Pots Reorganized

I spent last weekend re-potting and potting plants. I find it takes a bit of curating to get my pots to look good together.

My tip is to get round, square, and other shapes of pots. This will help you fill in the gaps better. If you want a less eclectic look, square and rectangular pots will make your container garden look more orderly.

Before:

Dog Chronicles: AnnaBelle Style

ror's friend annabelle is over for the next couple of days while her parents are enjoying the beautiful rays of Hawaii.

this dog is stealthy. here's an example:

annabelle was looking especially cute so I took her picture... 

literally less than a second later I look up from the camera and she stealthily 

repositioned herself here:

at the time it truly felt like she had magical powers... 

what happens in a day in the life of a Raspberry Shortcake Plant...

This picture is from last week...

This picture is from yesterday...

These two pictures are from today...

(the smallest one is from a regular raspberry plant,

and the rest are raspberry shortcakes, with some alpine strawberries

from the planters on my patio)

(then... I added in the strawberries from the veggie garden... 

kla-pow ** strawberry explosion**)

I checked them yesterday and there was nothing. 

Then today happened and there was an explosion of 

strawberries and raspberries. 

Honestly, wow... Good job raspberries, good job!

Weekend Garden Harvest

laa laa laa, lee lee lee, loo loo loo 

weekend garden harvest time 

(read this as if someone is singing it to your in a high pitched tone deaf voice ;)

Weekend Day One:

Globe Carrots, so delicious!

Garden Tip: When peeling small carrots, 

leave the green part on to use as a grip. This makes it so much easier!

This makes it look like little carrot homes 

for tiny fairies or gnomes

ahh ahh, a tsunami of peas has take over the town

Weekend Day Two:

When The Dapper Gentleman works on the weekend...

One has time to play with the harvest to create these:

Peas heart You

Bee Love

Black Raspberries

I was pleasantly surprised when I noticed that my new black raspberry bush blossomed three berries. Usually raspberries need 2 years before they bloom.

I've never eaten black raspberries before, but don't they look interesting? Almost like a hybrid between blackberries and raspberries.

Rory's Birthday Continued...

well, hello there. i hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

ror asked me to share some of her birthday pictures and thoughts with you.

above is a picture of her gifts. two antlers, 2 alligator potato chews, and a new treat toy. 

p.s. her treat toy is so difficult that most of the original treats are still inside 

ror: hey guys,  this new antler is ah-maz-ing *wink *wink

ror: mmMMmm, I am taunting you antler... 

you think i only want to smell you, but i actually am going to devour you. muah haaa haaa

ror: (singing) alligator chew, alligator chew

you are in my mouth, tasting sooo ohhh good.

bed is so comfy, chew is so tasty. 

i is a princess... laa laa laa 

Disclaimer: no, rory isn't in a prison. we crate trained her as a puppy and she loved it so much that we never graduated her out of it. she knows that when she's in trouble her only safe space is her create because we will never reach in and grab her. we think it's important that she has one place in the house that she can feel completely safe in. 

Garage Sale Finds

I found these two pairs of lovelies at a Garage Sale. 

They are going to keep my outdoor plants company...

I must tell you the truth... I did play with these cuties before I place them in the garden. The bears fought each other. The seated one won, due to it's sassiness. "Bears! Grrrr... Bears!"is what they said to each other in a high pitched scream as they fought... hee hee haa haa harr harr...

These kittens are with the grape vines, costal strawberries, and spring bulbs.

Bears are in the Blueberry Jungle. I hope they can survive and thrive :) 

The Secret About Fresh Camomile Tea...

The secret about Camomile tea made from fresh flowers is that...

Rory's Birthday?

I'm not sure the exact date, but sometime in the middle of June is Ror's Birthday.

I usually just treat June as her birthday month. She gets extra belly rubs, wet dog food, and one extra treat per day.

Happy Birthmonth lovely puppy. Love you forever, even when you chew up tissues on my bed pillow ;)

Here's to six more lovely years with you

The first time you cuddled me on your own, oh sweet memories

The first time we cut your hair short (last year...) 

I love how she looked like a puppy again.

This Week's Garden Haul

It's just the best when flowers bloom together so you can make a cute bouquet. 

This one is made up of a mixture of Anemone, Dusseldorf Pride, and Basil Mint. 

I got the cup from a local potterer at Commercial Drive's Car Free Day.

I braved the torrential down pour, but made it home alive ;)

(a better shot of the cute Dusseldorf Pride)

I put them on my desk right next to my computer. A lovely sight for when I'm writing :)

Alpine Strawberries are blooming and ripening in full force. Ror and TheDapperGentleman are mostly benefitting...

Although... TDG doesn't like peas, so these lovelies are all for me.

Delicious dinner with garden fresh peas. mmMMmm mmMMmm mmMMmm.

Fun Fact: If the flowers in your bouquet aren't fragrant, add some fresh herbs to spice them up. The basil mint in this bouquet is giving it something special. Next time I'm going to try Rosemary.

Liven Up House Plants

Over the years I've found cocktail sticks with figurines on the tops and used them to liven up the indoor plants. I like to create little scenes and stories to go alone with them. I feel like it adds whimsy to my plants and livens up the mundane life of indoor living.

I find bonsai trees relaxing, so I put this little glass panda next to it. Now they can enjoy the tranquillity together.

(these are vintage cocktail sticks, and a turtle)

In this scene everyone gets long whether you are a land animal or an aquatic one. They get along so much so that they are dancing around this Myrtle tree.

This white tiger likes to be in the jungle that is create with these Shamrock stems

This owl pair enjoys hooting around together is this smorgasbord of jade.

Fun Fact: households need 3 medium sized plants per person to properly purify the air

Beware: The owls are metal so they are in the plant that get little water. You also have to clean these figurines once in awhile because the soil can discolour them.

Happy Father's Day

the first time i can remember being in the garden was with my dad. i was eating an apple and when i was done, my dad took the core from me and threw it into his garden. as a 5-6 year old i remember thinking that this was the coolest thing ever. compost... to a child it's pure magic...

dad, thank you for that day, and the many days that followed.

happy father day :)

Rory Lately...

(Ror's new cat friend)

The first half of Ror's life is a bit of a mystery. We adopted her from this lady who rescues dogs who have been abandoned. The dog rescue lady told us that Ror was the only dog to survive in her litter. Her first owners thought that she was diseased and abandoned her at a vets office. This lovely lady took Ror in and helped to find her a loving home...

Cut to. Present day. We believe that it was in this vets office that Ror cohabited with cats, and learned their native ways.

Sometimes Ror acts just like a cat... Ror doesn't like water, she licks her front paws to clean her face, and she uses her paws just like cats do when they play. Whenever Ror sees a cat, she must go up and say hi and play. These cats however are a little afraid of Ror's zeal.

However, a couple of weeks ago Ror made a cat friend :)

Dog + Cat = Kisses

Gossiping in the Garden

Little Carrots, Little Carrots...

Dear Little Carrots,

As I patiently watch you grow, my stomach grows hungrier and hungrier to gobble you all up...

I watched as your seeds sprouted into seedlings..

I watched as your leaves started to grow...

I watched as your leaves glistened and shimmered after I watered you...

Know that the day you are ripe, I will reap you from the ground with glee. 

That day will be so awesome. I'm dreaming of it while I watch you plump.

Your doting caregiver,

BeesintheGardens

Alpine Strawberry and Two Pea Harvest

(p.s. this is my amateur strawberry styling ;)

Alpine Strawberries are almost a weed. Their strawberry seeds create new 

strawberry plants easily and readily. I would almost call this an infestation, if they weren't 

so delicious.

ROR takes most of the tiny berries as her cut for being my gardening side kick. 

Here are the first and second harvests I've been able to wrangle away from that wily fur-highness (as in royal highness for fur people). 

Honestly, I just made up that nickname and love it! Fur-Highness will be added to Ror's long list of new nicknames.

Fun Fact: Peas are extra sweet when they are half the size they normally should be. I must confess, I only know this because I'm impatient and pick peas before they are fully ripe.

mmMMmm mmMMmm delicious