Saturday, June 27, 2009

Iris Rapture

This weekend is the Las Vegas Iris Society rhizome sale at Plantworld Nursery on Charleston Blvd. As you can see from the photos, the choices were phenomenal. There were so many to choose from that I stood there stunned by all of the selections.

Jennifer was there, a member of the Iris Society we met at the show back in April. She is an avid iris gardener and has over 75 iris in her collection. In speaking with another member, she shared that she had over 200, and as she spoke I stood there speechless. All of could think of was Spring, and nightfall, right at dusk, with all of the glowing blossoms. Iris are truely Otherworldly.
So we came home with "Artic Fox", all white, ruffly with orange beard, "Rustic Royalty", Pale orange yellow on top with maroon falls, and "Baltic Sea", a ruffly all blue with blue beard.

We also picked out a couple for our neighbor. She now has Rustic Royalty and Farside, a purple and white one. I am really excited for her because once you get iris, there is no going back. You are forever changed.
Thanks for visiting! In support of Gardening, Carry On!

Friday, June 26, 2009

Your Lilies All Look Flat My Dear

I have been away painting lilies. It is very challenging and quite addictive. I had to pull myself away to make sure I hadn't been lured by the green paint down the path of no return. Michael said my lilies all look flat, I told him that are space savers. He said the sky looks funny. I am not going to paint cinderblocks in the background as the inspiration photo suggests but instead paint a blue sky. Margaret Kessler, 'Painting Better Landscapes', shared priming the canvas so that you don't have to paint over the white snow peaking through your subject matter. Thank you Margaret.

It's 103 degrees today and the sun is quite intense. I will get some zinna photos tomorrow, and they are all pink, as part of my pink aversion therapy apparently, and also photos of the cucumber plant that I bought Michael. He brought home cucumbers from the market that were old and bitter and that is hopefully the end of that. I don't think he'll buy any if we have one growing in the back. We will see how cucumbers do up here on Black Mountain.

We are going to go out to sing karaoke tonight. Lately I've been doing "Black Water" by the Doobie Brothers, and "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac. Michael and I joke that when we get really old we are going to be karaoke hosts.

Thanks for visiting! On behalf of Gardening, Carry On!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Lily Zen

These lilies look so beautiful. Give me a face full of lilies. I want to lay down in a field of lilies and look up at a blue sky framed with lilies at the edges. Lilies just set me right. They inspire paintings and lockets and beautiful satiny kimonos. Ah. Lily Zen.

The first Zinna has opened and it is a fairy delight. This is from a pack of seeds that is a mix of yellow, orange and pink. I see alot of pink in the forming buds. I am somewhat pink resistant. I like pink as a surprise not an expression. You can't help but like pink zinnas.
Thanks for visiting. In support of Gardening, Carry On!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Bouquet of Red Lilies

The red lily was ablaze this morning and there was a complete bouquet waiting to be discovered. A nice cobalt vase would be nice with these.

The red Chard planted earlier this season is growing nicely. I love Northern Lights Chard. More chard seedlings have sprouted,

This is one of 3 seedlings from seeds sown directly in the cedar mulch. The mulch isn't seedling friendly, especially with Symba loose in the garden. The water bottle collar seems to be working and they don't have to be watered as frequently as little cups would. I mixed some of my first compost into the mix,

I might have been a little hasty because it can burn, but it looked great and I couldn't wait and so far the only outcome has been a stowaway seedling that looks like a tomato plant. I will update you more on that later.

Thanks for visiting. In support of Gardening, Carry On!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Bliss with my Coffee

The temperature is perfect outside. The day started with coffee on the sunning patio lasting for about 10 minutes. I have been working in the garden all morning and here it is 2:00 pm already.
I repotted the pink Kalanchoe and placed it in the protected area behind the pillar with the cactus and succulents. It will stay outside now and eventually find it's place beside the brilliant red Kalanchoe for their early spring flower show.

Admiring the purple and green contrast in the distance, the upper walkway beacons for more description. My choices were 3/4 in. granite to define the walkway edge, or cedar mulch. Rock retains heat and this is a hot spot so I decided on the cedar.

I like this product and recommend it to my natives. Growwell is located off Cheyenne south of Nellis AFB. They also have bulk material if you are going the distance and are going to cover a
large area.

The cedar mulch is in place, the walkway looks more defined and the central bed is more balanced bringing more attention to the drystream bed.

Light reflective rock would not have had the same effect. Time for the Dance of Joy!

Here is the Pygmy Barrel Cactus. Isn't the color amazing? The little cactus garden is still under construction and slowly progressing along. I am using rocks discovered by the shovel as I carry about, so it is an ongoing work. More on it later.

Thanks for visiting. In support of Gardening,..... Carry On!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Margaret's Gift

The wind is back and the sky is overcast and it doesn't look like rain. The weather is cooler by 10 degrees than normal for this time of year. I could easily forget how hot it is going to get and get used to weather like this all the time.

There are buds on the zinnas. This is a crook neck one. Initially I thought it was severe lack of water, so I dashed off to get a resuscitative amount of water and throw it at it's base and then discover that the stem isn't flimsy, it's deliberately crooked this way, so I ponderously carry on. In the photo you can see the California Poppy seed pods. I picked some and put them in a sack to dry, then had to move the sack indoors because the seeds heads popping inside a sack about drove me bonkers. The overcast sky lends a coolness to the colors of the Chase Tree and is a relief from our sun drenched colors. I remember Margaret. That sounds like her. I purchased a book "Painting Better Landscapes" by Margaret Kessler, and spent the whole evening a few nights back, reading every word and studying every painting, spellbound by the works of this amazing oil painter. Michael and I decided we would start painting again, it's been a year since we put the materials away. I brought down the canvas about a week ago and thought we would set up shop again in the kitchen, and then I stumbled upon the book. At the same time that I've felt the desire to paint, her work is so awesome and her subject matter exactly what I've craved, the landscapes, the barns, the rivers, and farmland, the memories to reconnect with and be re-immersed in, I think I am still just revelling. What a wonderful affect is has had on me.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

The Fickle Gardener

A few new blossoms on the cannas since yesterday's wind so now they are ready for a close up. Here's Symba, the cat faced boy, as he zooms in from an opposite angle.

Here is a photo of the new lily. It is absolutely my new favorite. Have my favorites become so fleeting, that perhaps I am fickle? I feel like I am being unfaithful to the iris. Perhaps some flowering zinnas will make me feel better. Will an annual cure this perennial woe?

Here is an all black hummingbird thanks to the placement of the feeder against the sky. If you have hummingbirds, you are familiar with their call, that timeless looping whistle. Hummingbirds are the best. Someone asked me once what kind of pets I had, and I said," A cat and hummingbirds." They said "Oh, you can tell alot about a person by the kinds of pets they have." Hummm. They probably had me figured wrong. I am a siamese rescue of 6, koi pond full of beauties, banty chicken loving, peacocks in the trees kind of person.

Here is a photo of a peacock in the trees from our last trip to Bonnie Springs.

Thanks for visiting! To all of my gardening friends, Carry On!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Blazin Desert

Lilies are ablaze and they reign in the garden right now. There is also a new lily added to the lily bed. It's called Assorted Lily, just kidding but really. I read it twice.
It's the lovely deep purple with a green center. It would look great next to the surprise lily from the plant rescue which happens to be a deep rich yellow.
Chaste Trees have been added to the area behind the main bed, one on the left between the butterfly iris, slightly hidden from view and one just below the mountain. They are our equivalent to a lilac bush. They will become small trees and will shade the walking path, and also buffer some of the reflective heat. The directional sign in the distance is as follows:

A little garden art using a tree stake and palet planks with green, red and blue acrylic paint. Husband wanted to write our elevation on the back with a pencil. He headed out to scribe until I convinced him that our elevation should go with the next sign I intend to make, 'Hummingbird Trail'. We can't get our horizontals and verticals mixed up now can we?
Cannas have started to bloom. They are orange mottled, and also there are red ones that should follow soon and are a smaller variety. The wind has kicked back up and these two are slap happy, so no close ups, please.

Garage sailing :) I found these glass voltive holders for a dollar and thought they'd make great rain gauges in the cactus garden, still under construction.
Thanks for visiting! To all my gardening friends, Carry On!