Category: Gardening

  • June Blooms in the Pacific Northwest

    Garden in Bloom: June 2014 via cottagemagpie.com Garden in Bloom: June 2014 via cottagemagpie.com Aside from my birthday month of April, I think June is one of my favorite months. The whole garden bursts into bloom and it’s such a joy to watch it unfolding every day. This garden needs a little attention. Some things…

  • Late May Blooms in the Pacific Northwest

    Spring Flowers in the Rain via cottagemagpie.com Spring Flowers in the Rain via cottagemagpie.com The garden here evolves on a daily basis this time of year. With the mix of sunshine and rain, things are growing so fast (*ahem* like my lawn *ahem*). I find myself wanting to take a little tour every day just…

  • Early May Blooms in the Pacific Northwest

    Garden in Bloom: May 2014 via cottagemagpie.com Garden in Bloom: May 2014 via cottagemagpie.com Luckily for me, the garden doesn’t care if it’s cleaned up or not. It just blooms and blooms anyway. This time of year is so fun with the peonies all peeking out their heads and gradually opening to a frilly, blowsy…

  • April Blooms in the Pacific Northwest

    Garden in Bloom: April 2014 via cottagemagpie.com Garden in Bloom: April 2014 via cottagemagpie.com Spring is such a tease, isn’t it? You get those sunny days and the early flowers and you think, “Ahhh, the beautiful weather is here!” You wear short sleeves, you open the windows, you get out the quilts and pack up…

  • Top 5 Favorite Cottage Roses for the Pacific Northwest

    Lady Bank’s Rose via cottagemagpie.com Cottage Rose via cottagemagpie.com Every Spring, about the end of April, I start watching for the roses to bloom. The first one to go is always the Lady Bank’s rose that’s on the site gate arbor. After that, the rose hedge starts to go, and then about now, all of…

  • Early May Blooms in the Pacific Northwest

    Spring Blooms via cottagemagpie.com Spring Blooms via cottagemagpie.com I am sometimes amazed at how different the garden looks now from when I first moved here. I mean, I don’t know why, really. I’ve worked on it for hours upon hours and made so many changes. But for some reason, at each given moment in time…

  • April Blooms in the Pacific Northwest

    Cherry Trees in Bloom via cottagemagpie.com Cherry Trees in Bloom via cottagemagpie.com Spring and Fall are my favorite seasons by far. I mean, there are things about all of the seasons that I love, but there’s just something especially good about Spring and Fall. Right now, of course, I think Spring is by far my…

  • Kwanzan Flowering Cherry (Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’)

    Kwanzan Flowering Cherry (Prunus serrulata) via cottagemagpie.com Kwanzan Flowering Cherry (Prunus serrulata) via cottagemagpie.com Of all the flowering trees, none is as romantic as the ornamental cherry “Kwanzan,” (Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’). Like many cherries, it has a lovely, graceful vase-shape form, attractive bark and good fall color, but is best known for its stunning display…

  • Plants for Summer Containers

    Summer Containers for the Front Garden via Cottage Magpie Summer Containers for the Front Garden via Cottage Magpie I have this ongoing battle with the front containers. Every year I get this idea that I want to plant them up with evergreens or perennials so that we’ll have foliage and interest year after year without…

  • Carnation or Clove Pink (Dianthus x caryophyllus)

    Carnation or ‘Clove Pink’ (Dianthus x caryophyllus) via cottagemagpie.com Carnation or ‘Clove Pink’ (Dianthus x caryophyllus) via cottagemagpie.com I have always always loved the smell of carnations. It’s no surprise to me that they are also called “clove pinks” because their scent is spicy and sweet like the culinary spice. It’s a distinctive smell that…