Most people that know me, know that I HATE gardening. Yup, you heard right, I hate gardening. And yet it is one of the things I love most and look forward to come the spring. The reason behind my enmity with gardening though is that I freak over anything that worms its way out of the dirt! I don’t mind spiders or butterflies or even bumble bees for that matter, but if I come across ANYTHING that squirms or slithers I completely lose it!
Having said that, I love to see my spring flowers burst into action each year. Peonies are by far my favorite spring flower. I have several peony bushes in my front yard and when they bloom I leap with joy! They especially look beautiful when they grace our walkway. Whenever you walk by the bushes you are immediately swept away by their lovely scent.
I try to snip off as many as I can and then immediately bottle them in my ginger jars or vases and display them throughout the house. Between their intoxicating scent and the enormous blooms they produce, my peonies help me forget about anything that might be lurking in the dirt. They are definitely my gardening pride and joy!
One of my greatest upsets of all time is the year my husband decided to “trim” our hydrangea shrubs. That was about 6 or 7 years ago and they haven’t produced a single flower since! Every year I say to myself, I’m finally gonna rip them out and replace with new ones. I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve yet to accomplish getting that task done. The bushes are quite big, perhaps the reason I’ve shied away from digging them up. And of course we now have the current health situation going on throughout the state this year, so it’s unlikely I’ll be able to visit my favorite local nursery in time to grab new ones, ugh.
Did I mention hydrangeas are my favorite summer flower? Here in New England hydrangeas are the most envied flowers of all especially throughout the coastal towns. Nantucket is infamous for the beautiful cottages surrounded by hydrangeas. When we’re in Newport you can also find them all over the island. I finally placed an order for a few hydrangea plants and I’m waiting for them to arrive soon. I’ll be digging up two of the four bushes and replace with two new ones as soon as they arrive. Our house faces east so they’ll receive plenty of sun all morning and partial shade in the afternoon, a perfect schedule for them. Hopefully I’ll get them going in time for some summer blooms!
And lest we forget all about the pretty little lilacs, I have a complete post on how to care for them here. These are another favorite of mine. We have a big beautiful lilac tree in front of the house just below our bedroom window and every year when the tree blooms, the amazing scent gently wafts right up and into our room. It is the most delightful scent to experience. Almost always I’ll lay in bed and slowly drift into a nap while inhaling that restful scent.
These particular plants are fairly easy to plant and care for, except if you decide to over trim, like my husband did thus stunting their growth. For obvious reasons these plants are incredibly popular and when in full bloom they look amazing. They will grace your yard with so much beauty you’ll be so proud of your gardening work. I hope you get a chance to do some planting this spring!
Absolutely gorgeous flower bushes! I love hydrangeas and peonies – they make any room elegant and festive. Thanks for sharing!