It’s here!
That feeling of fall.
Cool
Crisp
Refreshing
Renewing
So….rather than sit inside and write a blog.
I’m going outside
To let fall soak into every cell of my body.
I will follow this with the blog I wrote – almost completely.
Last week.
But never sent.
Hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse
Off what’s blooming
In My Garden
Enjoy the week,
Gail
Filed under cockscomb, Fall, Fall Vegetables, Green Tomatoes, late summer garden, Peppers, Perennials, roses, Uncategorized, Vegetables, Zinnia
Sometimes it’s hard to know when to let go
To give up.
To move on.
John and I are that way about trees.
We love trees
Of all sizes.
So it’s been hard – especially for me
To admit that we have two trees in our yard
That are dying.
The Redbud I mentioned in an earlier post.
We’ve thought it to be the most likely to go down first.
All the while knowing the Mimosa at the entrance to our backyard.
Is sick.
We think it was planted sometime in the late 50’s or early 60’s.
At least according to Cindy who grew up in this house.
That means that it has lived almost a double life.
Twice as long as the 30 year average of most Mimosa trees.
It has as they say great bones.
Architectural branches that form a graceful canopy
Near the Wisteria covered pergola.
Leading into the garden.
This is after all the “front door” of the garden.
Where you enter if you are coming to
A bridal shower, an Easter Egg hunt, a garden party.
Or if you are looking for me
When it’s above 50 degrees outside.
But it’s more than just the “hostess” of the backyard.
It’s our childhoods.
If you grew up in this part of the country
You likely have a Mimosa tree
In your memory.
Though not native to this country.
They have enjoyed a popularity embedded into our horticultural souls.
I think of them as a 50’s thing.
Along with harvest gold appliances
And gingham checks!
Now, I know some consider them “trash trees”
And, I’ll admit that they do drop a series of
Seed pods,
Frothy blooms
And leaves
Everywhere the wind blows.
I personally have pulled up 1,687,543 baby Mimosa trees.
But they bloom as the hummingbirds are migrating through.
And they are drawn to each other.
Providing great dinner time entertainment.
For us and the birds.
We had a plan.
I let one of those baby Mimosa seedlings go this year.
And it has grown…and grown.
In one season it is over 5′ tall.
Our intention was to plant it near its mother
And as nature took its course.
It would grow and replace the dying tree.
A natural transition.
Made sense to us.
Until one afternoon last week.
When out of the blue
A major branch just dropped to the ground.
When we examined the split
It brought very sad news.
Let me back up a few weeks.
Sometime in July
This tree began to “foam at the branch”.
A white, frothy, sticky substance
Just began to ooze out of it.
And we noticed the bark was splitting.
But we had hope because new branches
Were suckering all along the old.
John shifted into research mode
And discovered that it is suffering from
Mimosa Vascular Wilt
This is caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f sp. perniciosum.
Which is weird because Peg had a fungus the same week!
But unlike Peg’s fungus the tree fungus is terminal.
Quickly – within months usually.
And remember our tree is ancient.
It’s a soil born fungus that is being spread by contaminated soil
In nursery containers.
Which explains why Mimosa sales are outlawed in some states.
And to add insult to injury
It can also spread via seeds produced by infected trees.
So not only is the mother dying.
I have to kill her child.
It would have been a good week not to have internet available for research!
We simply can not figure a way to have another Mimosa tree.
We have to let go.
We will wait till fall for the next dreaded step.
Give her and the hummingbirds these waning days of summer.
To enjoy each other’s company.
To soak in another August afternoon rain.
To great visitors coming to the garden.
So this week while Jason and Torry took the first step
In letting go as Cassidy gleefully headed to kindergarten
John and I were next door at a different stage
Letting go in a different way.
Life has such synergy.
Gail
Filed under Fungus, Garden Planning, Gardening, Hummingbird, Mimosa Tree, Mimosa Vascular Wilt, Timing, Uncategorized, Wisteria
Three years ago Elliott & Kristina bought their first home.
To say they had “vision” is an understatement.
Their timing was incredible.
The house had been on the market for sometime.
The front had a mammoth awning.
I’m thinking it distracted couples with lesser vision.
Then there was the backyard.
It was….well…frightening!
But this is no prima donna couple.
They are after all, both descended from gardeners, farmers & ranchers.
They could see what it could become.
Vision.
Not everyone has it.
But they possess it.
And they weren’t afraid of work.
So they began.
I guess you would call the first stage demolition.
Thankfully, I’m a state or so away so I missed this stage.
There was not a lot to save.
The decision was made to take out even the Aspen trees.
Since, though they are lovely
They actually are a bit of a nuisance.
A single wispy tree will turn into a grove of Aspen
Right before your eyes.
Great for mountainsides.
Not so much for backyards.
The giant deck
Was replaced with a lovely flagstone patio.
Carefully layed by Elliott with help from friends.
My parents used Colorado Red flagstone
Inside and outside the “new house” at the farm.
So there was symmetry here.
Meanwhile in my garden.
I was potting up babies from all over my garden
And buying a few.
By June my friend Vivi and I loaded it all up
And drove this garden to its new home.
The humidity in my car was stifling.
Kristina and I spent a long weekend planting away.
Adding roses and hydrangea from a local nursery.
There’s a saying about perennial gardens
The first year they sleep
The second they creep
And the third they leap!
Welcome to year three
We visited again a few weeks ago
What a transformation.
Perennials are oozing onto the grass.
Morning glories dance along the fence
Greeting each new day
Thyme suns itself on the flagstone.
Cleome spills over the edge of the narrow bed
And little juicy golden tomatoes grow practically wild.
Elliott seems to enjoy puttering around the yard.
Growing not only flowers,
But vegetables as well.
Kristina never misses a chance to make a flower arrangement.
Taking them to friends, her office
And sending guests home with a freshly cut bouquet.
They both enjoy foraging dinner from the garden
And entertaining as well.
This year the Kentucky Derby fell on Cinco de Mayo
Calling, of course, for a Cinco de Derby party.
It’s reported that a good time was had by all.
And…the creeping thyme can handle a lot of foot traffic.
Vision.
It brings sunshine to the world.
Enjoy this glorious week
Gail
Peg at the Morning Glory Gate
When I first began to garden
I unconsciously created a habit.
The morning garden walk.
I distinctly remember going out each morning
To walk through my first garden
To observe the changes
That can happen over night.
For instance, Lilies open in the night.
As do the blooms on Hardy Hibiscus.
So even though I walk along the same path each day
The path in spring
It’s different every time.
And summer
Subtle changes.
But change just the same.
The irony of this is that
We used to laugh at Daddy
When he would go to “check on” the wheat.
We accused him of spending time
Watching the wheat grow!
Every farmer does it
And they should
Just walking through the garden or wheat field.
Helps find things.
The first buds of spring.
Hellebores in January
Things that need to be done.
Bugs that have arrived to do good
Or not.
Remember last summer’s Harlequin bug invasion?
Diseases at their beginnings.
Weeds – always a few.
But I don’t stop to solve these problems on the morning walk.
No, the morning walk is simple to take it all in.
To enjoy
Nature’s accident
To smile
To observe
Curious Peg
To wander
And to wonder.
Gail
Debra’s view of the garden house
A few weeks ago
My friend Debra came for a visit.
This is not unusual.
She comes often.
Usually we have an agenda.
But this time we had a few unscheduled hours.
And she wanted to take pictures in the garden.
Now, you need to know that Debra loves photography
And…she’s very good at it.
You can easily tell which pictures are hers
And which are mine.
Her avocation photography
Connects to her vocation mammography.
She is trained to see detail.
To look for the smallest speck on a mammogram.
When she finds them.
And unfortunately she finds many.
It’s life altering.
For her patients…for her.
So seeing my garden through her eyes
Makes me see it differently.
In more detail.
Poppy and Poppy Seed Pod
To relish the small things.
The accidents of nature
The purposefulness of it all.
Now that I’m into my 6th decade
I’m making a conscious effort
To broaden my view.
Not to get stuck where I’ve always been.
To look at things differently.
To value what I’ve known.
But keep looking forward.
To see my world through a new lens.
Through someone else’s lens.
These past few years have been a constant awakening.
Wise women Jane & Betty with Debra
In many aspects of life.
I know where I’m anchored.
Where I really began to learn this
Was in my garden.
Thanks, God.
Gail
P.S. You, too, Debra.
Growing up on a farm in the 50’s
Meant that we always had a garden.
Something was growing all the time.
Seed wheat on a saucer and paper towel
In the kitchen window.
Mother’s roses
And vegetables.
Even when we moved to the city
For a few years.
We had a garden.
Daddy’s job came with a house
And a huge yard.
Mother planted tomato plants
All the way around the edge of it.
By mid summer
There would be 5 gallon buckets of cherry tomatoes
Every day or so.
Last fall’s green tomatoes
And cucumbers.
Endless cucumbers.
Summer’s bounty sampling
Now there are only so many times a week
That you can work cucmbers into the menu
So we made pickles.
Lots of pickles!
Recently I ran across mother’s pickle recipe
In her own handwriting.
A treasure.
I copied it for my friend Laura
And she began the tradition all over again.
But what if you want to make pickles
And have no cucumbers.
Luckily Farmer’s Markets have come into their own.
If you don’t have a Farmer’s Market habit
Develop one.
They are popping up everywhere.
So hopefully you can go once or twice a week.
There you’ll find
Wisdom
In the form of wise gardeners
Who know how to make things thrive.
And baker’s
To tempt you.
Blackberry & Blueberry Pie
And natural products.
Who’ll even make wonderful goat’s milk soap
Unscented for me.
And friends.
Mary at this morning’s market
And last month
These amazing blackberries
Grown by a young couple who have planted
An acre
That’s right I said an acre of blackberry bushes
And 2 acres of blueberries.
Can’t wait for next June.
But most of all
You’ll find people commited to providing
Fresh, local food to their neighbors.
Next week is Dog Days at our Farmer’s Market.
Aptly named for the first Saturday in August.
That means that even your 4-legged friends
Can enjoy the fun.
So… dig into the heart of summer
At the Farmer’s Market.
Enjoy,
Gail
Filed under Blackberries, Blueberries, Cucumbers, Farmer's Market, Gardening, Gardening Mentors, Pickles, Tomato, Vegetables
Yesterday was the first Saturday in a long time
That I spend the whole morning in my garden.
I didn’t dash to the farmer’s market
Didn’t run flowers to the church for Saturday Manna
I was selfish.
I started early in the sunshine
And as the heat came on
I followed the shade.
Weeding
Deadheading
Planning
Thinking
Praying
It’s mid-season here on the plains
We have an 8 – 9 month growing season.
So that makes mid- July just about the middle
Of the time between first and last frosts.
It’s too hot to transplant.
So maintenance becomes the routine.
But…mid-morning a friend came through my gate.
Hydrangeas were on her mind.
Her’s are planted under a Magnolia tree
A giant Magnolia tree.
Her Hydrangea on the other hand have
What we diagnosed as “failure to thrive”
We think the Magnolia is a bit greedy with the water.
And likely nutrients too.
So the solution for now is auxiliary water
In the form of a soaker hose at the base of the Hydrangeas
Turned on Oh So Slowly.
This should allow the water to go deeply into the root zone.
And not run off.
It’s worth a try.
I’m going to drop by soon and see if we can’t find some more hospitable homes for them.
She and I are close in age.
We are definitely at the same stage of life.
Empty nest
Worked a lot
Volunteered a lot
So what comes next.
She’s seeking
So, it occurs to me once again
That gardens do reflect our lives.
If we pay attention.
My garden is full of life
Here in the middle of the season.
Just like my friend.
They both have much left to give.
And hopefully time to give it.
So how do we re-arrange our lives.
Cutting out the stuff that overgrows
And crowds out the good things.
Even maybe shades them out completely.
Keeping extraneous thing cut back – pruned – deadheaded.
To let in the light.
It’s a challenge.
And a continual effort
To keep our gardens
And our lives
Going where we are to go.
Glad I have a garden and friends to share in the journey.
Gail
Lately I’ve been thinking about vegetable gardening.
I know.
I’m a flower lady.
Something blooming all season long has been my M. O. for years.
Sunflowers – this week’s new kid in the garden
It will continue to be.
But I’m getting these vegetable messages.
They keep popping up.
A cantaloupe vine here.
A watermelon there.
I think it’s a watermelon.
And, of course, the errant volunteer tomato.
Obviously, my compost is not hot enough to kill seeds.
Is anyone’s?
So, I’m thinking I need a plan.
There’s another reason this is on my mind.
Many people here are working in conjunction with
The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma
To build a client choice food pantry and warehouse.
A place where we can offer fresh fruits and vegetables
To people who don’t have a lot to eat.
And help them learn how to cook them.
And maybe – just maybe – help them to be healthier.
Fresh Cucumbers and Onions soaking in vinegar and water.
So, what with vegetables literally popping out of the ground at me.
And the knowledge that I could share them with others.
Perhaps a little intentionality is called for here.
So, I’ve cleared a small space that I hope will work
For a fall vegetable garden.
It’s to the south of the garden house.
Which means it will be protected from the north this winter.
It’s somewhat shady in the summer
But when the leaves disappear this fall
It will be sunny.
Arugula has been seeding itself there for over a year.
Volunteer Arugula
Which gives me hope
That it will work.
So, I pulled up the OSU Extension Fall Planting Guide.
If you do this make sure you get the right O
Oregon – Ohio – Oklahoma
Our climates do vary.
I plan to start with some familiar friends
Sweat peas – enough Peg, for us, and to share.
Carrots, now that I’ve had a little success with them.
Greens – lettuce – spinach – and maybe a little swiss chard.
I’d really like to try brussels sprouts if I can find the plants.
According to the fall planting guide we can start planting things
This week through the end of September.
So I’ve moved a few stragely hostas
Next door to Torry’s garden.
Transplanted a couple of columbine to a shadier home.
Spread a bit of home made organic fertilizer.
And watered it all in.
So begins a new adventure.
I guess the point of all this for me is to keep myself open.
To pay attention to the signs that come my way.
To be willing to change
To try new things
While valuing the old.
Isn’t it amazing what gardening teaches us!
Gail
Filed under Uncategorized
Border Dahlia
When people visit my garden.
They often ask 2 questions.
The first
“How much time do you spend here?”
The answer is simple.
Not as much as I like.
Tall Garden Phlox
The last few summers have been well…hot!
Which means that my long summer Saturdays in the garden
Have been more like mornings and evenings.
But the truth is my garden does not require endless hours of work.
And because I enjoy it…it doesn’t seem like work at all.
I’ve also changed my expectations.
Endless hours outside just don’t seem to happen
So I do a bit here and a bit there.
It’s amazing how much can happen in a few minutes.
So I focus on weeding and deadheading in small areas.
Peg helps?
Which brings me to the second question.
“Where are the weeds?’
Once again the answer is simple.
Everywhere!
You just don’t notice them.
So how does this work.
There are two things that I’ve accidentally discovered
To keep the weeds away.
I’ve never planted according to instructions.
I almost always plant too close together.
Way to close together.
The pleasing results of overplanting
Which means the plants shade out the weeds.
Or simply don’t leave room for them to grow.
Granted it’s a little crowded
And some plants don’t have room to reach their full glory
But, for me, it works.
The second thing is those wonderful self-seeding annuals.
It begins with Larkspur in the early spring.
And ends with cockscomb from now till it freezes in the fall.
Throw in the zinnia and cosmos that I plant each year
And my garden is filled with “filler flowers”.
Zinnias & Cockscomb – “Filler Flowers”
Which is better than “filler weeds”!
The truth is that lately I’ve been pulling up as many baby cockscomb plants
As I have weeds.
So you might think of it as a friendly weed
That blooms nicely.
And is great in arrangements.
“Filler Flower” arrangements
I’m really trying to keep it out of the very front of my garden this year.
So, I guess it turns out that what some consider to be garden problems.
Are really just how you look at it.
Much like life!
Gail
Years ago a friend and I used to joke about how we were mothered.
Both raised in the 50’s and 60’s
We marveled at the different styles of mothering we experienced.
We dubbed her mother’s style as “over mothering”
And mine as “under mothering”
Looking back all these years later
I realize that we were both young & wrong.
Her mother had 4 children
It’s not humanly possible to “over mother” with 4 children.
My mother had 3 children, my grandfather living with us
And no running water!
Who am I to judge.
But the truth is we all wonder if we are doing this right.
We even have those moments when our children are grown.
Which brings me to this year’s tomato plants.
The last 2 summers have produced maybe a dozen tomatoes in the entire state.
Just not good tomato growing weather.
But this year is different
People are raving about their tomato crops
And rightly so.
My uncle George has such a bumper crop
George’s Tomatoes
He’s even more popular at the retirement village he lives in.
And a healthy 88-year-old man was pretty popular to begin with!
Then there’s my house!
Let me give you a little history.
I was determined to have a good tomato year.
So I started my plants early – like January.
As they grew I kept potting them in bigger pots
So that I would have big healthy plants to put in the ground.
And I did.
I even located extra tall – 8″ tall – peat pots to achieve this goal.
Then when mid-March was acting like mid-April
And everyone else was digging their plants into the ground.
I chose to protect mine from what I was certain would be a late frost.
Never happened.
Which means I “over mothered” them at that stage.
I kept in that mode when I finally did plant them
Making sure that they had crushed egg shells
In the bottom of each appropriately deep hole
For all those deep roots.
I even used a new – to me – organic fertilizer as I planted.
Then I left them alone – “under mothering”
They grew and grew
And began to bloom – lots of blooms.
It’s getting really exciting at this point.
Then the blooms began to turn brown
And fall off.
Every single bloom
On every single plant
Except for one
What is going on?
June was a perfect tomato month
All I have to show for it
Is about a dozen tomatoes on one plant.
And 4 large happy tomato-less plants.
I’ve tried everything.
Jerry Baker’s tomato tonic of epsom salts and baby shampoo.
My friend Virginia’s solution of a Tums (calcium) allowed to melt into the roots.
So far I can’t see any change.
If anyone has other ideas.
Let me know.
So…are they suffering from “over mothering”
Or…”under mothering”
The truth is we all are probably guilty of both at some time.
It’s hard to know when to move forward
And when to pull back.
A minister once told me that
“All parenting is incomplete
We do the best we can
God will take care of the rest.”
Perhaps the same is true of growing tomatoes!
Gail
At least the Daisies are happy!
Filed under Garden Planning, Gardening, Motherhoos, Timing, Tomato, Uncategorized
In My Garden 