Oh, beautiful wondrous spring!
How you have filled our hearts and graced us with the utmost magic.
Just the thing we needed as we ventured into a new season.
The hollyhocks that have been self-seeding for over 20 years made their appearance like clockwork.
Hello lovely old friends of the heart.
Blooming under the majestic giant hundreds of year-old trees.
The perfect shade to sun ratio.
In April of 2020 a huge windstorm came through the country house garden and decimated my rose arbor which is the main entrance to my garden.
I was determined to restore it back to life.
I felt that a part of my heart would be missing if the rose arbor entrance into my garden was gone.
Now in 2026 it has grown back with a new arbor, as though it never went through such trama.
I had to cut it back very short to unwind it from its metal twisted arbor that lay on the ground.
But here we are once again, time healing, as it does.
It has fully grown back.
It is a place where the birdlings love to gather and hide deep inside.
Where the Lady Banks Roses bloom once a year.
Where I hide from the sunshine of summer and hold the memories of my life from past and present in this lovely place.
A space I have ducked into for 26 years.
A place of the heart.
Where your child self peeks out for a second in delightment.
I am not certain why hiding under the rose arbor can conjure such wonderful feelings, but it does.
And so, we enter…
Where the white rabbit and the winged cherub have always greeted us.
Through the most spectacular light that infuses this secret garden of ours.
In early December, when winter rains began, I ran through with cold droplets falling on my head tossing Shirley and California poppy seeds everywhere.
That is the trick you see, to let them germinate throughout winter, and for the water drops and snow to push them into the earth, wherever they want and need to be.
Then they spring up when ready in late winter and early spring.
Growing taller and taller until they bloom.
Oh you crazy wonderful poppies.
Delighting the bees beyond compare.
Bobble heads bobbing in the breeze…
Hidden through garden paths…
In pots with mountain garland…
Around Queen Anne’s Lace and all manner of roses…
Tucked into that sacred space I have called home for my entire adult life.
It brings a tear of gratitude to my eye.
Belove beautiful place of my entire soul.
How I love you.
A garden where the desert meets the forest, right below the big Lemmon mountain.
Towering majestic Queen Anne’s Lace put on quite the show this year.
A spring for the books.
Like floral fireworks, beckoning all winged creatures to take a taste.
And there, in this place of solace, poppy bobble heads began to unfurl.
Going down paths, in planters, pots, the verbena patch.
A sea of poppies emerged all around us.
Pink poppies, coral poppies, red poppies, white poppies, striped poppies.
You name it, they all turned up for the spring extravaganza.
I wake up early every day to do my workout in the garden, and revel in the beauty of it all.
A fresh poppy head cover slowly falls to the ground, as the sun unfurls the petals, and gobs of bees swoop in.
The verbena patch I accidentally grew 25 years ago was laden with poppies this year.
Miles is buried in the verbena patch, just behind where my loves hang out.
Little Poppy and big Teddy, my sweethearts.
I’ll never understand how I was graced with two more wonderful, sweet creatures such as these.
How we have adored this spring.
Gene Boerner roses never ever disappoint.
I pick some to dry, as I do every spring.
A memory of a moment in time that I hold so dear.
The red rose bush gifts the most outrageously perfect blooms, I gasp every year I see them.
I make my spring 2026 bundles with a planter I recently painted in the background.
The birds and bees are gloriously thrilled by all the happenings.
The poppies and Mountain Garland intertwine and compliment eachother perfectly.
Who knew that peach and purple were such a great color combination?
And this tender little white poppy with watercolored pink edges is just sublime.
Oh you beauties.
The one below is just showing off her fanciness at this point.
Bellissima.
The hummingbirds dive into the flowering aloes all day long.
Meanwhile, the teensy tiniest yellow belly finch has eggs in a tattered 4 inch tall birdhouse that sits on a tree branch.
Oh how sweet!
The hollyhock and Queen Anne’s Lace brigade make for a delightful team.
And then, another proper poppy moment…
Our flower garden is in the front of the house and the vegetable gardens are in the back.
I’ve always loved having our flower gardens out front, such a delightful sight from the porch.
Oh you poppies.
I remember when I was trying to find a name for Poppy, who had been called Puppy for weeks.
I had a slap on the forehead moment when I realized Poppy was her name.
Of course!
She had come to us in Poppy season, and it was a perfect transition from Puppy to Poppy.
But, truth be told, we still call her Puppy.
I know all of us have many names for our lovely creatures.
Poppy is also called, Popalara, Bubby Bubalina, Popsicle, Puppalina…
And so on, tee hee.
The Poppy girl and her poppies enjoy the garden in perfect unison.
Heartbreakingly sweet.
Nature’s magic is astounding.
Bliss sigh…
Deep calming breath…
A little clap of joy…
A whisper to tell them how beautiful they are…
Then we cuddle up in the verbena and look up…
With our sweet Teddy.
Resident cuddler, only interested in sharing love and being with his humans.
The true guardian is Bubble-lina Belina.
Aka Poppy girl.
Taking over Matty’s job, protecting and preferring to spend her days in the garden.
Ah, spring, you lovely thing.
Hello hello there my lovely fanciful friends.
Spring has been the loveliest with cool weather and some rain.
We have arrived at the tail end of our spring, and are now transitioning into spring meets early summer.
We have been so busy with gardens and pups and life.
Puppy continues to struggle with her knees, and I am not sure if she will end up needing surgery, but I am trying to help her in any way I can. Her quads are too strong for her tendons, and she runs so fast that she continually injures herself. Some new leg braces arrive this week. We see the vet regularly, and she takes medicine etc. We have kept her from running for weeks and then she heals and then it happens again. Over and over.
Of course, my puppy mom heart worries and frets.
But we care for her and love her as much as humans possibly could.
Currently we are tearing down this curious little room that has lived at the end of our porch at the country house since it was built, way before us.
It will become an extension of our patio, as it houses a creepy yellow vintage jacuzzi that we have never ever used.
I can hear them electric sawing it out now, hooray!
Not sure why we waited a lifetime to do this, alas we just never went in there, but it’s happening now, hooray!
I have been doing a list of projects.
Oodles of life happenings.
I also repainted an entire dining table and chairs that live in the area I call the tearoom at house 2.
Then I did the same to a desk and another cabinet.
I’ve really just been bustling around like the bees doing all manner of projects, plus tending garden.
I have also done a few paintings, one was a swan for my mum.
Oh, and I hosted a long Mother’s Day soiree, cooked and baked up a storm for a few days and had the most wonderful time with my guests.
And now, the weather is slowly inching up so I am feverishly putting in my summer seeds before it is too late.
Poppy is sitting right by me making a whole bunch of sounds because she is done with me typing, even though I stop periodically to pet her, she wants my full attention, where I sit on the floor and massage her whole body.
Which actually really helps with her sore knees.
I hope you are doing well in your neck of the woods.
I will see you again soon.
All my best to you always and forever,
Vanessa
