Layering the Seasons...

Coral Bark setting the Autumn mood

 I LOVE watching the seasons change and have tried to plan and plant my garden accordingly.  When planning focal points for my garden, I try to make sure there is something of interest for each season.  One of my favorite shrubs is the purple smoke tree.  I love to plant clematis beneath it to weave throughout the shrub with it's sweet blooms peeking through as the spring leaves emerge.  

Purple Smoke Tree with "Happy Jack" clematis

Later, in the Autumn- the leaves turn a brilliant crimson before dropping to reveal the beautiful structure of it's branches.  In my back gardens, I have one placed with a coral bark maple.  One of the things I love about Georgia autumns, is we have a slow and steady show- the coral bark is usually one of my first trees to show it's colors and then, as it begins to fade, the smoke tree puts in her performance.  

Smoke tree nearing the end of it's performance- wish I'd snapped this a couple days ago!

KiKi boots "helping" with an arrangement

Once the leaves have fallen, the brilliant crimson of the coral bark takes center stage. I have to admit that I also plan my garden to provide me with beautiful material to decorate my home.  I also, use my garden a LOT for my paintings.  

"Moondance" available as a card or print

This one happened by accident- I'd taken the Thanksgiving arrangement outside (didn't have the heart to throw something so beautiful away!) to make room for Christmasing....loved the composition so much that it had to become  painting!  And I loved painting my "Moon man" so much, that he's made multiple appearances in my art......

"Live, Love, Laugh" available in my shop

"Greetings of the Season" available in my shop

My favorite spot in the garden

I hope you're enjoying Autumn as much as I am- 

it's such a beautiful way to be thankful in this giving season.

Cheers!

Stephanie

Down with the Dahlias....

At the entrance to my back gardens

There are a few kinds of flowers that I will ALWAYS love; foxgloves, roses, irises just to name a few.  BUT' in the last three years, I have fallen in LOVE with dahlias.  It began with me reading this article from the Middle sized Garden-  based in England, she lives in zone 8 like me and she says you DON'T have to dig up Dahlias for them to come back yearly.  It's a great article with lots of ideas and information- I highly recommend it!  

Thomas Edison (I think) from Eden Brothers Gardens

Anyway; D A H L I A S......I LOVE them!  Here in Decatur, GA, they start their show in May and most of them will continue their dance until first freeze.  Yes, their leaves will need a little attention in the heat and they DO need to be staked- but, come on- they are SO VERY worth it!

This week, we had our first freeze and with it, went the last of this years blooms.  I think, even frost burned, they are still quite wonderful.  It will hurt my heart to cut them down this weekend.  

"Emory Paul" from Eden Brothers

"Emory Paul" from Eden Brothers

"Emory Paul" from Eden Brothers

For the last two years, I've been working on a garden journal for others to be able to use for their own gardening notes, ideas and memories.  So, of COURSE I had to include dahlias!

Close up of my painting for the July "spread" available as a card or print in my shop

And this is how the journal page will look with numbers and lines for notes.  

More soon, I'm off to cut down and mulch my dahlias!

Cheers,

Stephanie

Baby, I'm BACK!

send in the clowns!

I have missed blogging so very much, but in the past five years, so much has happened, it has been a  whirlwind made up of buying and gutting our "forever" home, the world stopping via Covid, illnesses, starting a new business and just life in general.  It has been an exhausting handful of years and I've finally been able to re-evaluate my life and start living again.  Here's a brief recap of our home and garden design adventures......

                                                            home renovations, 

Our blank canvas!

dining and living rooms with the kitchen- three walls knocked out

my R E D kitchen to match my stained glass window

gardening dreams leading to installations.......this IS my happy place!

Always a work in progress.....

P U R P L E door to match my mini butterfly bushes!

I have eight Pugster Blue butterfly bushes along my front path- it looks like a freakin fairy tale in the summertime!

I wanted the back gardens to be more naturalized, just for sitting and relaxing.....it's a series of garden rooms with the focal point being our garden shed- AKA our Covid project.  We totally took advantage of home improvement delivery services!

Our once and future back gardens

it all started with a handful of azaleas......

our "breakneck" hill became garden steps 

the garden "shed" was our Covid project

a magical spot in the evening

We built our shed during C O V I D, then I was benched with incapacitating back problems, got better and then the next spring was once again out of service due to life altering SHINGLES (seriously, if you're over 50, GET the vaccination!)   Add all this into regular life, and I'm just now able to lift my head up get back to the business of living- this made me realize how much I missed blogging and the connections it offers.  So, long story short; I'm back!