Backyard Garden One Week Later

Here is an update for our friends still in Florida for the Winter. 
Hey!  It's Spring here so hurry up & come back to town!

These pictures were taken yesterday...a day of sun & some clouds...so the light varies considerably (info for you camera buffs) if you were wondering.
First my pink star magnolias.

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I planted two of these as you can see.  One is close to the pond.  Honey and mason bees adore these trees.  I have cut branches in January for forcing indoors for Valentine's Day dinners.  So beautiful and fragrant.  Pollinated flowers go to seed from whence you can start new trees...or just enjoy the ripen red seed pods in Fall & Winter.

Next those hardy waterlily pads just forming last week.  Now you see them open on the water.   And yes, they are red even though I previously said only the bottom of the pad is red.  The pads are or will be a deep rich green when the water warms.  The current red is because we just had a few 30 & 40 degree days.  As you can see there are many already.  In my small pond that I dug in back in 2001, during the Summer many times I will have 7 or 8 pink waterlilies open at one time...with about 15 frogs that sit on the lily pads.  I can't wait for Bon Bon to discover frogs!  By the way, waterlily flowers make great cut flowers and their scent is better than any perfume that I know of.  My pond size is about 4 by 7 feet.

Here is a picture of some purple hyacinths.  Orginally a potted gift they now grace the yard from year to year.  Their blooms are doubles and, again oh so fragrant!

Every year we have several Robin families that return and raise several broods each.  This year one family has almost completed their nest on a part of the pergola.  See the ultra long grass strands used in this nest.  Most unusual.  If not destroyed by a predator I will watch for eggs and their hatching and of course take pictures.

New rose bush leaves are out on my rosa rugosa.  Did you know that rose petal & leaves are edible?  And, of course the rose hips are too.  The hips are very high in vitamin C.  In WWII hips were used in Europe as the main source of this vitamin in tea, baked goods, jams & jellies as fresh citrus was not obtainable.  And, the flower is not the only part scented...some leaves are too!  Oh!  What I could tell you about roses.  But, that's for another post.

 

One of my white hellebores...with freckles!

A native American current bush that smells like cloves discovered by Lewis & Clark in their explorations.  The bloom is yellow & they will open this week.

My coral herbaceous peony up 12 inches!  This one I had mail ordered from Martha Steward.

One of my seven tree peonies, all with big fat buds already.  Each has an exotic name.  Each has fragrance.  Each is huge with flowers 10 to 12 inches wide.

Nanking Cherry blooming.  I have 4 of these.  Native to Wisconsin.  Delicious with cherries you and the birds can eat!

Bon Bon who is finally staying still long enough for me to take his picture now.

A Spring bouquet that I French beaded a few years back.  It contains Dogwood, Tulip, Daffodil, Lily of the Valley, Pansy, Bluebells, etc.

So, you people in Florida.  See what you are missing!  And, don't forget about all the other birds, insects, etc.  My sewing machine is positioned in front of a backyard window where I look out often.  Mucho activity for so small a yard.  Stay tuned there will be more!

A Bit Late

Here are some pictures actually taken on March 29th but not posted until today.  Spring is well ahead of schedule here in Wisconsin and it shows in the pictures of my back yard.  The first picture is of waterlily pads emerging from the pond, reaching for the sun so as they may float on the surface when they are unfurled.  What you see here is the back side of the pads, a reddish pink colour.

Next are my two heathers.  One is white and one is pink.  The honey bees ADORE these flowers which bloom for weeks and weeks.  Very cold tolerant they are one of the first plants to bloom in the Spring and I many times get a second blooming period in the cooler Fall.

The Lenten Rose or some of my hellebores are next.  I have pink purple and white ones which I ADORE because of their simple beauty and reliability.  They do make good cut flowers but so far I have been letting them go to seed and so they are spreading.  These early bloomers many times have snow surrounding them and yet they preserver.  

 

To date I have small leaves on most of my trees and shrubs.  My herbaceous peonies are up 6 to 8 inches, daffodils in white and yellow, pink tulips, blue scilla, and my beautiful pink star magnolias are blooming so sweet to the nose and bees.  And, you might remember my white moth orchid previously posted when it first opened.  Well, here are some more pictures of that as the rest of the flower stalk has opened.  Of course, that orchid is inside now but it will be set outdoors in June.

Pretty grand looking, yes?  What you are seeing in this picture is actually the orchid and its reflection in a mirror. 

Now for a few pictures of Bon Bon.  See how he is growing?  He ADORES the warm sun on his back and he likes to play with his toys on the deck.  You could say that he is blooming too!  See the previous post and don't forget to enter his give away. 

Any comments?  Bon Bon wants to hear back from you.

Bon Bon's Give Away

Bon Bon is celebrating his very first Spring on this planet and so he has arranged to give away a token of himself in the form of a small version of his dog house (no he really doesn't have to exist in a dog house) and a small version of himself in fake fur.  He commissioned these two facsimiles in order to give them to one lucky person.

That one lucky person Bon Bon will randomly pick at the end of April, 2010.  How can you qualify?  Simple.  Sign into this blog and leave a comment some time this April.  At the end of the month Bon Bon will pick one lucky sign in with his eyes closed.  He will announce the winner in this blog.  That winner will need to contact Candy and Bon Bon by email with their address so Bon Bon can forward the miniatures to them.

For your information Bon Bon's dog house measures 6 1/2"w x 6 1/4"h x 4"d.  Fake fur Bon Bon himself measures 5" long from tip of tail to tip of black nose.  Just about the size the real Bon Bon was when he was adopted by his mom, Candy!

Spring Is Sprung

After one week of mild, foggy, warmer weather only bare traces of snow remain here in southeast Wisconsin.  Today, two returning robins returned to once again build their nest in my flower garden.  Did you know that robins return to the same site each year?  This pair will build two or three nests in a season.  They like it here!  This is my first sighting of robins this year.

And, my moth orchid which is my muse for much of what I create has just this week begun to flower again.  They bloom on long arching stems with huge flowers that last several months.  This particular orchid does not have a scent...but I don't need that when the flower is so gorgeous! 

I have made French beaded moth orchids among other types of orchids that I offer for sale in my etsy shop as well as orchid beaded pillows and orchid embroidery.  I find them fascinating and easy to grow.  Here are some pictures of the real orchid;

Whoa!  That last picture is not of an orchid.  But it is the picture of a wreath hat complete with hanger that I just finished embroidering with two hibiscus and a sapphire butterfly.  What do you think?

Christmas Isn't Dec. 25th...it's MARCH 6, 2010

Bon Bon and I just finished unpacking a BIG box sent from Teddy Riordan who winters in Naples, Florida.  Teddy and Bon Bon have not met yet, but Teddy found out that Bon Bon had been adopted by me December last and so he wanted to make friends with Bon Bon.  Teddy feels that he and Bon Bon have quite a few things in common.

They both like clothes, treats, toys, surprises, the finer things in life.....and, their mother's undivided attention and LOVE.  They both got lucky in this life (compared to a lot of other dogs) and got adopted into good families that can provide for them and take care of them.  In return both Teddy and Bon Bon LOVE their respective mothers and LOVE to cuddle with them.

Anyhow, today a BIG box was delivered to our house addressed to Bon Bon.  Bon Bon was so excited!  His very first package delivery.  "Who is it from mom", Bon Bon asked me.  "I don't know son, because the sender's address is a pack and ship place in Florida.  Let's open it and find out."

So, Bon Bon and I proceeded to open the BIG box and were we amazed!  Inside were many small boxes wrapped in doggy gift wrap with treat bones attached, and many gifts of small toys in every shape and form...bones, a hedge hog, a hamburger, a watermelon slice, a red heart, a cloth twist bone, etc.  Bon Bon said, "Mom, this must be what Christmas is like!" 

Bon Bon and I began to cut tags off, and we unwrapped all the boxes that had been tied with ribbons and bows.  Bon Bon received many things with his name on them.  Things like a  metal plate that has pegs to hang his clothes,  a metal plate to hang from the side of his new wicker basket where he can keep his toys... why his name also appears on a t-shirt for me, his mom to wear!

Among the many gifts are three towels to dry Bon Bon off with when he comes in from the rain this Spring, a sweet little Harrods t-shirt that Bon Bon can wear when he goes out, two coffee mugs that say 'Home is where your dog is' and 'Dog Lover', three doggie biscuit  cutters in a round box that contains games & recipes for Bon Bon, a pretty blue bone shape picture frame, three books for Bon Bon and me to read and bake from, a box of Marquise de Sevigne chocolates from Paris AND a darling card from Teddy.

When the card was found Bon Bon said, "Hurry up mom!  I have to know who sent me these goodies."  I opened  the card and read the inside message from Teddy and his mom.  Bon Bon looked at me and asked me all about Teddy.  He wanted to know everything that I knew about Teddy.  And, so I told him how Teddy has been a guest at my house on several occasions, how I have taken pictures of Teddy which I got out to show Bon Bon, that Teddy is elderly, that I had embroidered a picture of Teddy and that Teddy and I have known each other for quite some time now.

Then Bon Bon asked me, "Mom, did you wish that Teddy was your son?"  "Yes," I replied.  "Many, many times."  Then Bon Bon said, "Mom, I'm glad you got me!"  "Yes," I replied again.  "So am I."

Now, Bon Bon will be following up with a thank you letter, but he also wanted me to post some pictures of him with his new presents.....and he wanted me to send hugs and kisses to Teddy ASAP.  He says he can not wait to meet Teddy and perhaps go to the park with him this Summer upon Teddy's return.  Bon Bon says that it is very nice to have friends in high places!

Getting Ready!

I will be participating in two local to my community craft fairs this Spring.  The first one is on March 27th and will be held in Mukwonago, a small town eight miles from where I live in Eagle.  The Mukwonago fair is being held for charity, specifically the American Cancer Society.  That's a very good thing because I don't know a family that has not been touched by cancer.  I have donated an embroidered box that I made for this event.

On the 27th which is a Saturday, the fair will be held from 9 to 3 during the day.  Its location is Park View Middle School, Hwys NN & 83, Mukwonago, Wi.  The fair is by invitation only.  Exhibitors creations can be in any media provided that all work is of original design & execution.  And, the items for sale must be made by the seller.

I am very excited about this event because it actually will be my very first art and craft fair.  And so I am busy at work making things to sell.  I already have completed some key tags with a small embroidery insert, some insulated embroidered coffee mugs, some embroidered checkbook covers,  a baby's embroidered snack holder/keeper, an embroidered pencil holder, a collapsible/foldable European market basket that I embroidered a pretty potted pink geranium on its zippered cover, etc.  And, I still have more things in the planning stage.

For myself to wear I embroidered an apron with my logo of the pink rose and the name of my shop.  I also plan to bring with me a scrapbook of embroidered things I have made in the past as my sample book of possibilities.  See the pictures;

I've also made Candy The Artist pink rose price tags to attach to my items and am slowly gathering the materials I will need to complete a sale, things like bags, tissue paper etc.  Of course, Bon Bon is helping me!  This will be my first opportunity to chat and show what I make with local people.  It should be very interesting.  And so, I will keep you posted.  The second fair is the one I and my fellow Eagle Team members are organizing to be held May, 6,7 & 8, 2010.  This fair will be held in Eagle, Wi.  I am also getting ready for this event.  As May comes closer, I will be posting here more information about that show.  Busy, busy, busy!!!!