Outside my window

The Goldfinch are here and they do love my zinnias.  I go out and the petals are pulled off on some along with the black eyed Susan.

I caught him outside our office window.

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legos

The children brought over their Lego set.  Haven't put one together in ages.  It was fun and once starting to work on it, we couldn't or I should say I couldn't stop putting it together.
The girls 7 and 5 helped a lot as far as getting the pieces that the work book called for as we followed the steps.
I mentioned to them not to dump the three bags of pieces out before we started but that had already been done.

Getting there.  You can see my drying rack on the left as that is where the bathing suits and towels went when they got back from the pool with Opa.

Meanwhile I went out to water the plants again.   The weather is terribly hot.  Today was hitting around 96 degrees.


The hummingbird vine is blooming and growing fast along the fence.

Finished.  There is one missing piece we found after the picture and that is the extra toy box that goes on the bottom.  Ready for the next one.

Happy Sunday

Picked a few from the fence line this morning.  I love the Black Eyed Susan as I call them.  They never disappoint.   Zinnias are always one that's so easy to grow.

A few here by the garage for a pop of color

A pretty Dahlia bloom in the pot that I thought I had ruined.  Twining's Dahlia Smartie.  I think I like these the best with the purplish red and white petals.

These are growing along the azaleas near the children's playhouse

I have this pot near the drive with a sweet frog peeking out

Giant begonias and two growing in this planter

Cypress vine or hummingbird vine as I call it

 Another pot still looking good at the garage

I have a cypress vine in this pot with the petunias that will cover and bloom white and red and pink flowers.

A potato basket or some kind of vegetable basket I purchased and used for a planter instead.  Cypress vine and a piece of ivy in there.

 Hope every one is having a wonderful Sunday

This Morning June 12

Looks like the Dahlia may be trying to survive after

dropping the pot trying to move it. 

I put some zinnias in the pot just in case the Dahlias didn't 

make it, something would be blooming.

A white lilac I rooted is doing well and so is the dill and 

Nasturtium.

I cut back the chives, cut them small and then froze for use in sour cream, soups etc..

Lavender

Cleaning the garden  beds a little today.  Yesterday picked lavender and then hung it so it will dry.
Not as many wands  this year as the plant was hurt some by the heavy snow that was sitting on it and split a branch.  It's still alive and blooming
This just picked and it sitting on our new table for our porch.  It's vintage wrought iron table with four chairs and I love it.  Retro I guess like the porch. I couldn't pass it up.

Nice well made table and a great price

few more cukes I picked before the rain.

You can see we have jalousie windows and I didn't use to like them but now I do.

I purchased vinyl channel strip that  fit's on top of the glass to seal out air and it has cut down on some noise.  

A work in progress.  

Once I got moving and put on two, it went fast.  Cleaning the screen and windows took longer.
We were going to replace these windows but I like them better now and the directional flow of the air coming in with me controlling it is nice.

A plastic vase I purchased at Lewis Ginter Botanical gardens is holding some Black eyed Susans

on our new to us table.

Onto the Lavender

The wands you saw at the beginning of post were trimmed and bunched and now hang on a coat hanger drying.   

Here in this little cheese crock is where I have extra lavender buds from last year.  Still highly fragrant.

Taking the car today to get four new tires the sky was just beautiful.
Fluffy white clouds

Not anymore - its raining and thundering now.
til next time

20 hours ago

I will always be careful of what I ask for from now on.

It was a downpour but it moved fast.

So thankful for good drainage.  some have water standing their yards.

Rain gone and I picked this rose for my  Posey  holder

Agecroft in the evening

Visit to Agecroft Hall recently and some garden pictures

Manor house was actually  built in Lancashire England in the 16th century. 

In 1925 it was sold at auction.

Thomas C Williams Jr. purchased it.  Dismantled and shipped in crates across the ocean to a Richmond Virginia neighborhood, Windsor Farms.

Stepping inside to get tickets

I took this picture because I like the shade, I must find me some.

Wicket door within this large door

Entering  the courtyard are 17th century plantings along with the ones we are more familiar with today.

Espaliered Pear trees against the wall.

Hampton Court Palace pond garden in England is what the sunken garden is based on at Agecroft.

The perimeter of the sunken garden are surrounded by boxwood.  I would have loved to have seen it in April when 4,000 tulips bloomed in Spring.  Summer are pretty annuals.  

Mostly white flowers are planted in the garden area now.

I am sure if it was later in the evening, the garden would almost sparkle with the white flowers.

The raised pond has  Iris and lilies 

Painted carp, turtles and frogs.  This area appears about the same as it did when Mr. Mrs. Williams lived here.  A 1920's garden

Gabrielle's Trumpets as Mom calls them will bloom such a pretty large trumpet flower and loaded with scent.  I know they are poisonous but I like to grow them and grew up with them. Just leave them be and enjoy the beauty.  Azaleas are poisonous also, most of us have those too.

To the left of sunken garden is the crepe myrtle walk.  Planted in the 1920's  with English style structure.

Looking towards the Crepe Myrtle walk and you can see the Myrtles in the distance.

Onto the knot garden - this urn near the garden

Two open Knot design gardens.   Typical of a garden dating back 400 years, reading from the brochure. 

Herbs are Germander, English Lavender and green Santolina create the knot.

I used to have Santolina  growing in my flower bed. It had the prettiest yellow flowers. Dries well.  I think mine got too much water as it doesn't require a lot and doesn't need much if any plant food.

Gate to Knot Garden

You can see cabbages and other veggies planted here. 

Like these potatoes

Tradescant garden

In honor of John Tradescant. He is the first Englishman to travel here to Virginia.  The purpose of visit was to transport botanicals to England.

Rare and unusual plants grow here.  A native Virginia plant includes Tradsdecantia Virginiana

 or Spiderwort as I have always called it.   Lobelia Cardinalis or Cardinal Flower and that is what I have growing in pots at home and at the lamp post.  The Hummingbirds love it.

Herb garden 

Medicinal, culinary and dye herbs used in the Tudor and Stuart times on display here.

Borage whose blue flowers were eaten to comfort the heart and melancholy

Flower heads of Fennel for seeds to flavor food.  Sage, whose leaves were used to treat colds.

In two woven baskets are hops grown for beer making.

 Bee skeps in the garden to encourage pollination and a good honey source.

Still house walk.  This stone wall has planting growing through the crevices.

The still house is where the lady of the manor would over see the distillation of herbs for culinary and medicinal use.

Sweet smelling scents for the home and perfume were prepared here.

On top of the still house is the Banqueting house

built from timbers left over from the building of the main house

Interpreting as a 17th banqueting house, 

wealthy property owners during Stuart and Tudor times would invite their guests for the final course of a meal, sweets dishes.

Inside the banqueting house looking towards the Linden walk.

The trees are little leaf lindens 

A method of pruning to cause dense growth called Pollarding.

Typical feature in English garden design

Reading for what comes next in the Linden walk

Here a rectangle  is the bowling green

A jack (small ball) is thrown onto the green as a target

larger balls are then played one at a time.  The one that is closer is declared the winner

Here you can see the maze.  Like the brochure says, Mazes have been know from antiquity to present time.  

More later