Whats Growing in the Gardens of This Old House

  I saw a picture of a glass mushroom garden on FB a while back, and decided to put something similar together in a bland area of our perennial border.  So… I went to the junk antique places along the shoreline and found a bunch of old glass bowls and vases to construct my own “mushroom” garden.

Do you spy the oddity?
Come closer….
I crazy-glued the bowls to the upside-down vases and then “planted” them about an inch
into the soil.
This one is my favorite, I love the edge on this pretty bowl.
$5. at the thrift shop.
My husband thinks it’s tacky, but I love it.
A really easy, cheap, simple way to dress up any corner of your garden in a unique way.
Lets take a walk in the drizzle….
Now in it’s third year, the perennial borders around the backyard are really taking hold
and multiplying. This spring I added a rock border as an edge to clean it up some.
I’ve potted some plants at the door to the shed…
and the rose bushes and peonies around the little greenhouse are thriving.
Connie… should I be cutting these rose bushes back some or let them go wild?

I had to treat the peonies for ant infestation, for some reason ants love peonie buds.

The greenhouse is empty now that all seedlings have been planted outdoors…
Mike has given the tomato plants much more room to grow this year.
He’s learning as he “grows”… I am so very proud of the farmer he has become.
When I met this man, he wore pristine white sneakers and gold jewelry,
having grown up in the city of West Haven and then a preppy suburban town on the shore.
On our very first date, it was May 5th, 1987, I don’t know why I remember that…
I saw those perfectly clean white sneakers, his perfectly clean Z28 and that gold jewelry
and said to myself…
 uh  oh.
HOWEVER… as time rolled on…
 I like to think I countrified him.
 His love for growing things and enjoying and working the land
has made my love for him grow deeper.
Who woulda thunk it.
If he’s reading this, he’s looking a little incredulous right now
at my blatant display of  unabashed and public affection, right dear? 
In the background of the above picture are onions, lettuce, basil, parsley, oregano and garlic.
These are my Italian Ice tomatoes… they are white!
I’ll let you know how that goes.
Out in the big garden we’ve got tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumber,
and string beans, peas in the background.
We learned the hard way that raspberry bushes produce every other year.
So the pruning we were doing was ruining that years crop.
Considering four years ago we took this old house down and put her back up,
we’ve come a looong way, baby. The yard is starting to fill in again, and look lived in,
it’s a beautiful thing.
Starry night Viola I have near the birdbath… it’s one of my favorites.
The knockout roses around the foundation of the house are very robust this year.
I over-fertilized them last year and almost killed them.
We Learn as we Grow.
Hopefully we Grow as we Learn.  
Isn’t that the truth in all things life-related.
Bailey and Frasier agree.

29 thoughts on “Whats Growing in the Gardens of This Old House”

  1. You and your husband have worked so hard to bring your big beautiful house alive. I know the neighbors must marvel at all you've done to the place! Beautiful flowers. I just took some photos of violas at the park. Sweet hugs!

  2. Your house is so huge it sometimes makes me gasp.

    Karen, would you mind if I steal that MUSHROOM IDEA??!! I love it to the moon and back.

    Everything looks lovely!

    so sweet what you said about your husband

  3. Oh – and I know nothing, literally nothing, about plants or flowers, but don't the ants actually help the peonies open their buds? I remember that from my country days. Every year I looked forward to the peonies and I remember my wasband telling me that the ants did their work to open up the buds. We had ants on those peonies every year.

  4. Love love love the mushrooms. When I get a yard, I'm going to have to steal your idea. You have such a beautiful house, beautiful gardens and flowers! Thank you for sharing!

  5. Your gardens are just beautiful! Funny, I always think of Connie when I'm tending my two…now three rose bushes. And your violas are simply gorgeous. Lots of hard work has yielded a beautiful home and garden.

  9. I have photos of a garden from a tour I took last year … the owner had glass mushrooms in a 'knot' garden made of wine and beer bottles. I loved it, but The Husband wasn't into it. Oh well.

    The answer to your rose question is, "It depends." Which roses are these? If they're supposed to creep and crawl, then they're good. Contrary to what we have been taught through the ages, cutting roses back does nothing for their health. It's all done to keep them within the bounds of our esthetic and the available space. Since these look like they've already begun to set buds, I'd leave anything you do till after the flowers fade. PM me and we can help you decide on a plan.

    I envy your veggie garden. Roses are my gardens … I get veggies from friends who grow them.

  10. Karen-Everything is looking so beautiful and green and oh-my- wonderful! I just love what you have done with your homeplace. It is marvelous. Kudos to your hubby for loving it, too. I'll bet he smiled as he read it- xo Diana

  11. I love your little glass mushrooms! And every time I see your house and gardens I think to myself that those who lived and worked there before you, many years ago, must be smiling down upon you guys with a huge grin!

    Kat

  15. The house, the gardens, the flowers are all just beautiful!!! And I adore your quaint little mushroom garden…I don't think they're tacky at all. Rather ingenious really! I'd like to know the answer to your rose trimming question as well. My mom could always grow the most amazing roses. Seems like they were always thriving, but me, not so much. Mine look spindley and wild and the roses are small and substandard at best. As far as ants on peonies, my mom always said that ants on peonies were vital and were needed to help the flower open. She said never remove ants from the peony! I don't know, but my mom's peonies were magnificent too. We definitely do learn as we grow don't we? Hopefully we grow as we learn too. Happy Spring!!

  16. Grrrr – 2nd time I'm commenting as the first disertation didn't save!!!

    How come your catmint didn't fall "in". The rain did it to mine. I need to give it a good haircut like last year and it will mound in a few weeks from now – but until then? Boooooo.

    Also – what is the name of those beautiful purple flowers near your "mushrooms"?

  17. Karen, I LOVE the mushrooms and I could totally do that and not risk killing anything!!!

    About the peonies, here's what I've read:

    Do not try to get rid of the ants on your peonies. This is a natural and temporary activity. It is believed that peonies produce small amounts of nectar and other ant attractants to encourage ants to help in opening the dense double flower buds found in many peonies. The ants may be found covering certain varieties and avoiding others, this is totally normal.
    Once the buds have opened the ants will disappear – also normal.
    Some people think ants are REQUIRED to open the flowers, but this does not to appear to be true.
    It seems a debatable question whether ants are beneficial or harmful. I think they are neutral.
    Should you spray a pesticide to get rid of the ants? That is a definite no. Since the ants are not harmful and some pesticide residues are harmful, why endanger yourself, the plants or the peony's pollinator (good insects) with poisonous sprays?
    Just don't spray.
    Instead just enjoy the unique interaction of ants and peonies; an evolutionary effect thousands of years in the making and posing no problems in the long run.

  18. Oh my gosh- those mushrooms- seriously caught me off guard till I saw the close up. Totally adorable. All of your plants and flowers look so pretty and definitely are filling in. Its that last shot that sent me over the edge!

  19. Oh WOW! You guys really have it going on. So pretty. And, I love the mushrooms. What's funny about that is today I took photo's of two bowls that came from my grandmother's house. 🙂

    LOVE EVERYTHING!!

  20. Oh my Karen, the size of that garden is awesome. Every little thing looks lovely, and I really love the mushrooms! What a great idea!

  25. Your mushrooms are just beautiful! I've never seen them before.

    Around here they made hillbilly wine glasses. Glue pint fruit jars to candle holders from the dollar store!

    Only in Missouri!

  26. I love your glass mushrooms –Quirky and I always love glass! My hubby thinks my gazing balls are tacky, but I have a real affinity for them for some reason! Like it's an enchanted garden or something!
    V

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