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Tinkerbelle Lilacs and Garden Discoveries

Since moving into this house last August I have been so excited to see what was in our new garden. Many plants were already past bloom when we moved in, and some I couldn’t identify, I decided to wait a full year before adding or deleting anything.

How overjoyed I was this week to discover that bushes that grew along our driveway are a dwarf variety of lilac!

In all the houses we’ve lived in we never had a lilac bush and I desperately wanted one for this house. I had no idea these bushes that bloomed a couple weeks after traditional lilacs in the area were indeed lilacs too until I smelled their heady scent. With the wonders of the internet I discovered these beauties are Tinkerbelle Lilacs that have deep pink buds that bloom to light pink flowers.

Excuse the painful photography.
My daughter’s little HP camera does not do them any justice, so just to show you how lovely they actually are here is a photo from Weston Nurseries:

I wish I could send you all a bouquet, they smell so pretty and make my kitchen counter so cheerful!

I also have peonies, rhodies, rose bushes, rose of sharon bushes, hydrageas, creeping hydranges, lace hydrangeas……oh so many delights!! Amidst these are oft-overlooked pretties:

Verbena

 Vinca
growing wild in the back yard and riddled with poison ivy, so unfortunately not here for long

Flowering Weeds(?)
also on their way out, but cheered me this spring

Strawberries
that have run amuck, but are welcome ground cover with their pretty tiny white flowers
I must tell you how much I took for granted and miss my Digital Rebel that took some of these photos above. My husband gave it to me when I was pregnant with that yummy baby that just turned nine, and although I knew it was a fairly expensive camera, I have come to discover that to replace just the body of the camera (not lense) with a comparable Canon product today would be around $1,500. Yikes! And sadly, not in the budget after the extensive work we’ve done to our house this year.

Until I can replace it (and since I wanted one to throw in my bag anyway!) I’m looking for a compact point-and-shoot, preferably Canon or Nikon, under $200 – do you have any recommendations for me? Please advise if so!

And also tell me what’s growing in your garden these days?

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Comments

  1. The Pineapple Room says

    Oh i'm so jealous…beautiful flowers and an awesome driveway. One day that's the kind of driveway I want…bet it makes that great sound when you drive on it! My Kodak Easy Share takes pretty good pictures for a low priced camera..and I can just throw it in my purse. But i've had it a couple of years…more than likely by now there is something better out there..LOL!

    Reply

  3. [email protected] says

    Lucky you! So many beautiful flowers. We bought our house in January and when spring came around all we found were an abundance of WEEDS :). We're still working on it after 3 years.

    Reply

  4. Val says

    Oh, how I miss Lilacs….We don't have them here on the West Coast and when I was a child growing up in New England…I'd pick my neighbors all the time. Love the smell.

    Reply

  5. [email protected] says

    Don't lilacs smell amazing? We had a couple of bushes at our last house and I miss them. We built our current home but I remember how fun it was to see what was growing in our garden at our last home when we first moved in. Wonder what else you'll discover over the next month.

    Reply

  6. Madeline says

    The only flowers I like are gerbera daisies. Todd planted some for me but he and the girls have planted lots and lots of flowers. Do you have any earthboxes? These are amazing for growing veggies, etc. We've got basil, chives, dill, parsley, tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers. yummy!

    Reply

  7. Cristy says

    Lovely Lilacs Indeed!

    (Pssst the picture of the Verbena, it's not Verbena but actuallyHardy Geranium (a perennial that actually flowers most of the summer unlike most that flower for a short duration). The withering little blue flower there is a Grape Hyacinth (Spring flowering bulb) Looks like you'll have a wonderful time discovering your landscaping treasures 🙂

    Reply

  8. Sandy says

    Hi Lisa,
    My daughter Cheyenne has a Canon Powershot. A great little camera.
    I have a big guy (Canon EOS) with all the armor (extra lenses). I have to admit though that I sometimes envy my daughter that she can just throw it in a bag wherever she goes. She has had it now for 2 years and loves it.
    Canon is also very userfriendly.

    Love the flowers…. All gazillion of 'm even the flowery Weed? one.

    And yes the Ivy needs to GO.

    Have a great weekend my friend

    Hugs…

    Reply

  9. Privet and Holly says

    You must have
    wonderful dirt!
    Love all those
    varieties!!! I
    am loving the
    perfume of lilacs
    in the air, too.
    Nothing like them
    and so hard to
    replicate in a
    perfume or candle;
    impossible, really.
    When I smell a
    lilac, I close my
    eyes and I'm five
    years old again….
    every time : )
    Have a wonderful
    weekend, sweet Lisa!
    xx Suzanne

    Reply