In My Garden

November 24, 2013 · 11:47 pm

THE GARDEN HOUSE IN WINTER

I mentioned last week

That I was ready for a rest

From the garden.

That is true.

It’s part of the rhythm of gardening.

But the real truth is it never really stops.

There are plants that I drag in

To carry over to spring.

This year its Plumbago

And Foxtail Ferns

That will require watering

And watching over.

And sweeping up of all those dropped leaves.

Then there’s the Christmas cactus

That Kristina gave me a few years back

That will be bursting into bloom soon.

There are hydrangea drying

And Cockscomb.

Soon I’ll have Amaryllis to plant.

But it’s a slower pace inside.

A cozy place

To putter

To plan

To think

Even though I don’t really enjoy cold weather.

I do have to admit

There are parts of winter

I embrace.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Gail

1 Comment

Filed under Amaryllis, Christmas Cactus, cockscomb, Fall, Ferns, Garden House, Hydrangea, Plumbago, Uncategorized

November 17, 2013 · 11:44 pm

WINDING DOWN

You may recall that spring was a bit late this year.

With four freezes continuing through the end of April.

We had a late start to the season.

That’s why I have reveled in this glorious fall.

Endless days of crisp air

And sunshine

And all this color.

I knew it would eventually freeze.

But I am grateful for the “catch up” time

Mother Nature has given us.

Last week it did finally freeze.

Not a light frosting

But what we gardeners call

A “killing freeze”.

I did pick

Green tomatoes.

The last batch of produce for Loaves & Fishes.

The last roses of summer.

And cosmos.

And hydrangea.

But a hard freeze is inevitable.

Necessary really.

We need things to die

So that we can clean up

And put our child to bed.

Mounding it all up to compost

So that we can return it to the earth.

But before I can even begin to think about all of that

I have to finish planting

ALL THESE BULBS!!!

What was I thinking?

So on Saturday

I began.

Digging trenches

One section at a time

Along the path

Leading to the garden house.

Then over planting

With Pansies.

Now I won’t bore you with the details

Since it’s the same process

We walked through

In the front

A few weeks ago.

But I will tell you

I’m glad to have it done.

It’s a big job

That needs a chunk of time.

Pulling up

Cockscomb, cosmos, tomatoes and peppers

Can be done in small snippets of time.

As is the case in most years

I was ready for the freeze.

To rest.

Gail

The last rose of summer.

4 Comments

Filed under cockscomb, Compost, Cosmos, Fall, Fall Vegetables, Flower Arrangements, Gardening, Green Tomatoes, Hydrangea, Peppers, roses, Uncategorized

November 4, 2013 · 2:10 am

COLORS OF THE SEASON

We are experiencing the glory of the season.

An amazing fall.

Driving through the older neighborhoods

I am stunned by the breathtaking

Gold of plain old Elm trees.

By Kelly’s mature Ginkgo tree.

And the American Elm in front of the church.

For years gold was our dominate fall color.

Some red was dotted here and there.

But to get lots of red you had to head east

To the Talahina trail, or Arkansas or New England.

And since we are human we always want

What someone else has.

A few years back

The Men’s Garden Club made a subtle effort

Called “Plant the Town Red”.

They encouraged people to plant

Redbud for spring.

Red Crepe Myrtle for summer.

And varieties of Red Maple that are happy here for fall

Autumn Blaze and Autumn Glory.

Or Chinese Pistache.

We were replacing the dying elm trees in our front yard

And were happy to oblige.

In four years

This is the reddest they have been.

So the question is

Are maple trees like Hydrangea?

Does their color depend on the soil chemistry?

Or is it a question of maturation.

Do they have to be a certain age before they are actually red?

Or could it have been

A mix-up in tagging

Somewhere along the way

Before it came to live at our house?

Only time will tell.

But this year it doesn’t really matter.

I’m drinking in the gold

As it sparkles in the sun.

As it takes my breath away.

As it reminds me that the season is winding down.

And like every season of every year.

We are not in charge.

Red

Gold

It’s all glorious.

I was afraid I didn’t have enough pictures for this blog

So on the way to church this morning

I stopped to take a few more.

After snapping a picture or two

I heard someone talking to me.

“There’s a better one in the back.”

A young man yelled out his window.

“I took a picture of it a few days ago.”

He was right.

It’s glorious.

So after a blustery Sunday.

Leaves cover the ground.

Apple pies are in the oven.

It must be fall

And one more certain sign.

Happy Birthday, John.

Gail

5 Comments

Filed under Chinese Pistache Tree, Elm Trees, Fall, Gingko Tree, Hydrangea, Maple Trees, Redbud Trees, Uncategorized

Tagged as Fall color

October 28, 2013 · 1:00 am

IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Saturday morning dawned cool, cloudy.

And sad.

Sloan dubbed them “mean teenagers”

The group that swept through our neighborhood

Stealing and smashing pumpkins Friday night.

Two solid block of streets littered with pumpkin parts.

And little girl’s broken hearts.

Since they smashed the pumpkin

Sloan had grown from seed.

In the early morning dampness

We all dragged our poly carts out and cleaned up the mess.

Shortly after that

The sun came out.

And the day began again.

This was the weekend I’d set aside for planting tulips

In the new bed at the front landing.

You may recall I ordered these

From a new (to me) catalog

Called “Colorblends”.

Because I hadn’t ordered from them before.

I was a little nervous

Would they be big and firm?

What you need to grow glorious tulips

Come spring.

I was not disappointed.

They are great.

I followed my tried and true method of bulb planting.

Plant lots in a smallish place.

It gives you a burst of color

And stops people dead in their tracks.

Guess I have to confess and give an exact example.

Okay, I bought 500 tulips for this new bed

The L shaped bed is approximately

One foot wide by eighteen feet long.

And if you’re planting that many bulbs

You won’t dig 500 holes.

Dig a trench

Placing the dirt in a wheel barrow

Or on a tarp close by.

My trench was about 4″ – 6″ deep.

I’ll plant annuals here after the tulips fade.

Which means they will likely rot

From summer’s watering.

So I consider them an annual.

And don’t plant them too deep.

Once the trench is dug

Sprinkle bone meal

Then mix it with the loosened dirt.

Place the bulbs point end up

Close together but not touching.

Refill the trench.

Gently at first to keep from knocking the bulbs over.

Pack it down from time to time

You should be able to replace all of the dirt.

This year I’m over-planting

With solid purple pansies.

There’s a lot of yellow in this tulip mix

So I’m thinking the complimentary color scheme

Will be fun.

Now you may recall I’ve written a similar blog

Each fall at this time.

But this year is different

New bed

New tulips

From a new source.

And…you may also recall

That my tulip planting buddy Megan.

Married and moved to Florida.

Where I’m guessing

She won’t be planting any tulips

In her zone 9 flower beds.

I missed you Megan

Both your help and our conversation.

Some new helpers arrived

Dressed in their cowboy boots

After attending “Family Farm Day”

At the museum.

Interesting concept here in the farmbelt

That you go to the museum to learn about the farm!

They may be city girls

But they are not afraid of dirt.

They helped me refill the trench.

Having a great time

Throwing the dirt.

In the trench

On each other

And in those cute new cowboy boots.

Today we added the purple pansies.

And watered it all in.

Megan’s sister Katie refers to this

As “the enchanted neighborhood”.

She’s moved back to raise her family here.

Saturday proved her right.

It’s not perfect.

Clouds will roll in.

Your pumpkin may get smashed.

But even a four-year old will bounce back.

And bask in the community and love

Of this neighborhood.

Gail

“The connections we make in the course of a life–maybe that’s what heaven is.”
Fred Rogers

10 Comments

Filed under Fall, Fred Rogers, Gardening, Gardening Friends, Lady Bugs, Pansies, Pumpkins, tulips, Uncategorized

October 20, 2013 · 11:24 pm

A STATE OF HORTICULTURAL CONFUSION

This is the time of year that really messes with my head.

On Friday it was cold

And wet

And windy.

Frost and freeze warnings

Running through our part of the state.

But…it’s only mid October.

We should have at least 2 more weeks before a freeze

Maybe as long as a month.

So do I believe the forecast.

Drag all those ferns inside

Depriving them of a few more weeks

Of open air and sunshine.

Because once they are in

They are in.

Too heavy to lug back and forth.

Or do I just cover them for the night.

I opted for the later

And got lucky.

But basil is a different story

It begins to pout at anything below 50 degrees.

So I cut it all

And put it in the sink

Awaiting the energy to make it into pesto.

The red pesto is done.

But the green is more labor intensive.

So here we are on Sunday night.

Still with a sink full of basil.

Maybe tonight.

But it’s the front yard

That truly suffers from

Horticultural Confusion!

You’ll notice I haven’t written much about Hydrangea this summer

That’s because after not 1 or 2

But 4 freezes stretching to the very last day of April

My Hydrangea have bloomed very little this year.

Until now.

So as the mums, which line the front of the hydrangea bed,

Are budding and blooming.

So are the Hydrangea.

Thankfully for the most part they are in the same color family

So it seems to work.

Then there’s the true front yard mystery.

Lettuce.

Growing along the grassy edge

Of the new bed John created

On the front landing.

Lettuce!

I’ve never planted it here.

The closest would be the pot on the landing

But how did it jump so far?

And that my friends is what I love about gardening.

The mystery.

No need for answers

Just revel in the mystery.

Gail

2 Comments

Filed under Basil, Boxwood, container gardening, Fall, Ferns, Gardening, Hydrangea, Lettuce, Timing, Uncategorized

October 13, 2013 · 11:33 pm

GRATITUDE

This morning our minister, Andrew, spoke about gratitude.

This afternoon I’ve been puttering away in my garden.

A place where it’s almost impossible not to feel grateful.

And I am.

For the glorious weather we have been having.

For the gift of fall roses

That seem a bit different from their spring sisters.

Perhaps they’re a little sturdier knowing that

They are among the last of the season.

For the abundance of tomatoes

Both green

And ripened.

For peppers that take all season to grow.

And come into their own as others fade.

After all, if I were a pepper

I’d wait till all that squash finished showing off

Before I made my appearance.

And you can’t write about gratitude this time of year

Without talking about dahlias.

They are among the most amazing of all the things I grow.

And yes, I’m even grateful for cockscomb.

But…

As glorious as this day has been.

And as giving as my garden continues to be.

It pales in comparison to my friend Suellen.

Last week after 11 years of silence.

The miracle of the Cochlear implant was turned on for her.

And she can hear.

Think of it.

The voices of young grandchildren she had never heard.

Birds singing

Crickets

Music

Even traffic.

There’s likely no one else I know

Who’s more grateful tonight.

There’s a community of those who care about you

Who are grateful to the bone.

Gail

2 Comments

Filed under Bouquets, Cochlear Implant, Dahlias, Fall, Fall Vegetables, Flower Arrangements, Gardening, Gratitude, Green Tomatoes, late summer garden, Peppers, roses, Uncategorized, Vegetables

Tagged as Cochlear Implant, Cockscomb, Dahlias, Gratitude, Peppers, Roses, Tomatoes

October 7, 2013 · 12:30 am

IT’S HERE

It arrived over the weekend.

A bit later than the lunar calendar

But you could feel it in the air

Cool

Crisp

Fall

I love this time of year.

Beginning in August

We can hear the high school band

Practicing each morning

Soon after

It’s the sound of the Friday night football crowd.

Shortly after that

The whistle of the train in the park

Is silenced.

It’s the seasonal rhythm

Of the sounds of my backyard.

The change of season

Is also happening

In my garden.

Monarch butterflies

Stop for nectar

On their way home for the winter.

Others flitter about.

The roses give us another burst of bloom.

Praying mantis appear

Along with some of spring’s lady bugs.

Dahlias are glorious in this weather.

And we all know what happens to cockscomb in the fall.

Basil is reaching for the sky

Which means it’s pesto making time.

Peppers finally begin to come on

And speaking of obstinate vegetables

Tomatoes are happy!

So am I.

Hope you have a happy fall week.

Gail

4 Comments

Filed under Basil, Bugs, Butterflies, cockscomb, Dahlias, Fall, Fall Vegetables, Herbs, Lady Bugs, Peppers, roses, Uncategorized, Vegetables

Tagged as Basil, Bugs, Butterflies, Cockscomb, Dahlias, Fall Vegetables, Herbs, Lady Bugs, Peppers, Pesto, Roses, Tomatoes

September 22, 2013 · 10:59 pm

PEG

I have been blessed

With two wonderful garden dogs.

The first was a West Highland Terrier

Named Popcorn.

She ruled over my last garden.

But it is Peg who has been my buddy

My assistant, my companion

All the days I have gardened here.

Peg loved my garden.

When we first created it

We had a pretty healthy bunny population.

Each spring she would spend hours searching

For bunnies.

You could tell how hot her trail was

By the speed of her wagging tail.

After Peg caught a couple of baby bunnies

They found other places to play.

Bugs on the other hand

Are prolific in a garden.

Each evening with the cooler summer air

Peg would spend hours on end “Buggin”.

Hopping and bouncing hoping to catch

One more cricket.

There would be nights when she was so deep into the blackness

That I simply had to patiently wait for her to finish

Before I could entice her in.

Now if you are thinking of Peg as a typical dog.

You would be right in some regards.

But, Peg was after all a Scottish Terrier.

And Scottish Terriers are very independent by nature.

Peg got a double dose!

Curious and friendly

Those who met her instantly connected with her sweet nature.

But a few minutes in Peg was done.

No need for all that oohing and awing.

Not being an “in your face dog”

Peg would park herself on the opposite

End of the couch.

Close, but not actually touching.

And so it was in the garden

She was always with me

But rarely in the way.

She did love to eat

Basically anything that hit the floor.

Especially crispy veggies.

One spring she not only ate the snap peas

She also helped herself to the tasty vines.

She loved watching the

Westminster Kennel Show.

A few weeks ago

After her summer vacation in Colorado

Peg got sick.

Though she tried

She simply couldn’t recover.

It was a grueling decision for John and me.

But it was time to let her go.

A kindly local vet offers cremation services

Which seemed right for Peg.

Recently John and I spread her ashes

In her favorite place

The garden.

John wrote a poem for the occasion.

Reminding us of her nature

True to herself to the end.

Goodbye, sweet Peg,

Thanks for the days of companionship

In my garden.

Gail

LOOK BUT DON’T TOUCH

Regal and royal,

For nothing I beg.

Not feline but canine.

I am the “Peg”.

Aloof to all others,

A Scottie by breed.

Ignoring your voice,

Neglecting your heed.

A lick or a nuzzle,

For you is unsure.

My bloodline prevents it,

What’s yours? Is it pure?

Praise for my plumage,

On a neighborhood walk.

My head held high,

No time to talk.

Drawn to the garden,

Stalking crickets galore.

Bright flowers bow to me,

It is “Peg” they adore.

A pat or a scratch,

I quickly discard.

One shake and it falls of,

No thanks or regard.

As my nature demands it,

Engrained daily or such.

I say it quite firmly,

Look but don’t touch.

Goodbye Queen Peg

John

20 Comments

Filed under Gardening Friends, Scottish Terrier, Uncategorized

September 16, 2013 · 1:47 am

INSPIRATION

Every garden is a constantly changing organism.

Some times it just takes on a life of its own

Other times the human in charge

Has a moment of inspiration

And makes intentional “improvements”.

Last spring while visiting the Dallas Botanical Garden

John and I had one of those

“Inspired moments”.

But let’s back up a bit.

When we bought this house

Every conceivable area

Was lined with monkey grass.

Now you need to know that I

Well….OK…I hate monkey grass.

It is aggressive – moving not inches

But feet into a flower bed.

And no matter what you edge the bed with

Bermuda will grow up and over

and into the monkey grass.

Then there’s the nut grass

That initially looks like monkey grass

Until it shoots up over night

And is a foot taller.

I know people love this stuff

But I have been on a decade long campaign

To murder as much as possible.

The edge of our front landing

Has been lined with monkey grass

Which was invaded with Bermuda grass

And then variegated Vinca major.

Quite simply it’s a mess.

Then came the inspiration.

The boxwood backed beds

With glorious tulips in the front

Underplanted with violas.

Aha…we could do that on the landing.

It’s taken a few months

To locate enough of the right sized (small) boxwood.

Negotiate the location of the boxwood with John.

And find brave souls to dig out the perpetrator.

Thank you Alex and David.

This week John planted the baby boxwood.

And gave them their first haircut.

Now for my fun.

I’ve ordered lots

Actually probably too many

Of a new variety of tulips.

Something called “French Blend”

From a new company “Colorblends”

Who’s catalog just appeared in my mailbox.

It’s described as “an all-color blend of long-stemmed tulips

Bright as lantern globes.”

Garden porn if ever I’ve heard it.

The Colorblends catalogue is interesting in itself

In that it does the mixing for you.

Offering dozens of tested combinations

of glorious tulips.

Tempting very tempting.

Now, I’m also repeating last years

Glorious tulip mixture

On the path to the garden house.

A mixture of Darwin Hybrid tulips

Golden Apeldoorn

Ivory Floradale

Jaap Groot

Ollioules

Salmon Impression

Silver Stream

World Peace

And the best tulip ever

Pink Impression

Will be mixed and thickly planted

Along the brick path.

All from my long standing supplier K Van Bourgandien.

I think I may have lost it!

I’ve doubled my tulip order

The very year

That Megan, my bulb planting friend

Married and moved to Florida.

Surely someone will take pity on me

And come some glorious fall afternoon

To dig trenches

And plant

This inspiration.

Gail

6 Comments

Filed under Boxwood, tulips, Uncategorized

September 9, 2013 · 1:51 am

Arranging With A Purpose

You may not know but…

This is Rally Weekend

At least it is at my church.

That first weekend after Labor Day.

When people return to the pew.

It’s an unofficial new beginning

In many churches.

This year we also were re-dedicating

A room that has recently undergone a remodeling.

All of this required flowers

Lots and lots of flowers.

So I spent Saturday morning

Arranging flowers

Something I love to do.

It all actually started on Friday night.

If you have the time

And remember

It’s best to cut flowers in the cool of the day.

Morning is the best

Evening will do.

Cut what you think you will need

And let them sit over night

In buckets of water.

Soaking up moisture from end to tip.

If the stems are thick

Or woody

Make a slit in the bottom of the stem

To ensure they get a good drink.

Brunch was being served in the breezeway.

Which is basically a large open space.

That means a large arrangement is called for.

Luckily I have a big white vase

Just right for this space.

Big surprise!

I also happen to have

Several other white vases

Two tall and narrow

And two low.

All of which will do nicely.

Now I must confess that there is one flower

I have little to no luck growing.

Sunflowers

Imagine that

I live on the prairie

Where they grow wild everywhere

But I can not get them to grow

In my own backyard.

So…because they are so wonderful

And absolutely say

Look at me

It’s fall.

I had to buy a few

To add to my own

Cockscomb

Dahlias

Phlox

Roses

Veronica

And Zinnias

Suddenly you have 8 fun fall arrangements.

Getting them to the church

Required the help of my friend Mary

Sitting in the back seat holding on.

And a second trip where

The flowered filled brass vases from the sanctuary

Were buckled into the backseat.

Transportation is always interesting

And often truly comical.

I love doing this.

You never really know when you start

What you are creating.

It seems that each time I make arrangements

They turn out differently.

But isn’t that what gardening is all about.

Enjoying the journey

Trusting the process

Having faith that it will be OK

That there is enough.

An abundance mentality.

Gail

4 Comments

Filed under Bouquets, cockscomb, Fall, Flower Arrangements, Gardening, Gardening;Perennials, late summer garden, Perennials, roses, Sunflowers, Tall Garden Phlox, Veronica Spicata, Zinnia

In My Garden

THE GARDEN HOUSE IN WINTER

WINDING DOWN

COLORS OF THE SEASON

IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

A STATE OF HORTICULTURAL CONFUSION

GRATITUDE

IT’S HERE

PEG

INSPIRATION

Arranging With A Purpose

Archives

Email Subscription