Sorry for two garden posts in a row, but it’s a long, lazy weekend here (Canada Day is tomorrow), so I’m sure you won’t mind.

If you’ve been around the blog for any period of time, you’ll know first and foremost, I love my roses. At the old townhouse, I had crazy wild shrub roses that I had to wrangle and hack back every year (planted by some long-previous tenant). They were beautiful, but they took up the whole front and I had no room for anything else. When we moved  here five years ago, I was thrilled to have a clean slate to work with. One of the first things I did was buy some roses.

White roses are my absolute favourite and White Lightning was the very first rose I bought. Sadly, that first plant only last one year, so I was thrilled to bits to find it at the centre again this year. It’s in a different spot, where hopefully it will fare better. So far the blooms are beautiful. I wish you could  smell through the computer, because this one is amazing!

Next is Apollo. She was bought two years ago at a clearance sale. I didn’t have a car at the time, but I managed to bring her and another rose, as well as some large day lilies back home on the bus in my garden cart. It was quite the adventure that makes me doubly glad I have Dory now! As you can see, she’s a creamy yellow that’s just so soft and sweet. Sadly, her scent isn’t strong, but she makes up for it with beautiful blooms.

Scentimental was bought last year to replace Tournament of Roses (which had been bought with the 1st White Lightning, but died last year). I’ll admit, I was swayed by the pictures on the tag, showing scads of beautiful striped blooms. Sadly, this has not been the case for me so far. The first year, I only got two or three blooms and they were small and faded quickly (they seemed to only last a day.). This year, they are a bit bigger, but they still bloom and fade so quick. And despite the name, they don’t seem to have much smell. This one has been a bit of a disappointment, but I’ll keep nurturing it as long as it wants to grow.

Also added last year, was Ebb Tide. I’d been coveting it for a few years because of pictures of it’s dark purple blooms.  I had already bought my roses for the year (Scentimental and Home and Family) when I spied it at the Garden Centre near Mom’s. I had to have it. This year it’s doing well. The blooms start as a dark burgundy, and as they open, they take on more of a rich purple.  You may recall that about this time last year, the blooms on it turned bright pink. Well, I’ve been doing some research since then, and it appears as the weather gets hotter, the colour changes on this one. We’ve had such a cool spring that so far they are still nice and dark. But the heat and humidity has rolled in, so we’ll have to wait and see if they change.

And here’s a new one for this year – Honey Perfume! I wasn’t really planning on buying any roses this year. But then I saw White Lightning, and right beside it was this beauty. I was intrigued by the name ( I love roses with strong scents). And just look at that colour – they describe it as apricot, and it really is a gorgeous golden peachy orange. The scent isn’t quite as strong as White Lightning, but it is lovely. I really hope this one does well!

This dark beauty is Navy Lady. I bought it on clearance several years back, because of it’s colour and history. It’s my only shrub rose (the rest being Hybrid Tea, Floribunda or Grandiflora roses). It’s doing amazing this year and will soon be covered in dark red blooms.

And you all know my amazing Chicago Peace rose. It’s probably my most successful, and now oldest surviving rose. I chopped her right back this year so she’s a little slow to bloom, but the buds are there. She’s a Hybrid Tea and the blooms are HUGE on this one. Her colours range from bright pink to coral to soft yellow and all shades in between. Each bloom is a unique blend. She also blooms right through to October. She’s a bit of a show off and I love her!

Crimson Glory was bought at Walmart of all places, though she’s done fairly well. She was slow to start the first few years, not usually getting blooms until late summer. Though this year, she’s blooming right along with the other and looking fine. She’s just a nice, simple red tea rose. Nothing complicated!

There’s still to roses yet to bloom – Blue Girl, which is usually the first, and Home and Family, the white one I bought last year (because I couldn’t find White Lightning). They both have buds though, so it won’t be long.

You may remember back at the start of the month, I showed you the sunflowers I’d started.

Well they were getting to the point where I had to do something about them.

The original plan was to dig a new garden the entire length of the outside of the backyard fence (we’re an end unit and there’s a big chunk of green space between us and the block of townhouses beside us.) I was going to fill it with tomatoes and sunflowers and maybe a couple other veg. It was not to be this year, but I thought I  could at least dig one section of fence and put my sunflowers in.

I didn’t have enough beach rocks to outline an entire section, but I made it as big as I could.

And  that may look like a lot of sunflowers in a very small patch, but if you’ve ever started sunflowers from seed, you’ll know they are absolute squirrel magnets. I fully expect to lose at least half, if not more, to the furry fiends.

Here it is a week later. As you can see, the right side is already looking sparse. But I’ve got my fingers crossed they will leave me a few of each type. (There are a range of sizes and colours, I’m so excited!)

Elsewhere in the garden…

You may have noticed that I didn’t buy any snap dragons this year. That’s because my main garden centre doesn’t sell them, and I didn’t get over to the one that does. Snapdragons are annuals here in the Great White North, so they don’t normally come back… but by some miracle, this one did! I’m guessing it’s because it was in the shelter of the Chicago Peace rose. Regardless, I am happy – especially since it’s such wonderful, fiery colour!

The Delphinium are starting to bloom. Above are my purple and pale pink varieties, but I also have a brilliant blue which blooms a little slower. I had a solid white one, but it looks like I lost it over winter.

The lilies are just starting to bloom and first past the post is this gorgeous blushing trumpet lily. The lilies have really spread this year so I should have quite a show in a week or two.

A couple last-minute newbies were added this week as well. I actually stopped in at the centre’s clearance only to see if they had a Lavender plant left. Neighbour Krista lost hers this year, so I wanted to surprise her with a new one. Luckily they did, but these also followed me home. Top is a Heuchera (also known as Coral Bells or Foamy bells) in Honey Rose. I’ve wanted one for a very long time. They do well in shade and add a great bit of colour right to the end of fall. It’s in the front garden, and will help add some much needed fall colour.

Below on the left is a Sagifraxa (also known as London Pride), It’s a sedum-like plant that does well in part shade. Beside is a Sedum called Czar’s Gold. I had one last year, but it died over winter. Both are filling in spaces in the front garden. That area was filled with Hens and Chicks, but the darn squirrels keep digging them up and running off with them!

And finally, I leave you with the gnomes, who have taken up residence in their summer home in the tree garden. Honestly, next year, I think all that sedum is going to over-grow their summer home, but they can enjoy the space for now!

When I hung my suet and hummingbird feeders, I also got a little seed feeder that sticks to the glass of the back door. I was hoping I could entice the finches a little closer for better pictures.

It seems my plan is a success. Well… except for one big, fat, fluffy flaw…

Here’s another project that didn’t linger long enough in the project box to be cataloged in a post.

Last year when they had a big sale, I bought a pile of really cheap charm packs from Craftsy. This was one of them.

A cute collection of farm themed prints. Now the quilters out there know that just one charm pack (42 five in squares) won’t get you very far. But after making Sprite’s Garden, I was intrgued by the possibility of the nine patch star.

By adding a few more squares from stash fabric (the fried eggs, hearts on white, and strawberry prints), as well as the mottled green for the star points, I was able to get six of the nine patch blocks.

Add some ladybug sashing, a couple strawberry cornerstones and another fried egg border…

And you’ve got a nice lap-sized quilt top.

I have to say… when I bought that fried egg fabric (a remnant from the clearance bin) I had no idea what I’d use it for. I’d completely forgot about the charm pack and the fact that it had chickens on it.

I’ve got a nice chunk of plaid for the back, so I hope to quilt this one soon. The green from the star points will be the binding, making this a 100% stash quilt.

There’s only one problem I can see with it…

Every single chicken on the quilt is a rooster… so where did all the eggs come from???

And here we have another pair, done and dusted, and ready for the Christmas box.

Ethan’s feet aren’t quite man-sized yet, but they are close. His Mom said right now they have the same size feet, so for his pair I did 68 stitches around (instead of 64 as I’d do for his Mom), and knit them half and in longer before decreasing for the toe. This way there’s a little leeway for him to grow.

Like his brother’s pair, these are knit in Lion Brand Sockease. It’s not the softest (reminds me of Kroy and Regia) but I’m betting they will soften with washing and wear well.

Now that these are on, and knitting monogamy is still working for me, I’m going to continue on with my Christmas projects. Only maybe not socks this time… I’m feeling the need for something different.

Another quilt is complete!

You may recall I finished this one (Marseilles Stars) a while back, but I left it in Mom’s hands for the quilting. She’s been practicing some fancy stitchery and all that white space was just begging for a pretty design.

And as you know, my Mother never disappoints!

The back and binding for this one were both clearance bin finds, and I think they work pretty well. I love the little shamrocks on the back.

This one is a bit of and odd shape… long and narrow (about 48×70), but it’s the perfect size and shape for a couch quilt.

It’s going to be great when Dave cranks the A/C  and freezes me out this summer!

I’m not doing very well at this not spending thing….

Ok… let me explain. On several occasions, I’ve mentioned Lens Mills store. It’s our favourite place to get fabric at killer prices, and there’s one just five minutes from my house.

Well, every summer they have a big tent sale at select locations, including the one in Port Dover, which is only an hour drive from my house. Usually it’s just yarn, so we’ve skipped it the last few years, but this year the flyer said they were adding fabric…. including Fat Quarters at deep discounts.

Well my friends… you know Mom and I just had to make a play date and check it out. Last weekend, I picked Mom up early and we headed out in Dory. It wasn’t a huge selection of fabric, but I still score a nice little 10 pack of Fat Quarters for just $20.

No plans for this… just pure stash enhancement.

One of the other reasons I wanted to go was they also had  by the yard Free Spirit fabrics on for 50% off. I’d been eyeing Tula Pinks Pinkerville line for a while, and I wanted it see if I could get a piece or two.

Sadly, the Pinkerville wasn’t part of the sale. I wasn’t too upset, I didn’t really need to spend the money… but then while Mom was getting some fabric cut, I wandered over to a table of precuts… and wouldn’t you know it, they had Pinkerville in Fat Quarters and Jelly Rolls. And for some reason…. the Fat Quarter Bundles were $30 cheaper than the  jelly rolls… and way cheaper than anywhere else I’ve seen. You can bet your bottom dollar that bundle went right in my cart!

Like all of Tula Pink’s designs, the fabric is a crazy mix of bright colours. In this set there are unicorns, sea monsters, moths, swans, and fantastic florals.  I was thinking this would end up as a quilt for Rowan, but the more I look at it, the more I want it for myself.. even though I totally don’t need another quilt.

After Lens, we decided to take a side trip to a town near by – Waterford. It was just 20 minutes away, and The Quilt Junction  – a shop we’ve visited before – had some Civil War fabrics on sale that Mom wanted.

While Mom got those, I may have bought a few more Fat Quarter packs – but only because they would go so well with some backing flannel I had in the stash.

These sweet little foxy prints are just perfect for some Holly Hobby Fabric I had leftover from Relic’s mat.

And these sweet animals matched perfect with a dotty chunk of flannel I picked up from the clearance bin a while back.

Both packs will be turned into baby blankets some time in the near future.

And last… this wasn’t bought on our trip, but it arrived at my  door a day or two later….

Darn Bluprint had another darn sale on the clearance items. I’d been eyeing these oceans prints for ages. Finally my resolve wore down and I purchased several charm packs and enough of the whale print for the back.

The charm packs will be turned into a school of little fishes and sewn together into an ocean themed-top. I’m hoping to get a twin-sized quilt out of this one.

And now… my bank account really does need a rest…. I think I can, I think I can…

Sorry… no tour guide today… Peno was unable to break away from her 23-hour nap. Since she’s a senior kitty, we’ll give her a pass.

The Dianthans I showed last week are covered in blooms now. I always say, if you want bang for your buck, buy some Dianthans. They are small and compact, bloom like crazy and come back year after year.

The Foxglove have started blooming. The plants are much smaller than last year (probably our cooler spring) but I’m just happy they are here at all. I’ve had the hardest time getting Foxglove to come back so I’ll take small plants as long as I’ve got them.

By contrast, the Beardtongue is loving the cool, wet weather.  Just look at all those blooms!

The Blue Sage is starting to bloom, which means the Lavender won’t be far behind.

And the Pincushion plant is pretty in pink!

Last, but not least, it’s peony season! And they are gorgeous. I took three years to get blooms on my peonies, but it was worth they wait. They are wonderful.

… and the living is easy…

Peek-a-boo!