Ginger Lily

The Ginger Lily (Hedychium spp) has bloomed.

It smells like a softer version of honey suckle.

This tall tropical plant is now about five feet tall and I have it tied to a wrought iron stake.

I thought it would be yellow. 

No.

 It's white and hard to photograph of course. 

They can be orange, white, or yellow and many colors in between.

Apparently mine is a tough specimen because Shelley, our German Shepherd, 

kept digging it up

 and sitting on it last year but it still thrived.

Ginger lilies grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7 through 11, where they perform best in sun to partial shade. In warmer regions, morning sun is good but afternoon sun is too harsh for them and will make their leaves curl. They thrive in moist, acidic soil that is rich in organic matter. In cooler regions, you can grow them in containers or dig rhizomes after the first frost and store them indoors for the winter. Since their rhizomes will multiply, use containers with plenty of horizontal room for them to grow.

Care of ginger lilies obtained from: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/

For my gardening friends in the U.K. here is a site to check http://www.bigplantnursery.co.uk/

happy gardening

Olive

Living Room Vignette

Good morning friends. 

I am happy all of you enjoyed yesterdays post with Shelley, Gremmie,and CC. 

We do love our babies. I drank in all of your comments.

When those photos happened I was actually attempting to take photos of the living room. 

The playful cat and dog would not have it.

The vignette of Marie 

 on the old white TV table changed a little bit. 

I placed an urn of faux flowers with sunflowers there.

 Then added a pair of white finials.

This flower arrangement was for sale in our booth and did not sell.

Do you like it? I am thinking about it still.

 I am partial to fresh flowers from my garden.

  Remember the thrifted lamp and Target shade? 

The finials were a birthday present.

I am still happy about this thrifted small oil painting dated 1951.

 It is older than me too. 

Straying over to the dining table to a lone image of a huge Charleston seagrass basket 

that I bought at Ridge Antiques.

 Shelley had been eating the vintage blocks which were closer to the floor. 

My Chuckle Heads keep me on my toes. 

No wonder I am tired.

 Linking@Wow Us Wednesday

joy and peace

Olive

Chuckle Heads {Shelley and Gremmie}

This Chuckle Head has been renamed. 

We have named her Gremmie because she is more Gremlin like than I can convey.

 The name Cindy Lou did not fit her rambustious spirit.

Here Gremmie is biting Shelley. This goes on all the time.

 Shelley never hurts her. 

 These photos speak for themselves.

CC leaves for South Korea to go to university on the 28th.

The Chuckle Heads will miss her terribly. I can't think about it yet. 

We are having a dessert and wine going away party for her this weekend.

joy and peace

Olive

August House and Garden

The purple clematis bloomed again this week.

 In the background is a begonia.

The aloe in the wreath is thriving.

A reader asked me to identify the corbels on our house. One is to the left of the "C". 

We painted them, this spring, a pale green with oops paint.

We finally trimmed most of our shrubbery.

 It is a colossal job.

We need minions to help with this yard.

 Everyone around us has some.

We also need exercise therefore no minions :}

The crepe myrtles are not blooming as much this summer.

 Likely due to the frequent rain.

I do not know what this small yellow blooming tree is. 

I bought it at a neighbor's plant sale. It is about five feet tall.

The ginger lily is about to bloom for the first time. 

I am beyond excited about this. 

Many folks have told me how sweetly scented it is.

A Black Swallowtail Butterfly on the Butterfly Bush.

If you want butterflies plant one or two of these and some lantana.

Despite much rain we are trying to stay ahead of the grass and weeds

 (I mowed for an hour this morning). 

I am not saying we are successful but we are trying.

 It is a labor of love for our home that we adore.

Linking@Wow Us Wednesday's

happy gardening

Olive

Brown Transferware Fills An Armoire

This armoire has been partially painted and distressed by my antique booth buddy B.

 We filled it with brown and white transferware.

We sold several pieces of furniture and that made room for this armoire. 

Do you recognize the harlequin lamp?

 It is one of my most visited posts from 2012.

We hung thrifted black and white drapes in our two windows. 

A hippie, from the 70's, came and took the other drapes back.

We almost kissed that hippie.

 Sassy cow anyone?

Or is it a bull?

The French Girl is made from alabaster.

Vietri dishes, hand painted in Italy, are comfy in a bamboo container. 

I want them and the transferware but I am behaving y'all.

Come see us at The Broome Closet booth at Ridge Antiques

in Ridge Spring, South Carolina.

Linking@Tweak It Tuesday

joy and peace

Olive