Recently neighbors of mine went on vacation and asked me to feed their tropical fish and water plants in their garden in case there wasn't any rain. Their home is currently on the market, so they wanted to make sure the yard was looking its best for prospective buyers.

While their tropical aquarium is nothing short of fabulous, their backyard is outstanding! Since they're moving, I decided to take some pictures on my last day caring for the property. Talk about a backyard oasis, they were happy to let me share the snapshots with you.

When you first step through the sliders off the dining room onto their covered deck (with skylights, of course), you can't help but be taken with the whole scene, but first let's start with the patio off the deck to the left ...
A chimnea sets the focal point in the corner surrounded by various ground covers and a bird bath. Just past is a hand-crafted pergola complete with Wisteria vine framing an alcove planted with irises, lillies and two clematis. Follow the path to the right up to the quaint gardening shed, surrounded by hostas.

Beyond that in the far corner sits another hand-crafted item - an exquisite suspended swing offset by more hostas and yet another pergola atop the back gate. (There's one more pergola on the other side of the front-facing part of the also hand-crafted privacy fence, complete with another Wisteria vine. It doesn't get more fabulous than this folks!)
All the plantings are just so ... the complete opposite of my garden. I tend to over think and over plant, as everything at my neighbors' seems to have been put just in the right place, with just the right amount of statuary for accent. There's also hand-crafted bird feeders and houses (have I written "hand-crafted" enough?) Yes, they're also very handy with power tools and wood work.
So if there's something they think would be perfect in a certain spot, unlike me who will search the net for it, they'll just make it themselves!

Check out this serene scene along the back fence, what bird wouldn't want to take a break and get a bite or bath in this pleasant setting? These are also the people I mentioned in a past blog entry that have taken broken lawn statues and placed them on their side in the garden, creating a natural rustic look.
And the best part about all this for you is ... it's for sale! While I'm going to miss my neighbors greatly, this oasis could be yours. I forgot to mention, there's also a pool, and if you think the yard's fabulous, just imagine the interior ... It's available via Century 21 Agent Sharon Sapp and can be found on the web thru her site www.berkshomebuying.com/ Check it out for more photos.

Coming up this week: Round 2 with the Muck-Vac (and other pond stories), Daylillies, Salvias and the Musa Basjoo (oooh what's that?). And remember, if you're planning a cookout for the 4th, cut your grass at least 24 hours ahead of time to cut down on possible allergies and green feet!

Sorry, it's been awhile, but when I last blogged, I said I was going away for a couple days. And you know how that goes ... take a few days off and pay for it when you get back. So it's taken my a couple more days to clear the piles off my desks (yes, I said "desks," I wear more than one hat at work).


But work's not the only thing that I needed to catch up on when I got back. Although my family did a great job of watering the gardens while I was gone, things needed to be tended to when I got back ...


Like the pond: It seems that another vacuuming is in order. Unless you experience it yourself, you'll really never know how much waste 30-odd goldfish can make! And there's eggs hanging onto the roots of the floating water hyacinths! Not sure if they're from the fish or the frogs, but I can only hope that the fish are making a smorgasbord out of them!


At least I came home to find a couple of beautiful waterlilly flowers! Aren't these blooms beautiful? And the water Canna are coming up nicely. They'll be blooming in a couple weeks.


Hopefully (and I know I've said this before) this weekend will be the weekend we FINALLY install that new waterfall (weather permitting, of course). It seems that every time I try to schedule this task, it rains or the temp is way too high to be doing it in the hot sun. I'm thinking Sunday might be better since Saturday's going to be a scorcher!!


The "hill" where the waterfall is going is really getting out of hand, since I really haven't done any gardening and/or weeding there. I figured why plant anything new there, it'll just get ripped out doing the waterfall. So it's getting quite overgrown now.


Weeds are invading the stone path and brick patio. This happens every year, yet it always seems to just appear overnight. I'll have to buy some extra vinegar at the store this weekend.


The petunias are in desperate need of dead-heading. And we're fast approaching July, when in my garden the petunias get leggy and the blooms are few. Every year I vow to figure out exactly how all those wave petunias in the professional beds at the malls and businesses, not to mention in the hanging baskets in downtown Pottstown, stay so full and blooming, maybe this'll be the year it works for me!

And if that's not enough, I'm not in the middle of a HUGE computer issue at home ... I can't open any programs. I can already tell that fixing this will take a pretty big chunk out of my weekend.


Well, it's not all bad ... I was happy to come home to a pretty established pepper on one of my plants, and there are also some cherry tomatoes and a couple of early girls on the stems. My cucumbers are coming along great this year. They're really taking to the twine-vine I stapled to the shed for them.


And the daylillies! What can I say about one of my faves? They are a great plant that needs absolutely no care at all! They don't take a lot of water and when they bloom, it's show-stopping! I'll blog more about these fantastic plants next week. But for now ... take a trip to Manatawny Creek Daylilly Farm in scenic Oley.


This weekend will be a perfect time to see most of the daylillies in bloom. The farm is located at 64 Fisher Mill Road, right across the street from Glick's Greenhouses. Or visit their web site www.manatawnycreekfarm.com for more information. Hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday; closed Sunday.


Also next week, I'll be featuring my neighbors fabulous garden ... here's a sneak peak.
Well, it looks like my weekend's all planned, see you Monday.

OK, you've made your plant selections, carefully chose the right spot, gently planted, mulched, fertilized and watered and ........ NOTHING'S HAPPENING!!
Yes, this can be very frustrating, but unfortunately, there's nothing more we can do except to wait until the evening temperatures warm up. Plants do most of their growing overnight, just as our bodies replenish while we sleep. And even though Sunday will be June 1, we're again having a cold spring (I know, we'll all be complaining soon enough when the average temp is 90 degrees). As long as everything stays green, continue to water and, eventually when the temp goes up, things will grow!
And while you're waiting, take advantage of the many sales being offered now that the May rush for planting is over. There's plenty of surplus at nurseries, greenhouses and garden centers so go ahead and check it out. This is the time to get that certain plant you weren't sure would do well in your garden, now that it's discounted.
Today begins Glick's Greenhouses (in Oley) sale. 3-, 4- and 6-packs of flowers and veggies will be half price. Hanging baskets, one-quart perennials and wave petunia's will all be discounted as well until June 30.
And if you go, take the time to cross the street and check out Manatawny Creek Daylillies. They have the finest and most diverse selection of daylillies you've ever seen. And the prices are right too, depending on whether or not it is a registered plant. I bought six different varieties there over the last two years and they've thrived. And the colors are fantastic. Some are even proven show winners!

This weekend I hope to get around to some much needed pond maintenance. I'm starting to have an algae problem, and we still need to install the new waterfall. I also plan to get my Earth Boxes planted as well --- what are Earth Boxes you ask? Well, you'll have to wait until next week to find out ...

When I got home from work on Friday, the postcard had just arrived! Yes folks, it's that time again - the Oley Valley Perennials' Annual Public Open House Sales!!!

For those of you who haven't been, this is one of the best perennial sales around! Tucked back off Covered Bridge Road in the scenic Oley Valley, is a beautiful farmhouse, barn and greenhouses beckoning everyone who has ever yearned for a green thumb.

Sometimes I refer to this place as Hosta Heaven, because I've never seen so many varieties of Hostas in one place. And, yes, I've bought my fair share of this versatile plant there. I also got all my ostrich ferns there.

There's also many varieties of daylillies, grasses and numerous other perennials all for great sale prices!! You simply must make the time to go! And for your convenience, this weekend is just the first weekend of the sale.

Hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Friday and Saturday and also June 6-7 and June 20-21. And while you're there, make sure to get on the mailing list so you can get the postcard next year!

Ok, how to get there: from Rt. 422, take Rt. 662 north to Yellow House (Rt. 562), cross over and take the road to the right at the fork (Covered Bridge Road), go about a mile and look for a sign on the left; there'll be a driveway on the right, just turn in and you're there!

From Rt. 73, turn at the Pleasantville Diner onto Covered Bridge Road (south) and follow, past the turn for Glick's and look for the sign on the right hand side/driveway on the left.And as you go down the driveway, take time to look at all the beautiful hostas and ferns planted under the trees on the property. It's spectacular!

In other news, no, I didn't get the new waterfall installed on the pond over the weekend. Sunday was a complete wash-out, so now it's on the agenda for Memorial Day Weekend. Our own Brangelina (the fish) is still pregnant (I think), and Hank's returned! (Hank is the frog that inhabits our pond, more on him later).