New Quilt in My Garden Room

Just wanted to share with my followers my new quilt that I purchased for my Garden Room. The colors are so perfect and the whole piece just seems to bring the whole room together. It is just what was needed all along and I could not be happier with my purchase from Small Comforts on Art Fire. Kathy Bryson is the artist who has the shop Small Comforts and I would recommend anyone looking for a small quilted wall hanging to check out her shop. You can view her shop at: www.SmallComforts.ArtFire.com.

The quilt has all the colors that are in the room, plus, I have a couple of oriental looking pieces that the quilt picks up in the center with the hand stitched dragon.

ST. FRANCIS IS IN MY SHADE GARDEN

My little shade garden has St. Francis, the Patron Saint of Animals watching over it. I acquired my St. Francis of Asisi Statue over ten years ago, and he always has a special place in my side shade garden. He sits in a corner surrounded by ferns and hostas with different types of "dead nettle" at its base. Through the years, my ferns have grown larger, and St. Francis kind of "peaks" out of his corner. He is made of concrete and has been stained a brown color.

He was obtained at a concrete statue company just south of where I live. After considering other statues at area garden centers and deeming them just too expensive an acquisition, I decided to visit the small statuary company that I had passed several times before, but never explored. He was a definite bargain at $39.00. Reaching just about 3 feet in height a similar statue would have been over $100.00 back then. He comes out of my garden in the late Fall and is stored carefully in my garage over the winter months.

He brings me and my garden visitors comfort knowing that he is watching over all the birds and animals that frequent it. Just looking at him holding a small bird in his hands and with a small deer at the base, gives me immense comfort.

I highly recommend St. Francis for your gardens, be they shade or sun. He will surely bring immense comfort and joy to you, also.

Rosemary, Garden Gate Designs

SHADE GARDEN ALL FILLED IN

With all the rain we have had in the last month and a half, my little shade garden is all filled in and at the "max". Good thing I separated a lot of my plants last Fall, although you would never know it to look at it.

I wanted to show you a picture of my "Palm Fern" today. It is very tall and willowy. Very unusual. I purchased it at a Home and Garden Tour a few years ago and this Spring, I moved it from my back shade garden to my side shade garden.

Also, a picture of my black wrought iron bench that sits next to my Arbor. I have it in front of hostas and trellises filled with different clematises. One of them is an "Autumn Clematis" that blooms with tiny white flowers in the Fall and is very prolific. This Spring I was digging some of it up as it gets kind of invasive. I acquired it from a Garden Club friend a few years back. This year I hope to add another trellis to the left of the others for more clematis. Surrounding the hostas in front are large smooth round stones in various colors that were my Mom's Vacation Rock Collection. When she passed on I took them from her home and incorporated them in my garden as a remembrance of her. She and my Dad traveled a lot in their retirement years and they were brought back from Arizona and New Mexico.

I hope to have pictures of my newly acquird flower baskets and mandevil vine that I purchsed over the weekend for my gardens.

Hoping you enjoyed a little trip through my garden.

Rosemary, Garden Gate Designs

Shade Garden is Almost Full

My side shade garden is growing so fast with all the rain we had in April and now continuing into May. All the plants that I moved from my back garden (the ones the garden club did not dig out because they were not up yet) are thriving.

I found three jack-in-the-pulpits, a handfull of trillium, assorted bits of hosta, a palm fern, solomon's seal and ginger. Also, a small epidemium blooming in white with purple center. It was so exciting to see that I had a few of my special plants to include in the side garden. I was even able to salvage a piece of my Mom's Memory Hosta "Striptease" and included the beautiful stone with appropriate saying with it in the garden.

The picture of the bushy plant with the yellow flowers is a yellow bleeding heart called Corydallis. It reseeds easily and I have several in my garden, now. Such a cheery little plant.

My three bird baths are now situated in the garden, and the hummingbird feeder has a new home in that side shade garden on a shepard's hook. I am hoping that the honeysuckle blooms on the arbor in front will attract them back and that they will find their feeder. I can see it from my kitchen window now.

My litttle "Red Dragon" Japaneese Maple tree is now 3 years old. It has grown every year and never ceases to amaze me. This year, it is bushing out. I purchased it at Marc's Discount Store in our town for only $20.00. A rare find, indeed! I took a chance, and so far, so good. Perfect location for it, I suppose. I would love to purchase another one of another species to replace the Female Holly Bush that I lost in that garden up by the decks this past winter. Just hate to pay over $100.00 for it. I will have to start looking around for a bargain.

I hope my blog followers enjoyed pics from the garden. Our deck plans and estimate finally came back and we are ready to order. Cannot wait. I want to enjoy the Summer outdoors on that newly extended decking with its new furniture.

Garden Gate Designs
www.gardengatedesigns.artfire.com

The Little Garden is Gone!

Well, the back shade garden is gone. All the plants were donated to our local Garden Club's Annual Plant Sale which is next Saturday. Here are the pics of the empty space.

Soon the Deck company will be here to tear off the railings on the back of the large deck and the side railing on the small deck. There will be a nice large step down to the new area complete with new railing connecting both decks over what was my back shade garden. Cannot wait to shop for new outdoor furniture and do some garden containers with flowers.

I am still picking plants out of that garden that were missed. A jack-in-the-pulpet, trillium, three hostas and a large fern. I have room in my side shade garden for them.

Until next time.

Rosemary, Garden Gate Designs
www.gardengatedesigns.artfire.com

SPRING GARDEN

My little shade garden is almost all up and lots of flowers are blooming already. Last Fall I dug out and divided a lot of plants in this garden. Everything had grown together. I, also, took out a kajillion brunnera plants like the one above with the little blue dancing flowers. They are a very invasive plant once they get established in your garden. Their seeds drop after blooming and they spread throughout your garden. I was working in the garden today and dug up lots and lots of babies. They just keep popping up!

I have two helliabores or lenten roses in my garden. The large one is Apple Blossom and the small one is a hybrid and is much darker in color than the picture above depicts.

There are several different kinds of bleeding hearts in the garden, also. Old fashioned with very deep pink blooms, chartreuse leaves with pink and white flowering varieties.

Managed to work in the garden today and got all the weeds out and the brush. Need to mulch in a couple of weeks. This garden has never been properly mulched, but, I feel that it really needs it and that the mulch would keep the Brunnera from spreading like it does.

Hope you enjoyed seeing some of my plants. In a few days, I will post another blog entry with more pictures from that garden.

Until then, Happy Gardening!

Rosemary, Garden Gate Designs
www.gardengatedesigns.artfire.com

EASTER WEEKEND SALE

Especially for the jewelry maker, my jewelry making supply shop is having an EASTER WEEKEND SALE. Receive an extra 10% off your order (does not include shipping) when you purchase from my shop this weekend. That is a total savings of 70%. Every brass finding, filigree and Chalcedony Gemstone is already marked down 60%. My shop will be closing as soon as it is emptied.

Don't miss out on this great sale. Still plenty of items left. Here are some pictures of some items from my supply shop:

www.gardengatedesigns.artfire.com

Rosemary, Garden Gate Designs

Farewell Little Garden

The back shade garden is finally gone. Today, members of the Nordonia Hills Garden Club came and dug out my entire back garden, dividing and potting up all the choice little shade plants that have thrived there for the last eleven years.

The Garden Club's Annual Plant sale is the first weekend in May and I had decided to donate all the plants to them for their sale. This aftertoon, six garden club members, along with the gal who heads up the garden club sale came with their pots and soil, gloves and shovels and spent two hours digging everything out of the garden.

It was amazing to see just how many plants there were afterwards, all in their new pots, ready to be labeled and sold to gardeners in the area for their gardens. Nice to know that my plant collection will all have new homes. I shall miss the little garden, but, as I wrote about in an earlier blog, it has become too difficult for me to garden in it as it is on a slant.

We have decided to extend our decks and now I will have room for a real seating area and lots of container gardens. So, goodbye hostas, ferns, epidemiums, solomon's seal, jack-in-the-pulpit, trillium, wild ginger, ground nettle, bee balm, shasta daisy and any that I may have forgotten about. It has been a great 11 years having you all in my garden, coming up every Spring and filling in every Summer.

Many thanks to Lillian, Jackie, Betty, Wayne and Carrie. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I could not have managed it without all you wonderful garden club members.

Now, time to call for deck estimates! Yeh! I will be posting pictures during and of the finished product. Should be a great Summer outdoors this year!

Rosemary, Garden Gate Designs
www.gardengatedesigns.artfire.com

SUPPLY SHOP CLOSING

It is time for all good things to come to and end, and I have decided that Garden Gate Designs Supply shop on ArtFire is closing for good.

You can enjoy a sizable discount in the way of 60% off every item in my shop; from Brass Findings and Filigrees, Vintaj Line of Natural Brass, Chalcedony Gemstones and Glass Pearls.

As an example:

Come check out my Supply shop at: www.gardengatedesigns.artfire.com for some amazing deals while supply lasts!

Rosemary, Garden Gate Designs

A New Beginning

Well, my husband and I finally made the decision to expand our decks around the side and back of our home this year. That means that my back shade garden will have to go. That is where the expansion will take place. Fortunately, our local Garden Club will be sending out a work party next month to pot up all the plants to sell at their annual Plant Sale. I am so excited that they will all have new homes in someone elses gardens and that I won't have to just pitch them.

If any of you have followed my blog for sometime now, you have seen pictures of that back garden when it is fully grown. I have posted a picture from last year.

The back garden is on a slant and I find that the older I get, the harder it is for me to garden there. It is with a sigh of relief that it will be replaced with an extension of our decking. This will allow us to have a seating area overlooking our streamed ravine. I really love container gardening and this would give me the chance to do more of it. As the project proceeds, I will be posting additions to my blog along with pictures. We are really excited at the prospect of spending our Summers out there on the deck enjoying our "wee beasties" in our wooded, streamed ravine.

Do check back soon for more updates. Until then .......

Rosemary, Garden Gate Designs
www.gardengatedesigns.artfire.com

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Brass Findings and Filigrees

As Jewelry Designers, you know the importance of quality ingredients in your designs. Sometimes, just a special finding or filigree can set a design apart from another and make it truly special. In my ArtFire supply shop, I have carefully added a mixture of wonderful brass findings and filigrees, items from the Vintaj line of Natural Brass and wonderful Chalcedony Gemstones, and pearls Here are just a jew for you to ponder:

My shop is just full of goodies and new items are always being added. Isn't it time you checked out:

www.gardengatedesigns.artfire.com

A Little Touch of Springtime

As our Snowy Winter dredges on, I thought I would share my Easter Springtime Display in my Dining Room.

The entire display sits upon my reproduction hunt board in my formal dining room. Little Easter Tree is a real Feather Tree that I have owed for over 20 years. It becomes a different tree with each Holiday or Season. Just decorated differently for each.

For the Springtime Easter Tree, I took light Springtime green grossgrain ribbon and wrapped the tree bark starting with the bottom of the tree ending with the top. Then, I attach my Sweet Little Bunny and it's matching green ribbon. Tree is decorated with colored eggs, carrots, special Easter Ornaments that I have collected for the last several years. The tree base is then embelished with a pale yellow searsucker length of fabric simply wound around the base.

The glass tray to the left side is a garage sale find for 25 cents I have owned for over 15 years. It is etched with Springtime flowers in yellow, green, orchid and blue. My chalkware bunnies are all from craft shows through the years. The artist I purchased them from is now retired, having extended herself so much with her craft shows that her husband made her retire. They were traveling all over the U.S. to show and sell them. I truly cherish them as I have never seen a better reproduction chalkware since.

The handmade sugar picture egg is from a local bakery. The owner's daughter makes them every year in different sizes. My younger son bought it for me one year.

The cute little folk art egg wagon complete with ducks is being pulled by a folk art chick.

See what you can do with a simple collection to liven up a room for the season. Give it a try. It will lift your spirits and get you through until Springtime arrives!

Rosemary, Garden Gate Designs
www.gardengatedesigns.artfire.com