Living Room View/MyShadyGarden

Beautiful surroundings are important to me – even if it is shabby chic at times….

We spend a lot of time in our living room and look out onto our front garden.  We have such a large window that the outside comes in and the inside comes out.

I sit on my couch looking out onto my beautiful magnolia and enjoy watching the birds in the birdbath in the first outside ‘room’ decorated with tulips, daffodils, and Grecian windflowers at the moment.  I will change the outside décor as the season progresses – perhaps some impatiens, begonias, or nicotiana – I will have to see what looks good at the garden center and what color palette I’d like this year.

Why not look at something beautiful and enjoy it?  Our beautiful Three Muses birdbath is one that my husband got me for a birthday present over ten years ago.   An unusual present since my birthday is in January!  But a wonderful and lasting one.

I had worked with a landscape architect for tree selection.  She counseled me to have one magnificent tree as the focal point – and we selected Magnolia ‘Jane’.  It is a wonderful saucer magnolia that blooms later than the more typical saucer magnolia found in our area (and therefore is much more frost resistant).  The blooms are a deep magenta that mature into a dark pink.  After the blooms fade, the glossy dark green leaves are still a standout.  Magnolia ‘Jane’ is not plain at all!

‘Jane’ is one of the ‘Girl’ magnolia cultivars. Visit this link for more detailed information.  http://www.arborday.org/treeguide/treeDetail.cfm?id=259