Everything About You

When everything about you speaks gardening, even the bracelet you wore to dinner, your new chair, the bucket you carry your gardening books in, you know it really has taken on a life of it's own. You are no longer a gardener, you are now in the garden.

As it is claiming the horizontal spaces of your home, and both the passenger and backseats of your car, you all the while are concentrating on making it bigger. You know who you are. You are my gardening friends. I'd like to finish this thought, but I think there's something that I must attend to outside.

Thank you for visiting, Carry On!

The Catalyst

This is the beginning of the Black Dirt Chronicles. The catalyst has arrived. It's Black Dirt.

Not just any chipped wood mind you. This is the stuff.

When you live in a place that does not have black dirt, you secretly pine for it, accepting it as part of your roots, the place you must return to.

I grew up in Missouri, a member of that black dirt clan and I remember telling Michael before we got married that I needed to move back to a place where I could put dirt in a coffee can and leave it at the edge of my big covered patio and it would look like dark roast, and I would smile and know that I was home. He said ok, but we have to live here for at least 10 years. Yes, he really said that, and yes, he really is that awesome, so I agreed. (He also countered with a few demands of his own like lakes everywhere and fishing, and all was good.)

So I am plugging along, literally, amending the soil with every bag of compost, every potted thing, adding more mulch and using the small compost I generate... all in a suspended garden mediocrity kind of way. Oh look! The dirt has changed from pale tan to the lightest brown. How somewhat eventful. But let's also remember patience! (do we use her to amend the soil?)

When you find your black dirt, it is time for the dance of joy, albeit even if it requires trucks and wheel barrows. Ah, this is the beginning...

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

Building a Labyrinth

You don't have to build a labyrinth, just throw down the hose and walk it when you are half awake.

There was rain in the rain catchers this morning!

I headed out to Leslie's to train as a garden coach for the Sweet Tomato Test Garden. She asked if I wanted to pick a few tomatoes. Doe's she know me or what?

Everywhere you looked there were tomatoes accompanied by tomatoe glee.

I tried some new "Twister" moves, having not played since I was 8.

This is what we picked and Leslie said she would pick the other half of the bed later in the evening.

These were like amethyst pods. (The colony would like these.)

And here is a yellow sweet pepper and she has this in purple, too.

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

Morning Stretches

A morning zen moment when the sun peaks over the cinderblock horizon.

In my morning walkabout, I check the iris (the Plant Wrangler had to plant at the hottest time of the year) for continued signs of life. That little peek of green is encouraging. Next spring this will be a lovely White Fox. The dismayed look on the rooster is fitting.

The new garden bling from Ladybug Nursery sparkles in the sunlight! It is bedazzling. Say hi to Janet if you happen there....

Inside, out of the heat I imagined clouds in the sky would be nice, and then added some reflected heat too.

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

Tomato Still Life

Leslie Doyle the Tomato Lady is generous. She gifts tomatoes and creates Tomato Still Lifes on countertops all across the valley. She is akin to Johnny Appleseed to me. This image calls to me like my next painting. I'll try to ignore it as long as possible and just wave for now.


Here is an update on the rescued Tropicana canna. It has a new place in front of the patio and seems to have relaxed a bit. I think this is a job for the "Amazing Kelp" that Leslie Doyle refers to in her book. I will mix up a batch and give it a try. I will let you know when I do. I have to get the pump sprayer first and that will take a few days. We are also going to be making some compost tea next week and this is a good candidate for that as well.

Here is a hummingbird update. The hummingbirds sit on the coated landscape wire that I used to hang a mist system across an arched patio opening. He has his little beak open because he is so hot. They always sit there, so they prefer the wire diameter and proximity to their little feeder. The other birds like little finches, see the nectar in the feeder and try to get a drink from the flowers to no avail, so I am making a water feeder to hang high off of the ground because of Cat Face. I am a glue gun away from being finished with that little project. So till then, ....

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

Raining Diamonds

It rained briefly yesterday, and the sky looked full of glittering diamonds. Big cold drops...

We waited out the passing rain clouds from the patio. Both of them were a nice reprieve.

Earlier, a friend had commented about the pretty catch all garden pot that I keep by the edge of the patio. It is where I keep my everyday gardening tools. I thought I would share this little idea with you, as I like finding out how other gardeners finese their lives and thought it might stir some idea sharing.

This morning I added some mulch to Lily Hill. I picked up Margaret's painting book and read a little bit, to wear like a protective vest as I headed in between the leaves. I bought some more mulch yesterday that I might apply to some of the beds in the real world later today.

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

Old Lady with a Cane

This zinna flower is a couple of days old. She reminds me of an old broadway star now her 80's, perfectly coiffed, with bright pink messy lipstick. Hey, do you think they do that on purpose? I might do that when I get old.

The last couple of days have been great. I've had a bit of an awakening, or I should say that I've learned to see things a bit differently. The first thing I realized is that plants have cycles. I mean, I knew that plants have cycles, don't get me wrong, but I suppose I expected lily leaves to stay green and perfect all summer long and iris leaves to be green and perfect too, all summer long, that kind of thing. The last two days I have been spending time with Leslie Doyle, the "Tomato Lady", and she reminded me that, "Plants have cycles." "... and after they bloom, if they look kind of ragged, just cut them back." Wham. I needed to correct that garden faeiry notion that plants look great from the moment spring arrives until frost kills them dead. Ok. And the second thing I learned is to ramp up my watering schedule. I pulled the mulch aside next to my heavenly bamboo and expected to find the dirt slightly moist and it was bone dry! This can happen right under your feet! If you read the last post, It was happening right before my eyes and I even commented about it! Ok? So increase your water. (And if you did, maybe it's not enough!) Why not drink plenty of water, and reset your sprinklers! Oh, and another thing. I promise I will not get the leaves wet anymore, they don't like it and there is always damage to show for it! But it was fun water play......

Which leads me to Water Vessels.

And the innocent little gardener who sees colors and is enchanted by form, said, "Silly me, I thought they plants. You know, lovely plants that you just had to water. I didn't think they were Water Vessels! Water vessels with a vascular system and ..........", to be continued.