4.07.2009

The First Hollyhock of Spring

It must be official that it truly is Spring! You got that Easter bunny hangin' around and my first hollyhock bloomed! I've been anxiously waiting. What I love about hollyhocks is that I can't even remember the last time I actually "bought" a hollyhock to plant. Their seeds blow across my yard and each year, they pop up in places and surprise me! All these flowers in front of my picket fence just "popped" up this year. I didn't plant any of them except for some bulbs that haven't come up. I love how the cosmos and poppy's show up like magic. I'm waiting to see what else will pop-up. My little Mary Lou Heard rosebush is displaying red roses everywhere. Mary Lou was a local nursery owner that died way before her time, but gratefully there was a rosebush named in her honor. My little birdbath is there for all the birds that are building nests in my birdhouses this year. I love white roses, and it's hard to see in this picture but this rosebush is covered in lots of white little rosebuds waiting to open!! One of my good buddy's, Monica, gave me this awesome vintage mermaid. When Monica moved she wanted me to have her. Our mermaid gal has been "around the block" a few times and her age is beginning to show, but oh how I love her. I had planted sweetpeas in front of her, thought she might enjoy them. The snails ate the sweetpeas. Guess I'm going to have to pour my mermaid a Corona in a little dish and set it beside her. Why? She loves cold Corona's just like I do! Just kidding, it is a good way to get rid of snails. I HATE to kill any kind of bugs, but it's "so sad" to see my plants eaten. And hey, if you gotta go, why not say your last good-byes in a bowl of Corona. Seriously, a dish of beer will control your snail problem and they will die with a smile on their face!! As I mentioned earlier, these poppy's are coming up everywhere this year. And I'm totally in love with the color they add to my garden.
My nasturtiums, another favorite of mine, always appear year after year. And talk about a hearty plant with flowers. My next door neighbor has some in his flowerbed because of the seeds blowing in the wind. And actually, nasturtiums are edibile, really. They are supposed to be great in salads. I've seen them used to decorate cakes, and they are so pretty when displayed that way. Gardening is really pretty easy. I know so many people that think you have to "display" a garden like you would a room in your house. My feelings on that, it's your garden, go for it, plant what you like and you may be surprised what you get in return.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

I dropped by from Cherrycheckers..I love your blog, you have some neat garden art!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Sue. Love your garden! So colorful. I was laughing about the beer to kill the snails. My mom used to do that(or try to do that) but our dog Toby always drank the beer!! LOL!
Mary Striley

The Texas Woman said...

What a lovely yard you have, Sue. And a picket fence! I always think that people with white picket fences have it ALL! And looking at your home and garden, I believe you do!

When I was a kid, we used to make dolls (those were the days when kids didn't have many toys. Fisher hadn't met Price yet!) from hollyhocks. A bud would be the head and we'd poke a hole in the base of an upside-down full bloom to stick the bud's stem in. The full bloom, then, would be the dress. What innocent days. Thanks for bringing back those memories for me.

The Texas Woman

Nice and Easy Antiques said...

Hi Sue! Thank you for the Corona tip. I had no idea, I will try it!!
Marcela

The Renaissance Chick said...

Oh, Sue...your mermaid's crack is showing! Oh, my!

Your flowers are too, too cool! You evidently have a green thumb! I love Hollyhocks. They always grew in my grandmother's yard. They also grow in Taos and Santa Fe...so Southwest!

Malisa

Jacque said...

Your garden is way ahead of mine, The Holly Hocks are just about 2 feet tall, no blooms yet. I have had them come up in the middle of the lawn and just let them grow! I believe the garden grows wild at a happy home!~Jacque

Teresa said...

Oh Sue, Your garden looks fabulous! I love your picket fence, and the mermaid, and all of the flowers. Hollyhocks are one of my favorites. Mine are about 4 inches tall right now. I'm definitely going to plant lots more HH seeds this year. Dont you just love the little surprises that you find in the garden? Love your photos today. Have a beautiful day!