It's Beginning...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here!!

Happy Ladies...

Preventative Measures...

 

9000 Ladybugs released in the greenhouse

just in case any bad bugs have invaded!!

 

The happiest 'ladies' on the Nebraska Prairie!!

A Special Christmas Gift...

Delightfully discovered this special gift along the country road

just around the corner from our house...

this sweet little tree decorated with garland, ornament and rosehips!

Thank you for the smiles, secret Santa!!

Merry Christmas!!

The Day Has Arrived!!!

Moving Day!!!!!!

Giving Thanks....

Giving thanks for changing seasons, beautiful blooms...

and all of you!!!

Another Journey...

So...another journey begins!

 

We are hoping to bring our 'new' outdoor room home this week!

It is going to be an amazing space for all the luncheons and gatherings you enjoy among the gardens!

Yes...once again we are moving, renovating and decorating!

We can't wait to share our new treasure with you!!!

Still Harvesting!!

Yummy things still coming from the veggie garden...

'Bolero' Carrots!!!



A November Gift...

The beautiful gift of a November bloom!!

 



A Great Loss...

http://fremonttribune.com/news/local/nursery-founder-pathfinder-award-winner-dies-after-explosion/article_a88e8948-17d8-11e2-96f1-0019bb2963f4.html

 

A teacher, a mentor and a friend.

We will always be grateful for the way he Blessed our lives and shared in our journey.

Bambi....

Just Bambi...

taking her own personal garden tour!!



Honored...

http://gmpro.texterity.com/greenhousemanagement/201210#pg8

 

We are honored to be featured in the October 2012 issue

of Greenhouse Management magazine!

Growing Season...

This weekend's freeze signals the end of our growing season

but dreams of next year's blooms happily live in our greenhouse!

 

Despite the drought...this year's flower and vegetable harvest has been amazing!

 

The shop is filled with beautiful preserved blooms and our freezers are filled with delicious veggies!

 

A Top Ten!

What a glorious Autumn day on the Nebraska Prairie!!

Thank You!

We have really enjoyed all of our visitors these last couple of weeks!

 

We appreciate the love and support you all give us...

 

What a special way to celebrate this beautiful season!

Counting The Days....

We are counting the days until this weekend's Open House!

We invite you to celebrate the treasures of the season with us!

Enjoy lunch and refreshments in the garden...

served to benefit the Crisis Center!

Are You Ready????

Are you ready for some fall bloomers?

Our Autumn Boutique...

September 7, 8 and 9!

 

Beautiful Belgian mums, unique pumpkins and gourds,

Indian corn, bittersweet, garden art...

 

and just wait until you see the treasures in our shop!!



Celebrating A Gift...

 

 

Celebrating the gift of this beautiful rain!!!!

Our Fall Open House!!!

We are all busy around here...

even the bees and butterflies!!

Our Fall Open House

is right around the corner...

September 7, 8 and 9th!!!!

We have an amazing weekend planned for all of you!!



Doing A Rain Dance!!

Our 'Aussie' favorite...Clianthus Formosus...is thriving in this heat and drought

but there are other plants requiring a little extra TLC.

Normally we withold fertilizer during a heat wave but since this situation appears to be extended

we are feeding at least weekly!

Afternoon shade would be appreciated by a plant that appears to be struggling...

especially geraniums.

Keep a watchful eye out for pests...

and most of all...

keep doing that rain dance!!!



Happy Discoveries...

Very happily...

discovered angels...

playing in our gardens this morning!!!



Sprinkler System...

Sprinkler system...Country style!!!!

A Morning's Harvest...

A morning's harvest from the vegetable garden!!

Hakurei Turnips, Chiogga Beets, Golden Beets, Round Red Ace Beets, Malibar Spinach and Millionaire Hybrid Eggplant...Yum!!!!



Our Littlest Gardener...

A Sunday morning visit with our littlest gardener...

Ava Sue and her amazing mom!!

That puddle in the yard???

Oh...that would just be my heart melting....

Love...Love...Love!!!



Beneficial Rain....

We enjoyed our day off from watering duties today!!

Thank you, Mother Nature!!!



A Message From The Flower Fairies...

The fairies must have enjoyed their extra attention this weekend

as it appears they have left us a message in our Fairy Garden!

A little heart created by rearranging the glass stones!!



Great Kids!!

Definitely some future horticulturists and designers in this group!!

Saturday's 4-H Fairy Garden workshop was so much fun!!

What a great group of kids and super moms!!



Shhh....

Naptime in a lily....



Loving The Growing Season!

We have greeted the growing season with lots of shop and garden tours on our calendar!

Your visits are always welcome by appointment...

9 to 4 daily including weekends!!



Nervous!!

A few nervous moments last night...

this is not something anyone wants to see at their back door!!

Yes...there was a little rotation in Dodge County!!

With very grateful hearts...

our morning was spent cleaning up downed limbs...

but we are so blessed that our home, buildings and gardens are safe!!!



Wow!!!

Wow!!

Thank you to everyone who came out

to support us during our Spring Open House!!

Thank you to our friends and neighbors who sacrificed their weekend to help us...

and thank you for providing such delicious food to all of us!!

Thank you for this afternoon's 'Air Therapy'!!!

We are Blessed!!

We will treasure our memories with each and every one of you!!!

Spring Open House!!

We are counting the days!!

Our Spring Open House...

May 4, 5 and 6th!!

Friday and Saturday 9 to 5- Sunday 10 to 4

Lunch and refreshments served to benefit the Crisis Center!

A great collection of unique and unusual plants in our greenhouse!!

Designs featuring flowers harvested and freeze dried in our shop!

Garden inspired art, furniture and fine art prints!

Enjoy a spring weekend in our gardens!



Heirloom...

A beautiful heirloom geranium...'Appleblossom Rosebud'!



Pseudogynoxys Chenopodioides....

Here is a bright and sunny bloom...

on a cool and rainy day!!!

Pseudogynoxys Chenopodioides...

just say Mexican Flame Vine...

it's easier!!

A sun loving, trailing vine great for window boxes and container gardens!!!



Field Of Dreams...

This little guy insisted on being the one to introduce this great new plant!!

'Field Of Dreams' ornamental corn features striking pink, white and green striped leaves!

Perfect in container gardens or in the landscape!

We call it the 'Flower Farmer's' corn!!!!



Special Time Together...

My little helper Ava Sue having fun at the potting bench...

happy to plant anything with a PINK bloom!!!!



Yikes!!!

Yikes!!  A Freeze Warning tonight!!

We had a feeling Mother Nature wasn't quite finished with us and we even resisisted the urge to plant the Pansies!!

But...yes...that will be us...

in the wee hours of the morning....

a flashlight in one hand...

a hose in the other....

watering down the perennials who are ahead of schedule....

to give them some extra protection!!



Getting Ready...

We are getting ready to make memories with all of you!!

Spring Open House May 4, 5 and 6!!!!



Another New Bloom!!!

Verbena 'Estrella Salmon Star'...Wow!!!

Another new bloom in our greenhouse!!



Really???

Really???

Could there possibly be Apricots in our future???

Our daily check of the extended forecast shows some lows in the mid 30's....

oh, Mother Nature...

please keep a hard frost away from our beautiful spring blooms!!!!



Orange??

One more day of Spring...

and one more gift of an amazing first bloom!

Perfectunia Orange...

Yes...an orange Petunia!!



First Day Of Spring!!

What a treat on the first day of spring!!  Our first Abutilon Megapotamicum bloom of the season!!

You will want to try this unique sun-loving plant in your container gardens!!

Happy First Day of Spring, everyone!!!!



Gifts...

Our first gifts...

from Spring!!!



Harvest Time!!!

The Season's First Harvest!!!

You can preserve your own beautiful branches by cutting them before they fully open...

they will continue to mature during the drying process!!

Other great candidates????

Curly Willow...Red and Yellow Twig Dogwood!!!



Restraint....

We feel it too...but experience has taught us painful lessons we remember!

We're leaving these glorious gardens under cover a bit longer...

and are wisely taking advantage of beautiful weather to get ahead on hardscape maintenance,

tree and shrub trimming!!



Special Delivery...

A special delivery from a dear friend...

Praying Mantis egg sacks...

complete with newly hatched babies!!!



Praying Mantis...

We love your interest in our beneficial insect program!

This is a Praying Mantis egg sack...

it resembles a wasp nest...doesn't it?

Harvested sacks should be stored in the refrigerator until spring when the danger of frost has passed.

Place the sacks above ground in the landscape

to protect the babies from predators.

Oh...and yes...Ladybugs and Praying Mantis play very well together!!!!



Preventative Maintenance....

No chemicals for the precious plants in our greenhouse!!

We use beneficial insects to take care of any bad guys that might be lurking!!

We released 9000 of these lovely ladies today!



Sunflower Power!!!

A beautiful sunny day...

perfect for designing with preserved Sunflowers!!



Graphics!!

Love the fun and colorful graphics on this wonderful child's chair...

perfect for a princess....

or a prince!!!



It's A Snow Day!

What a great way to spend a snow day...

designing with perfectly preserved blooms from our gardens!!

Tempting Treasures...

Oh...

There are so many new delights in the shop and greenhouse!

Beautiful designs, artwork, original framed prints, container gardens and unusual plants!

There is a sweet flower fairy that lives in this little succulent garden!

Stay tuned for more peeks of tempting treasures!!!!



A Perfect Day!!

Sowed Pansy seeds in the greenhouse today while enjoying the sweet song of a Robin in our yard...

What a perfect day!!!