Rosie's Cottage: Picture Perfect Project: June: Garden Smiles :)

Friday, 10 June 2016

Picture Perfect Project: June: Garden Smiles :)

Hi Honeys,
Well, what a busy week this has been! Hubby & I both booked a weeks vacation from work this past week (I go back to work today while lucky Hubby goes back on Monday) to work on our over-stuffed, far-too-cluttered home :)

We did so well this week although most of the work centred around one cupboard which faces our back door. I'll share in my next post, including lots of photos, but for today it's time for the latest post in the fabulous Picture Perfect Project.

The Picture Perfect Project is a wonderful link up which enables bloggers to work on their photography skills, thereby improving the appearance of their blogs while sharing lots of smiles along the way with the sweetest, most supportive group of people. Did I mention how much fun it is too?

If you've seen any of my other posts in this wonderful link up you'll know I'm trying to track a year in the life of our garden :)

Shall we see what's been happening then honeys? There's been drama and smiles too in the garden this month...

My dear Gramma's Peonies decided to say hello this month and what a hello it is...

Only one rose so far, and another in bud, but when a rose is as perfect as this one it's all that's needed. Isn't it such a beautiful colour honeys? These peonies arrive every single year without fail and every time they do, they make my heart smile. It's like having Gramma here again.

Do you remember the two little pots of lavender we popped into a huge planter? Well, they seem to have taken over the planter and made it their very own...

When we have the patio re-organized to make room for the pretty garden bench we bought to make a little seating area out there, this lovely lavender pot will sit to one side of the bench. Is there anything so lovely as the gorgeous scent of lavender in the breeze?

Do you remember the rose bush we planted in memory of my beloved Mother in law? It's positively thriving in our tiny front garden and has grown quite considerably in just this past month with new shoots and so many extra leaves appearing...

I so can't wait to see the first rose bloom.

Sitting alongside Mum's rose is the rose bush we planted in memory of my sweet and much loved Gramma. After last year's incredible burst of roses I was so sure Gramma's roses would be in full bloom by now, although there are so far (I counted) eight buds all waiting to smile and say hello :)

There has been some dramatic moments this past week or so when we discovered we had aphids and some ants attacking both Gramma's and Mum's rose bushes. We've sprayed them but it only seems to have slowed them down rather than stopped them altogether :/ We'll keep trying to deter them but I'm hoping that they'll be alright since nature has ways of dealing with problems.

We'll be keeping a close eye on them. I dislike using chemicals so I've been trying to find more natural ways to protect our precious roses. I'll keep you posted honeys x

A smile to end on then :) Last year, on our birthday weekend (our birthdays are only two days apart) my best friend Miriam sent me the most gorgeous bouquet of flowers (thank you angel xx) They were the most perfect shade of rich cream roses and were stunning! I adore my friend and couldn't bear to throw out her flowers when they started to die off so I decided I'd try to snip the roses and treat them as cuttings.

So, that's exactly what I did honeys. I planted eight rose stems in compost and hoped for the best. They lived out on the patio to get the benefit of our wonderful Scottish rain and I brought them indoors for winter. They then lived on our kitchen window sill because the kitchen is always warm and were watered everyday. Only four of the stems lasted and they finally went outside again around the end of April (the winter chill lasted far too long this year) and then yesterday I noticed this...

There are more shoots coming away from the original stems and there are two rosebuds! Such joy!

I had been thinking of re-potting them into a larger planter with lots of fresh compost and still think that might be the right thing to do, especially since a local squirrel has taken to hiding nuts in the pot! Will they continue to grow? I do hope so! Again, I'll keep you posted honeys :)

Are you taking part in the Picture Perfect Project? If not, why not jump right in? It's such fun and is hosted by the sweetest, kindest ladies. Please visit the others taking part in the link up and say hello, including our lovely hosts...

Beth at Our Pretty Little Girls

Courtney at Sweet Turtle Soup

Desiree at Macke Monologues

Elizabeth at Chasin' Mason

Stephanie at Wife Mommy Me

Whitney at Work It Mommy