The Creative Soul

06/21/2026

My new spinning yard/garden decoration. I’d been looking all over for the right one and found this one at The Paper Store last Christmas.

06/18/2026

06/18/2026

It’s an overcast day which is probably a good thing for the garden. We’re having a pretty severe drought in RI. Overcast days are also great for taking videos and photos. You don’t have to worry so much about shadows!

I finally see some color on the pink Veronica near the teal ceramic mushroom! Short pink veronica (Spike Speedwell) are compact, deer-resistant perennials that produce upright, nectar-rich flower spikes ideal for borders, containers, or ground cover.

The pink coneflowers are just beginning to make flower buds. They thrive in full sun and well-draining soil. While they are highly drought-resistant once established, consistent watering and routine pruning will maximize their vibrant bloom cycle.

At the beginning of the video you see rhubarb, cranesbill, and a tall variety of bleeding hearts. Cranesbill ‘boom chocolatta’ is a hardy, low-maintenance perennial. To thrive, it needs full sun to partial shade and well-draining soil. I deadhead consistently to encourage longer bloom time, or you can cut the plant back hard after its first bloom to stimulate lush new foliage and promote reblooming.

Bleeding hearts are stunning, shade-loving perennials famous for their heart-shaped spring blooms. To thrive, they require partial to full shade, rich and consistently moist soil, and should be handled with care as all parts of the plant are toxic to humans and pets. This tall variety came from a friend. Most gardeners are very generous.

I planted a pot of Dutch Iris that are blooming now. I wanted to keep them in a bunch and not worry about harming them as I plant other things.

Later in the video you’ll see some dwarf bleeding hearts, often referred to as fern-leaf or fringed bleeding hearts (Dicentra eximia or Dicentra formosa.) They differ significantly from traditional old-fashioned bleeding hearts (Dicentra spectabilis) by being smaller, more sun-tolerant, and blooming continuously from spring until frost.

There is a beautiful rich blue volunteer Bachelor’s Button in the final seconds.

06/17/2026

I put this together in early May, and it isn’t filling out quite as fast as I anticipated.

I decided to try putting a Purple Passion plant (everyone had them back in the 1970s) for the first time. I remembered it as a very fast grower, but so far it isn’t doing much. Gynura aurantiaca, commonly known as the Purple Passion Plant or Velvet Plant, is a striking tropical perennial native to Southeast Asia. Famous for the vibrant, fuzzy purple hairs covering its deep green leaves.

Osteospermum (often called African or Cape Daisy) is a vibrant, daisy-like flowering plant that belongs to the Asteraceae family. It is a white variety.


Vibrant, vigorous, and wonderfully versatile, verbenas are among my favorite flowers for adding to a hanging basket. Some say they are low maintenance, but I find they do best with constant deadheading.

Well just have to see how it all grows over the summer.

06/16/2026

Hung for decoration, but it looks like some feathered friend at least tried to move in….

06/15/2026

There seems to be something new every few days. This is the best time of year for the garden! I’m trying to work on mid summer blooming plants. Leaning toward garden phlox to keep the general color scheme going.

06/15/2026

Another windy day on Liberty Hill! Enjoy the flowers in my garden.

06/13/2026

Still windy! The Canterbury Bells are taking over from the Lupines. Thyme is in full bloom with Delphiniums coming along. The pink Lupines started later than the blues. The Cranesbill or the catmint may be moved to a place offering more color contrast.

Moving into the pink variegated Campion with newly planted white Impatiens. The comes the very extended blooming Bleeding Hearts, followed by pink Hollyhocks.

The giant chartreuse spirea (planted by the builder) is beginning to flower. When it finishes, I’ll cut it back a little to encourage a second bloom.

The blue hydrangea (builder planted) is followed by the Hosta patch, then the still spectacular Dogwood.

06/12/2026

One of my Easter cactus plants is blooming!

These are the most challenging of all the holiday cactus plants. They like to dry out more between watering and the might need more sun in the winter than they do in the summer once I found their happy place in the house, left them alone for the most part. If they get too much sun, the rims of the clades starts to turn red and I move them back from the window.