High Altitude Gardening

Friday's Freebie: BHG's Orchid Manual

2012-01-27T12:25:00.003-07:00

Brassia Rex Christine ~ my most 'exotic' orchid

Do you grow Orchids? I avoided them for years. Thinking they were too high maintenance. The only person I knew who grew them kept all of hers on a kitchen counter, near a north facing window.

When they're not in bloom, they're the ugliest things. Or, so I thought.

Gangly stems stretch to the sun as new buds begin to take shape.

Once I embraced the challenge of getting orchids to re-bloom, I totally changed my tune. These days, I'm as excited with the green shoots and buds as I am with the stunning flowers.

Orchids keep me company while I'm washing dishes.

This is my kitchen window. It faces west. Whatever orchids are currently in bloom take up residence here. No sunlight reasons behind that. Simple selfishness! Inspecting those intricate blossoms takes my mind off the fact that I'm standing there, washing dishes.

Lady Slipper Orchid

Which brings me to this week's Freebie ~ a book I absolutely positively DO NOT want to give away. (I promised I would give it away, therefore I have to.) I learned a few new tricks by reading this book.

BH&G's Orchid Gardening book is everything you've ever wanted to know about Orchids.

From basic care to DIY orchid soils to creating an orchid hospital when some of them require life support. (Plus, some hand holding when it's time to throw that baby into the compost pile and start all over again. :)

I have one copy of this book to give away. Please leave a comment if you'd like to be in the drawing.

* Better Homes & Gardens gave me a collection of plant-related books to read, review and give away.

Hence, the 'Friday Freebie' thing, which will continue with something new for the next few weeks. If you're not big Orchids, pop over next Friday to yak about Herbs.

** To be completely fair in selecting a winner, I have my neighbor draw names out of a hat. (Gives me a fine excuse to hang out over at her place and eat all of her cookies.)

CONGRATULATIONS TO LAST WEEK'S WINNER: Melospiza. I'll be mailing you the Yes! You Can! canning and preserving book. Just as soon as you send me your address. :))

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Wordless Wednesday: Window Sill Gardens

2012-01-24T16:45:00.008-07:00

Azaleas

Geranium (I'm a total sucker for this peachy keen color.)

Micro-mini Roses

A delightful mess of my favorite indoor flowers ~ colorful Kalanchoe

You know what I love about flowers? Everything.
How when they start to smile, they put a smile on my face, too.
How could anyone look at this crazy mess of blossoms and still feel grumpy?

To meet more Wordless Wednesday participants, click here!

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Ortensia Blu and a Recipe, too.

2012-01-20T10:30:00.002-07:00

Hi, Everybody ~ I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine. Laney is a Connecticut gardener who recently combined her 3 great passions ~ gardening, cooking, and the wonders of Italy. Her online store ~ Ortensia Blu ~ sells gourmet goodies imported from Italy. I'm always on the prowl for fab Italian recipes so I invited her to do a guest blog post and share a favorite recipe with us. Buon Appetito!

'Ortensia Blu' means blue hydrangea.

{From Laney} Gardeners and cooks have a lot in common ~ we enjoy working with our hands, we're tantalized by the scents and fragrances in our gardens. It takes patience and time until we can celebrate our finished product. I’ve found that there’s a huge crossover between gardening and cooking – with many of us wearing and enjoying both hats (preferably brimmed straw ones!)

Ortensia Blu is the fruits of my labor. A new online store that brings together Italian specialty food products I’ve had a great time sourcing in Italy, plus recipes I get a thrill out of creating and preparing for my family.

What started it all is a simple blue hydrangea, which in Italian is called ortensia blu.

True blue Hydrangeas prefer acid soil, turning pink and purple in western alkaline soil.

Actually I have a yard full of blue hydrangeas ~ my most favorite flower that I’ve planted and nurtured every place that I’ve lived. Aside from ones bought at the garden center or even the grocery store, many of them were gifts, since planted in the garden with fond memories of the givers.

I live in a part of the country where hydrangeas grow beautifully in the summer and I’ve turned some of the lovely white and pink ones to a gorgeous blue by adding aluminum sulfate to the soil. Kate says my soil here is more acidic which is why blue grows so well. I planted white ones a few years ago that I’ve kept pure and pristine, though they have the slightest hint of blue in the center so I guess Kate is right.

Pink and purple hydrangeas ~ as well as yellow, red, orange, white and all the shades in between of the many other plants, flowers and shrubs complete the color palette of my garden.

As much as I love all of the colors I see, my heart beats just a little faster and my mind calms a bit more when I gaze out at my beautiful ortensie blu.

I’m not too much of an indoor gardener so I have to wait several months until my hydrangeas bloom. In winter, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. So, I thought I’d share one of my recipes with you that’s simple to prepare, smells amazing, looks terrific and tastes fabulous.

Click here to find more recipes at Ortensia Blu.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day ~ January, 2012

2012-01-15T10:12:00.007-07:00

I love it when GBBD lands on a weekend, when there's plenty of time to take stock of what's going on.

Outdoors ~ weirdness abounds. I was taking pictures out there, this morning, without a coat on. It's that warm. In January. In a ski resort.

Up close & personal with my favorite Kalanchoe

But, since it is January I hope I can get away with playing up my indoor garden. Here we go...

By some bizarre stroke of luck, ALL of my Kalanchoes burst into bloom last week.

I squeeze all the colors into one big pot so it has a garden bed effect.

I take full credit for this though it's not from a good gardener's tender loving care. This sunny window is filled with a bunch of rebellious and horribly root bound houseplants crying uncle.

I don't have the nicest house but I do have a killer view.

I'm not very kind to my houseplants. I only re-pot them when they threaten suicide. I figure if there's no where to grow 'downstairs' (in the potting soil) then they'll get bizzy 'upstairs,' and gift me with lots of pretty flowers.

A few fab re-blooming Orchids. Hopefully more, next month.

I'm even worse with my Orchids. They're on crack 24/7. :) I soak them every Sunday in a diluted water/organic fertilizer mix. Which inspires fanatical blooms though I doubt they're all that healthy.

Micro-mini Roses

I was just delighted to see everything blossom this week because I had a garden friend visit on Friday and that window was a joy to behold.

African Violet

My one and only African Violet is putting on a pretty show.

I wish I could photograph her properly (her petals sparkle!) but I don't have a good enough camera... I used to have an entire window of these pretty violets until somebody (I'm not naming names, though it could be me) left them out on the deck on a freezing night.

One of the very few freezing nights we've had this year.

Winter has not yet arrived. I'm beginning to wonder if it ever will.

It's disturbing to me that the trees are not dropping their leaves. (Leaves are shed to ensure a tree's winter survival so the fact that they don't feel compelled to drop their leaves seems odd. Perhaps you know what's going on? If so, please fill me in.)

And, I'm doubly worried about the fact that they're budding. In January. Isn't that strange?

I'll leave you with a pic of my favorite houseplant, Auntie Edna...

She's still radiating happiness and I have high hopes she'll keep this up 'til Easter.

Happy Bloom Day, Everyone!

Pay a visit to Carol @ May Dream Gardens to visit more flower lovers for this Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day monthly meme.

Friday's Freebie: Yes! You Can!

2012-01-13T10:13:00.005-07:00

That jar o' jam was not that hard to do.

My daughter is going back to school to become a registered dietitian. (Big applause for L! That's a hard choice to make... going deep into debt with student loans, putting adulthood on hold and heading back into the classroom because her first degree was just not lighting her fire.) I'm very proud of her for making this decision. And, of course, this new path is prompting all sorts of food, nutrition and dietary discussions.

I sort of made the resolution ~ (made it in my head, but I guess, now, I'm declaring it) ~ to grow more and store more during this upcoming garden season. I've avoided this like the plague! The idea of canning and preserving? Good Lord... I truly have become my Mother.

But, I just finished reading this book and it's got me kind of excited. Because it's a modern day bible on how to freeze, dry, can, sugar and ferment my way to nutritional bliss. (Ferment had me really excited but I'm sorry to say there was no how-to on Dandelion Wine.)

Would you like this book?

I have a copy to give away.

Just leave a comment and promise me faithfully that you'll truly follow through and cook up a batch of freezer jam. Or, some other delightful thing.

"Yes! You Can! And Freeze and Dry It, Too" is a modern step by step guide to preserving food. Written by Daniel Gasteiger.

Cold Springs Press gave this book to me to read and review.

I give it 2 thumbs up and now I'm giving it to you. Just leave me a comment.

**************

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New Mexico Centennial Ride

2012-01-10T16:22:00.008-07:00

Since we're head over heels in love with New Mexico we decided to kick off the new year in fine form ~ by joining the New Mexico Trail Riders for a 3-day horseback ride.

The wild, wild west is alive and kickin' ~ down south, in New Mexico.

Coming from back east it seems weird that a state would be celebrating their 100th birthday. Seems like that should have happened a long time ago. (Minnesota has already celebrated their 150th.)

We saddled up at the historic San Acacia Schoolhouse.

But, everything is different out west. Where there is a rich history, but not a very long one. New Mexico became the 47th state to join the union, on January 6th, 1912.

What's left of the original San Acacia Church

And, the locals are such a proud bunch they've coordinated huge celebrations all over the state.

This last weekend, I discovered that the people are as warm and wonderful as their weather. Winter doesn't really exist this far south. Even with snow on the ground, we enjoyed blue skies and balmy temps.

We were filmed riding to the top of Indian Hills, the geographical center of New Mexico.

And, I gotta tell ya... I am so glad that I joined them for this ride! Because the first few weeks after the holidays are usually such a let down.

De-Christmas-ing the house. Shutting off the outdoor lights. Glaring at the bathroom scale and trying to forget the buckets and buckets of scrumptious holiday treats that found their way into my greedy little hands...

This time of year everyone is committed to one kind of diet, or another. We're all making pledges to do this, that, and the other thing better than we did in year's past.

And, I suppose I ~~could~~ should be doing that, too. But, I just can't bring myself to be that kind of a nazi this year.

And, I hope you've decided to be kind to yourself, too.

Because life is too short to be worrying about such things. Let's just resolve to have fun.

One very cool Grandma.

Hoop House Dreams

2012-01-03T10:37:00.021-07:00

Just imagine the goodies I could grow in a greenhouse...

On the morning of NYE, I met up with a new blogging friend @ the local coffee shop. Because it's pretty much the only show in town. [There. I said it. New Year. New Me! In 2012, I might throw 'nice' right out the window and be all critical over things I normally never bitch about.]

I often wonder if other people standing in line at the Roaster are doing the same darn thing I'm doing...

Patronizing that place simply because they're local. They couldn't make a decent cappuccino if their lives depended on it.

Greenhouse Fever: I'll take this one!

Cold coffee aside, it was a fun morning of sharing seeds and talking gardening. A fine time to dream since we're 6 months out from planting season.

Deb's also an alpaca rancher. I have a blurry vision of what alpacas are all about. My horse tends to race past them at a dead gallop because she's certain sure they're gonna eat her. So, I'm excited to pay a visit to Sunrise Ranch (without my horse) to see what these cuddly critters are all about.

I'd be A-Okay with a not-so-fancy hoopie house, too.

We discovered we're both dreaming of hoop houses. To extend our mountain growing season (which gets weirder and more volatile every year.)

This could work.

I'm actually way past the dreamy stage. I'm deep into OCD. As in obsessing night and day about the bennies of a hoop house.

Is this inspired by skyrocketing food prices? Driven by mounting food safety concerns?

Oh, hell no. This is all about the zen-y aspect of puttering in a greenhouse, playing with baby seedlings, all year long. I'd be in 7th heaven.

So, here we go. I'm officially declaring that this is the year. That a hoop house, a high tunnel, a greenhouse or something similar gets built in 2012. {Resolution #1.}

And, I'd be totally cool with this one. (Provided they'll take a bouncy-type check...)

Now you're talkin'

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Happy New Year

2011-12-31T10:17:00.004-07:00

Click HERE to enjoy a simple, 30 second, song and celebrate the New Year.

Purple Aspirations

2011-12-28T22:12:00.020-07:00

Art washes away from the soul
the dust of everyday life.
- Pablo Picasso

'Twas a nutty Christmas to say the very least. Kicked it off at a glorious vintage holiday festival in the quaint village of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Where my dear friend lives in this storybook purple cottage. I'm way impressed with creative types who have the good sense to doll up a one hundred year old home. When you get to be this old, it's cool to strut your stuff.

My friend's darling New Hampshire cottage.

This New England town is home to Strawberry Banke. Settled by colonial types in 1623 ~ where I learned how to make pretty wreaths from natural goodies collected in the woods nearby. We saw the Nutcracker Ballet and did all things vintage Christmas. It was pretty special.

And then... I hopped on a plane, squished in like sardines, seated next to a woman who was very ill, should NOT have been flying.

She gifted me with her illness 2 days before our own celebrations began.

Persimmons in the wreaths

So that slowed me down a bit but it didn't stop any of the festivities. You can't exactly call off Christmas, now can you?

Living in a ski resort we're guaranteed to have our own storybook setting ~ fluffy white snowflakes and a winter wonderland. But, not this year. It was warm as toast. A brown Christmas in a ski resort? Strange days.

We cooked and cooked in anticipation of the big Christmas Eve party. The second everyone arrived, the power went off. And, stayed off for hours. Until most of the partiers gave in, gave up, and went home.

Sounds awful, doesn't it?

Oh, it wasn't so bad. Relying on dim flashlights and plentiful holiday candles, we sat quietly by a cozy fire and welcomed in the big day.

Took this week off to recuperate. I am clearly in the minority on this, but I kind of like December's short days and early sunsets.

Spent my evenings curled up on the couch reading The Deep Middle Blogger's book: Sleep, Creep, Leap.

Between his great book (3 years of ups and downs in a Nebraska garden) and M's fancy purple cottage, I'm bursting with big ideas to make some colorful changes in my own garden during the new year.

So... how was your holiday? Here's hoping you had a warm and wonderful celebration, complete with working electricity so you could enjoy the tree!

Portsmouth, NH Holiday Stroll

Best wishes for a Very Happy New Year!

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Pop Go the Chestnuts

2011-12-23T09:44:00.005-07:00

Fresh Chestnuts, ready for the oven.

Slice an 'X' through the Chestnut shells prior to roasting.

Skip this step and you'll be sorry...

Ever roasted chestnuts? Fresh from the oven, with a dash of sea salt, they're quite delightful. And, pretty easy to do, if you follow directions.

Last Christmas, I bought a pound of fresh Chestnuts and decided to give this tradition a try.

The outcome was not nearly as cozy and romantic as I expected. They explode! In unison! When you remove them from a hot oven and they hit the cooler air it's like 4th of July all over the kitchen. So, that was not good. But, the remnants were quite tasty.

Fun Facts to Know and Tell:
Chestnuts are one of the healthiest nuts you can nibble. Low in calories, low in fat, rich in vitamins, minerals and protein. Nutritionally similar to brown rice...

Blah, blah, blah. I rarely put things on the menu because they're good for you. That's almost always asking for trouble. Since good for you quite often equates to a flavorless mess. But, Chestnuts are different. They have a rich, buttery flavor that can fool you into thinking they're on the do not snarf list.

Our jazzy Christmas table settings.

Roasting Chestnuts:

Slice a criss cross into the shells.
Place on a baking sheet.
Cook in a 375 (F) oven for about 30 minutes
The criss-crossed shells will curl back letting you know when they are done.
As soon as they're cool enough to touch, pop them out of their shells. (It's a lot easier to remove shells when they're still warm.)
Spritz with a buttery flavored cooking spray.
Sprinkle with finely ground sea salt.

What I've learned:
* In the mountains, try a cooler oven. Bake at 375 (F) vs. the 425 you see in directions all over the web.
** No need to soak them in salt water. That's a waste of time since the moisture and salt permeate the shells, not the chestnuts, and you're throwing the shells away.

The Stunning Life of Flowers

2011-12-20T13:39:00.001-07:00

Life of flowers from VOROBYOFF PRODUCTION on Vimeo.

* This is so pretty I had to share. I just love how these blossoms stand up and say Howdy!

Produced by Vladimir Vorobyov. Astana City, Kazakhstan.

Wordless Wednesday: Flor de la Noche Buena

2011-12-14T09:01:00.004-07:00

Ever wonder what's up with those brightly colored Poinsettia blooms?

In her natural state, she'll show off green, red and mottled leaves.

Poinsettias are simply celebrating what we humans are lamenting ~ the long, dark days of winter.

For more Wordless Wednesday participants click here!

* Flor de la Noche Buena means Flower of the Holy Night. Introduced to the US by the Minister of Mexico in 1828. Another fine reason for us to stop being so damned prejudiced.

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Cookie Cutter Creativity

2011-12-12T13:03:00.013-07:00

Back when I had a real job... whenever I wasn't doing a good enough job... my boss would crab at my lack of creativity and accuse me of taking a cookie cutter approach. That was a confusing way to insult me because I've tried to make perfectly consistent cut out cookies since Lauren was a baby and it's a whole lot harder than it looks.

This is my theory as to why most of us leave the creative cookie cutting to Pillsbury:

After we turn 40, we figure out that women's magazines are filled with re-touched photos of flawed people. Once we realize that Angelina Jolie could very well be fat and ugly in real life, we feel a whole lot better about ourselves.

For some odd reason, we haven't quite accepted the fact that food photography gets the same specialty treatment.

I can assure that you it does. I once spent 16 hours at a photo shoot because some dumb art director needed the peas in the pasta salad to be placed in just the right spots.

Today, I'd like to encourage everyone to haul out the cookie cutters, roll up their sleeves and think... Picasso, Dali, and Pollock ~ definitely Jackson Pollock!

Because there are a whole lot of creative masters out there

who happily failed Art Class 101.

Simple Sugar Cookies
No matter how they look, they all taste delightful. This recipe makes 3 dozen average size cookies or 1 gigantic cookie sculpture (in case you'd like to pay tribute to Gaudi!)

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1.5 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
1.25 teaspoons baking powder

How to:

Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in egg and vanilla.
Add flour and baking powder in intervals. (Dough will seem too dry but it will improve when chilled.)
Divide dough into four equal parts and refrigerate about an hour.
Roll out dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper, 1/4 inch thick for crisp cookies or 1/3 inch thick for soft cookies.
Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and and bake for 7-8 minutes @ 375 F.

Tip:
Don't forget to eat lots of cookie dough. This dramatically reduces the amount of time you spend baking the cookies.

Follow @Kate_HAGardens

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Forever Christmas Trees

2011-12-11T10:46:00.012-07:00

We need more ornaments!

The great debate continues... what's best for the environment?

Buy a fake tree?

Buy a live tree?

Well, they're not exactly 'live' if they're leaning against a chain link fence in the Christmas tree lot at your local supermarket.

There is another option.

Buy a REAL, live tree!

Yesterday, I decked out our Christmas tree from 4 years ago. We bought her live and then transplanted the tree into the garden, the following spring. This year, she's sporting some festive twinkling lights.

Tips:
- If you opt for a truly live, potted evergreen keep it in the house for a maximum of ten days.
- Set it outside, in the pot, in the shade, through the rest of the winter. (Water if there is no snow cover.)

Our tree doesn't look anything like this!

Good 'Christmas trees' for gardens:

Norway Spruce is a popular cut Christmas tree but not so great in the garden. She drops her needles all year long.

Happiest in High Altitudes: Fraser Fir (Abies fraseri) has soft needles and strong boughs, ideal for heavy ornaments. USDA zones 4-7.
Korean Fir (Abies koreana ) grows to approximately 40 ft, a perfect size for most yards. USDA zones 5-7.
Noble Fir (Abies procera) is an absolutely stunning silvery-blue tree with fragrant tips, though too tender for the mountains anywhere but the Pacific Northwest. USDA zones 7-10.

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A Tribute to Auntie Edna

2011-12-07T10:24:00.006-07:00

This is Aunt Edna, my most beloved houseplant. I get all silly about her, every Christmas.

A gift from my Mom, back when I was in college. The poor dear drank a lotta beer* back then and, apparently, developed a taste for it!

She's graced me with gorgeous flowers every holiday season since we lived in the dorm.

Edna was a cutting off my Mother's Christmas Cactus. Who was born from a cutting off my Grandmother's Christmas Cactus.

She's a more important holiday tradition (for me) than a tree, having brightened up many a crappy apartment during my younger years.

Try as I might, I cannot capture a great photo of Auntie Edna from afar. Making me wonder if her beauty is an optical illusion based solely on sentimentality? She has mesmerized me for 25 years. And, shows no indication of slowing down.

Growing Tips:
* No more beer for the old gal. These days she's content with groovy, organic tea.
* Cool temps, bright sunshine and turn her loose every once in awhile. She plays outdoors in my garden (under a shade tree,) all summer long.

Follow @Kate_HAGardens

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The Petunia Sting Operation

2011-12-06T11:59:00.013-07:00

I was scarred (for years!) by these conniving little Petunias.

Popped over to visit Garden Faerie's magical blog ~ intrigued by her post title: The Story Behind the Name. She was curious about how we came up with our blog names and what's the {sometimes secret} significance to the name we actually chose.

I explained that choosing High Altitude Gardening was boring. A no brainer. Though, I suppose my 'secret' would be that I've always regretted deciding upon it.

Here's the full story ~ the Petunia Sting Operation ~ that's worth a giggle and the background as to why I picked that lame name.

Clumped together, Petunias can be pretty persuasive!

I was house shopping in Park City, Utah ~ which is kind of like window shopping on Rodeo Drive. Me being the poor soul who can barely afford to peer in the window, much less fantasize about buying anything. I'd spent 6 months seeking a non-dumpish house, that fit within my price range, when my real estate agent announced he'd found one that was right up my alley.

I pulled into the driveway of the soon-to-become over-priced Kate mistake ~ and gazed upon an impossible garden. (I didn't know it was impossible at the time.) At least a thousand stunning Petunias were waving in the breeze.

The inside of the house barely registered. All I could see was that gorgeous garden. Bought it on the spot! It wasn't until after we moved in that I realized the house was missing one important item: a bedroom. (Could have swore there was 3, turned out to be 2. But, oh! That garden!)

One less bedroom to clean? Not that big a deal.

Discovering that after an early freeze my impossible garden was dead as a doornail? Well, that was absolutely heartbreaking.

At the time, I did not know Petunias were annuals. And, that all it took was one night of nasty weather and they were done for.

The following spring I started asking plant companies for advice on PERENNIALS that would do well in my high altitude garden. Of course, none of them lived in the mountains. They had no idea what they were talking about and recommended annuals claiming it's impossible to grow perennials at higher altitudes.

Having been burned once I was not falling for that again. Anyone who has hiked a mountain trail can clearly see that perennial flowers are simply delighted to live up here.

Hence the inspiration to spread the word in a blog. Hence that lame blog name so other mountain gardeners could find me. And, the tagline (Growing an impossible garden at 7,000 feet) to constantly remind myself that plant companies aren't the be all, end all, when it comes to advice.

Follow @Kate_HAGardens

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Your First Gift of the Season

2011-12-02T12:51:00.014-07:00

I'm giving away TomatoFest heirloom tomato seeds.

Spent a good bit of time standing in line at the post office yesterday. They're holding my brand new cowl neck sweater hostage, claiming they don't have my package, when Athleta swears they do.

I'm pretty sure they do, too. It's a RARE situation when our local postal service does anything right. And, I'm not just mad about the sweater. They sat on my hiking boots for 5 months before admitting the package was in their back room.

Have you ever grown tomatoes indoors? It's easy!

While I was standing in line, I sorted through the rest of the stuff retrieved from my PO box...

Gary Ibsen, of TomatoFest sent me these goodies.

And, look what I found!!!

An oh, so, generous stack of heirloom tomato seeds from Gary Ibsen, owner of TomatoFest. I'm happy to call him a 'friend,' now. As in friends on FB.

Leave a comment for a chance to win yummy heirloom tomato seeds.

Do you Facebook? People can be very passionate about Facebook. Either they love it or they hate it.

I like the fact that it connects me with people like Gary, King of the Heirloom Tomatoes. I've ordered from him before. I order from lots of plant companies. But, what a great treat to be able to talk to the guy.

He sent me a whole stack of heirloom tomato seeds. Indoor container collections (I grow small tomatoes in winter, in my sunny window.) He included a stack of outdoor heirloom tomato seeds, as well.

12 packs in all.

I'm giving away 10.

To random blogging friends who leave me a comment.

Now Gary didn't realize I was going to give these away. He just wanted me to have a bunch. But seeing as how it's the holidays and all... I thought it would be good to share the love.

So, back to my question. Do you Facebook? If so, go buddy up to TomatoFest. You could pop over and say hello to me, too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Simply leave a comment to participate.
10 randomly selected commenters will receive a packet of
TomatoFest Heirloom Tomato Seeds.
Winners selected by my darling daughter (who claims she cannot be swayed by bribes.)

Follow @Kate_HAGardens

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A Most Wonderful Guilty Time

2011-11-28T12:11:00.009-07:00

A gifted bouquet ~ One of the many perks to hosting Thanksgiving dinner.

I have a laundry list of things to do and at the very top of it should be... laundry. (Don't ya just hate the day after a long and lovely holiday weekend? When all of life must return to normal.)

Entertaining guests can be exhausting.

Laundry. My second most hated task on the planet.

Shopping for holiday gifts can be equally tiresome.

Vacuuming weighs in at #1 on the Damn! I hate to do this! scale. That's on today's dreary to-do list, as well.

I'd vaccuum every day if some brilliant mind would simply invent a totally silent vacuum cleaner. Whenever I see a Dyson commercial I find myself hollering at the guy on the tv. In high hopes he might hear me and stop worrying about suction.

Paper Yellows ~ as fragrant as the more common Paper Whites.

Speaking of t.v. We had a simply marvelous, couldn't be better, Thanksgiving. I hope you did, too.

Who dares bring THIS to my party?

Burning This and That:
Playing hooky from the usual obligations, daughter L and I bustled about the kitchen... From the moment we woke up, until the second we plopped down... to enjoy that Go Ahead, Loosen Your Belt meal.

Complete with a homemade pecan pie! Not this atrocity featured on the right. Homestyle my eye...

Lethargathon!
Afterwards we watched t.v. The last time we laid around the living room watching bad movies was 2 years ago. On Christmas Day. Which was the last time we bagged our obligations and hunkered down for some serious laziness.

Store Bought Pie Perp

Holidays are always fun.

But, they can also be difficult.

So many expectations. So little time. Everyone expecting you to attend their party. Instead of the 6 or 7 other parties you've been invited to.

It makes me feel guilty. Over digging in my heels and doing my own thing. I'm not Catholic but I wonder if should be... I carry enough guilt to qualify for the nunnery. Though I highly doubt they'd accept me. (Given past sins.)

In spite of my silly fretting I will say... last Thursday was a most wonderful time. And, I think we've started a brand new tradition. Of doing absolutely nuttin.

It's fun to do your own thing.

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Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T08:15:00.008-07:00

Pre-Holiday chores got y'all stressed out?
Click HERE and be magically delivered to Grandma's house.

50 pound turkey? Check. Bushel of sweet taters? Check. Crispy, crunchy runner beans? Oh, yeah. Half dozen pie pumpkins? Hmmm. Pumpkin Pie? That was soooo last year.... try baking up one of these goodies instead!

Bourbon Pecan Sweet Tater Pie

1 frozen pie shell
2 cups roasted sweet potatoes, peeled and shmooshed
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1.5 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
3 tablespoons Kentucky bourbon

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1 cup toasted pecans (stove top, minute or two, teflon pan)
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup real maple syrup

1) Pre-bake your pie crust for about 10 minutes @ 425 (F).
2) Toss the top list into a large bowl. Grab your trusty mixer and beat until fluffy.
3) Pour into the pie shell and bake @ 375 (F) for 20 minutes.
4) Mix up the nuts, butter and maple syrup. Pour over the pie. Pop it back in the oven for another 25-30 minutes.
5) Have a slice. Or two. Or, three! Hey, it's the holidays. Enjoy it while ya can.

Here's to a lovely holiday, this proverbial calm before the storm.

Happy Thanksgiving to One & All.

* If you click that top link, you'll receive your very own Thanksgiving card from me to you, designed by Jacquie Lawson, a goddess among card creators, even if she does make me pay for a subscription.
** This yummy dessert is adapted from a recipe I discovered on allrecipes.com. Mine, naturally, contains more booze. (Just kidding. That was a test to see if you're actually reading this post...)

Follow @Kate_HAGardens

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A Toast to Biodynamic Wine

2011-11-19T21:31:00.013-07:00

Growing up, we never celebrated Thanksgiving with wine, champagne or anything else really fun. There was no religious excuse surrounding this decision. We just didn't do it.

And, I always thought that was a huge mistake. After all, we were living in a crappy, little town in South Dakota. Just looking out the window could drive ya to drink!

Not to mention the family tensions. Mom had 11 sisters and every one of them had a 'better' idea on how to cook the turkey. God forbid they could ever enjoy a big group hug. (Champagne Cocktails could have easily improved this situation.)

Everything is more palatable when we all get along. And, that's why I'm so fond of the concept of Biodynamic Wine.

It's a nice, fancy term for returning to our roots, finally listening to our elders and farming the good old-fashioned way. Organic is great but Biodynamic takes things to a whole new level of grooviness! By making the land self-sustaining.

Cover crops return nitrogen to the soil. Trees, birds and bees all play a role. Essentially, the acreage becomes a nature preserve surrounding the vines.

Thanksgiving is Thursday ~ and half the nation is expected to show up with a side dish and a bottle of wine.

In the spirit of getting along, bring one from a Biodynamic Vineyard.

Why? Because the weather has been downright nutty. Talk at the Thanksgiving dinner table will most assuredly turn to global warming...

At which point, you can show off your super duper, earth-friendly bottle of wine, brag up biodynamics and act all smug!

Have a happy day however you choose to celebrate. :)

Follow @Kate_HAGardens

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Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day ~ November, 2011

2011-11-15T09:59:00.014-07:00

Rescued Geraniums

This Garden Blogger's Bloom Day is all about annuals! Well, at least the lucky two that I've turned into "perennials." As in... I wonder just how long I can encourage you to bloom?

Call me a softie, but I just couldn't bear to let them freeze to death. Winter came early this year. They're as delighted as me to be parked indoors, comfy and cozy.

I'm head over heels in love with her peachy color. :)

In the sunny window ~ lots of buds but very few blossoms.

Edna's gettin' bizzy.

Edna, the Christmas Cactus that I've had since college (nearly ancient, now) is working 24/7 on her version of a holiday greeting.

Kids these days... always trying to one up the elders.

This is Lucy, a younger Christmas Cactus I received as a gift a couple years ago. The poor kid is clearly possessed. Timing her blossoms for Halloween.

Perhaps inspired by the snow, I have one re-blooming Butterfly Orchid. (Plus, a whole bunch more on the way.)

And, that's about it. A sorry state of affairs that I hope will improve very soon. This was 'compost year' when every happy houseplant that had bugs, or wasn't doing a good enough flower job got the proverbial axe.

Pay a visit to Carol @ May Dream Gardens.

She's the gracious host of this monthly meme, Garden Blogger's Bloom Day.

From her website you can connect with all sorts of talented gardeners ~ many of whom are living in kinder climates than me.

Now who's up for some snowshoeing??

Follow @Kate_HAGardens

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Seriously Smart Stroganoff

2011-11-10T08:10:00.008-07:00

Bye Bye Daylight Savings Time :(

That first week... after the end of our blessed daylight savings time... When darkness kicks in around 4 p.m. When it feels exceptionally cold and miserable ~ even when it's not.. Well, that's the hardest time of the year for me to watch what I eat.

I stop gardening. I stop riding horses. You couldn't pay me enough to go for a hike. And, yes, I do drive to the post office. And, it's only a mile away.

I stop moving. And, begin to blimp.

I desperately ~~need~~ want heavy foods and cozy casseroles and why not add a whole stick of butter? Fat tastes good. And, it makes me happy! Right up until I hoist myself into last year's ski pants.

This recipe evolved out of necessity ~
1) Real beef stroganoff is so high in fat I had to kick it off the menu. Permanently.
2) I'd be lost without an oven. I rarely, if ever, have the time to monitor a stove top recipe.

The Path of Least Resistance ~
'Low Fat' is a very bad word in this household. Therefore, I never utter it out loud. No Yolk noodles are lower in fat, as is the soup. So far, nobody at the dinner table has figured this out.

Low Fat Beef Stroganoff Casserole

It doesn't look nearly this pretty when I make it.

1 lb. beef chuck roast cut into bite-size pieces.
1 bunch, chopped green onions, tops and all.
1 container sliced Baby Bella mushrooms.
3 cloves chopped garlic. Or, 2 tsp. roasted garlic that comes in the glass jars.
1 can fat-free cream of mushroom soup + water.
3 tbs. Worcestershire sauce.
1/2 package No Yolk pasta noodles.

In a non-stick pan, with cooking spray, stir fry the beef, garlic and shrooms for about 5 minutes. Don't bother boiling the noodles, they'll cook in the sauce. Add the other goodies, put this mess in your favorite casserole dish, covered. Bake @350 for approximately 30 minutes.

* If you do this up right, the whole thing should come in at around 7 grams of fat, per serving, which is about 20 grams of fat less than the real deal.

Buon Appetito!
Follow @Kate_HAGardens

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Wordless Wednesdays: Park City's Cute Cottages

2011-11-09T05:46:00.003-07:00

The Old Town neighborhood, in Park City, Utah, is crammed full of cuteness: refurbished Silver Miner Shacks from way back when. (Most on the historic registrar.)

This is Bad Dog's favorite. The Love Your Pet Store:

* For more Wordless Wednesday participants click here!

Follow @Kate_HAGardens

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Some Like it Cold

2011-11-05T11:18:00.012-06:00

There's snow on the garden and change in the air. Pleased as punch I had the foresight to play hooky yesterday. Did absolutely nothing productive. Simply savoring what was likely the last warm autumn day to be had around these parts.

Apple Blossom Amaryllis

I keep marveling at our weather. How it's strangely predictable this year. Woke to snowflakes gently falling, and silence, having been abandoned by my sweet as pie, yet aptly named, Bad Dog.

I hear him on the hill, behind our house, barking like crazy... Perhaps in celebration of his favorite season. (He dearly loves to slide down that hill, head first in the snow. No one believes me until they witness it, first hand, but he really does do that!)

Try to find Amaryllis bulbs that have just barely started to grow.

Here I sit... sipping tea in front of a fire with grand plans to turn my house into an Amaryllis warehouse by day's end. I love Amaryllis bulbs ~ and, they make highly affordable holiday gifts.

Who can resist such big festive flowers? Plus, you gotta love a bulb with such chutzpah. She'll sprout in a dark box, without soil, or water, or TLC of any kind.

They lean to the sun. Rotate the pot each day so stalks don't bend.

I began this Amaryllis tradition awhile back, when I was beset by a bad budget. Spotted bulbs at Walmart for $5 a piece, and thought... hey! The bulbs, of course, don't look like much. But my little trick is to plant them 6 weeks before Christmas... delivering, not the bulb, but a pot of dinner plate size flowers inspiring lots of oohs and aahs.

To make them behave...
~ Plant in super small pots. About an inch or two bigger than the bulb. They'll grow faster and bloom quicker.

Carefully follow these steps to make sure that $5 Walmart bulb isn't dead as a doornail.

Wait until the shopping aisle is empty.
Open the box!

Patience is a virtue! It takes about 6 weeks from bulb planting to first flowers.

You can buy larger, higher quality Amaryllis bulbs from nurseries and they will produce bigger flowers. But, these are affordable. And, they're gorgeous. Therefore I think they'll do the trick.

Odd Bulbs

2011-11-01T10:51:00.011-06:00

I'm a sucker for Camassia

Most definitely a first...

Allium Hair

I hesitate to acknowledge this...

Fears of jinxing and such...

Allium Fireworks

This weekend, it felt as if Mother Nature was on my side.

(At long last! :)

Minutes after I'd given a loving pat to the soil, covering the brand new bulbs that I needed like a hole in my head ...

Grey clouds stretched across our blue skies and a quiet rain finished up this last project of the season.

Monsella Tulip

It's been a dry autumn. I'd regretted turning off the outside faucets.

How very kind of Mother Nature to water my bulbs.

Replete Daffodil

This time of year, most every gardener I know is a card-carrying member of the I Dread Winter Club.

I'm a bit of a rebel in that respect.

I'll confess, I'm looking forward to some lazy days. Curling up with a good book and enjoying a whole lotta quiet time.

Allium Schubertii

My gardens were a ton of hard work this summer.

Flatly refused to plant bulbs because of that.

But, there's always somebody stirring up trouble.

Allium Unifolium

Sat down, over coffee, with a friend of mine who was clearly in cahoots with every bulb company on the planet.

Brightly colored catalogs stacked about her kitchen.

All I gotta do is look at a picture and bam! I'm slapping down a credit card for one gotta have it, or another. No matter how crowded my gardens, seems there's always room for new bulbs.

Tip: Mountain critters hate Alliums (onion) bulbs but they dearly love a good Tulip. I plant rings of Allium bulbs around the Tulips and it works like a charm. They can't find 'em! I'm pretty sure I heard those rodents groaning when they saw what I was up to.

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Bonus Photo :)))))

Aftermath of Halloween:

My oh, so, creative darling daughter was Tippi Hedron, this year.

You remember her, don't you? Star of the Alfred Hitchcock thriller movie that L calls The [Angry] Birds!

Wordless Wednesdays: Antelope Island

2011-10-25T18:38:00.000-06:00

There's no Antelope on this island. Go figure.
* For more Wordless Wednesday participants click here!

Big Beet Night @ the Bondes

2011-10-24T13:09:00.008-06:00

You can tell a great cook by the way she stocks her pantry.

I'm feeling very lucky today, having just returned from a visit to Hot Springs, South Dakota. Huh???

Oh, it's the cutest little place, even if it is in the middle of nowhere. Home to a remote Wild Mustang Sanctuary ~ a bucket list item, a place I'd always wanted to visit..

Bustling about her cozy kitchen.

AND - it's also home to my good blogging friend, Gloria, of Dakota Garden. Who dropped everything she was doing and cooked us up a fantastic dinner when she heard we were cruising through town.

October garden, alive with bright color

I've been feeling a bit guilty over this, ever since I got home. We showed up late, empty handed and filthy from a long afternoon of stalking Spanish mustangs on the South Dakota prairie.

That's not like me. Oh, stalking horses, yeah, for sure. But showing up empty handed? At the very least, I'll be sporting a bouquet of flowers. (Gloria ~ if you're reading this, they are on their way. Making amends albeit a day late, and a buck short. :)

She's still got roses blooming!

Gloria has been very influential to me and that's half the fun of being a longtime blogger. So many wonderful, kindred spirits we meet along the way.

Last year, was my 'sick year' in that I came down with two bouts of illness that really knocked me for a loop. Both times Gloria provided some wise advice that put me on the road to recovery.

Fishies in this pond are freezin' their little fins off!

For years, I've drooled over her garden, through pictures on her blog. (She did all the stone work herself.) The pretty arbors her hubs, Ted, built are enough to make any gardener green with envy.

So, it was quite a treat to get a real world tour of her backyard.

She kept apologizing that the garden was 'done blooming.' I couldn't get over how much color she had this late in October!

When the sun set, and the autumn air grew chilly, we headed into her charming kitchen for a home-cooked meal.

Where we noshed on heirloom tomatoes and the BIG BEET, which took center stage. It's as big as a dinner plate! Or, it was... rest assured, we made short work of that homegrown beauty.

The BIG Beet was as large as a melon.

Thanks, Gloria! For inviting us into your cozy home. And, for wowing us with your amazing gardens. I'm looking forward to your visit next year.

* Click here to visit Gloria's spectacular Dakota Garden.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day ~ October, 2011

2011-10-14T23:36:00.080-06:00

Haunting my October Garden...

Rising From the Dead New Columbines.

Ghostly White David Phlox.

Blood Red Crab Apples.

Probably Poisonous Euphorbia.

Badly Bewitched Blanket Flowers.

Plus!
One scratchy Black Cat.

For more serious Blogger Bloom Day tours, pay a visit to Carol at May Dream Gardens.

And, Happy [early] Halloween!

Wordless Wednesdays: Leaf Peeping

2011-10-12T15:01:00.001-06:00

"Autumn is...

A second spring...

And...

Every leaf...

A Flower!"

~ Albert Camus {Quote}

For more Wordless Wednesday participants click here!

Mish Mashin' Mondays

2011-09-26T17:55:00.017-06:00

Perennial Snapdragons, one of the cheeriest flowers in my autumn garden.

May I just say...?

This was one glorious autumn weekend! Though I had to fight tooth and nail to make it happen.

Over-achieving John Cabot Roses are still budding ~ into their 4th flowering month.

I'm odd [on many levels] but my top oddity ~ the one that makes other people c-c-c-crazy ~ is how sometimes I desperately need some down time.

As in, alone time.

Helianthus, perennial sunflowers. Had I deadheaded, she might have gifted with more blossoms.

I imagine that's the introvert in me. Hard to explain to those extroverts skulking about. Doubly hard to explain without hurting those dear friends' feelings.

Thankfully, wild Coneflowers saw the need for more color and came to my rescue.

Do you ever feel like this? How it might be awfully convenient if cell phones were never invented? ('Cause, unlike landlines, they know you're not picking up.)

At the very least, they should offer a 50% off plan for weirdos like me who prefer to make calls, not necessarily receive them.

Blanket flowers, Catmint, and one last Pincushion threatening a bloom.

So, I'm feeling a tad bit guilty about saying, Oh, sorry... Super busy! (When I wasn't at all.) But, sometimes a gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do.

And, that scheme was a huge success. I managed to schedule absolutely nothin' for the entire weekend. Which gives most normal folks the yawns. But, I haven't had time off like that in... well, never.

Which means there's nothing worth reporting. Except for this...

Mind-boggling science experiment!

Most beloved kitty: Bright eyes now match his bushy tail.

My sweet kit cat, Buddy, has been battling an eye infection. And, I've been battling the need to take him to the vet -- because visiting the vet really stresses him out. (And, I've got the scars to prove it!)

So, I tried that home recipe of 1 TBS apple cider vinegar rubbed into the nape of his neck. And, whaddyaknow. It works! Trust me, I was more skeptical than you are but 1) it worked on a pretty serious eye infection. 2) in 48 hours and 3) for some odd reason he didn't try to fight me when I poured that stuff on his head.

Hollyhock seeds: Want some??

Last but not least!
I've harvested a ton of Mom's heirloom Hollyhock seeds. Want some?

Tip: If you experience rust on hollyhocks, remove the stalks and all debris early in the fall, after they are finished flowering. Rust is a fungus that overwinters in hollyhocks, causing problems the following summer.

* Mish Mash Mondays is the brainchild of my dear friend, Monica ~ whom I haven't chatted with in awhile. Because she, like me, is ignoring her phone. :)

Lavender Soap

2011-09-23T21:18:00.034-06:00

My first career, fresh out of college, was owning a retail store. Intermezzo* was a hip little joint ~ with a sales strategy of everything you've never needed.

* The intermezzo, in the 18th century, was an interlude performed between scenes of an opera, providing comic relief.

Lavender Fields ~ Mona, Utah

During my first year in business, I spent my days putzing around the bath department, concocting soaps and lotions with essential plant oils, and waiting for a customer to walk in.

Then something terrible happened.
We were voted Twin Cities Best Gift Shop and became a roaring success.

Suddenly, I had employees to deal with and department managers to scold. When my banker said I should sell franchises, I decided to sell the damn place instead.

I learned two valuable life lessons:

Success is hardly ever what it's cracked up to be.
How to make soap.

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You don't really need to grow Lavender in order to make soap. However! There are over 300 varieties of Lavender in the world and every one of them would look breathtaking in your garden.

TIP: The fragrance of English Lavender (Lavendula Angustifolia) is sweeter than their hybrid cousins, the Lavandins. This essential oil is wonderful for aromatherapy and perfume.

Lavender ~ Ever so easy to grow:
Choose a garden spot with good drainage and lotsa sun. Once established, she's a hardy, drought tolerant perennial - perfect for rock gardens.

But, she doesn't start out that way. Water her every 2 days and she'll jump for joy. Try a liquid, organic fertilizer when you water transplants. It helps her adjust to new surroundings.

In my area, our heavy clay soil causes problems. Work the soil well. It should be so loose you can dig it with your hands. Two inches of sand mulch will moderate soil temperature, reflecting heat and light up toward the plant.

Hot temperatures create more fragrant blooms. Severe pruning in early spring (to 2/3 of its size, leaving 2 inches of green above woody stems) stimulates beautiful growth. Remove ALL of the blossoms in fall. Because dried lavender will make every BFF you have a tiny bit happier.

RECIPE!

(Finally! A post that holds some value...)

Let's just file this one under: Itsabout time.

Lavender Oatmeal Soap
* Oatmeal is a natural humectant, wonderful for dry skin. Lavender has a delightful, relaxing fragrance. This soap makes a rich, creamy lather and lasts forever. Makes about 45 bars.

Create a lavender infusion by pouring hot water over 1 cup lavender flowers for about 10 minutes. Set aside. Drain excess water before adding to soap.

Soap Ingredients

128 fl oz palm oil
25 fl oz coconut oil
25.5 fl oz lye
17.25 fl oz water
100ml lavender essential oil
Organic rolled oats – oats will provide texture to your soap. (Begin with one cup, use your own judgement.)

~ I'm getting all scientific on you because, contrary to dress sizes, when it comes to soaps, measurements really do matter.

How to:

Melt palm and coconut oils to 113 degrees
Add lye and water
Stir until trace*
Add essential oil, lavender flowers and oats at trace
Pour into mold
Allow to set for about 3 days after pouring
Pop from molds and slice into bars

* No changes to ingredients, or process, when making soap at high altitude. (Soap might take a little longer to cure.)
** 'To trace' means well-mixed with no streaks of remaining oil.

A Pandora's Box o' Fun

2011-09-20T12:55:00.010-06:00

"A vacation is what you take when can no longer take what you've been taking."

Stealing a kiss from the handsome-est dude on the trail ride.

Four years ago, I was drifting. Flatlining, to be more precise.

Raised a wonderful daughter, sent her off to college and then knocked around a big, empty house, for an entire year, with nobody to talk to but... me.

Heading into the Chuchillo Mountains, near Truth or Consequences, NM.

Kept asking myself the same question over and over again: Now what, Kate? Now what?

Me and my wonderful borrowed horse, Baby Rain.

'Twas my next door neighbor who saved me. She and I lied to the horse owner down the road from us. Lied, big time.

That unsuspecting woman had advertised that she leased horses to "experienced riders." So, we told her we were experts. (How hard could it be? :)

My good friend Nancy. We would never have met, were it not for our love of horses.

The fact that I put the halter on upside down was a dead give away, though we somehow cajoled this gal into leasing us two horses for the summer.

A sneaky move that opened a pandora's box of fun.

Carol. My roomie on this ride and - dig this - she wears Harry Potter pajamas. I was so jealous!

Horses, whether male or female, behave like impetuous teenage girls. They are frustrating, stubborn, moody, and ~ quite often ~ for sale! Because they don't always behave themselves when you need their undivided attention.

They bring out the Mom in you... Suddenly someone needed me again.

There's always one show off in the bunch. :)

In the beginning, everyone called horses my midlife crisis. And, they were probably right.

But, here's the deal. Even when it comes to an alleged crisis, there's safety in numbers. On my very first trail ride, I met a fun group of women who called themselves the SADDLE SORE-ORITY.

And, whaddyaknow... These women had been looking for something new to do ~ their kids, like mine, were away at college, making it much harder to meddle in their lives.

Los Alamos nuclear engineer. Cowgirl at heart.

Beginning a new hobby opens more doors than you'd ever imagine. I joined an entire world of like-minded people I'd never have met, where it not for this new-found passion.

Our handsome guide and his sidekick apprentice.

Have you looked into horse vacations? How long did it take to recover from sticker shock?

Here's a little known secret:

It does NOT cost a fortune to enjoy this type of adventure.

You simply need to Google your little heart out ~ search for true benefit trail rides vs. tourist traps looking to make a fast buck. (These benefit trail rides often rent horses.)

In a town of 12 people (not kidding)... we discovered this tiny Catholic Church.

I rode a borrowed horse. Stayed in a comfy lodge. 5 days, meals included, live entertainment and dancing nightly. (May I just say that learning the two-step is harder than it sounds??? I kept turning it into a 3-step.) And the total cost was..... $475.

All of which went to support the Black Range Horse Camp for kids.

* Full Disclosure: The food was terrible. I mean really and truly terrible. (Leftover spaghetti for breakfast.) But, the camaraderie made up for everything. And, hey! I lost a pound or two...

Time to Skeedaddle

2011-09-09T18:23:00.003-06:00

On vacation... Chihenne Ranch, here we come!

Check out my groovy new Austin Powers Riding Socks!
I want a garden that looks this gaudy.

See ya in a week! ;)

Wordless Wednesdays: Splish Splashin' Freestyle

2011-09-07T11:15:00.000-06:00

Summer practice session for the U.S. Ski Team ~ Freestyle Olympic Aerials. (I live on that hill off in the distance. :)

For more Wordless Wednesday participants click here.

Let's Take A Walk

2011-09-03T18:26:00.006-06:00

Say hello to my happy spot.

Mirror Lake, in the High Uintas:

I live pretty high up in the mountains. Higher still are the aptly named High Uintas about 40 miles from me. We sneak up there on a regular basis ~ to beat the heat.

This glorious glacial lake starts celebrating summer... right about the time we're saying bye-bye to the same dang season.

Just wanted to share ~ in case you're goofing around doin' nuttin' like me, on this Labor Day weekend.

Doin' nuttin' is kinda fun. I'm thinkin' I might make a full-time job of it.

Sayonara to Summer

2011-09-02T11:24:00.007-06:00

Wild 4 O'Clocks

Brrr... chilly last night... donned a jacket to stay warm as I was lounging on the porch, saying bye-bye to this busiest of seasons.

It being Labor Day weekend, summer is technically over, though this cowgirl has her fingers crossed for a long, leisurely Autumn.

It's Sedum's time to shine.

No grand wishes for the season to end. Simply delighted to say good-bye to summer chores ~ I've run out of steam.

Autumn could be my favorite season, were it not for the fact that it's a precursor to winter. When blossoms grow weary, horseback riding winds down... And, this ex-skier, who still lives in a ski resort, starts fretting over how to keep busy.

The last of the late-blooming Phlox.

Two months from now, when the cold winds blow, I'll wonder why I ever had the nerve to complain...

I whined, throughout June, when the rainy weather refused to cooperate.

In July, I threw a fit about how the weeds are the busiest bloomers in my ill-kept gardens. (Must be the rains. Couldn't possibly be my fault!)

After that, a major bitch session that August is simply too hot to handle.

One little straggler: Knautia

My oldest and dearest friend came for a visit last week. And, whaddyaknow, I whined about that, too. Why didn't she come 2 weeks ago when the flowers were perfect?

Is it just me? Or do flowers always put on the prettiest show when I'm the only one here to see it.

Worn out Coneflowers

In spite of it being the busiest summer on record, 'twas a season filled with great days in the garden. Adventures galore, with my beloved horses. Memorable months with friends old and new.

Here's hoping y'all have a lovely, lazy, non-laborious Labor Day.

The Big Rock Garden is.... Done!

2011-08-25T12:40:00.003-06:00

Russian Sage: Plant it where folks bump into it so they can enjoy the delightful fragrance.

My August garden is ~ not yet ~ looking as tired as I feel. But, I can see exhaustion setting in as I wander about the flower patches, putting off the hard work for as long as I can.

John Cabot Roses never disappoint. Blooming from June - September.

Each morning, I find myself crossing fingers and toes, in high hopes of a cool breeze that will not come.

Under-achieving Coneflower

It's not as hot here as in other places but heat is relative and I'm a weenie.

I truly, madly, deeply hate working out in the hot, hot sun but calendars don't lie. Summer is nearly over. And, this is the last push to the 'finish line.'

Do you make a to-do list? I'm a list maniac. I've got life lists and landscaping lists. Hell, I even jot down a hate list when I'm in a particularly foul mood. (I tear that one up as quickly as I write it down, so don't even bother snooping around my home office..)

If you were to use the blog as an indicator, it may appear I've done very little gardening this season. Certainly haven't made the effort to talk about it...

Coming Attractions: Pear and Gorgonzola Salad. (Yum!)

In truth, this has been one of the busiest gardening seasons on record. After a long cool spring, and injuries that waited until July to heal... I found myself behind the 8-ball on every outdoor project.

In the beginning, it looked like this. A rock the size of a Jeep Wrangler.

Something had to give. So, I decided to focus on what matters most. I abandoned the computer, in favor of the shovel, and proceeded to go a little hog wild. The most tiresome task was wrestling the last of the Big Rock Garden into submission.

I double dog dare you to find that ugly rock.

I guess I didn't blog about it because I've been droning on about this garden project for. ever.

But, it's done, now. If a garden is ever done.

Let's just say it's as done as it will ever get.

In addition to this, I managed to scratch every single thing off the to-do list ~ with the exception of item #1.

That infernal water feature. Which has sat at the top of my list, inspiring annual guilt trips, since 2007.

Ah, well, there's always next year...

Stay cool, dear Garden Bloggers.

Wordless Wednesdays: Today in the Garden....

2011-08-23T18:30:00.003-06:00

Perennial Snapdragons

'Wild' as in not hybridized Prairie Coneflowers

Ummmm.... can't remember.

Mallow, miniature Hollyhocks

My private spot.

Petie Pie keeps an eye on me while I'm weeding.

For more Wordless Wednesday participants click here.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day ~ August, 2011

2011-08-15T09:11:00.006-06:00

Say it isn't so! 8/15 already?? I'm worn out with the heat but not weary with this season.

I wish summer could last forever. I wish these flowers could, too.

A cavalcade of color fills the big rock garden ~ moppy head Bee Balm and Helianthus...

Hollyhocks and Purple Rain...

Phlox, phlox and more phlox. Can't resist. Must add a new one every year.

Wild 4 o'clocks and Strawflowers adorn a particularly awful section of the street garden. Both seem to enjoy massive amounts of neglect.

Clematis climbing vines add bright color to this ratty porch. (Don't get any big ideas about relaxing in that chair. Hummingbirds will surely dive-bomb you.)

I get so many compliments on this flowering tree...

Though, I'll bet you garden gurus can tell it's not a flowering tree at all.

Clematis Jackmanii flowering vines do a fine job of fooling people, climbing 20 feet into the branches of this young crabapple.

Pay a visit to Carol of May Dreams Gardens ~ creator of this monthly bloom day meme.

From her website, you can connect with all kinds of flower lovin' friends...

Delightful Dahlias

2011-08-13T15:11:00.014-06:00

'Excentric' Dahlia

A hot wind blows across the north 40. (Which, in reality, is the east one half. But, north 40 sounds way cooler, don't you think?)

I flip on a sprinkler, for the 3rd day in a row, all the while admitting it's a day late, buck short. There's no hope for the pasture grass, have not irrigated all summer long.

'Betty Ann' Dahlia (Heirloom: 1928)

But, it keeps my weather-weary horses occupied. Like 1,500 pound kids, they love running through that sprinkler. Cooling down their big bodies, keeping those pesky flies at bay.

Made a half-hearted effort to pull some weeds, trim one tree, then abandoned my chores for the comfort of an air-conditioned house.

'Junkyard Dog' Dahlia (isn't that a terrible name for such a pretty flower??)

I am eternally grateful that I have AC ~ I think it's one of the premiere achievements of modern man. Partly because I'm a Minnesotan and never learned how to cope with hot weather.

And, also because I grew up in what I call a hot family. (Which had nothin' to do with being good-lookin.) My Mom and Brother never saw a need for air conditioning, sitting comfortably in an 85 degree house with nary a complaint. While I was melting like that proverbial wicked witch.

'Bahama Mama' Dahlia

That's probably why I ended up living so high in the mountains ~ where I devote an entire post to bitching about the heat ~ when it's only 80 degrees out there. [B.A.B.Y.]

August (as you have probably guessed) is my least favorite month of the year. When I've run out of energy to do most anything. Other than to dream of a seaside vacation...

Which is not gonna happen this year, but it did last year. The delightful Dahlia pictures in this post are from the Swan Island Dahlia Festival I attended in Canby, Oregon last August.

'Emory Paul' Dahlia

I probably should have mentioned that at the top of the post but I wanted you to be all impressed, thinking these beauties are growing in my garden. :)))

'Double Trouble' Dahlia

* PS: Email theft and craziness. Apparently, while I was on vacation someone got ahold of my email address and sent some of you odd comments. My apologies, 'twas not me.

** If you scroll down to the next post, you'll see the one lonely Dahlia that is truly growing in my garden. I'm plotting to plant a lot more of them next summer.

Wordless Wednesdays: August's Bright Bloomers

2011-08-09T19:14:00.003-06:00

Dahlia

Bellflower

Lily

Hollyhocks

Zinnias

For more Wordless Wednesday participants click here!

Riding the Spotties

2011-08-08T12:23:00.004-06:00

Fall 7 times.

Stand up 8.

~ Japanese Proverb

Have been sleeping like a dead person since returning from my Oh So Fun Bucket List Cowgirl Vacation.

The horses had as much fun as the humans.

Borrowed a beautiful black and white spotted Appaloosa to ride through Idaho and Montana, along the historic Nez Perce trail.

It may appear we're on our lonesome, here, but there were 190 riders on this adventure.

Trotted into West Yellowstone 100 miles later. Exhausted. Sore. Bumped and bruised. Feeling old as those proverbial hills yet 20 years younger than I felt just 5 days before.

Happy as all get out.

Closest thing we got to a 'shower.'

Because I did it! I survived!

Kurt, the farrier. (Horse shoe dude.)

Having been bucked off a horse earlier this summer, and fracturing ribs in the process, I was shaking like a leaf as I saddled up.

Cotton - you don't find Texas gentlemen like this very often.

I was so fearful of another accident. Crossing fingers and toes that nothing would go wrong.

So, of course, everything did. It rained buckets. Then it hailed. Thunder. Lightening. Freezing nights.

Indian Paintbrush on a foggy morning.

My little horse was a trooper and so was I. Overcoming my fear. Realizing that marching bravely out of my comfort zone was precisely what this cowgirl needed.

This is Doc, our trail physician. We should all aspire to be this fit when we're 85.

Age, I am learning... it's a box people put you in.

When you're looking down the barrel of the big 5-0, growing old is all friends can talk about.

But, when I'm on these rides, I never hear such nonsense. Out there, age is irrelevant. Probably because we've stumbled upon the fountain of youth.

I loved these people. They were warm and wonderful, traveling from as far away as Norway and England to ride the spotted horses along this magnificent trail.

And, now that I've overcome my latest bout of cowardice, I'm signing up for another ride. Just as soon as the budget allows....

Chief Joseph and The Bucket List

2011-07-28T17:34:00.007-06:00

Proud member since... yesterday!

Tomorrow, I’m off on a big adventure. Riding an Appaloosa horse, 100 miles in 5 days, through the Targhee National Forest.

My friend, Janet

Been dreaming about this since I first heard of it 4 years ago. Never really expected it to happen because the ONLY horses allowed on this special benefit trail ride are registered American Appaloosas.

But, that’s the cool thing about wishes. If you declare them to one and all. And, then talk about them incessantly to any poor friend willing to listen…

Sooner or later some wonderful person will step up and help you make this dream come true. If, for no other reason, than to achieve a little peace and quiet the next time you get together for dinner.

Brief History Lesson:

The Chief Joseph Trail Ride is so-named to honor the leader of the Nez Perce. As with most stories of Native American history, there is nothing pretty about this one. When the U.S. government tried to re-locate them - they chose, instead, to seek asylum in Canada. Traveling 1,300 miles over mountain terrain, with the U.S. Calvary in hot pursuit. They credited the athletic ability of their Appaloosa horses (a breed developed by the Nez Perce Indians in the 18th century,) for continually out-maneuvering us whities.

I don’t want to dwell on all the negative aspects of this because it was a long time ago and people back then were… well, too uneducated to know any better. ‘Nuff said.

I’d much rather glorify these stunning spotted horses.

Cutest cowgirl in our tribe.

This is Sable. On loan to me from my dear friend at Acacia Riding Adventures (Click the link! It’s a shameless plug for a horsie vacation! And, oh ~ by the way? ~ I built his website.)

My own little red mare is none too thrilled with this newcomer in her corral. Even more ticked off that I’m stepping out on her for a sweet vacation with the new gal.

Sweet and painful, I might add. 20 miles a day on a horse? Yowza! Now who wants to loan me a comfy gel saddle pad?

* It takes 13 years to complete the Chief Joseph Benefit trail ride - 100 miles each year for a total of 1300 miles. The route follows the Nez Perce flight from the US Calvary in the late 1800’s. It originates in Joseph, Oregon and ends in Bear Paw Meadow, Montana, just 40 miles shy of the Canadian border. Where I am sorry to say, Chief Joseph was forced to surrender.

Wordless Wednesdays: Sky High Hollyhocks

2011-07-27T07:04:00.001-06:00

These tall gals tower over me, stretching 6-10 feet toward the sky.

Double blossoms are hybrids. Single blossoms are heirlooms ~ if you'd like some seeds just say the word!

For more Wordless Wednesday participants click here.

Ditch Gardens and Deck Decorations

2011-07-25T13:19:00.005-06:00

Nasturtiums grown from seed decorate our sunny deck.

Don't ya just love Sunday mornings? As opposed to Monday mornings when you feel obligated to attack that lengthy list of must-do's vs. wanna do's.

Sit a spell. (See close-ups below of the climbing vines.)

I cheerfully wasted the whole of a Sunday puttering about the gardens, pulling weeds, and saying thank you over and over again.

The 'thank you' part is a little bit of a blessing and way more of a curse...

Clematis climbing vines smile at you from one corner of the deck's privacy screen.

This WAS a cute little country cottage when I first bought it. But, I've gained tons of new neighbors in the last 8 years. So many that I live 'in town' again. New Town, as they call it. My quiet little old ranch road has evolved into a busy thoroughfare. And, a popular bicycle path.

At least 100 honeysuckle blossoms pretty up the other half of the privacy screen.

Now I have an audience while I'm working in the garden. (Which I'm not too thrilled about. Especially when I'm out there in my pajamas.)

I do love the fact that they're so appreciative of my efforts. Calling out: Beautiful flowers! So pretty! as they peddle by.

This used to be the weedy ditch in front of my house.

That's because I gave 'em something to take their mind off the fact that they're peddling uphill. I have the prettiest ditch on the old ranch road!

Over the last 2 years, I slowly, methodically, killed off the crabgrass and dandelions covering the steep ditch in front of my house. Then I filled it with tough as nails waterwise perennials that happily wave in the breeze.

Butterflies play there. Bees are a buzzin'. Teeny green Hummingbirds whiz past my head. It's quickly become my favorite spot in the garden. Even if I do feel compelled to comb my hair before I head out there and say hello to passers by...

PS: Welcome back from the Seattle Fling, garden blogging buddies! I pouted all weekend because I couldn't join you...

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day ~ July, 2011

2011-07-15T10:28:00.014-06:00

My most favorite summertime chore is deadheading flowers in the cool of the evening.

After dinner, a garden stroll, wielding my trusty scissors... I lop the heads off all the spent blossoms, encouraging them to smile at me all over again.

Around this joint, Columbines rule the roost.

I just love how they cross-pollinate to deliver fun, new colors each summer.

Do you deadhead your Columbines? I've found the blue ones, in particular, will flower all summer long, if I keep torturing them with the scissors.

Bumble on the ~~Catmint~~ May Night Salvia (Good catch, Kim! :-)

We're receiving more rain this year than ever before. Flowers are jumping for joy. The garden is abuzz with hummingbirds, bees and butterflies.

Wild Roses

Mom's wild roses pouted for several years after transplanting. With these ideal gardening conditions, they finally agreed to put down roots and embrace their new surroundings.

Mom's Legendary Day Lilies

Truth be told I'm not a fan of Day Lilies. (Lazy one day bloomers... :) But, I guess there's a legacy aspect to gardening. The Lilies, along with the wild roses and peonies, are transplants from my Mother's garden. Her Peonies are older than me.

Salvia and Yarrow

I prefer a wilder look ~ so it feels as if you're strolling through a meadow untouched by gardener's hands. (And, we all know that meadows are filled with weeds so I can pretend like I planned it that way!)

Maltese Cross

I'm doubly nuts for hot, hot colors like this Maltese Cross.

Wine Cups

But, I guess that's the beauty of gardening, isn't it?

How every yard is a reflection of who we are and ~ through our choices ~ a lovely story to tell.

Pay a visit to Carol of May Dreams Gardens ~ creator of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. From her website, you can stroll through an astonishing number of brightly blooming blogs.

Wordless Wednesdays: It's a Jungle Out Here!

2011-07-12T17:22:00.001-06:00

Primrose and Jupiter's Beard

Clematis

John Cabot Roses

Perky Sue with Spirea

Valerian and Catmint

For more Wordless Wednesday participants click here!

The Impulse Garden (as in impulse purchase: one of everything I simply had to buy.)

Wordless Wednesdays: The Summer Garden

2011-07-06T08:45:00.002-06:00

Rose Campion + Geraniums

Columbine

Bellflowers

Peonies + Salvia

Evening Primrose

Poppies + Wild Roses + Catmint

The Columbine Garden

At long last! :)

It's beginning to feel like 'summer' in the mountains!

For more Wordless Wednesday participants click here.

I Give You An M

2011-06-23T11:29:00.001-06:00

Here's a fun meme I hope you'll participate in...

I was given the letter ‘M’
Something I like: Moonlight + the sweet scent of Magnolias
Something I love: Miss Megan, Most Marvelous Mare
Something I hate: Malicious Magpies, waking me in the Mornings.
Something bad: Maps Make Me Miserable. Can’t read ‘em. Don’t even wanna try.

If you leave a comment, I’ll give you a different letter so you can join in the fun.

Summer Celebration

2011-06-20T11:56:00.002-06:00

Sensation Lilacs

Tomorrow summer officially begins.

Do you suppose my Lilacs have their eyes on the calendar, too?

President Grevy Lilacs

One day before the official start of summer, my Harbingers of Spring are finally blooming. And if that seems super late, dig this: I still have tulips flowering.

Long Live the Lupines!

But, so are a number of other little lovelies. Like these too cute for words Lupines, who continue to redefine themselves. This year, showing off some polka dots.

Stunning Lilies, transplanted from the indoor garden and, so far, coping well with our chilly nights.

Dame's Rocket

Wild Dame's Rocket ~ which has drifted into my neighbor's yard. He crabs at me constantly, hiring people to remove it. I guess these pretty purples are messing with his monochromatic Kentucky Blue Grass world.

Alyssum and Allium

Ah, summertime. It's such a relief to see the gardens filling up with color. To know that most of my favorites survived. Winter kill wreaked less havoc than I originally thought: RIP one Pear Tree and ALL of the Knopfia. :((

Progressing past the complaint stage, mostly just curious, I'm kind of enjoying this crushed together season, where Lupines and Tulips are gettin' bizzy at the same darn time.

Mountain Lilac Legacy
When properly selected, Lilacs regularly outlive the gardener who plants them. And, they love, love, love the mountains.

Beauty of Moscow Lilac

Popular at 8,000 feet altitude
- Syringa x persica 'Persian' Lilac

Popular at 9,000 feet altitude
- Syringa x prestoniae 'Donald Wyman' Lilac
- Syringa patula 'Miss Kim' Lilac

Popular at 10,000 feet altitude

- Syringa x chinensis 'Chinese' Lilac

- Syringa vulgaris 'Common Purple' Lilac

Tinkerbelle Lilacs

- Syringa vulgaris alba 'Common White' Lilac
- S x prestoniae 'James MacFarlane' Lilac
- Syringa meyeri 'Korean Dwarf' Lilac
- Syringa x prestoniae 'Royalty' Lilac

Popular at 12,000 feet altitude
- Skiing and snowboarding on the 4th of July

Fancy Flowering Fruits

2011-06-13T14:06:00.009-06:00

Apple Trees

I'm learning a lot about the resiliency of plants during this odd, rainy springtime. Perennials are struggling, fruit trees are ecstatic.

Flowering Almonds

Lilacs are simply confused. And, way behind the curve. With any luck, I'll be showing off plentiful Lilac blossoms on the 4th of July.

Finally. First Lilac. (Pay no attention to those Dandelions.)

But, it is finally starting to feel like summer. Everything is lush and lovely though I feel completely out of sync with the rest of the gardening world.

During a normal season, I'd be bragging up peonies and roses right about now. Not coaxing lazy little Lilacs to get with the program.

Pears

The weeds, of course, are the most delighted members of my little gardening community.

Two weeks ago, I fractured my ribs in a freak accident. It's difficult to bend down or pull at the Bermuda Grass.

The day of my accident... I hobbled up the walkway... and I swear! I heard a happy cheer from those pesky Dandelions who knew they'd be getting a free pass this summer.

Plums

There’s never a time to rest. I notice this when I’m sore. If I sit down I instantly see something that requires me to get up and move again.

I'm taking it slow, gobbling Advil, waiting for life to get back to normal. If not that, at least some painless days in a flower-filled garden.

Crabby Appletons

I've not been very good at visiting blogs lately and for that I apologize. Seems there just aren't enough hours in the day.

Mostly I'm just giving you the silent treatment 'cause your roses are blooming and mine are not. :)

Wordless Wednesdays: Wasatch Wildflowers

2011-06-08T06:18:00.001-06:00

Locals: Have you hit the trails? What are you waiting for??

Our plentiful rains have inspired an amazing celebration on the lower elevation hiking paths in the Wasatch Mountains, Utah.

Find these pretties along the Strawberry Narrows.

For more Wordless Wednesday participants, click here!

Pretty in Pink

2011-06-06T13:58:00.013-06:00

Stargazer Lilies are lovin' some sunshine.

There’s this old saying, “make hay while the sun shines,” but what’s an impatient gardener to do when it’s been raining cats and dogs? Every day! For 6 long weeks?

Getting Lilies (top photo) & Tulips to bloom at the same time is oh-so-easy!

Plant Lilies indoors, in the depths of winter. Quick cure for cabin fever. :)

During the soggy month of May, I took an opposite approach to that old saying, by starting a full-on veggie garden, by seed, in my sunny window.

With those little darlings screaming for more wiggle room, I devoted the whole, blissful weekend to happily transplanting enough vegetables to feed an army, come harvest.

Drifts of Wild Phlox carpet the pasture area of our property.

That is.. IF they survive. Given our bee-zarre weather patterns, it might too early to throw my precious little seedlings to the wolves.

Mother Nature, no doubt, has one more trick up her sleeve. But, I couldn’t wait a moment longer.

I not only want it to be summer. I need it to be summer! It’s just downright nutty that I should have my furnace running in June!

Last summer's Hot Cha Cha Geraniums are still growing strong.

They flowered, indoors, all winter. (Thanks, Amy!)

So, let's say a prayer. Light a candle. And, cross our fingers that this glorious weather will hold.

* Veggie seedlings don't make the most interesting pictures so here's some of the pink pretties gracing the garden today. This is what I squished into the raised beds:

Golden Beets
Chioggia Beets
Romanesque Cauliflower
Walla Walla Sweet Onions
Radicchio Rosso
Sadie’s Horse Beans
Pinto Beans
Luca and Fariolo Italian Beans
Scarlet Nantes and Parisian Carrots

Wordless Wednesdays: Goblin Valley

2011-05-31T20:25:00.003-06:00

Bad Dog & I ~ hoodoo hiking in Goblin Valley State Park, Southern Utah

For more Wordless Wednesday participants, click here!

Divine Little Moments

2011-05-30T08:52:00.013-06:00

Feel like taking a hike through the Utah Desert? The plentiful rains that have made my own spring a misery, have given new life to these harsh surroundings.

Loco Weed

Ages ago ~ long before we took the plunge and re-located to Utah ~ I visited the crazy friends who'd moved here first. Certain they'd lost their marbles. Fully prepared to talk some sense into them!

Primrose

We skied for 2 days and then set out to explore the southern half of their unusual state, a few hours and a world away from the snowy scenes of the northern half, in the midst of a high mountain winter.

At our desert campsite, I peeled off my heavy winter coat and spotted a curious little cutie waving in the breeze:

Globe Mallow

My first encounter with the desert wildflower, Globe Mallow. Isn't she a beauty? (If I had a better camera I could show you an entire field of them.)

'Twas those same dear friends who dragged me down there this weekend. And, I went, though I was in no shape to go. I'd had a freak horse accident, a few days before. Which just added to the unhappiness of this cold, damp, no-gardening-for-you-dear-Kate, sorry excuse for a springtime.

Which has the greater affect on your mood?

a) People?

b) Weather?

For me, it is most definitely the weather. I battled depression the entire time I lived in the Midwest ~ never realized until I moved to sunny Utah that it was a malady bright blue skies could easily cure.

Wandering through the soft sand of the San Rafael Swell is an ideal time for reflection. On what brought me here in the first place and why it's a fine place to be. Once again, all is right with the world ~ thanks to a stellar combination of great friends, a delicious bonfire and glorious desert wildflowers.

PS: Happy Memorial Day. Here's hoping the sun was shining wherever you pitched your tent.

* Find the San Rafael Swell about an hour west of Moab along I-70, in southern Utah. These pics were taken in Little Wild Horse Canyon.

The New Normal?

2011-05-26T07:15:00.012-06:00

Wild Lupine

During this elongated monsoon season, I’ve been keeping tabs on my friends in New Mexico. They’ve not had a drop of rain since December and I watch the dust swirl beneath their horses’ feet as they canter through the back country.

Wild Milk Vetch

Our own weather guy has been trying mightily to take our minds off the fact that we’re getting New Mexico’s rain (and probably yours, too.) If his latest trivia tidbit ~ how this is the coldest, rainiest spring in 35 years ~ was a feeble attempt to make us feel better, it is absolutely not working for me.

I keep wishing things will 'get back to normal.' But, as time drags on, I'm beginning to wonder... is this the new normal? As in no such thing as normal and all weather patterns are extreme?

Wild Buttercup

On this 26th of May I am ~ finally ~ seeing leaf buds on my Lilacs. Not flowers, mind you, just the lime green hint of leaves preparing to unfold for springtime. Isn't that astonishing?

The weather here, there and everywhere has been depressing the hell outta me. I'm one of those do-goody two shoes who likes to volunteer and feels guilty over the plight of others. I'm grateful that I don't live in tornado country and happily donated my garden budget to those that do. Which was part bleeding heart though, I'll confess, it's an equal amount of selfish frustration.

Prairie Primrose should survive. She likes to keep her feet wet.

Not terribly excited about adding new flowers when I no longer know what will grow here. There's standing water in my backyard and waterwise perennials rotting in those make believe lakes.

I filled my gardens with natives and xeriscape perennials because I wanted to do right by the weather. It's hot and dry here, made great sense at the time. (Plus, it's way fun to smile smugly at my next door neighbor who goes into debt, every summer, on water bills to keep his Kentucky blue grass green.)

Uinta Groundsel

But, now I haven't a clue what to do. Other than to watch and wait.

To see how my Grand Plan Gardens fair under the regimes of the new normal. Who knows? Maybe they'll love this cushy new lifestyle. Maybe they'll think getting watered every day is a good thing. Though, I kinda doubt it. And, I'm preparing myself to file this soggy mess under ‘damned if you do.’

Belated Bloom Day and Big, Big Plans

2011-05-18T11:15:00.002-06:00

Freesia bulbs (flowering indoors)

I missed celebrating Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day ~ though I guess that didn't really matter. Seeing as how we've experienced one of the coldest, rainiest springs on record.

The meadow across the way has morphed into a deep lake. A still, quiet place with no wildlife sounds. Which is a little unnerving. I mean... if the frogs are depressed with the weather just imagine how us land lubbers must feel??

I'm grateful for some color, indoors, during this cold, wet spring.

We've been having big fun in spite of the cold...

My darling daughter is getting married! We just returned from Willamette Valley, Oregon, where we were scoping out wedding venues.

They found the perfect spot ~ this place:

Vista Hills Winery, Willamette Valley, Oregon

It may not look like much in the photo but the inside is designed to feel as if you're outside and it's about as perfect as it could be.

Here's where things became all kismet and spine-tingling...

Wine Country Farm, Willamette Valley, Oregon

This is MY favorite spot in Willamette Valley.

Freesia bulbs flowering indoors

It's where I'm gonna live just as soon as I win the lottery. (And, it won't be long, now, 'cause I bought a powerball ticket at the airport.)

I suggested we stay there because I'd always wanted to show daughter L this special place.

The following morning, when we visited the wedding venue (they hadn't told me which places they were looking at,) we discovered their most favorite spot is walking distance ~ right down the road ~ from my favorite spot.

Isn't that wild??

PS! This is a picture of me right after they suggested I pay for this extravaganza....

* Bloom Day: I do have a few stalwart flowers shaking off the rain, snow, sleet and misery of this tough, tough month. But I'm so delighted with the Freesias blooming indoors that I wanted them to take center stage...

The Bell Pepper Uprising

2011-05-10T09:16:00.009-06:00

$1.94

That's 1 dollar and 94 cents for one bell pepper.

And, so begins the revolution.

I'm a little outraged by food prices. And, I imagine ~ unless you've been living under a rock ~ you are, too.

Before you reprimand me... may I just say I wouldn't be nearly so outraged if I'd purchased this pepper at some groovy organic farm?

At least, in that scenario, I'd be assured a lot of love and affection, not to mention safe practices, went into the growing of it.

But, I didn't. I snatched it up, while running errands at Walmart, 'cause I needed dinner on the table in about 40 minutes. Did you know that bell peppers rank #7 in the Dirty Dozen? The top 12 veggies that contain the most pesticides?

Truth be told, I'd much prefer to fill my gardens with beautiful flowers and leave the produce planting to farmers.

But, I guess, as a gardener, I'm feeling financially ~ and morally ~ obligated to buck this whole skyrocketing price thing and thumb my nose at the man.

Because... it is kind of ridiculous, don't you think? That we gardeners can grow a basket of bell peppers, from seed, for the price of a single pepper at the store?

Save a Bundle ~ Quick-Growing Veggies for Mountain Gardens

Bloomsdale Long Standing Spinach

matures in 42 days

Coronado Crown Hybrid Broccoli

matures in 58 days

Early Contender Bush Beans

matures in 49 days

Little Marvel Sweet Peas

matures in 62 days

Black Cherry Tomatoes

matures in 65 days

Fat 'N Sassy Hybrid Sweet Pepper

matures in 65 days

Scarlet Nantes Carrot

matures in 70 days

Mountain Veggie Growing Tips
Most every veggie has a quick-growing cousin that does well during our short mountain summers. I choose a lot of veggies based on how quick they reach harvest. Growing them in containers, on the deck, often delivers better results. The soil stays warmer at night and it's hotter on your deck, during the day.

Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival

2011-05-06T08:45:00.017-06:00

Isn't this the most delightful spot for a picnic?

Down in the Salt Lake City valley, 3 thousand feet lower in elevation ~ and a full month ahead of the chilly scene in my own mountain garden ~ is a beautiful spot called Thanksgiving Point.

Filled with acres and acres of happy spring tulips.

Warm sunlight tap dances across their pretty petals. Snapping this grumpy gardener out of the deep, blue funk that always accompanies an icy cold spring.

The valley (as we call Salt Lake City) is a blessing in springtime. When absolutely nothing is happening in my own garden, a quick trip to the lower elevations provides sweet inspiration.

Oh, I know what you're thinking... you feel sorry for me for living way up there in that snowdrift, don't you?

It's not so bad. Spring arrives a bit later. And, yes, that's maddening for a gardener. But, in another month, those proverbial tables will turn. My smug valley girl friends will be roasting in 100-degree heat and they'll be visiting me for a much-needed break.

* Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival: If you're heading to the festival, giddyup. We stubbornly waited for the first picture-perfect spring day but we were surprised to see that many of the tulips were already past their prime...

Hot Tip for Locals:
Tulip bulbs are perennials but they don't care. Thanksgiving Point digs up approximately 250,000 Tulip bulbs, every year, and sells the bulbs to flower lovers like you and me for a dollar a dozen.

Oh, you did NOT seriously think I was going to tell you when they go on sale, did you? No, no... smaller crowds = more for me!

The Merry Month...

2011-05-03T09:54:00.012-06:00

Desperate times call for desperate measures!

Nabbed these Sun Stars at the local supermarket.

When the sun popped out, I was giddy as a schoolgirl.

If we can believe the local weather guy, it has rained ~ or snowed! ~ 20 out of the last 28 days. So, it took a moment to jar my memory. To soak in the warmth of that absentee sun and remember what it’s like to be living in a high plains desert.

Then the storm clouds rolled in. Again.

Don't get too excited.

These Tulips and Hyacinths are flowering indoors.

Of course, no one should be allowed to complain about the weather. Unless, you’re from Alabama. Good Lord… all those tornadoes clustered together… it looked like a scene from that movie, The Day After Tomorrow.

Christmas Cactus - still blooming!

Did you know that you can take Red Cross Disaster Response certification courses online? I would very much like to do that.

Far too frequently, I see situations where people need help, and I think… well, I’ve got frequent flyer miles. I did the Habitat for Humanity thing, after Katrina, but I possess no real skills to help people in such dire need.

And, while I don't know half of what they're going through, I know a little bit about what they experienced for a few terrifying seconds. I survived a tornado. In my Ford Explorer, which was pretty much destroyed. To this day, high winds make me a little loopy.

Who knew? Clematis seedlings flower this early?

*****

On a significantly brighter note... did you just go ga-ga over Kate Middleton’s wedding bouquet??

Hyacinth, Sweet William, Lily of the Valley… 3 that I nurture in my own gardens, made it into that historic bouquet.

Thanks to Tivo, I knocked that 8-hour royal wedding down to 35 minutes. (Long live the fast forward button.) I thought her flowers were as stunning as the dress.

Plus, this sentimental Mom shed a couple tears when Will and Harry stepped out of the limo.

Diana seems to be very influential with women in my age group. (Or, well, maybe just me and Bev...) But, I think she'd have been proud to see how her darling little boys turned into such impressive, young men.

* I missed yesterday's Mish Mash Monday (Garden Faerie’s clever invention) so perhaps we could dub this Trivial Tuesday?

Here's hoping for bright sunshine, wherever you are.

5th Blogoversary!

2011-04-30T11:21:00.008-06:00

My how time flies when you're having fun.

May 1st is my 5th Blogoversary

5 years.

700 posts.

Countless new blogging friends.

Thousands of impulse plant purchases.

And, the odd realization that I've been blogging since before blogging was cool.

T-Shirt Give Away. Just leave a comment.

I began this humble effort back in the Dark Ages.

There was no Twitter. No Facebook. (Restricted to college kids at the time.) No Blotanical. No r.e.s.p.e.c.t. People who knew what blogs were thought I was silly for having one. People who'd never heard of blogs looked at me funny when I tried to explain what they were.

It's loads more fun nowadays. Don't ya just love how big your world becomes when you start blogging? All the kindred spirits you meet? It's like a whole new virtual family. And, you'd never know they existed were it not for their blogs...

5 years. Wow. Who would have thought I could drone on about flowers for 5 long years?

This calls for a celebration.

So, I'm giving away my all-time favorite t-shirt.

Now don't worry. I'm not sending you mine. You're getting a new one. A clean one! But, you'll get to look just like me. Which is a super scary thought...

To enter the drawing for this cute as a button t-shirt, simply leave a comment and tell me what you love most about blogging.

And, to those of you who have visited here before... thanks for being out there. I feel fortunate to have met you.

* My darling daughter will randomly select a winner, from the commenters, next Friday.

An Easter Gift for the Bigguns

2011-04-23T10:00:00.010-06:00

"If you'd like to help, you can watch them express their appreciation."

So said my friend, Janet. Cowgirl extraordinaire and surrogate Mom to my 2 horses, who are boarded at her stables.

What's the best time to buy a better camera? Why the day before you need it, of course! And, yesterday I was sorely wishing I'd had a crystal ball.

We've been having hard times. Incessant rains causing problems for all of us. Soil so saturated that small lakes have cropped up in the middle of my garden.

The biggest members of our extended family were suffering mightily. Feet sinking deep into the quicksand-like mud. Their large corrals just not large enough to manage this rainy mess.

A gracious neighbor, right down the road, saw their plight and offered up her empty pasture. On a slope, drier ground, a sweet, green spot where they could kick up their heels.

It's not easy moving these guys from there to here. It took 4 trips and 11 temper tantrums (one for each pony!) All were in a foul mood over the mud.

These are the times when you kinda wish they spoke English. If they had an inkling of where they were heading, they would have hopped on that bus, without a moment's hesitation.

So, it was a bit of a battle. But once they arrived, they were ever so grateful. Blowing off steam in the most joyful of ways. Thundering hooves. Happy nickers. Huge competition to see who can run the fastest.

People often wonder why women love horses.

I think it's because horses are a lot like women. They form bonds easily. They're more flight than fight. They are wise, forgiving, with an innate, motherly attitude that never ceases to amaze me.

Take this massive white Percheron, for instance. Adopting this little black pony as if it were her own. They've got 4 acres of pasture in which to graze. But, this spot tastes just fine...

Depressed Daffodils and Sad, Little Tulips

2011-04-20T13:21:00.003-06:00

Weather is a great metaphor for life - sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, and there's nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella. ~ Terri Guillemets

This little gardener is in desperate need of some sunshine.

I get so cranky with the false starts and stops of gardening in springtime. Wasn't it just last week that I was happily slathering on sunscreen and madly cleaning up the garden beds?

And, just that quick winter made a comeback.

Each morning, I peer hopefully out the window only to be greeted by heavy dark rain clouds obscuring the mountains. Mother Nature having a giggle at our expense.

Sweet spring bulbs try their level best to add cheer to these gloomy surroundings and I guess that's why we plant them. No matter the weather, they insist on doing a colorful job. But, just look at this gal...

Have you ever seen such a depressed Daffodil?

Flower. Power!

2011-04-17T08:57:00.013-06:00

Three cheers for the well-established garden.

Not well-planned, mind you.

Just, sort of, well-established.

I was thinking about that as I slaved away, prepping the garden beds for a brand new season. Man! I'm outta shape. Muscles squawking mightily this morning. I'd intended to clean up one, maybe two, areas but I got in a groove and just kept on going.

Plus, I wanted to stay ahead of the weather. Spring doesn't really happen in the mountains. We vacillate between summer and winter, and back again, quite often in the same, darn day.

I lack that gene, commonly known as self-control, so my yard is home to 11 different flower patches, the first of which was planted in the summer of 2003. (AKA, the 'well-established' one.)

At some point, this crazy mess might merge into one gigantic garden. Like you see in those jungle movies. Where The Rock, or Schwarzenegger leads the way, wielding a machete ~ should you have the hutzpah to go for a stroll.

But, right now, they're just separate, sunny flower beds. (Mild-mannered enough that you don't need a macho guide.)

The oldest garden is the last place I visit and the longest place I linger. Not so much to admire. Mostly to catch my breath.

In spring, I'm so exhausted by the time I reach that flower patch, it's nice to just plop down and inspect the perennials peaking out of the muddy soil.

These perennials are so big and bossy, that after 7 summers, they are super self-sufficient. Making life easy as pie for lazy little me.

Heck, they even weed themselves.

Mostly because they're packed in like sardines.

I know... I know... I should thin them out a bit. But, I highly doubt that's gonna happen. I'm likin' this dense pack. It's so crowded in there, most weeds don't stand a chance.

* My dense pack flowers are just tiny green shoots this early in the season. Bulbs are squeezed into what little soil is left in these over-crowded gardens. They keep things colorful while the long-blooming perennials wake up and start growing.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day ~ April, 2011

2011-04-15T09:09:00.008-06:00

Things are just getting started at my place. With the weather finally cooperating, I donned those much missed and very tattered garden gloves to clean up the first of the beds. 1 down, 11 to go. The bulbs are beating me to it, this year. Blooming without the usual TLC from me.

Grecian Windflower (the whities are heirlooms)

Peeking out from beneath the debris were these fancy little Windflowers.

Peter Pan Heirloom Crocus

Pretty white Crocus trying hard to steal the show but ~ up until yesterday ~ she was flowering in the snow. I didn't even see her until the last of it melted.

Rip Van Winkle Heirloom Daffodil

This is my "I Wish I Had More Money Garden," hence the reason it's so sparse. :) I'm madly in love with Old House Bulbs ~ their stuff is a little spendy but well worth the expense ~ seeing as how all of these bulbs will multiply over time.

Primrose

I was up early, traipsing around with the camera, shivering on a 30 degree morning, feeling extra proud of this band of bright bloomers.

We've had an unusually cold winter.

An unseasonably cold spring.

Though that seems to bother me a whole lot more than it bothers the flowers!

It's as if they have little wrist watches attached to their roots. No matter the weather, they're always happy to put on a pretty show.

Pay a visit to Carol @ May Dreams Gardens to meet more flower lovers participating in Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.

And, I'll leave with a mystery bloomer. A mystery to me, that is. I can't remember her name. Perhaps you know?

The Diana Garden

2011-04-10T10:00:00.009-06:00

Flowering Sweet Peas will decorate the fence behind the new Diana Garden.

Do you name your gardens? I do that out of love ~ and also by necessity. I don't have an automatic sprinkler system (which is unusual in the Desert Southwest.) Naming my flower patches helps me remember where I watered last and who's in need of a drink.

Plus, it gives them lots more personality. Everyone who visits loves the Impulse Garden best of all. It's a chaotic, colorful mess of all the flowering perennials I simply had to have! Whether I needed them or not. All squished into an ever expanding sunny spot.

Holy Frijoles! Sadie's Horse Beans (left) & Pinto beans (right)

This week, I've been starting the Diana Garden ~ thus named because it's a collection of heirloom veggie seeds from my blogging friend, Di. I skulk around her blog quite often because she includes recipes for the harvest.

Di gifted me with all kinds of great stuff. These pretty Horse Beans... black tomatoes... Hungarian peppers... and some sweet and sassy Watermelons.

I'm coming off a bad luck year for growing veggies of any kind so this inspired me to design a new raised bed for all of Di's goodies. One that's more protected from the elements.

I'm dolling up the ends of the raised bed with climbing sweet peas and Hyacinth vines. All of which I'm starting by seed.

That's one of my favorite, Zen-y things to do. Sitting Indian-style on the floor, planting teeny, tiny seeds with an eye brow tweezers.

Been doing that every evening this week. Will probably be doing that every evening next week, too. I went way overboard on seeds this year.

And, just in case you're wondering where your seeds are... Not to worry! I should have those in the mail to you real soon. :)

Cherokee Heirloom Tomatoes

Seed Planting Tip: The fabric mesh wrapper on those ever popular Jiffy seed pods do not decompose in the soil. Remove the mesh before planting in the garden to avoid sad root-bound little flowers.

Thanks, Di!

Splish Splashin' @ San Acacia

2011-04-09T10:11:00.003-06:00

This has absolutely nothing to do with gardening. :)

But, I thought you might enjoy it, just the same.

It's a short, one minute video of my friends goofing off on their horses while trail riding in San Acacia, New Mexico.

Mud Month Escapades

2011-04-06T12:05:00.015-06:00

Indian Paintbrush and Prickly Pear Cactus

What a difference a year makes! I know that old saying typically references the difference in a day, not a year, but it keeps ringing in my head as I recap the 'spring round up.'

With predictions of yet another blizzard, we made a run for it.

Sneaking off in the dark of the night, waving bye-bye to those pesky snowdrifts as they disappeared in the rear view mirror.

Flower buds on the Prickly Pears

Ten hours later we set up camp, with our happy horses, near Sedona, Arizona. Where winter is a far distant memory. Buds and bright blossoms greet us at every turn. This was my 2nd year participating in the Caballos del Sol (Horses of the Sun) ~ seven blissful days on a benefit trail ride.

Wild Mallow

Bonus ~ The money we raise helps out a number of horsie organizations.
Double Bonus! ~ The trek to a warmer climate reminds us mountain folk that the sun is shining somewhere, flowers blooming, too.

I'd love to speak more positively of it but... this trip stirred up a whole lotta trouble. For yours truly.

125 horses converged on Sedona for the annual Caballos del Sol trail ride.

Been in a bit of a messy mood ever since I returned. And, that's not really like me. To be all frustrated with the weather. And, openly jealous of my kinder-climate friends.

Jamie & Zeba

Down South, the wildflowers are blooming, nurseries are laden with pretty perennials. I find myself desperately wishing I could be planting something... somewhere... other than a greenhouse.

Has this ever happened to you?

You while away your days, thinking you've got life all figured out. Then something happens you don't truly care to acknowledge... like a few too many years slipping by. And, then a few more.

I don't know that I could live in the desert but I'm beginning to hear other locations call my name.

The passing of years can take their toll on all sorts of things ~ including those original grand plans I felt so smug about, way back when. I moved to the mountains to ski but I felt no inspiration to ski this year. I mostly just looked out the window and wondered how soon that snow would melt.

Uh oh. It never pays to re-think your entire life but how do you stop once those wheels start turning??

If gardening and horses and all things summer strike my fancy... Why, in the world, am I living on top of a snow-covered mountain?

Red rocks of Sedona, Arizona

* Mud month is a real, true season in the mountains. A winter's worth of snow melts all too quickly turning everything into a muddy mess. Which is why we cowgirls like to get the heck outta Dodge.

Sharing Backyards via Wasatch Community Gardens

2011-03-29T09:57:00.000-06:00

How's this for a fab community planting idea? Gardeners anxious to play in the mud can pair up with property owners who dream of a garden but haven't the time to plant and maintain one. It's the brainchild of Wasatch Community Gardens, a Salt Lake City non-profit organization.

Imagine this urban gardening scenario:
Bridget lives in a house with a large yard ~ ideal for a garden ~ but she simply doesn’t have the time to plant and maintain one.

Through Sharing Backyards, she meets Melissa and Jane. They want to garden but don't have the space. They team up, planting a garden on Bridget’s property. As the garden flourishes, they all enjoy the successful results of fresh, home-grown produce.

Stories like this are common results of Sharing Backyards, a joint project of Wasatch Community Gardens and Urban Village Cooperative.

Hopeful gardeners, looking for land, pair up with those who have space for a garden and are looking for someone to share it with.

Think of it as Craigslist for urban gardeners!

The online map-based project has listings all over the Salt Lake City area (Wasatch Front and Back,) though listings can be posted for anywhere in Utah.

Once people find someone they are interested in sharing with they communicate via email and go from there.

What could bond people more than choosing which varieties of tomatoes to plant and then sharing in a bountiful harvest of delicious, fresh produce?

Yard-sharers who participated in past years have had great experiences and there are many people with listings on the website looking for a match for the upcoming gardening season.

It's a great way to bring neighbors together and help build strong communities, all while playing in the dirt! Click here to see how you can participate - meet new friends and join in the fun.

* This is a guest post written by Wasatch Community Gardens, a community-based nonprofit that has served the Salt Lake County, Utah, community for 20 years. Their mission is to empower people of all ages and incomes to grow and eat healthy, organic, local food.

At Last...

2011-03-24T06:25:00.011-06:00

"We don't quit playing because we grow old. We grow old because we quit playing."

- Oliver Wendell Holmes

My garden is my gym, my playground and my church.

When it's flowering up a storm, it's a wildlife sanctuary, bird aviary and butterfly brothel.

And, finally, after a long and tiresome winter... it's back in business!

Ah, spring. A gorgeous sunny day boosted my spirits, prompting a look-see around the property.

Tiny green shoots popping up all over the place. Hyacinth, Crocus, Wildflowers and Windflowers shake off the filthy remnants of winter, stretching their narrow stems toward the sun.

Feisty little blossoms, the first of my big bulb army. There's close to 500 bulbs sound asleep in this soil. If our warm weather continues, April could be a colorful surprise.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch... I brush, brush, and brush some more. Mountains of winter fur fly off the mares.

Shots done, shoes on, there's excitement in the air and the horses can smell it. We're off on our first trail ride, come Saturday morning.

Song birds flit about, cocking their heads toward my hard work. Hmmm... they think to themselves, that horse hair could make a stylish addition to our new nests.

In the meadow across the way, I hear the frenzied honking of geese and cranes as they set up shop for summer.

Seems everywhere I look this world is showing fresh signs of new beginnings.

Ah... Deep breath. Spring at last.

Mrs. Moon

2011-03-19T09:06:00.027-06:00

Mrs. Moon Pulmonaria

In the evenings, I gaze out the window and absentmindedly flip through gardening magazines. [Makes t.v. time loads more bearable.] Shining back at me, last night, was the nearly full, Super Moon. That one that everybody's yapping about. Extra big, extra bright, all set to smile upon us, come sundown, Saturday night.

Whatcha doin' to celebrate the biggest moon in 18 years?
Me? Not much. I jumped the gun. Earlier this week, I planted the first of the spring flower seeds, pretty new perennials to spruce up the ugly half of my backyard. Among them, this dainty darling, Mrs. Moon.

And, I guess I should have waited. Because according to lunar legend...

Plants respond to the same gravitational pull of tides that affect the oceans. Just as the moon pulls the tides in the oceans, it also pulls the subtle bodies of water. Tests have proven seeds will absorb the most water at the time of the full moon - and germinate faster during this time in the lunar cycle.

So, anyhoo, back to the baby moons -- Do you grow this perennial? She's a goodie for mountain gardens, flourishing in our wet clay soil during springtime. Dormant later in summer, when things are dry as a bone.

And, just like the big cheese up above, Mrs. Moon has phases, too. She starts out blooming pink, morphing to pretty shades of purple and blue.

Around here, she's the hardiest of the bunch, but if you garden in a normal environment there are plenty of varieties to choose from: Azure, Benediction, Blue Ensign, Lewis Palmer, Majeste... Rubra Red:

Blue Moons:

Pulmonaria saccharata Mrs. Moon, also called Bethlehem Sage, USDA zones 3-8, grows to about 12 inches tall. Pretty speckled foliage with silver spots on the leaves.

Pulmonaria blooms late in May in my mountain garden. Will likely bloom a bit earlier for you gardeners at the bottom of the hill.

PS: Have fun tonight! A little bit of howling at that magical moon might be good for what ails us all. According to Big Brother, it might be bright enough to see lunar landings and more!

Wordless Wednesdays: Wee Bit O' the Emerald Isle

2011-03-16T19:16:00.000-06:00

Powerscourt Gardens, Dublin, Ireland


St. Stephens Square, Dublin

Town of Wexford

Cliffs of Moher, Galway (those dots on top of the cliff are people.)

Dingle Peninsula

Town of Kinsale

Blarney Castle

Happy WW and Happy [early] St. Paddy's Day!

For more Wordless Wednesday participants, click here!