Pearls for Normal Folk

The blue Borage is flowering! Quick, someone freeze the flowers in icecubes for later!

I'd do it but apparently I am too busy relocating shrubs against the house.

I tore out the two small wooden raised boxes that were filled with lettuce (can you believe I did that? seriously, we are talking about food here!) and dropped in the shrubs like 3 pearls against the foundation while also taking away my shortcut to the sideyard storage area. (can you believe I did that?) This area has always been a major flood washout during any rain event. I haven't planted anything against the house before because in my mind nothing will grow in rocks that has had all of the topsoil washed away from it. But then, last year the canna seemed to survive the torrent, so hopefully the leaves of the shrubs will buffer the rainfall and we can have foundation plantings like normal folk!

I also relocated the Donna Darlin rose under the far window, a much better location then where it was before and I am hoping that it will like the partial shade.

Ultimately I am preparing to plant a climbing rose on the arbor. I have decided on a climbing white Iceberg rose. I also am going to plant a pale pink climbing rose against the house and let it fan out against the wall between the windows. I have decided on a climbing Pearly Gates rose. Can you imagine?

Thanks for visiting! To all of my gardening friends, Garden on!

Potpourri #9 - Saffron Mix

This special mix took courage to muster, awaiting the combination to arrive like an epiphany, I worked around the Saffron Crocus petals, cleaning the other areas of the table until I could avoid it no longer.

This mix is mint based. It needed something to lighten the base so I went with a pale gray eucalyptus. It contains both Apple mint and Spear mint, Eucalyptus leaves, Saffron petals, Statis Flowers, and a few Hummingbird Bush flowers as dots of orange for a wild note. The last two mixes have been my absolute favorites because of the rich colors that are so pure and stellar!

Thank you Leslie for the Saffron!

To all of my gardening friends, carry on and hurry back!

Potpourri #8

We are having the Christmas Party at my house so I have to clean up the formal dining room table for once and for all! So it is once again time for potpourri. I jump in where the Mint and Bay leaves have been spilled onto the pizza box setting the foundation for Potpourri #8. Atop this mixture goes my favorite Blue Salvia, which I have been savoring for just the perfect blend.

Next come the blue Hawthorn berries, and their sticks are interesting as I ponder the roughness and diverting energy that the pointing sticks create.

I like the contrast of the rosy colored sticks, and the weight of the wood lowers the energy of the blend so it is not so "airy". So it is "shorten the sticks themselves" and see it that improves the overall appearance.

It's difficult to improve on perfection! This is a simple mix of Blue Salvia flowers, Hawthorn berries, Apple Mint, Spearmint, and Bay leaves.

I hope you are enjoying the harvest!

Thanks for visiting! To all of my gardening friends, Harvest On and hurry back!

Potpourri #3

I'm still cleaning off the formal dining room table which is where all of the potpourri materials are strewn about. It is a lovely sight. Today's concoction is a potpourri and tea! It consists of Chocolate Mint, Tulsi (Holy Basil), Hybiscus and Calendula flowers.

Of all of the potpourris so far, this one is the most fragrant and it is because of the mint and Tulsi.

I adore Tulsi. I have contemplated becoming a Tulsi farmer, possibly growing nothing else. That is how much I adore the stuff. It is addicting. I make everyone Tulsi tea when they come over to visit, and gift Tulsi cuttings to them when they leave. One visitor later asked if the tea had euphoric properties, and I would say that it obviously does, considering that I would like to forsake all my other favorites in the garden and grow it exclusively! It's some pretty cool stuff. If you need any, come on over, seems like I'll have plenty.

Potpourri

I have been collecting everything that I can think of from my garden for potpourri. It's spread out across the table and I am sure it is going to start taking over my house.

Today I gathered Cucumber leaves, Lantana flowers, a tiny peach rosebud, Echanacea flowers and seedheads, Sunflower seedheads,

Yellow Purky Sue flowers, Chaste Tree Berries, Crape Murtle Blossoms, pink Lambs Ear leaves, Penstemmon blossoms, Garlic Chive seedheads, Butterfly Bush seedheads, Chocolate Mint, Calendula Petals, Eucalyptus, Zinna flowers, Blue Salvia flowers,

The items on the glass plate will fit right in, they are interesting seedheads from a tree during a walk in the park, Blue Hawthorn berries, Statice from a bouquet from hubby and a dried Zinna flower. The California Poppy seed hulls might be a stretch but we will see, there's dried Catnip seedheads, and Catnip leaf bundles which should work pretty nicely as a base.

On the kitchen table there are materials that can be used for the base. There is Tulsi, Sage, and Lemon-Lime (mixed) Basil.

The grow shelves have been repurposed as drying shelves and they contain Genovese Basil, and Lemon-Lime Basil.

The available horizontal surfaces are all taken, so in the garage are Apple slices with fresh and dried Zinnas. Once everything is dry I am going to start assembling combinations and maybe consider adding essential oils to the mix.

I enjoy collecting items for potpourri. It is just another way to be surrounded by the colors and textures of your garden.

Thanks for visiting! Garden on!

All the Best

I am calling this post all of the best and here is the reason why. I have been gone for an extremely long time, and I want to share the most awesome photos that I have collected as I still do take about a handful of photos a day, but I have been busy reading recipes for preserving the garden harvest, and obviously a myriad of other things, but apparently they didn't amount to much because I can't remember their significance in the whole scheme of things.

So perhaps busy isn't always best..... But I do really enjoy this photo of the Copper Dragon Fly solaring up in the warmth of the morning sun and wanted to share this with everyone.

Here is the perfect effect of the Morning Glories and they are all that I imagined that they would be.

The Red Canna from the Master Gardener's giveaway is more than expected! Perhaps the person who brought them in needs to drink more coffee so that they are more excitable and explenitive in their decriptions...... Just Red Canna had me thinking, well.....you know.

The Tomatoes have been a delight to pick everyday. They are starting to fade off and I am okay with it. I froze some in a gallon bag and made salsa and pasta sauce, and we have been eating them everyday, so all is fine by me.

The Armenian Cucumbers are in the midst of things. This is the fifth one harvested so far, and it will go into the pickle jar. The other half went into the salad last night. They are spectacular and recommended to me by Leslie Doyle last year. They will become a Black Mountain Garden standard.

So this is how the Armenian Cucumbers are presented in the garden. If you double click the photo, you will be able to pick out a few handing on the vine.

The Green Room is alot of fun to walk through and you can see the corn on the left which has grown tall and has produced ears. The white flowers in the center on the right are Lime Basil and they are quite lovely and I totally love the effect. I want to grown Lime Basil as a ground cover next year.

Here is a closeup of the corn before I picked them. I didn't know when to pick the corn, but if you wait too long the sugars change and they are no longer at their tasty best.

And I had no idea when that was...but either way they are sure beautiful. These are the prettiest corn in my little world, and I am going to let them dry. I remember all of the colored corn hanging from the lattias in one of the adobes at the Pueblos de Taos Indian Reservation in Taos, New Mexico. It made falling over the furniture really quite enjoyable and a remarkably, memorable experience. This one is for "Up the Hill" Susan. I miss you girl. Are you still just as wild as I remember? (Nobody could grow colored corn like Susan!)

Thanks for visiting! To all of my colored corn loving gardening friends, carry on and hurry back!

White Spider

White Spider sits on blue Lobelia and days go by.....

And after he was gone, blue Lobelia missed the spider.

Thanks for visiting! To all of my gardening friends, carry on and hurry back!

Red, White and Blue

I took off the lower branches of the Eucalyptus and it really opens up the area. All you can see is red, white and blue.

The Coreopsis are flowering! I sowed the seed last year with the Lobelia and Alyssum and they have become permanent fixtures in the main bed. It took a whole year but they were well worth the wait. There is blue Salvia in the center that is about to flower too!

Thanks for visiting! To all of my gardening friends, carry on and hurry back!

Too Much of a Good Thing

It is time to go vertical.

Moving lattice about the yard contemplating the effect of extremely busy grid work on the eye,

I kind of like the look of the two pieces framing the corner.

But here is the location where one will be. It is a good idea to consider other options, once you have the lattice on your property you can move it around and feel the effect.

So here is the second location and the lattice is in place.

Here are the two pieces side by side. Once they have vines growing on them it will increase the amount of visual green in this area, and reduce the amount of reflected heat. I had my heart set on morning glories but after speaking with my friend Leslie, she shared with me that they are extremely prolific. That would mean that I would be trying to eradicate them before long. Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.

But this is an artist's vision and Zen has latched on to this vision and won't let go. I will be the one who unleashed the Blue Morning Glory on Black Mountain and right now I'm okay with it.

Thanks for visiting! To all of my gardening friends, carry on and hurry back!

New Bed 7

I removed all of the rock that had been accumulating for 3 years from the back corner and filled in the next new bed with Tomato Lady Soil. This will be called Bed Seven.

The Burgandy Plum is flowering and to the right is the location for the Medicinal Herbs bed. So far it contains Echinacea and Lemon Grass.

Here is the vantage from the same location and you can see the new bed with plantings of Catnip and Echinacea and Mexican Primrose on the lower right. There is also Catnip and Corriander in the barrel. Far in the distance you can make out the new compost tumbler that I purchased from Lowes. It was $88 on sale and is really a nice design.

The wall of Peas are just touching the 6 foot mark.

There are Lettuces at their feet.

Penstemmon are flowering all over the garden.

I've been busy planting seeds and transplanting seedlings.

This is the photo for the archives of the Seasonal Changes of the Main Bed in Spring 2010.

And here is the update of the Poppies that were broadcast in the half abandoned walkway.

Thanks for visiting! To all of my gardening friends, carry on and hurry back!

Blue with Intermission

When asked what is my favorite flower it is Grape Hyacinth. It is the blue.

And Lobelia blue is my favorite color.

But Grape Hyacinths are dear to my heart.

Rosemary provides a blue backdrop to the regal couple beside the tree.

With little babes nearby.

Thanks for visiting! To all of my gardening friends, carry on and hurry back!