The Last of Spring's Blossoms

Our weather has been crazier than average over the last week especially.  Temperatures in the 80's even coming close to 90 degrees finalized all the blooming trees and some flowers before they were forced to succumb to the heat.  However, I happened to grab my camera before taking a quick walk around the neighborhood before this heat wave occurred.  So I was able to bring the blooming part of spring - minus the allergies - back again.   Not as beautiful as the real thing, but the pictures still speak 1000 words. :)

The whole tree is beautiful, but a single bloom is a work of art.

I really love the color blue in nature and these flowers were brilliant!

These blooms remind me of those tissue flowers we used to make as kids.

Wild violets are one of those things that make you look twice...gorgeous little creatures.

I had to take a picture of the amazing pink buds of this white rhododendron.

The opened flower buds fade into white.

Happy Spring to you all!  Blessings!

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April Flower Collage

Hellebore

Spring's arrival is more than just a date on the calender.  It may be official on paper but we really need to experience it in order for us to understand what it really is.  The warm sunshine, refreshing rains and of course its profusion of spring flowers.

Hyacinth - bud and flower

 We finally have had breakthrough in our endless winter here with warm temperatures bringing up all the spring bulbs and putting on a pretty amazing show.  Totally soothing to this snow-weary soul...
 

Spring in April - 2013

Spring is a promise come true and a herald of new beginnings...may all your promises come true and new beginnings be sweet. 

Blessings!

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Spring Rebirth

Crocus

Spring is finally making an appearance here and even though it's still in its preview stage, the future is clear...it's coming - snow or not.

With warm temperatures in the upper 40's and low 50's, we are seeing some signs on life on our little spot on the planet.
   

This promising hyacinth is getting ready to make its debut as soon as temperatures give it enough reason to rouse from it's winter sleep.
 

This purple crocus is still seemingly reluctant to open its petals all the way...maybe it's still wondering if more snow is in the forecast.
 

One of my favorite late spring flowers is the rhododendron. We have hedges of these along the lake shore road.  They do wonderfully in this climate. This nice fat bud is an indicator of a future beautiful bloom, click on Photo Walk: Rhododendron to see what I'm talking about...it's amazing!

Have a wonderful Easter and be blessed!


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March: What a Difference a Year Makes!

Woke up this morning to see this outside...A surprise winter storm.  Just when we're all getting spring fever too!   It's looking like 4 inches of snow so far with only one day in the next ten days with temps in the 50's.  The rest of the time is supposed to be back in the 30 degree range...wait, is this March or February?? 

This is March 13th last year AND a picture from my very first post on Spring.  Definitely a change in weather...sunny, warm(er) and more colorful.  

So I celebrate my one year blog anniversary with a snowstorm but with much anticipation of sunnier, warmer days ahead!  Hope your day is filled with lots of love and happy thoughts...blessings! 


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Winter Sowing Seeds with Recycled Materials

I'll admit it.  I am basically a "lazy" gardener.  Well, at least in the fact that if I can find an idea that saves me from extra work, then I am all about it. That's what I've discovered with the idea of "winter sowing."    I actually tried this two years ago with lettuce plants and liked the results but forgot about it until a gardening friend shared a blog post about it recently.  

It's such a great idea.  You plant your seeds pretty early, some in January (like cold hardy perennials) and put them outside in mini-greenhouses, usually made out of gallon milk jug containers, and let nature do its work on the seeds.  Snow, freezing and thawing eventually soften the seed coating and help it to germinate when the temps become just right.  Now the seeds with the added protection of the greenhouses means that they'll germinate earlier for you.  

So, it's like starting indoors but in my thinking much better because I don't have to set anything up and I don't have to harden off any seedlings. This means I will start my cold hardy greens and lettuces now, as well as some perennial herbs, but will start my peppers, tomatoes and basil outside in April.  

Clear plastic cup having a second life as a greenhouse.

 
Normally I direct sow many of the seeds right into the garden, but this year I am going to attempt a no-till garden (less work, yeah!) and so I will need plants to begin the garden.  Because we are so limited in space, I normally have to buy almost all my plants which is $$$ and often times they run out of my varieties or the plants don't look so great.  So, winter/early spring sowing is going to help me out immensely. 
 

Because I am lacking in milk jugs, I ransacked my recycle bin to see what I could use.  Any clear, fairly tall container should work.  I will be on the lookout for milk containers as well but in the meantime, I used what I could find.  I don't need too many plants of most things so I am not concerned about their size as I can always transplant them right into the garden once the weather warms up a bit.
 

This rectangular spinach container makes a great greenhouse.

I am using the toilet roll holders as seed pots too.  I marked the what the seeds were on the little pots.  You could plant the whole container, but again, I don't need 20 plants of everything.  I also like the idea of just planting the little pots into the ground.  It gives the small plants more of an anchor when starting them out in the garden.  

When making mini-greenhouses, you want to make sure that there is at least one hole in the top for snow/rain to get through and also drainage holes at the bottom.  You can duct tape them closed if you had to make a cut in them to use them like the honey container above.

When temps rise you only need to remove the tops during the day and seal up at night.  If it goes below freezing after the seedlings have emerged, cover with and old blanket or shower curtain to give them extra warmth.  
 

You may want to try this for spring vegetables or if you don't have a lot of space inside.  I am space limited inside and out but the outdoors is much easier for me to start lots of seedlings because I'm not stuck to a few sunny windows. 

Plants started this way are often hardier and healthier because they have adjusted to the temps in their own setting.  It's like a lot of small cold frames but these are moveable and adjustable to the specific needs of each plant variety.  If you have very tender plants like tomatoes, you could also bring them inside on frosty nights...you'll just need to watch the weather during the early spring transition.

For more information, please check out this great post on Winter Sowing.  He will show the technique with milk jugs ( which I used successfully too) and even a list of plants and when to start them.  You'll have to adjust the dates according to your own planting zones. 

Have you ever tried winter sowing?  What kind of items do you use as mini greenhouses?

Blessings!



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Photo Fun with Flowers

I am an obvious flower fan.  I really can't help it.  They are gorgeous and if I were able to have them in every room, I would.  So, I content myself with growing them outside in the summer where I can see them every day.

I thought I would have fun with this photo my son took with his Panasonic GH2 of some cut flowers I brought home one day.   Here's his original photo above.

Here's one where I softened it up a bit and added more color and a bit more contrast...

Here's the last one with a "poster-izing" effect.  It's really modern and a completely different look from the original photo.  

Just a bit of fun with flowers.

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Sneak Peek at Spring Blooming Primrose (Cowslip)

Yellow Flowering Primula Veris

I couldn't resist going into the archives to pull out this photo of my Primula Veris or otherwise known as the herbal Cowslip.  I took it last spring but never used the photos for anything.  

I planted this primula some years ago...it was from a gardening friend who was in his upper 70's  and who could garden circles around me.  His energy was incredible and his gardens extensive.  A former English teacher, he bought interesting plants and bulbs from all over the world and this was one of many plants he passed on to me.  

I really didn't know much about it except that it was a primrose, and not the ones you commonly find in the stores.  So, I did a bit of research to learn more about this beautiful hardy perennial with its sunshine-y petals.

It is thought that the name "cowslip" comes from when it was found blooming in the meadows where cows were pastured. It is a low-growing plant with a rosette of leaves that produces a stalks of 10-30 flowers on a single stem.  It is a parent of the modern primrose and blooms from April to May.  It's also a favorite food of rabbits and I'm thankful my one specimen has survived the many rabbits in our little bit of suburbia. 

Some of its herbal uses are for insomnia and anxiety in tincture form.  The petals are thought to have a calming effect and promote sweating in the case of fevers. Ointments with the petals are used for sunburns and skin blemishes.

Common Name: Cowslip

I've not used mine medicinally as I have other plants that I can use that are more plentiful for the same things.  I just like how dependably beautiful this plant is year from year.  I have it planted in an east location in part shade where it does well.  It doesn't like hot summers though, so I try to water it occasionally when I see it wilting.  

If you don't have one of these beauties in your perennial border, you may want to check them out, they're are worth having and they won't disappoint.

Besides, why should cows be the only ones to enjoy them?

What's your favorite primrose?

Herbal information resource for this article: http://www.herbalremedies.com/cowslip-information.html

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Garden Review and Vegetable Thanksgiving...

November means more to us than just pumpkin pie, it means it's time to get the garden ready for winter and let it rest,  We haven't mastered gardening year round quite yet but hope next year to put in a small raised bed and plant kale there to get us through to at least December. I finally realized that I'm really not a lettuce fan (gasp!) and that I like greens so much more.  I think it's because greens are more nutrient dense and if I am going to eat greens, then I'm going for the greenest of greens.  So, in the meantime, we mulch our garden heavily with chopped leaves/grass and bales of straw.  Actually I'll let the straw decompose a bit and use it to mulch the paths next year.  

As you can tell, I use lots of pots to supplement our small garden space.  I also use them to plant a nice sized display of flowers for our front patio space...you can see what they look like here.  I have used all of our flower beds for herbs and perennials, so pots are the perfect remedy for always blooming annuals...zinnias, geraniums, alyssum, vinca, marigolds and even a fun elephant ear.

I've also used the pots for herbs such as thyme, peppermints, spearmint, cilantro, rosemary, parsley, chives and calendula.  Peppers, including Mariachi's and Banana, also grow in these pots.  I've been growing tomatoes in them, but will keep them in the garden next year as they didn't produce very well.  The biggest drawback to pots are the fact that they need lots of watering if they are in full sun.  My herbs don't and I keep them in part shade and they are happy campers. A great reason to grow in pots is that you CAN move the pots around if the temps start to rise and the plants need a break.  I move smaller pots around quite a bit.

One great thing about blogging about my garden is that it forced me to keep a visual record of the garden for the growing season.  So it was fun putting together this collage of the seasons and to see it all at once.  To be a continuous gardener, you must be visionary and willing to make mistakes.  There's always next year to try out a new method or new vegetable.  The visionary part comes in when you get the soil ready like the soil in the spring photo and can already envision the fall photo in your mind.
 If this garden space looks small, that's because it really is.  But don't let small spaces fool you...with effective gardening, you can get lots of fresh vegetables to eat AND plenty to can, dry and freeze for winter use.



















Case in point...these are just a sampling of the produce we got from the garden.  I was able to can 60 jars of whole tomatoes...plus still lots more for fresh eating and fresh marinara sauce.  Our beans and summer/winter squash came from our community garden plot; another option for those with small spaces.  This is our fourth year there and we've finally figured out what vegetables grow well there...tomatoes not being one.  However, the squash did well and the beans, so we'll concentrate on those vegetables.  We're going to try sweet potatoes there next year too as the soil is great for root crops. To see my favorite picks for this year's vegetables, click here.

Well, that's it for the garden 2012...I'll be reading up on some other blogger's great ideas for gardening over the winter while our soil rests and we rest!  SO thankful for all the great food we've gotten from a little space...it's the gift that keeps on giving!

Do you garden or plan to soon?  

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How to Make Free Lavender Plants for the Garden...

Lavender; it just isn't an herb garden, (or should I say a garden), without it.  It's gorgeous gray foliage, beautiful purple blue buds and flowers and it's irresistibly delicious scent make it one garden plant that leaves you coming back for more!  

Photo credit

And that's where I come in.  I have this beautiful lavender hidcote plant, (well, it WAS beautiful this past spring!) a smaller variety of lavender that makes it perfect for walkways or borders.  

The problem began when its neighbors, echinacea or purple coneflower, notorious for its abundance of progeny...aka a self-sower,  began to infringe upon the lavender's territory.  I also planted the lavender on the side of the flower bed where it didn't get all the full sun that this Mediterranean plant really loves.  SO, finding I had an open space in one of my flower beds on the south side of my house, I decided that I will transplant this little guy.  But, the empty space I have is pretty big and these plants stay relatively compact, so I really need some more.  But I don't want to buy them...so what to do?  Make some more!  

And that's why you're reading this.  Luckily, it's super easy to make your own lavender plants, or thyme plants, or any woody, low growing plant for that matter.  All you need is a sharp knife, a rock and with any type of gardening, patience.  But I am willing to wait...no problem.  This is the best kind of planting because it's so easy. 

 This technique is called "layering" and it's been around for a long time. This really should be done in the spring, but I'm taking my chances with the nice weather we've been having and doing this in late summer.  Hopefully I'll have my little plants and be able to plant them in the spring. I would suggest at least a few good months of frost-free weather before doing this to give the new plants time to root.  Otherwise, you can plan this for your spring garden.

So, first of all, locate a woody low growing branch(s) of the plant.

Take a sharp knife and nick the bark being careful not to cut all the way through the stem...

Now, if you have rooting hormone, then apply that to the cut area of the branch.  I didn't have any so I just went ahead with the next step.  The rooting hormone is nice insurance that the plants will root, but I've made plenty of plants without it.

This step is important, make sure the nicked part is thoroughly covered...

Find a handy large rock and place over the buried branch area.  It's SO important for the branch  to make good contact with the soil. 

I made several of these cuttings and found another rock.  So my plant looks like this with the prospective new plants on the sides.

One more close up.  I made several cuttings and used one large rock to cover them all.  That's it, wal-ah!  Now, isn't that the easiest gardening you've ever done?  I check it periodically to make sure the branch stays buried but the rest is up to time.  I'll check it again late next spring.  I'll know if the new plants made it by pulling on them gently and the branch doesn't move.  Then you know they've formed their own roots.  Then, you can cut the original branch and carefully dig out the plant and locate where you want it!

I've used this method different times, especially with thyme plants.  Sometimes the plants just layer themselves and I will transplant these new little freebies to their new home.  You've gotta love it and any kind of gardening that's easy is a true bonus!

So there ya go, layer your plants away and multiply your garden, make them as gifts for your friends (my plant was from a friend).  Pin this article and you'll have a great technique for the spring all ready to go...blessings!!

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Quick Pix: Flowers Gone Wild...

Digitalis Purpurea, otherwise known as "Foxglove" is one flower I am always surprised at seeing this time of year.  It is a true biennial, needing two years to complete its growth and flowering cycle.  The first year it's only  small leafy plant, the second year it sends up tall stalks of these beautiful flowers.  This variety reseeds itself, so I never really know if and where the plants will show up.  This year, the flowers went "wild" by growing outside the flower bed, but close enough to the edge that the mower didn't catch them.

I love this flower, so happy in a cottage garden...who would have ever thought it came from northern Africa?  Well, it did, besides parts of Europe where they tamed it and put it in their Victorian gardens.  

With all its beauty, it has a deadly secret...it is extremely poisonous, that is, all parts of the plant.    So, if you have small children, you wouldn't want them playing in your yard and chewing on any part of this plant. But there is light to even this dark side; carefully refined extracts of this plant are used in medicine; natural and general to help out the heart muscle.  It helps to control the heart rate and to increase the ability of the heart to contract.  Not a bad thing for such a "wild" flower?

So, go ahead and plant this wild beauty as it only blooms a short time in late Spring and it is so worth the planting (I've grown mine while raising our two boys and they are still alive and kicking!)  But remember it's wild African roots and only look,...no chewing!!

Blessings!

Photo Walk - Rhododendrons

    

Went on a walk along Lake Erie today; this is my most FAVORITE time of year!  This is  when the Rhododendrons are in bloom.  They are actually two weeks early, so I am super glad I caught them on this walk.  All of sudden our streets by the lake come alive with these softball sized blooms.  This climate and soil by the lake are perfect conditions for them to grow and grow they do.  I've seen them for so many years that I forget how uncommon they are in many other places in the area.  So, if you like them or any flowers in general, stay tuned and enjoy the walk...!

I see this pot of flowers by the road every year, so pretty!

Along the lake shore...

A quick glimpse of Lake Erie

A local artist's surprise creations...

What can be better than a rhododendron bush?  How about a tree?

Almost home...

Can you believe not ONE of these rhododendrons are mine?  Our yard is way too small for one and besides, all I have to do is to take a quick walk and get my fill of them.  Hope you enjoyed the flowers as much as we did!  Blessings!!