Our wonderful neighbors
made us this sign . . .
it seems like the perfect way to begin
my July garden tour.
So far we have had a few comments on this sign,
but no weed pullers . . .
what's up with that?
The garden is doing quite well.
Something ate our watermelon that was planted here.
So, I replanted this box with pink popcorn
and African daisies.
These are the raspberries that we planted two years ago.
This is where all our jam came from :)
These are blackberries that we planted this year.
They are coming right along :)
This is our other garden.
We have 24 tomato plants planted here,
And 16 pepper plants . . .
I started all of my tomatoes & peppers
from seed this year.
Before I get to the fun stuff,
this is the real estate photo of Steve's shop (two years ago).
This spring Steve put in a green gate
and last week I painted the garage doors green.
Doesn't it look more inviting?
This is the door to the Art Barn.
I am excited to have morning glories
growing up the lamp post by the front porch:)
It will be so pretty once the chicken wire is
totally covered.
Do any of you remember the cowboy boots
that I planted last year ?
As you can see, they are looking good.
Are you still with me . . .
this is a long post.
So, I can certainly understand anyone
getting bored and leaving.
If you are still here, Thank You!
I'm almost done :)
These are our apricot trees.
I'm waiting for them to get ripe . . .
I see more jam in our future :)
I started putting birdhouses out here
between two fence posts.
I built two of them,
And I have room for a couple more.
This is the back . . .
I think that when the roses grow up that fence,
it will be a real pretty sight.
~~~*****~~~
Well, that's it . . .
thanks for visiting and please leave a comment.
Blogging sisters are the best,
and I enjoy reading every thing you write.
As well as visiting you back :)
~~~*****~~~
Keep Smiling!
Your blogging sister,
Connie :)
What fabulous photos. Your garden is looking amazing! Those apricots look so inviting! xx
ReplyDeleteHi Liz, Thanks for stopping by to visit . . . summer is just moving right along and the garden is growing very well, but then so are the weeds. I spend a lot of time hoeing, weeding and watering. It's a good thing that I enjoy it so much :) I'm delighted that you enjoyed my photos.
DeleteYour Morning Glories are blooming and they look so lovely!! Mine are just starting to bloom and I noticed today that so far all the blooms are dark purple. These all grew from seed dropped last year so maybe the purple are more hardy??
ReplyDeleteAnd your Apricot trees!! They are so full of fruit they seem to be hanging down. You have a green thumb for sure.
I have morning glories that I started from new seed, a couple plants that I purchased at the nursery and some that came up like yours from reseeding themselves. The ones that reseeded themselves are doing the very best . . .they are so much healthier looking than the others. I'm a beginner garden, with my nose in a garden book or researching the internet for information. Hopefully some of what I've learned will work out for me. There are so many veritable, the soil, the watering and rain, the heat, the sun and shade hours, and the wind. It depends on so much . . . it's enough to make you a little crazy, and I'm a bit crazy anyway, LOL.
DeleteWow, your garden is massive and beautiful! You sure have made that home your garden of eden, haven't you? I envy your apricots.. my mom loved them and made huge apricot pies that she served with vanilla ice cream. Oh what I'd give for some now. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
ReplyDeleteOkay, I've never had an apricot pie. You're mentioning it here and I was just talking to my sister-in-law and she mentioned it. I'm going to have to go to Google and Google me up a recipe, LOL.
DeleteYour property looks incredible! I adore all the creative touches - so homey and super cozy!!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! We came from a home that we lived in for thirty years and when we bought this one two years ago it was pretty run down. The house and the land. So, we have had a lot of work to do, but now it feels like home and we love it :) Thanks for your kind words; you have made my day :)
DeleteHi Connie, Your garden is just BEAUTIFUL! The Ring Bell sign is great and makes me happy just seeing it! I love the bunny in your carrot patch! That is adorable. Steve's shop is looking great now. Just needed the Connie touch. What a good idea to put chicken wire up for your morning glories. I am surprised that you leave your wonderful place to go out kayaking!!! Nancy
ReplyDeleteHi Nancy, if I don't leave now and then . . . I just can't stop working. Not that I mind hard work; I'm one of those people that enjoy it and especially the results from it. It's wonderful seeing the word "beautiful" in your comment, I truly appreciate it :)
DeleteBeautiful garden! It is amazing how a little paint can improve something. It made a huge difference on the shop.
ReplyDeleteI agree, paint is the cheapest re-do that you can do and it makes a huge difference. It doesn't matter what you paint either . . . it's the best decorating material that I know of :) Thank you for your sweet words about the garden. I enjoy being out there in the fresh air and especially when I start grocery shopping in the backyard :)
DeleteYour apricot trees are amazing....yep I see lots of jam in your future!! Loved your garden walk, you and hubby have accomplished a lot in a few years.
ReplyDeleteHi Louise, we have been busy around here . . . but we only have a few more jobs that we want to get done and then it will be maintaining and no more projects :) That sounds so restful, LOL. As for the apricot trees, I can not believe how full they are . . . like clusters of grapes. Lots of jam, and pies too, I'm told :)
DeleteBeautiful photos, Connie, and I love the sign your neighbours made for you! :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't that sign a hoot . . . I love it :) We have very thoughtful neighbors.
DeleteWow!Everything looks so lovely and lush.I am totally stealing your cowgirl boots planted with sedums idea.I love visiting your blog.
ReplyDeleteHi Kathy, I get excited when someone likes one of my projects enough to copy the idea. That's the best compliment ever. Thanks!
DeleteHonestly, Connie, I think you have a magic touch. Everything you touch just blooms and shines. So lovely!
ReplyDeleteOh, your comments are like honey to my soul . . . thank you for the compliment and encouragement. I don't deserve it, but I love it just the same :)
DeleteYou have done an amazing job on the garden! The fence will get nice with the roses growing up against it. It must be such joy being able to grow apricots in your own garden! I can imagine that you plan for making a lot of tasty jam in the future :). Thank you for the garden tour.
ReplyDelete~ Maria ~
I was very excited when I saw the apricot trees on this property, it was one of those little bonuses that came with the house. There were not many . . . this place was a major fixer-upper, but to my delight, it did come with apricot trees and lilac bushes :)
DeleteThis post is so cute and interesting as well. You are so lucky that you have so big garden area. You have numbers of bed planters glad to see that. Loved you boot planer idea.
ReplyDeleteThank you, John. We moved from a very small shading yard to an acre of sunshine, so it is the perfect place for a big garden.
Deletehello connie,
ReplyDeleteyour garden is beautiful.i like the ring bell sign!! your apricot tree will give you a lot of jam and cakes.you are very creative!!
wish you wonderful days in your paradiese,
hugs regina
You are so sweet . . . thank you :)
DeleteYour garden is beautiful! I especially love the bunny in the carrot patch AND the sign your neighbor made. 'Definitely adding one of those to my garden! ;-) Have a great weekend! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
ReplyDeleteI think it is fun to have a little whimsy here and there. It takes people by surprise and adds a smile to their faces. Makes me happy, too!
DeleteYour garden looks lovely, and I LOVE what you've done outside the Art Barn! Would you like to come here to do some decorating?
ReplyDeleteYes I would! Oh, if it were that easy, but if you lived closer I would love to come dig in your garden :)
DeleteYou certainly took us on a wonderful tour. It is quite amazing what a lick of paint can do, a vast improvement on the shop. A great garden filled with some lovely touches, loved the sign your neighbour made for you.
ReplyDeleteI love it, too . . . I just need to find someone willing to pull weeds, LOL.
DeleteI enjoyed the tour of your garden. Sadly, mine has not done well. I love your little sign but honestly, I didn't see a weed to pull!
ReplyDeleteGrace & Peace
Pam
Dear Sweet Pam, the only reason you didn't see weeds, is because I was taking photos . . . wait a week, LOL. They grow much faster than the vegetables do . . . why is that?
DeleteYour gardens looks great! So inviting.
ReplyDeleteHi Connie,
ReplyDeleteYour gardens are amazing!!! Where do you live again? The apricot limbs look like they could drop with all the weight of the fruit. Yum. Do you dry any?
I agree, Steve's doors definitely look better painted and I think I could live in your little craft shed!!
Hugs,
Kay
Kay you are so sweet thank you :)
DeleteOh what a lovely post, I loved everything. I need a sign like that, I feel like I'm always weeding. : )
ReplyDeleteNice improvement on the garage.
Great looking bird houses.
Your garden is coming along so nice!!
Good Morning and thanks so much for stopping by. It is mind boggling how weeds always seem to out grow the garden plants, they are amazingly prolific. What's up with that? :)
DeleteHeee! Love that sigh...but perhaps you have no weeds? It certainly looks that way!mWhat neat and orderly veggie beds.
ReplyDeleteYour tree is so full of apricots..how wonderful. What will you make, apart from jam? I am very fond of a French apricot tarts myself..drool...
Hi Alex, I need to look up some new recipes, but one thing that we really do enjoy is apricot up-side-down cake, especially with vanilla ice cream :)
DeleteI love the sign! Connie, your gardens look like pictures from a magazine! Everything you do turns out beautiful. Makes me want to go outside and take another look, see what I'm doing wrong. Never seen so many pretty apricots!
ReplyDeleteYou sweet lady are doing nothing wrong . . . I only take photos after pulling weeds and everything looks pretty. It doesn't always look that way, LOL. As for the apricots, last year I pulled our old flat bed pick-up under those trees and stood on it and chopped out almost all of the small and long branches. We had many a dozen apricots last year. I think doing that last year is what made our crop so huge this year. The branches are so heavy that they look like they could break from the weight. I see jam for us and for our family, friends and neighbors :)
DeleteYour fruit and veg are coming on nicely Connie. Your apricots will make lovely jam. I can't believe how much fruit the trees have! Love the bird boxes too.
ReplyDeleteI know the trees are so full . . . I have rubber snakes in them to scare away the birds. Otherwise they become food for them, LOL. They are still a little bit crunchy and not quite ripe enough for jam . . . but they will be very soon :)
DeleteOh, where do I start! First, I love your sign! I need one of those and hope that I will have some takers. Your garden is awesome and I enjoyed seeing it. I have been craving home grown veggies but I do not have a green thumb so I'm in search of a local Farmer's Market. It's nice to see what a real, live, successful garden looks like! Steve's shop looks inviting, and the birdhouses are extra cute!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the eye candy Connie!
May Your Day Be Merry and Bright,
D~~~~
Hi Donna, it is so nice to have you visit. I'm having so much fun watching the garden grow. Last night I picked ten cherry tomatoes, but in another couple of weeks we will be having so many tomatoes . . . we will be having them every night for dinner, YUM :) I picked a basket of squash yesterday and sent some home with a young woman that came to repair our television system. I love it when I have extra to share with people who don't have gardens. I used to be one of them people :)
DeleteOh my goodness Connie! Your garden looks absolutely gorgeous! Words can't express how delighted I am with your photos. I don't know how you do it. I can barely get the weeds pulled this year. If I were there I would want to walk through your garden with you and a cup of coffee or tea early every morning, pure bliss. What kind of apricots are you growing? You said you will make some jam, will you dry some of them as well? I am thinking of apricot filled butter cookies and Apricot Chicken...the opportunities are endless. Whenever it's time to eat jam it's either apricot or raspberry for me, yum! yum! Oh! and how can forget the sign! I love it. Wonder if I could get someone to stop by and actually pull some weeds for me! LOL! Blessings to you.
ReplyDeleteSo far I have had no takers in the weed pulling department, but I'm still hopeful, LOL. I have no idea the kind of apricots that we have on our trees; they were on the property when we bought it. All that I know is that they are very good, LOL. My Steve cooked a whole ham out on his small smoker that he scored and glazed with hot pepper spices and apricot jam and it was amazing. It's my new favorite way to cook it :)
DeleteMy favorites are the sled and the bicycle.
ReplyDeleteGardens are more fun when they have a little whimsy here and there, especially old wore items. In your garden I love the old buoys and surfboards.
DeleteI always enjoy seeing photo's, and you have provided some lovely ones.
ReplyDeleteYour garden, the fruit and vegetables are doing well.
I do like the cowboy boots!
Oh to have apricot trees - that is wonderful.
All the best Jan
The apricot trees are extra full this year, I think it is because last year I cut it way back and didn't have any . . . this year it is making up for it. I can be dangerous when I have a saw of pruners in my hand, it's hard to know when to stop, LOL.
DeleteThat is a great sign, I don't know why it is so hard to enlist people to help with weed pulling :) Your garden and yard looks terrific, and yes his shed looks great now with the upgrades, what a difference same paint can make. We have noticed that some of our watermelon were coming up and now they fruit seems to be doing when they are about softball size or a little bigger, we are not sure what is going on. Love your little collection of bird houses too! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteI haven't master watermelon . . . but decided that I will try once more next year. If it doesn't work for me next year, then I'll just use that space for something else and buy from local vendors. The ones in the stores are okay, but the very best are when the local melons are ripe :)
DeleteLove your sign and those apricot trees look heavy with fruit! Lucky you!! :)
ReplyDeleteI don't feel so lucky when I'm raking up the mushy ones that fall to the grown. While you are raking you are having to watch out for angry bees at the same time. I just have to remind myself of the blessing of having a freezer filled with fruit and jam :)
Deletejust love coming by and seeing all the pics..
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, I truly appreciate hearing that :)
DeleteYour garden looks awesome. I've yet to pick a tomato. Hopefully soon. Mine is struggling with the hot temps we've had lately.
ReplyDeletehugs,
Jann
We have been having cooler weather this summer, but just tonight I picked two tomatoes for dinner. Every time we pick something for the first time in the season, it is like a celebration of summer. Tell me, what tastes more like summer than a fresh garden tomato?
DeleteBeautiful pictures, your garden is amazing. I love apricots, one of my favourite so if you could just send a few over xxx
ReplyDeleteHi Fran, put up your hands and get ready to catch them . . . we'll see if I can throw that far, LOL. I've made jam, and upside-down cake, and our neighbor made us an apricot pie. Steve even put a ham in the smoker and scored it and glazed it with a combo of hot pepper spices and apricot and brown sugar glaze; it was amazing :) I am trying to find people to come pick them . . . if you lived closer you could bring a box and fill it. There are more than we can ever use.
Delete