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"Where better to care for the soul than in the details of our daily lives?....The soul has an absolute, unforgiving need for regular excursions into enchantment. It requires them like the body needs food and the mind needs thought... An enchanted world is one that speaks to the soul, to the mysterious depths of the heart and imagination where we find value, love and union with the world around us. As mystics of many religions have taught, that sense of rapturous union can give a sense of fulfillment that makes life purposeful and vibrant." ~ Thomas Moore.

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Garden Growth Joys for Lance!

Hi Lance,! this one is for you.....

I wanted to share some pics and little tidbits of what is happening here. Lots of pics, and I'm happy about some things, like the new Gazebo! it looks so cute, like in a magazine too....

I love this picture below, the natural sunlight created a prism.....welcome to the morning!

 


Florida is hot and humid but we have some perks if you are a smart gardener. I live by a house that has 2 huge Gardenia bushes, and she allows me to pick them. I keep them during their season in bowls of water especially in the computer room so I smell them all the time. Of course one goes in my hair too. The other is Jasmine, which is in bloom right now too. I have a major geomagnetic storm headache which woke me from sleep and I went out side and it was gently raining, but the smell of the jasmine permeates the air, and I felt like I lived in a Beautiful Garden. If one takes care to make life in Florida enjoyable, it will be. I planted several Jasmines when I moved in. Night blooming Jasmine is another intoxicating one I have out front.........when all three are in bloom, there is no place for talk......one is enraptured!

 




First, John has sat out there in the chair for so long, the birds think he's part of the scenery LOL....they have become very friendly with him and he feeds them, and they even eat out of his hand. Some newer friends are a bit skittish but still come around to let us know they're hungry. This is their shell with seeds, they love the black ones!





 Here is the picture of the Gazebo he got, I took a picture of the picture LOL....I love this picture beause of the blue sky and the green grass....this dusk is my favorite time of day.
Its an octagon shape which is so much nicer than the usual square or rectangles. And this has a few features I love, like the higher to lower slant of the top which makes the rains fall nicer rather than collecting, and the places it has to hang lanterns or flower baskets. I'm making flower baskets for those hooks. :D:D:D





But my papa san I could not get rid of, and I knew if I could figure out how to repair this and finagle some pillows and such it would be a joy and comfort for the season again, and I did......I fixed it. It needed some nails and glue, and I tied it for good measure. Then the whole thing got painted my fav!....white!



 


 Here it is now.......sweet!



 I got 3 new king size pillows and went to the thrift for a fabric to cover them and found this lovely blue and white from Ralph Lauren! sooooo pretty!....AND !!! I also wanted to cover the wood and lo and behold they happened to have the perfect round table cloth with lace, and that was snatched so fast you wouldn't believe it! LOL.....it also came with 8 napkins, all for a whopping two dollars. :D:D:D....I got a few lovelies from the thrift that day, washed them, rinsed in salt water, and onto the papa san it went!


 


The inside ground was given a straw covering......soft on the feet and no dirt.

Here is our gazebo.....a storm tore apart our last one. In this new one we keep the curtains zipped to keep mosquitoes out and it works like a charm!! sooooo very relieving to go in there and know I can sit and not be so bothered.....on my sweet chair. :D




The Lotus in the pond is coming up, and soon she will have magnificent flowers.......





I hung my petite tea light chandelier in there.....looks soo pretty.






The table got a rectangle tablecloth also picked up at the thrift that day, and with lace edging too! they were not sold together so this was a great ''coincidence''......I topped the table with 3 small planters of fresh ivy.



Buddha still meditates in this place.



 John saw ''bare spots'' and got some flowers to put in those 2 areas with gate by the gazebo...good job!






 




In my world. every rocker and bench needs a potted planter with some red flowers in it. I don't know why, but thats the rule! :D:D:D




 These are pentas........




Lots of duckweed on the pond....the large leaves are the Lotus coming up......

We repotted and planted all the water lilies in the pond including the lotus. They really needed it! They need repotting just as much as soil plants! Now the pond is looking beautiful again even though no blooms are out yet. The tadpoles are prolific and I've leaned to love them. See them??



 


 here's a close up......they're HALF the size of my pinky nail.
the lotus leaves are like continents to them LOLOL.....and these are looking beautiful!






ok....I dont' think you saw the before of this Lampost Square patch from April 25th a month ago?
so here is the before

 


and now.......

the lemongrass in pots on either side has been wonderful made into my new and now ''Famous Lemongrass Limade" ! which I am going to have to keep making for the summer here and even for my new neighbor friends....the lady loved it! She said the smell of it before you drink it, and then how it tastes was beautiful....I will make some today to fill our large dispenser and give her a carafe for her enjoyment LOL love to share!!
Will make a separate post on that if I can remember :D

These are tomatos in the back and eggplant in the front.....marigolds for fun and color and insect repellent.





This is the "Official Tomatoe Garden"......a month ago.....

 



and now......they've gotten quite tall, and I pinch off the tops so they dont' get too tall and bush out more, but they do have lots of flowers,......soon the tomatoes!



 


 


In the front I removed the aloe planters and put them in the back. This area is now all about color and flowers too. I added another lotus when I found an extra one from repotting the main one in the Pond.....THAT was a lesson! So grateful for youtube to learn how to do things ! We separated them and planted it in this pot and Quan Yin presides. Peoples eyes gravitate towards this and feel calm.


A few days later this large Lotus leaf rose and opened up! just 3 days!






The poor bouganvillea in the front got cut back alot, dramatically actually, but I didn't worry, I knew how it would grow, and in one month it grew quite a bit!
Here is the poor thing with a severe crew cut........just sticks......lol






and now it has several feet of new branches. Wonder how long before it blooms??











This Circle Patch I was watching every single morning I now skip days LOLOL because the flowers are just not popping up as fast as I'd like them too....but I was watering this area every morning and it was like a meditation like we talked about, and even John likes to water for its meditative quality. Takes about an hour to do this front area. 





I'M STILL WAITING FOR FLOWERS TO BLOOM  on these gladiolas and for nasturtiums to come up! 























This is my new little greenhouse from Lowe's......it took literally 10 minutes to put together and no tools, but it is quite flimsy!.....however, I am grateful because this will now house all the seedlings I'm going to be planting because I NEVER EVER NEVER want to be without flowering plants again, and waiting for my seeds to produce flowers is sheer torture, so now that they're coming up as greens now, no flowers yet, I will learn how to plants seeds every 2 weeks or so to keep plants growing and flowers blooming. This greenhouse is now on the front porch.






Some of the seeds I'm planting soon.......


































in the kitchen.....table top is kept with cookies or some sweet....John's thing! and my little Marie Antoinette card from the bubbly Palomasea which still graces my table.....so in love with her gifts still!!





 The water fountain got a few lettuce plants......water plants.....love them.....but they multiply like crazy.
 



 I will always keep White Scented Lilies on my console, lit with candles.....this is pure serenity and bliss.



 
Ok Lance and everybody in blogland, hope you enjoyed those. I will post soon about the Lemongrass Limade.....its beautiful!  

Sharing this post with A Stroll Thru Life

and with A Return to Loveliness

and with Coastal Charm

and with FRENCH COUNTRY COTTAGE

and with Fishtail Cottage Garden Party


and with The Shabby Creek Cottage

and with Rooted In Thyme

and with The Charm of Home

and with Be Inspired Friday

and with Chic on a Shoestring

and with My Romantic Home





19 comments:

  1. I used to have a night blooming Jasmine perfume years ago and I loved the scent :) I just adore your new gazebo and that chair looks so sweet! How beautiful your yard is and how well it is doing! Enjoyed your post :)

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    1. With the night blooming Jasmine and the regular Jasmine, the Gardenias and the Almond Bush, its smells heavenly here! Right now wearing jasmine and plumeria in my hair and its constant fragrance....love it! Thanks for visiting and commenting.....still waiting for more flowers to bloom!
      blessings, lady

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  2. Wow, everything looks great! Love the new gazebo. Sounds like everything is going and growing beautifully there. Blessings, xo

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    1. Hi Barbara, thank you. I've been working on making this house beautiful both inside and out. I wanted to finish painting the front of the house but the rains came and with it the humidity which drains me, but am working sllooowwllyyy on it :D. I cannot wait for the nasturtiums to come up, its torture lol. Yes, things are coming up, I am making this property and BEAUTY my ''work''.....its the greatest therapy.
      hugs
      lady

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  3. Everything is just so lovely...
    You have done such a beautiful job creating this magical garden. Love the thrift store finds!
    We live on the Gulf Coast in MS, so we have lots of jasmine and gardenias ~ heavenly! Our arbor in front of our cottage door is draped in jasmine.
    Hugs))

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  4. Thank you! I'm still smelling the flowers in my hair, the jasmine is just exquisite!
    blessings,
    lady

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  5. Your garden is so lovely and tranquil. Love all the asian touches and your gazebo would be a perfect place to relax and meditate, especially in that chair! Your fountain and little pond are pretty as well and love the little tadpoles. What a beautiful oasis you've created!

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  6. Your yard looks fabulous! I have that same greenhouse from Lowes -- we had to anchor it down, after we had some strong winds with a storm back in the winter that crashed it over. I also have a pot of lemongrass, so I am anxiously awaiting your recipe!

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    1. Hi there, yes its very light (cheap) lolol and I too had to use twist ties to keep the shelves on the bars after placing the last bowl with seeds on and it just fell and broke. That happened a few times so now the shelves are secured. But for sitting on the porch will be fine and I need to get started with seeds any minute now. Yes the lemongrass post is also coming up any minute now. Thanks for asking.
      lady

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  7. I am in LOVE with EVERYTHING in this post...I don't even know where to begin!!! :)))
    Talk about BLISS! This is it...all due to your hard work and vision...I do hope you know how much of an inspiration you are, dearest Lady!!
    Here's to creating our sweet domestic heaven on earth...
    Can I just come visit you? :))) Wish I could!
    Beautiful papa san chair...visions of Victoria again, and that sweet gazebo....keeping the bugs out is a dream, it really is.
    I love that birds are eating out of John's hands...that is darling.
    Your garden is so beautiful....enjoy, dear friend!!!
    And THANK YOU again SO MUCH!!!!!! :)))) Can't wait for my next meditation....
    Sparkly blessings and much love,
    - Irina

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    Replies
    1. Ha! hi there. :D, I love that you love :D:D:D
      Yes lots of vision and little money. Imagine if I had money to play with? I could create the 8th, 9th and 10th Wonders of the World ! LOL seriously. :D
      And I'd love for you to visit, what fun! lol.....love having guests especially sparkly ones who love glitter too!
      warmest hugs
      lady

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  8. Dear, dear Lady!

    It has been a very long time since I have visited you; I knew you became very busy, and so did I. With that scenario, we all have to cut back and make room in our schedules for the work ahead of us OFF-LINE, but it is a joy to see your world again. Thank you for coming to see my little fairytale, and to celebrate with me, the NOT THE END story to tell.

    I can see that you too are enjoying the bliss of creating your paradise. I believe that somewhere in our hearts, there is a chamber reserved for paradise. So what do we do? We all try to find it somewhere, some way. But being close to nature is what I love, as you do. What a gorgeous transformation your abode is experiencing. Those gardenias must give off a perfume so delicate and sweet!

    Enjoy your space and meditate, refresh, and CREATE!!!!!!!!!!! Anita

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  9. It gets pretty steamy here too. We have heavy dew this morning and the air feels quite moist - so far the heat is being kept at bay. I do love to walk outdoors to smell the gorgeous jasmine and now the Magnolia. I have an autumn Gardenia- that fragrance is so soothing. When I have headaches nothing sooths it more than fresh, fragrant air. Your garden is coming along nicely - love the fabrics and pillows you found for your chair - a perfect place to curl up. I do appreciate you sharing with A Return to Loveliness,
    Kathy

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  10. wow - it's all so beautiful! I am in love with that screened sanctuary...wow - what an amazing place to escape to! thank you for sharing all your beauty over here at Fishtail Cottage's garden party! have a great weekend! xoox, tracie

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  11. It doesn't get steamy here just HOT! It expects to be over 100 degrees today. Your gazebo is wonderful. What a beautiful setting next to the pond with all the green around. We are planning to put one up this summer, Wish I had such a pretty place to put it..Happy Weekend..Judy

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  12. Your garden is enchanting. Thank you for joining Home Sweet Home.
    Sherry

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  13. I will feature your garden today at Home Sweet Home!
    Sherry

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  14. So nice to have found your lovely blog through the Charm of Home. Thanks for sharing your wonderful garden and gazebo. xo Laura

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  15. Love your gazebo and that chair looks so, so comfy! Your yard looks like a vacation destination!

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Your thoughts and comments are always appreciated and responded to when possible.