Friday, June 2, 2017

Overgrown Beauty


My photos today are not from an unusual city park or professionally landscaped, meticulously manicured award-winning garden, but from our own little cottage garden by the sea. It is overgrown and practically wild, with dandelions taking over the lawn and bees buzzing busily around the abundantly blooming bushes. The people who planted all the trees, shrubs and flowers around the cottage many years before us did really an amazing job, so even without much care everything grows and blossoms beautifully, and every Spring we have our own marvelous display of blooms. It is especially generous this year due to the enormous amount of rain we received last Winter, I suppose, and I wanted to share this beauty with you before it's gone for the season. 







Our garden starts blooming in early February when the red camellia gives her first flowers. Its fantastically rich display goes on for many months - there are still red camellias here and there, and it's been 4 months since the first flower! In early May, rhododendrons begin blooming, first the red one, then one of the purple ones, then if we get lucky the tall pink one - and we got extremely lucky this year because it is blooming like never before, it is covered with flowers top to bottom! Other purple and lilac rhodies add to the variety of blooms (one of them blooms twice a year in some years, I guess when Autumn is particularly warm).









The view from our front garden. 

There are other trees and bushes, many of which have berries, like this tall holly tree that is covered with red berries (again, especially this year!). There are also gorgeous ferns and perennial flowers that bloom one after another and don't demand much attention (honestly, we hardly give them any), like yellow poppies, columbine (photos below), forget-me-nots, blue bells, daffodils and irises... We live in a rental cottage and don't make any big changes around here. That is why I am especially grateful to those loving hands and eyes with truly artistic abilities which planned and planted this garden so beautifully many, many years ago! We enjoy it literally year-round, but of course the peak season is Spring, especially now, May and early June. I take photos in our garden often, but rarely share it here on the blog. It isn't one of those meticulously manicured spaces that everyone admires, but I really find beauty in everything, and to me there is a lot of charm in semi-abandoned, overgrown gardens and shabby homes. And I do think that this quintessentially Pacific Northwest little garden is a wonderful and truly amazing tiny gem that is well worth sharing.





Photos of me by Justin.
Photos of the garden by me, about a week ago.

Dress - Lane Bryant (earlier this Spring)
Shoes - Born (old)
Hat - Old Navy (old)
Jewelry - boutique and antique mall finds (old)
Sunglasses - Lane Bryant (old)
African basket - via local market

Linking up with Tina's Pink Friday
Hat Attack
Visible Monday

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16 comments:

  1. Śliczna sukienka i fantastyczne dodatki:))zdjęcia w uroczym miejscu robione:))Pozdrawiam serdecznie:))))

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  2. Such a wonderful garden! Wow! Your climate really helps I'm sure. We have hardly any flowering shrubs or trees unless they are daisies, lavender or eucalypts. But as you say, there is beauty in all. I would love your little cottage with the wild garden and view of the sea. It sounds like my idea of heaven.
    I love how you matched the wild feeling with your summery dress and your flowery accessories. Xo Jazzy Jack

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    1. Thank you, JJ! I am sure you would find this cottage and garden charming, it really is a beautiful place to be, especially for dreamers and creatives such as yourself!

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  3. Wonderful garden and fabulous Natalia. You live in a stunning corner of the world.
    I love the colour of your dress, it's very good to style with all colours :)
    Big hug Tina

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    1. Thank you, Tina! I agree with you, olive green supports all colors beautifully! Hugs, my dear!

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  4. Doesn't your wild garden look absolutely stunning! Not to mention the view! I love the dress with its lacy yoke and sleeves, and those pretty yellow, and very comfortable looking shoes! Bug hug xxx

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  5. total garden envy!!!
    as a passionate gardener i know how precious such an "old" and well planned garden is! the one we bought with the house was in one part a concrete covered "nothing" with ordinary hedges - senseless planted. the other part was an blackberry and acorn overgrown wilderness.....
    even if i would plant now such blooming bushes like rhododendron - they will not be gorgeous as the ones at your cottage - or in the 100 years old gardens around here - not in my lifetime. bam.
    so i do with what i can have for the tiny budget, little time and low power that i own. creating from scratch something home-y and pretty.........
    love your "garden dress" - fab with the bright flower colored accessories!
    much love! xxxxxx

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    1. My dear, I feel for you - I can imagine how much work it has been! My parents bought a lot for dacha which they started from scratch, with all the wild growth still there (no concrete of course, as it was wild woods). But even I remember the amount of work it took for years to make it their garden. Now, over 20 years later, it is a lovable vegetable garden. And you have such love and talent - you do make your garden a charming and gorgeous place to be!!!! I appreciate our old garden very much too. It is also this amazing climate, rhodies need lots of rain and mild winters apparently. They bloom so generously here!

      Love

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  6. Your garden is exactly how I love a garden to look, untamed with nature not man at the forefront. it's glorious and looks wonderful viewed through your lounge window.
    Good to see my basket twin making an appearance, it must be summer! xxx

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    1. I thought it would be your cup of tea, Vix, even judging by your own green space! I just need to add a few flower pots which I haven't done lately. Hugses!

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  7. Your straw hat is lovely and simple sun protection for a wonderful day in an overgrown garden. My favorite kind of garden! Your colorful and delicate ring looks right at home among the blossoms. Thank you for sharing with Hat Attack!

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    1. So glad to hear that you love this sort of garden, Judith!

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  8. well, your garden looks like my kind of garden would be!, a little wild, colorful and overgrown!, I love it, love your attitude and love that you can enjoy it in all its glorious beauty. Lovely pictures, lovely pink details in your bijouterie, lovely hat and dress! and lovely smile!
    besos

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    1. Thank you, Monica! Not only we share the love of colors, Julie and Julia, but also overgrown gardens! We are soul sisters!

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