{the simple things} summer blossoms

Every year I forget how lush my garden gets once summer is here. It looks so bleak in the winter, and even worse when you cut the perennials back and take out all the dead leaves in the spring. There's so much space in between the plants. The geranium and catnip are barely visible, just tiny, tiny green leaves peaking from underneath last year's cut-back brown stems. The grasses are a sad mess and I always have to resist the urge to go out and buy new plants to fill in the gap.

At first, the daffodils come and fill the gaps. Then the white catnip and geraniums (I have a about seven different kinds and I love the all) show and start to bloom. The grasses get taller and greener again.

And all of a sudden, it's summer. The roses are in full bloom. The oleander come back from the greenhouse where they were all winter. The lavender, gaura, hemerocallis, alchemilla... everything gets huge all of a sudden. There is not an inch of space in any flower beds, they are overflowing.

Every year I remind myself I really don't need any more plants.

What are your garden favorites at this time of year or any other?

Linking up with Rebecca at the simple things sunday.



Happy Sunday!
Swenja

Strawberry cupcakes

So. Strawberries. As you know, we went picking. Came home with about five kilograms each trip (yes, we've made multiple trips). 

We made lots of jam, froze strawberry puree for using in yogurt and I made a giant batch of strawberry syrup, using eight cups of strawberries and yielding more than 2 liters of gorgeous pink syrup (if you haven't tried it, you must. I used this recipe and the syrup is as great in icy cold milk as it is in equally cold sparkling wine).

If you know me at all, you know I also made a cake. Well, several, actually. I made one chocolate cake with a strawberry yogurt mousse, well, actually I made three of those and another one to come this weekend. Hopefully this time around I'll get some decent photos to share.

Meanwhile, grab yourself some strawberries, a blender, a large bowl and a handful of ingredients you're bound to have on hand and make this strawberry cake from a dash of sass. First recipe I ever saw using actual strawberry puree. Plus, it's got to be the world's easiest recipe: pour everything into a bowl, mix, pour into cake pans and bake. Done. I didn't even go through the hassle of straining my strawberry puree, simply because I never do. Raspberry puree, yes, but strawberry puree? Can't be bothered.

I actually ended up making two small bundt cakes plus a batch of mini cupcakes, topped with fresh whipped cream and wild strawberries or fraises de bois from our garden. Yum. 

Oh, and I did add some red food coloring to make sure these would come out nice and pink, which they did. Perfect for a little girl's birthday party. Not that I have any girls. Hmmmmm.... 

Enjoy,

Swenja

PS: I'm actually starting to shoot in manual mode. Well, aperture priority when I'm pressed for time (and we all know that never happens... right.). Love it. Exactly why didn't I try this before?!

{the simple things} flowering herbs

Summer is here. I always wish for that in January and February, but then it always takes me by surprise. But finally, summer really is here. It's sunny and warm, time for sandals, sunscreen and having dinner on the porch. Lovely.

So this week's simple thing are some humble flowering herbs in my garden. Nothing spectacular, just some plain old chives and thyme. You see, I don't particularly like anything purple, but my herb garden is the one exception to the rule. Thyme, sage, chives and so many other herbs have purple blossoms, and so they're allowed to take over that one flower bed.

I have to admit, it does look pretty.

What's your favorite color in flower beds? Do you plant by color at all? What about herbs?

Happy Sunday and thanks to everyone stopping by from the simple things - your comments mean so much to me. I love participating every Sunday.





Cheers,
Swenja

April home projects update

"Update home projects page" has been one of those items that just keeps being overdue on my to do list, and since I use an app, it's also turned this nasty red color. Ugh. Things are busy right here and with a lot of things going on, I decided to spend two hours this morning trying to clear up some items from my list.

So I updated the projects list - until it hit me that I never even posted an April update. Ooops. Not that there's much to show for that month, because really, where exactly did April go? It was Easter and then some and all of a sudden it's mid May. May?? You've got to be kidding me. It's can't be May yet. But it is, and so I'm trying my best to play catch-up:



"Get the garden in shape! Especially one flower bed that contains a grass that blooms in June."
That one was fairly high on my list, mainly because I get one shot at it, and that is spring. I have so many bulbs in that flower bed and I can't possibly remember where, so any major planting has to be done in spring when the dandelions are out. Lucky for me, that was late this year. I finally managed to make a list of plants to fill in for that ugly grass, because really, who needs a grass turned yellow in July? Save that for September, but in July I still want nice, green and pretty plants. Sorry little grass if I'm being a little harsh here, but that's the way it is. I tried it, I really did, but come June and then July I get frustrated with all that fall feeling taking over my flower bed. So I got some more of my favorite plants, the ones that do well in other parts of the garden as well. Like miscanthus sinensis or my all-time favorite gaura lindheimeri. Love those. How can you not love a plant that keeps blooming from June to October?

So this here is the offending grass. Don't be fooled by it being all nice and green. It'll turn ugly and yellow in the middle of summer, I swear.

Of course by the time the plants arrived it had turned rainy and ugly again, but oh well. And of course it was after I had placed my order that I discovered some of my favorite plants hadn't made it through the winter, due to that nasty and really cold period in February. Sigh.

Here's the said flower bed, looking a little sad right after planting because obviously the new plants are still small and the dandelions are wilting. But you can tell that I took a bunch of the grass out.

"Remove Cortaderia selloana. It's just not working. Plant miscanthus instead." Did that one at the same time. Feels sooooo much better and I can't wait for the new grass to get bigger. I didn't even have to feel guilty about this, because both of my cortaderia plants did not make it through the winter.

"Kids's Bath: Reframe prints. I copied pages of a favorite book for art but framed them in red frames that while I'm sure are nice elsewhere in the house, just don't go with the room here."
I came across these really cute prints so adding those in the existing frames might just as well work for now. 


"Hallway: Hang art. Preferably something uplifting and calming as this is where we try to get the kids out the door in time each morning... "
I never did take a picture of it, but I used this one here:

"Hallway: Maybe get a new rug. Not sure I'll get the old one clean after all that yellow sand from paving. Yuck."

Never did get it clean. So we got a new one. The brothers are delighted since it features a cat. I think it's a little bit too crazy and silly for me, but hey, it's cheerful and it really warms up the hallway. 

"Outside: Clean and refill sandbox and re-cover surrounding area with new mulch." Did that. Lots of it, and also lots of new sand. Which ends up everywhere. Sigh. Maybe I need to be decluttering sandbox toys, because the way they have them all over the sandbox within a nanosecond of being outside, they can't even sit in there anymore. But at least now there is some new sand under all those toys...


So here we go, finally the April update. Not sure I'll get much done in May, but maybe some more outdoor things and also the hubby has been painting away outside. We're getting there. One project at a time. Which is why I love this list - it really does make me look at all the things we got done. Now if I only managed to update it more frequently...


What's been on your list lately? What's been on it forever? And what felt really great to cross off?

Can't wait to hear.
Swenja

{the simple things} almond tree

Spring is here. Actually, today it felt like summer was here already.

Just last week I managed to put some of the kids' winter hats, mittens and boots away, getting out regular shoes and sewing lighter hats (yep, that's right. Me and my sewing machine made something my kids can actually wear. Not that I managed to take a picture of them yet).

Today I had to dig out sandals, sunscreen and sun hats. Go figure.

Anyhow. I did manage to get a couple of quick pictures of our little almond tree, snapping them after dinner just before the sun went down and the kids had to be put to bed. 

Just a few more days and the flowers will be gone already. Last year we got a plate full of almonds from that tiny tree. But I think I love the blossoms most of all.

Linking up with Rebecca today.

Happy Sunday!

Swenja

{the simple things} Helleborus

I love my garden. I love that there is something beautiful about every season. Even in the middle of winter, there are blossoms. Helleborus. The German name is Christrose.

In my old yard I had lots of them growing under a tree. Well, the new garden doesn't really have any significant trees yet and just a few of these beauties. But I love them, so each year I get a new one or two. This one my mom bought for me. It's still living in its pot though. I need to wait for all the bulbs to show in Spring so I can find a safe spot for it. I can never remember where exactly I placed all the bulbs, so any major rearranging and planting always has to take place in Spring.

Linking up with Rebecca's simple things sunday today. I really want to do this every week this year, it perfectly supports my goals. It's about enjoying the small things, having fun and paying more attention to your photography. Hopefully at some point shoot my photos for this in manual mode. We'll see.

Cheers,
Swenja