Autumn Flowers

I'm so proud of my mums this year! I'm not much of a gardener but I'm getting there one plant at a time. Trying to take it slow and really learn how to take care of a plant instead of getting over ambitious and adding too many at once that just die off because I can't keep up. I have done that before! It was hard to make myself keep cutting them down all summer, seems so counter intuitive, but that's what I read so I did it and it worked. My mums must have quadrupled in size and they are covered in blooms!

That tiny green mound on the far left is also a mum. I got it the year after the giant ones and from a different place, I can tell the difference, he's looking sad. I think it will do better next year though, the back half looks normal. My one big gardening fail was the Clematis vine I planted. Once it bloomed it was clearly not a Clematis. Not sure what the heck it was, the vine grew beautifully but the flowers, not so much. So I was heartless, ripped that sucker out and planted a new Clematis. I'm bound and determined to do it right!

Wandering Jew in the flower boxes is holding up pretty well but it's probably time to switch it out for something else. My Geraniums never did like my treatment of them! In between the mums are some boxwood plants that are doing well. I had to trim the mums back to keep them from getting swallowed whole though.

I love Gerbera Daisies, who doesn't! They're tough to keep alive in the heat of the summer down here but as soon as it cools down they are happy happy happy. It just makes me so happy to have a little pretty in the front of my house!

Lent N' Dust Bunnies

I know, I've been gone awhile. For Lent I decided to not turn my computer on until after the noon 'o clock hour because it had slowly taken over my life under the guise of "work". 40 days under computer restriction turned out to be the best thing I've done in awhile with the side bonus of having shoulders that weren't knotted up...a pleasure I haven't experienced in some years.

Another wonderful side effect? Household beautification! We're getting things done that we should have had done a long time ago. Now that Lent is over I'm still trying to leave the computer off until after lunch but I'm finding it hard to be inspired to post at all. The thought of spending time trying to make the inane things in my life come across as clever, humorous, interesting...well, it sort of hurts my brain. Also there's the matter of Spring, which I adore and makes me feel like I'm climbing out from under a long, dark fog and all I want to do is play outside. So for awhile the words around here may be a little bland but hopefully there will be frequent pictures!

My flower boxes are exactly what I was hoping to find, thank you Hobby Lobby! I did have to use a can and a half of spray paint to turn them from white to black but it was worth it! You can also see, in the picture at the very top of this post, that we added edging. And by "we" I mean my husband and a friend!

Our handmade mailbox is probably going to need a redo soon, it's splitting down the post. But don't the flowers look lovely!

I was worried about the thingy above the garage but am so glad we put it up, I love it! Our house is starting to take on some of it's own character.