Dried Flower Heart Wreath

This years winter dried flower project is the Rose Heart Grapevine Wreath.  These roses are from my sons wedding that was in our backyard this fall.  I'll give this to the bride for Christmas this year, it really turned out pretty.  I used a grapevine wreath as the base and hot glued lime green Annabelle Hydrangea, Celosia, Baby's Breath, Nigella seed pods, White Roses that were painted red by the bride and one of the ribbons that were tied around the chairs at the wedding. I hope she likes it.

Spanish Lavender (Lavandula stoechas)

I love Spanish Lavender (lavandula stoechas).  It looks like little bees or as one customer came describing the flowers looking like candy wrappers.  When they are blooming people just love them , they really stand out in the garden. They also press nicely for pressed flower designing.  They can be a little finicky in our wet climate but I have them in the garden in a well drained area under an evergreen tree where it's pretty dry and seems to like it there.

 

Clematis montana to cover a chain link fence

A favorite clematis to cover a chain link fence that are so ugly.  This one is clematis montana pale pink and it's a fast grower and makes a thick cover, so pretty when it blooms.  They press pretty too!

Fly Agaric Mushroom

I have a new Amanita muscaria or commonly called Fly Agaric mushroom photo.  This one is much better, what a find.  The first time I have ever seen these was last Thanksgiving when we visited family in Oregon. I already have one posted on this blog but the one we found last year was a little mangled and old so I went this year hoping for a perfect one.   Wow, these are exactly as I imagined what I wanted, a little group of three of different sizes, how lucky is that?  This is the only group we saw on our walk, not so easy to find, I was so excited when I saw these.  Actually my husband spotted them in a fenced in field and luckily these were only a foot from the wire fence so I could get some good pics.  I always thought these were a fantasy cartoonish thing, I never knew they were a real mushroom. A perfect red and white spotted group, really a fun find!

Fatsia or Japanese Arailia Northside shade plant

This is Fatsia or Japanese Arailia and it's on my front porch on the north side of the house in shade which gets an hour or two of light in the morning but that's it.   It does beautifully in our pacific northwest.  I pull it closer to the house if we get some 25 degree temps. I had some die back last winter but it comes back beautifully.  It even bloomed this year. A great plant for the north side.

Spring Garden plant combinations

Great garden combo a happy accident. I love exbury azaleas because they are so shockingly electric. The Darts Gold in the background really sets of the azalea. I love the little dainty blue veronica deltoides in the foreground and the pink pom poms of the polygonun bisorta.  Oh and not to forget the Forget me Nots just down in front of the orange azalea, my first favorite flower as a child, they are the sweetest little flower.

 

I have decided to catch up on last springs blogging and photos because when it's spring I have no time to blog.  I'm too busy gardening, working at our local nursery and my art business on Etsy.

Backyard Wedding

Alice in Wonderland wedding. We had my sons wedding on the last, very last sunny good weekend October 6th 2012.  We were incredibly lucky. We had a stretch of 80 + days of dry weather and this was the last of it, it was a perfect day about 72 degrees, pretty perfect for October I would say.  Here's the arbor they were married in front of.

We had three tents and beautiful satin chair covers and ivory bows. The bride made 5' tall paper mache mushrooms for the theme of Alice and Wonderland, they turned out pretty cool.  It was pretty tough keeping some green lawn with our stretch of dry weather and still having color in the garden in October.

Here's the mushrooms that my new daughter-in-law Ashley Welch made out of paper mache in my garden, wish I could keep them up but the rains will ruin them.

More of Val's Garden

Inside the house is more garden goodies. This is a beautiful Green Tea glass collage hanging in the window.

I have seen this before in catalogs and always wanted one and she had it, I'm so jealous, now I must find one again someday.

Val is on the right and Sherry, another gardener is on the left under the arbor.

The Fairy miniature garden, everywhere you look there is something. I'm sure I missed something because there are so many gardens within her garden.

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 This is a cool sedum I have never seen before, just when you think you have see it all there is always more cool plants, love it.  I don't know the variety though so I will hopefully find this one some day. A little editing here ,finally found this one for myself at Wells Medina Nursery in Bellevue, it's called Sedum alboroseum. "Mediovariegatum" lucky me!

Garden Tools garden chocked full of antique garden tools.

Val's Garden

This is Val and her garden, she lives in Snohomish, Washington. I went to see her garden back in July I believe. There was so much to see.

This is the chocolate garden, one of many little gardens. All the plants are chocolate colored.

This is inside her solarium full of garden artifacts.

Perennials for Container Planting

Here are some of my favorite perennials for containers that are reliably hardy for zone 7, maybe even hardier. I fill my pots with these perennials then add annuals to fill in for added color to save on costs of filling all my containers.  All these perennials have beautiful foliage.

Woodland Anemones

So cute Anemone nemerosa double woodland white. It spreads fast and also comes in a single lavender, I love them both for my woodland garden.

The lavender one is Anemone nemerosa "Atley".  Both good in zones 4-8.

Here is Anemonella thalictroides with leaves that are dainty and similar to Thalictrum.  This is only 8" high and so pretty. zones 4-7

Woodland and Shade Plants

This is Omphalodes cappadociaca (Starry Eyes) an early spring blooming shade low growing plant. Blooms March-May and good for zones 6-9. Grows about 9-12" high.




This is the solid blue form Omphalodes verna (Blue-eyed Mary).

This one is Polygonatum ordoratum (Solomon's Seal) for the shade garden. Grows 24-30" tall with arching stems and white bell flowers along the stem, very graceful.  zone 3-9

Here is Oxalis acetosella )Wood Sorrel).  A beautiful woodland ground cover I saw in our Olympic National Rain Forest as an understory.  It's about 6-9" tall with white flowers in spring. zone 6-11