Crazy For Blues.... Anywhere, Everwhere

Kiki over at 'Awake With Charm & Spirit' wrote
a posting on 'The Color Essence of Blue' which
was beautiful and extended an invitation to others
who are inspired by blue to join in.
Blue is a color that I dearly love not only in the
blues of flowers and decor in my garden but also
all throughout my home.
The siding on my home is even a light blue.
Inside my home blue is the main use in decor, from
the blue and white theme in my kitchen....







to the blue furniture and decor in my living room.
Dried blue hydrangea blooms...




Even the bathroom has a blue and yellow decor,
so yes, blue is a color I love.

In the garden I try to find blue flowers of every
kind to grow. Even in the choice of the seeds I
purchase I look for blue flowers.




Blue dwarf Morning Glory's are beautiful
while they last and shearing them back when
they slow down will bring them back for more
pretty blooms.



Shades of blue in petunia's run more to purples
I believe but for this winters sowing I have found seed
for a blue Celebrity petunia and blue alyssum.



Blue Browillia



Blue lobelia



Marine blue helitrope




And some of the perennials that are around in the
flower beds are this Clustered Bellflower.



Blue woolly Speedwell



Blue Hill Salvia is one of my favorites in the
sage family and I have it stuck in two or three beds.



It looks so pretty with the Crimson Bouquet roses.




Even Campunala bellflower Chettle Charm turns
blue on the edges with age.




Tall Phlox or Rockets



Blue Bird Delphinium or Larkspur



Even Jack Frost Brunnera has the prettiest little blue blooms
to start off the spring.



Blue creeping phlox cover the whole bank on the one
side of the garage.

Blue Chip Campanula



Hardy Geraniums which the name now has been
completely forgotten. Johnson??




The Nikko Blue Hydrangea that I had to go into
the archives to get a picture of.



While in the archives I found this picture of the dark
blue hyacinths that bloom in the spring.
I have more blue flowers than I thought.




The decor outdoors has a few touches of blue
added in by pots.



The containers I use to plant the flowers in,
and I will use about anything that holds soil,
are decorated in blue sometimes.
Even in the previous posting of the Amaryllis
that were just started were put in blue and white
flowers pots.



Even to the flags in the garden the blue comes into play.





Blue Birds are invited to the garden and their blue
houses.





Some of the blues that I planted this Fall to
bloom in the blue section of the woods bed are:

Eryngium Blue Sea Holly



An Oreo Iris



A Out of the Blue re-blooming Iris



Agastache Blue Fortune



And a Jacob's Ladder polemonium

Others that I have but have no pictures for that are
new are Mammouth Blue hosta, Columbine Aquilegia Alpina,
Campanula Blue Waterfalls, and Loddon Royalist Anchusa.

Would you say I am crazy for blue in the garden and out?

Happy Blue Gardening Everyone!

Jack Frost

Jack Frost

"Someone painted pictures on my
Windowpane last night --
Willow trees with trailing boughs
And flowers, frosty white,

And lovely crystal butterflies;
But when the morning sun
Touched them with its golden beams,
They vanished one by one."

- Helen Bayley Davis -

Well Jack Frost came early to us here in Ohio
for the first day of October, but I am sure it has painted
the fields and gardens of many across the states.
I rushed yesterday in between the sprinkles
to set the remaining pots of flowers on the
front porch and made sure others were
under the trees.



One of the disappointments of this summers blooms
was that only one of my hydrangea bushes bloomed.
So waiting until the last minute this Nikko blue
hydrangea just decided to finally set on some blooms.




I was so excited when I saw it getting some blooms,
thinking better late than never but now with the frost
coming it will be touch and go to see the blooms grow
big enough to get her pretty blue flowers.
It made it through this mornings frost being up
against the house and under the eaves, we also
had a lot of fog so this helped save it.
I will baby it along hoping that we still will have some
warm weather yet.



All of my flowers look to be alright, even all of
the Impatiens and the little coleus plants that
are planted in different places.



Even the bugs were looking for some sun this
morning to get warmed up.




Congratulations to all of the wonderful gardeners
that were winner in the Blotanical awards.
I was so appreciative of the nominations that I
received from you who have become friends over
the last year and I am looking forward to many
years of friendship with my old blogging buddies
and to the new.
I have learned so much from you and gained so
much from your giving nature.
You all are a wealth of knowledge and have been
there to answer my silly questions.
Also thanks to those of you who have shared
your seeds and you know who you are.
Now the pressure will be on to get them to grow ;-)

Thank you!

Flaunt Those Flowers

Today is 'Fertilizer Friday' , so Flaunt Your Flowers !



Everyone go over to the hostess Tootsie's blog,
'Tootsie Time' and look at all those that are flaunting their
flowers today.
Tootsie's yard and flower beds are a riot of color now in the
summer beds. She has some of the greatest garden decor
and ways to flaunt her flowers. Her yard is beautiful.

This has been the most frustrating day to get this posting up.
This is my third attempt at it since two others have
disappeared right before my eyes as I added a picture
to the posting. I even trying saving the last one as I went to
make sure it did not fly off into the unknown but that also failed.
Oh dear, stuff happens I guess.

We have gotten some much needed rain here in the Hocking
Hill's the last two days. My water barrel and cistern were
getting low.

I live upon a very high hill and old homes such as
mine were built with cisterns to catch rain water.
Back in the day when money was so scarce and hand
digging 450 feet was impossible they used cisterns
for all of their needs.
Over the years of learning to ration water I do not
take water for granted still today.
After we could afford to get a water well drilled I still
kept the cistern, pumps and waterlines in tack to use
to water the garden, flowers, the fountain, the bird baths,
around the potting bench, etc and an occasional washing
of the car.
Now the last few years I have had a rain barrel hooked
up to the cistern with a large plastic pipe attached to the
barrel's over flow spout which runs the rain water straight
into the cistern.
Other than a good soaking rain the garden plants
and flowers love the rain water from the cistern.
If we get a rain every week or two there is always
plenty of water for my plants and flowers.
Last summer we had a drought through July and
August and I had to use the cold water from the deep
well and the flowers did not like that cold water on a hot,
dry summer day.

Now to flaunt some flowers that are blooming around
the yard.

The Alyssum 'Royal Carpet' that were grown from seed is
starting to spread out and bloom all over the containers
and beds where they were planted.




I added some to the pot around the Poinsettia
I had at Christmas time. It is growing so big in
the sun and big pot.
It is grown as an annual here at holiday time
but I wanted to try to keep it and get it to bloom
bright red for me again this winter. It is worth a
shot and nothing lost in the trying.





Also coming in bloom from seed is this Helitrope 'Marine'.
It's dark blue tiny blooms are so pretty and it smells good too.
It has been slow growing for it though.





For those of you who occasionally read my postings, the weird
petunia ' Orchid Mist' is still blooming with three different
colors of blooms on the one plant. I was wondering if the blooms
would change all back to pale lavender after it had grown for a while
but it is still blooming with the three different colors of double blooms.






The Rose of Sharon are starting to bloom now.




Much to my dislike the pesky little Japanese beetles have found
the blooms. Nasty little critters.




The Knockout Roses never let you down for a adding
color to the garden.



The Rainbow Knockout Rose is a pretty peachy pink
with a yellow center.





I love this pink single bloom one.

The Morning Glory bushes are still blooming and spreading
out to overflowing their containers.

This is my first year for trying to grow 'Stock' and I
love the fragrance of them. The few that survived my
seeding attempts are purple. I have a couple more of the
slow growers and I am hoping they're a different color.

The Gaillardia blanket flower is living up to the name
and spreading down over the bank beside of the garage.




The Echinacea are still in full bloom.
This large coneflower smells so terrific and all of
the little friends love it.

Shasta Daisy ' Becky' is also in full bloom with its bright
white skirt full of petals.

I have all sorts and sizes of containers full of Impatiens
that are now bounding and over flowing their containers.
They are a must have around here to bright up all of the shade.




I have them hanging on fences.



In containers.





And even hanging in baskets on trees.




Imperial Ivy geranium is so pretty now.
And this is the only hydrangea bush that is blooming so
far this summer. I do not know what is up with the others
but I hope they are just running late. A couple of years ago
when we had a severe winter they did not bloom the next
summer.Ihope that is not the case this summer. I am so
crazy about their blooms.





Happy Gardening and Flaunt Your Flowers!