Blooming Wednesday

It's a blustery, cold day here in Lancaster County, PA. Not much new is blooming in the garden and hard to take photos of flowers blowing in the wind. I did manage to snap a few..

Ahhh... purple and green ... my favorite!
I love perennial cornflower.

I find this orange/pink snapdragon absolutely delicious!

A type of Alkanet or bugloss.

The front yard of our little cottage. I really need to paint it soon.

Should I stick with the same colors, white and sage green, or should I go with something different?

An English Daisy. Are these just called daisies in England?

My mom came over and we made these sand cast bird baths yesterday. Very easy! All you need is a bag of sand ($2.95), a bag of concrete ($3.95), plastic wrap and some large leaves. We used rhubarb because that is what I had but I would like to make them in summer with elephant ear leaves. Next I think I will stain the concrete green and seal them when they have dried. Here are instructions.

A work in progress photo of my newest painted pony. I resculpted the mane and tail. I wanted this dappled palomino to look like he just lept out of a fairy tale. Not sure what else I will paint on him.

Longwood

What a gorgeous day to look at flowers! Here are some beauties, up close and personal:)

I just love this sculpted concrete planter, I want to make one!

PS. I think this planter was made out of hypertufa - you can make it by following this link.

What's Blooming Wednesday

I tilled another garden.
I know, I just tilled one last week. I have indeed lost my mind. I had three areas that needed connected and then I added a little for more perennials. I also saved $50 from Christmas and bought a bunch of flowers I didn't have: a crazy daisy,  purple toad flax and an assortment of perennial salvias. Also found some great perennials on Craig's List for $1. What's a plant addict to do? Guess in another few years I can open up for tours:)

Here's what's blooming this Wednesday. What's blooming in your yard?

Lovely anemone in my favorite colors. I forgot I planted these:)

One of my absolute favorites, lily of the valley.

The flowers look like fairy bonnets.

Gorgeous lilacs. Not many blooms this year for some reason.

This is my studio window. Don't I have a nice view? I have a bird feeder mounted to my window.  Chickadee friends stop in and say hello during the day.

I'm a sucker for swirly things so you can imagine my delite to find this tulip with an unusual leaf this morning.

The new garden. Still needs a few annuals up front.

Found the rusty jack o' lantern garden stake at a yard sale last weekend for $1!

My newest Painted Pony, Wild Flower. Always a exciting to find ponies blooming in the garden. This one has 16 different types of wildflowers painted on her sides. Working on a new rearing pony. I have resculpted the mane and tail and I'm painting him a dark dappled palomino. He will look like he's just pranced out of a fairy tale.

Thank you Promise for the lovely blog award:)

Lucky Me!

I won Susan Faye's blog giveaway for a whimsical watercolor portrait of my little Pumpkin cat! Can you believe how lucky I am. Click on this link to see pictures of the work in progress on her blog and her adorable kitty, Buttonwillow! And here is the finished painting, ta da! I love how she captured his markings.

Be sure to visit Susan's Etsy Shop if you love cats and nature. She is an amazing watercolor artist!
Check out this gorgeous sparrow painting.

I have been working on a few things in my own studio. Since being accepted as an official Trail of the Painted Ponies artist, I've been trying to create a few more original ponies. Lately I've been obsessed with the live cam of a barn owl and her owlets (click here - caution, it's addicting) so I thought a barn owl pony would be fun. Here is the finished piece, now on Ebay. I'll have a hard time parting with this one.

What's Blooming Wednesday

"Flowers are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Blooming in my garden this week...

Rock Cress "Spring Charm"

Bluebells

Iceland Poppy

Dogwood

Azalea

Narcissus

To see pictures of my kitty Pumpkin in the garden this morning, hop on over the The Red Cat Society blog.

Gone to the birds...

"I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance that I should have been by any epaulet I could have worn." ~Henry David Thoreau

Springtime at Landis Valley Museum

Garden Obsessed

"Gardening is the purest of human pleasures." -- Francis Bacon

It's been hot here. Too hot really. It's tricking me into thinking it's summer. I've been neglecting everything; cleaning, emails, painting, cooking, so I can work in the flower beds. I've mulched, mowed, pruned, weeded and even planted an apple tree (thanks mom). I did manage to paint a cat welcome sign for the PFATT Marketplace which will go up for sale tomorrow. Scroll down to see. Inspired by our kity, Pumpkin.

My two beds in the back of my house I made last year.

Pretty little weeping red bud my husband bought me for Mother's Day last year.

My daughter loves to help mulch, see her little wheel barrow?

The new bed in front of the house. I can't wait until these plants get bigger.

Zoe was picking dandelions in the neighbor's yard today. He rarely mows.

 In fact, he rarely goes outside. Weird.

Nothing quite as sweet as a big bouquet of danelions picked by a 4 year old. They're sitting on an antique child's desk I bought at an estate sale for $2 yesterday. I plant to paint it in Zoe's favorite colors.

And there's our little Pumpkin Pie!