How does your garden grow and a gardening giveaway!

What is it about gardens and why we love them so? I am a sucker for a more natural looking garden, kind of like the perfect combination of nature just doing what it does best...growing all kinds of beautiful trees, shrubs and flowers with a little help from us to keep things neat and pristine. Nothing overly done, nothing too perfect and a beautiful lake or pond, a charming gazebo and some gorgeous statuary and planters certainly is the icing on the cake. One thing I never tire of looking at is pictures of beautiful gardens. They literally have the ability to "take me away" to a beautiful, magical, serene place. Do they have that effect on you too? I had a loooong wish list at the start of this summer (being its the first summer in our new house, I came wide eyed and full of dreams and wishes) but the reality is that little has gotten done and the list remains nearly as long as it did when summer started! So....thinking next year is the year (please remind me that I said this).

One thing I wanted to desperately do is start my own garden, had one in our first house and few things could make me as happy as when I ran out first thing in the morning to fetch what nature had sowed.....it was thrilling to load up a big crate of tomatoes and cucumbers! I have planted some flowers this year, and of course several new hydrangea bushes which grow really well around here, they are practically fool proof! I have done some container gardening, (mostly indoors though) and though I have done little....the little I have done has been immensely satisfying and I realized this year how much I enjoy it, always looking for an excuse to visit a nursery or a beautiful florist or greenhouse (to the point where I think some people think I work there)! So next year, my green thumb is going to be glowing and ready for action! Today  I share with you some exquisite gardening images I have saved that just make me exhale and immediately bring down my blood pressure a few notches. To boot....this is being tied in with a fabulous gardening giveaway!! Something from my shop in conjunction with a few chic gardening items from Angela's garden. All details on bottom. Enjoy..............

This is positively magical, Old Westbury Gardens

This makes my heart sing.....the white blooms, the charming seating arrangement, does it get any better?

The manicured look of I believe boxed hedges is simple perfection.

Beautiful planters and statuary, boxwoods, a fountain and lush foliage make this cozy, inviting but above all very elegant. London gardens

This charming parterre garden is just beautiful, Lamaisonfou

How beautiful is a simple garden bench on a sea of perfect grass with a raging flower garden as a backdrop!

Dreamy don't you think? A beautiful arbor or corridor of pale pink roses....spectacular!

Give me an expanse of bright green lawn, and a bed of blooming hydrangeas and I am good to go!

Green with Envy garden tour.....lush, secluded and magical is how I would sum this fabulous setting up.....

What awakens every one of our sense as much as a breathtaking rose garden/arbor? Granted this is not something most of us could easily achieve but its certainly a thing of beauty to aspire to!

White flowers in a lush green garden are the picture of elegance, Southern Accents

Statuary is such a gorgeous compliment to a lush and elegant garden, love this! Linda Floyd

How beautiful is this? What a perfect hideaway aka reading spot! Alfreds Gardens

Love a shaded parterre garden with a beautiful bench,  it just beckons you to sit and stay awhile, Pam Penick

One of my most favorite looks a boxed grass courtyard surrounded by hedges and towering large trees.....just breathtaking! J Schamp photography

Arbors and fountains are a beautiful way to complement a garden, Rinfret

How about a wisteria arbor to enter your herb garden? Yes thank you! The garden tourist

The right dose of weathered benches, boxed perimeter hedges, florals and lavender/heather......love love love it!

Gorgeous boxwoods frame this elegant patio, love the idea of a bold statuary item to center it.....Susan Friedman design group

OK if this isn't the picture of idyllic charm...don't know what is! Old Westbury Gardens

Love white in gardens and this lush garden's hydrangea borders are just amazing!!

Yes this requires boatloads of work and maintenance, but how stunning is this perfectly manicured garden featuring these round boxwoods lining a walkway? Domestic Executive

How beautiful is this bronze statue placed in the middle of a gorgeous lily pond? Love!!! Linda Floyd

This has been in my files for a long long time as a picture perfect "yard" (while I realize its far from your average yard) love the manicured, restrained feeling......visual perfection. Southern Accents

Are you channeling your inner green thumb yet? I am and most definitely feeling very inspired though we all know to have anything like those above, must be a true labor of love. These just do not "happen"! 

 So to get you really motivated I am offering a wonderful gardening giveaway! I am offering a beautiful aged moss fiberglass planter along with this beautiful pair of kidskin leather gardening gloves and matching stylish hat, courtesy of Angelas Garden. To enter its very simple, click on my store (here) and come back and tell me one item that you would love to own. Want a second chance then visit Angelas Garden (here) and tell me a gardening item you would love to have.  If you are in the market for great looking, very stylish, well priced gardening accessories, look no further, Angelas Garden is AMAZING!  I will announce a lucky winner on Friday! Good luck.......and get your garden on!

Here's the planter ready for your green thumb to work its magic!

And the beautiful kidskin gardening gloves and chic matching hat from Angela's garden...

If this doesn't get you motivated to begin gardening, don't know what will. Talk about gardening in style! Thanks for stopping in....wishing you a wonderful day. Be back on Friday!!