Chaco my garden helper.

Oh no! There's a monkey in the tree!

Pink Asian Lily

Chaco and I had fun in the sun working in the garden today and playing ball.

Red Hibiscus Flower Photo

Red Hibiscus Flower from Our Garden

Chaco & I Watching Our Garden Grow

Chaco smelling the Hostas.

While I plant more perennials.

Delphinium

Creamy White Foxglove


White Rhododendron

Purple Rhododendron

My Bleeding Heart

The garden at the tea boutique, showcase two of these beauties. Bleeding heart perennials bloom in May and June. They love laying in a shady woodsy spot. I heard that they can reach up to four feet tall. Last year I planted these pink bleeding hearts. We'll see how big the get!

Is it Easy Being Green?

In honor of Earth Day today, I like to share with you things I've been doing to be more earth friendly. I'm not fanatical but, I do my best. Refer to my blog post 'Entertain in Green' for fun going green party tips.

• Since I'm tea crazy, I've been reusing tea leaves in potting soil mix, followed by an occasional watering with a tea infusion.
• Every year I plant trees. Especially fruit trees.
• We plant a small veggie and fruit garden for the summer.I'm not much for canning but, if all possible I freeze what I can of garden goodies.
• I try not to use to many paper towels. Instead, cloth towels that can be washed.
• I'm really into bamboo products. It's grass, not a tree. Very environmentally friendly! My cutting boards are bamboo. Now it's easy to find bamboo plates, utensils and cups at your local store.
• In this past year I really cut down on driving. I combine errands in one trip.
• All my bills I have sent via email rather then paper bill in the mail.
• Papers I printed on once and don't need again, I use the other side as note paper.
• Among my circle of friends, we gather clothes or household items and see who needs what. That's always fun! Especially clothes or shoes we exchange. If none of us need it we donate the items to charities.
• Turn of lights and unplug appliances when not in use. I'm still working on doing this better.
• I have my own cloth shopping bag. If I happen to forget, I ask the check-out clerk for paper. If they don't offer paper, I just scoop the items in my arms.
  

That's just a few.

There's more ways I'm trying to be more earth friendly.

How about you?

It's easy going Green in just small aspects of our lives!

Pear Tree Blossom

What's Your Garden Theme?

Each year there's a different theme to my garden. Here's one photo from my frogs gone crazy theme. This week I'm gathering ideas for this year.

The Thoughtful Pansy

Spring has arrived! All us gardeners have a special place in our heart for certain flowers. After, a long Winter it's so exciting to see crocuses pop-out in such cheerful colors. They look so beautiful in groups. One of my favorites are pansies. They flower best in Spring. All flowers have taken on particular meanings through the centuries, some vary from culture to culture. For instance my beloved pansies stem from the French word pensees which means thoughts, and the flower is poetically linked to thoughts, thoughtfulness, and remembrance, as well as love. It's believe if pansies are placed over the eyes of someone asleep, the pansy can impel the dreamer to fall in love with the first person to appear. People once believed that wearing a garland of crocuses would ward off drunkenness. So if you ever see someone with a crocus necklace you'll know why.

Welcome

Welcome to 'Olivia's Vignettes'. An eclectic mix of antiques, collecting, vintage, home decor, and gardening. With an occasional thought or idea. Welcome in Spring on Friday. New beginnings!