Happy Friday

A beautiful bowl made by my sister

and

Goofy squash from my garden

Peace.

Monday Blooms

A friend gave me this hydrangea plant as a housewarming gift ten years ago. The nursery tag attached read, "will never turn blue." I read it as a warning, like, "don't worry, this won't turn blue." I thought that was odd, because in my limited gardening experience at the time, I thought everyone wanted blue hydrangeas, so turning blue would be a good thing. After thinking for a minute, I realized it meant, "don't try everything you've ever heard of to turn this hydrangea blue, 'cause it ain't gonna happen."

I planted it in the front of the house, in a protected spot (which the tag said it needed), but it didn't bloom at all the first couple years. I decided it wasn't a sunny enough spot, so I transplanted it. That first year after moving it, I got one very pale pinkish white blossom, and congratulated myself on doing the right thing. The next year: no blooms. The year after that, one. So I decided to give this plant some space (ie, I kinda ignored it). With one exception: I had read that plants like coffee, so I started dumping my coffee grounds in the garden, alternating between the rose bush and the hydrangea. Year after year, no blooms, and the plant only grew a little (caffeine stunting it's growth?!?). Then, with help, I pruned the forsythia and lilac nearby to give the hydrangea more room. The plant seemed happy. Finally, this year, three flowers. I guess you'd call them purple, but they're almost blue.

Somehow, this is a parable for my life right now.
Still not quite sure what it means...

Peace.

Happy Friday

Peace.

Toady

The girls caught this handsome toad this week.

As usual, the 8yo was the one to spot it and the 10yo was the one to actually catch it. They caught it very near where we let go the one they'd caught last year.

Is it the same "Toady"? We report, you decide.

Last year's "Toady."

Either way, it's nearly time to let this one go, too.





Peace.

Happy Friday

peony with ginkgo leaves

Peace.

Happy Friday - Garden Update Edition

The clematis is especially beautiful this year.

fence garden

main garden (before)

main garden (after)

back garden (before)

back garden (after)

My friend Jill came today and helped me finally get some veggies planted. There is still more to plant next week. A late, slow, rainy Spring.

Another fun experiment in growing food.









Peace.

Happy Friday

Peace.

Tuesday Garden Blogging

Who knew?

Who knew that spider plants have flowers? Not me.
This one surprised me this morning.

Who knew that a magnolia could make just one blossom?
This one on our tree opened this morning.
There are no other buds on the tree even close to blossoming.

Okay. I have no "who knew" for this one.
Maybe: Who knew my point-and-shoot could take such a nice close-up of a peach blossom?
These are the first on the tree to open this year.

Grape bud.

Peace.

A Splash of Color: Pink

magnolia bud

peach blossom bud

peony rising

Spring is just beginning to unfold here in the garden.

Peace.

Thursday Night

Happy Forsythia.

Peace.

A Splash of Color: Green

lupines

chives

rhubarb

poppy

Peace.

Darwinian Garlic

Yes, I collected the biggest heads of garlic last summer and prepared to plant.

In the fall, I planted each clove in a neat row and made a square bunch at the end for the ones that didn't fit.

Immediately after I'd planted them, the girls saw the fresh turned earth and thought it was a perfect place to play dinosaur. After I shooed away the jurassic beasts, I tried to find all the cloves that had been pushed every which way and replant them. Then, I was supposed to cover the beds with straw to keep them cozy all winter, but I never got around to it.

Throughout the winter, I wondered what the spring would bring, whether any of the garlic would make it.

I was glad to see their little green shoots peeking up through the snow a few weeks ago. And now, with a little sun, they are all waving happily.

Garlic. Yum.














Peace.

A Splash of Color: Red

Rhubarb peeks out from the last of the snow

Unfurling in sunlight

A cardinal out the kitchen window

What are you looking at??

Peace.

More Bounty for My 400th Post

Look at all this beautiful food that grew in my yard. The tomatoes & basil have already been put by. And I am becoming the champion oven fry maker with all those lovely potatoes. I am grateful for this bounty.










Peace.

Today's Harvest

What's for Lunch?

We are grateful for more garden bounty.

Peace.

Garden Video

Enjoy some unedited footage of the flower garden, then come help me deadhead and weed!


Please?






Peace.

Garden Blogging