Books and Roses

I am participating in Weekword  this week, the word is Book. I have had a love affair with books every since I first begin to read. As I child, and still today, my favorite place to go is the library...such amazing richness can be found there and it is free to all.

Just being around books makes me happy, I like to have them in every room; I think they add a feeling of comfort and charm. These petit, antique books: the collected works of Charles Dickens, reside in my dining room on a little wall cabinet.  I inherited them from my Aunt Lily and they are not in very good shape, their leather bindings are worn and weathered but I love their crumpled appearance and the elegance I think they bring to the space.

I have paired these books with antique and Austin roses for your viewing pleasure...roses and books, what could be better... well, maybe the addition of a cup of tea.

rose: Madame Alfred Carriere

rose: Lady Hillington

rose: Heritage

Rose: Souvinir De La Malmaison

This post has been linked to: http://houseinroses.blogspot.com/, http://dittledattle.blogspot.com/, http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/, http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/, http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/, http://fishtailcottage.blogspot.com/ 

Who Says ~ Lilacs

Who says that we can't grow Lilacs in Southern California? As you can see from my new header, yes we can. Thanks to Descanso Hybrids a variety of Lilacs that apply enough, were bred at Descanso Gardens, a beautiful public display garden and house in La Canada, California. These lilacs, like some of the apple varieties I grow, do not need as many low-chill days to bloom. This year, perhaps because of the abundance of rain we  have had, they been performing beautifully. I picked the bouquet you see above on Easter morning, after taking this picture I took them to my Mother to enjoy. Now if some genius would only create a Peony that grew well and bloomed here I would be in heaven!

I had the following pictures left over after making the new header and I thought I would have fun editing them in Picnik using some of their textures and effects. I was very pleased with the results. In fact I consider the one with the butterfly to be the best image I have every captured. I find it so yummy that I could almost eat it with a spoon! Hope you like them too.

I forgot to mention what a lovely fragrance these have, they really do perfume a room ~ wonderful.




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Oh My!

                 Oh my goodness...what has happened to the garden! It looks like total destruction...

Has a hurricane blown through? No, we don't have hurricanes in California...

Maybe a tornado...but I don't think they happen much here either.

It almost looks like a huge giant thrashed through looking for something...anyone seen Jack? I had a feeling nothing good would come from those beans.

Oh my...what could it possibly be to cause all of this...

Aha! Why it is only the annual tree pruning at Rose Arbors. What a relief.

This is how the garden looked last week after the tree pruning and before all the trimmings were cleaned up, shredded, and dispersed. I am happy to tell you that and things are now back to normal.

And this is the little machine that helped take care of all the mess. (Thank you Tom, you did your usual artistic and excellent job...see you and your little friend again next year).

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Easter Greetings

Trumpet lily ~ front garden

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Down the Garden Path

Hello...would you like to take a walk with me down the garden path in the street-side garden. Spring is here, some of the roses are blooming, and there are some little friends to visit. If you get tired there is a  bench to sit on. I think that you will enjoy it. Let's go...don't you love the sound of gravel crunching under your feet. Caution! Don't pick the mushrooms, I don't think they would be good to eat.

I hope that you enjoyed this short visit and will come back again sometime and stroll with me down some of the other paths here at Rose Arbors. Each path has it's own unique look. Maybe next time you can stay longer and we can have a cup of tea. I hope that you have a wonderful day




This post has been linked to:  http://fishtailcottage.blogspot.com/, http://brambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/, http://www.theshabbychiccottage.net/, http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/, http://myromantichome.blogspot.com/, http://arosynote.blogspot.com/, http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

These pictures were edited in Picasa with effects and borders added in Picnik

Mr Farmer Bunny and Friends

Mr Farmer Bunny, the Easter Bunny's cousin and his friends are passing through my kitchen with some eggs for Easter morning. I guess they thought they should take along some freshly harvested carrots too...just in case they get hungry along the way. I didn't know that eggs grew on trees...did you?

I love this bunny with his cart, I don't remember where or when I got him. The other bunnies were collected throughout the years, I have lots of them, but this year I only put out a few. The little egg topiary is from the now defunct Pic and Save, they used to have great holiday decorations ~ I miss that store, Big Lots just isn't the same.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday.



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Plaisirs Simples ~ Dogwood

My little Dogwood tree is blooming! For those of you in other areas this might not seem so extraordinary but here it is very special. This little tree has struggled mightily to bloom in my inhospitable zone 9-10 garden.

I mail ordered it a few years ago because I think that Dogwood trees are very beautiful and although it's growth has been slow, it is now about four feet tall, every year it consistently puts out more and more blooms. This year, perhaps because of all the rain is the best yet, and along with my little friends that you see here I am enjoying each and every flower.

Do you have any plants in your garden that really don't belong there but you try to grow? I suffer from a bad case of Peony envy.  I keep hoping that someone will hybridize a Peony that requires less chill to bloom, but so far no luck. Oh how I long to have peonies

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Thank you Brambly

Last week I was so excited to find out that I had won the give-away at Brambly, Ann-Marie's very sumptuous, elegant, and lovely blog. On Friday when I came home from my gardening class this was waiting for me!

Inside was a beautiful book on English decorating, Perfect English, by Ros Byam Shaw and a deck of recipes for container gardens by my favorite gardening guru, P. Allen Smith.

The book is filled with the most beautiful pictures, with lots of good ideas to emulate and enjoy on all of the different English decorating styles.

The garden deck includes the instructions on making a variety of container gardens for the different seasons; on one side of each card is the completed container and on the other side, a list of plants and instructions for completing the project. Very cleaver!

Thank you Ann-Marie for your lovely gifts, I shall use them well. And for those of you that haven't yet visited Brambly you are in for a special treat, one of my favorite posts is on the play house in her garden. You can get there by clicking on here: http://bramblyhomeandgarden.blogspot.com/

Hippity Hoppity

The following post is a repost from last Easter, it is one of my favorites ~ I hope you enjoy it again too.

Here comes an Easter bunny family hippity hopping through the cabbage patch on the shelf  under the kitchen window. They are loaded down with pretty eggs to leave on Easter morning...I wonder where will they will hide them...? Oh! I see some under the cabbage leaves and some peeking out of flower pots. And just around the corner is another bunny friend to help. Lots of eggs still to go; what a big job!

I originally made the wreath in the window for the front door, but this year I put it in the kitchen. The bunnies were purchased a few years back at Costco; I think they are adorable. The cabbages are from my local 99 Cent Store. All of the little bunny eggs were from JoAnne's and the flower plates in the back were from Bombay Company ( boy, do I miss their store) Hope that you have a 'hippity hop-pity' happy day!