planting which worked out well. Sometimes the obvious isn't so obvious for some of us. LOL. I'm so glad I have a sister with good advice! Since I couldn't remember what was what, I just plunked things here and there and figured I would move things as they bloomed if they didn't fit.

Now some of the mysteries are solved. There are shasta daisies and gloriosa daisies from Kerri - Thank you again Kerri! Some phlox, two iris', coral bells, and I suppose, a few more mysteries yet to be revealed....

I'm sure I will add to this space and move things over time. I also want to add a chair so I can sit and enjoy the sound of the fountain and read a book. I'm not sure about the "stepping stones". Maybe it's because I know they are old tiles a friend gave me but they will work for now.

Mystery Color Revealed

noreply@blogger.com (Charley "Apple" Grabowski) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:07:00 +0000

The Asiatic lily that I picked up on sale last year has bloomed and it's a pretty one! I was certain that it would be orange or yellow, neither are favorite colors of mine. I've read that Asiatics don't have much of a scent but this one is very nice - if you get down on your knees. It's only 12" tall!

I don't have ~~much~~ any experience with lilies but the foliage on this one is different than any others I've seen. And I thought it would be much taller.

From where I sit to have my morning coffee it's hard to see. After it is done blooming I'll be moving someplace where it will be able to show off a bit more.

Hollyhocks

noreply@blogger.com (CountryGirl) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:22:00 +0000

I have always liked hollyhocks and flowers in the mallow family. When we bought this place, I wasn't into gardening but was thrilled when we had hollyhocks come up. They were all white and pink.

A couple years ago Apple convinced me to try starting some plants from seeds. I thought I would pick something simple. I was thrilled when they actually grew! These have come back two years in a row. The seed package said perennial but I didn't believe it. I had never heard of a perennial hollyhock. I only knew of the biennial variety. These have much more color and this year they got huge!

My sister is loving her hollyhocks more than I am mine this year. And who can blame her when hers look so great and have the barn for a great backdrop? I've only had white and pink in years past so I have no idea how I got a red one! I do remember having a dozen or more plants started last year along the back of the house. This is what came back this year:

The ones out in the nightmare bed are just ho-hum. The ones by the house are 7' tall out here they refuse to get more than 4'.
The beetles have been munching on them like crazy so they are starting to look ratty already. Oh, well.

So this morning I put a bunch of seeds down from a newly purchased packet. Maybe I'll get lucky and have a pretty patch like Country Girl's next year.

A Cart Full of Favorites

noreply@blogger.com (Charley "Apple" Grabowski) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 17:15:00 +0000

Elizabeth at Garden Rant is having a contest to give away five Troy-bilt garden carts and I sure could use one. This is what I'd be using now if it didn't have a flat tire again. It was left as junk by the previous owner and John keeps repairing it for me. It won't be long before the plastic will have to be held together with duct tape.

So, the contest. I have five (5) to give away so your chances are good. I had a few ideas for possible comment tasks, including writing a classic sonnet and describing and solving the most important issue facing home gardeners today. But, in the end, I came up with this: list your five favorite plants (presumably that you could put in this cart) and briefly explain why they'd be the ones you'd rescue from your garden if it was threatened by catastrophe. Or just say why you like them. Troy-Bilt will send a cart each to the five best comments, as determined by me (representing Garden Rant).

I wouldn't have had a prayer of winning one if I'd had to write a sonnet but listing my five favorites plants can't be that hard, can it? Wait a minute - just five!?

#5 - Crocuses. They are the first plants I see here in the spring and give me hope that the snow won't last into June. They wouldn't take up much room in the cart - instead I'd use the cart to shovel off my flower beds into the cart and haul the nasty white stuff away. I could have blooms two weeks earlier like everyone in town!

#4 - Monarda / Beebalm / Oswego Tea. I love everything about this plant; the bright red color, the way it spreads without taking over, it's tall, lasts all summer and the mint scent is wonderful. It also blooms right around the 4th of July here and the flower heads look like miniature fireworks.

#3 - Daylilies. My goal is to have enough varieties to bloom all season long. The season is so short here that shouldn't be hard. I love the grace of the flowers and variety of colors. If I could save just one it would be this one that I have no name for. Why this one? Besides the great color combination, it was a gift from my sister.

#2- Peonies. We had very few flowers when I was growing up but we always had peonies. The flowers are huge and just scream "Happy Spring" to me. Even after the flowers are done they stay attractive for the entire summer and they are virtually care free. Mom's peony now resides in my garden and if I could rescue only one, that would be it. I do have several others however and some of them need to be moved so the cart would get a workout.

#1- Hosta. Even before I started gardening I had hostas. They grow in the shade but don't mind a bit of sun, weeds don't grow under them, they come in so many sizes that there is one for most any spot. I love the mounded shape and even though I'm not a big fan of the flowers they attract hummingbirds. They are quite hard to kill, although I have lost one called First Frost. A plant by that name probably had no business being in my garden anyway. I need to rearrange my front bed and the cart (and a small crane) would come in very handy for moving this hosta that is competing for space with the bleeding heart.

It's All In the Angle...

noreply@blogger.com (CountryGirl) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 12:16:00 +0000

One of the things I like about blogging is that my garden often looks better online than in person. I can hide many weeds and flaws, of course, I show many weeds and flaws but in general I show you the best of everything. I was walking around one day surveying what new blooms I had. There is an old foundation from a building out behind the barn that tends to be a catch all and wild daisies grown on it. I caught this view and thought how pretty. I love mass plantings!

Now, this is the other angle....not so pretty.... Don't you love it? Anyone feeling daring and want to share a best and worst angle?

Removing the foundation and that little building to the right is on our list of things to do but the list is quite long and this project is rather low on the list. I see a wonderful garden in this spot with a little fish pond and a path through it. At the far end, I envision a little patio with a table and chairs covered by large arbour with grape vines growing on it. Stay tuned....it may be a few years but it's gonna be great!

Happy Independence Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Charley "Apple" Grabowski) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:06:00 +0000

Butterfly/Hummingbird Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Charley "Apple" Grabowski) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:42:00 +0000

This is the third year for my garden and every morning I take a walk around, amazed at how quickly it has changed and filled in. I've made plenty of mistakes and I expect I'll make plenty more but over all I am absolutely thrilled with the garden this year.

The space between the house and the garage was the perfect spot for a butterfly garden. I decided to throw in a few plants to attract humming birds too. One of my first purchases was three tiny Red Husker Penstemons from a mail order company known for low prices. The first year they stayed small and green but not knowing any better I figured that was normal. The second year they stayed green and sent up thin stalks that waved in the breeze. Instead of the white flowers I had expected I got dozens of flowers of a color I can't name. Sometimes they seem red, other days dark pink and today I guess I'd describe them as a rich coral. So I have no idea what variety they actually are but the hummingbirds love them. After my initial disappointment that I didn't get what I ordered, so do I.

They are planted at the back of the butterfly
puddle that has become more of a rock pile.

A longer view of the bed.

Can you see the hummingbird?

Close up the flowers appear to be grinning.

Year Two ...

noreply@blogger.com (CountryGirl) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 11:00:00 +0000

This is the second year of the first garden I started from scratch. I am pleased with how it's looking and filling out. The building was originally a chicken coop that was converted to a potting shed. First we fixed the building, then....time for a garden! There was a large rose bush where the pump is now that we just moved. I think I will mulch an oval area around the pump as I know we won't weed whack around it!

The right side will fill in more as the summer progresses. I tried marine bells last year and loved how they mounded so I planted them at the front edge of both sides again. The sun drops are huge this year and I love Apple's foxglove behind them. The fever few in the back by the windows should bloom soon. I have little white markers where I planted dahlia bulbs. They should look nice with the marine bells infront.

The left side has really filled out. I did lose one of my three delphiniums so there is a small replacement out front. Last year the pink daisies didn't bloom but they are putting on quite a show this year! I have no idea what the tall white flower to the left of the pink daisies are. It was a plant swap flower that was not marked. I have asked my gardening friends but no one is familiar with it. If none of you know, I will have to break out the gardening books to figure it out! The window boxes have water wells in the bottom which saves me some watering.

A few close ups....