This week’s perennial is not just one that is beautiful to look at, but also one that has a lovely fragrance. With its slender lavender blue flowers reaching about 36”, it provides enchantment for a cottage garden, definition as a landscape border, or striking when used for massing. ‘Provence’ Lavender is a very fragrant […]
I am finally getting around to posting the second part of my twiggy branch wreath project, which is an ivy covered twig wreath topiary. It’s amazing how many things we all try to get done during the summer, and then fall behind because it is such a busy season! I really thought I would be […]
Back when I was in college, I worked as a waitress in a restaurant. One of the seasonal items on the menu was chicken salad beautifully served in half of a cantaloupe. I’m sure I served it to the restaurant guests, but I never had one myself, and I don’t have the slightest idea of […]
This week we’re featuring a perennial with a pretty golden yellow flower that attracts butterflies. It is Coreopsis ‘Early Sunrise’ and it has a full semi-double flower with an almost daisy-like look, and blooms early summer to fall. We found out that it is also an All-America Selections winner. We discovered ‘Early Sunrise’ while […]
I could eat a slice of cake everyday. It’s one of my favorite desserts, and pound cake has always been one of my favorite cakes. I love its rich, dense texture, and it is so tender. It is the perfect ‘foundation’ for adding ice cream, fresh fruit, or whipped cream for a delicious summer dessert. […]
This is the blooming season for Phlox paniculata – a long season it is for a perennial, from midsummer to autumn. Phlox paniculata is a type of phlox that I recently discovered. I thought the only type of phlox was the creeping variety, so I was pleasantly surprised when I came upon the Peppermint Twist […]
One group of flowering shrubs that make the summer season so beautiful are hydrangeas. Recently, I couldn’t help but notice how striking they are when positioned next to the architectural features of a house or yard, like white fences, porches, railings and steps, arbors, and front doors. I started noticing how hydrangeas and the […]
Over the 4th of July weekend, there was a big family cookout at my house. The menu included grilling chicken, and it was the perfect opportunity to create a dry rub recipe for the chicken. So in my ‘test kitchen’, we put our heads together to create a tasty and savory dry rub recipe […]
Have we forgotten about those reliable lumber yards where our grandfathers, dad, and uncles would head to on a Saturday morning to get lumber for the projects on their to-do lists? Whether the project was building a go-cart for the family, or a porch and steps off the kitchen, a visit to the lumber yard […]
One day walking to my front door, I looked up to see that my front porch pendant light fixture needed replacing. It was around 18 years old and the finish had faded. It just looked worn out as were our other outdoor lights. So began the search for new light fixtures. Little did I know […]
