Sunday, July 6, 2008

In the Garden

Hello! Happy Sunday! It's a beautiful day here today -- I hope it's the same where you are! :)

People have asked me why I call my blog Flowers and Ink. The reason is that my two loves are stamping and spending time in the garden. So, today I'm taking a break from the "Ink" and showing you the "Flowers." I hope you don't mind! Just click on a photo for a better view!

My garden is the area behind our house and around the deck. It contains mostly perennials with a few annuals thrown in for color. I'm no professional -- I just buy plants that I like and that I think will look good together, and I've had pretty good luck so far! :)

Here's a closeup of the fishpond area. We have seven goldfish who call the pond home. They have survived two winters already, so we're just crossing our fingers that they last a little longer!

I love Black-eyed Susans. They are so low-maintenance but give such a burst of color! In mid-summer they mix in so beautifully with these orange daylilies.

This morning, as I was taking these photos, I walked down the ramp next to the deck and saw this butterfly on the Coneflowers. I was lucky to get a shot before it flew away!

Just a few minutes later, as I was coming back toward the house, THIS butterfly was on the same flowers! Luckily I still had the camera in my hand! We always have lots of those little white butterflies everywhere, but we've NEVER had butterflies like these before!! If someone knows what kind they are, please let me know! :)

We also have a small raised-bed vegetable and herb garden. We have Roma and Big Beef tomatoes; Jalepeno, Cayenne, and Bell peppers; and a few herbs -- basil, cilantro, dill, and oregano. We've already used the Cayennes and Cilantro for Chris's guacamole (yum!). When the tomatoes ripen, we'll have homemade salsa and tomato-basil tarts. I'll share the recipes with you later on! :)


Thanks for taking a stroll through my garden today. If you're ever in my neck of the woods, I'd love to sit outside with you and sip a beverage! I'll be back tomorrow with one final C.C. Designs preview before tomorrow's release at 10:00 PM. I really do appreciate the visit -- have a great day! :)

6 comments:

carole (TruCarMa) said...

Gorgeous, Christina! Almost -- emphasis added -- makes me want to putter in my own backyard, and you don't even know how huge of a statement that is! How I'd love some homegrown Big Beef tomatoes with a little balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper right now!!

Christi Flores said...

OMG!! I am SO jealous! I can't wait to get into a house of my own where I can garden and be able to grow my own veggies and herbs. Your garden is gorgeous!!

Amanda said...

Beautiful!!! I am so jealous--the drought has taken a toll on a lot of our things!:( I'll just look at yours and pretend they're in my back yard! LOL

Anonymous said...

WOW! Your garden is gorgeous! I wish I could grow a garden like this but it's just too hot in Florida.

Alyssa S said...

Thank you for sharing! My little flower garden is my own little happy place and I love that you shared yours too. Looks like it would be wonderful to sit on your deck with a glass of lemonade, a book and the sound of the pond in the background. Nice, lucky captures of the butterflies on the echinacea too! :o)

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful yard you have! You definately have an eye for the flowers (as well as the ink)!!