Flower Girl

Over the past weekend, while Maggie sat back and enjoyed the spring breeze, her Mommy and Daddy worked VERY hard on their Daisy Cottage garden.  Well, actually, her Mommy needs to be honest and say that Maggie's Daddy was the one who worked VERY hard.  While Mommy did make a very good assistant, she also got easily distracted and took photos too.

;-)

I couldn't help it as I wanted to capture these LIVE blooms while they were - you know - ALIVE.

We are pretty much starting over with the flowering plants after our very cold winter and we are hoping that all of these flowers will indeed BLOOM WHERE THEY ARE PLANTED.  That would be SO lovely.  Please please little flowers - be happy here!  You make me so happy! 

Here are some of the red impatients that we plugged in everywhere ...

(remember, if you click on my photos they will open up in a larger size for you too)

See - Mr. Daisy Cottage got right to work ...  (he is AWESOME about that)

I wish you could see these azaleas in person - their colorful blooms are SO pretty. 
 

We also planted jasmine, pintas, daisies, hydrangeas, and allamandas.

I potted a bunch of flowers including these sweet ones...

Now originally I was only using the red table on the porch as a work surface to pot the flowers.  But when I was through I decided that I liked how they looked all gathered together in one place.  And so I left them there.  What do you think?  This is what greets you as you walk up to the front door ...

Well we have a whole bunch more to do and I promise that I'll show you the whole garden soon. And what can I say?  I'm definitely a flower girl.  The more flowers the merrier to me.  Oh and next Saturday our neighborhood is hosting its annual historic home tour. Daisy Cottage is not on it this year, but I am looking forward to hosting one of the houses.  I can't wait for home tour day as it is such a fun and exciting time. The tourists are always so nice and appreciative too.  And speaking of hosting, Daisy Cottage and I will be hosting the local MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) in a few weeks.  I can't wait to meet them! Oh those were the days... wasn't it just yesterday when I was a mother of a preschooler? Sigh. No, I guess not. Anyway, I think there are about 60 women stopping by. They had kindly asked if I'd like to come speak to their group about decorating on a dime.  I shared that I'd rather have Daisy Cottage speak for me.  That is so MUCH easier for me to do.   ;-)

I hope you have a gorgeous day.  I'm off to water the flowers.  Maybe if I sweet talk them they'll stay alive. 

"Hi my beautiful ones.... don't you look so pretty?"

xo,

Kim 
  

Comments

[Dan]

Kim~ I can't believe you are planting flowers already. Note to self, "Move to Florida!" I am sure they will all live and they will look wonderful! Your puppy is so cute. I can tell she enjoyed watching you work. Good luck with MOP! I am sure you will do a wonderful job! ~Dan~

[Julie Harward]

Oh so pretty! I love the gereniams and the daisy's and everything. Yes leave them on the table there, it looks so homey. I wish we could be doing this but here, we can't plant until the end of May or even the first of June..it freezes! Enjoy them....come say hi :D

[Joni]

Oh, flowers.... You have themost cheerful cottage in all of Florida to live, and you so perfect for each other!!
XOXO
Joni

[Debbie from Vancouver Island Canada]

So So lovely...as is everything you do Kim.
Lucky Mom's of Preschoolers who get to come and learn from you...what a wonderful mentor you are.
Cheers :)
Debbie

[Jill]

Happy Spring! Spring has sprung here in California too! You've inspired me to start planting some colorful flowers!
Hugs,
Jill

[Donna]

Everything is looking good to me, Kim. Especially the geraniums on the table. :)

D

[pogonip @ meadowsweet cottage]

I have Flower Fever too--my crocus are gorgeous now. Maggie's flowery scarf suits her perfectly.

Your red door with the gingham drapes is delicious.

[Nancy Jane York]

Amazing all the flowers you can have outside this time of year. We here in Alaska are covered by snow and will not see plants like this until June.

[A Cupcake For Moose]

Such pretty photos! It's such a refreshing reminder that spring is around the corner. Maggie was quite a sweet assistant, too! :) Have a great day, Kim!
-Rachel

[Marianne & Mindy]

Oh how your flowers make me wish spring was here, but alas, I must wait until the end of May to plant. The flowers on your table are so inviting. Maggie is adorable as usual (give her a hug for me). I have started planning my garden. Have fun with MOPS - I am sure you will. The home tour sounds like such fun!
Have a great day :-)

[Trish Rowley]

Hi Kim, I love the Daisies and Hydrangea reminds me of my Grandmother, Beautiful! I am a great lover of flowers as well and am very Blessed to have a daughter who is a florist and showers her mum with flowers all the time they are sooo Beautiful. Have a great day in the sunshine. Oh and I think that the table looks great with the flower pots on it say Hi to Maggie she looks like she is really enjoying the sun. Trish xox :)

[Sheila]

I just heard this morning that azaleas love acid type soil. The commentator was adding coffee grounds to the soil around them because it contains lots of acid. Who knew?

I think there is a direct link between human happiness and the color associated with flowers. Color, warm breezes and iced tea with lemon.....heaven on earth. Have a wonderful day, Kim. Sheila

[Kathleen Grace]

Oh you lucky flower girl! You have about 3 months lead on a garden compared to the bitter north! I love your choices, bright cheery red and happy white and all the other colors and forms. Cosmos make me happy. Guess I'm a flower girl too. I'm dreaming of the flowers that I will plant just the moment I think I can get away with it:>)
I know you'll share the home tour with us too, right?

[Kim-HomeIsWhereTheHeartIs]

Beautiful pictures, Kim...Thanks for sharing with us!

[Robin]

Kim,
Very pretty and I love your red table. Haven't been able to plant one flower yet in Illinois, so this is a treat for me to see your pictures. Thanks for sharing!
Robin

[Kim Nichols]

Kim, just beautiful as always. So nice to look at the colorful flowers and sunshine. I hope the cold weather doesn't come back to you. We are so nice and sunny and warm this week, but they say the cold is coming back hard next week. No, no this Saturday is the first day of spring.

[Megan]

Ahhh -- it is finally Spring here in Central FL after our unusually cold winter. Your flowers are beautiful. I potted up some containers for my front porch. I like your colorful pots on the your front porch. Enjoy your MOPS mommies -- and remind them how fast those preschoolers grow up. I always tell the mommies to slow down and enjoy--it goes by sooooo fast!

[Jackie]

Dear Kim,
Your flowers are beautiful and they look so inviting on your table!! Little Maggie Girl is too cute!

I want to tell you how much I enjoyed your articles & photos in R.C. I was so happy when it found it at my local CVS!

Have a wonderful week!

[Debby]

Beautiful. I have to wait to May as well. Thanks for making me feel like it's Spring. Love your puppy.

[Sylvia]

Kim - so pretty and I love flowers too - How do the hydrangia do in your garden,? I live in South Florida and they don't fair well here.
Can't wait to see more pictures.
Sylvia

[Krystal]

Love your flowers! I can't wait till our snow is gone. Send more photos soon, pretty please?

[Sarah]

Thank you for your flowers! It was just what I need to see on a cold and gloomy day!

[Elaine/MuddlingThrough]

Oh, now, doesn't that feel much better! Beautiful flowers everywhere just make for a happy heart.

[robyn]

I'm GREENTHUMB with envy! It's still way to cool here to plant! EVERYTHING you've done looks gorgeous and Happy! I LOVE it and thanks for sharing...the flowers made my day!

[Stephanie @ La Dolce Vita]

I love azaleas and your pretty garden! The warmer temperatures should be coming up north soon - can't wait! In the meantime, these photos will have to tide me over.
Best,
Stephanie

[Shannon Olson]

how refreshing to see flowers, we are still locked in winter in ND. We haven't seen the sun in 9 days...really. Waiting patiently (well, maybe not patiently) for green grass, warm sun, lilacs and peonies.

[Patty]

Your flowers are so lovely -- doesn't it feel good to dig in the dirt!!!

I hope we'll also get a tour of your home with the MOPS group -- wish I could be there in person.

Happy planting!!

Patty

[Donna]

Kim, the flowers are so lovely, bright and cheery...just like you!

Hugs,
Donna

[Rhonda]

Beautiful and cheerful, Kim! I hope you have a great time with your various activities. :)

[Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality]

Hi, sweet friend! So glad you got those flowers replanted, it all looks beautiful. I love the red table piled with potted plants on your porch. Great idea! How lucky those ladies are to be coming to Daisy Cottage for a field trip. What a fantastic idea to have them come to you. I'm speaking at a women's church event in May, nervous but excited, I am. :)

[connie]

I love the flowers all grouped together on the red table.

I have serious flower envy. I have been admiring the flowers arriving around here, but it is too early....we will likely have another freeze, so I must wait another month or so. Until then, I will admire yours.

[Sherri@lavenderfields]

Oh to be in Florida! You are so lucky to be outside planting! Here in Vancouver it's not as cold as the rest of Canada but it will be the middle of May before I get going : ( I love the red/yellow together. Very striking! The table looks great, and if you're like me I'll do anything to prevent bending over or squatting while gardening!

[sondra]

Oh, how lovely! Can't wait for the garden tour! I am waiting to put out my flower and vegetable garden until all chance for frost is gone from here. I hope yours don't just grow but thrive!

[Miss Jean]

We're getting out spring weather and I was able to get some work done in the back yard yesterday. No planting, but lots of cleanup. I'm off on a trip, but when I get back I'll hit the nurseries for flowers. I can't wait to see yours all finished. And keep the table where it is. It looks divine.

[Danielle]

I love that time of year when I go and pick out lots of pretty blooms to grace my little garden! Take care.

[Kerri]

Hi Kim,

Everything looks so bright and cheery! I wish I lived in Florida, I guess I need to work on convincing the hubby. The cluster of flowers on the table is a great idea. I may have to do something similar.

I was also wondering, maybe you would be interested in holding a MOT's (Moms Of Toddlers) meeting at your house? :)

Thanks for sharing!

[Bella StyleBook]

Tell me, tell me true. Who can resist flowers so beautiful and especially RED flowers? The world was truly meant to have red flowers in it everywhere.

I'm off to the gardening store...

Jan
BellaCasa

[Denise]

My lily of the valley are peaking up and I see the small red noses of my peonies craning through the soil. Your beautiful blooms make me SO anxious to see my babies. Thanks for the snippet of spring you have given us. Love to you and yours, Denise

[Jennifer]

Man! Am I ever ready for SPRING!!!!!!!!!
Your flowers are so delightful and heart warming.
Sigh. Sigh. Sigh.
This spring....I believe the flowers in my yard will be so much more beautiful than EVER before.
Thanks for sharing your flowers with us!!

[Lauren LeJeune]

I love the flowers on the red table! I have my future backyard all planning out with a wooden picnic table overflowing with green plants in clear glass vases. I love the look!

[Nancy Omachi]

LOVE IT ALL!!!!!

[Katherine Ann]

So, so pretty! My very favorite flowers are hydrangea and geraniums.....they just make me happy to look at!!

[Francine]

Your flowers are lovely! Here in Wisconsin my tulips and daffodils are just starting to peek out from under the ground. I can't wait to enjoy their beautiful flowers!!! I do like the look of the flowering pots on the table - so inviting! Lucky moms that are coming to see your house! Almost makes me want to have a baby - oh! Guess it would be a few years until preschool!!!!!

[Kimberly Padilla]

Oh Kim, I am sure your garden will look lovely! The flowers, which you and Mr. Daisy Cottage planted are absolutely beautiful! I wish so much that one day we would move from NY back to the south so that I could have a yard and flowers. I will never take the simplest things for granted again after having lived here in NYC!! City dwellers miss out on so much. Oh well, Maggie looks adorable in her little daisy covered scarf. I can see she's also very ready for spring!

[Sharon Rohloff]

Thank you for your cheerful postings - love your flowers and color palette. While we finally have a gorgeous spring day in Boulder, CO nothing is blooming yet. I love that I can count on you for a dose of beauty. Hugs!

[Lady Dorothy]

What a wonderful thing to do in hosting MOPS! Seeing is believing, and I'm sure they will leave inspired and happy. How could they not be happy after actually BEING in Daisy Cottage and visiting with YOU?

[Ashley Schott]

GORGEOUS!! Beautiful, beautiful colors. I'm in love:)

[Michele]

What a truly happy post.

Spring "officially" begins on the 20th - this really gets me in the mood. Can't wait for flowers to be available in my area. Won't be long now!

Thanks, Kim!

[Donna Rae Barrow]

Inspiring!

[Mary Lou]

I can't believe you have that great red table on your porch..BUT, it's beautiful there, especially with the potted plants...
We have to wait a bit in VA to plant so it's nice to enjoy yours!

[Kim]

G'Day to you~I think the red and yellow look amazing, what a way to be greeted!

The flowers look perfect on the red table.I love that shade of red. What is it?

Enjoy~Kim :-)

[Moonseazen]

Just lovely and very lively! Very motivational! Thank you!

[Loree]

I love al the flowers, especially the hydrangeas. I would love to get some but I am not sure they will survive our hot, rainless Mediterranean summers.

[Nancy Hutson Maisenbach]

Wonderful garden Kim!
we are battling weeds here in the Valley of The Sun. Yesterday we worded on them and pruned the Pyracantha. Hubby mowed the lawn for the first time this year. We have grass that is dormant in the winter months. It feels so good doesn't it!
Your front porch is inviting Kim. I look forward to seeing a full view picture soon.
I have volunteered for MOPS. I helped with the two year old toddlers. What a joy that was. The moms will love Daisy Cottage!!
Nancy M. + +
U

[Gina]

How Beautiful! Here in Missouri I don't even purchase flowers until around Mother's day! I think we even have snow in the forcast for saturday. I'm ready for some sun and warmer weather. I'll enjoy your beautiful flowers until then.

[Jill]

Ahhhh, spring at Daisy Cottage! We don't do our gardening in Indiana until May. I'm chompin' at the bit to buy flowers and play in the dirt. Thank you for a little taste of spring!

[Barbara Anne]

What a riot of beautiful flower colors! Your neighbors will have flower envy as I do!!

We have daffodils and crocus in bloom, the forsythia is about to bloom, daylilies and iris are peeking up from the flowerbeds, and the tulip tree has huge buds but spring isn't quite here.

Hugs!

[Ressie Malone]

Your garden is beautiful with the promise of springtime! It's even more beautiful because you and Mr. DC planted it all with love. It's simply a wonderful reflection of your heart!

[Hattie]

Hi Kim, I love your red table by the front door. If you could see my High Street cottage, you would see your influence at work. All because of you, I have a little bitty red table on the porch beside my front door. My porch is small, but I am hoping to squeeze in a little "ice cream" table and two chairs a little later on.Thanks for your inspiration and encouragement to do what feels right to us.

[Lucy]

Kim, everything looks so beautiful and welcoming. Hope you take lots of pics of home tours to share with us. Love all your neighbor's homes. xoxoxoxo

L

[Donna]

Kim,
I love the flower pots on your red table. What a lovely way to greet your guests. Here in Massachusetts, I am dreaming of planting flowers some time in May, but the crocuses are up! In June the loveliest, most fragrant peonies burst forth. Lavender tulips in a vase now grace our kitchen table and they are gorgeous! Spring will get here eventually and I'll be watching and waiting. Your garden pics are so cheerful. Thanks to you always!
xoxox
Donna

[Lynn Paterson]

Maggie is so beautiful w/ her colorful scarf on....what a babe! I just love flowers almost as much as you do. The ones you planted are very delightful and sure to bring many hours of joy to you & your neighbors. I can't wait for it to be warm enough in Atlanta to plant flowers! It should be soon!

[Diane]

Flowers, flowers. They're so pretty. I'm anxious to get my hands in the dirt but it's too early here. It's so nice that your husband likes to do that too AND that you both agree! I love the red table with the potted flowers, perfect.

[Debbie from Texas]

Kim, your flowers are lovely. I can't wait until I can see what lived through the winter and plant new ones. Your husband looks pretty good from the angle you photographed him from, too. :)Have fun with the MOPS group. Yea, I remember the "good old days" with kids but now enjoy them with my grandchildren!

[Ulrike]

Gorgeous flowers! You have all the ones that I would get too! It is still a little too early for us even though we are one state up from you we are just not warm enough for all of those plants, but soon.....

[Katie]

Oh! I just love all your flowers! And I sweet talk mine too, giving them little pep talks and bragging about how pretty they are!

[Kathy Charniak]

No flowers for me until Mother's Day. Geraniums are my favorite so thanks for the treat of your garden photos. Kathy C in ILLinois

[Cindy lane]

As I wait for more medical crisis to be worked out in my life I have indulged in flowers, flowers, everywhere!! Seems I make a daily trip to a nursery and it seems to be the perfect medicine for me! I love your pink/lavendar cosmos daisies...I just planted a whole flat of them in a wrought iron wheelbarrow my sweet hubby gave me and they are surrounded by the soft, wispy sweet smelling allysum plantings...looks just like a short version of baby's breath. I tucked a little rabbit in the daisies and it just makes my heart sing and my soul feel so happy to look at it everyday. I'm in Texas, close to Houston and it's already getting in the mid 70's after a brutal and unusual winter. Your red table and plantings look perfect...don't change a thing. Isn't it such fun to have a sweet hubby to work in the yard with you? Such a blessing...I 'design' then point and he plants!! But, I can do the pot plantings. Can't wait for more pictures. Thanks for sharing such beautiful pictures.

[Gail]

Oh I'm so glad that somebody is getting her garden going again. We've still got Mr. Freeze Temperature visiting us still here. I just want to sit on your porch and drink in the sun.

[A Romantic Porch]

Your garden is so lovely. Our tulips have poked their crisp green leaves through the mulch...I guess just testing the atmosphere above ground! What a great idea to have the MOPS group come to you. I had never thought of that. (note 2 self remember 4 future date) I've been asked to speak at our local MOPS group 2 or 3 times and i just LOVE doing it. They are so sweet. Happy flowering. xo rachel

[rue]

Good morning Kim :)

If YOU sweet talk them they will definitely live. I love the flowers gathered on that table by the front door. You've inspired me to think a little differently about how to put them out this year on my stoop ;)

love you,
rue

[Arlene]

Awww...these pictures remind me of our backyard when we lived in Los Angeles. So many pretty flowers. Here in Colorado, the climate yields different plants and while they're pretty, I really miss some of my California faves.

[The Decorated House]

Hello Sweet Kim~
There was so much to catch up with!
Oh what lovely flowers you have chosen. And many of my favorites.

I enjoyed reading articles in the magazine and seeing your pictures so very much!
Hugs, Donna

[Jane Carter]

I just discovered your blog and am blown away with the comfortable, almost nostalgic feel of it...almost like finding a long-lost friend after many years apart...somehow familiar, but all so exciting and new.

It's a bit early for setting out flowers here in my part of Texas, but we're definitely getting close! Having just moved into our own little cottage, and in the throes of remodeling, I am craving some time out in the sun...digging in the soil and touching living, breathing flowers. Your photos are inspiring, as is your innate sense of style.

Looking forward to the pleasure of staying tuned to Daisy Cottage!

[Lauree]

Just catching up on a few days of missed visits to Daisy Cottage.... very much missed!
Your garden is so pretty... we are heading into autumn on my side of the world and the colours are just a hint to me of the beauty of heaven - one day I will spend 'fall' in New England.... sigh :)
Just wanted to say that I wish you could come and speak with our 'mops' group here... and then after that I would introduce you to our new four legged family member..... love to you x

[flowers to Philippines]

Thanks for all your lovely photos this floral so pretty. What a perfect garden so beautiful. :)

vee