Ten Gables Cottage

Ten Gables Cottage
Ten Gables Cottage

Monday, March 24, 2014

Rainy Day Blooms, a Bunny Painting and my Granny Garden


Hello Everyone, I am starting off with a blurry photo of a big Foxglove plant I bought today! It is so gorgeous, even though I know it will only live a short while in our hot weather. I am going to try to prolong it's demise, though, as long as I can. It is rainy and not really hot here today, so all my plants are loving a gentle soaking.

Here is the Foxglove among other plants I have to set out with the exception of the Elephant Ear plant which is in the ground and thriving. I can not resist the garden center annuals that are already up and so colorful, knowing that my seeds will take a little longer to produce. I am a "now" person!

The gate between the studio and garage is a show with the Bougainvillea in full bloom now. It is home to a couple of Cardinals who sing constantly when the sun is out, which is most of the time. They also love seeing themselves in the auto mirrors, so if parked outside, there are plastic bags covering the mirrors, much to the birds' chagrin!

The Hibiscus is now blooming; well, everything is in bloom!




I bought a Shamrock plant for St. Pat's day and it is now blooming, with my little painted rock bunny nestled underneath.


I just finished this watercolor painting as a sample for my watercolor class. I will be teaching them to use undercoat washes of color and paint brushstroke hairs over top, building up texture. I don't teach them to copy my painting, but rather I show it, then demonstrate applying the paint and they must select their own bunny photo as reference. Each painting is entirely different in the class and even though the subject will be rabbits, they will be in all different poses and settings, and even styles.
And last, here is my Granny Garden, the grain trough turned elevated garden bed.. I had to enlarge it, so you could see the little red tractor sitting on the edge! Before the tomatoes get ripe, it just needed a touch of red. Now a question. Does anyone know why squash blooms fall off without a squash starting to develop? I have lost several blooms and see nothing developing. It is not over or under watered. Do you think I might have cutworms....I see a couple of stems that look cut off.

5 comments:

  1. Egretta, the flowers of a squash plant often fall off early in its life, so it's nothing to worry about. The plant is just not ready to set fruit yet. All in good time... BTW, are they male or female flowers?

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  2. You've some really pretty flowers blooming and I like the annuals you've bought. Your 'granny garden' is looking good and I see you've added to it with the surrounding plants. I recall my courgette/zuchinni and squash plants used to loose alot of flowers. I hope yours will start to grow fruits soon.

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  3. Lovely foxglove, one of my favorites. It has a hard time here in Colorado, too, but I buy them anyway. Your garden does look like Spring is there, for sure. Our day started with a dusting of snow and ended sunny, but chilly. We want warm. Your painting is wonderful,Egretta. Your students have a good teacher.

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  4. Wow! the bogainvillea is just so pretty! Beautiful blooms in your garden! ;)

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  5. Wow I needed to visit your garden today. I am loving all the blooms in your garden Egretta. Your Bougainvillea vine is just gorgeous.And I love Foxgloves. I see your Granny garden is doing well with blooms already. Your bunnies are just so pretty. Your paintings always are just so pretty. Have a lovely week.

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