This is the time of year when we love to be outside in the garden and we are in full outdoor mode! Now that the planting mania of May is finished, we can enjoy spending some leisurely time enjoying all the beauty. Summer flowers are coming into bloom and everything is alive with hummingbirds and butterflies.
June welcomes summer and brought us a nice harvest from our berry garden! We are a bit berry-crazy, planting so many bushes and plants, in addition to the existing garden and fruit trees on our property. Our freezer will be full of cherries, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. All those fruits will be turned into pies, jams, and desserts before the next season begins.
Mike's Garden Mike had a vision to create a new front porch landscape by replacing the mulched flower beds with river rock. He takes pride in well-manicured garden beds with natural features and materials. He started with rock edging and made the original bed wider and deeper. What separates a great landscape from an ordinary one is the use of rock. It brings out the beauty of the plants. He added 4 Weeping Spruce trees for height, and tons of plants and grasses. Beautiful flowering plants like Salvia, Bee Balm, Black-Eyed Susan, Hydrangea, and Quince are the major focal points. He used driftwood and boulders as interesting accents.
We are huge fans of rocking and swinging on our front porch. A cozy swing and rocking chair make this our favorite place to sit and drink our specialty coffees from the shop and enjoy the wildlife. (Jamaican Me Crazy is my fav!) An early morning birdsong can calm our whirring brains. I am struck by how peaceful and tranquil, yet energizing the atmosphere is here. It is just what we need!
Amber's Garden
Just beyond our backyard patio is a fabulous pergola that sits next to a hedge row of White Lilacs. This became the setting for the cottage garden I have dreamed of for years. The pergola is the main focal point and we are training Wisteria to grow over the top. A meandering pathway through the middle leads to a garden of all my favorite blooms. I wanted to create a soft, romantic feel using a color palette of only purples and pinks, pale blues, and white. I absolutely had to have bright, snowy white Iceberg Roses, Hydrangeas, and Peonies. Perfect for cutting! Along with towering Foxglove, Larkspur, and Hollyhocks. I filled in with Speedwell, Lavender, and Ageratum. Keeping the natural theme, we mulched this bed using pine needles from our pine trees. An old bench with chippy paint is a quiet place to sit and ponder. Mike cut some willow branches from our Weeping Willow tree so I could make an obelisk to support the Honeysuckle Vines. There are a few decorative elements around the garden- a birdbath, a couple rusty trellises, a metal swan, and a few boulders scattered about. Special touches like this really changed the look of our yard and we love it so much.
We really look forward to spending evenings on our patio. Solar lamps and string lights give it the perfect glow at night. Moving Flame Candles, fire pots, and tiki torches add another layer of lights. We burn Summer Nights Fragrance in our Lampe Berger to repel mosquitoes and keep other insects from bothering us in a safe, non-toxic way. After all, beautiful summer nights just beg you to spend some time under the stars.
With time, hard work, and patience we are so happy with how it all came together. We hope you are enjoying some fun, warm weather adventures with friends and family this summer!
Mike & Amber Hinton