FOLIAGE FUN

I remember the day I learned about texture in the garden.  I had an area that looked so weedy, but it was full of flowers.  I couldn't figure it out.  Then I read an article about foliage and how you should not only choose plants for their pretty flowers and colors, but just as important - for their foliage.  A mix of foliage types; i.e. wispy, bold, feathery, strappy, big, small, mounding, etc., makes a big difference in the look of a garden.  In almost every area in my garden that I wasn't happy with, I found no mix of texture and foliage. Now I am trying to think about texture and foliage as I rework areas.  Here are some photos of nice foliage plants that I have in my garden, now the trick is to place something very different next to them!

Big, bold leaves of Money Penny

Sedum; bold, thick, bluish

 Columbine; light and airy

 Blue juniper ; spiky, blue, tiny needles

I can't remember what this is, but I love the texture and the yellow tips in Spring 

Yellow Coleus; lobed and veined leaves

 Heuchra; Deeply lobed, pretty yellow and pink leaves

 Silvery leaves of  Rose Campion

 Foxglove, crinkly and pointy

 Lace Cap Hydrangea; bicolor, rounded leaves

 Arborvitae, frilly,  tipped with yellow in Spring

 Bugleweed; deeply veined and tricolor

 A handsome pairing of Japanese Painted Fern and white edged Hosta

It's a never ending process in the garden, and although I've been at it for 20+ years, I still have a lot to learn.    Mostly I use the trial and error approach.  Seems like what works one year may not the next! Crazy.  Which is another reason why texture and foliage is so important.  If something doesn't bloom like you hoped, you can still have an area that you love if your have the right contasts.

I'm joining Mosaic Monday and Outdoor Wednesday this week.  

WORK IN PROGRESS CRAZY QUILT

I have another crazy quilt square to share with you today.

 I started this one during the fall and was drawn to the colors of Autumn, unfortunately I can't seem to get the right colors in the photo.  The colors are much prettier in person, warmer.
Here are a few sections close up. 

The green thread is Up and Down Buttonhole. 

Quarter Buttonhole Wheel with beads and a small grouping of buttons

 The beautiful copper-ish brown fiber is a fiber I got in a swap.  It's a rayon ribbon and I love it.  It's holding down a brown ribbon and is decorated with small brown seed beads.  The stitch is Herringbone. To the right is a little spray of buttonhole flowers and stem stitch with little white seed beads scattered about.

 A row of  Cretan Stitch with a row of Herringbone in between.   The Herringbone is topped with three detached chain stitches. Each Cretan is topped with a green bead.


It's Spring now and my attention is drawn to the garden, so it looks like it will be a little longer before I finish my wall hanging, so close and yet, so far :)  I hope you like my crazy quilt squares.  Thanks for stopping by, I hope you've having a great Thursday!

FLASHBACK TO THE PROM

With prom time upon us, I thought I would flashback to one.   I wish I could say I am flashing back to MY prom, but alas, no.  This is my sister's prom.  I, unfortunately,  never went. I love the new way kids do the prom now, groups going, dateless but friendship heavy.  My sister dated an older boy and got to go to his prom and then a few years later to her own. This is his prom  in 1966, she is an 8th grader and he is a Senior.  Everything about this photo will take you back if you were a teen in the 60's. 

 My sister is the one in pink.  I love the lace overlay on my sister's pink dress. And I love the little pink ribbons in her hair. 

 Oh my goodness, she is so incredibly young ! And so pretty.  She still is:)  The boyfriend is long gone, though.  They dated for a long time.  We all thought they would marry,  but it was not to be.

I also love the long gloves her friend is wearing.  Very chic and elegant.  I guess they must have coordinated the guys, or maybe white tux were the rage back then.  This would be the first year they dated, so I'm sure this was such a big night for her.  

It was tough having an older sister.  I always looked forward to being able to do the things she did,  like wear this incredible hat for Easter that I wrote about here, or go to prom, or heck, even having a boyfriend, only to not have these dreams materialize for myself! My sister was very popular, sure of herself, a daredevil, sporty...I was none of these things.  Now don't get me wrong, I had a great time, I just was different than she.  I'm more "art-y", loner, homebody.

So how about you?  Did you go to the prom?  I notice the teens now days often wear short dresses.  How about you - long or short? Corsage for shoulder or wrist - or none?  Beauty Parlor hair or natural?  I hope you've enjoyed this trip down memory lane.  Thanks for visiting!

SUNDAY DOINGS

Work is keeping me pretty busy these days, not much time to be in the garden.  It is really nice though when I get home after a tough day and have the garden just sitting there, looking all pretty and comforting! I'll go on the back deck and sit in the swing and just stare.  Maybe I'll take a stroll and deadhead a few things, but nothing too strenuous.  Here are a few shots from a recent stroll...

A pretty little white rose

 My urn finally has it's summer plants.  

 I love this Caladium...

I like how it echoes the dark red in the Fountain Grass, aren't they pretty together?

 This lilly has been fabulous, I love it's color.

 

 Sadly, the last petals of the Clematis.

 A vibrant Lilly, I don't really like the color, but hey - it's a bloom!

 My favorite area right now...a peachy iris, Salvia, Blue Moon and an evergreen. I just love all these colors together.  Lots of nice texture here.

It's been a lovely week here, with moderate temperatures and plenty of sunshine.  The pollen seems to have run it's course.  I hope you are having a nice Sunday. I'll be joining Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper, and Outdoor Wednesdays at A Southern Daydreamer  Thanks for stopping by.

EASTER TABLESCAPE

I finally have a tablescape to share for Tablescape Thursday!  It's one of my favorite ones that I've done.  I just love the little bunnies.

Easter Sunday after church we came home and relaxed with the Masters (did you see that 'Albatross' {AKA double birdie}?? Awesome!) We had a simple dinner of my mom's honey ham (it's so much better than the Honey Baked Ham you can buy), baked beans, deviled eggs, cole slaw and potato salad.  My sweet Dad joined us.  For dessert we had Easter candy!  My kids are all grown, but boy do we love Easter candy at my house!  Here is a look at our table this year.

It all started with this little dish of grass that I started way back in early March.  I've been using it in the Urn since I couldn't find the plants I wanted.  Luckily, I found them this weekend and the dish of grass was ready for it's new life.  

But first it needed a haircut!

 After the haircut it was ready for it's new purpose...

The centerpiece for my Easter table.

Mr. Rabbit was found at Tuesday Morning.  I fell in love with him immediately, but am kicking myself for not buying Mrs. Rabbit too!  I didn't like the fake clothes they had on her.  It wasn't until today that I realized I could have removed the fake clothes and she would have been fine!  

 These adorable little baby bunnies were found last year at Big Lots.  I think they are so cute.  I love the one that is scratching behind his ear (though you don't get a good look at him here).

 I sprinkled some jelly beans and Robin's Eggs around.

 I used some pretty colored and crinkled Easter grass around the base - it helped cover the plastic bag that I used to protect my tablecloth and table.

 I was wishing I had some pretty Spring colored dishes, but I don't.  I just used the blue plates that I found at TJ Max last year and the blue glassware that we seem to all have and love from The Dollar Store.

 I like this picture of the little Easter boxes filled with the treasured candy. I like this because there are 4 boxes, but I only have 3 children (grown, and actually one is a SIL, but I think of him as my son).  The 4th box is for my 86 year old Dad.  Last year he was so excited to have gotten an Easter basket that I had to make sure he got one this year!

We had a lovely dinner together, our first since Christmas Eve!  Unfortunately, our dear SIL had to work and missed the whole thing, but we saved him a plate to enjoy later.  

I hope you had a wonderful celebration of the resurrection of our Lord! Thanks for stopping by.  I am participating in Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch.

IN THE GARDEN

How was your Easter?  We had a lovely day, which I'll post about on Tablescape Thursday.  Spring Break is over and it's back to work for me.  Busy, busy days, but I have a lovely garden to come home to each day.  It helps to have a retired husband who is helping in the watering chores!  Today when I got home and took my first trip around to see what's blooming here is what I found:

This  purple Iris was looking very pretty.  Do you see how that yellow Iris is bent over?  These have always done that and I don't know why.  None of my other Iris do that.

I love this Blue Moon Salvia with the pretty evergreen (not sure what it is, but it's new growth is yellow)

 This pretty Lilly came home with me from Home Depot the other day.  

 I love the yellow Iris with the purple Columbine.

  I finally found the plants I wanted for the urn.  This isn't a very good picture - wish I had deadheaded the Iris before I took out the camera!

I think the garden is looking pretty.  I finally have some grass growing!  I'm very excited about that!

I hope you've had a great Tuesday.  Thanks for stopping by!

LOOK WHAT I WON!

I have a great book to show you today.   The fabulous Jennifer  was offering Niki Jabbour's book The Year Round Vegetable Gardener to a lucky reader of her beautiful blog,  Three Dogs In A Garden, and I WON!!  The book is full of gorgeous pictures of lush vegetable gardens.  Let me take you inside the book....

 The book is about gardening all through the year - even in snow!

 The photography is rich.  Aren't vegetables beautiful?

 Unfortunately, I am NOT a good photographer so I must beg your pardon for these poor qualtiy photos.

If you would like to see more of this wonderful book (and I know you would!), here is the link at Amazon. Thank you so much Jennifer for such a great give-away!  I can't wait to sit with a cup of coffee and read my book and make some plans of my own!