Category: In the Garden

Fun amongst the flowers

~ Spence's Girl ~ 2 Comments

Last year I learned of a local u-pick flower farm but between their limited hours and my travel I was unable to visit. I follow them on social media and last night saw they were canceling their Friday event due to weather but rescheduled for today. Tickets were still available so I registered online and showed up this morning at 10:00.

Started during Covid by a wife and husband team (she’s a teacher, he’s a firefighter) this is their passion project. They do special events on their beautiful wooded property and the variety of annual and perennial plants has grown each year.

Owner Jessica took the group on an informative garden walk, identifying blooms ready for picking today, showed how to cut and strip the stems and gave us valuable information on how to make our bouquets last up to two weeks. Then we picked our mason jar, grabbed clippers and walked about the property filling the jar with our fresh picked bouquet.

Once home I began arranging the flowers quickly realizing I could make two bouquets and so I did!

The pickings fresh from Barefoot Blossom Farm
Arrangement #1
Arrangement #2

For a $30 ticket this was a lovely way to spend my morning and now that I know where it is I will be a regular at this charming flower farm!

In the Garden – Blooms

~ Spence's Girl ~ 1 Comment
I found this little beauty blooming, in spite of the fact that it was hidden underneath my hydrangea.
When I planted this last year,
it became dinner for a hungry bunny.
To my surprise it’s back, small but determined.
My new Alpine Poppy continues to bloom.
A snapdragon blooming in the middle of my lilies.
This is year three for these stunning lilies.

Ethel M Holiday Cactus Garden

~ Spence's Girl ~ Leave a comment

While in Vegas I had the opportunity to go to the festive 32nd Annual Holiday Cactus Garden Lights. I’ve been to the cactus garden during daytime on a prior visit to Ethel M Chocolates and a few years ago, tried to attend this event only to arrive during a power outage.

This year, no power outage and an unseasonably mild December evening allowing us to stroll through the lovely, lighted cactus garden with Christmas music playing…..

In my garden

~ Spence's Girl ~ Leave a comment

After being on vacation for a week, I came back my garden bursting with blooms.

Iris
Iris
Iris
Iris
Iris
Columbine
Columbine
Violas
Rhododendron
Dwarf Lilac
Columbine
Martha Washington Geraniums
Martha Washington Geraniums
Martha Washington Geraniums

Then there’s my beloved Peony Tree that I moved from my home of many years to my new one nearly three years ago. It’s so beautiful I had to give it its own gallery of multiple photos.

Moorten Botanical Garden

~ Spence's Girl ~ Leave a comment

Always up for anything garden-related, my visit to this Palm Springs botanical garden was an opportunity to see more Cacti varieties than I knew existed.

Established in Palm Springs since 1938, this privately-owned arboretum was created to share the beauty and extraordinary varieties of desert plants with everyone who visits. The featured desert trees, plants, and cacti come from around the world and range in size from miniature to giants!

The Moortens are desert plant specialists and invite you to their residence estate. Moorten Botanical Garden is a living museum of desert lore and has something of interest for everyone with glistening crystals, colorful rocks, ancient fossils, and pioneer and gold mining relics.

The classic collections on display are comprised of more than 3000 varieties of plants designed in concentrated habitats along a nature trail. In the world’s first Cactarium (a word coined by The Moortens), visitors will discover a special exhibition of rare plants seen nowhere else.

This content is courtesy of: http://www.moortenbotanicalgarden.com

Faye Sarkowsky Sculpture Garden in Palm Desert

~ Spence's Girl ~ Leave a comment

One afternoon my sister and I headed out to explore this sculpture garden. It exceeded our expectations natural beauty in a peaceful setting – plants, trees, water features, rock formations and of course the sculptures. It was the definition of Zen.

My favorite sculpture “Walks Among the Stars” is worth photographing from several angles.