Well, it's definitely difficult to leave that picture of Harry behind, but he is last week's news and it's time for something new! Gone for now, but never forgotten.
Belated Birthday Greetings to both Canada and our American neighbours, or should I spell it "Neighbors"? I was raised spelling the British way with the "our" at the end of neighbour, colour, labour, etc. And, I suppose since the Queen is actually in Canada right now, I should honour (there's another one!) the British ways. But enough rambling about that!
Below are a couple of pictures of wild delphiniums that I took while visiting Alberta in 2007. Although they are not the blue of my garden delphinium (which I unfortunately did not get a picture of before the blooms dropped), they are still very pretty and I wouldn't mind having a few of them in my garden.
And speaking of Blue flowers, I did get some pictures of my hydrangeas that are just starting to come into bloom. I find the changes in colour of these blooms fascinating - the delicate green changing to blue and almost purple - each day they are different and beautiful in their own way.
And here is a picture of my back fence with some of the outdoor artwork we have gathered.
(That is our Black Currant bush that you see at the bottom left loaded down with berries just waiting to ripen.)
This idea was inspired by a French Quarter Garden Tour that we took in New Orleans in 2008. It was a self-guided walking tour of gardens at private homes in the Quarter.
I was so delighted with these gardens that were so unexpected to find. The pictures below were taken in a courtyard of a Bourbon Street home just down the street from the condo we stayed in that October. I would say that these are definitely not the pictures that come to mind for most when they think of Bourbon Street.
I was astounded by the size of the leaves on the plant I was standing next to, and as much as I dislike having my picture taken, I insisted on getting a photo that would convey just how big they were!
I just loved all the old brick and variety of plants and the fountains and the statuary and lime trees and.....all of it! I can picture myself curled up with a good book in a chair in any one of the gardens we visited. That would by my happy place!
There were so many hidden gems that we got to see that you usually only get a glimpse of from the street. It was a delightful day and the very best part was meeting all of those New Orleanians who were so very proud of their gardens and were so welcoming to us as we have always found New Orleanians to be. They are one of the main reasons why we go back again and again.
Wow Kasey ... love the artfully way you have decorated your fence. It looks really neat. I want that Dragonfly. The pictures of the gardens in New Orleans are awesome. How do they go out in all that heat to take care of their beautiful courtyards? I'm dying this week and won't step out into this heat for anything. Did you go on a Garden Tour when you were in N.O.?
ReplyDeleteBy the way ... one more question .... what do you put in the soil to make your hydranageas blue? Mine didn't even bloom this year ... not enough sun I suppose.
I'm not sure how they manage to look after all those plants but the climate sure does help to produce some beautiful gardens.
ReplyDeleteI add aluminum to the soil to get the blue. But they do have to be blue hydrangeas to begin with. I added it to a pink plant last year and ended up with some deep redish pink flowers that were beautiful, although that wasn't the plan! And for pink flowers, what you are supposed to do is add lime. I don't have nearly as many blooms as last year myself - you are probably right about the sun. Thanks for the note!
Kasey what a beautiful garden and the fountain is so refreshing looking. I miss having a fountain!
ReplyDeleteThe photos of the wild delphiniums are awesome, I did not know there were such things as wild ones so I really enjoyed those.
I love blue flowers also, although I don't say that out loud around the other guys in the garden...*wink*
Tina xo