Good morning SOS friends! It has been a beautiful week in the 70’s here! Yikes, that is very warm for this time of year! So, we have been making hay while the sun shines so to speak……….well mostly raking and pruning and raking and digging and hauling …….
My camellias are all in fine form……this is the tea camellia, “Dragon In the Clouds” or “Zig Zag” camellia. It grows a branch to the left and then a branch to the right and keeps on marching upwards! It also has beautiful cherry red blooms………..
These are the oldest camellias in my garden and I can’t remember their official name, but they look good every year!
This is the spot the three dogwoods, “Silver and Gold” were planted in last week. Beyond this area to the right, we cleared out two bazillion leaves…… We decided to clear all the brush, leaves, tree limbs and everything else up to the woodland park that is next to our property. Mind you, this has never been cleaned up since we bought the cottage (eleven years ago) and I got tired of looking at the jumble and took a little liberty with imminent domain. We raked and raked and hauled leaves and everything else from a strip about 50 feet long and 15 feet wide and about three foot deep of debris! We found old rake heads, pruning shears, big spikes, (that look like they held something down at one time) and lots of big boulders. I think this property must have been an old farm at one time. And, we pulled poison oak as thick as small trees off the trees. Well, hubby did that. Some vines were thirty feet long or longer! Anyway, that area is spick and span for now………
I have been reading and looking in earnest at all the blogs about snowdrops. So, I ordered this book and it came this week. I think I am enchanted with snowdrops now! I’ve decided to plant some around my hellebores and those dogwoods in my Woodland Garden. I’ve had a heck of a time finding them however…… Most nurseries, that specialize in them, are sold out already for next years planting in the fall. What? But, I did order four varieties from my true and trusted gardening friends at Old House Gardens that specialize in heirloom plants. I have never bought a bulb from them that didn’t grow beautifully as promised. So, I am excited about those!
Last fall, I decided I wanted a chalkboard on the wall by the door that goes out to the garden. Hubby painted it for me and then I had the fun of writing on it. I named many of the plants in my garden and then to add another dimension I added note cards with flower designs that I bought in a delightful art studio in St Ives, Cornwall. The notecards at the bottom of the chalkboard are different homes and gardens in the National Trust in the UK. I believe I bought those at Sissinghurst, the garden of Vita Sackville-West. If you would like to see the post’s I wrote about Sissinghurst look HERE or HERE.
And lastly, remember the pick ax I showed last week? It came in really handy, along with the crow bar. We had major water problems when workman cut my underground watering system and the water ran and ran down the hill, off and on for over two weeks when we were gone on one of our vacations! One of the dog walkers noticed all the water in my backyard and smartly turned off the main water supply, but all those rocks, that made a winding rock bed over the French drains, were covered in four inches of dirt and the rocks at the top half of the creek could not be seen at all! So, yesterday hubby dug them all up, washed them, replaced the dirt below the rocks and put them back above ground where they were supposed to be! I did my best at supervising…………….
I hope you have enjoyed my SOS this week! I always look forward to Saturdays when I can read all about your garden adventures!
Won’t you join us with your SOS?
The instructions for SOS are easy. The photos can be flowers, vegetables, a garden design, whatever, as long as it’s garden related and posted on Saturday! So, it’s six photos . Of Gardens. On Saturday. Easy Peasy. To see all the SOS’s look at SIX ON SATURDAY, hosted by the Propagator, to check out all of them each Saturday! See you next week in another spot!
ThatTravelLadyInHerShoes 
In the 70’s wow….I can only dream of that…sometimes even in the summer lol
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Crikey, you’ve been busy. Love the big blackboard and the flowing rock bed.
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I love the blackboard idea. Really now 70 degrees. If only!
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So wonderful to read about all you’ve been doing and I particularly love your camellias. My post is all about snowdrops. I’m very lucky that I have a local snowdrop expert who’s teaching me all about them. That book you bought is a good one. I hope you’ll be able to add to your collection soon.
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I miss those delicate little snowdrops from the South. Here, they must be cultivated in pots indoors because of the climate. I’m glad you mentioned Old House Gardens as a source for these bulbs. I’ll check it out. Today — and all weekend — we are experiencing near-blizzard conditions! Yes, ma’am, it’s still winter out here!!
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By the way, I really like your garden chalkboard! Kudos to both you and Hubby.
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Brilliant post Cady and you have been busy! I think snowdrops would look lovely in your woodland garden so good luck in finding some. Your chalk board if fab!
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The camellia “ICantRemebertheName” is really beautiful ! I’m still waiting for mine here,…. still buds…
Nice job the path of the rocks after cleaning. Beautiful effect
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The camellia is beautiful.
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You have certainly been busy! I know it always feels good to clear out an old area of the garden. Sounds like you found treasures, too. Good idea to stay away from that poison oak. The work involved in cleaning those stones is enormous — your husband deserves something wonderful!
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Since following the SoS gardeners I have also been captivated by snowdrops. On first appearance they seem quite insignificant … until… you look closer.
re your water leak… I hope you are not on water meter. Or water is metered here and very expensive. A leak such as that would set me back as a guesstimate at 1000 plus euros!
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Yep our bill was in the thousands!!!!! But we showed them our typical bill and the repairs to the water lines and the bill was rescinded. Thank goodness!
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Wow, they are more forgiving than our camara. You were so lucky.
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As a bit of a snowdrop fan I would say go for it. I’ve spent today visiting 3 snowdrop gardens and buying snowdrops. Maybe if you could find a garden with snowdrops you could buy some in pots which will establish better than dried bulbs
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Thank you I may go to Elizabeth Lawrence’s garden in Charlotte and see if they will sell any!
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Beautiful camellias – we share many favourite places – I love both St Ives and Sissinghurst. Did you visit Barbara Hepworth’s garden in St Ives? It is small but exquisite.
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Oh yes I did and wrote a post about it!
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Will look it up!
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https://thecadyluckleedy.com/2016/10/18/reason-to-love-st-ives-7-sculpture-and-barbara-hepworth-garden/
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I love the stone river, but what a job that must have been redoing it. Love the chalkboard idea as well
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Thank you! My hubby also painted a 30 ft chalk wall for my travel wall too! It will take me awhile to get it sorted out! The stones weren’t too bad since we knew where they were supposed to be!
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You have certainly been busy! 70s! We will get to maybe 50 today and consider that warm for the time of year. Will the snowdrops cope with your summer climate?
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I was wondering that too as I have NEVER seen them anywhere here! It is too bad I want an English Garden in the SOUTH! However, I have ordered them from a reliable heirloom nursery, who I deal with and they will only ship bulbs that will grow in my zone. I guess I will see! PS I did order/and read a book this week on heirloom Southern Gardening and I was shocked to see Sweet Peas growing in old, old gardens! I love Sweet Peas, but I am not good with seeds! I think that will be my project for next fall, getting all the stuff together to try and start them inside………I may be asking you all lots of questions! You have started such a great blog! Thanks again!
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