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July 31, 2015

Cottage Fairy Garden 2015


Nestled in my garden this year's Cottage Fairy Garden has taken on the whimsical feeling that I wanted.
The white alyssum has filled in like a hedge and given the character I wanted.

The copper garden cart under the arbor holds clay pots ready for planting.  All my fairies are gardeners!

Just beyond the arbor is a spot to rest in the shade and enjoy a some petite sandwiches and a drink prepared by the fairies!

This one must be a teenager- she's content to sleep a lot!

Always something to plant or tend to!

This fairy with her rake made me think of Cinderella so she has to be near the magical pumpkin carriage!

The footbridge provides a quick hop over the pond. The fairies are always busy tending the plants!

The whimsical dining set on the tree stump.  I had to lift the hydrangeas a bit so it's visible.
Another teenage fairy sleeping- haha!  


That's pretty much it here at the Cottage Fairy Garden!

Everything is at peak around here in the gardens.  I wish I could make it last twice as long!

The last of my lilies blooming.  
This is (dwarf) Oriental Lily Angelique- I like that it doesn't get very tall and it has the sweetest face on it!


Thank you for visiting and your kind comments!


    

July 30, 2015

Vinegar, Epsom Salt, Dish Soap Weed Killer

Well the jury is out as to how effective this homemade weed killer is.
This was taken approximately 24 hrs after it was applied.
Yes it did seem to kill off the moss and weeds for the most part.

Some of the plants weren't affected.

A few days later and there are signs of new growth again.

Dan did a bit of reading up on this and found that it doesn't seem to last long.  I'm still watching it to see how things go.  He had a pretty good success rate by using his propane flame torch and will probably go back to using that.  Lets face it weeds are the bane of our gardens and yards!  











 

Sunshine and Breakfast!

Join me for breakfast....the sun is greeting us!

I cut some of my Annabelle Hydrangeas, added in some daisies and foxtail fern from my garden and placed them in my cherry pitcher. 

I found the tablecloth on Ebay... 
Moda Vintage Style - "Fruit Cocktail"
It's very much like the one I used "here" on my tablescape Cheery Cherry Blue from a year ago!

The white bowl is part of my new everyday dishes called Antique White by Mikasa

Bees abuzz building their honeycombs...
Mason mugs from Younker's can be used for hot or cold beverage. 
The bowls are great for some cubed pieces of fruit like cantaloupe which is my favorite!

Red checked gingham napkins with bric-a-brac trim
Pier 1

The cherry pitcher has the same pattern as the square platter.  We like to fill the platter with the breakfast food to serve from.  The flowers are easily relocated.

Teddy is never far away... always making sure I know he's around!

Perfect time to eat- let's dig in!

Joining
Between Naps on the Porch

and


July 28, 2015

Summer Kitchen Table

I've set the kitchen dining table up with a vintage style tablecloth and some flowers I collected from the garden.
Summer heat has finally caught up with us hovering in the low 90's.  
These white flowers seem cool and fresh which is always welcome in the good ole' summertime!

I snipped a few of my Annabelle hydreangea's and these daisies are still going strong from last week's arrangement.  I added a few pieces of the foxtail ferns for color and teture.

The cherry's are in season here and are for sale everywhere.  I collected this platter and pitcher from a local store a few years ago.  They seemed perfect to be paired with this vintage style tablecloth.  I'll be featuring it with a tablescape on Thursday.

 Hope your week is going great! 

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July 27, 2015

Updates on the Planters and Perennials



The new planter with the big metal sphere has gone wild!  I'm wondering if I should go ahead and trim the plants back or leave it alone.  The sphere has disappeared and I'm surprised how tall some of these got.   
This weekend the patio is getting treated to kill off the grass and weeds that aren't supposed to be there. Every time Dan wanted to spray we were going to get rain and we'd like a few days of dryness before the surface is soaked again.  I mentioned before we're going to try that mix with the Epsom salts, vinegar and dish soap.  I've read it's very effective!

The white Sunpatiens have done great- though they wilt so easily.  They don't tolerate getting dry.

Just beyond them you can see the purple petunias which have become huge.

I am tickled with how this Polka Dot Plant (Hypoestes) has takeoff. The dangling Dichondra looks like water falling which was my goal since the cute little planter had that big fake water drop hanging from it!  I suppose I should nip back that long branch that shot out but in person it looks cute.

I found this plant growing out of the side of a planter.   I took my chances and transplanted it.  It looked dead for a couple of days but sprung back to life and now it's flowering daily so soon I will find out what it is.  The dirt I used in the planter came from out back near a composted pile of leaves and pumpkins.  The flower is large and kind of an orange/yellow so I'm kind of thinking it's going to be a  pumpkin plant.  

The campanula has been flowering now for a couple of weeks.  The center looks like something laid in it so now it's sort of spread into a U shape.

The hostas are blooming all around here.  
When I planted these hostas they stayed small for a good while but have gotten large and threatening a takeover of the pathway!  The satiable is just getting going- should make a good sow soon!

Apparently I needed more hostas!  I saw a plant at a store that wanted a ghastly amount for them so I checked with my local "Hosta Lady" and she had some.  These are called Gypsy Rose.  Now I need to find a spot for them!   They are hard to find so I'm glad I got some.   Next year they'll look a lot better.  Looks like I could split these into four plants!

The geraniums in this planter by the garage finally started to bloom like crazy!    

The day lilies have been blooming away too.  

Sunday Gloves

By the house my planters are doing great.  
The rooster statue got a new paint job.  I decided to use white this year for several things.  

 When I chose the colors for this planter this year I decided to go all white to represent milk!

I've always thought the "flying pig" was such a cute symbol of optimism!
The pink watering can was pre planted when I got it and both the geranium and begonias have been doing great.

 These planters are going great.  I was hoping the yellow petunias would show more but I think the star flower plant may be too much competition for it in the size pot it's in.  The fuchsia is a big plant and owns a lot of real estate in the pot too.

 Both of these planters are growing like crazy.  My "Portland" Cha Ching petunias that I brought home with me are doing great.  The licorice (Splash) plants I put with it have taken over a bit but their mingling nicely!  The fiber optic grass has overpowered the white alyssum which is increasingly hard to see.  The begonias are holding their own- I may have to do some grooming of the grass- we'll see!  

I'm in love with this combo.  The Diascia (Genta Pink) has been performing non stop for a while along with the Euphoriba.   The Tri-color Sweet Potato Vine is my new favorite! The geraniums (So Amazing Neon) finally started to bloom- sure have been slow!


Out back on the arbor the planters are filling out nicely.  As you can see the wandering jew is doing great.  

At the right height you can really see a lot of growth.

 The plants in the little red wagon are going great.  I was out here around 8 a.m. and the sun peaked through and highlighted the flowers for me just in time!

I love how the ivy is spreading out too.  

So that's a quick update on the planters and perennials!

 

ABOUT ME



Welcome to Home and Gardening With Liz. I have combined my previous blogs “Infuse With Liz” and “Sit With Me In My Garden” into this new blog. I love interior decorating and gardening. I enjoy redefining interior spaces by moving things around and reusing decorative items already found in the home. I also enjoy creating tablescapes and an occasional crafting project. I'm so pleased you've stopped by. I invite you to follow me and I do hope you will keep coming back! Liz
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