Monday, May 23, 2016

Bits and Bobs from The Humble Bungalow

Views from my walking route have been so crisp and clear.
Skies are blue and the breeze warm...
 the ocean seems to dance under the warm sunlight.



Puff ball clouds float upwards...
high above the Showy Pavement Roses.


Sweet blooms line the boulevards causing me to stop and capture the images.
I try not to stop for too long as I am mindful that I need to keep up my pace.
Like it or not, my middle is increasing in size and has become a wee bit wobbly. 
Walking much faster is my current goal.

Swinging my arms, as my physiotherapist suggested, to keep my shoulder limber.

The news on the shoulder is good ~ I am virtually free of pain.
Now I need to get the full range of motion to return.
 It will be "almost" as good as new!


Gertrude Jeykyll is a fragrant rose that is perfect for picking.
She can scent a room in no time flat!
(I think she is very beautiful too)

While I prefer to 
Enjoy the flowers outside in the Humble Bungalow Garden
occasionally I pick a few to bring inside.


"Windowsill Orchids" seem to like our Bungalow.
They blooms for months and then will a little luck they bloom again and again for several years.
They are really good value for the money...much less expensive than a large bouquet that maybe lasts 2 weeks.

I wait until the flowers fall off and the stems are dry before cutting them down to the soil level.
Water once a week and let the water drain through the pots.
Orchids do not like to sit in water for very long or the roots rot.
I keep mine in north and south windows but not in hot direct sunshine.
They prefer a bit of air circulation like they do in the wild...
rather like a tropical rainstorm and then the sun comes out and shines.


The foxgloves are back...
they are a biennial and grow every other year.
We have enough seeds from previous years plants so there are always a handful in flower.
These tall plants are perfect for the back of the border but ours have a different idea...
they bloom wherever they feel like!
I don't try to change their habits and am grateful that they are here at all.
They were about the only plant that was here when we bought The Humble Bungalow over 30 years ago...

Most of the garden was covered in Morning Glory a weed that wraps itself around everything in sight and the runners tunnel underground and if they are not kept in check a mess ensues!
That was one of our first challenges when we moved into our home...
ridding the garden of weeds, brambles and junk.
(sweat equity)
Here is a link to one of my posts in the series The Ugly Truth.
After your read this you will understand a wee bit more about how far we have come.

We have created a Garden that we enjoy 
it has taken us years of hard work
many changes ~ trials and errors
Today it looks a lot different!

Thank you for stopping by my Humble Bungalow Blog!

I'll be back soon with snippets of our weekend away on our Sea Ray.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

13 comments:

Linda said...

Absolutely gorgeous! Thank you so much for sharing.

Jen Lawrence said...

I love foxglove. Those are so pretty. I've never managed to get an orchid to last beyond the first bloom but will follow your tips.

Deb said...

My foxglove plants have a mind of their own, too - right now some getting ready to blossom along the perimeter of the garden, but none actually inside. I agree - let 'em do what they want, because apparently they do NOT want to be a well-behaved backdrop in the back of the garden! Beautiful pictures!

christy said...

Thanks for sharing the lovely pics. Great to hear that your shoulder has improved. You must be much happier.

Margie from Toronto said...

Beautiful pictures and blooms - love that deep pink rose!
So glad that your shoulder is feeling a lot better - just don't overdo things in the garden.

Lorrie said...

That's a beautiful photo of the blue ocean through the grasses. Gertrude Jekyll was an option for me when choosing a new rosebush, but I went with another - a white one - since I have a number of pink ones already.
Glad your shoulder is improving.

LPC said...

Oh so pretty.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Good luck! I hope you have better results next time.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I know Mother Nature has her own agenda!! I am just so happy that they pop up in the garden...the bees love them and I hear them buzzing inside the flowers when I am weeding nearby.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Thanks Christy...It's like I have been given a new lease on life!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I will try not to do too much and have some help coming once a month...

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I appreciate your comment very much as I know that you photograph and capture beautiful images regularly for your blog...it helps that we live in a lovely spot with plenty of opportunities in our gardens and on our walks.
I like white roses very much...we have Iceberg and three new bare root Claire Austins which are white but they are slow growing and I hope they are going to survive.

Pondside said...

Beautiful images, all of them! I hope that some day the bare yard will be a beautiful garden behind our old-new cottage.