June Blooms In My Garden

My daughter, son-in-law and all my little grand babies are arriving this Friday for a week 4th of July fun, so I thought I'd better write and preschedule some posts before they get here.  Because of that, you get the blessing of actually having my monthly garden updates done on time for a change.  It's also pouring rain outside right now, so I have plenty of extra time to blog.

This year, my peonies were amazing.  I mean, peonies are always amazing, they are a no-brainer, fail-safe plant.  But some years, the weather really does havoc on them.  No matter how well you stake them, a strong storm can completely destroy a peony bush.  This year, Mother Nature was kind to us and left my peonies alone for the most part so we could actually enjoy them a little while longer.  I did get one thunderstorm towards the end of my peony blooming season that did knock them over, but thankfully I got plenty of time to enjoy them before that happened.

Peonies

I have a huge variety of peonies in all different colors, bloom type, and time of blooming.  This white one is a single bloom peony, which I absolutely love.  Just look at the size of those blooms.  Unfortunately, it is growing in the shade so the blooms are getting less and less every year, but it's still blooming.  Originally I did plant it in the sun, but trees got bigger and now it's mostly in full shade.  I'm thinking I should probably move it this fall and I hate to do that because peonies have such a long, extensive root system and are so hard to move.  You can also set the plant back a few years when you move it, and I can't bear the thought of not having any of these gorgeous white blooms next year.

This is the standard pink peony most people have.  I have this beauty all over my yard because it has been moved and divided multiple times.  Hmm, maybe moving a peony bush isn't such a bad idea after all. 😀

Here's another of the same peony in a different location.  I think I made six plants out of one peony bush.

I love this dark, rich, burgundy peony.

And this hot pink peony is my favorite of all...and this one was moved too!  It was on my southern hill but hubby had to rip it out to fix the retaining wall so I moved it to my front yard where it could be a real show piece.  The yellow marigolds in the foreground really go so well with this peony because of its neon colors and yellow centers.

My next peony is also very bright, but not quite as bright as the one above.  It's also getting too much shade and probably needs to be moved to a sunnier spot.  I really love it where it is  because I can see it from my kitchen window. 

Iris

Unlike my peonies, my iris' didn't do as well this year.  I had a few blooms, but nothing like I have had in previous years.  I have no idea why.  I know you need to divide iris every few years to get more blooms, but I don't think that was the issue.

Spireas & Weigela

Everyone keeps telling me the honey bees have disappeared, but I think I found them all in my yard.  I was walking past this bush and heard so much buzzing I had to check it out...it was loaded with honey bees!

I have so many spirea bushes in my yard.  I love the white one above, but the rest are a nuisance to me.  They are beautiful bushes, but they reseed everywhere.  I am constantly pulling out unwanted bushes.

I bought this Weigela bush last year and couldn't be more pleased.  First of all, the deer do not touch it, unlike a Viburnum bush I purchased at the same time.  I have to cover the Viburnum bush with deer netting to keep the deer from devouring it.  Secondly, just look at those blooms!  Gorgeous! And when the bush is not in bloom I still have that beautiful burgundy foliage to contrast against all the green in my yard.  I can't wait to see this bush get bigger.

Spring Bulbs & Perennials

I love Allium bulbs!  They are so beautiful, and deer resistant.  I saw some Alliums blooming on the other side of my fence line and I couldn't believe it.  I always toss my garden waste over my fence and into the woods.  There must have been some Allium bulbs in there.  I find it amazing that they planted themselves and bloomed on their own in the woods with no help from me.

Dames Rocket is a natural perennial you will find growing along the roadside in the spring.  I planted some seed in my garden and it has been sprouting up everywhere since.  It grows in the woods on the other side of my fence too.

My perennial Geraniums are getting crowded out.  I have these in bloom and white, but their blooms are getting less and less because they don't have enough space.  I really need to give them more room.  It's just getting hard because when you've been gardening for over 27 years in the same spot, things really get big and start to take over.  I'm running out of room; and no, I don't want to start a new garden bed.  I have enough already. 😁

Goatsbeard.  After I took this photo I saw a huge weed in the center.  Can you spot it?  Don't worry, I have pulled that baby out since the photo was taken.  It's amazing how camouflaged it was.

Columbine with yellow iris in the background.  Usually deer eat the Columbine before I can enjoy it.  We've actually had very little issues with deer this year compared to previous years. 🤞I'm wondering if a hunter got them last fall.  

Loosestrife, growing in deep shade...isn't that amazing?  So few things grow in deep shade.

Astilbe.  This is another plant I rarely get to enjoy because the deer like it to much.  Thankfully, I got to enjoy it this year.  Perennial Bachelor Buttons are behind the Astilbe.

Yellow Primrose, also being overcrowded by day lilies, Asiatic lilies, and Lamium, but it appears to be doing well in spite of the crowded conditions.

Landscape Photos

Last month I didn't show you any far away shots because my yard was such a mess due to a construction project.  The construction is still going on, but I can show you some parts of the yard.  I never feel landscape photos do my garden posts justice.  There never looks like there is any color, and even though this is a very green time of year, I can assure you there is a lot in bloom right now too, you just can't see it when you pull the camera back.  But the lush green looks gorgeous in the landscape photos too.

You can see some of the construction in the photo below.  Hubby's putting in a new staircase and retaining walls.  We also started a blueberry garden right in the center, but haven't had time to edge it and landscape it with rocks.

And before I leave I have to show you my new sign!  There is a story behind this sign.  When we bought our house 27 years ago, my husband built this little garden at the end of our driveway with the intention of putting a sign here.  Well, for one reason or another, we never got around to getting a sign up.  So this past Christmas I surprised him with a custom made sign from RealSteel.  Hubby made the white wood sign, and then adhered the steel name sign to it.  It has the date we purchased our home on it too, but you can't see it in the photo because the hosta is covering it.  Next spring, I'm gonna dig that hosta out of there so everyone can see the date.

 I hope you enjoyed my June Garden Tour. 

 Have a Happy 4th of July!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

The Courthouse, Raleigh Tavern, and Merchant's Square in Colonial Williamsburg

This is the fifth post of a new travel series.  In this series, we are headed east starting in Wisconsin and going all the way to Virginia to see the home of George Washington and Colonial Williamsburg.  To start at the beginning, go HERE where  we stop in Indiana to celebrate Easter with my daughter, son-in-law, and our grandchildren.

After our tour of The Capitol, it was time to see how more justice was administered in Colonial times so we were off to The Courthouse!

                              The Courthouse

Touring the Courthouse is a different experience than touring any other building in Colonial Williamsburg for it is here where the tourist is not just a spectator, but an active participant.  Before entering the Courthouse, tourists are selected to assume certain roles in an actual court case from the 1700's.  It is all voluntary, whoever is not selected gets to sit in the courtroom and just observe;  which is what my husband and I decided to do.

The roles assigned to those who volunteered to participate were the justice, the attorney, the litigant, the petitioner, and the defendant.  

Once everyone was seated, we heard two cases from actual records from the courthouse during the 18th century.  It was a really fun learning experience!

 

The Courthouse was built between 1770-1771.  There were two small rooms on either side of the courtroom, otherwise this large building was just one courtroom  right in the center of the building.

They had some stocks right outside the courthouse, but it was locked so you couldn't put your head through.

By now, we had seen all three highlights of Colonial Williamsburg:  The Palace, The Capitol, and the Courthouse so we decided to just stroll through the beautiful streets to see what other buildings were open.

Presbyterian Meetinghouse

My husband pretended to be a preacher at the Presbyterian Meetinghouse.

King's Arms Tavern

We stopped at King Arms Tavern which actually is a real restaurant but they told us they were all booked for the day.  You must need to book this restaurant in advance because it was still fairly early in the day when they told us they weren't taking any more reservations.

King's Arms Tavern is a historic tavern known for its authentic 18th century atmosphere, period-dressed servers, live music, and classical colonial cuisine. 

The Raleigh Tavern

Right across the street from the King's Arms Tavern is the Raleigh Tavern which was open for tours.

We had such a great tour guide.  She took us all through the lower portion of the tavern and explained not just the significance of each room, but the building's history, and how taverns were different than today.  Did you know a colonial tavern isn't a place that just serves alcohol but is also where one would get a bed and meal for the night?

The Raleigh Tavern has so much historical significance because it often became the meeting place during the early stages of the American Revolution.

The "Front Desk" of the Raleigh Tavern.  Apparently the bar came down if there ever some unruly customers.

We weren't allowed up on the second floor, but our tour guide did share stories of how people slept in hotels back in the day.  One did not get a room all to themselves, in fact, they didn't even get a bed to themself!  Guests would have to share a bed with a complete stranger, if they got a bed at all.  People also would sleep on the floor of a room, men and women together.  Women would not travel alone, so they would sleep on the side of the room with their male protector whether it'd be a relative or a husband.  Can you just imagine the horror of having to sleep in a bed with a complete stranger?  I cannot.  

After our tour of the Raleigh Tavern we headed back out onto the streets.  There were lots of little shops;  I especially enjoyed this sewing shop.  They sold actual material there with patterns from the 18th century.

Most of the shops sold the same items over and over again.  If you stopped in one shop, chances are the next shop would have the same things:  toy muskets, pewter, porcelain, small food and drink items, etc.  A few stores were specialty shops like the one listed above.  I also saw a jewelry shop.

Perhaps my favorite part of our wanderings in Colonial Williamsburg was discovering this garden.  Oh, what a joy it was to see so many beautiful flowers in April!!!  Back in Wisconsin, I only had daffodils in April.  This was incredible!

I love how the pretty flowers surrounded the vegetable garden.  And the white picket fence was just the cutest!

                                                                   Bruton Parish Church

We spotted a church and having a love for old churches we were excited to go inside.  Bruton Parish Church is an Episcopal Church that still has services today.  It is open to the public for viewing during non-service times, they do ask for a donation to walk inside and view the building.

Merchant's Square

Ok, by now, we're starving.  We haven't eaten since breakfast and kept running out of luck finding food to snack on in Colonial Williamsburg.  Thankfully, right outside of Colonial Williamsburg is "Market Square".  It is loaded with nice places to eat where you don't need a reservation, and gift shops.  It's the cutest place ever!  All the shops and restaurants have a colonial exterior decor. 

There are plenty of tables and chairs to enjoy dining el fresco!

After FINALLY FILLING our empty stomachs with food, we checked out the gift shops.

All the gift shops were so cute and they had quite the variety.  I'm just not much of a gift shop shopper so we didn't buy anything; we just looked around. 

If you're wondering where we ate, well we at the Mellow Mushroom!  I know, funny right?  Drive all the way to Colonial Williamsburg and instead of having a colonial eating experience we have pizza!  Well, the Mellow Mushroom is my husband's and mine favorite pizza place and we don't have any in Wisconsin, so when we travel, if we see a Mellow Mushroom, we are stopping there.

We had a dilly of time getting back to our car parked at the Visitor's Center.  We had to first find a shuttle bus stop and wait for a shuttle only to discover it completely full.  The people in line ahead of us said the bus before them was full too, so we realized we would probably never get a shuttle ride back to the Visitor Center and decided to walk all the way back!  We were pretty sore and tired by the end of the day. But at least now we had some food in our bellies to energize us to make the journey back.

I hope you enjoyed my last post of Colonial Williamsburg.  Next week, we are going to Yorktown!

For more information on Colonial Williamsburg see these posts:

The Governor's Palace

The George Wythe House, the Capitol, and More!

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!