That 90's Ranch

Tag: #englishcottage

  • When the Delphiniums Didn’t Bloom

    Last year I planted delphiniums.

    Or at least I tried to.

    I had visions of tall spires in soft purples and blues swaying behind the old fencing here at That 90s Ranch. I imagined lavender tucked along the walkway, bees humming in the heat, and that dreamy English garden feeling you see in magazines — a little wild, a little romantic, a little untamed.

    Missouri had other plans.

    I waited for weeks for those seeds to germinate. I checked the soil. I watered carefully. I squinted at the ground like maybe I was missing something small and green pushing through.

    Nothing.

    Not one sprout.

    If you garden, you know that quiet disappointment. It’s not dramatic. It’s just… empty soil where hope was supposed to be.

    Delphiniums are notoriously particular. They prefer cooler climates and can be finicky about germination. And while I still believe they could grow here with enough patience and the right conditions, last year just wasn’t their year.

    So I grieved them a little.

    And then I made this wreath.

    An English Garden — Even If It’s Only on the Door

    This 22″ delphinium wreath is my nod to the garden that didn’t happen.

    Layered purple blooms, soft lavender accents, white daisies, and airy greenery — full and abundant the way I imagined those flower beds would be. I added a sage green bow for that gentle cottage softness that always makes me think of countryside homes and open windows.

    It’s not planted in the soil.

    But it blooms anyway.

    There’s something comforting about that — the idea that beauty doesn’t always have to grow the way we planned. Sometimes it shows up in a different form. Sometimes it hangs on the front door instead of rising from the earth.

    Gardening Lessons from a Failed Packet of Seeds

    If you’ve ever planted something that didn’t grow, you understand this story.

    Gardening is hope in its purest form. You tuck something small into the ground and trust that time and weather and unseen processes will do their work.

    Sometimes they do.

    Sometimes they don’t.

    But the dreaming? That part still matters.

    This year I may try again. Maybe with started plants instead of seeds. Maybe with a little more shade. Maybe with adjusted expectations.

    Or maybe I’ll just keep building my English garden in wreath form until Missouri cooperates.

    Either way, there will be purple blooms at That 90s Ranch.

    Even if they’re wired to a grapevine base.

    This wreath is available on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/listing/4466080711/purple-delphinium-white-daisy-spring

  • Love the One You’re With

    I bought That 90’s Ranch on a whim. Purchased in 2021 at the height of Covid, I got caught up in the whirlwind of real estate activity. Located a block from my mother’s home who I worked overtime with as a Realtor and having a large yard outside of the city limits with a shop building made it somewhat attractive.

    I was hoping to find a small dreamy home with European cottage charm with a yard big enough to have English style rose garden outlined with well manicured box hedges and loads of character. Like every buyer I’ve worked with over the last 20 years, I wanted a home filled with luxurious, generous spaces at a small price. It’s completely unrealistic that I would find such a lofty and ideal English style property in this area. It’s certainly possible that it could happen, it’s just not probable.

    That 90’s Ranch, while well maintained and custom built by the first owners, was very typical of all brick ranch homes built in the last half of the 80’s and first half of the 90’s. It had some great features including a large sunroom, but was no where near what I wanted to purchase.

    Today, The 90’s Ranch looks different, but in many ways the same and I have come to love it. If you love seeing before and afters, stay tuned.