Preserving peonies

Show and Tell Friday:
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

My garden contains many pink and white peonies. I love them above all other flowers. I also grow sweet pea and iris which are also my favorites.

Peonies have such a short life span and I often cut them and make arrangements. As they get older I hang them upside down ( makes the color stay in the petals better) and dry them.

I then reuse them in December in one or two of my smaller Christmas trees or in garlands I place over doorways. The pinker the peony the prettier it dries. The raspberry ones that are sort of striped look great dried.

Have a Pink day!

Mud pit is now a flower bed- Wow Us Wednesday

Last week when the landscaper men came a month early and dug up our lawn in the back garden I had a real mud pit--because it rained the next day.  We ran out and bought annuals just to fill it in and add some pink color! I have more peonies and iris on the way and foxgloves coming too. We planted for 2 days- all pink or white flowers. Cleome, foxgloves, speedwell, pin cushion flowers. It was a lot of work but I love it and we no longer have to worry about that patch of grass that will never grow. I had fun pretending I was Marie Anotinette creating her little farm gardens.Pink Boy was an excellent garden helper.

I'm joining in on Wow Us Wednesday at Savy Southern Style:

http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

Have a Pink day!

Gibbs Gardens tour--Ballground Georgia

Japanese gardens usually have a gate/arch like this

Places to sit and enjoy the views

We had the pleasure of a visit to Gibbs Gardens in Ballground Ga. about 1 hour North of us. Mr Gibbs-- of the landscaping firm of same name --has created a wonderful garden that he delights in sharing with visitors. He always knew he would open it to the public someday. It is so serene and he has done such a wonderful job of making every view a pleasing one.

As you know if you read this blog I am in love with Japan-- the gardens there and arts and culture. This is the largest Japanese garden in the United States. He traveled to Japan to learn how to create an authentic one.

A visit is a good walking workout. You walk about 2.5 miles total to see everything. They have a bloom guide and you can plan your visits to see different things in bloom throughout the year. I can't wait to return to see roses and rhododendrons in bloom.

Have a Pink day!

Happy Pink Saturday Please join Beverly at How Sweet The Sound:

http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

Well this is not the post I thought I was going to do but the new changes to Blogger have me confused and angry. WHY do they always change- I hate Google Chrome hate new changes to blogger.

The above two rooms are dream rooms for me serene and pink I need to be in one of them now since I am so steamed with the lovely Microsoft people.

Have a Pink day!

Mud pit

The good news is the landscaper guys came early. The bad news is that the landscaper guys came early! Then we had a lot of rain. The sprinkler system is whacked out now for some reason so our side path with flower walkway is also a mess.

We have a lovely mud pit in the back garden. We had them dig 6 inches down so I could plant more peonies and iris and other things in the two garden beds when you walk into the garden from the gate. Pink Boy will lay a stone walkway between the two beds and no more grass to mow in that area--we had trouble growing grass there so I said lets just make bigger beds and forget the grass ! Pink Boy liked that idea.

I had friends invited for weekend garden lunch but have had to post pone it. Pink Boy will be putting the stones down and it will take him most of weekend. the soil comes today I hope they show up. I will post another shot when it is finished and I have some plants in.

This should be our last major garden change. Then we will save up for a iron entry gate.

Have a Pink day!

Babies at our house

They like to sleep squashed toegether on the swing

It is Show and Tell Friday at Cindy's:

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Our finches had babies and we now have 4 from the first clutch They are doing well and learning to eat. We have another clutch coming along--not sure how many in that one and if they are multicolored or white.

They are fun to watch. Even our big male canary helps to feed the babies. I will be giving them away to good homes. We have had the finches about a year now ( 3 pair) and I have taken over 100 eggs out of the nest boxes. I forgot to check before Easter week and next thing we knew we saw little white bird heads in a nest box!

Does anyone local to me want a few?

Have a Pink day!

Spring in Paris means new flavors

Spring has arrived in Paris!

How can you tell? Is it the green grass, is it the sun shine, non-- it is the new flavors of macaron

Pierre Herme one of my favorite pastry shops has new flavors out

How I wish I could sample them!

Have a Pink day!