Friday, January 15, 2016

"I must have flowers, always, always." Monet


And.....who am I to contradict the great painting Master. Certainly not I.

Though Spring in Tassie is hard to beat, Summer in Tassie also comes up trumps with a most spectacular flower show. Gardens abound with riotous, impressionist brushstrokes in every hue imaginable. It is truly a dream to meander around the Tassie countryside in Summer. And....our garden is no exception. So, because our garden is overspilling with beautiful blossoms, I have taken the secateurs and picked a flower or two; and in my own peculiar fashion, plonked them in a vase or basket ready for a photo shoot. =) Actually, I have been playing "Let's Pretend I am a Florist".

Beautiful, beautiful Hydrangeas of every shade of the hue blue, with a few pinks and lilacs thrown in. They are truly stunning. There is nothing demure about these beauties, is there. Their dinner plate-sized, pom pom blooms demand one to stop and take notice. Hydrangeas are up there with my favourite flowers. I remember not so long ago, they were out of fashion, but now these vintage-like flowers are seen everywhere. I can remember having a friendly argument with a friend many years ago as to the beauty of these "grandmother's flowers". She didn't like them at all, whereas I, of course, waxed lyrical till the cows came home about their lavish beauty. Funnily enough, my friend now adores them. You might say she saw the light!



We have many cultivars of Hydrangeas.....Mopheads, Lacecaps, Oakleaf, to name a few. There is something peaceful about the calming blue shades of  Hydrangeas in a pretty white basket. This basket is about 20 inches wide, so there are oodles and oodles of Hydrangeas sitting ever so perkily in it. Don't they look opulent, en masse??








Yes indeedy, is there anything not to love about the gorgeous Hydrangeas?? Me thinks not!!



Then, there are the roses. Before my husband's operation, he designed and made a new rose garden. We have been slowly planting lovely rose bushes, all with intoxicating scents, all with glorious shades; some lovely pastels shades and some vibrant shades. Of course I again 'attacked' them with the secateurs to make little arrangements.






Some of the Roses flowering in our garden are..... Isn't She Lovely, Heaven Scent, Forget Me Not, Chartreuse de Parme, Pierre de Ronsard, Perfume Passion, Falling in Love, Mr Lincoln, Margaret Merril, Remember Me, Marilyn Monroe, Charles Darwin, Henri Matisse, It's a Winner, Aotearoa....amongst others. My husband and I have had a lovely time selecting Roses for our garden over the last couple of months.





A gorgeous hexie quilt I am restoring. Me thinks scrappy, vintage hexie quilts and beautiful roses are the best of bedfellows.....especially for a photo shoot!!












Then, there are the 'Darling Dahlias'. There are quite a few of these lovelies in our garden. Over the years neighbours have gifted us many varieties from their gardens. One of the wonderful things about living here is people are always willing to share their floral pretties. Each year the Dahlias have multiplied, delighting us with masses of glorious colours; bright pinks, mauves, salmon pinks, yellows, lemons, yellows bordered with orange streaks, deep ruby reds, whites..........there is a Monet's palette of Dahlias blooming profusely in our garden.













I cannot say it any better than Victor Hugo, when he penned in Les Miserables, "A garden to walk in and immensity to dream.....what more could he ask? A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars."

Yes indeedy, most of the time all this gal needs is a garden in which to walk in and dream, and those amazing stars above. Me being me, of course, I would have to throw one or two hexie quilts into the mix as well. Aaah....yes the simple things of life.....such bliss!



I hope you took a li'l pleasure in strolling through my florist shop. 'Twas a li'l protracted, wasn't it, but I thought you lovely ladies up there on top of the world might enjoy a li'l vibrant Summer colour and sunshine, from way down here at the bottom of the world.  Until the next time.......




Linking up to
Bernideen's,  lovely BTTCG Party and Stephanie's, lovely Roses of Inspiration.
.

42 comments:

  1. Beautiful flowers, thank you for making me smile! We are in the depths of winter, I am really looking forward to my roses in June :)

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  2. I am so jealous, wow, wow wow, just so stunning. The Hydrangeas look so healthy when compared to my poor sun beaten blooms obviously the cooler climate is very agreeable to their temperament. oh and the roses just divine

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  3. I do love Hydrangeas. I have a couple of bushes next to my but seeing your pictures makes me yearn for more. Maybe I shall add some more this coming summer. I usually dry them at the end of summer and have them in several places now in my shop and my house. I even have a few I saved from back when I lived in Maine, nearly 20 years go. As we head into the snow covered time of year in my part of the world I can REALLY appreciate the colors you offer in your post today!!! Thank you for that!

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  4. Love flowers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not of lot of them here in winter...
    Have a shinny weekend !
    Anna

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  5. I have so enjoyed a peek into your world this morning! You've elevated my spirit to a better view. I'm grateful!

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  6. These are so beautiful! My sister and I live in an apartment and I miss not being able to garden or have a flower bed. We have some potted plants and I hope to create a few other flower pots this spring to hang on our balcony. :)

    Dani xoxo
    a vapor in the wind

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    1. Thank you Dani. Your apartment,though minus a garden, sounds lovely. I can just picture it with some lovely flower pots hanging on the balcony. Kim Xx

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  7. I also have to be surrounded by flowers, everywhere, carpets, wallpapers, curtains, dried flowers in the pots during the Winter, and in our gardens, during the good season, I do agree with both of you, with you and Monet, or better, with Hugo too ;) !

    May your weekend be blessed with joy, darling Kim
    sending love to you
    Dany

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  8. Your flowers are so lovely, I can almost smell them through the screen! LOVE hydrangeas! Roses too but I'm team hydrangea! Thank you for brightening my day!

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  9. For someone whose garden has been decimated by extreme heat then heavy storms, I can't thank you enough for this wonderful display. Hydrangeas are one of my top three favourites and I wish I had room to plant some more. Wouldn't those images make a beautiful set of greeting cards? Or a calendar?

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    1. I know....mainland Australia has taken a beating with Summer heat and storms, hasn't it. Down here in Tassie there hasn't been much rain this Summer, but there always seems to be cool evenings and early morning dew to keep our garden looking lovely. I like the idea of greeting cards or a calendar; I will have to look into it. I think at last count we have 35 Hydrangeas....we are off tomorrow to the markets to buy a few more to fill in the gaps. You might say I am obsessed with them. Wishing you a lovely day, Ann. =)

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  10. Oh! Such a beautiful post! Your garden must be such a pleasure and every walk through duch a soecial treat.

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  11. OOOhhh I think perhaps you were a florist in a past Life there Kim :-) Such beautiful photos - thank you for the wee stroll through your florist shop. I adore hydrangeas too ... you have some beautiful shades there. Funny as I used to hate hydrangeas AND dahlias once upon a time & now I adore them. They are some of my absolute favourites. I think vintage hexie quilts & roses are quite perfect bedfellows my friend x x x

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  12. aaaaaaah - such bliss to see these beautiful blooms! We won't mention that the weather report here is calling for freezing rain tonight. I much prefer to think about flowers!!

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  13. How lovely is your garden!! Beautiful flowers, full of colour.
    Cheers, Anita.

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  14. Gorgeous flowers Kim, everything sad and cold here.

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  15. Reading this early in the morning while the snow gently drifts down. My world is dark and quiet while yours is a riot of colour. Playing florist for a day sounds like a lovely idea. I can nearly smell those roses and I do believe I spied a Hexie or two : )

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  16. Good morning Kim,

    Wow! So many lovely flowers! I do so adore Hydrangeas! I love that photo of the shelf of Hydrangeas in jars with the floral prints on the wall.

    Your roses are spectacular! All of your flowers are glorious! You take the loveliest photos - so full of color.

    I did indeed enjoy my visit with you here today.
    ♥Hope

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  17. Your garden is magical, Kim. I am sure you can spot a fairy or two dancing in the moonlight in your garden. Ah hydrengias! I adore them! Your beautiful basket looks lovely. Thank goodness your friend saw the light :)

    -Soma xx

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  18. Hello lovely Kim! Your garden must be a delight! It is I am sure, the garden of my own dreams. Alas living in Sunny Queensland means that my hydrangeas are weather beaten (although we do not give up!), and my roses of the hardier varieties for that reason too. We have Just Joey, Iceberg, Red Devil, Red Intuition, Pierre de Ronsard, Madame de Brabant, Star miniatures, Sweet spot yellow, Flower Carpet in Amber, and many other pretties. We favour the scented ones too. I adore visiting you. It's always a joy for the eyes and the heart. Love, Mimi xxx

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    1. Hello back lovely Mimi =) Our garden is a delight thanks to the climate of good old Tassie and my good husband, of course. It's amazing isn't it, the hundreds of roses that abound. The only one you have that we have is the Pierre de Ronsard, which happens to be one of my favourites. I love the shape of this rose with it's layer after layer of petticoat petals. We are on the look out for Just Joey. I remember seeing it last year and loving it's beautiful yellow petals. Thank you so much for your sweet comments, Mimi, they always put a smile in my heart. Kim Xx

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  19. Oh it was a lovely post, so wonderful to see and imagine the smells of all your lovely flowers, what a Beautiful garden you must have and to bring that all into your home to enjoy too, just fabulous!! I love all the shades of colors of those wonderful flowers too! As you say what can be better than flowers paired with quilts :) It all has me excited for spring to come here!! Have a wonderful Sunday!!

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  20. Really, you are a florist! Your flowers are so beautiful and no one could arrange them more perfectly. I very much enjoyed sharing some of your summer in our chilly old house up here :)

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  21. One of my favourite quotes as I agree with it totally! I always need to have lots of flowers around me. Yours are just divine. I am very lucky to have Treloar Roses just down the road - they have such an amazing collection, so I try to add one or two more roses to the garden every winter. Just too hard to choose though! Thank you so much for sharing.

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    1. Treloar Roses just down the road.....now that would be heaven!! It's probably just as well we don't live anywhere near a rose nursery, I might have to mortgage the house. =) Thank you for stopping by, Jayne. Kim Xx

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    2. Yes, I certainly have to limit myself! Before I go in the gate every year, I must say to myself, "I only need three roses, that's all!"

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  22. Oh my, if I thought I had Spring fever before! Now I am burning up!! lol! The florals are just pure delight. Truly, I can't say enough! I adore Hydrangeas, but most varieties do not do well here. Thank goodness I have a lovely Limelight and I've planted a few new varieties that I hope to enjoy! Your photos take my breath away!
    hugs,
    Jann

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  23. Dear Kim:
    At first I convinced myself that these were all silk flowers. This is amazing. You must have some very green thumbs to produce this many lovely flowers. I am so glad you shared.

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  24. What gorgeous flowers you grow!
    I love them. :)
    Love,
    Ashley
    creatingpreciousmoments.blogspot.com

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  25. Be still my Heart ! Hydrangeas is my all time favorite flower since I first knew about them. Every year I plant a new one on the east side of my house.
    I mostly like the blue
    Then last spring I planted dahlias in one flowerbed and they did wonderful.
    Thanks for visiting my blog about my new Irene

    Janice

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  26. What absolutely gorgeous flowers! How wonderful that your husband created a rose garden for you. Thank you for visiting my blog. This visit has been a treat. I'll be back.

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  27. I so needed a cottage fix today!! it's brrrrr cold here in IL and everything is white covered snow. So seeing gorgeous flowers, and I love Hydrangea just helps me to know spring will be here once again! Gorgeous flower and blooms. Thanks for your visit.

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  28. I agree about needing to have flowers! I am forcing daffodils inside to get me through this winter.

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  29. Oh my, what absolutely stunning photos of these glorious blooms! Hydrangeas are favorites of mine...what am I saying? They ALL are!! Such a sight for sore eyes in this blustery cold weather! Beautiful post, Kim :)

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  30. A blast of summer on a freezing foggy UK winters day.....just what's needed

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  31. Oh, Kim! Yes, that lovely walk through your 'garden' lightened my day!! Thank you, thank you for sharing. I could almost smell their aromas!

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  32. Beautiful, beautiful flowers!!!!
    I am so impressed and full of admiration!
    I believe this is my first time visiting your blog. Coming via Enchanted Roses link up.

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    1. 'Tis lovely to have you visit my garden, thank you. Kim Xx

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  33. What a lovely post, Kim! Gorgeous eye candy from start to finish.
    Amalia
    xo

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  34. Wonderful, fantastic fireworks colors, thanks!
    Here it is winter, only white and gray...
    Have a great weekend, hugs.:*

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  35. Sweet and precious friend, I am so happy right now... Your photos are extremely beautiful and they have put a song in my heart :) Flowers...a sweet gift from the Lord.

    Thanks for sharing with Roses of Inspiration. I hope to see you at the party tomorrow. Hugs!

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  36. Such gorgeous photos. We recently had snow, so I am especially enjoying your colorful pictures. Due to being diagnosed with essential tremor, I have decided to discontinue my blog. Please feel free to email any time. mwnalley827
    @gmail.com

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