Are you in need of some flower therapy or a dose of spring with all the rain and snow across the US? The past 6 months have been one for the record books here in North Carolina, with 38 inches of rain, just 4 inches shy our annual total. The lake is full to overflowing and the dry creek bed by my Potting Shed is currently a moat. . .I need a drawbridge to cross it!
We were thrilled to see the rain move out, making way for some welcome sunshine yesterday and have a couple of warm, rain free days in a row in the forecast to look forward to this week. . . a rare occurrence these days!
I gathered some flower therapy from the archives with the promise of spring and summer blooms to come. Click on the links if you like to visit for more details and blooms!
Spring on the Porch
Wellies and watering cans filled with flowers
Spring in a Drawer!
Repurpose a drawer as a planter for spring with bulbs, eggs, moss and bunny!
Teapot Bouquets and Lakeside Table by the Azaleas
Alfresco spring dining and more teapot bouquets from my Floral Friday Friends
Spring Ball Jar Bouquets and Transferware in the Potting Shed
If you’re a follower you know, I have a ‘thing’ for jars. I’m always happy to create Ball Jar Bouquets using vintage mason jars!
May Flowers Around the Potting Shed
The first flush of spring blooms around the Potting Shed from the peonies, salvia, roses and clematis
Tea Kettle Garden Bouquet
Think outside the vase when it comes to arranging flowers. A vintage tea kettle is given a new purpose, filled with garden flowers.
Flower Therapy for the Table: Katie Alice English Garden
Add some colorful garden blooms to your table inspired by an English garden
Window Boxes, Bees, Butterflies and Blooms
Create a pollinator-friendly garden habitat in just a few simple steps.
Spring Garden Blooms
Lamb’s Ear buzzing with bees, hydrangeas and roses
Blooming Tole Trays and Flowers
Tole trays provide the perfect ‘chippiness’ and patina of faded flowers to pair with terra cotta pots, vintage garden tools and mason jars filled with flowers in the Potting Shed.
Florabundance: Blooming Pages and A Flower Fix
Perennial favorites from my flower bed of inspiration and their blooming pages
I’m sharing some flower love to help brighten your rainy days with a little giveaway. . .
I found this blooming reverse umbrella last spring. Little did I know when I ordered it, how much use it would get! I absolutely love it and feel a bit like Mary Poppins whenever I close it. ;)
Are you familiar with reverse or inverted umbrellas? The inside-out design makes it so much easier to use than a regular umbrella, especially getting in and out of a car in the rain as it prevents water from dripping on you as the umbrella closes.
The c-shaped handle makes it easy to hang on your shopping cart, arm or hang a bag off of when you carry it, so you have a free hand. They’re also available in so many colorful designs and flowers!
I’m giving away a reverse umbrella with the design of your choice to two followers in anticipation of spring rain and April showers. For a chance to win, leave a comment telling me your favorite garden flower.
Subscribers/followers automatically get a second entry.
Subscribe by email and let me know by comment.
For a third entry, Pin a photo from this post and leave an additional comment telling me so.
(The Pin/Save button pops up on the upper left corner of each photo).
This giveaway is open to those living in the continental U.S. through midnight, March 8th and sponsored by me.
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
“Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.”
~ Luther Burbank
Wishing you sunshine and flowers!
🌸🌞🌼🌞💐
My favorite garden flower is the hydrangea. Unfortunately, the deer come and love them, too.
Oh so many flowers to choose from—I’m a believer in Peony Power! I NEED that umbrella! Thanks for the beautiful post!
Daffodils are my favorite. They signal spring and remind me of my grandmother who had daffodils in her yard which I could see from the house where I grew up. The umbrellas are gorgeous as well as functional.
I pinned the Ball jar spring bouquets and transferware – such a lovely vignette~
Mary, Your flower-filled post is such a welcome sight after weeks of rain and makes my heart happy! The inverted floral umbrella looks like a perfect rainy day bouquet overhead!! I look forward to the blooms around your potting shed! My favorite flower would have to be the peony.
I have lots of favorites! I love hydrangeas, peonies, zinnias and wave petunias! Along with tulips, buttercups, hyacinths, Black-eyed Susan vine, verbena, coleus, knockout roses, forsythia……. your pics have me longing for Spring, warmer temps and days with my hands in the dirt! Happy Monday!!!
I pinned your beautiful quote and collage. Thank you for the chance to win ☂️🌸☔💗
I pinned the Luther Burbank quote and shared it to Facebook and Instagram….
This past week of dreary weather here in N.C. has me dreaming of spring flowers . Your beautiful pictures were just what I needed. My favorite flowers change with the seasons. Right now I am loving the lovely hellebores blooming in my shade garden. In a week or so the bright yellow daffodils I cut and bring inside to arrange in my old blue teapot will be my favorite followed by tulips. As a gardener it would be like picking my a favorite child to select a most loved bloom. Certainly could make good use of a pretty and well made umbrella. My fur babies want to go out no matter what the weather . Enjoy the sun predicted for the next few days ,we certainly need a break.
Those inverted umbrellas are really cool and practical! My favorite flower, hands down, is hydrangeas, especially purple ones . . . I just adore them! Good luck to everyone! :)
This winter’s weather has been… interesting… here in Philly! I’m looking forward to spring too Mary, my favorite flower still has to be zinnias. Fond memories of cutting bouquets at G-Mom-B’s house:@)
Mary, I’m a follower and always love seeing your Potting Shed, garden flowers, tablescapes and sweet pups! Thank you for the fun rainy day giveaway. I haven’t seen the inverted umbrellas, genius! My favorite flower is a toss up between the hydrangea and peony.
I pinned your beautiful window box, potting shed photo and garden flowers.
I love all flowers but Daisies are my favorite. They are such a happy flower.
My favorite flowers are peonies and hydrangeas. I pinned your peony picture to my flower board on Pinterest.
Sent from my iPad
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My favorite garden flower is the hydrangea. So pretty and love the way they smell.
I am an email subscriber.
Such a cheery and happy sight after weeks of rain here in Georgia! I’m a happy follower Mary and your posts are always so uplifting! Thank you for the giveaway, what fun umbrellas. I love so many flowers it’s hard to choose but if I have to pick one, I’d say it was the sunflower. 🌻🌻🌻
I pinned your beautiful table and “Spring in a drawer”. Happy Monday! 🌻🌷🌸
What? Those umbrellas are so crazy gorgeous and i am so jealous of the potting shed! Yes, 2 sunny days in a row here, wow, not long or hot enough to dry up our yards though…actually we have lived with sponge condition yards etc. since the hurricane, DH drives the golf cart out and drags the trash can alonside to cross the river out front, drawbridge, what a fantiastic idea!
Love your flower therapy! My favorite garden flower is the hollyhock. My grandmother grew them and they remind me of all the good times spent with her.
My favorite flower is a spring one lilacs!! The look the same the memories of every spring my mom cutting bunches bringing them inside and having the fragrance feel every room.
I love the soft and feathery Cosmos!
Gorgeous photos! Couldn’t resist pinning several to my “Spring is in the Air” board 💕! Love mason jars too, so pretty! Your lakeside table has me dreaming of warm weather and the quote ❤️
Hydrangeas and azaleas are some of my favorites in the garden. Wonderful post, much needed after all this gloomy weather, thanks for a chance to win a beautiful umbrella 😊
My favorite flowers are hydrangea, roses and camellia. Love your posts- they are such a ray of sunshine especially on this cold windy day!
Good morning and thank you for the lovely flower pictures! They brightened my windy cold morning! My favorite flower is wild iris. I have some that I took from my mother’s yard years ago and they remind me of home every year!
I pinned your shed photo!
Whoever invented those umbrellas is a genius, I’d love to have one!! I’m in love with hydrangeas, peonies, tulips, lily of the valley every single day, plus many more…dahlias, zinnias, and roses!! I also pinned the Luther Burbank flower quote…its so very true!
My favorite garden flower is the Lake Norman Sunset day lily.
It’s hard to say what my favorite flower is. I love them all. But after a long wet fall and winter to see the yellow daffodils or buttercups as we call them in the south give me great hope spring is just around the corner. So this year at this time of the year I am loving daffodils. Love your blog and the beautiful pictures you post
I am a subscriber. These umbrellas are so pretty and practical! I love being introduced to new products, recipes and ideas you have discovered through your blog. It is always a bright spot in my inbox!
Mary, what a breath of spring and summer this morning, a beautiful flower round-up! We had a sunny day yesterday with today and tomorrow promising a break in the rain. Happy Monday!
Mary, your posts are always inspirational and I love each one! It’s not necessarily
my favorite flower, but I remember as a little girl picking a fully bloomed hollyhock and then a bud and put it on the “skirt “ for a head and had a flower doll. My Grandma always allowed us to pick her flowers! I pin so many of your posts and very often “copy” but always give the credit to you!
Hi, Mary,
My favorite garden flower is the gerbera daisy. They come in so many bright and cheerful colors! I pinned the photo of the Katie Alice dinnerware to my “Spring Tablescapes” board. Love this post with all flower blogs!
Maureen
Peony is my favorite just wish it had a longer bloom time. Love your post because I live on Nomoni Creek in Montross, VA. near the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. Also, wondering if you have heard of Floret Farm’s Cut Flower Garden. It’s a beautiful well written book on how to Grow, Harvest & Arrange Stunning Seasonal Blooms? It’s on Amazon if you are interested or don’t already have it. Thank you for your beautiful blog!
What an unusual umbrella…so smart! My favorite flower is probably ranunculus, but each one has it’s own delights. Thanks for the inspiration and giveaway!
Good morning, Mary. I am a subscriber and like so many others find it difficult to name just one flower as my favorite. If I have to I would say pansies as they always have such happy faces. I saved the Luther Burbank quote and picture. Thank you for your sunshine you spread each time you post.
My Favorite Garden Flower is a. Tulpes they are in a pretty colors in Spring
Of all the beautiful flowers, I look forward most to the hyacinth for its early colors after our long winters and especially to its incredible aroma that announces gardening season is here!
My favorite flower is a lily-of-the-valley. Alas, I can’t grow them here in Florida, where I live now. Can you grow them there? I would love it if you could/would because I think your photography is amazing! Hint hint ;-)
I just pinned “Blooming Tole Trays.” It was hard to pick just one!
I don’t have a favorite flower, love them all. But lately I’ve been remembering the wild violets that bloomed in little nooks and crannys everywhere. Their smell is wonderful and I love it’s the french flower. My sister lives in NC out in the country. Her well water has become muddy. She has to have a new well dug but the weather has been atrocious, so much so that the new well has to wait until the land dries up enough that the well digging equipment can get in. It looks like the South will have a few dry days this week.i look forward each morning to find your latest garden ideas. Your imagination has no limits nor your talents. Love that you share with us.
Mornin Mrs Mary… It’s.. a..beautiful day in the gardenhood, (think Mr. Rogers tune) hahaha.. I’m in a happier mood with the sun shining here in Kentucky for 2 days now!!! As a subscriber I look forward to your lovely images popping up in my email. I sat down Saturday plotting out what would go into which pots this spring and this post along with readers replies have given more colors to add. I guess it depends on the season as to what is a favorite garden flower!! But I will keep it simple for today and say a large red geranium!!! Happy day to you!!
Mary – As a subscriber YOUR posts make MY day! My favorite flower is the peony, the more lush and flamboyant the better.
I pinned the photo with the gardening books
Thank you for the flower therapy and sharing your amazing photography and styling skills Mary! Like you, we’re enjoying a reprieve from the rain and some sunshine today. So many flowers to choose from, but I would have to say the Daffodil due to its sunny yellow color and as it is a harbinger of spring!
We are still fighting snow and ice here in northern NY. I love the first signs of spring when some hardy daffodils will pop up and my lilac and pussy willow trees are a favorite when they start to bloom. I love your photos and they make me smile. I especially love your potting shed and all your sweet vignettes. I had never heard of the reverse umbrella but hoping rain here brings us flowers! Lynn
I love Peonies. To my mind, it’s not spring until they appear and open wide to release their glorious scent.
Well…I’m going with hydrangea. Peony is probably my best, but, short lived after cutting…hiwever, that hydrangea goes on and on and on. Fortunately, for me, I’m surrounded by them, my blessed hydrangea. franki
I am a faithful follower! Pinning to my “Spring” and “Beautiful Blooms” boards!
I Iove your blog! Red tulips for me, pansies for my aunt, daffodils for my father-in-law and hollyhocks and iris for my grandmothers and mother If I can get it to work, I will pin something.
Wow..Another beautiful post!! My favorite flower is the Hydrangea. Thank you for sharing this wonderful umbrella….it is amazing! Have a wonderful week!
Thank you so much for today’s post. It brightened my day. Here in Middle Tennessee we have had days and days of rain. But, the sun is shining today along with your post of beautiful flowers.
Hydrangeas are my favorite garden flower. Any variety and any color.
Pinning the Spring Garden Blooms collage.
Have a beautiful day!
Iris are my favorite flower. Can hardly wait to see them this spring!
I pinned your Luther Burbank quote in Gardening for Fae and Flowers.
I pinned the potting shed with all the watering cans ! Thank You again for bringing me some flowers to enjoy!
I Pinned the picture of the interior of your potting shed to my ‘In The Garden’ Pinterest file. The inside of my new potting shed is almost ready to decorate and yours gives me so many ideas. Thank you.
I love the pink flower umbrella. One of my co-workers has this type of umbrella and loves it.
An umbrella has been a frequent accessory in Houston, too. One thing the rain has done is bring forth an abundant crop of weeds! As for a favorite flower, I like them all because they add so much color to my world. If I had to pick one it would be a dahlia, no, a peony, no, a hydrangea. I think you get the picture.
Gorgeous post this morning Mary! This has me itching to buy flowers or visit the garden center and plan for spring planting. My favorite flowers are lilacs but unfortunately can’t grow them here. Their fragrance is divine and takes me back to when I was a girl and visited my grandmother. Thank you for the beauty and sunshine you share!!
Pinning!!! I’m a follower!
Mary your Flower Therapy couldn’t come at a better time! So beautiful and inspriing! All time favorite is a lillac. Pinned Blooming Tole Trays and Spring in a Drawer.
Wonderful flower therapy and eye candy Mary! Flowers have really gotten me through this long rainy winter! They really do influence your mood and spirits! I got my daughter one of these umbrellas for Christmas because she is so hard on umbrellas, she LOVES it! Hers is just plain black, I’ve not seen these amazing flower ones before!! So CUTE!!
As for choosing a favorite flower, that’s like choosing your favorite child, impossible!
Jenna
Peonies are my favorite. I can’t seem to grow them so I have silk ones I put out in the spring.
What a fun giveaway! I’ve not seen those umbrellas before, how cool are those!! Hard to choose just one favorite flower, I love anything that blooms. But, for today, I’ll choose hyacinths, as they bloom early in spring, are beautiful colors and have such a lovely fragrance. Thanks for the spring inspiration, I am sooooo ready for a bit of warmth and sunshine!
I pinned the picture of the beautiful peony. Such lovely variegated shades of pink.
Mary, What a beautiful post! Roses are my favorite but zinnias and hydrangeas are close in the running too. Seeing the daffodils pop out after so much rain here in SW TN is such a welcome sign of spring. Thanks for a chance to win as the hubby got some chemical on my large navy umbrella which is now tie dyed but it has worked in all the rain but isn’t very pretty! I always look forward to receiving your emails as they are so uplifting and inspirational. Clara ☔🌞🌹💐
I need a new umbrella! Ha! Beautiful post as always. My favorite flower is the zinnia — makes me think of my Granny!
Good morning Mary, thank you for all the beautiful flowers today, they certainly brightened up my Monday morning. My favorite flower are Peonies!! The umbrellas are gorgeous. If I’m lucky enough to win, I’ll give mine away to my Mom for her birthday coming up in March, I know she will just love this umbrella. I’ve also pinned your Florabundance photo, the arrangement is absolutely gorgeous!
After the “bomb cyclone” of 50 mph winds and non-stop rain that we had in Michigan this weekend, your post gave me hope that spring may just be four weeks away. Thank you for uplifting my day and my spirits. I need to banish the winter blues and go buy some flowers. Maybe tomorrow! Many in our area has no power!
There are not many flowers I don’t love. I love camellias, I actually have them in pots on my front porch and they are blooming now. Probably why I love them ;). Another bonus is the deer don’t like them so leave them alone. That is a very clever umbrella, and I have never seen one. We have had tons of rain as well and anything to brighten our gloomy days is welcome.
Good morning, Mary! Thank you for the uplifting flower therapy for our hearts and souls. I always am inspired by your blooming vases and plants in and outside your home. My favorite flower is the daisy. They just make me smile. Here’s sending love a sunshine across the miles to you….
Hard to pick just one, as most beloved blooms remind me of family members….currently I love daylillies!
Loved seeing all your flowers as a reminder Spring is coming! I never met a flower I didn’t like, but I’m especially partial to camellias, hydrangeas, and the kitten faces of pansies. The sun is shining brilliantly here in Clemson, and I am doing a happy dance!
Mrs Mary…I pinned the lovely pink peonie… That would be my May favorite flower…hahaha
My favorite flowers are the large clematis, and I also love peonies (although I haven’t had a lot of success with them in my area.)
By far my favorite flower is the hydrangea.
O these are so pretty and so nice when you put them down not to get wet. They are all so pretty ! My favorite flower would be the hydrangeas . Thanks for a chance to win !
Such lovely flowers. I would have to say my favorite is the Peony. I do wish they styed around a little longer.
We love the Peggy Martin rose! And of
Course in Texas, the bluebonnets promise to be spectacular this year!
I also love peony’s because my grandfather had peonies in his garden and would always cut a handful for me when I was leaving to go home. I am a subscriber.
Thank you for such a thoughtful giveaway gift! The umbrellas are beautiful, and I have never seen an inverted umbrella before, genius! My favorite garden flower is the hydrangea. I have them scattered all over my backyard gardens and the bring such beauty to my home!
So hard to decide my favorite picture to pin. So I pinned three lol. The flowers around the potting shed, the shelves and the vintage tea kettle.
Beautiful Post! Such a hard decision to pick just one favorite. When the morning Glories pop out in the morning they make me smile so I’ll have to go with them.
I love tulips. I have for so long. How beautiful to carry flowers on a day when it rains.
Hellebores are one of my favorites. They bloom all winter and then close to spring they really put on a show, lots and lots of blooms. Deer and bunnies leave them alone. They also multiply very nicely. Right now i have bright pink , white and a lovely shade of green blooms.
Looking forward to spring!
Thank you, thank you for sharing all the beautiful flowers. Gives me so much to look forward to. Hard to pick a favorite, but going with the sunflowers and zinnias.
Love this post…such beautiful colors on this rare snowy day I woke to this morning in Albany, Oregon. My favorite flower is the Daffodil. They remind me of my Mother. My Mother used to tell me they were her favorites because they put the sunny smile on a garden and were happy little flowers. Her favorite poem was “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth.
Thanks for the lovely eye candy. Hope you do not have any more rain or gloomy days.
Mary, you are usually up on tech changes. Is the gravatar new to comment on Word Press? I don’t usually have to fill in all my info for your blog to comment.
Hi Bonnie, You may have had to reenter all your info if you deleted your browser history or cleared your cache/cookies. Also a browser update or commenting on a different device might be the culprit. Hope you’re enjoying some sunshine in your neck of the woods. ♥
Peony for sure, but then there are many others on my list. I have been a follower and subscribe for a long time now. Your potting shed has inspired me in many ways over the years. I am always happy to see a new post up!
Hydrangea is my favorite. They struggle in my yard, but I love them.
Oh my! It would be impossible to pick just one favorite flower. But, I do have a favorite flower person! My Grandma Linder LOVED flowers. Growining up in the sixties, her house was my very favorite place to be. She had an enormous flower garden filled with gladiolus, iris, tulips, Gerber daisies, and daffodils. In her dining room and kitchen she grew very persnickety African violets in every shade from white, to pink, to deep purple. Her old farmhouse had beautiful flower wallpaper in every room. Including the ceilings! To a young girl, her home was flower Heaven!
The spring Ball Jar is my pin pick and the Hydrangeas are stunning. I personally can get enough of them in my garden especially 💗 Annebelle. I agree 🌸 Flowers 🌸 are truly the medicine for the
Soul.💕
I love roses. I love roses so much, my youngest daughter’s name is Sara Rose. I love their beautiful smell and the abundant varieties, you can get them in. You can also tell by my email address, how much I love them. I use that address for my business….Happy {almost} Spring…..
All this rain can get tiring but think of your fantastic blooms coming soon! Picking a favorite flower is like picking a favorite child. Today, I’m dreaming about my dahlias as they symbolizes a wonderful, happy sunny day.
PEONY, for sure! I never met a flower I didn’t like, but Peony scent elicits my earliest memory of childhood.
Your posts are always so inspiring. I am so ready for Spring. I really love all flowers but my favorite is the peony or the rose. The peony has such a wonderful fragrance.
Without hesitation, my favorite garden bloom is the hydrangea! I love watching the change in color from the lime green of the beginning bud to it’s glorious large head of pink (or white, blue, or maroon!) all the way to the beige at the end of the cycle. One can never have too many hydrangea’s and they are a terrific flower for your mini-bouquet’s in a ball jar! The flower umbrella looks like something you would design; What a fitting Spring giveaway!
Hydrangeas and roses are two of my favorites. A couple of years ago, I added several cannas with their splash of vibrant color around our yard. They are show stoppers or should I say “car stoppers” as I had a gentlemen stop his car and ask permission to take pictures of them :-). Thank you Mary for brightening these stormy winter days with flower joy.
Currently, my Spring favorite is tulips But it’s subject to change daily. There are so many choices.
My favorite garden flowers are azaleas and I am anxious for the blooms this year!
What a beautiful way to start my day by viewing so many pretty flower photos! More snow here this morning…so I am looking forward to my favorite flowers, daffodils, which line our drive and are the first sign of spring here in the PNW. I subscribe to your emails and will pin! What a unique idea, this amazing umbrella!
LOVE the umbrella. I had no idea they came in those designs. Love your blog and it always cheers me up. You give so much inspiration to others to enjoy the little things in life.
Dee from Houston
Can’t get enough time with PEONIES! I have early, mid and late blooming – really love the two-toned pink with deep pink peonies. Beautiful, elegant, fragrant – ahhhhhhhh.
I pinned the beautiful collage of pictures from this post–so cheerful and beautiful!
Iris, spider lilies & agapanthas are my favorites and I love this umbrella!! Hopefully we will have a couple of dry days this week. :)
I love coneflowers/echinacea! I am pinning Spring on the Porch! I am already subscribed to your email and face book bc I love the inspiration I glean from your posts. I am looking forward to spring and the daffodils have already popped up through our property. I also love to see the wisteria vines hanging with clusters of purple blooms! Oh glorious spring! Have a wonderful week.
Lilacs are my favorite – the smell is just wonderful!
I don’t get much sun to plant my beloved peonies, In season, they cost $9 each. Maybe the umbrella will satisfy my hunger.
My favorite garden flower – can I pick just one? Daffodils because they are so cheerful, daylillies because they bloom for a longer period, and remind me of my grandmother, but most of all, I’d say VIOLETS. While some consider them weeds, they are far and away my favorite flower and I happily welcome them in my garden.
I pinned the delightful hydrangea/transferwear shot. LOVE it and this entire post. I agree- it’s a Mary Poppins umbrella- practically perfect in every way. I guess tulips win (today) for my favorite flower.
Beautiful umbrellas. The Luther Burbank Home and gardens is nice place to visit if you ever get the chance. My favorite flower is the Hydrangea. I have several blue hydrangea but the actual blue blooms are rare. They come out mostly pink and purple.
Gardenia…beauty and fragrance…your presentations bring warmth and beauty to the reader…so you are a flower in bloom.
Peonies are my favorite garden flower.
I pinned the role tray with flowers pic on Pinterest. Now I am going to check out these umbrellas.
Oh my gosh, I LOVE all flowers, so picking one favorite is extremely difficult! I would say that delphiniums would have to be at the top (along with foxgloves, poppies, cosmos, zinnias, daylilies……..) I definitely would love to win one of these beautiful umbrellas!!! Thank you for the great giveaways on here. :)
I am on your email list. I also adore hydrangeas! I can’t wait to start planting, so your beautiful site and photos help me to get my “fix” before I can dig! :) Thanks for the chance to win.
Thanks so much—This is just the post I needed today, Mary. It is 12 degrees here in Chicagoland and we had a horrible wind day yesterday and so much damage. I just wanted to thank you for the beatiful post, and pass as an entry, as I have already won once in one of your give-aways. And, now I’m going to decorated my buffet with your inspirations! Grins, Sandi.
I live just outside of Chicago snd I must admit I am coming close to forgetting that flowers will come again. We have had so much snow,rain, sleet and hail this winter and so little sun!! My favorite flower is the hydrangea, particularly the soft blue ones.
Geraninums. The big white ones. I needed your post today. Heartfelt felt thank you. Tusen Tack.
My favorite garden flowers are peonies, they are so gorgeous come in different colors & easy to clip, and place in a vase anywhere in your home.
As a fellow North Carolinian I, too, am in need of flower therapy. I do believe I feel better just seeing the previews of your flowery posts. Can’t wait to check them all out further. It is challenging to pick one favorite flower as I love most of them. However, I think it would have to be hydrangea. They do so well here and look beautiful in the garden and in the vase.
I have not seen an umbrella like this. How cool and how pretty. Thanks for the chance to win. I hope we don’t see rain for a while, but I do believe it’s on the radar. This umbrella would definitely brighten up the gloomiest day.
Thanks for the opportunity to win one of them.
Hydrangeas are another one of my favorite flowers because alone they are gorgeous or with an arangement they fit in with any other type of flower. Dry them & enjoybthem for years.
I pinned your Easter in a drawer and English flower table. Both so pretty and springy.
Gardenias are my favorite flower overall. Love this post, thank you!
So hard to pick just one, but I love my oakleaf hydrangeas that bloom in the spring.
Blue Hydrangeas for sure!
I love sunflowers 😊
I love Hydrangeas! They come in a variety of shades & add color to my yard into Fall.
Your Spring flower post made my day! We have had lots of snow & rain the past couple of weeks in the Seattle area. I long got warmer weather so my bulbs will begin blooming.
What a fun umbrella! The designs are so fun!
Geraniums are my favorite! You have beautiful photography on your blog, it always makes me smile. I follow you on my reader- Inoreader.
I love ranunculus! Beautiful, dainty, and long-lasting as a cut flower. My mom always had them in her flower beds when I was young. They are just beginning to bud and open in my garden. I am a subscriber and have pinned a photo to my Pinterest cutting garden board.
I love ALL spring flowers but if forced to pick, it has to be the peony! Thank you for brightening our lives with your creativity and excellent photography skills!
The umbrella is amazing – so lovely and so practical! I pinned your collage with the Luther Burbank quote in it. It combined so many wonderful shots of your garden, shed and talent. My favorite flower would have to be the hydranga. I love them blooming and then I have dried ones in the house in the fall and winter.
I love Peonies! And I love this umbrella. I’d never heard of these!
I subscribe to your blog. for a second chance win.
I subscribe to your blog- for the second chance win.
I pinned the umbrella- for a third chance win.
Ilove Lilacs. They mean spring has sprung
I pinned the peony for another chance to win!
I’m going to have to review your page again to absorb all this loveliness.
So fun to see spring awash here, I am just heading into 12″ of rain thru Wed starting in a couple of hours, I took a meager garden walk before my yard becomes a sheet of water to capture what color I could find… It was less than a handful! Prepare yourself, what comes here first ends up in your backyard a few days later! We have ten days of rain coming 🌂☔💧 thanks for the spring fling, I needed some garden therapy!
Here in the almost-Tropical South, my favorite spring bloom is the Phalaenopsis orchid. I have them plastered on my palm trees by the pool, in pots, on bark sticks hanging from hooks…everywhere. They are just opening now, sprays and sprays of many-colored dancing beauty. They last for weeks and make a good cut flower. They require almost no care but occasional food and Conserve spray.
Hi Mary! Thanks for another beautiful post and opportunity to win! I love the Hydrangea but struggle to grow them in the Florida sand. I pinned the teapot bouquets by the lake. What a lovely scene!
Mary my favorite flower is a tie between the Pansy and Morning Glory. I subscribe to your blog. This is a gorgeous post.
Marion
My favorite flower is the Lily Of The Valley. Love all the photos of the flowers.
Joan
The flowers and the bunny and egg display are lovely. My favorite flower is the Gladiola.
Marilyn
All flowers bring a smile to my face and the wonderment of revitalization but my favorite is the hydrangea with ranunculus a close second. Lovely post with so many ideas I want to try out!
Mary, By far the Hydrangeas are my favorite, but I would take any flower if it made my garden look like yours! The winter has seemed harsh and long, so your post was inspiring and beautiful!! I pinned the umbrella for an additional chance. I love these umbrellas.
Roses are my favorite….awh, the fragrance! Thanks for posting the beautiful reminder of spring to come!
Peonies and Nikko Blue Hydrangeas are my favs. We recently saw the new Mary Poppins and like you, we have been in the monsoon belt (in the South) for ages now. Sunshine today – YEAH! I am also a long time subscriber, so double yeah – two chances!
I ❤️Tulips and Roses. Thank you for the giveaway. Those umbrellas are seriously cute 😍
I pinned your beautiful peony picture on Pinterest 😍
My favorite garden flower has always been fragrant white Peonies although last year I started growing Dahlias for the first time and am quickly becoming addicted!
Wow that is the neatest umbrella! I love the peony flower! The smell is intoxicating and the flower is a work of art!
My favorite flower is the Zinnia ❤️👏🏻
Oh thank you for this post-I live in the upper Midwest where there’s snow everywhere, it’s 5 degrees and spring is 45 days away-at least☹️ I need to see flowers blooming and this post made me feel much better. Spring will get here eventually 🌷🌹
Shasta daisy is my favorite garden flower. They last so long. And hubby has been giving them to me on our anniversary for the last 45 years. He lasts a long time too!
I pinned the picture of your potting shed. I have a rain chain but your watering cans are amazing! I also really like the stained glass window hanging in the porch opening.
I actually purchased one of those umbrellas as a Christmas gift but have yet to get one for myself even though I really want to get one. I would say my favorite flower is a fistful of wildflowers. I enjoy so many it is hard to pick just one: Queen Anne’s lace, perhaps. But then, I also really like all types of hydrangea.
Mary, this post is just what I needed today. It’s definitely spring like weather here, but the garden is looking pretty sad. I think tomorrow morning I’ll be a garden girl. Here’s to spring flowers!
I love so many flowers but if I have to choose just one, it would have to be Lily of the Valley for their sweet scent and purity.
I have so many of your pictures pinned. Today, this vignette in the Blooming tole trays and flowers caught my eye. It’s just what I want in my house, rustic shelves full of flowers, cute knick-knacks and old rusty garden hand tools (my absolute favorite). I adore the way everything is arranged.
Tulips and ranunculus have to be my favorite garden flowers of all time! Thanks for such a great post. I love it!
I just pinned your string in a drawer vignette. Just love how you decorate!
I’ve been seeing these inverted umbrellas around and I just love the ones with the flowers on the inside. It makes you so happy to look up and see a burst of spring on a rainy day!
Currently purchasing and taking divisions from friends for peonies. Hoping to increase them substantially this year. I think I saw this umbrella in a bluebird design on Amazon. Pinned as well. Thank you!
I love peonies! Your pictures of all your flowers make my day! I keep the emails and look at them when I need some cheering up. The umbrella would brighten up any rainy rain. I LOVE your blog and look forward to every one. Would love to see how you store it all.
Asking a gardener to choose a favorite flower is like asking a mom to choose her favorite child, isn’t it? I spent some time perusing seed catalogs today so your beautiful garden pictures were appreciated today. I will admit to a fondness for peonies. Have a wonderful day.
Hard to pick just one. I love gardenias, hydrangeas, camellias, sunflowers, any lily…
I’m a longtime subscriber to your wonderful blog! I’ve never seen or heard of these umbrellas before and would love to have one.
Like so many others, it is very difficult to pick just one favorite. I love parrrot tulips, daffodils, peonies, sweet peas, Lilly of the Valley, garden roses and lilacs probably the most. I have been tempted by the inverted umbrellas, but had never seen the ones you featured with the lovely flower undersides. I am very ready for SPRING. I am an email follower, too.
What a great post, so many pretty pictures and pretty flowers. Love the “Spring in a Drawer” post as my favorite spring flowers are daffodills and hyacinths. I’ll pass on this contest as I am still so enjoying The Southern Living Party Cookbook! My favorite time to read is just before bedtime, but can’t read it then as I get hungry, lol. Those umbrellas are awesome and so very smart. Good luck to all. Thanks Mary for your generosity and great gift ideas.☔
My daughter, Chris, who is challenged tried to send you a comment the other day. She fell in love with the Umbrella. Said her email address would not go through. So I am sending her comment for her. She loves Tulips because they remind her of our Spring gardens. Hoping to see those gardens soon!! Fingers crossed Chrissy!
Love that Umbrella! Who wouldn’t feel pretty carrying that on a cloudy, rainy day. Clever!! What a fun giveaway!! Bring on the showers and flowers!! My favorite flower is a Dahlia. Beautiful!!!
Oh dear, choosing just one favorite garden flower? Very difficult. I love peonies, roses, iris, delphinium, hydrangeas, rhododendron, tall purple and blue salvia that the hummingbirds love…Ah, can’t wait to see my garden come to life again. I guess I would have to choose the hydrangea if made to pick only one. Tiny little flowers all together to make one large lovely bloom-and the colors! Love blues in the garden.
Thank you for your offer and for your lovely pictures that I have been pinning. You have a beautiful eye!
And how could I forget to mention foxglove? I love them too! Love the name, love the flower, love their height and variations.
Thanks for the giveaway! Hard to pick a favorite flower … maybe roses, especially the antique varieties.
What a pretty umbrella. My favorite flower has to be peonies. Mine are 32 years old and have spread into huge ruffled masses and all I have to do is just admire their beauty!
The flower I pinned is what looks like my favorite the Sarah Bernhardt peony.
The umbrellas are beautiful! My favorite flower is the hydrangea. So pretty even when dried!
My favorite flower is peonies…they were my father’s favs too and the smell is heavenly….when they are gone for the summer, my next favorite is the ZINNIA…so colorful and long lasting…I do have an inside out umbrella but mine is not as beautiful as these here. Good luck to everyone and we could all use that umbrella ☂..it’s been a very wet winter…thanks Mary…☂️🌼❤️
I pinned to my favorites the beautiful tablescape with the yellow and blue flowers…and blue salad plate…I love dishes (don’t need more) and that setting is beautiful…it’s the last picture in the series.. thanks again!!
Today I am especially glad to be an email subscriber! After a month of record-setting snow and below 0 temps (-50!), your flower pix inspired me that Spring will come! My fave flower is a toss up between roses, dahlias and peonies. The reverse umbrella would have me praying for a walk in the rain!
Pink Peonies are for sure my favorite!
Lilacs because my mother had beautiful ones at the home I grew up in. Every time I see them I think of her.
Hydrangeas and gardenias are my very favorites, Mary…oh, and daffodils, tulips and Dutch iris…so many more, but those named are an introduction to spring for me…and of course with Mardi Gras upon us here in S. Louisiana, I am loving the ‘beaded trees’ which began appearing this past weekend! One of those umbrellas would serve well for catching beads…they are beautiful!
What beautiful photographs! I love your porch!
My favorite flowers are peonies.They’re beautiful and tuff enough to with stand SD weather
Pinned the photo with the tole trays and flowers.
I never tire of reading your posts and seeing your pictures! Of all the blogs I follow, yours is at the top of my list to be transported to in a fairytale 😂 Someday I hope that my blog and pictures will bring a smile to someone’s face like I’m sure yours does for so many. My favorite flower is a hard one; there’s few that I don’t like but one I plant every year for sure are snapdragons. And, obviously I’m already a subscriber:)
I pinned the front of the shed pic with all the watering cans. I’m totally recreating this at my house someday!
It is hard to pick a favorite flower…love the tulips in the spring and peonies. I am a follower and always enjoy your posts your pictures are always so beautiful. The umbrellas are all so pretty, thanks for the giveaway!
Pinned the repurposed drawer, a lovely spring idea.
Thank you for your beautiful blog. My favorite flowers are hydrangeas, lilacs and hyacinths.
I’ve saved some photos to Pinterest.
Oh love that umbrella, pinned photo and now – my favorite flower is the Poppy, hard to grow here in humid VA but my Italian grandmother loved them and so do I.
Wow, Mary! Those umbrellas are gorgeous! I’m pinning it just so I can remember it, such a cheerful way to deal with the rain. And yes, we’ve had record amounts too. What a year all of 2018 was with the rain. It was great for the garden, though. I can’t wait to see my iris blooming again. They are my favorite. You have so many beautiful posts with your flowers. Perfect therapy for this end of winter blues. Great giveaway. You’re so generous to your readers!
Thank you for the lovely post! What gorgeous pictures! My favorite flower is the bearded iris. I love the light lavender ones with the yellow beards, the dark purple ones with the yellow beards, and the peach ruffled ones the most. I can’t wait for spring to get here so my irises can bloom again!
Favorite flowers are Lily of the Valley and May Apple blooms
Pinned the potting shed…
I have a hard time picking a favorite flower 🌸 I usually love what ever is blooming. If hard pressed, stargazer lilies would do fine.
I pinned the picture of inside of your shed. Inspiration for ours (mine😉) coming this year. Making an old shed into a potting shed. Anyway, that umbrella looks awesome. Stay dry!
Oh, Mary! What a breath of Spring. Thank you. This WI winter seems endless and I can’t believe it’s almost March. My favorite flower is the Pansy. We enjoy them inside for early Spring and are the sunshine of the first color in the garden. Beautiful umbrellas!! Stay dry and warm.
My favorite flower is the peony, I love their beautiful unfolding layers! As I read your flower posts, I always try to name every flower correctly before I read your comment, LOL, & more times than not, I am right. I thank my grandmother & mother for teaching me. I also identify every flower, tree, or shrub as I walk with my girls (now grown & flown) so they learn as well. There have been times that they will text me a picture of a flower or tree or shrub & ask me the name. I love it, makes me smile!
I needed some “flower therapy” and your post was just the right dosage! I do so enjoy your many talents! Had not seen the unique umbrella design…love it! As for my favorite flower, I would select the daffodil…although, ALL flowers are my one weakness! Again, thank you fir sharing your creative talents! (My daffodils are blooming here on the coast already!)
Impossible to pick just one! Lemon yellow daffodils in spring, peonies and Lilies of the Valley in summer, and mums in the fall!
My favorite flower is the Gerber Daisy! They’re so cheerful and colorful. I just love umbrellas. I never leave home without one. The inverted floral umbrella is incredible and would certainly be a welcomed addition. I’d be “tickled-pink” to win one!! 🌸💖 🍃🌷🍃🦋🍃🌼🍃☔️🍃🌻🍃💜🍃🌺🍃🌈🍃
My favorite Spring flowers are Snow Drops with Johnny Jump ups, Columbines and Daffodils not far behind. The snow drops are so delicate and I love the beautiful green and white combination. The Johnny Jump Ups reseed themselves and come back every year in beautiful drifts that blanket the flowerbeds and garden. I’ve always loved old fashioned Columbines and the cheery faces of delightful Daffodils. Okay that’s more than one but I love them all. And that’s just my favorite Spring flowers….lol.
Love your beautiful flower pictures. So ready for spring!!
I especially love daffodils. I pinned a pic also..
My favorite flower would be Miss Peony . A big vase of them transforms any space. I tried pinning the pink one with no luck.
Hi Mary
I just returned from NYC visiting my granddaughter and her umbrella went kaput ! I want to send her one of the reverse umbrellas and just wondering which brand you went with in your post. I think she would love the peony one. Thank You Lynn
Hi Lynn, This is the brand of umbrella I ordered: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07792JZMJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
Thank You for the quick response! Ordered and on it’s way to the Big Apple! Your blog brightens my day. I love your photos. Thank You again Lynn