Lots of weird weather this spring. We had a day in March that reached 90 degrees and we've had some very cool days that didn't hit 50 in April. We finally got some much needed rain! We've been planting and making some updates/changes to existing beds.

 In the front we hung 3 window boxes and added a trellis with pyracantha. That poor pyracantha experienced the most severe transplant shock of anything I've planted in a long time. BioPlex, very expensive, but worth it, saved that shrub from totally giving in and dying. It took three treatments over three weeks and it is showing signs of life with some baby leaves popping out. I also cut it back a bit to help stimulate growth.

 We planted three new David Austin roses under the new crape myrtle on the side of the house. They shipped them very, very late (I was unhappy!) but they are finally leafing out. The westerland roses (orange on the trellis) are looking amazing this year. There are so many buds I think by this weekend that trellis is going to be covered in beautiful flowers. It is by far my favorite rose that I've planted. I really like that bright peachy color. The Christopher Marlowe roses in the front bed are also brimming with buds that are starting to open. They have such a pretty sharp pink with peach centers. As the flowers continue to open the pink fades to a softer color so it is sort of like getting 2 different flowers from one plant. Very fun!

 We added some small river rock around our raised garden beds in the back just to keep things neater and to make it easier to plant and walk in between the beds. We also added larger river rock between the new island and the older side bed. Our utility lines run right through there and nothing can be planted and I think they add a little something to the bed as well as allowing a clear path for utility workers for the future so they won't be tramping through the flower beds.

Here is the front of the house. It has been a long slog to get these beds not looking shabby and empty. At this point we really just need the hollies and boxwood to mature and fill in and the perennials to have another year to get excellent root systems in place to look their best. You can see roses, day lilies, lamb's ear, tulips, sedum, phlox, fountain grass and much more popping up. The tulips are especially gorgeous with a soft cream variegated with light pink.



I put in Little Strawberry Shortcake day lilies all along the row of japanese hollies in front of the garage and they are started to sprout up out of the ground. I am looking forward to seeing if their color is as intense and pretty as it looked in the Oake's catalog. We'll see!



Here is the south side bed that gets a ton of sun. I can't believe how vigorous and large these Westerland roses have gotten in one year. The clematis growing up in between is also looking very happy and gives a nice color pop. I don't remember what it is called but the flowers are large and purple. You can also see the bearded iris is getting ready to bloom. I've got woodland phlox in bloom and the spiderwort and the Bloomerang also look great. Our utility lines run through the middle of the bed and I am going to put in river rock and put a large planter with Joe Pye Weed in it to cover the view of the utility box. I think it will be really pretty.



We extended this south side bed to swoop out in front of the raised garden boxes. These boxes and the playlet beyond are easily viewed from the street and I thought it would be nice to my neighbors to provide a bit of screening. We put in a Natchez crape myrtle and I am going to be planting three David Austin roses in the bed as well. They are Lady Emma Hamilton, Grace and Carding Mill. All the perennials mixed in around the roses will be purple to contrast and include russian sage, salvia, catmint, lavender and some ornamental grasses. I threw in some dwarf evergreens for structure. The roses shipped yesterday so this bed will be completed in the next week.



This tree island in the back yard that blocks our view of our neighbor's garage and driveway has really come a long way. We have almost no back yard so we thought that trying to put in a solider row of narrow evergreens would actually visually make the problem appear worse. The usable space is limited so I'm glad we put in a dense, pretty island of larger trees and didn't try and save the extra 10 feet which in the long run really wouldn't matter much in terms of practical usage. The japanese maple is starting to leaf out and I am glad as it is my favorite garden purchase for this house. It is lovely. We put two adirondack chairs in the back to provide comfortable adult seating while the kids are being supervised on the play set.



North side of house, shade bed. Down near the railing the bed gets a good amount of afternoon sun so we have more plant choices. We added the skip laurels around the AC units last fall and added the trellis this spring. I planted a zepherine drouhin rose along with the gold flame honeysuckle for the trellis as I've read that particular rose is somewhat shade tolerant. I think it will get 6 hours of direct sun a day in the late afternoon so we'll see if that is going to be good enough.



This Korean Spice Viburnum is the best smelling flowering shrub of all time. It is worth having for the two weeks of spicy perfume it provides each spring even if it fades into the background after the flowering is finished. The vitex is starting to leaf out and really steals the show in the hot summer. All the day lilies are perking up along with the rudbekia, hosts, yarrow, balloon flower and so on.



We added wide center stairs off our porch this spring. We hired a super carpenter and he fabricated a gate system out of the pre-existing rail. We need it because we have very young children who cannot easily escape off the back porch. I am really happy with how they turned out and the entire railing/pillars need a new coat of paint to freshen them up.



-Jess

(Stealing the title from the exceptionally funny Bill Bryson book!)

My husband decided to try a new recipe last night. As he loves to cook this is not an unusual occurrence in our household. As I like to eat this works out well for me!

He made Salmon and Mojo sauce from the cookbook Tapas by Susanna Tee This has to be one of the tastiest sauces I've ever had. We liked it so well we were both dipping our bread and broccoli in it as well as using it for the salmon.

This is a Leopold's chair. To say it is comfortable is an understatement. Think of a baseball nestled into the well worn pocket of a glove. That's about how it feels to sit in this chair, which was designed by Leopold Stickley around 1930. His goal was to create for himself the most comfortable chair imaginable. Now, more than 80 years later, his chair is still popular. I found mine by accident. A couple of years ago I was in a furniture store on December 28th. I was in the market for two upholstered chairs for my living room. The kind woman who was helping me suggested that I sit in various floor models until I found a chair that sat well. From there I could pick chairs that were visually pleasing and would work in my living room. Then, I could select fabric. Well. I wandered around trying out various chairs. I saw the Leopold's chair and wasn't too struck by how it looked. Frankly, it seemed a little lopsided because the back is at an odd angle. Then, I sat in it. Mama mia! I knew then that the chair was for me. Never, ever in my long life had I sat in a chair that enveloped me in so much comfort. Knowing that Stickley furniture can be pricey, I inquired about the cost. The owner of the store came over and said, "This is a floor model. If I still have it in the shop on January 1, I'll have to pay taxes on the inventory. If you buy it today, I can give it to you at a great price, less than half the retail cost." I sat down in the chair again and put my feet up on the ottoman. And I did not want to get back up. The chair was truly that wonderful. Even the color of the fabric was a good match for my needs. Needless to say, the chair and ottoman came home with me. Every single day I sit in my Leopold's chair to read, look out the window, surf the web, or talk to visitors. But my secret has gotten out, so now I offer the chair to my friends when they stop by, and I sit in my other chair. It, too, is comfortable, but nothing like my Leopold's chair. My daughters both love the chair. In fact, I haven't met anyone who doesn't.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

2 cups Bisquick

2/3 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar

2 T melted butter

1 egg

1 cup blueberries

1. Mix Bisquick and sugar together.
2. Beat egg; add milk and melted butter and mix well.
3. Combine with dry ingredients.
4. Add 1 cup blueberries.
5. Sprinkle streusel topping on the tops of the muffins until all streusel topping has been used.
   

Line a muffin pan with cupcake papers. Add batter to each until 2/3 full.

Streusel Topping

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Pinch salt

½ cup plus 3 tablespoons flour (3 1/2 ounces)

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and warm

Combine sugars, flour, and salt. Mix in melted butter.

Bake in 400° oven for 20-22 minutes.