Monday, June 10, 2024

Hard work and Busy days...I have a garden to tend!

 


Can you see the reflection of the Arbutus Tree limbs in the birdbath?
We relocated the bath from the side yard to the newly installed brick patio...

The weedy small patch of grass out front never got any thicker despite our efforts
Over the years...
Underneath the tall tree next door our garden has changed from sunny to shady.


Fortunately Hostas LOVE shade and I LOVE Hostas.


Three black pots...
A globe shaped Boxwood, Brunnera, and some Black Mondo Grass.

We took several weeks to complete this project...
 most of the hard work was done by my husband
digging up the sod
leveling out the space

(I found the used bricks on Market Place)

Designing the pattern, 
laying the bricks and grouting them with sand 
was all done by Mr HB.


Our Climbing Royal Sunset Rose is looking fabulous!
This fragrant repeat blooming rose is a stunner.
It must be 30 years old give or take...


Strawberry Hill is a new rose in the Humble Bungalow Garden.
WOW her fragrance is sooooo lovely.
I had no idea that she would have such a rich deep complex scent...


There is never a DULL moment (or lull) here in the Garden...


~ Another Bee in My Bonnet ~

Getting rid of more grass
new bed for tall perennial flowers is under construction :-))

Three days of hard work and I am finished the prep.

Our grass is really quite tatty...clover and buttercups mostly.
The bees seem to enjoy those so we will keep a bit of the grass.

We are off to the Nursery today so will see what they have left...
I have a list of flowering plants on my wish list.


My favourite David Austin rose Jude the Obscure.


Another view of Climbing Royal Sunset.


Boscobel 

Fragrant frothy and fabulous.
Growing in a large pot on the gravel area out front.


 ~ Imogen ~

grown in a large pot also
OODLES of roses in bloom!


Gertrude Jekyll Rose 

bright fuschia pink
fragrant 
hardy
THORNY but we can forgive her that as she is a stalwart rose.

We have over 30 roses in our small city sized garden.
I cannot believe how many we have but it is all my doing...
very much an obsession as far as plants go.

If you are a passionate gardener I am pretty sure that you will have a favourite plant.

We smile and knowingly nod at each other when we pass at the garden centres.

Our trolleys are full and our wallets are empty when we leave...
happiness CAN quite possibly be bought at the garden shops :-))

Update :
My ankle bone...has been x-rayed again
the fistula" has still not calcified.

Darn it...
 Dr. says no aquafit unless it is deep water, laps and swimming is ok.
Weight training is ongoing 20 minutes each day for the arms.

~ Aging is not for Sissies ~


Do you like Alliums?

I LOVE them!


These are pretty much done their blooming...
they were bold purple and now are fading.

Still, they bring interest and a sculptural quality to the garden.

In the Fall I will be buying MASSES of them!
More is More when it comes to these gorgeous Bulbs!

Gardening has been taking most of my energy these past few weeks.

We attended the annual Hospice Fundraising Garden Tour on Sunday.
The TEENY TINY Garden Tour.

We saw about 12 gardens and gleaned a few ideas for our own.

It surprised me how many people had hot tubs in their gardens!

Oh how lovely it would be to soak in a hot tub
 after a long day working in the garden!

(We hope to be on the tour next year.)

I ordered some black Adirondack chairs
 to pop on the grass in the garden...

We forget to stop and sit, 
gaze out over the space that we have created and lovingly tend.

I plan to take more time to sit and appreciate our Humble Bungalow Garden.
(once my latest project is done)


I am immersed in this lovely book...

I read The Chilbury Ladies' Choir a few years ago and totally LOVED it.
This story is set in wartime when rationing is place and women are trying to be creative with the foods that area available.

Am going to reserve her other book The Spies Of Shilling Lane at the local library.

Well I suppose that I better get busy and make some lunch...

Hope you are keeping well and taking time to stop and smell the roses!

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog!

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~



11 comments:

materfamilias said...

After all that hard work of digging and soil prep, what fun to have a dramatic bed of tall flowering perennials! Definitely need to set out those black Adirondack chairs so that you have a front-row seat! The bees and butterflies, hummingbirds as well, are surely lining up already!
(Loved your alliteration -- fragrant, frothy, and fabulous -- of the Boscobel rose! ;-)

Sue Blaney said...

Always fun for me to read what's going on at the Humble Bungalow.
Sorry ankle healing being stubborn...frustrating I'm sure.

I just ordered The Kitchen Front from our library...need a good book to excpae into.

LOVE your rose photoes. Just amazing color and texture.

Happy June - Sue

Kathryn P said...

My gardening friend moved away. I miss having someone to talk plants and gardens with. I enjoy your gardening photos and recounts. It is always inspiring to go on garden tours. It sparks plans. I'm sorry your ankle isn't healing at the speed one would want. I was pleased to come accross a well-set out 'Making Gardens' book by the British National Gardens Scheme at the thrift shop - I think I may have yelped in excitement. It was published in 2001, but still usefull. And has interesting history in it regarding their garden tour events. It's also quite a heavy book. But I like to read it before bed so I drift off thinking gardening thoughts. I did lots of reading and research, trotted off to the garden centre for a rose they had in stock. They sold out and instead of doing the sensible thing, I promptly brought an entirely different rose. It's a David Austin - 'The Lark Accending'. I have only seen photos of it - so I am looking forward to the first flower. All the best.

Adele said...

love the grouping of black pots. we ordered and received our 2-qt roses from David Austin!! thanks for the encouragement. ordered Eustachia Vye (because hello, Thomas Hardy!) and The Poet's Wife. if they survive and possibly thrive, I can definitely see myself ordering more.............

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Materfamilias ~ Tis raining here this morning and I am going to plant the new bed...might need to wait for a break in the clouds. The chairs should be wonderful to sit in and sip a cuppa...
Your deck must be an oasis of beauty...I love seeing your top of the roof garden posts :-))

Sue Blaney ~ I so hope you enjoy the book...Jennifer Ryan writes so well. Your recent posts are just lovely...I like seeing the new figures you are drawing.
Enjoy your week :-))

Kathyrn P ~ The book at the thrift shop sounds very interesting...it will give you some ideas and perhaps inspire you in your garden. Sorry to hear that your garden friend moved away...do you have a garden group or club in your area? Like minded gardeners are a great resource and are usually eager to meet up and chat about plants and often are keen to invite people over to see their garden. Lark Ascending sounds fabulous!!!

Adele ~ I hope you enjoy the new rose! I don't think David Austin has any roses that are not superior specimens! It will be handy to go outside and snip a bloom to bring inside to enjoy...have fun in your garden!

Leigh Ann said...

Oh, that Royal Climbing Sunset rose - glorious! I so wish I had enough sun-space in my yard to grow roses. Wish I could just sit a spell in your lovely garden.

MGA said...

Yes, I am entirely obsessed with plants and gardens, I love it too! My best friend who was also my gardening buddy and we would go to garden shows and nurseries together, she passed in 2020 and I still miss her terribly. No one else I know understands my passion like she did. I enjoy seeing your garden posts, especially the roses. I have three roses, all are rugosas, and the deer don't seem to bother them too much. And I planted 25 Purple Sensation alliums last fall as they are supposed to be deer resistant, but guess what, the deer ate all but 2 of the stalks this spring! So frustrating!

Ann said...

Your garden is SO beautiful...and the ROSES!!! Sorry your ankle is not healing. I go to doctor this week to see how my wrist is doing and hope for a good report. Hang in there. Now out to my patio to tend the few plants I have...

Sheila said...

I LOVE roses, and would happily bury my face in your collection, Lesley! Reminds me I must go up to Government House for a stroll through their rose garden soon!

Your new patio area is amazing. I love the Art Nouveau look of alliums.

Anonymous said...

Really enjoy your blog and appreciate that you continue to share your lovely lifestyle! Sending well wishes for a quick recovery and back to your usual activities. Cheers from Rita, Victoria.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Leigh Ann ~ Roses seem to be popular blooms...I know they are my favourites :-)) For people who don't have gardens there are often local spots to visit...
I often visit Butchart Gardens where they have hundreds of lovely roses...Government House, which is quite close to us, is an oasis of beauty, their rose garden has a lovely water feature and sitting there in the sunshine is so lovely. Hope you can find a local spot to enjoy roses.

MGA ~ Deer will eat almost anything!! They munch on our Showy Pavement rugosa rose out front...it is very thorny but they open their mouth wide and pop it over the entire bloom and next minute it is in their mouth and they seem to savour the flavour!!
Alliums are glorious blooms...perhaps you can plant them and then protect them with a wire "cage"?
Garden clubs are great for meeting up with passionate gardeners...perhaps you can find some others who share your love of gardening?

Ann ~ Have you had an update on your wrist? My ankle is slowly feeling better...I actually went to the beach this afternoon for a beach walk...I used my bamboo stick and did not walk too fast...it felt great to be by the ocean!

Sheila ~ Government House grounds are such a lush place to wander...the rose garden is spectacular! Hope you made it for a visit...The tearoom must be open now too...I like going for a walk there and having tea.