~Henry Finck

Have you ever grown a plant for years only to have it slowly disappear, unnoticed perhaps, from your garden? I confess that though I keep a good record of what I have planted every season there’s a lot [...]]]>

Is not a kiss the very autograph of love?

~Henry Finck

Have you ever grown a plant for years only to have it slowly disappear, unnoticed perhaps, from your garden? I confess that though I keep a good record of what I have planted every season there’s a lot growing on in our yard. Through the years annual and perennial flowers have ceased to reseed or survive the winter, only their presence wasn’t missed as greatly as the open space they left was appreciated and so…

This past winter as I read through my old garden journals (always keep a journal) I was inspired to once again grow a few of the heirloom flowers that had once graced our gardens. My greatest desire was for old-fashioned poppies, my second favorite was ‘Kiss-Me-Over-The-Garden-Gate’… after seeing the blooms on the latter I am in love all over again with this graceful cottage garden annual!

As I worked in the garden gathering seeds from beans and sweet peas I glanced up captivated. Our Kiss-Me-Over-The-Garden-Gate currently stands at the edge of the vegetable garden fence and measures in at a height of nine feet. (Yes, the rich soil of the garden undoubtedly has encouraged this showy annual to aspire to great heights!) Kneeling down while working and glancing up to see the pink pendulous blossoms swinging in the breeze against the blue sky is a vision to behold.

Lesson learned. Always enjoy the here and now in the garden… it’s true you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone. (I’m just happy it’s back!) Happy gardening!

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My very soul is wedded to it,

and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth

seeking the successive autumns.

- George Eliot

I love autumn! Everything I have enjoyed (and sometimes endured) with the summer garden is [...]]]>

Delicious autumn!

My very soul is wedded to it,

and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth

seeking the successive autumns.

- George Eliot

I love autumn! Everything I have enjoyed (and sometimes endured) with the summer garden is drawing to a close, and though I do find beauty in the slow decline, there is such vibrant life to the other plants in our gardens now. As the last tomatoes and peppers wind down and bean blossoms all but fade, the Joe Pye weed, heliopsis and goldenrod are just coming into their own. It’s something I look forward to every year not only for their showy color but for the butterflies, bees, insects and birds that feast on the nectar and seeds.

Not only are the native flowers happy, the brambles and fruit and nut trees have been baring their abundance, too. Apples, pears and blackberries have been harvested for us, elderberries and black walnuts left for our  wildlife friends. They’re  rapidly being snatched and devoured by our resident squirrels, birds, mice and chipmunks as are the almost ripe rose hips, sunflower seeds and the fruit of our Oregon grapes. I can almost feel a sense of happy urgency watching as the residents of our gardens prepare for the season ahead. I, too, feel that fall nesting intuition… an inexplicable urge to feather our nest and make ready our home for impending cold weather. These cooler days and nights find me happy in the kitchen baking bread, cooking soup and canning… it’s nearing the end of summer picnics and grilling and the start of everything home and hearth.

It’s not the end of the vegetable garden, though. Fall has its own harvests and we’re looking ahead to those…but in the interim I’m really relishing a slower pace, the colorful decay of one garden amidst the vibrant life of another and everything that each brings. Happy gardening!

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Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus) are known and loved by gardeners everywhere for their ease, adaptability and colorful showy blooms so cherished by hummingbirds. It’s no secret that the the leaves, buds, flowers, unripe pods and seeds are all edible, but there’s often questions as to just how to use them. [...]]]>

Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus) are known and loved by gardeners everywhere for their ease, adaptability and colorful showy blooms so cherished by hummingbirds. It’s no secret that the the leaves, buds, flowers, unripe pods and seeds are all edible, but there’s often questions as to just how to use them. As your garden grows and your nasturtiums blossom here’s a few ideas to help you use your blooms (and more!)

Note: Never eat any flower or plant that has been treated with pesticides or other chemicals!

Leaves: The most familiar and commonly used part of the nasturtium. The tender leaves have a slight peppery bite to them.

• Use for sandwiches. One slice of rustic bread, spread with fresh butter and layered with a couple leaves is simple and delicious.
• Stuff and bake them as you would grape leaves. Try a mixture of rice, currants, nuts and savory spices like cinnamon, mint and cloves.
• Make vinegar using the leaves, buds and blossoms and a bottle of white wine or champagne vinegar.
• Try them stir fry, wilted with other greens or mince and add to chilled summer soups.

Blossoms: Pick blossoms the same day as using, as close as possible to serving time. Store in the refrigerator.

• Use fresh in salads and beverages as an edible garnish.
• Stuff fresh blossoms with a blend of soft cheese (like goat cheese) and fresh herbs, salmon or minced dried fruits.
• Mince the blossoms, add a little lemon peel and blend into fresh butter.
• Make nasturtium oil by blending your choice of oil with a handful of blossoms and a clove of garlic. Strain before using.

Buds: Leave a bit of the stem attached when picking and use fresh just as you would the leaves to add a peppery zip to dishes and salads.

• Wash, drain and cover with boiling vinegar in a covered jar for pickled buds that taste just like capers.
• Add a fresh kick to salads like tabbouleh, potato and pasta salads.
• Use in place of peppercorns and pepper to season dishes and marinades.

Nasturtiums are not only beautiful and edible, they have health benefits as well. The leaves are high in vitamin C and also have strong anti-bacterial and anti-tumor properties. Tea made from the leaves is a common preventative for colds and flu. Grinding the leaves in water and straining is an easy way to make an all-natural disinfectant wash for minor cuts and scrapes.

Nasturtiums… cheerful, beautiful, edible. Go ahead, use your blooms!

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Care no more for the opinions of others, for those voices.

Do the hardest thing on Earth for you.

Act for yourself. Face the truth.

Katherine Mansfield

It’s always good to try new things. I’m not always [...]]]>

Risk! Risk anything!

Care no more for the opinions of others, for those voices.

Do the hardest thing on Earth for you.

Act for yourself. Face the truth.

Katherine Mansfield

It’s always good to try new things. I’m not always big on “new” when it comes to our lives or gardens… I prefer “old” as in heirloom seeds, herbs and a “homestead” frame of mind. Enter my Soil Sister Jan and her love of all things pretty in the garden and I have been launched into the world of “I HAVE to have it!” ornamentals. The timing, of course, is perfect…we’d just torn out the entire landscaping (I’m using that term very loosely) along the front of our house and hubby and I agreed: With so much to tend to out back, we wanted something beautiful but easy to care for in front. Oh, and I wanted pink. I LOVE pink in the garden.

Three garden centers, endless rows of ornamentals and lots of ideas later it was this stunning beauty that stopped us in our tracks…

‘Black Lace’ elder (Sambucus nigra) with lacy almost black foliage and huge flat pale pink blossoms. Black and pink?! WOW. Hubby likes the contrast of the dark foliage for the garden and I like… well everything about it. Elder is hardy, disease and pest-free AND IT’S EDIBLE. Yes, this isn’t only for “show”, it produces edible and delicious berries for us and the frequent bird visitors to our yard. Be still my heart, I really can have it all! So the search began, what to plant with it?

Pink. Lots of pink. (I’ll pause here to thank my wonder hubby who never once said “That’s TOO much pink!”) Just to keep things interesting we added a bit of purple, too, because the black leaves of the elder are truly a deep dark purple. Anyway… here a glimpse of a few of the plants in our beautiful new border. There’s also several existing native shrubs and trees in the border and a few more edibles I’d like to tuck in (no project is ever really “finished”). If it ever stops raining, I’ll add pictures of our completely new organic edible and ornamental landscaping. I’m in love!

'Pink Elf' hydrangea

'My Monet' weigela

Painted Fern

Purple Ruffles basil

Leptodermis oblanga 'False Lilac'

Pink coneflower

Tri-color sage

Compact daisy

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nor the most intelligent that survives.

It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

~Charles Darwin

Everything in the garden is a surprise this season. The chilly weather, the prolific weeds, the endless rain… [...]]]>

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives,

nor the most intelligent that survives.

It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

~Charles Darwin

Everything in the garden is a surprise this season. The chilly weather, the prolific weeds, the endless rain… and these incredible beauties that have endured all three to bloom where they are planted (and only a little worse for wear).

A lovely poppy I found blooming under the leaves of a very large rhubarb plant. The heavy rains must have washed the seeds from their original sunny spot. No matter, though a bit frazzled she’s overcome and that’s beautiful to me!

This pretty in pink bold lily bloom is a perfect example of sheer  bloom power… the photo reveals only a slight glimpse of her lily beetle decimated foliage. You just can’t hold back spring (or the lily beetles)!

Spider lily, tall and pristine…and a bit neglected. I planted the bulbs early in the spring and forgot them. They’ve got my attention now!

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are a proud assertion that

a ray of beauty

outvalues all the utilities of the world.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

~Vita Sackville-West

Thirty-four days until spring, a good time to plan ahead for the summer garden! Annuals are plants that complete their life cycle within one year and include many of the garden’s most useful flowers. They offer wide-ranging colors and forms, blooms for [...]]]>

Flowers really do intoxicate me.

~Vita Sackville-West

Thirty-four days until spring, a good time to plan ahead for the summer garden! Annuals are plants that complete their life cycle within one year and include many of the garden’s most useful flowers. They offer wide-ranging colors and forms, blooms for scent and cutting and they attract beneficial pollinators to the garden. Annuals are primarily sun-loving plants but there are a few varieties content to grow in shade. Most require only average well-drained soil enriched with a bit of organic compost to thrive from mid-summer into fall.

Though it’s easy enough buy packs of annuals at a local store, with just a bit of effort you can grow your own from seed. Annuals can be sown in late spring directly into the soil where they are to grow and thinned for adequate growing space and air circulation. (See packet for suggested distance between plants.) Light dressings of organic fertilizer once a month throughout summer and early fall coupled with dead-heading of spent blossoms will encourage plant growth and promote budding.

Annuals to consider for:

Edgings:

• Alyssum
• Dwarf snapdragons
• Petite marigolds
• Dusty Miller
• Dianthus
• Candytuft
• Creeping phlox
• Nasturtium
• Verbena

For containers and window boxes: (including all of the above)

• Amethyst flower (bush violet)
• Petunia
• Portulaca
• Clock vine
• Periwinkle
• Celosia
• Impatiens

Annuals for cutting:

• Amaranth
• Calendula
• Aster
• Mums
• Cosmo
• Larkspur
• Sunflower
• Sweet pea
• Nicotiana
• Nigella
• Phlox
• Stock
• Bells of Ireland

There are countless other varieties of annual flowers. With spring approaching seeds are widely available at stores and garden centers.Why not choose a few to grow this season with your vegetables and perennials and give your garden some flower power!

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E.B. White

With 2010 seed selections becoming available it’s not too soon to begin planning the summer garden. If you’re considering planting a garden for the first time (or know someone who is and need gift ideas), this list of  easy-to grow vegetables will [...]]]>

“Before the seed there comes the thought of bloom.”

E.B. White

With 2010 seed selections becoming available it’s not too soon to begin planning the summer garden. If you’re considering planting a garden for the first time (or know someone who is and need gift ideas), this list of  easy-to grow vegetables will get you started. While not completely “fail-proof” they are quite forgiving and produce well throughout the season.

The list (with sample heirloom varieties) includes:

• Radishes: “Early Scarlett”, ‘French Breakfast”, “White Icicle”
• Peas: “Little Marvel” (dwarf shelling pea), “Dwarf Gray Sugar” (snow pea),”Super Sugar Snap” (snap pea)
• Lettuce, mesclun mix, spinach: “Black Seeded Simpson”, “Lolla Rossa”, “Merlot”, “Brune d’Hiver”
• Beans: “Bountiful” (green bush bean), “Brittle Wax” (yellow wax bean), “Royal Burgundy” (purple bush bean)
• Summer squash: “Ronde de Nice”, “Cocozelle” (zucchini), “Early Summer Crookneck” (yellow squash)
• Winter Squash: “Delicata” (short vines) “Table Queen” (acorn), “Waltham Butternut”
• Carrots: “Chantenay”, “Danvers Half Long”
• Tomatoes: “Amish Paste”, “Brandywine”, “Earliana”, “Beefsteak”
• Peppers: “Hungarian Yellow (wax pepper), “Giant Marconi” (sweet bell), “Joe’s Long Cayenne” (hot)

No garden is complete without flowers to attract bees and other beneficial pollinators. These annuals are easily grown from seed and provide food for bees and butterflies:

• Sunflower
• Zinnia
• Marigold
• Bachelor Button
• Cosmo
• Calendula
• Morning Glory ( climbing vine)
• Sweet Pea ( climbing vine)
• Nasturtium (trailing vine)

Finally, herbs are easy to grow from seed and it’s much more economical than buying single plants. Most do well grown in pots as well as the garden:

• Basil
• Sage
• Cilantro
• Dill
• Parsley
• Thyme
• Chives
• Oregano
• Anise

Not on a mailing list? Shop online (seed sources) where many sites offer web-only specials. You’ll get the choice of 1000’s of organic heirloom seeds and stop paper waste. Check back here every Tuesday and Thursday in December, too, I’ll highlight different vegetables each day and offer tips for successful growing.

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