Stella Gives a Garden Tour

Hi there! My name’s Stella. I don’t believe we’ve met before, but I’d like to welcome you to our place. Because my owner, Phyllis, is tired out after a long weekend of working outdoors, I told her that I’d take over the blog this week.

I’ve lived here for three years now, so I know my way around. If you’d like to follow me, I’ll show you what the folks have been up to these past few days.

The first job on this long Victoria Day weekend was a big one, and it was done by my man. Even though it was Phyllis who searched me out on the rescue dog website, then drove a 7 hr. round trip to pick me up, taught me bathroom manners, and spent hours showing me that not all people are going to hurt me, the man is my favourite, paws down. That’s why I was proud to see how well he cleaned up the interlocking brick around their house.

The noisy pressure washer scared me a bit, but as soon as he started cleaning the bricks, I noticed that it made dirt and mud, perfect for running through and tracking into the house.

I can’t believe what a difference the pressure washer makes, can you?

After the front was finished, he started working his way down the walk.

This job took all day but, as you can see, the results were worthwhile. I got pretty dirty, but Phyllis said that my guy looked like a coal miner when he was finished. At least she didn’t call me that. “Filthy little piglet” seems mild by comparison.

While he was doing that, Phyllis was hard at work too,  although if you ask me, she gets the easy job. Hauling home the sacks of dirt, compost, and mulch, picking out plants and planting them, then hauling the full containers to the spots where they’ll sit for the rest of the summer — any wimp could do that!

All in all though, she did a good job. Here’s what the front of our place looks like.

1. A nice big fern in a freshly painted pot.

2. They’ve been working on this area for a couple of years now. It used to be kind of yucky and there was no grass. Now, as far as I’m concerned, the compost just makes a big, comfy bathroom for the cat. She doesn’t help out with anything around here, so why she deserves this, I’ll never know.

See what I mean?

Anyhow … on with the tour.

3. Here are a few pictures around the front of the house. I figured out how to put captions underneath the pictures, so you can read those instead. I hope that’s okay.

The little guy who lives with us right now broke the green gazing ball we used to have. That’s okay, because his mom and dad bought a shiny new silver one. Isn’t it a beauty?

These beauties are on the side porch, right below a sign that says “Welcome”.
Phyllis says that painting the porch is next on the agenda.

This guy lives on the wall beside the door. He looks after the planter there. This year he’s gazing at the coleus. What a boring job .

4. Even though she’s not much of a gardener, Phyllis does like to have a few fresh things on hand during the summer.

Here are the cherry tomatoes that visiting kids seem to love picking when they come. My boyfriend built the trellis that they’ll grow on.

The cat’s already been nibbling on the catnip. Phyllis likes to dry it and use it for tea. It doesn’t make her as silly as the cat gets!

And there’s just enough rhubarb for some fresh baking in the spring.

Now, come out to the back porch with me and I’ll show you around.

According to Phyllis, fresh basil near the kitchen is a necessity.

Hopefully the impatiens in this wall planter will grow nice and big:

I agree with the folks when they say a Boston fern always looks nice near the comfy chairs:

This is one of Phyllis’s favourite planters.

Behind the planter you can see the new little garden she made this year. The ferns are from the forest. (That blue stuff in the background is bubble juice for the little kids to play with when they come.)

To finish up the tour, you have to take a look at the brickwork again. My favourite guy started the job of filling in the spaces between the bricks with limestone. Doesn’t it look good?

Well, that’s it for today. It’s been fun to meet you and show you around the place. If you happen to see Phyllis, please don’t tell her that I’m not going to come when I’m called today. I had such a great time playing in the dirt while they were working this weekend, and I’m sure she thinks it’s time for a bath now.

That’s another thing I love about my man — he wouldn’t bother with bath time. We’d just hang out on the porch together and enjoy looking at the results of our hard work.

XO Stella