{My Green Sewing Creation}

• Saint Patrick's Festival is a big event here in Dublin, Georgia and we have all month something going on and LOTS of green is being worn! 
• Here I like to show you some OLD pictures from 1995 where we had plenty of narcissus blooming and also our fragrant Clematis Armandii vine was in full bloom. 
• This year; none of these! Sad for having to miss them... Only the pictures of years where they were blooming can give us joy. 
• Below you find a post about our fragrant 1916 heirloom Thalia narcissus as well as our Clematis Armandii vine with its Fragrant Blooms... It was a dream in 2011!

• Here I am wearing a Burda Pattern Jacket - My Sewing Creation.
• Skirt is Michael Kors
• Silk blouse is Michael Kors
• Shoes are patent leather from Bruno Magli from Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th Outlet.

• Seen are also our fragrant 1916 heirloom Thalia - latest of our Daffodils but this year NONE of them bloomed...

• We both are glad for having these photos with our favorite flowers!

How is your crop of spring flowers doing this year?

Related links:
{Burda Pattern Jacket - My Sewing Creation} | previous post by me
{Our Clematis Armandii - Fragrant Blooms on Evergreen Vine} | previous post by me
{Our fragrant 1916 heirloom Thalia - latest of our Daffodils} | previous post by me
{Heirloom 1916 Thalia Orchid Narcissus & Ipheion Star Flower in Our Garden} | previous post by me

{Our Everblooming Japanese Honeysuckle | Lonicera japonica}

In our wood garden we have an Everblooming Japanese Honeysuckle or Lonicera japonica by its botanical name. Today I made another photo of its blooms. I've used them mid winter for table decoration in our small Delft White Picture Frame Vases for use as individual Place Settings. Link of previous posts with pictures, you find below post...

My husband Pieter did take this photo last year... This shows you the fragrant blooms of the Japanese Honeysuckle | Lonicera japonica.

It grows next to the gate, close to the road side. It always is full with blooms and it must be heaven for hummingbirds, during the season when they stay here. 

This photo I took on January 21, to show you it really is an everbloomer.

You also can see some berries, so birds must be able to feast on them in winter.

A blue wisteria vine is competing with the Japanese honeysuckle in last year's photo. 

Did you notice that the blooms are pure white when just opened and turning more yellow afterwards.

Do any of you have honeysuckle vines?

Or some other vine blooming right now...

Related links:
{Delft White Picture Frame Vase} previous post by me
{6694 Filets & Rubans - 6 Antique French Christofle Louis XVI Knife Rests} | previous post by me
{Antique Christofle Napkin Ring and Timbale, Goblet in Box} previous post by me
Japanese Honeysuckle Lonicera japonica link with more info

{Bye-Bye Confederate Jasmine...}

After decades of having our Confederate Jasmine climb up to the balcony and forming a canopy around our bedroom's French doors; husband Pieter took it down. It got very bare in spots and no longer was pretty. So I like to show you the last blossoms of this year and say Bye-Bye Confederate Jasmine.

Beautiful in April, for the very last time...

With our bi-fold shutters inside, we don't actually need this shade canopy as much as in years past. You can read below about {Going Green for our Bedroom} in a previous post, about Pieter's clever Masonite bi-fold doors, that he transformed into shutters for a fraction of the cost of ready made ones.

On the left of the Italian cypress, you still can see the Confederate Jasmine where it did climb up on a rack. 

The one on the other side of the balcony had died several years ago so we only had half of it...

You also see to the right our 'Quercus Virginiana Grand View Gold' or Golden Live Oak.

Bye-Bye Confederate Jasmine...

GONE already, this morning. The huge fig tree to the right is also cut off partly and that one needs to go.

For being able to have the house pressure washed again and painted, this is also needed.

Do you take down things like that too after decades?

It always gives us a sentimental feeling... 

Sorry for the birds that used to nest there and sleep at night but we do have enough trees for providing nesting and sleeping spots.

Related link:
{Going Green for our Bedroom + Confederate Jasmine in bloom} | previous post by me

{Our Clematis lanuginosa 'Candida'}

For quite some years now we do have the pure white Clematis lanuginosa 'Candida' with its huge flowers. They can get as big as 9" across and put on quite a show! We used to have one climbing up on on one of the wooden posts in our front porch but we lost it. The one we have now is blooming in the shade, climbing up a tree. After the initial pictures of the flowers, you will get to see the huge vine full with blossoms. Several photos from both of us, posing in front of it in our front porch. Does anybody have this particular Clematis species? Or any other Clematis for that matter. They are such lovely vines.

Pure white with yellow anthers.

This particular leaf above is in a heart shape...

Some wire to initially support the vine for climbing up this tree.

We are again looking at a healthy vine.

This is the one that was climbing up against the wooden post in our front porch.

Silk linen Escada jeans.

A happy gardener/husband Pieter...

A proud gardener/husband Pieter as it grew even bigger...

This one in front of our house was quite a show-case!

Of course, I too was proud of this Clematis lanuginosa 'Candida'!

With a friend on Pieter's birthday...

We were so proud of this Clematis 'Lanuginosa Candida' and than we lost it... 

Are you also sad if you lose some of your 'green' children?

Wearing my Escada jeans and jacket.

A favorite vine with lots of views...

Related link:
Clematis lanuginosa 'Candida'  with its large 9" blooms | available here
Clematis lanuginosa 'Candida' | available here

{Happy Yellow in Our Garden}

1. On March 13, I took some photos from happy yellow blossoms in our garden. 
2. Our Carolina Jasmine and the Forsythias were at their best for this year's season. 
3. Just love to share them with you. 
4. Last year was probably a lot better but we have to enjoy what we got!

• Adjacent to our gazebo, these yellow Carolina Jasmines are creeping up against a tree.

• Busy with bees when standing there a minute...

• Our Forsythias blooming at their best.

Related article:
{Yellow Blossoms from Our Garden want to be YOUR Sunshine Today!} | previous post by me

{Going Green for our Bedroom + Confederate Jasmine in bloom}

Just before we went to Florida on vacation, Pieter did complete quite a job. Last year in August I had been searching for the possibility of having sliding shutters for our bedroom's French doors. Well, due to Pieter's open heart surgery on September 3, that ended the entire plan... Let's have a look at our bedroom and balcony.

These sliding French doors exit onto our balcony and right now, the Confederate Jasmine is blooming at its best. This Jasmine is making a pretty evergreen arch and if you could only smell their perfume as well! This is also the south west side of the house so in summer when temperatures are between 35°C and 42°C it can really get hot. So that's why we do have solid oak indoor shutters on all our windows except in the kitchen and veranda. Also this French door had the linen shades that we did buy in The Netherlands and I added a hand crocheted filet lace border.

This photo lets you see my hand crocheted filet lace border and also the highly fragrant Confederate Jasmine Trachelospermum jasminoides, more in detail.

Two birdfeeders for chopped peanuts and nuts...

From the inside looking at the linen shades with my hand crocheted filet lace edging. I used French DMC Cébelia size 20 thread.

Removing all the old molding to fit a new molding for the sliding shutters in order to go Green. That will have quite an impact on our electricity bill as well for cooling in summer as heating in winter.

Instead of having some costly sliding shutters, Pieter worked out his own, more economic version!

Bye-bye linen shades after serving us for almost 18 years. But they never darkened the room at mid-day when Pieter needs to take his nap... One more reason for replacing them and going Green!

The new made-to-fit frame is on, and the Masonite bi-fold doors are hung from their rails.

Tomorrow I will show you photos of our entire bedroom so you can see how these six panel bi-folds go perfectly with our solid oak indoor shutters. We also have them on our build-in closet.

I felt mighty proud of Pieter for being able to manage such a project again, after his open heart surgery!

The third panel is being attached with two hinges each and folds outward on top of the bi-fold. On a cloudy day we can leave the center section open. It is even more romantic than having the shades pulled up partly, as that only worked for the full width. Clever design by my dear Pieter and for a fraction of the cost from those offered on line.

These photos I made yesterday while the Confederate Jasmine is still pretty.

It is so romantic to wake up to such a view... Two bird families have a nest on top of the pergola, in the Confederate Jasmine. They are protected underneath the roof extension and gutter. Often we get an early morning bird-concert when they want to express their happiness.

Tomorrow I will show you the bedroom itself! See link below...

Related link:

{Our 'GREEN' Bedroom} | All done...

{Walk Our Wood Trail With Me + Helen Curtis Azalea}

You might wonder how our Garden Tours from Book an Event with us, are being done... Just follow me and you will see. It is a wooden trail that goes through our back garden, also across the creek and several wooden trail parts in the wood garden as well. Pieter put a lot of work in laying those. Each year they get treated with wood preservatives. Let's start from the gazebo to the left and we'll be back for coffee/tea + cake later...

• The trail weaves around trees. Notice the many bird houses we have throughout our property?

• There is the the Azalea Helen Curtis coming in sight...

• It is 17:00 o'clock and the sunlight is perfect for catching this beauty. Helen Curtis is a pure white Rhododendron (common name Azalea) with double flowers and a hint of chartreuse.

• Birdhouse for a wren... with Carolina jasmine vine.

• The greenhouse is in sight...

• Our compost bin for all vegetable and fruit peels...

• There is the pond...

• All pot plants have just come out of the greenhouse and need to get back on their spots. Pieter can no longer do that himself, since his open heart surgery so we wait for our Mexican helper. It is too much to get them up hill alone.

• We walked past the pond and use one of the three bridges across the creek, into the wood garden.

• The trail goes on and there are several wooden parts as well.
• Okay, back to the gazebo for coffee/tea + cake!

Hope you enjoyed it and got a better idea now...

Related link:

{205 Winfield Road Then and Now} | When it was still swampy before Pieter laid this wood trail and build the bridges across the creek...