Gardens Thrive With Sweat & Rain & Sun

 Rhododendrons thrive here on Cedar Pond.

 They grow wild in our forests, but the blooms are not as colorful there as the typical rhododendron found in landscaping in city & town.

 Snapdragons are doing well in our gardens and our flowerboxes.

 Pots of hostas, hens & chicks, phlox, snapdragons ,  and Campion are sitting next to our garage awaiting planting in other parts of the gardens.  

 Columbine sprouts, grows, and thrives everywhere here. We have several colors of Columbine , white, pink, purple. We did not deliberately plant it, but somehow this lovely wildflower found it's way into our gardens and we've grown to appreciate it.

 The kiwi arbor my husband built in front of our dovecote has finally been accepted by the kiwi. We actually have shade from the kiwi vines this year and the kiwi grows so quickly I know we'll enjoy shade from the hot summer sun here this summer.

 Fuzzy Harwood kiwi. We have a thriving male and female growing here . Each has it's own side of the arbor but they seem intent on meeting. Ah, romance ! We hope the romance of the male & female kiwi will produce fruit for us , but for now their joining producing shade is a good thing too.

 The grape arbor my husband built is greening with the grapes he planted  and I know we'll have a bountiful grape harvest if I beat the birds to it. Last year I made grape juice from these grapes and boy oh boy, my home made grape juice was so good ! I need to quadruple my grape juice canning this year because it  is so good we ran out of it quickly. Beats any commercial grape juice in taste for sure.

Flower box under the kiwi arbor between the chairs. Snapdragons, lobelia, and a red geranium.

 

All of the gardens on Cedar Pond thrive because my husband has worked hard to prepare the soil they are planted in. He has used the manure of many generations of our chickens, goats, & sheep composted and tended to produce rich soil . Rich soil that was hard clay in places and in other places  rocky & barren when we first moved here years ago. Rich soil produced with the sweat of hard work . Hard work that reaps it's harvest after the abundant rains we enjoy give way to sunny summer days . Yes, gardens thrive with the sweat of hard work , abundant rain, and glorious sunshine.

Love Made Visible

 My husband made these dove & scroll adornments for many of the animal homes he has built for me over the years. This one is on the dove cage in the herb garden. He had already built me a large dove-cote, but he did this for me because he loves me.

 This dove scroll is on the goat house he built for me , and he really didn't even want goats.

 The dove cage in the herb garden. The white doves stand out so beautifully when all is green and the vine maples are in leaf. Stunning in the autumn when the vine maples are red and yellow. Now you can hardly see the white doves against the snow. Their cooing is comforting to me. Often they sound like they're laughing . Sometimes the wild doves will land in front of this cage, eat the seed my doves have scattered outside the wire, and they appear to be having a chat with one another.

 

 The white dove & scroll is on the large dove-cote we can see from the house. It is lit up inside so we can see it in the evening too. The brown scroll is part of the kiwi arbor my husband built in front of the dovecote. the kiwi began climbing it this past summer and we hope it will provide a shady arbor to sit under when it gets unbearably hot in July and August. The anticipation of fresh kiwi fruit is exciting too.

 The door to the dove-cote with the grape arbor my husband built in the foreground. The grapes did give us a lot of shade and fruit this past year , and this arbor mirrors the kiwi arbor.

Everywhere I look around our home, around Cedar Pond I see the hard work and love my husband puts into all he does here. I have always believed this saying to be true "Work is love made visible", and know my husband loves me very much !

Summer Garden & the Grapes Are Running Amok !

 The grape vines are taking over Cedar Pond. In the orchard, in the front porch gardens,even the front porch itself they are running amok ! It is a good thing my sheep love to eat grapevines because my husband & I have a steady supply of snacks for them. There is no need to wonder where to cast all the prunings and weedings we do around here. With poultry , sheep, and a goat, the excess grape vines, blackberry vines, and edible weeds are quickly eaten and turned into fertilizer for next year's gardens.

 Look ! Our male kiwi is finally climbing the arbor towards the female kiwi. She is shy and taking her time growing towards him. We thought she was dead, but no...she tentatively cast a tendril upward and towards him and maybe next spring they'll meet and touch. Who knows, they may produce fruit for us sooner than expected, but not this year. 

 My hydrangea is blooming too. The blue flowers are among my favorites in my garden, but if I let my watch down the grapes will strangle her. It is good to have pruning shears in my hands when I check her out. Those grapes are kind of sneaky, the way they weave in and out of the flowers and bushes around here.

 My granddaughter's bicycle sports a hanging geranium,a gift from my sister.

 The honeybees love these flowers planted near my dovecote. I do too.

And then, there is Hawk, who simply wants to be near me, no matter where I am, but especially in the garden where he will find the most comfortable spot to supervise my work. Summer gardening around here means taming the grape & blackberry vines, training the kiwi, harvesting from the vegetable garden anything the wild rabbits have left us after their nightly feasts, and remembering this season passes quickly,so enjoy and be thankful for all  it brings. ( mosquitos too ? ) Now I am hoping the little birds will leave us some of the grapes from the grape vines run amok. Grape juice and grape jelly from our own grapes would be a very nice treat for a winter's breakfast. Happy gardening to you !

Doves & Scrolls For the Garden (Arbor For Kiwi)

My husband added this detail to many special buildings he built for me.This is part of the roof support of my dovecote.(below)

 If you look at the roof ridge in this pen in my herb garden you can see the same dove detail. It is presently housing our granddaughter's rooster Roseville, but I will be putting doves in it soon.You can see the close-up here.

 The new arbors for kiwi and grapes surround the dovecote and my husband has worked to craft them so they reflect the other garden structures he has built. We are not finished yet, so many little details to add, plus the landscaping and the upkeep of the gardens.

 The decking under the wood lawn furniture is not on yet. We will be using the gray plastic decking that looks like wood, but will last as many years as we hope to live here, and then some. You can see the new kiwis my husband planted and is training to climb the arbor. The kiwi vines will cover the arbor in a year or two, provide shade in the summer, and fruit to eat.

 

Arbors To Craft, Kiwis To Plant,Doves To Enjoy

One of my favorite places at the front of our home is the dovecote ( structure in the left of the photo) my husband built me that is home to some of my white ring-neck doves. I also have 3 white bantam cochins living in it. My husband has been busy re-landscaping this area because the ice storm this past winter destroyed some of the trees and bushes here.

To the left of the dovecote is an arbor my husband is building , part of a landscape design my daughter's husband drew up for us and also helped begin.( Our beloved son-in-law Thomas is very talented in this).

This arbor has kiwi planted on either side. This is a very sunny area and the kiwi will grow quickly , hopefully giving us shade and fruit.We will be putting a swing under the arbor. This arbor looks out over the lawn and the pond. My husband is not finished with the arbor yet, and has already begun another arbor that will be close to this one, as a grape-vine covered an entrance to the red gravel area in the top picture.The little building in the background is my husband's honey-house.

Having the doves so close to the house and also an outdoor eating area is very soothing and also fun to watch. My husband and I often eat our dinner together in this area when the weather permits, and we have also put a small fountain pond in this area where we watch the goldfish as we listen to the water gurgle and the doves coo and laugh.

 This is to the right of the dove cote,the closed red umbrella is shown open in one of the photos above. This photo was taken a few weeks after the first photos, the rhododendrons blossomed 2 weeks ago and are still loaded with blooms.

Here is my view of the dove cote from one side of the front porch. When the arbor is done ( soon) I will be able to see it too. Even better, when the grapes & kiwis grow up and over the arbors, there will be shade, a welcome respite from the hot summer sun . I will add more posts showing the project as my husband finishes it, he has a lot of projects though. He plants and tends the vegetable gardens, keeps the bees,and along with his  full time job , it is important we actually DO sit down together and enjoy the peaceful garden rooms and areas we have created."As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field,so he flourishes. When the wind passes over it , it is no more; and its place acknowledges it no longer.But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him." Psalm 103:15-17