Familiar faces in the gardens!!!

Hello......it's been awhile.

I've been waiting for Spring to arrive here at our cottage at the lake.

The gardens woke up, and some old familiar faces have emerged out of the soil.

What a delight to see my friends from past years.....

I love ruffles and lace, so it only be fitting that the flowers in my gardens be arrayed in finery that please my eyes and soul.

What glorious colors these ladies wear!

Some even wear the color of royalty.

These beauties were hidden behind the garage....so I invited them inside to be enjoyed each and every day.

The sun was so bright, you can hardly tell that these little darlings are actually a pale yellow.

They don't seem to mind, as long as they were able to be photographed for the post today.

Right next to the yellows, are the dainty blue and purples. 

They don't take up much space, but sure do make an impact!

New to the garden this year are some pink bells.

A cheery little flower that mixes well with the other Spring plants.

Another friend that is a very welcome sight this time of year.....the fairy-like flower...Columbine!

They grow profusely in almost every garden here at the cottage!

I love the soft colors, and delicate flowers!

They make a lovely wild bouquet for the mantel that just makes my heart sing!

The roses are finally budding. It shouldn't be too much longer....
I understand many of you are already heading into your summer gardening season....we have just started spring flowers up here, so we are behind most of you. It can be frustrating at times....but I am so happy to (finally) be getting flowers!!
Have a fun week!
Debbie
xo

Flowers for the porch.

The weather warmed enough for us to work outside the past few days.

Today I put the flowers on the porch.

It was a most enjoyable Mother's Day.

It will take a while for the window boxes to fill in, but for now, having some color helps so much!

I'm going with mostly pinks, lavenders, and white this year, but did add some yellow for spurts of happy color.

We needed a new mailbox.

I had The Mister cut the old one in half so I could fill it with flowers, and use it as a container on the porch.

Hopefully the flowers will perk up in a day or two.

I just filled the box today.

I used a bread pan with little stones in the bottom for drainage...then slid it inside the mailbox.

I have to watch the weather to make sure the nights don't dip below the freezing mark. If they do, I will cover the annuals, or move them into the garage. It's still "iffy" here as far as cold nights go.
Lots of weeds got pulled today! and there are plenty more that need to be pulled!! 
It gives me something to do as I wait for the roses to bloom.
I hope you had a Happy Mother's Day!
Debbie
xoxoxo

Strip garlands as valances.

I know, I know....this gal really loves strip garlands!

It must be a shabby "thing" with me.

I have them all over this cottage!  Mostly in windows.

(I got the idea from my youngest daughter.)

I'm sure the neighbors must wonder if we have either a moth infestation, or I leave the curtains on the windows until they rot from sun damage.

I love this time of year when the morning sun comes in the windows...especially when it reflects off the water, and dances off the ceilings like diamonds.

These valance/garlands allow lots of light to come into the windows, and also allows us to see the view of the water, and boats as they pass by on the canal.

There is one more window to go, and then I can work on the window boxes on the outside! 

Having the windows "curtain-free" at the bottom allows us to see the flowers in the boxes on the inside as well as the outside.

It's starting to finally feel more like Spring here at our shabby cottage!!
Have a great week!
Debbie
xo