Special Moment of Gratitude...

Thanksgiving has always been a special celebration.

 (Garden tour of Woodcrest Daylilies, PA)
But this year, my blessings runneth over.

As a gardener, I am forever grateful for the nourishing sunshine,

precious rain,

bright stars,

 and even that magical Super Moon,

 all somehow working together to create that perfect bloom...on any given day.

 It does not matter that I'm out there from sun-up to sun-down

or how back-breaking the work is at times,

gardening just speaks to me, my soul,
and I find the whole process completely fulfilling.

So...

it just makes perfect sense that I take my love of growing flowers to the next level.

Creating beautiful, one-of-kind bouquets with my heart and hands...for you!

Here's to a new and exciting flower journey. 
I am ready!

THANK YOU, Garden Visitors

Happy November 1st! 
Now that the landscape season is behind me, I'll (hopefully) be able to devote
a little more time to the blog.  Long overdue is this post to thank all the lovely friends
who made time to visit my open garden this summer.

We were certainly blessed with 4 days of perfect sunny weather.

A lot of sweat and happy tears went into getting the garden show-ready
for her first official AHS Display tour.
It's a good thing I work well under pressure!

Friends from all points of NJ/PA made the trek to 'speak plants'...
my favorite language!
Most were seasoned gardeners but some were completely new to daylilies.

Though a week or two shy of peak daylily blooms,
there were still tons of companion plants to enjoy.

Armed with cameras, some friends stayed for hours
while others even made return visits...yay!

 Can you believe that the furthest traveler came all the way from California?! 
Good thing Kari fit in a visit with her mom and grandma, too....haha!

There's something very sexy about a man who enjoys gardening...don't you think?

How adorable are these sisters?  When I asked what their favorite flower was,
both chimed "snapdragons!".  Future gardeners for sure!

 And how great was it to hear that my garden inspired this
father/son team to rush home and create new garden beds.
I LOVE that!

All in all a very successful first tour....cheers!

I can't wait to do it again next year.

Where Did It Go?

I blinked and the summer is gone!  How did that happen? And it seems the older I get, the sand passes that much faster, through the hourglass.
Daylily below: 'Tar and Feather'

Preparing for that first 'AHS Display Garden' tour was so exciting and,
so overwhelming!
'Primal Scream'

What was I thinking...offering three weekends of tours?!
'Shake the Mountains'

It's a condition known as "when desire surpasses your ability"
...a bad habit of mine!

 'Meerkat Manor'

But the hard work paid off and garden never looked better,

so it was a great success! 

 'Purple Umbrella'

  What a pleasure it was to share my love of gardening and
visitors were amazed by the many forms and colors found in daylilies.
'Carmen Renee'

'El Desperado'

 

'Unchain My Heart'

'Night Embers'

With the season winding down and some free time to reflect,
I'm already planning changes for next year's tour.
'Ferengi Gold'

Because my best garden will always be next year's garden. 
It's a never-ending cycle...huh?
'Creature of the Night'

Thanks for stopping by, friends. 
Hope you enjoyed this quick walk through the daylilies. 
Next time, I'll share the lovely faces of garden visitors.

Big News!

There comes that certain time in Spring when the weather is just oh-so-perfect
and we can finally get out there and garden to our heart's content.

The last two weeks have been that time for me.  I finally felt that shift in the air (and in my bones), allowing me to work 10-hr.days yet still find enough adrenaline to keep going.  Day in and day out. THIS is what we waited all winter for...right?!

Of course, it never fails that the more I accomplish, the more I STILL need to do, and it
becomes a vicious circle...but that's the nature of gardening, huh?

Believe me, I am not complaining!  Since the installation of the deer fence (see last post), tulips have taken center stage in my garden in Springtime!  April and May have never been more beautiful, and using my creativity for color combinations has been crazy fun!

And, come summer, growing daylilies has taken on a whole new level!  So overjoyed with last year's display that I dared to apply and receive approval to become a Display Garden for the American Hemerocallis Society.   What an honor!

My collection of daylilies have grown quiet a bit plus many new companion plants.

 Yes, I know I have my work cut out for me but I am ready!

Bring. It. On!

 If any of my blogging friends are within driving distance, please come visit me! 
Dates will soon be announced.

Thanks for stopping and Happy Memorial Day!

Best Garden Gift...Ever!

Investing as much time, energy and MONEY as I do in my garden, the worst outcome would be not seeing and enjoying the fruits of my labor, right?

 And living in deer country sure makes that an ongoing challenge!

An existing 6ft. fence did nothing to deter those pesky four-legged buggers!  They instinctively knew when the daylily buds were at peak flavor.  Grrrr!!!

Then my life changed on August 14, 2014.  The day of the 8ft. deer fence installation!

The back half (of an acre) was now completely safe to plant to my heart's desire...
what a glorious feeling!

 Kudos to "The Fence Co." for a job well done!  The distance between posts are about 20ft. and there's even a 10ft. double gate to allow trucks for soil/mulch delivery.  The family room's view of the corner braces took a bit getting used to...I don't even notice it anymore!

 These mounds of goodness were delivered a week before the fence...I was too excited to wait!  My daughter and friend are smiling because it was the easiest $20/hr. job ever...and boy, did they take their time!

 Fast forward to July, 2015, and this is what the mound of soil looked like.  We still see deer in the yard, but on the OTHER side of the fence...peering in with big eyes and mouths watering..HA!

 Several more truckloads of soil have been added since this bed.  

And I have another big piece of news to share in the next post, so....

Stay tuned...
Have a great SUNday, friends!