Time For Another Stroll Through The Gardens

This is what I see several times each day. This is Teddy language for: Time to patrol the lower gardens. She will sit like this patiently for about 30 seconds and then I get 15 second intervals of yipping. Teddy has many different sounding barks to tell me want she wants. I speak "Teddy" fluently. I can decipher the slightest inflection in all of her barks.


Here we go.


The routine varies little. Along the path to the lower garden are many garden rooms. She has to stop at the entry to each one to look in and see if anything is amiss.



It surprises me each year when the phlox blooms because I've forgotten where I've planted it and then bam! Lots of spring color.


This is one of my next projects. Time to clean up the gazebo room. This room is right next to the huge Weeping Beech which is about 40 feet high. I will show you this area after I clean it. This has always been a favorite garden spot. We take our coffee down here in the morning and read the papers. This room sits right below the upper pond and all you can hear are birds chirping and the falls and stream running.


The Oakleaf Hydrangeas are opening.



Even though some of them still hold last years blooms.


Ferns are popping up everywhere.


My daughter's house sits right at the bottom of the path.


I sure planted a lot of Hellebores.


They have put on quite a display this year.


I have them planted all along the side of the path.


The fish terrorist.


She loves to drink from the ponds.



The Irises will soon be showing their beautiful purple flowers.



Southern Bluebells have spread throughout the woods.



Some Hostas opening just behind more Phlox.


Grape Hyacinths


The inspection is complete...return to the main port!


There she goes back to the upper garden.


There is a lot of huffing and puffing at this point. She still has her winter coat.


Time to rest knowing the area is safe.



A good job has been done.


Time for a nap and in a couple hours we will do it all over again.

***There is still time to enter the giveaway for the fairy lights. The winner will be drawn tomorrow and another giveaway posted!

Comments

Teddy is very responsible. She loves her job. She guards, she gives tours, and poses for photographs, she knows her job is important.

I'm loving my daily garden visits!
I had that phlox in may last garden, but for some reason I never gotten it to this place. I´ll have to buy some this spring.

What a nice place the gazebo room seemes to be. I don´t have such a place here, so I usually sit on my kitchen stairs. But the sun makes it impossible to read any newspapers there :-) :-)

One can never have to many helleborus :-) or ferns!

Teddy looks like a small lion where she guards the garden :-)
Have a great day now!
Christer.
pastrywitch said…
Beautiful- it's amazing what one can do in a non-arid climate :)
Celia said…
I can't wait to start seeing all of your garden rooms. Your daughters house looks very enchanting sitting there surrounded by your garden. I'm so thankful to you that you share your gardens with us.
chib said…
Hi Joyce, thanks to visit my blog. In fact I was on holiday, and I decided to visit my ancestry town after many years.
I missed nice photos from your blog. Good day
me too...love that you are sharing this wonderful garden...teddy is so cute there on patrol...
...


love seeing all the plants just starting to wake up...summer is going to be a good one....

hugs to teddy....

5 days till Teddy here :- )

kary
xxx
Bitsa Lit said…
aww so pretty! I have decided that when I am old enough (*cough* when I have enough money to truly move out and buy land *cough*) I want a little working hobby farmand a HUGE garden like this one!
brokenteepee said…
It's good to have such a careful guard.

Here is the post on the ravioli
http://brokenteepee.blogspot.com/2010/04/hubbys-birthday-dinner.html

They were tasty
TMCPhoto said…
how lucky to have such a diligent guardian for your little patch of heaven. I'm headed out to pull up some dandelions (or the sun flowers as the Peanut calls them)
Suzie said…
How much weight does Teddy lose each year by the time that she can't patrol any longer? Going up and down those stairs several times a day will help keep her girlish figure!

What a big job guarding everything so well, and she takes it so seriously too! What a dog!

I am amazed and delighted how you have covered nearly everything in plants, and in the proper tiers too. .ground covers, small plants, shrubs & vines, understory and canopy trees. Beautiful!
Sharlene T. said…
Hey, a job is a job and Teddy is very responsible! You are lucky you have her -- she could be a lap-dog and you'd have to do it all by yourself! Love strolling through your gardens.

My Angel and I have also developed our own language and I can understand all the nuances in her voice. She doesn't bark in the house, just 'talks' to me. But, don't let a stranger try to come into the yard! Wow! For a Chihuahua, she can really raise a ruckus!
Oh My Goodness look at your Dog! What a little puff ball....so cute!
Your Garden looks beautiful!
i love that...we don't understand, but animals do...

counting the days...i really don't know how i made it this far...45 days of misery....

i am writing this and looking at Teddy laying there..and now i am smiling...look at that sweet girl...

i wish I could pet her...

but i am sending her a hug..oh and one more thing..guess who just came in the mail...EARL ! it is pretty bad...but valerie said he loves it...so we have it.

kary
xxx
yep ! even earl needs love..and he is going to get it....

animal love...the BEST !
Debbie said…
Gosh I am totally amazed by all of this. When you go through that door and down those stairs, are you surrounded by trees and are you completely private? It blew my mind that at the bottom was your daughters house! Wow. I have so many questions? Really...really...cool...and Teddy...very sweet and smart. Aren't animals wonderful? What would we do without them. Thanks Teddy for the wonderful tour and rest up for the next one.L:)
Cindi Myers said…
That first photo! OMG! You could sell that as a poster/print! Teddy looKs so beautiful!
I have a weeping willow that I planted in my back yard several years ago. Now it towers over my house and in the summer makes a nice private shaded place to sit. (or for the dogs to lay under Really! LOL!) A couple of years ago I started to hang chimes all over it and now most are gone because of the horrible storm we had last spring! But I noticed the remaining ones are there because the tree had grown around the hooks, it's kinda like the tree is "holding" onto them. It has also grown around a bird feeder! It's almost like that tree has a personality of it's own! I keep thinking of those apple trees in the Wizard of Oz, cool but scary!...

Oh, and if your daughter ever decides to move out, give ME a call! LOL!
Jennifer Rose said…
good job Teddy :D Def. deserve a rest after that patrol
Bridgett said…
I'm in love with your land. You have it fixed up so beautifully. It almost seems like a secret garden in a movie!

Love all your blooms.