I’m stopping by to share some garden smiles today. We all need a little something to smile about during these uncertain times!
We’ve been spending most our free time while sheltering at home outdoors, doing some garden chores and watching the leaves and buds spring into bloom.
Gardening can be a great stress reliever, improves your mental health. . . and you get flowers!
We’ve had several days with temperatures in the 80s with the mercury reaching 85 degrees today, more summer-like weather than is typical for early April here in North Carolina.
Lady Banks Rose, Rosa banksiae ‘Lutea’, is in bloom. Lady Banks is a vigorous climber and prolific bloomer in early spring with deep green foliage on thornless, slender branches and ideal for USDA Hardiness zone 6 – 9. We’re in zone 7b in North Carolina.
We have several viburnums that have been blooming for a couple of weeks. Doublefile Viburnum is a low maintenance beauty. . . plant her a sunny spot, give her plenty of room and watch her grow! It’s hard to tell from the photo but she’s as wide or wider than tall, growing to 8 – 10 feet in height and matures to 15 – 20 feet wide.
The blooms grow out horizontally on the branches and resemble lace-cap hydrangeas.
Snowball Viburnum is in bloom by the Potting Shed. We planted this shrub four years ago.
I highly recommend planting a snowball viburnum if you have room in your landscape! Check with the nurseries and garden centers in your area, place an order and buy a shrub or two via curbside pick up or shop online.
Flowers start out green and turn a snowy white. Snowball Viburnum tolerates a range of soils, but performs best in moist, well-drained, acidic loamy soil.
Plant in full sun to partial shade in zones 6-9.
Bridal Wreath Spirea is blooming. The graceful arching branches and have an old-fashioned appeal and look of a cottage garden. I was afraid a cold snap would take its toll on the buds but it’s full of blooms. It blooms best in full sun but will tolerate partial shade.
Prune or shape your bridal wreath immediately after it blooms. Cut back a third of the canes, preferably the oldest and tallest, all the way to the ground to preserve the shrub’s naturally arching shape.
Bridal Wreath Spirea is a fast grower and hardy in USDA zones 4 – 8 with a height of 5 – 9 feet and mature spread of 6 – 8 feet.
A pair of Eastern Bluebirds took up residence in this house a week ago. . .
I’ve been stalking them with my camera. . .
Chronic worry and stress like we’re all experiencing these days is hard on your body and contributes to anxiety, depression and disease, so finding healthy ways to cope and take care of your mind and body are so important during these uncertain times.
Enjoy some fresh air and sunshine if possible, take a walk, read something positive . . .
Listen and watch the birds and keep the faith that we’ll all come through this . . .
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”
Matthew 6:26-27
“Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come.”
– Robert H. Schuller
“Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.”
– Luther Burbank
Start your day off with a smile.
Turn off the 24 hour news cycle and get an update once a day or every other day to stay informed. If you’re looking for some good news and morning smile, my sister turned me onto this website:
Inspire More
I hope this brought a smile your way today.
Leave a comment for us and share how you’re coping while sheltering at home.
Stay safe! ♥
Thank you for your visit, sharing with:
Between Naps on the Porch
Your garden is amazing and renewing! Here in Los Angeles, we’ve had cold, rainy weather so we’ve hardly had an opportunity this last week to step outside. So we ‘pace’ ourselves with home projects. We don’t want to do everything in a few days ‘cuz what else would we do besides eat? Of course, that closet is always available for the challenge but it’s definitely last on the list! So what do we do after our projects are completed and the sun is shining? Garden like you as we also believe it’s very therapeutic! Thanks for sharing your gorgeous flowers!
Good morning!
Gorgeous Garden!!
Love all the flowers and thanks for all the names and zones. Need some new flowers around here. Tired of the same ol flowers.
Stay safe and have a great Wednesday……
Thank you for the beautiful – and Biblical – inspiration. It’s always welcome, but especially right now!
Very inspiring and thank you Mary! A “good weather” week here in the Pacific NW and my husband & I will be enlarging last years new perennial garden and adding a small rose garden…I have the roses ready to plant and some new tubers/corms as well. Picked up new garden fencing from Home Depot yesterday (online, pick up at the door!). Yes, we have to think twice about running to the garden store…here in Oregon everyone is very cautious & businesses are handling it with respect & creativity. Take care & thank you for your lovely post of hope!
Thankyou Mary. Just went out and took some pictures of the garden and sent them to my sister up in cool rainy Connecticut and lives alone. It is the most beautiful spring here and that horrid virus can’t ruin it. Did anyone see that gorgeous full moon last night? It was as light as daytime outside at 2pm when I let our dogs out.
Slowing down is the name of the game and we’ve been enjoying taking in the earths renewal of Spring. I’ve heard several time that we will not return to normal, but to a new normal. Don’t know what that means but the seasons haven’t changed, The heavens still send us rain, “April showers bring May Flowers” , there are the same number of hours of sunshine and moonshine, and God is still in His heaven answering His children’s prayers. I’m so glad I belong to a Him.
Just what we needed. Beautiful and hopeful. Loved it. Stay well. ❤️
Beautiful Mary!! It is so lovely and refreshing to see your early blooms. Here in Maine those are late May! Thank you, stay safe and this too shall pass.
You are my something positive. Thank you for brightening my day.
I did smile Mary, thank you! A number of my friends have also mentioned listening to the birds this week ! We watch for them every day and their songs are a lovely treat 🐦🧡🐦
It’s still chilly here, but the snow has melted and we can see the iris, tulips, and daffodils popping up. Your photos were an absolute inspiration!
Thanks for the beautiful post Mary. I just love all the flowers and am so glad you post the names, because I always forget “Viburnum”. I also appreciate all the words of encouragement. I am working from home now, so I don’t have alot of spare time, but I do make time everyday to thank God for all our blessings, whether big or small. We go for walks, spend time in the yard, listen to beautiful music, listen to the birds sing, read my Bible and pray. I also call my co workers so we can chat and just say hello. I wish you and all your readers a very blessed Easter!!
* SIGH* franki
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for all the gorgeous pics and the lovely sentiments. Surely made my day a whole lot brighter! I shared you on my facebook page to entice others to enjoy your site.
As always, you brighten our day, thank for sharing your flowers, here in Michigan it will be another 6 weeks till see such beauty
Nothing better than birds and flowers!!
Thank you for all the pretty flower pictures! We had a couple very warm days here in Illinois but tomorrow it’s back to the 40’s & then just 40s & 50s for some time! We’ve taken advantage of the nice days to work in the yard. The inside stuff can wait for the colder days ahead. I was just thinking how we all have such clean & organized houses now with this free time but we can’t have anyone over to see it! :0) We just have to keep it that way until things get back to normal! I finally stepped back from the news. I can check in with my local news to see if there’s anything I need to know. Otherwise, it was just one bad thing after another & too depressing. It’s best to surround yourself with happy, funny, & positive things right now. Like your beautiful garden! I especially love the first picture of the flowers growing around your Green Man guy! Stay well & keep us posted on possible baby birds coming soon!
Mary…that photo of the bluebird in flight is SO lovely! Thank you for sharing…
Mary,
You wonderful blogs are the inspiration of my day! Love seeing your beautiful yard! My Lady Banks Rose is also blooming and my bluebirds are nesting! I grew up in Statesville and learned to water ski on Lake Norman! Spring is beautiful here in North Carolina! Blessings! Susan
Thanks for that Mary! Love your gorgeous flowers and birds! ❤️
I would like to plant a Snowball Viburnum, I live in Minnesota, what zone is that?
Hi Ann, Look up your garden zone by zip code here: https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/
Thank you for the pictures of flowers and birds that have brightened my morning. I check online news sources once or twice per day to see if there’s anything truly new that we need to know, but we avoid television news. Our lives are much more peaceful and no less informed.
What beautiful pics! Love your garden face decoration. It’s such a joy to see nature in all its glory. Definitely brought a smile to my face! Thanks Mary! Clara ♥️
Today is my birthday and my sister sent a beautiful, large potted geranium, along with a generous gift certificate to our local garden center. I am thinking about using the certificate to purchase a viburnum after seeing your photos. Currently our azaleas are in full bloom and the pansies are still offering their sweet colors. Thank you for the scripture, quotes and thoughts to lift our spirit. May you and your family remain safe and healthy. By the way, I did not win the copy of the She Sheds book in your giveaway, so I ordered a copy. I have enjoyed reading all of the great ideas. Of course, yours is one about which to dream!
Thank you and Happy Birthday Ann! 🎁🎂🎉 I think you’d love a viburnum In your garden. 🌸
Ha, ha, looks like your garden guy is literally taking time to smell the roses in the first pic Mary! Everything looks beautiful-enjoy:@)
Oh, Mary, your posts are a stress buster! Thank you! Those yellow roses are beautiful as well as all the other flowering shrubs. I’m happy that my daffodils are up and blooming, with the hyacinths soon to follow. Loved the pictures of the bluebird nesting and in high flight! The Scripture in Matthew is one of my favorites and so fitting for our times. We are staying busy with yard work, cleaning out the garage and garden shed and now painting all the picket fencing. Lifting our nation up in prayer and giving thanks for all the doctors, nurses, caregivers, housekeeping, first responders, etc. Blessings to you and your family this Easter! 🛐🥀🐇
Beautiful in every way! Thank you. Checking out the Morning Smile website next.
Thank you!
Thank you for the beautiful photos, and hope…yes, this too, shall pass!
Mary ~ Thank you for your stunning, inspiring and comforting pictures today. They were just what I needed. Hugs, Dorinda
Thank you for this beautiful post today! Much needed and timely.. your flowers are beautiful and I hope you have a nice Easter too!
Such a beautiful haven you inhabit! The perfect place to hibernate!
Great pics! It has rained so much I’ve been late doing all my garden chores but it definitely distracts me from other worries and the reward are those beautiful blooms!
I always love your gardening posts. I live on the panhandle of Florida (Ft. Walton Beach). My spirea bloomed several weeks ago. But I’m glad to know I need to go out and prune it. Thanks for that info.
I am so envious of your spirea, they are so abundant in blooms. We have two ancient ones which were in terrible shape when we moved here 15 years ago. I evicted the weeds underneath and cut out the dead wood and fertilizer, but they still suffer and have few blooms. Due to overgrowth of neighbors trees they definitely don’t get enough sun. Do you have any suggestions, I hate to give up on them. Love today’s quotes. Thank you.
~ Hi Mary ~
Thank you for sharing your beautiful garden pictures, and I what to see how the “Snowball ” will do in northeast Indiana !! Your blooming seasons is weeks ahead of ours here. Today was amazing here in the 70s, I have been enjoying this time at home and getting my gardens cleaned and new plants in the ground !!
All the quotes you posted are wonderful ! thank You !!
Take care of you and your family! Be Well xoxo
Paula
IN,
We are twins in the garden, I posted my lady banks and spirea the other day too, I don’t recall where yours is in your garden, away from the potting shed? Mine is only in less than a year, they have some big shoes to fill in my entire fence line fast!
Your snowball is stunning, did you start with a 5 gallon pot? I put in a dozen one gallon and in two years they are barely 6″ !!! I love them and wish they would pick up the pace!
If we hit 85 every rose and iris would be in roaring bloom, we had 4″ of hail and pounding rain shredding whatever was in bloom this last week, dipping down to freezing again, I am craving warmth now for some HUGE garden activity! Despite our upside down weathers, and 1000s of miles apart, our gardens are very much in synch, and I know we relish our time outside equally 😁🌹🌻 look how much it has popped just since you were spreading mulch!
Your posts always bring a smile to my face.
Mary, beautiful blooms always bring smiles. Your Lady Banks is gorgeous. Mine has bloomed longer than ever and so have my snowballs, maybe all the rain. We are supposed to have storms and hail later tonight, that will more than likely get most of the blooms. I always enjoy a tour of your beautiful garden!
Thanks for sharing your beautiful blooms. Yard work has always been my stress reliever. Love Matthew 6:26-27 GOD IS IN CONTROL
I bought a snowball viburnum after seeing yours. I was determined to baby it and make it grow even tho it’s not on my zone. It lived for about a year and a half. Can’t grow them in So Cal but I sure tried! Love yours and the rest of your beautiful garden!
Thank you for the photos, scripture, quotes and encouragement. Blessings to you and yours.
Thank you for this post… it is beautiful, enlightening, and touched my soul! God Bless!!
Thanks for the beautiful pics of your blooms. The snowball bushes are so lovely and welcoming this time of the year, along with the spirea. They usually bloom around Memorial Day here in SE Michigan. Presently we see the yellow daffodils, so your spring birds and bushes are very uplifting this morning!
Hi Mary, I have always wanted a snowball bush and this may be the year!! Yours is beautiful!! We are coping here by doing chores…outside weather permitting, inside on cold or rainy days..nice day chores this week included, cleaning screened in porch and outdoor furniture…and yesterday actually washed the car and cleaned the inside!! Inside, the usual + spring cleaning one room at a time..we will be ahead of schedule this year…got all gardens ready for new dirt, new plants, etc..just waiting until it’s time to plant which for us is after Mother’s Day. Bad weather through here last night and it looks like it’s headed your way..be alert and safe!! ♥️😷
Thank you Mary, such an important quote and message to give us all an uplift and hope…your abundance of flowers makes my heat sing! I love the flowers sign hung on the shutter, is that new? I must admit I am having flower withdrawal with no blooms at the beach… but Mother Nature is giving me peace, and I escape into my watercolors every day. Keep calm and garden on!
Jenna
What fertilizer do you use on snowballs, Lady Banks, and bridal wreath? Thanks for the tip on trimming bridal wreath. Also, when and how often? I am doing something wrong.
Beautiful post, Mary. Thanks for your optimism and advice on not dwelling on the bad news but to occupy your mind in other places.
I am so busy in my garden I have little time to do anything else. Mine is so large! Biofreeze and Empson salt are now my constant companions.
Hi Bonnie, I use Pennington UltraGreen Azalea, Camellia & Rhododendron Plant Food on the azaleas, hydrangeas and viburnum (or any fertilizer for acid loving plants). I give them a dose the end of February/beginning March and then and a second dose in July. Happy Gardening! ♥
Love this post!! Thank you for
Sharing! Your gardens are always so beautiful
And your table setting are always full of fun and beautiful settings! Thank you for putting
Fun and beautiful out there at this time in our life’s! And always!!
Thank you for your pictures of your beautiful garden! A few of my bushes are just barely starting to pop out. Can’t wait to see the blooms. Thanks for your post–it’s always a bright spot to the day.
So beautiful!!! Our viburnums are JUST starting to bloom. The peonies are coming up and life is showing around our garden. Our weather has been crazy the past month: LOTS of rain, several nice, WARM days when I got out and cleaned up beds etc, and now VERY windy today and tomorrow. Then 70 for a day then back to the 50’s. I have been cleaning and organizing and purging. It doesn’t look like it because I have lots of boxes packed to donate or for our Fall garage sale! Stay safe and healthy, Mary. Are you allowed to go out on your pontoon boat???
Great therapy, Mary. I always enjoy the various timing of spring arrival from different blogging friends. We’re just a tad behind you. I love the snowball viburnum. As we walk our old neighborhood (the streets are quiet, not crowded, so spatial distancing is much easier), I’ve taken a lot of pleasure in my old neighbors’ yards, and caught a pair of bluebirds nesting a couple days ago in one yard. It’s still too hard to do anything but drive past the former house. I have noticed the snowflake viburnum are still not blooming, but the lilac was outstanding! Happy Easter, thanks for the garden therapy. Keep it coming, please.
Thank you Mary! Your gardens is beautiful.
Thank you Mary. This post made my day. Your flowers are beautiful.
I loved your garden, and the flowers are just waw
Wow, that’s a beautiful garden! I’m super in love with it!
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