Lavender, Lavender Lavender!

This is one of my favorite times in the gardens at Bountiful Home. 54 steps off Main street, this is Garden and Nursery is known to some as Edmonds 'Best Kept Secret.' Greeted by a rose-line walk and arbor heavy in rose petals the sweet scent of the day follows your footprints. Passing through the second arbor covered by Cecil Brunner roses, you'll brush a hydrangea that will take your breath away. Pure White blossoms with a tiny azure blue eye, smile back as you pass this old growth wonder. Previously formal gardens have fallen into a more 'informal' setting as your view widens into the Nursery behind the shop. It's a confetti of color everywhere! And the voices who see it speak, "Look at the Lavender." Huge mounds of Hidcote and Grosso lavender flank the entry of the side gardens which house numerous types of Succulents, Sempervirens and Sedums. The white bells of the Kiwi vine dangle freely over a newer plot of gardens boasting a study of Lime green, blue-green and Burgundy. Then the row of hydrangeas under the apple tree, scream out in shades of blue to whitish-green. It's Stunning.... if you slow long enough to take it all in. Perch yourself on a bench or step in the garden and breathe deep, and watch for the bevy of dragonflies that sporadically fly through the Nursery darting after bugs and each other. Its Lavender time..... and I'll see you in the garden.

The Rose on the arbor!

  So many passerby's have slowed their walks to admire this great beauty. Flourishing in blush pink roses, this nameless rose speaks volumes of her time here on the property of Bountiful Home. Planted by the former tenant, lovingly known as The Weed Lady, this rose has been moved, chopped, hacked, picked and neglected. Planted some 30 years ago, she has seen customers grow and bring their children back to admire. Drought tolerant, this rose rambles up from the soil to be seen. Over night this rambler springs forth with smaller canes, then over night rockets higher and higher setting bud and getting ready to show off. Then as the summer heat sets in, utter joy is spoken to those who walk by and bend long enough to smell her lovely scent. What a welcome! What a rose! the sweet remembrance rose on the arbor.

The French Dress Form

I hit this great estate sale last weekend and found this wonderful young lady standing on the grass. I had received a tip from a great customer and friend of Bountiful Home, so I hurried to the address and found a treasure. Elegant and stately, this dress form from the 1920's has everything going right for it. Her gears that moved the bodies form worked.... her metal skirt was working and her cloth covered body was well aged but lovely. Cloaked in a bit of rust, she sparkled!! I had to have her. Among some other goodies, she rode back to the shop in my truck, then proudly perched in the entryway, greeting customers with delight and surprise. I felt like she'd be a great addition to the shop for the coming seasons. Then only a day later this beauty found a new home. Loading her into the car, I told the new owner that I had named her Cozette, a fitting French girls name. So thanks for the visit Cozette, It was nice to meet you!

Joanies Cecil Brunner Rose

Approaching this glorious climbing rose, one might view it as a thug, a tangled bevy of thorns, or simply spectacular! I am of the latter thought. When I started my biz here in Edmonds this climbing rose was swallowing the back porch with its layers of greens. Its companion in the knot garden was closing in on the bathroom window, perched on the second story of the house. Joan, the Weed Lady, who planted this rose, would pick these precious flowers in bud form and string them into garlands, make potpourri, and shared them willingly with those who stood long enough to admire it. The rose is scented unlike any other....Some mornings, it's scent captures my thoughts before I am even through the gate. Sweet yet peppery, this tiny, thumb-nail sized pink rose will steal your heart. Perfect in bud, smashing in mid blossom, and even wonderful in repose, Cecil Brunner is a rose to complete any garden. But I will warn to respect this beauty. Cecil is a harsh mistress. Today I enjoy the tales told about this rose and giving her away to those who pause long enough to enjoy!

Meet "Quiz"..........

Meet "Quiz", our new shop cat. This little tommy arrived on the property with sad green eyes and a cry to melt the coldest heart. He quickly liked to torment me but not letting me touch him. But I quickly realized that maybe not touching this little guy was for the best. As the days slipped into weeks, I saw signs of malnutrition and loneliness. Customers would try to catch him and his little back legs weren't working well with his front legs. I had had enough. I stopped by the store and picked up good soft cat food and grabbed a blanket to make him a bed. Soon this little cracker with waiting for me in the mornings as I'd drive into the Nursery. He's a good little eater and his little body is slowly filling out. I'm not sure where he came from or where he is going....he is a riddle, a puzzle or a Quiz.... our new addition to the shop.

The Herb Lovage.

A tall harvest for the timid gardener. To be known as the grower of the "love parsley" might give you an interesting reputation. It is not a common herb. Grow Lovage as an extra herb and to prove that you can really grow something BIG. Giant sized Lovage is a native to the Mediterranean. In Britain it grows wild in the country sides. Greeks and Romans considered it a pleasant medicinal herb. When herbal perfumes were the rage, it was an enjoyable bath cologne. Lovage has beneficial effects and soothing qualities during intestinal upset. But I like it best plucked from the plant and popped into my mouth. It has a celery flavor with a peppery back. Mature leaves are best on a pastrami sandwich and can reach the size of a small leaf lettuce. Its a back of the border perennial reaching 6 feet tall. Available in 4 inch containers. $3.95 each

The Antique Rose 'La Marne"

The rose that greets every customer entering the shop is known to few as La Marne. This antique cultivar is one of those heirlooms that is lost to many but found by those seeking it's beauty and hardiness. A transplant from Europe in 1915 is the perfect hedge rose. It has a neat and erect bush habit, heavily covered in healthy, shiny foliage. It's a constant bloomer. Not a technical term by any means, but the truth! This little cracker has bloomed well into the first snow and photographed by Joannie the Weed Lady who loved and sold this rose and its buds for years. La Marne flowers are born on loose cluster and its color shows best in morning light. The shrub responds best in open, sunny areas vs shade. I defoliate this shrub in early winter on one of those incredibly sunny winter days in Seattle/Edmonds. Then early Spring I prune it to a stout "V" shape and sit back for the show. Blooming now along the walk up to the shop, I'd challenge anyone to resist this little charmer. Cuttings of this rose will arrive at Bountiful Home this Summer for purchase. Get one!