"Bloom Where You Are Planted"

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I think I am finally starting to feel as if I am blooming where I am planted. Despite the traffic, and the various walks of life that surround me ; if you have been reading the posts dating back to the first week of January when we moved here to the cottage on the busy corner, now known as Muse Cottage, you know that is a huge hurdle. So much has happened since we moved in. We had former residents friends stop by and scare the heck out of me, we went through our toilet busting , our only toilet mind you, late one night, our first major reno job the property, a new drive way being put in, finding out we had no insulation and how freezing it was without it, and hubby and our youngest installing it over several nights and we two months ago suddenly had to deal with our son in law taking his own life, and our 24 year old newlywed daughter becoming a widow. Each and every thing I shared with you, including the aftermath of that in a post soon after.

 Life has since that tragic event, has slowly but surely returned somewhat to normal on a daily basis, we are all learning to cope, to smile, to laugh, to move on in the best ways we know how. For me that meant getting into the garden and also taking care of myself, which meant getting out and walking again. I have been doing that, and shared a few of my jaunts through the neighborhood near our home via photos of the gardens I walk by... I take great joy not only in planting and growing flowers, but photographing them as well. Today, I decided to go back to the park where I received the phone call that fateful day, first time since that day. This time, with the weather being so lovely, I decided to walk to the park... for the first time I crossed the main street we live off of and braved walking down our street in the opposite way than my normal, comfortable route... braving the busy traffic and no sidewalks to make my way to the area where the park is. It actually was not too bad, and I only a couple times found myself wishing there was those sidewalks to be on, instead of the bike lane. Perhaps more proof that I am blooming where I am planted?? 

While exploring another little park that sits across the street from the main park I was headed to, I of course snapped some photos to share with you, and then I took a few at the actual main park, and on my way home, taking some side track routes into neighborhoods I had yet to explore, even by car, I found another lovely garden that at some point I just may have to send a "pay it forward" card** to, thanking the owner for their amazing efforts of adding beauty to our every day world.... yes of course I snapped off some photos. **Pay It Forward Card ...I received a letter from a neighbor, no name, no address, and in it, it thanked myself and my husband for all the work we had done to beautify our yard and to add to the neighborhood.... read it HERE.  Anyway, without waiting further..... OH! But after the photos from my walk, I will share our latest garden bed, where the roses that I bought at last Saturday's Antique Rose sale I attended, now reside. ( You can see images and learn more about the location in the posts from this week M-W)

Take a Stroll With Me ...

A new little park to explore... right across the street from the main park. 

Always love when there is water. Lookie just past the creek...
can you see the little squirrel watching me ?? 

Biggest thrill for me.. this little one, had no fear of me. I was able to get
very, very close to him/her to take this photo. Apparently, the acorn
was more of interest than me. 

Though, there was a moment of pause, the closer I got....

... and then it was "I'm outta here..." 

Getting ready to take a cool dip on a hot day

Back over to the main park, I start on one of the many
paths that weave all over this lovely oasis in the city. 

This goose was raising all heck at the people fishing at the pond,
it was having none of that for sure!

So close.. if I was not walking, I might have been tempted to go over
and buy some more plants... I have some empty spots!

But... instead, it was back to the trail.

One of the sad side effects of living in a big city...litter.
PLEASE respect the creatures that live with us, and throw it
in a trash can!

House Envy. I am learning to deeply like Muse Cottage, but this
home that is right down the street from me makes my
heart pitter patter. 

Time to sit on a bench and take a breather and soak in the relaxing  view. 

On my way back home... How beautiful are these roses??

High impact color!

Hidden Gem! ( Close ups below)

Back Home...

 As you can see in the photo above, I came home with three new roses for my garden. One is a climber, by the name Tausendschon, which means "Thousand Beauties". I was told it is a once-blooming rambler that is virtually thorneless....always a wonderful thing.   The pink flowers fade to lighter pink to almost white.  This one can get quite big,  with canes that are ten feet or more long. Apparently, it  can be  trained over an arch or pergola, or you can let it grow into a big pile, or wrap it around a big tripod.  It could also be trained along your fence. I plan to train it on wires over one of our front windows.  *See what it will grow to look like HERE.

I found Tausendschon in a book I have!

 One of the other roses I bought went by the name Cels Multiflora which is a Tea rose. It dates back to 1836!  According to the lovely lady that was kind enough to send me the information on my roses,  it blooms very early and repeats well.. I love repeaters! Apparently, the flowers tend to stay on the bush and dry out, "which some people don't like (people often prefer a rose that is "self-cleaning," which always makes me smile because it sounds like an oven to me!)." However, it is not without some issues,  sadly it can have problems with powdery mildew. Great tip given to me....  "If your rose does mildew, spray it early in the day with water to remove spores and prune it to encourage air circulation. "  See a photo HERE.

The last of the three I bought was labeled "Dr. Kelly", but no one really knew too much about it, till Anita, the lovely lady I mentioned above, emailed me.. and here is what she had to say... "Dr. Kelley is most likely a rose known as 'Paul Neyron.'  It has some of the biggest flowers of any rose, and big fat buds that look like peonies.  It has very little fragrance.  Some years, this rose gets a lot of rust.  If that happens in the spring, strip off the diseased leaves and throw them away, put down fresh mulch and fertilize.  The new leaves should be healthy.  Most years, the old leaves get rust.  I strip the leaves off of this rose every winter and put down fresh mulch.  I grow this rose at home and it gives me a lot of pleasure,  but it is not disease-free.  It can also get a bit of mildew.  This rose was so popular in Victorian times that women wore gowns in 'Neyron Pink.'  " See a photo HERE.

Hubby and myself, spent a long, hot day digging out this
bed, sifting the dirt from the grass clumps ... it was
exhausting, and I hurt, but by days end our new roses
were firmly in place. 

As was a white Lilac! A gift from hubby. 

We put in a little path to the the faucet,
and used colorful tomato cages to protect
the new little plants.

Here is the new bed 90% done...
I ran out of the fencing and the mulch...
but I am sure you get the idea. It is not as
jammed packed with plants as all of the 
plants in the bed will take over on their own.

As a little bonus to the bonus , I am including some pics of the promise of new life within the new garden... I think it is very on point with what is going to be the next journey our family will take. We are about to embark on converting our garage and part of our storage area into a very mini guest quarters for our daughter who has become widowed. We have hopes to have permits the first part of next week and to get started within the same week. This will mean putting off projects here in the gardens of Muse Cottage as well as any within the walls, all efforts will be concentrated on completion of this goal so that our daughter can begin a new life here with us at Muse Cottage, under the protective wings of us, her parents, yet, separated enough in her own space to learn how to be on her own for the first time in her life, before heading out in the world and doing it 100%. Of course I will share each and every step of this process. So look for those posts to begin very soon! 

Now about the photos below... Buds on the yarrow, one of the small rose bushes and even the butterfly bush all show promise of blooming into life within days. That is the one thing I love about gardening, you plant a seed, or a small baby plant, you nurture it, water it, protect it, and after awhile , if you do just these basic things, they bloom where they are planted and thrive...and that is what I hope I am beginning to do, and soon our daughter will do the same here at Muse Cottage. 

Till next time from the porch of Muse Cottage....