Outdoor flower decor...

 Ahhh, sweet spring!

This photo was taken two days ago through the dining room bay window.

The same view, exactly three months ago in early March. 

The summer view is soooooo much more appealing!

This is the view looking in the opposite direction through the bay window. The Major Wheeler honeysuckle vine we planted last year has now climbed to the top of the arbor!

It was only a couple of feet tall when we planted it last summer.

I'm so happy it took off. I wasn't sure if it would, because this isn't a very sunny spot.

But despite all odds, it is growing and budding, just as I'd hoped it would.

One more place for our hungry hummers to visit while visiting our yard!

We also planted a small Major Wheeler honeysuckle on both sides of the swingset deck last summer. It has climbed to the top of the framework, so hopefully we'll be surrounded by hummers when we sit out in the Adirondack chairs this summer!

I mean between the honeysuckle and the feeders, how can our tiny feathered friends resist stopping for a visit?

The vines are loaded with blossoms ...

...that are just starting to open!

Another beacon for our little hummer friends - the Calibrachoa on the plant stand on the deck. 

I finally got around to planting impatiens in the shed's window boxes. I'm really off to a slow start this year with my planting.

Out in the front yard, a hanging basket gets 'plopped' down in the whiskey barrel, as it does every year.

The irises are blooming in the rock garden next to the whiskey barrel...

... and the clematis has started blooming by the light post.

(the view from my studio office window)

It's so wonderful to welcome spring after the long New England winters (especially this past one!), even on rainy days like today!

I hope you all have a beautiful week!

Donna

The new patio tent and a mish-mash of flowers...

This is the new tent we picked up last week for over our little backyard patio.

We would love to have gotten a few more years out of the old tent...

... but during the high winds and heavy rains of the past few weeks, several branches fell right through the tent to the patio below (Glad I wasn't sitting out there when it happened!).

 And although the little white wicker set under the tent is water resistant, it's not waterproof. As it is, it's deteriorating faster than we'd like so we want to keep it as dry as possible to get as many (more) years out of it as we can.

 While I was out photographing the tent, I noticed one of the bright clematis blooms right by the deck. I focused first on the new tent in the background....

... and then on the clematis bloom right next to me. I have to say, I'm really pleased with my little Canon Power Shot Point & Shoot. I know it's nothing fancy, but it has served me well over the years.

I did the same thing on the other side of the deck, focusing first on the impatiens on the dining room window 'screen feeder' flower box...

... and then on the clematis cascading across the arbor over the back yard gate.

This last photo is just the hanging basket I put together that hangs from the deck with the girls' old tree house in the background.

A couple of posts ago I shared a photobomb I recently captured, and in my next post I'll share a videobomb that I caught today! It's all in the timing...

I hope you are all having a beautiful weekend. 

Donna

Climbing Clematis

 I love clematis. How could I not? Just look at those blossoms!

 Their only downside is that, like all perennials, the bloom time is relatively short.

 

(dry brush filter)

 The clematis that climbs our light post is simply spectacular when flowering.

 Heavy rains over the past several weeks, however, brought an even earlier end to its short bloom time. These photos were taken about two weeks ago, when the vine was still covered with flowers.

Not to worry though. The clematis climbing the arbor over the garden gate has just started blooming. Not as spectacularly as in years past, thanks to me accidentally cutting the vine growing up the side of the arbor that you see in the photo above. A winding trumpet vine was starting to warp the lattice, and since it was too shady a spot for the vine to even blossom, I decided to cut it back to remove the thick, destructive trunk. In the process, however, I accidentally cut back the clematis growing up that side as well!

 (dry brush filter)

Thankfully, the clematis I'd planted on the left side of the arbor escaped my cutting shears...

... and it's putting on a spectacular show right now. I'm hoping that next year the right side will grow back!

 

A little further into the backyard, the clematis that I had all but given up on (planted a few years ago) suddenly took off this year! Perhaps it was having a race with the new honeysuckle vine I just planted next to it, seeing who could reach the top of the swing set first.

I love the combination of the lavender clematis and the red-orange honeysuckle intertwining. These are the vines that are planted on the left side of the swing set, where the ladder to the monkey bars used to be...

 

(watercolor filter)

 

(dry brush filter)

I planted the same combination of lavender clematis and red-orange honeysuckle on the right side of the swing set as well.

Hopefully the rain will stay away for a while and let these beauties finish their natural bloom time!

Wishing you all a beautiful week.

I'm joining Claudia, Mockingbird Hill Cottage for A Favorite Thing Saturday,

Tracie, Fishtail Cottage for Cottage Garden Party

and Cindy, My Romantic Home for Show & Tell Friday

Donna

Climbing the stairway to heaven...

Lovely, sweet, luscious blue clematis...

..is now winding its way up the light post.

... climbing toward the heavens.

Oh, how I wish these beauties bloomed all summer long...

 ... But I suppose the fact that they are here for such a short period of time makes them all the more special!

 I'm linking to Show & Tell Friday at My Romantic Home.

Have a wonderful Sunday, everyone!

Donna

Hearts are wild...

 The clematis that covers the arbor over our old garden gate...

... was in full bloom a couple of weeks ago.

Not only does the garden gate have a heart...

The clematis, with the way it cascades down from the arbor, also forms a freestyle heart.

The clematis over the garden gate has always thrived. I wish I could say the same for the clematis I planted on the posts of our swingset garden!

See the little area that's missing a portion of the picket at the bottom of the gate? That's Chip's personal gate, the one that he uses to run back and forth to his little 'home' after collecting his peanuts.

I love the way the heart cutout of the gate showed up in the shadow on the ground in this photo. I truly do "heart" my old weathered (very distressed) gate, my garden, and all the little creatures and birds that visit.

The weather was spectacular here today. It was a nice change from the muggy 90's we've had lately!

Wishing you "hearts" and beautiful summer days wherever you are! I'm hooking up to Cindy's Show & Tell Friday, so be sure to stop by and visit!

Donna

Serenity...

"Leave room in your garden for angels to dance."

... and bunnies to frolic...

... and flowers to bloom...

 

Amen.

I'll be linking up to Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show & Tell Friday.
Wishing you all a lovely week,  Donna