Rev Up Your Outdoors {a Fancy Giveaway!}

Anyone else have the urge to play in the dirt?  As we've gotten warmer here in Georgia, I can hear my garden and containers calling me!  This weekend I will be purchasing my first ever tomato plants to have in containers on my back deck... my husband is a great skeptic, but I hope to have some delish red tomatoes to enjoy this summer.

Since I have a graduate this year (Yikes!), I'll be putting a little extra care into my beds and containers.  We'll be hosting some out-of-town company and, of course, an outdoor soiree in her honor. More on that later this month-- once we're ahead of all the interior repairs, of course!  But I've already started my list of annuals and a few transplants, so the wheels are turning.

I was thrilled when Amanda over at Fancy Little Things gave me a heads up about their latest Home and Garden Giveaway:  a Bloomerang Lilac!



Isn't this gorgeous??  Here's some information on this particular plant from Better Homes and Gardens:

"New Bloomerang dwarf lilac covers itself with clusters of purple-pink, sweetly scented blooms in May, and then continues flowering off and on throughout the summer! Reaching just 4 to 5 feet tall, it fits perfectly in foundation plantings or small gardens. Plant several together and create a fragrant hedge."Reblooming lilac blooms from spring and again from mid-summer to frost and does best in full sun.


I did a little digging (no pun intended!) and found a few more features of this variety of lilac online.

• Attacts butterflies (love this!)
  • Best Seller
• • Cut Flower
• • Deer Resistant
• • Fall Interest
• • Fragrant Flowers
• • Landscape Plant
• • Needs Good Drainage

These are just the kind of things I like to know about new plants and I like to keep it simple ~ hence the bullet points!

I've got the perfect corner of my yard for this beauty... how about you?  Head over to Fancy Little Things between now and May 2nd to enter this fabulous giveaway! 

Happy Decorating and Happy Gardening!

Hydrangea Heaven

This summer is the first in several years that my hydrangeas actually bloomed.  I suppose years of the South's drought kept them in hiding, even though I managed to keep the foliage alive.  But the right amount of water and dappled sunlight revived them-- blooms and all-- late this spring.  I had almost forgotten how much I adore their delicate colorful showpieces!  I clipped several along the way to brighten my kitchen island or powder room sink.  I sadly clipped the last seasonal bloom last week.  Our heat wave has taken it's toll and no matter how hard my soaker hoses are working, even their leaves are wilted by the day's end.  I'm wishing I had photographed them while they were blooming, but I naively thought it would go on and on.  So for my homage to hydrangeas post today, Southern Living comes through with these beautiful images.  Click here to see more images and instructions on how to root and share your treasures.

What's your favorite summertime flower?

Nikko blue...I love the sculpture nestled among the blooms.

Tokyo Delight... the contrasting petal shapes, sizes, and colors, all in one bloom fascinate me!

Photos by Joseph De Sciose

Grey Gardens

Yesterday I stumbled upon the 2009 HBO movie "Grey Gardens" starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange.  I could not stop watching!  The fashion in the film is stunning.  The story of the crazy mother and daughter, who just happened to be the aunt and first cousin of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, is riveting.  But it was the East Hampton mansion herself that absolutely captivated me.  And watching her demise before your eyes is compelling and heartbreaking, all at the same time, like watching a train wreck, unable to tear your eyes away.  Her scale is magnificent--10 bedrooms-- and yet, her exterior in its prime was a welcoming hulk of beautiful multipaned windows, exquisite millwork, airy front porch and grey shingles.  How did the architect capture that weathered grace--that of a dignified elderly woman-- in this summer home turned full time residence for Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter Little Edie?

I had to do some digging to satisfy my own curiosity and came across a wonderful article in the New York Times from April 2009.  There I found a treasure trove of photographs of the house in her worst state of deterioration just after it was purchased by Sally Quinn and Ben Bradlee.  But I was also treated to photos of the newly restored Grey Gardens, including her magical gardens. 

I invite you to watch the HBO movie to get the full story of this eccentric mother and daughter living a free spirited life as their home literally crumbles around them.  But you will also delight in visiting the NYT photo gallery and details of its restoration. 

exterior in the 70's

the famous grey walls-- how she got her name

gardens restored and enhanced

All photos via New York Times online