Putting in Edging and Moving Maman Cochet, Cl.

Our work continues in the garden! 

Chris has been working hard putting in edging.  It is amazing what a difference that a little detail like this can make.

I had to make some changes, though.

We had some very heavy rain last weekend and my Maman Cochet, Cl. rose bush fell over.

It made me really sad...but I cut it down and moved it to a better place.   It pained me, however, to cut it down when it was full of so many buds and flowers.

I admit that the current space was a difficult place for this particular rosebush, though.   It was continually striving to be so much more spectacular than that space would allow.   And Chris was really unhappy with having to mow around it with its brutal thorns.   Maman Cochet has some crazy mean claws!

So, she has been moved to the south side of the house...against a wall where she can grow till her heart is content!

Maman Cochet, Cl. before it fell :(

Maman Cochet, Cl. Before

Maman Cochet, Cl. After.  :(

I moved a more manageable hibiscus plant to the space.  

Chris is working hard at making the south flower bed larger
and getting it ready to put the edging in.  

Chris is working hard at making the south flower bed larger 

and getting it ready to put the edging in. 

The large rosebush in front of him is General Schablikine: 

one of my favorite purchases from Rose Petals Nursery!  

It's always super healthy. 

Before stone edging.

After stone edging.  

After stone edging.

After stone edging.

The trumpet plant froze and I cut it back again.
 I will take another picture of it in a month or so and it will easily be 10' tall.

A pretty chime I found at Ross for little $.  

I found this rain chain at Ross yesterday.
I love Ross for garden stuff!
 I think this is a more decorative than functional rain chain, however,
so I put it somewhere where it would not get too much action.  :)

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my blog!  

Beachside Community Church

It's been a crazy few months!

In January, I was part of a new church plant in our town called "Beachside Community Church."  

Although we will begin monthly beach services in May, the name isn't a "location," per se.  It was inspired by these following verses from John 21:

4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

My husband, Chris ~ who is the lead pastor ~ has a Lutheran background; our Worship Pastor has a Baptist background.  Beachside has a good balance of these two backgrounds, with an emphasis on "radical grace" and forgiveness.

We felt there was a need to start a church with a "community" feel; yet a church that still held some important traditions, such as the Apostle's Creed and the Lord's Supper.  

We wanted to create a church that had an open, welcoming feel and one that stressed positive relational experiences.

We wanted to be part of a church that would fiercely hold itself  as a "safe" place.

In our experience, church has not always been a safe place.  It is really, really sad  that rampant "bad" behavior (such as gossiping, sabotaging, tearing each other down) can damage peoples' relationships with each other and with God.  

This is beyond tragic.  Followers of Jesus need to be different.

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  

Matthew 22:36-40

Christians are terrible loving each other.  TERRIBLE.

They can be some of the meanest, most judgmental people you will ever meet.  It shouldn't be like this at all.   AT ALL.

Christians should not be attending church on Sunday mornings, then acting like total a@@holes in their communities the rest of the week.    (There ~ yes, I said it.)

So here we are...four months later.  We really feel like we have something special.    We are doing things differently.

We had an amazing Easter Sunday.  It was outside and the weather was beautiful.  I thought I would add some photos today.

Spring Time 2015, Antique Roses and Gardens!

Spring is finally here!

My flowers have started blooming, which means that I am obsessively circling my home looking for new flowers to take pictures of.

I have been posting them onto my Facebook account; yet I realize that not all of my friends want to see dozens of flower pictures.  

It is, however, my personal opinion that if people would post more flower (and puppy) pictures on social media, the world would be an infinitely better place.

I started taking pictures this morning because the moment I walked out the door, I was greeted by a beautiful "Golden Showers" rose that had opened up overnight.

I ended up snapping photos of almost everything in my "garden."

This, my friends, is why I am using my blog platform to share these photos.  That, and I desperately want to "talk" about my roses...this gives me a better opportunity to tell you about them.

My garden is a work in progress; I am constantly fussing with it.  We are also doing some "Spring" updates.  My husband is in the process of widening the "garden" areas around our home, updating the island, planting some trees, rearranging and adding a much-needed edge around it all.

A little background:  we have lived in our home for a little over five years.  We had it built.   When we moved in, it was "landscaped" by the builder (Adams Homes).

Although the landscaping was perfectly adequate, I didn't care for it at all.

Our home (as far as I know) is still the only Craftsman style, two-story home built by Adams Homes in our town.  And I wanted my "garden" and landscaping to be a little more unique.

I love climbing flowers; I love bougainvillea (although I have had less luck with the latter).  I love cottage gardens and English-style flower gardens.  I don't know much about the specifics of garden styles, I just had a rough idea of what I wanted to do.    

So I started doing research.  

(By the way, I am in Zone 9a...near the Atlantic Ocean.)  

I ended up with a couple very specific roses that I wanted.  

Have you ever had something very specific in mind while shopping?   Why is it, then, that the very specific item is the biggest pain in the a@@ to find?    It is a million times easier to just have a general idea...  

Anyways, I specifically wanted a Zephirine Drouhin climbing rose and was unable to find her anywhere near me.

I ended up at Rose Petals Nursery in Gainesville, Florida.   My husband and I visited there almost five years ago.  The family that  runs it is wonderful.    If you are able to visit, definitely do so.  Otherwise, she does mail order, too.

Four and a half years later my garden has filled in a little bit.  

Here are some Spring pictures.  I will post some more later this summer, or as our projects are completed.

So, this is the "Golden Showers" climbing rose that greeted me this morning.  

I had to cut it back quite a bit last season...it was about 8-10' tall and gangly. 

"Golden Showers" partially open and bud.

 "Golden Showers."   
A couple hours later of the same flower.

Oh, Spring is one of my very favorite times of year because of the JASMINE! 

My mother bought me this small container of Confederate Jasmine after I had my daughter almost 7 years ago.  When we moved to Florida, I brought the pot with me and planted it as soon as I could.  

It has taken over, as you can see, and is about to flower.  If I have my front windows open I can smell it...and although I miss the lilacs from up north, the smell of jasmine is probably my second favorite flower scent!  

This hack job is an interesting story.  :)
I bought it from a garden center as a "Don Juan." 
It was "Don Juan" for an entire three months, then started a new shoot which produced a ton of small white flowers.  It bloomed only once every Spring.  

It looks a bit like "White Dawn," although I guess I can never be sure.  The trellis it was on rusted out last winter so I had to cut the plant down to the stump.  It has started to creep again. ~ I need to get a trellis very soon!

These next two pictures (BELOW) are of "Sambac" or "Asian" jasmine.  

They have not thrived quite as well here as the Confederate jasmine.    I wish they would bloom better...the scent is wonderful and is very strong ~especially on hot summer evenings ~ even when there are only a few flowers.  

I planted them on my entryway sidewalk because I thought the scent was inviting.  

Another smaller "Sambac" jasmine.   

The hanging plants are succulents jade (left) and "Burro's Tail" or "Jelly Bean" plant.  

Our lot is pie-shaped, so this is the southeast corner.  At the moment it is a little sad.  My husband built this fence (he can do pretty much anything) because we had people cutting through our yard.  This wasn't the worst thing ever, but the moment he saw someone ride a motorcycle across the yard (ugh, really), he decided a fence was needed.   

He also planted two Golden Goddess bamboo plants on either side.  

In the middle of the fence you can see (sort of) the Carolina jasmine, which has already bloomed for the year.  Carolina jasmine has pretty yellow flowers but they don't smell as nice (in my opinion) as Sambac or Confederate.  

Below is my "Maggie" antique rose.  
 She has always been very small, and I thought she might need a little more air because she was starting to get crowded by Mrs. B.R.Cant.  So last week I VERY CAREFULLY moved her out a little farther away from the other shrubs.   She seems to have tolerated the move very well.  I hope she will be happier in this spot...she already has several blooms.  

Below is Maman Cochet, Cl.   

I planted her about 4.5 years ago and she didn't do much of anything until last year.  Now, I have continually had to cut her back because she goes bananas and tries to grow into the flashing in the roof.  :/  

 Last fall another shoot rocketed out of the base and grew all winter...that new shoot is is probably 10-11 feet now.  Like I said, BANANAS.  

I just had to cut her back, which was probably terrible timing.  But she has lots and lots of buds on her now.  Her flowers are so pretty and have over 100 petals per flower (I counted one, once).  So I am waiting with great anticipation for all these buds to flower


Maman Cochet, Cl.  Front & Side.


Maman Cochet, Cl. buds (below)

This is a Mimosa (or Chinese Silk) tree.  

We received it as a sapling from a neighbor and planted it about three years ago.  As you can see, now, it is gigantic.  I know some people in the south consider these trees pests because they drop seeds, but when it flowers in the summer it is just so, so pretty with pink "fan" shaped flowers that smell so wonderful.  It loses all of its leaves in the winter, and just has now gotten some leaves on it.  I will take some pics of the flowers this summer! 

This is probably my favorite antique rose that I bought from Rose Petals Nursery, Mrs. B.R. Cant.  She has thrived, blooming almost constantly since I planted her 4.5 years ago.  I have had to cut her back a little, trying to train her a bit on where I want her to go. 

  She was bumping into the Confederate jasmine on one side and a Knockout rose on the other.  I moved the Knockout rose to make more room for her.  She is just beautiful.  She is planted on the south side of the house and gets full sun and is probably 4-5' tall by 5-6' wide.  

 (Below) Mrs. B.R.Cant close up

Here is another antique rose bush that has thrived, General Schablikine.  He has one little flower that is a little sad, but has a ton of buds, so I will be out taking pics of his flowers very soon.  

He has done really well on the south side of my house, where it is very, very hot in the summer.   I bought this plant at Rose Petals Nursery.  

(Below) 

Another climber I need to cut back frequently, "Sally Holmes" antique rose.   There were no great flowers on her right now, but she is a great producer so pics will come soon.  Her flowers come in giant clusters and are just beautiful.  

Someone in my neighborhood threw out this little Valencia orange tree this winter.  I marched up there with my little red wagon and brought it home!  We just planted it, and hopefully it will have better luck than our other citrus trees.  It is in the middle of the south yard where it will have blazing hot sun and I hear citrus trees like that.  So, fingers crossed!

This is the flower that started my antique rose search, "Zephirine Drouhin" and which led me to Rose Petals Nursery.

I had envisioned her climbing on either side of my garage and myself training the vines to meet in the middle of the garage, but alas...no.  :)  At least not yet.  I haven't given up on her yet, though, although her blooms are scarce and far between.   

 She is a thornless rose that can grow in partial shade.  Although now, in my personal experience, she MAY not like the partial shade quite as much as being in the sun...because my one plant that has more sun generally does better.    

The  Zephi shown below is on the north side of my garage and rarely has blooms.  

(Below) The Zephi on the south side of my garage...and she has the first flower of the season!  

Above & Below, Zephirine Douhin blossom.

My husband is working on this island...he is going to put edging around it soon.  

The two palms on the ends are Bostonian palms, and the one in the middle is a Sylvestri, I think.   The shrub that looks off-balance is a Walter's Viburnum and my husband wants me to pull it out because it looks dumb.  It will look better when the Lantana catches up on the right...which right now has been cut way back.

Some of the edging my husband is doing...not finished quite yet.  

I normally don't pick flowers, but I picked these to take to an elderly friend last summer.  I think there is a filter on this photo because it showed the raindrops much better.  

The top is a Mrs. B.R. Cant, and the bottom is my Maman Cochet, Cl.  I cut these right after a summer rain storm.  

I need to begin working on the north side of my house, which is pretty much a total disaster.  I have rows of hydrangeas that have done pretty much nothing...and again, I am holding out hope that this will be the year for them.  

Also, in Florida the weeds grow all year round.  This gets exhausting, no matter how much one loves gardening.  I ran out of steam last Fall, and have not touched the north side of the house since then.  

I have lots and lots of weeding to do.

Oh, and finally, another one of my favorite things:  my German Shepherd.   I wanted to take a picture of her by the roses, but she wouldn't cooperate. 

Thank you for stopping by!

Christmas 2014

It usually takes the impending arrival of guests for me to clean up and appear presentable.  

Tonight we had a few friends over for dessert and wine.  

I still hadn't gotten my Christmas decorations looking semi-organized.  I am not really a huge Christmas decorator ~ other than a tree, of course.  

But this year, I pulled out every decoration I had gotten over the years.  And things looked festive around here this evening!   I thought I would add some pics!    

I had shined the stainless steel appliances...perhaps you can appreciate the elbow grease involved.  ;)

We have to do something special on my husband's family's Swedish chest.  It was brought over from Sweden, and is several hundred years old.   My "something special" is cards from friends.  

We have a real tree this year.   

Christmas music playing on Spotify Premium through the Roku.  State of the art way to play the classics!  

A friend in Sweden sent us this linen, as well as the ram.   My secret sister gave me the cute snowman and the candle.  I had to do something special to show off my treasures from friends.

I am always confused about what to put above my cabinets.  Found a couple things at a thrift store, and used some hand-me-downs (always my favorite things!).  

And finally, my hand-me-down (also, AWESOME!) tree that I acquired this past week.  And put upstairs in front of a large window:

I had the kids mostly decorate it...with candy canes:  my ultimate, cheap, super-great looking ornaments.  

We have so many things to look forward to in the immediate future.  My mother and father-in-law are coming for Christmas from Minnesota...which is a GREAT thing, because I have have awesome in-laws.  

We are having Christmas dinner at our house.  Both sets of parents and many of our immediate and extended family are all going to be here.  I am so excited and SO nervous.  

But also very aware that I am blessed.  

Thank you for stopping by.  I hope you have a blessed holiday season!

Mary Ann