How About an Outdoor Tour of Our Home?

It's been a while since I've posted an update of our progress here at home. Mostly because I've been so busy tending to everything!

Beautiful begonias...

Double impatiens in hanging baskets on the back deck...

New Guinea impatiens...

More begonias. Begonias are one of my favorites, right up there with peonies and hydrangeas.

Jack and Jill.  Our ducks are getting so big and make themselves right at home. 

Mountain Laurels are in full bloom...

Our weeping cherry tree in its beautiful glory. We have to prune this thing every fall because its branches weep down into the ground and grow up new sprouts!

A peek off our front porch. A climbing hydrangea that I've never been able to get to full bloom even though it's been there for five or six years. If any of you have this particular type of hydrangea (this is climbing plant rather than a shrub) and you have had success with getting yours to produce blooms, please tell me your secret!

This is about all the further mine gets...

My little country boy...

One of many tiger lilies that will beautify our back landscaping...

Lots of kale and chives. I need to get out there this afternoon and cut back the chives to the ground. They've flowered so it's time to cut them back and then they'll just keep right on growing...

Chervil. This little herb tastes wonderful in salads...

I'm so pleased with how good my raised beds are doing. It's been hot and we've had rain off and on so it's been great weather for all of our gardens.

Sage...

Green onions...

Strawberry plants...

Heatwave mix of lettuce...

If you're looking for an instant gratification plant as a first time gardener, radishes are the plant to go with. These were started by seed not that very long ago and now we are eating ripe radishes right out of the ground. And there are a ton of them!

Lily's playhouse that she never played in is now the duck house.

Here are our chickens. I honestly love having chickens. They are so much fun and very entertaining. And by August or September we'll be eating farm-fresh eggs from our own chickies...

Here's the awesome chicken coop my very talented husband built for me...

Another look from the back...

And look at all of this basil. Basil is one of my favorite herbs! I love it for eating fresh on pasta and I always make big batches of pesto with it once the plants get bigger...

Cherry tomato plants. One of the kids' favorites...

Praying that you are all enjoying the beautiful spring weather wherever you are!

I have been super busy here keeping the chickens and ducks and keeping up with the weeding and watering of my gardens and plants. We've really been enjoying spending most of our days outdoors and then finishing up the day dining al fresco on the back deck at dinnertime! Nice way to end the day! We're always saying how putting a roof over the back deck was one of the best improvements we've made to our home. We use our back deck all the time now; it's really an extension of our indoor space.

Have a blessed day!