Blooming Perennials

Spring is slowly turning into Summer and just about everything in the garden is blooming.

Gaura lindheimeri with it’s swirling white butterfly blooms. Every year this perennial gets attacked by aphids, but it’s interesting to see the ladybugs come to the rescue. Nevertheless, this plant remains a beautiful focal point in the garden.

Autumn Sage is lively year round and the red blooms made their appearance early spring.

Mom gave me a Penstemon seedling from her garden last spring. While it didn’t bloom last year, it has been a prolific bloomer this spring. Currently all of these blooms have faded, but there are just as many buds, so I’m expecting another show.

These three little primrose plants have definitely taken root and enjoying this sunny space. It has spread beyond the borders of the bed and needs some trimming from time to time. I enjoy seeing these brightly colored blooms and as you can see I’m not the only one 🙂

In the backyard, cedar sage is taking over the flower bed. What started as 2 plants purchased 3 years ago, has turned into 6+ plants. They easily spread and I have no problem with that. I love the lily pad shaped foliage and their bright red flowers.

As the heat sets in, there’s not much more I can do in the garden besides trim spent flower stalks and keep everyone watered and healthy. Time to sit back, relax, enjoy the blooms, and watch the hummingbirds ❤

SAL Update 4.23

Since our last update, I’ve just been working away at filling in Pooh Bear. Completed one arm and working on the next. I think I’ll work on the left side afterwards and take a break from the yellow 🙂

Time to see how everyone in the group is progressing on their projects. Click on the links below to some beautiful stitching:

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, LucyAnn, Kate, Jess, Sue, Constanze, Debbierose, Susan, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Helen, Steph, Wendy, Linda, Catherine, Mary Margaret, Timothy

UFO Challenge #4

#4? These won’t be in order! I’ve joined a UFO Challenge with my local quilt store, which is perfect since my new year’s resolution was to complete my UFO’s in 2017 😀

I submitted 6 UFO’s that I will complete in 6 months. Every completion guarantees one entry into the prize drawing. The grand prize winner get’s 50% of total registration fees in the form of a gift card and there are also 2nd and 3rd prize winners. But best of all, you get your projects completed! What makes this fun and challenging is waiting for the number to be drawn. Whichever number the shop draws, is the number of the challenge I will work on. April is #4 and #4 on my list is to complete my quilted potholders.

Last year, I had a sew day with my mom, aunt, and grandmother. We all split a jelly roll to make 4 potholders each, but we each only completed a single potholder that day. The pile of potholder fronts and backs and a pile of insul-bright have been sitting in my sewing room for an entire year. This was definitely one of the easier projects on my UFO list.

Last weekend I joined my mom at her local quilt shop for a sit and sew and I completed the 3 remaining potholders. Added a little twill loop to the corner for hanging and voila!

My little potholders are hanging above the stove, ready for action 🙂 Looking forward to May’s UFO Challenge…wish me luck!