If You Were Here

If you came to see me this would be by my front door.
It was an attempt by me to do something artistic.
My painting skills never progressed past the 4th grade, but that's OK you don't know really know how old I was when I painted it.

I would pour you a cup of coffee and I'd let you drink it from one of my favorite mugs. I have a crazy mug collection. Almost nothing matches.  I like this one because of the smirk. Cats are like that.

We could mozy on out to the front porch and sit for about two seconds. I am too hyper to sit very long.
Besides the yard is a bumble bee fest right now.
We would jump up and I'd give you a tour.

From the front porch I would walk over to the left and show you my "good neighbor garden."

I planted this one so that when my neighbor came outside to his porch he would have something pretty to look at.

It's also one of my rare places of shade.

I love shade gardens.

I planted one Ajuga out there a long time ago.
My lilacs died, and the azalea is a bit puny this year.




It's also a place for fun. If you are upstairs looking out of this window all you see is roses.

This is a cute little surprise hanging over the fence.

We head back around now to the front and check out the arbor. There are about 6 blooms open now, but in a few days it will be spectacular.

It's a New Dawn rose. It only blooms once but it is worth it. I have some roses like that, which only bloom once instead of the hybrids that re-bloom all season. These seem to thrive much better in our moist hot heat, less diseases.

The Lady Banks is another one time only rose.
She is thornless, and a climber that will grow to 30 ft in height. So far this one fills one entire corner of my garden and spills into my neighbors yard which he is quite happy with. I have made my peace with these once a year beauties because look at the health!!

This is my neighbors front yard. I meant to show you this earlier.
It's cute isn't it? My neighbor loves color. I need to ask him if I can do a post of the inside of his house it's amazing. He collects black art. Every wall is covered with paintings. He lives in an art gallery.
He totally freaked me out when he asked my husband to paint his fireplace mantle bright ORANGE! It looks cool.
You wanta see it don't you?

His front yard. Mississippi is the most gorgeous color of green most of the year. It really is this pretty.

When the sky is bright blue mixed with this green I could swoon.
Really, it is so beautiful.

Back to my house on the sunny side yard. I have been working over here. Clearing and weeding. Cutting back and planting seeds.

I love this spot. I have a lot of strawberries filling in.
I hope my Heavenly Blue Morning Glory seeds will sprout and share the trellis.


I love morning glories.


I usually have basil come up in here.
It helps to shade the berries in the heat of summer.
That way they don't just fry.

You would be able to step up close and admire this rose.
It's a Joseph's Coat climber.  This is the first flush and
what you can't see is the aphids.
I have been batting away lady bugs all winter.
They came in the house by the hundreds.
They died in my window sills.
So where are they now?
They could be feasting I tell you.
My thumbs are going to be green, from squishing aphids.

This is another spring fling.
I wait all year for these.
I LOVE them.

I dug up hundreds last year and gave them away.

Did you get some?

Are they blooming?

If I gave away any pretty colors you have to send me a couple back!!

I had too many of the same thing. Variety is the spice of life right?

This spot was raked smooth. I have seeds planted here. Cucumber ones. The cats like variety too. The cats have decided this is a great spot to dig in and do.... a doo doo.
Cats GAH!

Personally, I do not like knowing the source of my fertilizer.

And after all of this. We would all pile into the swing together and have a few laughs.