Saving the MopHeads...

 For at least the past 15 years I have had these wonderful mophead hydrangeas giving color to my backyard.  The first several bushes were ordered through the mail.  I can't remember where they actually came from.  I so loved the idea that you plant them once and every year the plants bloomed in shades of blue, pink, lavender and white that I added more.   I love that I had a never ending supply of cut flowers through the summer and fall.  I love that bunches of my hydrangeas have been used for family and friends weddings, bridal showers and parties.

In recent years, I have added a few of the Endless Summer variety.  Those bushes produce flowers on new growth.  But the older varieties, like those in my backyard, 
set their blooms on the previous year's growth. 

 

But the winter of 2014 did a number on my lovely hydrangeas  The extreme cold and wind in  January, February and into March zapped the life out of the branches leaving bare bushes that had to start over by pushing new shoots up from around the base of the plants.
So one at a time, I cut back each and every branch close to the ground.

I did not have even one bloom on any of the bushes.

I missed those flowers last summer.  I know that there are such horrible things going on in this world, and in the large scheme of things, this really wasn't earth shattering.  But I was terribly sad that my garden wasn't filled with color to enjoy as I sat on the porch every morning with my coffee before heading up to the Workshop.   My darling husband actually went out and purchased 2 large flowering hydrangeas to cheer me up.

Lou and I discussed maybe building  some sort of frame and cover for the bushes this winter.  But it wasn't until January when those below average temperatures were being predicted that we had to act quickly on that plan.  We have lots of iron pieces throughout the yard and we used them as a frame so the garden could be covered with plastic.

We held the plastic down around the edges with bricks.  On warmer days we peeled the plastic back and then recovered the bushes again at night.  I made sure the soil was moist enough that we didn't kill the plants as we tried to protect them.

So hoping that this plan worked and my lovelies will be lovely again this summer. 
We should know soon.

The Country Workshop

Even Lucy has the...Winter Blue Hoo's

I heard somewhere,  that this week in January is "the week "
when people get a bad case of the winter blues. 

Cold, gray days, snow and ice do take a toll on my brain.
There was one, almost springlike morning this week
and then back to cold, drizzly days.

However the snow did miss us last night.
Just not quite cold enough here in Maryland...
but the weather report  is telling me colder temps
and snow on Monday into Tuesday.

Planning on sitting in front of the fire this afternoon
and looking through garden catalogs and
pretty pictures of colorful blooms.

Garden As Though You Will Live Forever

Winter Berries...

Even though it's winter here in Maryland,
there's still color in the garden.

The berries are bright this year.

 

 Also, as one rides along the highways of this beautiful state,
there are bunches of bittersweet hanging in the trees and climbing over fences. 
There is so much of it this winter and the berries are such a bright orange.
The plants are much more noticeable than usual as
the car speeds along the highway. 

The Country Workshop

Red Geranium on Black

Don't you just love Geraniums...minimal care and lots of color all summer long. This year I found a variety called candy cane for my garden. The flowers are pink with red stripes. Something a little bit different. Looking forward to later in the season
when they are large and bushy and covered in blooms.

I painted this Welcome sign with pretty geraniums and it will be hanging on my front door for the season.

Porch Sittin'

I painted this new sign to welcome friends and family
to "Come Sit On My Porch".

The porch is located on the side of the house and I sit in the morning with my coffee watching over the changes that take place everyday in the garden and saying hello to the visiting birds who make a stop at the feeder or the birdbath.

The hydrangeas are starting to open and the colors change all summer long.



I found some interesting plants to fill the large pot at the corner of the patio. I love the lime green of the sweet potato vine. The purple plant is a summer snapdragon, the pink is New Guinea impatien and the white flower I can't remember but I thought it had such a wonderful texture.

In between the raindrops...Mickey Mouse

Got up this morning with fog again but at least it wasn't raining. I was able to get some things done outside before thunder started rumbling, although the worst of the storm seemed to be south of us, it has been raining again.

I realized as I puttered around the yard that my home and garden has many Mickeys. Yep...I do love Mickey Mouse. (Sorry Minnie) I took some photos of several of my outside Mickeys.

Who's the leader of the club
That's made for you and me
M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E
Hey! there, Hi! there, Ho! there
You're as welcome as can be
M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E