life in la la land

life in la la land, originally uploaded by Abby - going camera shopping today!!!.

There are many ways to enhance a garden. Adding a picket fence is certainly one way to go. Earlier this year, I found ready assembled sections of picket fences at Lowes.

With the help of a good carpernter, and and a few buckets of white paint, my front yard was transformed into a cozy cottage garden.

Welcome to my little slice of paradise.

My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~H. Fred Ale

“They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.” ~ Tom Boddett, originally uploaded by Abby Lanes.

Meet some of my latest rose blooms. After adding a picket fence to my front yard, it was quickly followed with the addition of some pretty pink roses.



I'll share photos with the fence soon too.

“The heart has reasons that reason does not understand.” ~ Jacques Benigne Bossuel

Happy Pink Saturday!
Thank you Beverly at "How Sweet the Sound" for hosting.

Welcome to my flower blog. This week I'm taking you on a garden tour. First stop; my rose garden! The more I garden, the more I realize roses are my favorite flowers.

“The heart has reasons that reason does not understand.” ~ Jacques Benigne Bossuel, originally uploaded by Abby Lanes.

Earlier this year, I added new bareroot roses, and this is the first "pink" bloom on the new bushes.

Next stop... the area women's club hosts a yearly garden tour... and this home had a beautiful waterlily coy pond that ran right underneath the driveway.


The tour had five gardens, and the perfect mix of garden styles for the tour.


The cottage garden had this mullein verbascum album. It was quite frankly, the first time I had ever seen this flower. Thank you to my gardening friend Kate for the flower id. If you get a chance, visit her blog, it's packed full of gardening knowledge and beautiful flowers. http://www.katesmudges.com/


Finally, the last stop on our garden tour today, was taken at the flower fields in Carlsbad. There were so many ranunculas there, to focus on one seemed odd, but I thought it was fitting for our tour.


I hope you enjoyed your pink garden tour. Stop back soon, and you'll get the rest of the garden tour, and I'll surprise you with giant honeysuckles climbing the walls of a Spanish Villa. Until then, have a lovely Memorial Day weekend.

Cottage Garden Curb Appeal

"Cats never strike a pose that isn't photogenic." ~ Lilian Jackson Braun, originally uploaded by Abby Lanes.

Nothing is more relaxing to me than walking my dog through my neighborhood, and studying my neighbors "cottage gardens."


My home is a small 1950's ranch house, and as my rose and front yard wildflower garden grows and flourishes, it finally occured to me that I want a picket fence, and a coastal cottage curb appeal. Luckily, my neighborhood is filled with this cottage gardening style.


As my ideas for the the landscape design become solidified, I'll post before, during and after photos of my garden updates. I'm currently studying fencing, arches, and cottage garden accessories.


Meanwhile, enjoy the stroll through my neighborhood!

Wildflower Garden Experiment Update

all i need is a moment, originally uploaded by Abby Lanes (has Spring Fever).

My wildflowers are in full bloom. This is a macro photo of one of the pretty blooms.


This is the box of seed, and the flower's baby photos. :-) The box was $6 and yielded an entire wildfower bed beside my driveway, and around my rose garden.

A Good Day

Need to be uplifted today? Then click the title above... you'll be taken to an inspiring video that I just love.

"Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy -- because we will always want to have something else or something more." Brother David Steindl-Rast.

"As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death." ~ Leonardo Da Vinci

"As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death." ~ Leonardo Da Vinci
Originally uploaded by Abby Lanes

The dogwood tree brings back the Spring in my childhood memories. I found this tree in my parent's front yard in NC, while we were visiting family for Spring Break. I have long associated dogwoods with Easter. The four petals represent the cross, the marks on the petals, represent the nails into Christ's body. It's a wonderful reminder of the true meaning of Easter, and a gorgeous floral Spring tree.

This is a gorgeous old Southern home in my parents town. I thought the pink dogwood trees framed the home so beautifully!

The Flower Fields ~ Carlsbad, California

If you're anywhere near Southern California this time of year, and you're wild about flowers, the Flower Fields, in Carlsbad, are a must see! I must mention, if you like to shop, they're located right behind the Carlsbad Premium Outlet Mall, so you might want to stay a day or two.

As for the flower fields, I'll let the flower photos speak for themselves. Here's the website, address, and phone number. If you do visit, let me if you enjoyed yourself. I'm sure you will.

www.theflowerfields.com

5704 Paseo Del Norte
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(760) 431-0352

"April prepares her green traffic light and the world thinks Go."

~Christopher Morley, John Mistletoe

I'm dedicating this entry to my blogging friend Sylvia. When she talks about flowers that she loves, it seems that hydrangeas rank the highest.

Please check out her blog,"Sylvia Cook Photography" for some of the most gorgeous floral images you will ever see. If you click the title, you will taken directly to her blog, or you can cut and paste this blog address.

http://sylviacookphotography.blogspot.com/

These photos were taken at Roger's Garden, in Orange County, California. This store is a gardener's dream. and it feels like Disneyland for gardeners. They have displays like no one else. Their spring arrangements were stunning, as they included gorgeous birds nests with colorful eggs.

And of course, their fuchsia hanging baskets were simply irresistible.

Enjoy springtime. Everything is certainly blooming in Southern California now.

“Plants that wake when others sleep. Timid jasmine buds that keep their fragrance to themselves all day, but when the sunlight dies away let the delicious secret out to every breeze that roams about.”

“Plants that wake when others sleep. Timid jasmine buds that keep their fragrance to themselves all day, but when the sunlight dies away let the delicious secret out to every breeze that roams about.”, originally uploaded by Abby Lanes (on Spring Break!).

~Thomas Moore

The jasmine is blooming in my neighborhood. It's delightful.