Kaseys Korner

the color 'Apricot' in the garden

I always say (and think) PINK is my favorite color in the garden but upon reviewing some of my favorite garden photos I need to check myself on that.  It seems the more delicate APRICOT color is actually the one that makes me swoon.

Above:  Hollyhock 'Peaches N Dreams'

I literally lose my head over anything this color!

Above:  'Dalmation Peach' Foxglove

Something about the soft, dreamy shade utterly captivates & enthralls me.

Above:  Gerbera 'Eyecatcher Double'

An 'Apricot Seduction' of sorts....

Above:  Antirrhinum majus 'Chantilly Peach'

I'm certainly helpless to its charms...  

Above:  Cosmos 'Apricot'

Such an ethereal color, so easy to be seduced.

Double Tulip:  'Pink Star'

I'm always surprised by the variety of blooms to be found in what you would think would be the "slim pickin's" part of the color wheel.

Above:  Bearded Iris 'Beverly Sills'

As I begin planning the 2015 garden, I notice this color continues to surface again & again on my wish list.

Above:  David Austin rose 'Abraham Darby'

It's a wonder my garden contains any other color....

Above:  Echinacea 'Summer Sky'

I don't think much will change in the upcoming season.

Salmon poppy

It's just a matter of what new additions are available that fit into my plan for less maintenance.

Peony 'Coral Charm'

Unless I get totally sidetracked by something sensationally apricot and throw "the plan" to the 'curb.'

Above:  Thunbergia 'Spanish Eyes'

A distinct possibility and one I know I will have to discipline myself to keep in check....

Above:  Brugmansia 'Ecuador Pink'

What about you?  Is there a color you find completely irresistible??  One that turns up over and over again in your garden???  One that NO WAY is going to be left at the greenhouse but will always go home with you??   

 

 

antique hanging jardiniere

It's Sunday ~ Downton Abbey night!!!!  I can hardly wait.

I'm obsessed, a hair short of "stalker fan" level!

The era, the furnishings, the etiquette, the clothes.  *sigh* Just every. single. thing. about it.

Because it airs tonight, I thought it seemed an appropriate time to pull out some pics from last fall of my antique hanging jardiniere.  (or maybe that correlation only makes sense to me??!!)

Above:  A fairly stiff wind was blowing at the time of the photo session ~ as noted by the swinging angle of the jardiniere...

I keep thinking a similar jardinere will pop up in the background of a Downton scene so I stay on the lookout but so far, no luck.

Maybe I have the time period wrong??  I don't know for certain how old mine actually is??

There's always SO MUCH to look at too, it's entirely possible I've missed it.

It might not be the easiest thing to see either ~ it's difficult to tell scale in a photo but this beautiful jardiniere is very small.  Approx 4" X 4".  

I always wonder what would have been planted in it during the time period it originated?  

Maybe it was used exactly as I've done here, as a container for fresh flowers??

I'm sorry I didn't take a current photo since I let the roses dry in the jardiniere & they're hanging in my office now.  Maybe I'll go back & do that?  or maybe not.  It will soon be time to replace them with some primroses, daffodils or tulips anyway.

Let's not get distracted by that happy thought tho! 

Back to Downton Abbey.  

Something else I try to see during a tea or dining scene are the silverware patterns!  Am I crazy?

Above:   My four favorite silverplate patterns (which all conceivably could have been used during the Downton Abbey time period.)  From left to right:  Grenoble (aka Gloria), Glenrose, Cedric & Berwick (aka Diana).

Notice three out of four have a floral theme!!!  No surprise there, right?!

If it's silver, old, and has anything at all to do with flowers, chances are, I LOVE it.

Above:  Antique rose vase last October.

All three things in one spot are PURE BLISS.  No wonder I'm a Downton Abbey freak! 

Another reason to be happy today ~ only 60 days till Spring!

Before we know it, we'll be back in the garden!  :)  Until then, enjoy the show (which is pretty much a guarantee unless something insane, like the end of Season 3 happens!!!!!)

 

 

 

Thoughts on the 2015 Garden

As the New Year begins, my vision for the 2015 garden is undergoing evaluation.

Above:  Back garden with a fresh dusting of snow yesterday morning.

Remember 2011 was the year evergreens (yews & boxwoods) were added for winter interest?

Their addition definitely contributed a lot to shaping the look of the back garden.

Above:  Sharp shinned hawk that's been keeping the little garden birds on razor edge with his daily (frequently successful) hunting patrols.

All the plantings have not deterred him in the least.  They've simply forced a showcase of his amazing aviator & hunting skills.  It's pretty incredible to watch him swoop in, fly sideways ~ thru & around the shrubbery ~ then hone in on a prey all at breakneck speed.

But that's a side topic...

2011 was probably the last year any major changes occurred in the gardens.

2012 saw the addition of the lilac standard & completion of the bed it anchors but not much else.

The last two years, the garden basically just "maintained."  Personal issues forcing it low on the list of priorities.

First thoughts for 2015 originally leaned toward hitting it "hard" and doing some overhauling that's been put on the back burner (barring any other mishaps or setbacks, of course.)

Lately tho, new visions have been forming and creeping slowly but steadily to the forefront of all others. 

Visions of the low maintenance variety.  Where the garden fends for itself, provided it's supplied with the correct plants and irrigation.

A garden that doesn't demand as much but provides an equal amount of enjoyment.

A garden to enjoy, entertain in, that continues to sustain & benefit wildlife but isn't nearly as fussy.  One that allows me, the gardener, more freedom in the summer months.

Freedom to travel or indulge other pursuits during our favorite season. 

Don't get me wrong.  I LOVE the garden.  It's served me well and I, it.

But the scares & curve balls of 2013 & 2014, are making me rethink the energy devoted to it.  Maybe it's time to stretch our wings a bit and leave its comfortable confines? 

What does that mean?  How long will it take to achieve?  Will there be fewer containers?  More xeric plantings??  How many plants replaced?  How expensive to alter the current sprinkler system?  All questions that need further scrutiny before a plan is made to proceed.  These thoughts and others run thru my head when I look out the kitchen window at the landscape I've created.  Is it just this time of year eliciting these ideas?  Is anyone else thinking of changes??  I'd love to hear...

 

Pelargonium 'Apple Blossom'

and a Happy New Year!!!

The year (all four days so far!) is off to a good start here.

The 'Apple Blossom' Pelargoniums I potted up last fall

to save for this summer, are beginning to bloom.

Delicate, feminine, plush blooms with rosebud likenesses.....

*sigh*  The recipe for happinesss on a snowy day!!!

These two Pelargoniums were mail ordered (from a company I will not name because I would not recommend or consider reordering from them).  They arrived as 1 - 2" pieces of STEM with the barest hint of a green leaf emerging & hardly any roots.  I've never in all my years of ordering plants received anything so tiny.  It took all summer for them to get to the size you see in the first two photos.  I'd almost forgotten why I wanted them so badly but now am I ever happy I took the time to save them.

I don't know about you, but I always get a little confused between Geraniums and Pelargoniums??  Geraniums I've never grown much but on occasion, I purchase a Pelargonium.  Now that I've found these double Pelargoniums tho, I've become an instant "fan" and I foresee even more purchases!!!

Speaking of Geraniums, this morning I mixed up a batch of "lemon geranium" sugar scrub. 

Yum, the combination of these two essential oils is delicious.  So fragrant.   I can't wait to use it.

I've been making sugar scrubs for a while now but I'm just now getting into essential oils.

There are so many, I worry I'll never remember all of them or their specific properties but I'm really open to learning about the science & healing abilities they possess. 

The next few months, while the garden is dormant, seems like the perfect time to explore and read more.  For now, I'm just enjoying dabbling & the aromas of the few I've bought.

Something else sure to brighten a snowy day ~ Rex Begonia 'Northern Lights.'

Aptly named, don't you think??  The foliage is such an arresting combo of colors.  Makes me smile whenever I walk past it.  Another plant I'm glad I overwintered. 

These dreary days, in the darkest quarter of the year, we need all the brightness we can surround ourselves with, right?  Here's hoping each of us have a lot of good things (health, happiness, etc.) ahead in 2015...