Fishtail Cottage Garden in May

So many beautiful flowers appeared in May!  First one to share with you is just a few of my lilac's.... these are some of my most favorite cut flowers to bring inside.

As you can see the landscape came alive in the front yard area where I have a darling little feeder and bath for the birds. The Hanaki peony trees, Adirondack Crabapple Trees and the Northern Highlight Azaleas are amazing when they all come into bloom as other early spring blooms start to fade out. 

I originally only had this one Northern Highlight Azalea in my back yard landscape, however the fragrance was just so amazing I added several more to my gardens in both the front and back yard.  I cannot begin to tell you how amazing this shrub is.

Some other favorite shrubs in my landscape that came into bloom during May was several varieties of Rhododendron's, Mexican Orange and Snowball Shrub. All of which make excellent cut flowers as well.

 

So many perennials returned with their beauty like the Cornflower, Columbine and Bearded Iris. 

Seeing the landscape evolve each year and how everything fills in is one of my favorite pleasures of my garden.  Look how beautiful the Sandwort ground cover has taken over below this sweet little Maple Seedling that I started a few years ago.

And just one more cottage flower favorite that appeared in May is the Foxglove ~ a wildflower that I've allowed to self seed and take over wherever it desires!  Definitely another favorite of mine that I had to share. 

If you want to see more photo's, please do follow me on Facebook and Instagram!

Thank you so much for coming over and visiting today! xoxo, tracie

Fishtail Cottage Garden March / April 2017

This gorgeous photo of Nicco Pearl Camellia is what I have been waiting for since purchasing it almost a year ago for my patio planter.

Thank you so much to so many of you who have reached out privately wondering if I am okay and really appreciate hearing you've missed seeing my cottage gardens this spring!  I'm finally here today to share what has been going on here at Fishtail Cottage! We had a very cold and wet winter and spring, but finally this week we are experiencing sunshine, in fact it's forecasted that we will have dry weather and lot's of sunshine over the next few weeks.  With all of this sunshine, I feel like everything is blooming at once instead of have a spread out bloom season that I tried to plan out so very carefully.   I thought it would be best to share with you my earliest of Spring blooms and work my way up to what is blooming in March/April! There are just too many pretty flower and garden photo's that I have to share with you!

The first of my blooms was this Raspberry Splash Lungwort, I keep transplanting new starts throughout the landscape to bring color where early spring color is missing.

Another favorite first to bloom are the beautiful Hellebore, which come in so many colors and shapes now days, you cannot go wrong with any you find out there in your local nurseries.

Seeing all of the gorgeous trees begin to leaf out here at Fishtail Cottage brings so much hope to ones soul.  I especially love this Acer Japanese Maple Orido Nishiki.

Bergenia / "Elephant ear"

Love the bloom of Bradford Pear Trees, but the fragrance of them is just awful...just so funny how something so beautiful can produce such a horrible smell.

Seeing the Hino Crimson Azalea in the landscape makes my heart so happy!

This "Gold Heart" Bleeding Heart isn't the easiest to find - but with the chartreus foliage it makes it  a favorite bloom in the landscape.

Hosta's opening up is a good sign that summer weather is on its way.

So much opening up on the front walkway, but the "Impatiens Omeiana" (in the front) that almost glow in the dark at night is a favorite among guests here at my home.

The arbor going up to the chicken coop is beginning to see life of the Blush Noisette Climbing Rose and the Autumn Sunset Camillia.

The Japanese Acer that spills over the pondless waterfall is looking so pretty this time of year.  Birds love visiting now that the waterfall is getting some shad. One thing I do to keep my pond from algae is pouring a jug of vinegar in the water...it definitely keeps everything clean.

The Robar Camellia is so pretty lining the flagstone pathway this month. even when the petals fall to the ground they look just gorgeous!

As you can see so much evolved in the month of March and April ~ Can't wait to share with you more that has happened here at Fishtail Cottage in May!

If you want to see more photo's, please do follow me on Facebook and Instagram!

Thank you so much for coming over and visiting today! I've certainly missed interacting with everyone here on my blog.

Lac Bleu Lotion Co. Bath & Body Products

Um, yes please!  I received the most amazing gift in the mail from LacBleuLotionCo and couldn't be happier to share how amazing these products truly are.  Especially because, for me every season is technically "Gardening Season", and I expose myself to all sorts of weather conditions So I enjoy spoiling my skin with beneficial products. I have super sensitive skin so I need to be careful about what I use on my skin (especially if there is a fragrance combined).

This sweet little package arrived so darling ~ I love cute packaging and it's so nice to know if I sent this to a friend that it would arrive as though I packaged it and sent it myself.

  

Included in this basket is a French Lavender Nourishing Bath Soak, Magnolia Rose Hand Cream and the Fig Body Lotion.  The fragrance of each one is so beautiful.  

First I must share with you the French Lavender Nourishing Bath Soak - I am a total bath salt geek and had to try this immediately! Ingredients include magnesium, pink Himalayan sea salt and lavender ~ my entire bathroom and bedroom filled up with the most amazing aroma of lavender after only adding a couple of scoops into the water. I was so relaxed after enjoying the evening soak, I headed strait to bed and slept like a baby. Which makes total sense as the description in Tanya's Etsy Store, LacBleuLotionCo says the sea salt and magnesium used helps draw out toxins from the skin and relieve sore muscles along with the essential oils of Lavender calms and soothes the mind and skin.

The Fig Body Lotion is so nourishing!  I only needed a little dab for my dry skin - there was absolutely no extra residue or greasy feeling after putting it on. Its a clean fragrance and I totally agree with the description of the fragrance on her site.... "apple, lemon and ginger, fig, caramel, and cinnamon".  My skin has felt super hydrated since I began using this lotion and I have not had any of my typical "sensitive skin reactions" to it at all.

Last, to share is the Magnolia Rose Hand Cream... perfect for your nightstand and or handbag. Between gardening, cooking and cleaning - I personally wash my hands so many times a day and rarely find relief for them, especially in this dry winter weather. I've kept this lotion next to our kitchen sink and am loving the calming fragrance and how soft and less dry my hands feel.

I know so many of you are careful what you use on your skin too ~ so I am enjoying sharing my honest opinion of these products I have personally tried. I am also happy to share that it looks like all of these handmade products are "Paraben Free" and "Cruelty Free" (not tested on animals), also many are labeled as "Vegan". I love that Tanya uses her own herbs and flowers that she grows in her personal garden in these handmade products.

Please check out LacBleuLotionCo and let me know what you'd be interested in trying and leave a comment! Even though these products are very reasonably priced, Tanya has offered to give an additional 20% discount (ends March 31, 2017) to Fishtail Cottage Blog readers!  You can share this post via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook with your friends (they will thank you)! 

DISCOUNT CODE at checkout is Fishtailcottage 

Also, be sure to check my Instagram page for a Magnolia Rose Giveaway Basket!

xoxo, tracie