I have made a start

I am thankful I made the decision to put pea gravel on the walkways between the beds in the garden, as it is so easy to pull the weeds. Before spreading out the gravel, I placed layers of newspapers over the ground, so the weeds from underneath could not sprout. Now all I have to contend with are the weeds from wind blown, and bird introduced seeds which have taken root.

The strawberries in the tires were going to be moved but I have decided to leave them for one more season. Last fall I pinned the runners into planting mix in small pots so I would have a fresh batch of strawberry plants to put in a permanent bed.
Yesterday I cleaned up all the old dry leaves and debris from around the strawberries, uncovering lots of new growth.

So far I have sown parsley, lettuce, swiss chard, spinach, pea and bean seeds.

It has started

My car has started veering into the garden center all on it's own *chuckle* which happened on my way home from work yesterday. I took my usual leisurely stroll around to see what has turned up. I had already decided to invest in more herbs and as I looked at what had come in, I discovered the lemon verbena.

As I crushed a leaf between my fingers, the most intense delightful lemon aroma was released.
Being mostly a coffee drinker,and on occasion a tea drinker, I do like a slice of lemon in a cup of tea, and find sometimes a lemon will spoil before I get to use all of it. I am solving that problem by placing a sprig of lemon verbena in my tea.
Not only will I save money, it will be more convenient to just go out to my garden and pluck a sprig of verbena for my tea. I am sure I will find more uses for this delightful herb.

I think the verbena will look splendid in the brown pot.

First day of spring is March 20th

Spring has arrived early in my garden, and how wonderful it feels. I sure hope the weather holds and we don't get a cold snap.

I am holding my breath

Why am I holding my breath? I am because I think the pink primroses and tulips will be fabulous together in the blue pot when they are blooming at the same time.

A dear elderly friend of mine, asked me if I wanted the package of 8 pink tulips as she said " I don't know why I bought them, I don't plan on planting them" I was only too happy to take them off her hands.

Saturday sunset

The colors are not the vibrant orange, yellow and pink of a summer's sunset, but those of a typical dull rainy winter day here in the Pacific Northwest.

Pretty companions

The ornamental kale was looking very lonely after I pulled some straggly annuals, which the frost had killed off. I found the perfect complimentary color match in these pansies to fill in until the kale has to be pulled.

Better than candy

61 degrees, sunny with a little cool breeze in my vegetable garden today. I decided it was a good day to start on cleaning up in preparation for planting in the near future. I had pulled many weeds, and accomplished a little cleanup before really taking a close look at the parsnips.
Judging by the tops of the parsnips I thought the roots would be very puny, but when I tried to pull them from the raised beds, they would not budge without the tops coming off in my hands. Out came my garden fork, and oh boy! was I ever surprised by what I unearthed.

The two largest parsnips are just over 12 inches long and three inches across. Being this large sometimes means they are tough, but not these beauties. They proved to be crisp and tender when I peeled and cut them into uniform pieces ready for roasting.

After peeling and chopping the parsnips, I placed them into a baking pan, poured 2 tablespoons of good quality tasty olive oil over them, stirred them around to coat, then ground sea salt and black pepper over the top. They were then covered in foil and baked in a 400F oven for 20 minutes, the foil removed and baked another 20 minutes until browned.

As I said, these in my opinion, are better than candy. Oven roasted veggies are sweet, and parsnips especially so. I could eat all of these in one sitting.

Spring is in the air

Well it seems that way in my garden.

Next project

At the end of last Autumn I took three cuttings of this lovely coleus, dipped the stems in rooting hormone powder, and placed them in starting mix. I must say, I am rather tickled that all three have grown, and are looking so healthy.

All three of the Coleus are going to be transplanted into this new blue pot, I came across at a garage sale last year. I think I will like the contrast between the blue pot and the lime green shades of the coleus. I will keep you posted as the plants grow and fill out.

A little touch of green

You don't need only brightly hued flowers in the garden to make a splash.

A new Hellebore to my garden, is showing just how gorgeous green can be. I don't know the name of the Hellebore as it was given to me by a friend and I forgot to ask her what it is called. I will call her soon and ask the name of the Hellebore, just in case any of you would like to have one of the same.

Another green plant I love is Euphorbia, Tasman Tiger. Not only are the leaves stunning, so too are the blooms. Last year, this one, which was struggling in it's location, was moved into a different garden, and it sure is thanking me with a beautiful display of blooms and new growth.

Thinking outside the box !!

I very nearly drove over the center line, as I drove past this Toyota with the two window " bumper boxes" attached to the rear of the vehicle.

I drove around the block, found a parking place, and walked back to see if my eyes had been playing tricks on me. No, they are most definitely planter boxes attached to the bumper of this vehicle.

It is time for primroses

I swung by my favorite garden center to see what was happening, and as I entered the greenhouse area my senses were assaulted by the most intoxicating perfume. I did not know some primroses were perfumed. It appears it is the double variety which have the most scent, so of course, you know me, I had to have a few of these beauties. These lovely bi-colored flowers took my eye and they now have pride of place in a large pot by the front door so the beauty and perfume of the flowers is there to enjoy as I come and go through the front entrance.

The Hellebore are also making a splash in the darker corners of my garden.

As I was on my knees, camera set to take closeup photos of the Hellebore, this little guy/gal hopped right up to me and almost had it's nose on the lens of the camera. Who can resist such a cute furry face. I admit that I feed bread to four rabbits every morning, and they are not afraid to come up to me. Whenever Mr C. or I go outdoors there will be rabbits hopping from all directions looking for a handout. The one in the photo we have named baby, as it is the smallest in the bunch and the most friendly. The other day I was out in the garden, when I felt something on my pant leg, I looked down, and saw Baby standing on it's back legs, front feet on my leg, looking up at me with the most cute begging look in it's eye. Yes I know I am a pushover, but I like the critters in our yard, except of course if they eat my plants, but practically everything in the gardens is fenced, so there really isn't much of a problem.

Visitors

Two Flickers visiting the feeding station.
The one on the suet was rather nervous as it could see my camera just peeping through the curtains, but was not sure to stay or flee.

The birds know

I shot this video just outside our front door. There was a huge flock of both starlings and red winged blackbirds, sharing the trees surrounding our house, as they sang their songs, hoping to attract a mate. Whenever I hear so many birds singing at one time, I know Spring is not too far away.

A handsome visitor to our garden

Every year about this time, Chinese Ring neck pheasants are released into the pasture way down in front of our home, for the hunters. A few of these birds finally find their way up the hill, through another property, and into the shelter of our acreage. I always hope that the birds will stick around for a while to escape the hunters, but eventually they all go away.

This handsome fellow has discovered all the seed on the ground under the bird feeding station and has been hanging around for a week or so. Perhaps knowing he has an easy meal waiting for him every morning, he will stay for a while.

I was standing inside looking out of the window at him under the feeder for quite a while before he looked up and saw me.

Then away he went, a very nervous fellow indeed, and who can blame him, when there are hunters out there wanting to shoot him and have him for their dinner.

TLC pays off

On December 29th 2009 I wrote about this orchid I got from a friend. It was going to be thrown in the trash but I brought it home instead. I told my friend I would see if I could get to grow, and I have been rewarded for my perseverance. As you can see, there are two very healthy flower stems sprouting from the main stem and the side stem. I have learned this is a Phalaenopsis, or moth orchid, and I think I remember it having white flowers.
The plant is sitting on top of some pretty pieces of polished glass, in a dish which has sides high enough to enable me to keep it filled with water, up to just below the bottom of the flower pot, so the plant is in a constant atmosphere of humidity.
Every day I mist the plant with water, and have a regular feeding program using orchid fertilizer. I must say I am very pleased to see the orchid doing so well and I am looking forward to blooms in the near future.

A lesson learned

So, where did I go wrong? The poor wee Rubine Brussels sprouts are only the size of small marbles.
I did a little research on growing them, and it may be that they needed more manure/compost. I am still learning how much food, water and sun veggies require for a bumper crop.
Does anyone have some advise/secrets on growing Brussels sprouts?

The first day of Spring is not until the 20th of March.

but today I discovered lovely green shoots emerging from the cold, damp soil.

I think these are Snowdrops.

I will have to keep a close eye on the weather and cover the Sedum if frost is in the forecast. I am surprised to see these shoots so early, but we have had a fairly mild winter this year.

Mother Nature at her best

What a beautiful way to greet Thursday morning.

I can rely on

a couple of things happening in January.

I can rely on my Helebores to start blooming.

There are also the rabbits who come for their morning scoop of cracked corn and a couple of slices of stale bread.

Happy New year

The morning after I hope you are not feeling as bad as he looks.

So, go celebrate, be careful, have a designated driver, or take a taxi.

Thank you to all my readers, family, friends, blogger friends, and all you folk who just stop by to take a look. You are all appreciated.

I wish for you all, an outstanding New Year

This ' N' that

Last Christmas I bought a beautiful red Amaryllis which sat on our kitchen table, showing off it's flowers for weeks on end. After it finished flowering I still gave it a little water until the leaves died back, then I let it rest for a while. When I returned from my vacation, I started watering and feeding the plant again, and now it is rewarding me by growing new leaves, and I am hoping for flowers too.

The orchid on the right, was going to be thrown in the trash by a friend. I offered to take it off her hands to see if I can get it to flower.I went out and bought some orchid food and have done some research on the care of orchids. With lots of TLC I think I can get this one to flower.

The poinsettia Was a Christmas present to myself. I lean towards buying plants which are a little different, so that is why I chose the poinsettia with the lovely variegated foliage.

From our home to yours

My new kiwi gardener/blogger friends

During my visit to New Zealand in November, I got to meet some blogger friends. Dinzie, from The Weekly Grind, and his lovely Mc D. They came and picked me up in Lower Hutt where I was staying, and we drove to the Wellington Botanical gardens. We started up at the top of the gardens where the cable car stops, and took in the fabulous view, then Dinzie left McD and I to walk down through the fabulous gardens, while he drove the car back down to park the car next to the beautiful rose gardens. McD and I enjoyed walking back down the trail, stopping now and again to look at the various plants, trees and shrubs before arriving at the rose gardens.
I was delighted to see up close, a Tui which was feeding on the nectar of the flowers of a flax plant. It was not bothered at all as I crept closer and closer, to get that perfect picture. Dinzie told me that since new Zealand has been eradicating the possums, the native bird population is increasing. I am very happy to know that the native birds are making a comeback.



Dinzie and MCD, Thank you very much for taking me to see the lovely Botanical gardens,and for the tasty Chinese dinner and conversation we shared. It truly is wonderful to make new friends, especially since you are Kiwis, bloggers and gardeners.

Bring on the Spring

While in New Zealand I did a little shopping in the garden section of a large department store. I was delighted to find some resin, native birds to decorate my garden here in the States.
A few days after my shopping spree, I went to stay with my brothers on their boat, and they took me shopping at a mall, where I just had to take them to the department store to show them what I had bought. I was asked why I hadn't bought the Kiwi, I replied that I did not have room in my suitcase. Both brothers looked at each other and said, "Christmas present" I told them that the Kiwi would be way too large and expensive to mail, but I got the "no worries mate"
Sunday I received an email from Graeme, saying a package had been sent, and would be here in about a week. Yesterday, I sure was surprised, when the mail delivery person, drove up to our front door, and honked the horn of her car, letting us know she had something too large for the mailbox. I thought it was something MrC. had ordered for his business, but it was the large box from New Zealand.

Not only did I get the Kiwi, there was some chocolate and Turkish Delight in the box.

The chocolate with the yellow band is Manuka Honey and almonds, Richfields Manuka Honey & Almond 70% Dark Chocolate is high in natural antioxidant's for great health benefits and is an excellent health chocolate candy bar alternative. This luxurious intense taste of rich dark chocolate is sure to help get your energy levels up when your feeling a bit flat and looking for a quick “pick me up” to get you through the day. The other Classic dark.
The Turkish Delight from Loukoumi Artisan confectioners. are Manuka Honey & Rainforest Lemon, and Feijoa Delight,

The three birds I had already purchased are, a Pukeko, a Tui, and a Kea.
The garden I have planned, will be more on the shady side so my new treasures will not be faded by the sun. I think I may have to buy a cold hardy tree fern for the garden, so the birds will feel at home.

Not enough snow

to build a snowman,

but too much to be in the garden. I officially hang up my gardening gloves, light the fire, find a book to read, and enjoy my day off.

When ground is crunchy

underfoot, there will be no gardening today.

This morning we have our second frost of the season, and it is more severe than the first. I have hung up my garden tools and now wait for spring.

Sam has nothing to do with gardening

The sole purpose of my visit to New Zealand was not to view all the gorgeous gardens,but to visit my daughter, other family members, and friends.

Sam is a three year old Bichon Frise who's job is to visit his Friends at Amaryllis House, a home for sufferers of Huntington's Disease, in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. Sam and his Mum belong to a group called Canine Friends Pet therapy.

You are asking how do I know this sweet little dog. I met him as he visited Amaryllis house when I was staying there with my daughter Tina. Yes, my darling daughter is a Huntington's sufferer. The main purpose of my visit to New Zealand was to celebrate Tina's 40th birthday and I was delighted to see the looks on the faces of the residents when Sam gave them a smooch.
Quote from Sam's story in the Canine Friends Pet therapy news letter: These people are mostly pretty sick but love touching my very soft fur and they also like a good kiss. I know officially I shouldn't kiss them, but they sometimes get tears in their eyes when I smooch them, so I think that means it's OK. Some patients cannot speak much but they manage "goodbye Sam' when I go and that is nice for Mum and me.

To read more on Sam's story, click on the link above, then on news letters in the left side bar. Sam's story is Winter 09, page four. You will also see Tina and Sam, and her friend Ally who were featured in the story

I had heard of canine therapy but never seen it in action before. I was so taken by the looks on the faces of the residents as the touched Sam (the people who were able touch him) and the ones who could not, expressed their emotions with their eyes. I can tell you I had tears in my eyes as I observed their reaction to Sam's gentle way.

Thank you Sam and your Mum for bringing so my joy to the residents of Amaryllis house, I know my Tina loves to hold you when you visit, as she is an animal lover, having worked at at an animal shelter years ago when she was well.