These are a few of our favorite flowers around our yard.
Be sure to read our very helpful flower purchasing tips at the bottom of the post.
Above is a view of the backyard from the front of the house.
Ariel found this Rose Campion at a local farmer’s market.
It is one of our new favorites!
This is the courtyard.
This was a crusty almost dead plant that we got for next to nothing at Lowes.
It is called Vinca something (Adri can’t remember).
This is an annual that came back!
This is our family’s favorite Dogwood tree on our property.
This is a shot of it blooming in the spring.
We can’t remember the name of these, but they are a lovely trailing annual.
We have Calla Lilies, Day Lilies, and Princess Lilies all around the bird bath.
Closeup of the Princess Lilies. These are more “dead” plants that we got for a song at Lowes.
We think they came back to life nicely!
We can’t remember the name of this perennial.
Another flea market find.
We finally filled the window box on the kitchen window.
More of our “dead” flowers (impatiens).
This critter is a Clear Wing Hummingbird (some call it a moth) that resembles a bee.
They aren’t at all skittish, making it easy to get great photos of them.
He loves this butterfly bush!
We LOVE Moss Rose! It is a trailing annual that is easy to find at places like Lowes.
This is from one of our many Hydrangeas.
Owen gets all the credit for taking these lovely photos!
How to go about buying lots of plants when Dad says he can’t afford to buy a lot of plants:
Go to your local Lowes, wander around the garden center and be shocked at all the high prices.
Next, go to the verrrrry back of the garden center (back where they sell fencing), there you should find a “dead plant cart” (sometimes many of them…if it’s your lucky day…oops we’re Presbyterian – we mean blessed).
You will be surprised that many of the plants only need light pruning and some water.
This next part is crucial, so pay close attention.
Find a Lowe’s worker (male is best; male manager even better).
Ask him sweetly, “how much are those crispy flowers in the way back?”.
Now smile winsomely.
Let him think for a minute. Keep smiling (we don’t mean flirting).
Then he should say (at least it works for us), “Come on back and I’ll make ya’ll a deal”.
Follow him and remain silent while he ponders the new asking price.
Try VERY hard not to squeal with delight as he tells you the price.
Rather do like Ariel and say in a quiet voice, “Aw! You’re so nice!”.
Last time she did this, he reduced the price he originally gave us, by half.
Then wait for him to leave you, so that you can make your selection.
We like to each fill up the largest pulley carts we can find (you know, those huge ones for manly construction projects?!).
Another good tip for buying:
Most people are aware that you can purchase flowers at farmer’s markets, but that can be pricey (remember Daddy has you on a budget).
We have found our dollar goes MUCH farther at flea markets and yard sales.
Dad got us into this kind of flowering shopping, when he brought us home a bunch of .50 cent flowers!
Besides all this, the selection is much more varied because the vendors usually bring in flowers from their own established gardens. The elderly people usually have the best selection and prices.
Happy shopping!
We’ve been very busy with gardening lately.
Ewwwww!
