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Saturday, May 3, 2014

Fuchsias, Fuchsias, and More Fuchsias


Brace yourself because spring has sprung and it’s time to start sharing the flower photos.  It reached 98 degrees here at our Oregon Coast home last Wednesday – too hot to work in the garden, but I couldn’t bear to go inside, so I spent a good part of the day lounging in the cool grass under the cherry tree simply enjoying the garden view and making plans for improvements.  In the morning I went flower shopping and came home with lots to fill the pots, but they’re just babies still, waiting for me to plant and fertilize them this weekend.  Grow, babies, grow!  To get a head start on the color I brought home a few fuchsia baskets.

The first is shown hanging in the shade of the red willow leaf maple in the bed alongside the house.  There’s a transplanted azalea blooming in the foreground.  It’s a little loose and open still after having been split into four pieces during the transplant.

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A couple of close ups of its pretty pink blooms, tinged with violet.

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This pot is hanging from the cherry tree.

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I don’t even have words for how beautiful these are.

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Below is the beginning of the backyard beautification.  I’m not sure how far I’ll get with that this year, but I’ll do my best.  Keep in mind it is the dog yard and utility area.  In fact, the windows you see here are part of the deck enclosure which was modified especially for Wally when he was a puppy.  The entire back yard was landscaped just for him, and now, of course, he shares it with LuLu.  It’s safe and clean, completely fenced in.  The basic structure of the landscape is beautiful, but there aren’t enough blooms for my satisfaction.  Stay tuned. . .  For now, I’ve started with the fuchsia baskets.  They’re hung low so they can be watered easily and won’t bang into the windows when the wind blows.  There’s another hanging higher at the head of the stairs.  You can see LuLu there, too, and a few fading blooms of a rhododendron.

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See the knot hole in the fence beyond the basket?  Wally and LuLu’s Chocolate Lab friend, Tori, lives over there.  LuLu is always trying to stuff toys through the hole for Tori.


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Sorry, no doggie photos today, but there will be plenty of those later.  These sunny days do bring out the camera!  I hope you have a lovely weekend, and for those of you still waiting for spring, take heart – it will come soon!

14 comments:

  1. Your flowers are gorgeous..

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  2. Now that is a beautiful idea hanging the flowers low... Love how they show up with the nice new Yellow paint.... it's Lovely!
    Can't wait to see more and of course Wally and LuLu too!!!

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  3. Leslie, thanks so much for sharing your beautiful flower photos. I'm so envious of all your lushiness in your gardens. Spring is hear,(high 40's low 50's) lots of rain, no sun all week, buds are starting to pop but that's it. Rain until Monday, hopefully after that we will see some warm sun and the gardens will continue to grow. Your fuchsia baskets are absolutely gorgeous! enjoy your weekend.

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  4. Oh this does my heart good like a medicine! I've been so sick the past 2 weeks. I came down with acute bronchitis and although I've taken all my meds I can't seem to shake it. Going back to the doctor next week. So these photo's are like a drink of colorful vitamin water. I'm so inspired now to find a spot in our small garden for one of these beautiful ladies. I've always thought the petals looked liked beautiful evening gowns. We have some rose bushes, an azalea and several barberry bushes to plant today. I need some planters for the patio too. Have a wonderful weekend my friend. I've so enjoyed your beautiful cards this past week. They have been absolutely gorgeous.

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  5. love your pretty flower shares, Leslie - they are beautiful - we cannot grow those here, so I appreciate seeing them in your lovely garden. xo

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  6. Every time I see photos of your yard it reminds me of some lush tropical getaway that you would have to pay tons of money to visit! It is SO gorgeous! I just want to pull up a chair & sit in the middle of it with a glass of lemonade or tea & soak it all in. We are finally getting buds on the trees and some trees are flowering, but nothing beyond that yet. And today, I think the sun is actually going to shine after a week of gloom & rain! Thanks for sharing your bit of heaven!

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  7. Beautiful! Thanks for sharing so that those of us in Southern California can appreciate lushness that we will never have! Enjoy your haven.

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  8. All we have blooming in our yard is the Iris's. They smell like grape candy. Gorgeous baskets you have their and I just love the purple and white ones, hadn't seen those before!!

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  9. Everything looks lush and gorgeous.

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  10. Wow, beautiful is right and such lush vibrant colors! Can't believe you had such high temperatures this early in the season, we trying to get to 70!

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  11. I love seeing your garden photos Leslie. So beautiful.

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  12. I always love seeing pictures of your flowers and beautiful yard. Thanks so much for sharing them. I can't imagine it being "too hot!" We have finally warmed up to sweatshirt weather! :) Actually, it's been a tad warmer than that, but not much.

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  13. Oh Leslie, what a gorgeous start to your garden. Love, love, love those fuchsias! We are behind you in our growing season. We barely have tree buds. Our garden is beginning to show signs of green and they are NOT all weeds! LOL Thanks for another sweet visit to your peaceful hideaway~

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  14. Oh my goodness! Those are stunning! I made the mistake of buying 2 of those before knowing how to care for them. I've read that you can plant them in a big pot and train them to grow up almost like a tree. I'd love to do that and have one out on my patio.

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