A Garden Tour of Sweetland Retreat...

Our roses are in bloom and they're as big as our heads!! Joy models one behind her ear (really on top of her face!)

The best part of our week is strolling around the property to see what's newly in bloom-- we're finding flowers and trees that we didn't know that we had! The women that lived here before us really knew how to garden and put a whole lot of love into it. We thank them every day-- cause we know they're listening! The beautiful flowering white bush behind Joy in this photo is called Spirea-- our nephew dog walked under it the other day and tiny white dots of confetti were all over him-- I thought he went to a party!

The Lilies have started to make an appearance as well and they are lovely ladies. This patch is growing behind the cottage where the white and yellow Daffodils were last month. Can't wait to see what comes up next...I bet it's yellow!

Sweetland Retreat also has the good fortune of having a ton of Hostas! We saw them when we were thinking about buying the house and fell in love-- luckily there are even more now than we saw last year! The will soon blossom into pretty flowers but right now they are nice big patches of elegant curved leaves.

We were surprised to wake up one day and see exotic colored Irises on the side of the house. They have petals that are just begging to be painted or photographed! I'm sure that these will be a favorite muse amongst our guests!

When you turn the bend in the driveway you will be greeted by this buxom lady. A fragrant hello from this jeweled purple Lilac will start and end your day perfectly! You may feel dwarfed next to it but you'll delight in her sweetness.

Next to the Lilacs were another surprise... Poppies!!! My favorite flower! What a burst of color. They are growing under a Rhododendron bush and we're going to try to take some of the seeds and spread them around the yard. Unfortunately, it was so hot the day the poppy bloomed that she wilted within a few hours. No worries, though, there are a few more peeking their heads out now.

The front yard has it's share of beautiful blooms, too. There are monster Azalea bushes and Rhododendrons. The Azaleas are a fiery pink that are almost red and the Rhododendrons are a light purple-pink. You can't miss our house when they are in bloom!


...more to come soon!!!