Lucy's Lounge at Tutti Chic

Everythings Coming Up Roses....

Just look at this english beauty!

My gardens are just popping right now with roses of every kind! the heat, sun & extra rain we've had have all been a big boost this year to flowers, especially the roses! I haven't had much luck with these beauties in the past but am learning how to care for different varieties & buying ones that are virtually carefree. I feel like a rose pro this year! :)

I finally got my cortisone shot for my ailing knee & it was instant relief! I still need an MRI to see exactly what's going on in there but I'm not freaking out because I can go to an OPEN MRI (no way am I going into that tube! I am SO claustraphobic!) I hope it's nothing that needs to be surgically repaired because I am terrified of being put to sleep too! Can you say phobias? LOL! I will deal with whatever needs to be done, but will torture my poor family if it comes to that! Hopefully it's just a weird inflamation from overuse or as my darling grandaugher told her friends "She has arthritis because she's old!" I wanted to strangle her!LOL! She brags to her friends that she has a very young looking, fit grandmother & then goes & says that!LOL! She was giggling away. Anyway.... that's the update on my knee. Been taking it easy & the weeds & the deadheading of flowers in my clients gardens is getting out of hand but I'm trying to take it in stride & just do what I can, knowing that I'll eventually catch up. It's so hard not going at warp speed like I'm so use to. I'm sure most of you are very familar with that speed also. SO....that's the scoop. Leaving for the beach house tomorrow night & hopefully I'll enjoy it more this weekend with an almost pain free knee & eyes that aren't bugged out & red from allergic conjunctivitis! LOL! One of my favorite boutique customers emailed me & told me even my knee & eye saga reminded her of a lucy episode where lucy somehow glues her eyes shut mistakenly trying to get into one of ricky's productions & then hurts her knee because she can't see & tries to hide everything on ricky. I was in stitches reading her email. thank you sandy for making my day! Hope all of my blog friends out there have a fabulous end to the week & a wonderful weekend! It's hot as  heck here~how is it where you are? xo

Poor Lucy!

Flower Power....

I have so missed blogging lately but my time designing, planting & maintaining clients gardens has my head spinnning! LOL!  I try to spend as much time tending to my own gardens during these wonderful warm months too, so that doesn't leave me a whole lot of time for  website work (which takes a little respite during the summer months) or blogging. Right now I am slowly starting to get covered in poison ivy & am a bit uncomfortable tonight. I thought I was home free & then jinxed myself by feeling pretty cocky that I hadn't gotten it yet this year so I probably won't & VOILA it appeared! AHHHH!  I usually get it so badly that I have to go on a dose of steroids to be comfortable. We'll see how It is on Monday & then I'll either make the call to the dr. or tuff it out. I've been trying to get over to my favorite blogs & have noticed lots & lots of blogging about gardens & gorgeous photos of  some really fabulous gardens!  I would love to join in so I am  posting some photos I took today after a completely enjoyable gardening day in my yard with my sweet hubby. He would much rather have been on the golf course today but decided to do some of the grunt work I couldn't do due to a sore knee! lol~YES! I do feel like I am falling apart right now with the posin ivy & the runners knees acting up! you should have seen me limping around the yard like a 90 year old!

Absolutely LOVE verbena, especially the lavender that looks almost blue! Don't you love this color against the black of the urn?!

My english inspired garden is really coming together this year. I bought a big cement urn for the middle, planted it with a small fir tree & underplanted it with white new waves, licorice plant & lavender verbena. It will be spilling over the sides in no time! I planted 4 small boxwood around the urn to make it look truly english.

A stunning salmon pink hibiscus sits on the vintage outdoor dining table. So does a vase of pretty light lavender rhodys!

A  stain glass window hangs from the pergola.

Clematis~

Hostas give me a feel for the victorian era~I have tons of these all over my yard.

Birdbath planted with lavender & pink verbena~I love planting these! Don't worry I have other birdbaths for the birds! LOL!

Here's another birdbath for the birds. It's actually a tracy porter planter I use for the birdies.

Pretty soon this part of the yard will be a sea of pinks, soft yellows, white & lavender. My gardens reach their peak in july where the additional colors blend with all the blooming roses!

There is something so nostalgic for me to watch a sprinkler water the gardens & the lawn. It's what people did when I was  growing up. I have never pushed the issue of irrigation with my hubby because I love putting on the sprinklers & listening to the clicking of the water going back & forth.

A very old toolboox planted with white & blue supertunias.

St. Francis watches over the herb garden~

This fabulous bloom ranks number 1 as an all-time favorite!  What are your favorite flowers my blog friends? Next post may just be all about hydrangeas! I have quite a few varieties growing now. I think I'm partial to the "endless summer" variety that blooms all summer long & on new & old wood. Stunning! This was just what I needed to feel connected to the blog world again~I'm off to catch up on reading some more of your blogs! xoxo

Loving Lavender....

As I was gardening in my own yard a few days ago I realized how much I absolutely love lavender. .  I love the scent of lavender& I love the color of lavender. It reminds me of the way my grandmothers house used to smell. Actually it smelled like lavender & ivory snow~so clean & fresh all the time. I used to love that my grandmother (g.g.) always had Yardley of London lavender soap in her bathroom & a bath or shower was such a treat with the smell of lavender clinging to the air & my skin. I love to havelots of lavender in my gardens too. It  reminds me what a field in Provence would look like planted with hundreds of this deliciously scented plant. I have to admit I have never dried it myself. Seems like I never have enought time to get to all the stuff I want to each summer due to all the garden work I do. You would think this would be high on my list because I do garden! lol! I do pick it, gather it in bundles & tie it in pretty french ribbon to dry ( probably the wrong way) in my own home, where it sheds all over the place but gives off such a wonderful scent when touched that the shedding doesn't bother me at all. This lavender addiction spills over to other  similar hued plants, & home accents that have this favorite color. My grandaughters bedroom is done in Lavender (although she is bugging me to paint it PINK!),  My website has lavender throughout. I have a lovely shade of lavender velvet on a favorite vintage chair (okay, it's not actually on the chair yet but it's draped on the seat ready to be stapled in place!) What sticks out in your home or garden? Do you love a certain color because it reminds you of a certain scent or a favorite memory? Really think about it & I bet your favorite plant or favorite color is tied to a special memory from long ago! Enjoy some of my favorite lavender things & have a wonderful weekend! xoxo

   

 

Fields of Lavender in Provence

 

Always in g.g.'s bath~

 

Dreaming Of What's To Come......

We are back from Florida  & Soooo ready for the nice weather up here in the Northeast! Florida is always ao lush & green it makes me day dream of things to come with Spring & Summer in our not to distant future! This photo is one of my very favorite of my backyard pergola. Today I am dreaming up arrangements (while unpacking!) for the warmer months ahead. I love to change it up every year & introduce new plants,  statuary & new outdoor furniture. The wheels are spinning & I am jotting down ideas for myself as well as my garden customers. Here are some more photo's of garden shots from last year that are inspring me! I hope they inspire you a bit as well! Have a wonderful Monday! xo

 

 

Beautiful Florida~

Ready To Come Home (Not Really!LOL!)

Until Next Year......

It's a Little Strange......

I swear New England is confused! Not that I'm complaining about the warmer October weather we are experiencing this year but....I picked this wonderful bouquet from my rose bushes just last night (YES! They are still blooming profusely!) that reminds me so much of the summer months that I adore. I didn't think much of it until I came across these FABULOUS trees all decked out in Fall splender with their magnificent golds, oranges & reds on my way to do some shopping. I just had to stop & take a picture & post both my bouquet & the luscious trees on my blog.  The roses have usually died back by now do to the colder nights but even without clipping them back(yes I'm getting lazy about yard work now) they are mass procucing blooms! We are having the best of both worlds this Fall & I just LOVE it! Lots to do this weekend with searching for vintage treasures, some yard work at the beach house & painting two delicious victorian finds I picked up today! I will post pictures soon of my new projects!! Have a wonderful weekend & hope your weather is as wonderful as ours here in New England! 

A special note to our friends in Ca who are still experiencing the WORST of conditions there-We are all thinking of you & hoping that life returns to normal soon!xoxo