One A Day In The Garden

ACK!!!! Mini announcement

2012-01-23T13:51:00.000-08:00

The blog will be down for a couple of days, I hurt my hand - rather a cat hurt my hand. One handed computer usage isn't so fun. Hoping the Epsom salt soak works and it heals (stops hurting and doesn't get infected) quickly.

Cats n Birds

2012-01-23T04:30:00.000-08:00

We really had a lot of snow come down last week.
I think I was able to get some pretty good photos

and I look forward to sharing them with you.

No way do you need to see what it looks like

right now, yucky - the snow is melting and it's

all patchy looking, add in the clouds and

I'd rather look at the snow!

The birds really seemed active in the snow, they

were all over the place and there were quite

a few of them.

Our cats are indoor/outdoor cats

and yes sometimes they hunt birds

but thankfully not often.
As you can see from the photo

Benjamin Franklin was checking those birds out.

Ha he just looked at them and then kept going.

Good cat!

By the way the tree the birds are in
are in the corner of the yard, the
corner that Ben is staring out.

Berries in the Snow

2012-01-19T04:30:00.000-08:00

Not very original, I've showed you these
same berries more then once.

I love them, what more can I say?

How about some icy snowy evergreen photo?

Snow Pansy

2012-01-18T04:30:00.000-08:00

I'm certain you all have your own snow pansy

photo you could share.
Honestly there isn't too much going

on that I haven't already shown you.

Hmmm well there are some

berries in the snow but if I show you those

today along with this pansy, then

what will I show you tomorrow?

Well I could show you the sunset we had just a few days

before the snow came.

This is facing Puget Sound.

Some Colorful Plants for Wintertime

2012-01-17T04:30:00.000-08:00

This was last week when the sun came out.

Red Twig Dogwood.

A bamboo given to me by a friend, no idea what kind it is but
it does seem to be fairly common around here.

Snow!!!

2012-01-16T04:30:00.000-08:00

We had snow! Maybe not a big deal

in many parts of the country where snowfall is

normal, okay well it is normal for us

to receive some. Geesh
I am just rambling on.

Here is our beautiful snow on the holly tree.

The holly tree is in the middle, the berries are barely visible from

this viewpoint.

I wasn't sure if anything eats the holly berries but I saw a squirrel

harvesting them and the robins love them too.

This is last week before the snow, it was enjoying quite a few

of these berries!

The Wild Fruits

2012-01-13T04:30:00.000-08:00

I specifically wanted a wild rose in my yard, not sure which

one exactly but I do believe I picked one that could take shade.

Now if only I can find the receipt.

~
We've had some sunshine off and on and wow is it nice,

although we've had colder weather it isn't horrid.
Mid 30's to mid 40's isn't the worst temps ever

and have allowed me to get out - I need that sunshine.

I also planted this native Oregon Grape. Yes I know it isn't really
a grape, the name is for the cluster of berries.
This plant is actually a Mahonia of the barberry family, both

plants have medicinal uses. This one in particular

has been used for inflammation. I LOVE it for

improving blackberry jam, oh my gosh it is WONDERFUL!

Flowers Make Me Happy

2012-01-11T04:30:00.000-08:00

Ahem so I put these bulbs in a pot under the sink with a bit of water

sometime in early November - I kept telling myself
"don't forget the bulbs". It was my intent to have them

blooming for Christmas but I did forget them and

by the time I remembered to bring them out
they were quite tall.

In my defense I was making

loads of caramel candies and other goodies for
the holidays!!!

All 3 bulbs ended up with buds on them but only

the tallest one has blooms.
I confess I bought the cheaper ones at a store

and maybe if I'd spent money

on good bulbs I'd have better results.
This would require planning. Hmmm

The orchid my daughter gave me last year and this is

the first re-flower for me. It's quite lovely and the

blooms have lasted over quite awhile - I think

this is the 2nd month of flowering.

This site has basic information on growing orchids.
I keep mine in North facing windows pretty much

year round and mist them well once a week in

the bathtub, letting them drain well before

returning them to their window.

Seed Heads aka Bird Seed

2012-01-10T04:30:00.000-08:00

Evening Primrose seed head.

Black Eyed Susan seedheads.

The birds seem to like these although I'm not sure

about the evening primrose seeds. There are going

to be lots of volunteers sprouting unless

the birds keep eating them up.
I don't really want that many volunteer plants,

a few but not too many.

It's nice to see the birds flock to the

flower beds doing the clean up.

A Pretty Weed is Still A WEED!!!

2012-01-09T04:30:00.000-08:00

The sun did shine on Sunday and honestly there isn't much

to see in my yard. This little bugger is quite pretty, too bad.

Take a look at those roots, that thing probably left some

behind and will pop back out when I'm not looking.

Hen n Chick

2012-01-08T04:30:00.000-08:00

Hen n Chick a close up, a repost.

Miners Lettuce

2012-01-07T04:30:00.000-08:00

This is a re-posting from April 20, 2010.
Every now and then (weekends) I'm going to
re-post a photo - maybe you've not seen it before!

Miners lettuce.

This and That

2012-01-06T04:30:00.000-08:00

I don't think there is a theme today,

just this and that.

Various leafs maybe?

There isn't too much going on

in the garden right now,

but then again I need to go look.

Boredom?

2012-01-05T04:30:00.000-08:00

Are you bored? I am.

Of course I have plenty of things to do

and no I don't need to be given

something do - I can hear my

Grandmother stating that she should

find me something to do.

I am bored because I am not outside!
Winter I can deal with, being outside isn't

impossible in the winter but it's raining -

At least it is today as I write this but

by tomorrow the sun could be out.

~
I've neglected any garden cleanup. bah

Of course it will have to be done at some point.

Maybe this week when the sun shines.

Have I mentioned it's soggy out there?
I may stay in and bake.

Did I mention the birds like the garden messy?

Lots of berries and seeds and bugs.

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012

2012-01-04T04:00:00.000-08:00

I was looking back over the year trying to find a few flowers for a collage but
there are so many to like that the collage kept getting bigger and bigger.
~
Thank you for supporting my blog with
your comments and encouragement.
~
I hope that the New Year has wonderful
things in store for all of us and I can
hardly wait for gardening weather.

A Beautiful Holiday To You

2011-12-24T04:00:00.000-08:00

Some winter scenes from Eastern Washington for your viewing pleasure.

My wish for you is to have a beautiful holiday season,
may the New Year be wonderful for you.

I am going to take a break from blogging

until sometime in January - probably be back

by the 4th because I won't be able to stay away too long.

Thank you all for being my friend in this blogging world

we enjoy together.

Grape Leaf

2011-12-23T04:00:00.000-08:00

After posting my missed grapes I just knew

there were more grape related photos.

Here is one from a short lived snowfall

we had in mid-November.

I thought it was pretty enough to share.

This one was pretty a few weeks before the snow!

Frosty and Raindrops

2011-12-22T04:00:00.000-08:00

All of these different plants grow

in pots near our front entrance.

I've been trying to figure out how to capture the thyme

in a manner that shows off how pretty it really is, the frost

sent it over the top!

This is last year's ornamental kale still plugging along in

a pot on the front step - it's getting tall but still pretty.

This pot was sitting empty, apparently the various poppies

thought it needed filling up. There are probably some

other plants popping up in there, either way it's

looking pretty good to me.

I'm certain you all must be as busy as I am!

I hope we all will get some quieter time soon!

Frosty Oregon Grape

2011-12-21T04:00:00.000-08:00

I really really really like my Oregon Grape shrub.

It's a native plant.

It's evergreen.

It produces edible fruit which makes the BEST jam.

It fills in a space wonderfully.

It's pretty.

It flowers.

And frosty it looks stunning!

I Missed This One

2011-12-20T04:00:00.000-08:00

When I harvested the grapes I missed this little bunch.
I tasted one and while they are still on the tart side they

are perfectly fine to eat!

Random

2011-12-19T04:00:00.000-08:00

This is from a hike we went on last year, I don't know what

this plant is though.

The cool leaves soothe my soul.

Frosty Strikes Again

2011-12-18T04:00:00.000-08:00

This is from the past week when we had

super frost!

I find it interesting how the camera chooses

what to focus on, I have to give it half

the credit for the photo.

A Malva Blooms in December

2011-12-16T21:32:00.000-08:00

A couple of photos of the same flower, a flower that is

blooming in December!

This is at the mostly sunny edge at the shade under our pine tree.

Does that make sense? I put a shade garden under the pine

tree and these plants are on the sunniest side so they

actually help provide some of the shade.

I was late posting this today because I was trying

to remember what the name of the plant

is in the first place!!!! Malva it is.

Surprise Blooms

2011-12-16T11:11:00.000-08:00

We have been having some not so cold weather

so I am outside looking for anything!
Imagine my surprise when I find flowers.

Yarrow is rather hardy but I wasn't really expecting to see this.

I found another flower in bloom also but you will have to come

back to see it tomorrow!!!

~

I want to say thank you to all that stop by during this busy time

of year. It is difficult to find the time to get everything done

which is why my blog posts are posting late mornings now!
I'm hoping after the holidays I will be able to visit others

blogs more, so again thank you for stopping

by during a time when we all are so busy.

Random!

2011-12-15T10:55:00.000-08:00

As I look through my album from this blog

I see a lot of photos I haven't seen probably since

they were used in a post. I like looking at them

so much that once in awhile I am going

to randomly post one.

Here is the first random post from the past.

I had a different camera, the photos aren't as clear but I love

the colors and it's nice to see this on a cloudy day.

More Frosty

2011-12-14T04:00:00.000-08:00

I can't help it, I really am loving the look.

Frosty Beautyberry

2011-12-13T04:00:00.000-08:00

Wow these frosty nights!
This morning started out quite foggy and frosty,

this afternoon was quite sunny and

tonight is clear and cold - as I write this it's 32°.

Not the coldest weather but it's already quite

crunchy out there with the frosty layer returning.

I love the photo opportunities.

Foggy Morning

2011-12-12T10:40:00.000-08:00

We woke to fog, not super heavy in our yard

but there is a very thick layer of frost

on everything.
I took a bunch of photos

and would love to show them to you all at once.

I'm not going to do that!
Instead here is my front flower bed/wildflower bed,

it is my favorite and I've showed

it to you more than once.

Here is the view this morning.

If you go here you can see what this bed

looked like in the summer and at the

start of winter

(I know it's not technically winter yet).

Alright I can't resist showing you one

frosty picture.

This was the first photo I took this morning.

Love the frosty leaves!

Flowers WHAT!!!

2011-12-11T04:00:00.000-08:00

We've had some typical fall to winter weather, cool temps, sunshine

pops out maybe once or twice a week for a few minutes

at a time - some rain, some fog, some mist, who knows

what's next?!

When the dogs go outside I try to spend some time

in the yard appreciating whats going

on even if the yard mostly looks like crud!
My reward for being outside is usually watching

the little birds flit around but a couple of days

ago I spotted this yellow primrose!

Lovely to see at this time of year.

More Frosty-ness

2011-12-10T04:00:00.000-08:00

I had such fun taking pictures of these.

Our Christmas Tree

2011-12-09T10:44:00.001-08:00

I'm a bit late posting this morning, I discovered

the Christmas tree was easy to take

pictures of during the day,

although I thought it would be prettier at night

it was difficult to get a good photo so here it is during the day.

Isn't this a pretty poinsettia? Locally made ornaments and

the bell my Grandma made when I was little - it's been on

the tree since I was little.

A new ornament-

My oldest son and his wife when to San Francisco this fall

and brought me this back.

Frosty-ness

2011-12-08T04:00:00.000-08:00

These radish leaves really caught my eye.
While the frosty roads around here can be difficult for people,

I love to see it on the plants.

This one is my favorite, if memory serves me right then

this is sweet william.

Christmas Tree Time

2011-12-07T10:37:00.001-08:00

We went for a drive yesterday to get our Christmas tree.

What views they have.

I think this is Mt Pilchuck of the Cascade mt range.

A Rosebud

2011-12-06T04:00:00.000-08:00

This rosebud isn't all that special except that it is pretty to
look at during the yucky season.
Yes, fine I do complain about the yucky season a lot.
Refocusing on the rosebuds, pretty huh?!

Beauty in December

2011-12-05T04:00:00.001-08:00

Beauty is out there, we just have to

look for it.

These don't look like much really but then look again

as they are the only natural color

in the scene aside

from the greens and browns.

The sun was actually out and it felt wonderful.

From afar the violas look a bit bedraggled but if you look closely

you see the vibrant colors. They have held on while most other plants

are quite done, it is nice to see these cheerful little faces at this

time of year.

Winter Chamomile

2011-12-02T04:00:00.000-08:00

I'm laughing because winter chamomile looks just like

summer chamomile!

Some people drink chamomile tea, I just like to look at it ~
Oh and the fresh plant, I LOVE the way it smells.
~
I've dried some chamomile for tea, just not sure

if I will drink it or not!

The sun has popped out off and on recently, makes me want to

spend time outside. It's still soggy so I just take pictures.

Chamomile and strawberry plants are actually

looking pretty good still, I like the combo of these

plants together.

Collard Flowers

2011-12-01T04:00:00.001-08:00

I think these are collard flowers, no matter what they are -
I'm just happy there are flowers still at this time of year.

The Path

2011-12-01T04:00:00.000-08:00

The other day I was outside looking

for the beauty around me.
When I loaded the photos onto the

computer I couldn't help but notice how distinct

this path is.

This is facing the front of the yard and the next photo is facing the

back yard.

We have 3 indoor/outdoor cats and 2 dogs that use

this path often. I think this path was here before

these current pets ~ I'm guessing this has

always been the path for animals over the years

this house has been here. It was built in 1933

and while I don't know I can guess that this

was The Path back then also.

It runs from the front door to the back door~
we all use it!

A November Day

2011-11-29T09:35:00.001-08:00

I'm not much of a winter person, at least not

where I live at. In general the garden

is soggy - I don't do soggy.

~
This week isn't quite as soggy -
You should have seen the rain on Thanksgiving,

now that was soggy.

We are expecting sun off and on this week so
I am hopeful.

When I step out my front door and look to the right

this is the view. The tree isn't really pretty but

it is valuable to me as it provides a large

amount of shade. It is the only shade providing tree

in our yard. That yellow/green in the background

is the raspberry plants - I quite like how

they look at this time of year.

This tree, yes this tree is my prized tree.
It's a corkscrew willow that came from a tiny stick.

A stick that broke off, I popped it in water and years

later this is my reward.

Do you have plants/trees/shrubs that you started

and do they mean more to you than the others?

An Average Day in the Winter

2011-11-28T10:04:00.001-08:00

Yes I do realize that according to the calendar

it is not winter. It feels like winter.

This is the same weather we have off and on

from autumn through spring.
As far as I'm concerned this is winter.
Rainy and gloomy, although

I hear sun is coming our way this week -

actually the correct description is partly cloudy.

I went outside this morning to find some color
and was struck by how vibrant the yellows
are right now.

The flower bed currently looks like this.

Earlier this year it looked like this.

Quite the contrast and honestly I hate how it looks now

so I had to look for the beauty in it now.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T22:39:00.001-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful day

with friends and family.
I'm going to take a few days off

from blogging to spend time with my family.
See you all next week.

A Flower Blooms

2011-11-23T04:00:00.000-08:00

I have loved these flowers since I first met them and this one

blooming in the middle of November's snow makes me love

them even more.

What are some of the flowers you love?

The flower is hiding in there, you can see my gloves

and the snow in the background.
It really surprised me to see the flowers down there.

Snowy Flowers

2011-11-22T04:00:00.000-08:00

~our snow is gone ~

~it only lasted a few days~

~pretty~

Snowy Calendula

2011-11-21T04:00:00.000-08:00

Okay so it snowed. Not a big deal in most parts of the country

but for some reason in the PNW it is a big deal -
could be all those hills get icy?!

We may have had about an inch of snow, half of which is

melted but there is still some lingering here and there.

This calendula doesn't seem to be bothered at all by the snow.

After a few days of this cold weather I wonder if it will
still look so cheerful? Such a beauty though don't you think?

An Orchid Blooms

2011-11-18T04:00:00.000-08:00

My daughter gave me this orchid last year

and I'm happy to show you it's reblooming!

I don't know much about orchids but I will

tell you what I do~
Once a month I put it in the bathtub

and give it a super mist down, otherwise

I mist it a bit once a week.
Sometimes I give it a very weak compost tea.

I'm wondering if you have had any experience with them?

A Flower in Autumn

2011-11-17T04:00:00.000-08:00

It feels like any winter day in our neck of the woods but

earlier this week we had some sunshine ~ color me

surprised to see this bloom.

Ligularia In 2 Seasons

2011-11-16T04:00:00.000-08:00

It would seem the 2 ligularias don't like living so close to the tree

as they both did a fair amount of leaning.

I think the location is much to dry for them and will move them

come next spring - now would be a fine time except

I consider it to be too wet out and I don't want to work in it.

I had no idea that Ligularia dentata Desdemona has the most

amazing seedheads!

A Very Pretty Daylily

2011-11-15T04:00:00.000-08:00

This lovely yellow daylily was found growing in a Seattle area park.

Autumn Leaf Craft

2011-11-14T04:00:00.000-08:00

This is my little maple, it was a seedling when I found it and
now look at it!

I've vowed to do more with my time which means less time online,
this is one of the things I've been able to finish. It's a good feeling

to be getting some projects done and I've started on some

Christmas gifts - unfortunately this means I've not

been able to interact with my online friends as much.

The snowball bush looks fantastic in the fall as well as in spring.

If you are interested in making something like this, it's quite easy.

Coat the inside of the jars with Mod Podge, coat evenly
with salt, I used Epsom salt.
I affixed the leaves to the outside with a bit

of Mod Podge and a small piece of tissue paper

covered in Mod Podge - I had to use the tissue

paper to hold the leafs in place.

If they were fake leafs then a ribbon or twine

could have held them in place.

I added a small layer of salt in the bottom

to nest the candles in.

Ho ~ Ho ~ Holly

2011-11-11T04:00:00.000-08:00

Okay maybe I am a bit early for Christmas

but the holly outside my door is ready.

Amaranth in Fall

2011-11-10T04:00:00.000-08:00

During summer the amaranth was stunning ~
you can see my post from the summer here.

This amaranth is still growing and looking nice,

I think because I planted it in a partly shady area
it didn't get large and maybe it is slightly protected
as the amaranth in the garden doesn't look so wonderful.

The amaranth in the garden was stunning (I said that already)

and now it still retains some of it's former glory, it is faded.

Do you see the squash leaves laying around, all damp

looking from the frost - I kind of like the contrast.

Beautyberry Shines Again

2011-11-09T04:00:00.000-08:00

I can't think of anything to say - the simple beauty of the
plant says it all.

Here is my first beautyberry post if your interested.

Surprising Blooms for an Autumns Day

2011-11-08T04:00:00.000-08:00

1 single bachelor button

I can not remember what exactly this flower is (a hollyhock of sorts?).

I grew it years ago and now it comes up where it wants,

sometimes it's huge and other times it's shorter like this one.

It seems to me the reason this one is flowering in this cooler

weather is it's protected location under a tree.

Hands down this is my favorite snapdragon and the little

dear is flowering now! It's as if it waits all summer and

as soon as the weather turns cool it blooms.

Frosty leaf

2011-11-07T04:00:00.000-08:00

We've had some frosty mornings.

A Hosta in Fall

2011-11-04T04:00:00.000-07:00

As I wandered around our yard during a dry day I was

struck by how the contrast of the hosta against the foxglove -

For some reason I don't remember the hosta putting out

any fall interest but I it must have and I just don't remember!

More of Last Week's Flowers

2011-11-03T04:00:00.000-07:00

I've been quite surprised by this foxglove, it's been blooming

away all season (fall that is).

There weren't many flowers on the climbing roses this year, could

have been my mistakenly trimming the live wood off.

Live and learn.

Of course the black eyed susan is still blooming, I find

the end of the blooms just as pretty.

This was the last of the sweet peas, the blooms

were already fading when I took this.

Last Week's Flowers

2011-11-02T04:00:00.000-07:00

Echinacea Purpurea ~ Purple Coneflower

Rudbeckia Hirta ~ Black Eyed Susan

Phlox Paniculata ~ Peppermint Twist

Lemon Balm

2011-11-01T04:00:00.000-07:00

Lemon balm to me is a must have that I don't put much importance on.

Makes no sense really, I like the smell, I rub the plant on

my skin to repel insects and I ALWAYS grow it but

I don't love it.

These are current pictures which lets you know how

it holds up to our fall rains,

a hard freeze will cut it back though.

It's nice next to the fence, it peeks through, I like it.

As you go through the fence you brush against it,

I always run my fingers through it for the light lemon scent.

I like the way it looks, rather pretty

when the growth is new but kind of leggy as

it goes to flower. It goes to flower quickly but

it doesn't look so great if you cut it back.

Oh and I love it's name: Melissa Officinalis!

In my opinion it isn't a great herb for drying, the flavor

just doesn't seem to come through.

The only thing I use it for is herb water

on a hot summers day.

Herb Water

Fill a pitcher with filtered water

Add a small amount of sweetener- 1tsp

your choice - honey, stevia, sugar

Fresh sprigs of your choice:

Mints

Sage

Rosemary

Stevia

Lemon Balm

Basil

Let stand for a half hour before drinking.

Serve chilled.

Wild Mountain Berries

2011-10-31T04:00:00.000-07:00

For our birthdays we usually go for a ride in the Mountains, it just so

happens to be the perfect time at the end of October.
The color in the Mountains at this time of year is stunning and as

an added bonus the communities on the other side of Stevens Pass

have a lot of orchards which means I get apples and pears
(which means he gets pie!). All in all a nice day trip.

rose hips

wild rose covered in hips

snowberry

elderberry

honeysuckle

Happy Faces

2011-10-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

These cute little flowers always make me smile.

They come up all over the yard and a group of them has taken

over one of my garden beds. Yeah I left them!
They need to move so veggies can grow there

but honestly I enjoy them too much!

I am contemplating not posting on the weekends,
while I enjoy the blog I am always late

on the weekends.

Mountain Mint

2011-10-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

Pycnanthemum virginium

I've been growing mountain mint for a few years, mainly because
it is a native plant and well it smells like mint.
It's main use is as an insect repellent, just rub it on ya!

If you have irritated skin, mountain mint can prove soothing
to it, as well as it can soothe a toothache.

Mountain mint has many other medicinal uses actually,
check out this link for more information.

There's still sushine blooms coming from the garden

2011-10-27T04:00:00.000-07:00

The recent sunshine allowed me the time to get out
there and see the sunshine blooms.

Calendula

Mexican Sunflower

Calendula

Black Eyed Susan

Black Eyed Susan and Callicarpa

And last but not least, a weed.

A little bit of sunshine in the garden

2011-10-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how a little bit of sunshine can make me feel,

even if I only spend a few minutes out there.

I've been trying to finish some indoor chores (yuck)

and then there is the groceries and cooking

and I've been recipe testing for my other blog.

I try to spend a half hour outside in the sunshine,

it makes me feel healthy - here are some

photos from the garden this week.

I'm not sure what this plant it, a mustard leafy type of plant.

There are still a few squash blossoms out there, they

almost look frosty in the sunshine!

These beauties still turn my head, (amaranth).

My mission fig has a few little fruits on it, I assume this is

the figs second fruiting of the season - I doubt they will

ripen before a full frost but then again you never know.

I want to say thank you to everyone that keeps stopping by,

I hope to be able to spend some time soon

visiting everyones blog -

I miss seeing all your beautiful flowers.

Lots of Smells Going On

2011-10-25T04:00:00.000-07:00

I swear the weather is teasing me, today my plan was to get chores

in the house done - it was sunny out!!!

The fennel is loaded with seeds, while I do harvest some for

cooking I honestly don't use 1/4 of what there is.

While the fennel may be covered with seeds, blooms

can still be found.

Under the fennel grows blue borage.
I am obsessed with borage, I take way too many photos of it.

Did you know borage is edible, the flowers can be used

in salads or candied for desserts. The plant smells like

cucumber but be careful the stems and leaves are covered

in hairs that can irritate the skin.
Boarge seed oil is another common use of the plant.

Botanical.com is one of my favorite places

to read up on herbal usage.

Golden Raspberries and Recent Bloomers

2011-10-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

The Golden Raspberries seem to like our fall weather, I think

it's all the rain it gets as I don't water them.

Not sure what that bug is, friend or foe - I just don't know.

The nasturtium is still going strong and blooming away.
I like that the flowers are beautiful in the summer and the
colors allow it to fit the fall theme also.

It will keep blooming until we get a hard frost ,
which could come anytime in the next month.

Interesting fact; the word nasturtium literally means

nose-twister or nose-tweaker!
I learn something new all the time.

Pumpkin will you ever be a Pumpkin

2011-10-22T09:41:00.000-07:00

Our rainy season is upon us, October is almost over, ahem

little pumpkin you don't have any time left to ripen.

It's beautiful anyways!!!
I still wish it would turn orange or even gray

cause the green has got to go!

What's Blooming Now

2011-10-21T04:00:00.000-07:00

We had a couple of days of sunshine at the beginning of the week so I ran out

and took some photos of what was flowering right then.

The pineapple sage finally started blooming. A typical problem for cooler

summers is hoping the cold doesn't come early and ruin the flowers.

Both the flowers and leaves are edible.
I dried the leaves off of half of the plant earlier this month,
only because the wind broke the stems off.
I love these flowers and I hope the hummingbird gets to enjoy it also.

The African Daisy still has a few tricks up it's sleeve! Love that color.

I finally read up on growing cilantro; it goes to seed quickly and self sows easily.
Now that the cilantro has gone to see I can harvest the seeds

as they are now coriander.

The white marigold has been disappointing.

While the plant grew well in the small container I gave it

and it is loaded in buds and covered in flowers,

they only looked good briefly and as soon

as the rains came this happened.
I am thinking if it's a sunny~dry summer the white

marigold will be stunning, I will try again.

Have you grown the white ones and if so what do you think?

Fall colors are coming

2011-10-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

This is a blueberry we planted this spring, I'm really enjoying the color.

This redtwig dogwood has been in the ground for a few years now,

it's filling in it's space nicely and I am loving the colors.

Eat Your Veggies aka Raw Beet and Carrot Salad

2011-10-19T04:00:00.000-07:00

Some different views of the veggies.
Honestly the veggie garden suffered this year.

Have I mentioned our cooler than normal weather?
Maybe I mentioned I thought I burned the garden up with

the addition of composted horse manure that was full of sawdust?
Some seeds sprouted, some didn't, some grew slowly

and some grew fine.

Those carrots were all planted at the same time but the

actual carrots don't look the same age.

Next year will be better.

For some time now I've been wanting to try a raw beet salad.

This bowl of veggies became a raw carrot and beet salad.

Washed well and away we go...

In a small bowl mix 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar or lemon or orange juice
2 Tbsp olive oil

some grated ginger - I don't know how much I used and

I would use dry next time, probably just a pinch -

salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp honey

1 tsp mustard - grainy or yellow or whatever you like-

Grated the carrots and beets (peeled) separately, mix about a TBSP

of dressing onto the carrots and beets - keeping them separate still.

Put the washed and spun dry greens in the bottom of a salad bowl.

Drizzle the greens with about a TBSP of the dressing.

Place the carrots and beets on top of the greens arranging them

how you like. Drizzle any remaining dressing on the salad and

chop some chives over the top if you like.

I based my recipe loosely on the one from the New York Times.

What's in there?!

2011-10-17T20:52:00.000-07:00

The dogs swear to me that something is living in the garden!!!

Seriously though now that the season is almost at an end

and they are free to trample about they sure act

like something is in there.

This is Piglet aka Pigs
He loves to sit on my little wooden table which

consists of 2 pieces of wood, he is always

looking for the warmest spot.

Oh and Piglet's ears are down as he isn't happy about me

taking his picture, he normally turns his head away from me.
I am certain it's the flash that bothers him - too bad

he doesn't understand the flash doesn't go off all the time!!!

This is Monster aka Monty and his name Monster suits him!
Monster has never been camera shy!

They are Chinese Cresteds and are naturally hairless.

What was blooming in May!

2011-10-17T04:00:00.000-07:00

Money plant looks great, looks like spring!

I thought it would be nice to see what was flowering

in May, not what's going on outside now.

Hanging Basket Flowers

2011-10-16T04:00:00.000-07:00

We have this 1 big ole tree in our yard, it's THE shade in

summertime and it's a great place for hanging baskets.
I usually go for a fuchsia but this year wanted to try

something different.

When I first found this Fiesta Double Impatient at the store

it was rather small so I sprinkled some pansy seeds

around it figuring they would fill in the space.

Silly me, another case of crowded plants!

Oh this bewitched pansy is perfect for this time of year!
I will be growing more of these, the flowers should be orange

or black as this one is. Pretty cool huh!

Mt. Ash Fruit

2011-10-15T04:00:00.000-07:00

We took an impromptu Mt drive yesterday, it was good for

my soul. My Dad's birthday would have been this week

and I've been struggling with the reality of not being able

to call him and hear his voice.

The Mountain Ash is looking rather beautiful don't you think?
I was wondering if I should harvest some and make jelly,

have you ever used it for anything? I've never tried it

but I like to use what the land gives us.

When I looked up information on the Mt Ash I find it is

a fruit not a berry, only called a berry because of how it looks!

The berries err fruit has been used for a slightly

bitter jelly and accompanies meats usually.

According to Wikipedia the fruit has been used as a substitute

for coffee beans and also flavors liqueurs.
The article suggest harvesting after the first frost

as it mellows the bitterness.

I am undecided as to whether or not I will harvest the fruit

next time we go up there. What do you think?

Little Red Rose

2011-10-14T04:00:00.000-07:00

During the dry heat of summer this little rose loses all of it's leaves and

waits and waits. I try to water it a bit and then the weather cooled off

and here she is budding up nicely, oh and her leaves are back and

they are a beautiful green.

2 weeks after the first photo I took these 2 photos.

Maybe next year I will start spraying this rose with neem

to help keep the leaves healthy, oh and I suppose

while I am at it she should get some water more often.

What I should do and I've said it before, clean up the

flower bed, expand it, amend it and mulch it.
I bet all the flowers would be happier.

Chamomile and a Weed

2011-10-13T04:00:00.000-07:00

I was outside the other day taking photos and this one

came out rather decent just by chance.
I kind of like it, it makes me laugh!

You've seen the chamomile here before and yet

here it is again. I really like it, how about you?

This weed, what ever it may be, shows up

in 1 or 2 spots in the yard. No idea what it is and

honestly I haven't looked it up as it hasn't bothered me.

It isn't a bully but it does come back every year

in the same space (not place but space).

I will pull it out when I do some more garden work, probably.

What would you do with this weed?

The Autumn Rudbeckias

2011-10-12T04:00:00.000-07:00

Someone commented recently that the wildflowers put on
their best show in the fall and these really do!
It is quite gloomy here, all rainy and cloudy.
The rudbeckia stands out no matter how gloomy it is out,
I am quite thankful for how sunny these flowers are
and how many of them there are.

Growing tomatoes in the Pacific Northwest!!!

2011-10-11T04:00:00.000-07:00

Cherokee Purple

Cherokee Purple
Green Zebra
Prince Borghese
Roma

Green Zebra

Do you see the arrow in the above photo? As I was harvesting I found a fair amount

of bug doo, actually there was a lot of bug doo. Something was chowing on the tomato

leaves and the borage leaves and leaving the doo on the tomatoes. YUCK

Pretty isn't it?! Prince Borghese

This is what the tomatoes ended up looking like, no matter how much I tried to stake them,

they just laid down.

That's a decent sized garden spider living among the tomatoes.

I avoided him in the hopes he would leave me alone also.

This is just part of the green tomato harvest. It ended up being

a wet tomato harvest because it ended up raining rather hard

while I was out there. After I came in and cleaned up the sun

came out and it was quite lovely to see. Uh yeah right I was

rather MAD, ANGRY and just down right annoyed that

the sun came out for a full hour AFTER I was done!!!!

To be honest if I want to grow tomatoes in this area they are going to have

to be grown in a hoop house, our weather just is not hot enough. At least not anymore.

Nice and sunny and warm but it only lasted 1 month.

I kid you not, 1 month of summer and an acceptable fall

which was in September.

I don't like it.

If you don't believe me about the Seattle area weather of recent years,

check out beautifulseattle.com and play around with the

first option, the monthly recap.

Cloudy days for this summer numbers are high.

A beautiful rose

2011-10-10T10:40:00.000-07:00

Earlier this summer I asked what was wrong with my rose

and we decided it was too much water.
Our weather has quickly become rainy again, summer

was maybe 2 months so the rose had a brief period of

looking good.
Here she is in her glory, if you click on this link

you can see it earlier in the year when it didn't look so great.

I think it's quite pretty and there was still some new foliage

coming on at the end of September.

This rose gets rather tall, I didn't know it would do that,

when my Grandma grew roses they all were at "normal" heights.

I guess it's a happy rose?!

Whiskey Barrel Planting

2011-10-09T04:00:00.000-07:00

Almost at the end of it's life span.

It was still looking fairly nice here don't ya think?

Here the plants were new and I'd sprinkled them

with diatomaceous earth.

A blend of flowers and vines oh and an edible, chard.

If you click on the photo collage it will enlarge so you take a better look.
I hope you like it!

Yellow flowers but what are they?

2011-10-08T04:00:00.000-07:00

Earlier this summer we visited a park somewhere in the Seattle area.

Rather vague hmm I know but I don't know where

the park was! When we go into Seattle sometimes

we drive through various neighborhoods, it's a fantastic

way to see other peoples gardens and yard art or

to find a neat park.

This was a very nice neighborhood park

with fantastic flowers.

Here are 2 different yellow flowers, I've not a clue

what they are but I did try to id them.

I need a big book of pictures!

Very similar looking flowers although the flower color is different

as is the foliage.

I did take lots of pictures at this park but I won't show them to you all at once!
Did I mention I like to stock up on photos

for the winter?

Did I mention how much I dislike winter here?

It's not that I dislike winter, it's the clouds and rain

I dislike in winter.
The Seattle area is known for rain but I didn't realize

it was cloudy more than anything.
The past 2 summers haven't been much of a summer

coupled with the winter here quite honestly

make me quite depressed.
Vitamin D3 is probably the only reason

I manage to function at all, I take a lot of it.

~
My point for telling you this?
I save flower pictures for winter to help cheer me up

and I assume you all would prefer flowers

to gloom. I am gloomy enough during these months

and tend to withdraw from everything, these pictures help.

Picnic Point Park

2011-10-07T04:00:00.000-07:00

Not too far from our house is a beautiful ocean park, Picnic Point Park.

We cannot see the ocean from our house but a short drive from our

house and we are there. It's a beautiful place to be.

The rosehips look great at this time of year.

An amazing view don't you think?
This was taken on the first day of October,
a beautiful start to the month.

Checking out a campsite in the rain

2011-10-06T04:00:00.000-07:00

There are quite a few beautiful places to visit in the area and this one

isn't very far for us to visit.

We were actually checking out a camping site for next summer.

Red huckleberry

The leaves are just starting to change colors, I can hardly

wait to see more!

Baby Blue Eyes

2011-10-05T04:00:00.000-07:00

Baby blue eyes sounds more like a crooner than a flower.

This adorable little flower is a filler in an empty spot.

The spot belongs to my Daphne. Well it did before

I killed it. I'd rather not talk about it.

~
Ok well just so you know the only time I really

kill plants is when I move them at the wrong time of year,

oh say in August.
It was against my wishes to move the daphne and I wasn't

surprised when it didn't make it

and empty spot was hard to take so I sprinkled

some extra seeds there.
This little blue flax and some purple alyssum

filled it in nicely.
I'd like to plant a daphne there again one day.

A Wildflower Bed at the End of Summer

2011-10-04T04:00:00.000-07:00

The blue bachelor button currently is covered in flowers and

seed heads, lots of seed heads.

It is tedious to deadhead the bachelor button, much easier to cut

the whole plant back but since we are so close to winter

it would be the end of them if I do that now.

There is supposed to be 2 separate flower beds here with a path

in the center of them. Uhm I will let the gardener know

she needs to do a better job on this area next year.

Honestly the wildflowers look great all summer and we

have what most people would consider a rather short summer.

I am not going to complain that this bed isn't perfect come

the end of summer, it bring so much pleasure.

The rudbeckia came up on the edge of the sidewalk but they

kept going on into the sidewalk.

The gardener did stake them but as you can see

they chose to ignore said stakes.

A close up just for fun.

Ha this gardener is going to be forever busy in this yard,

I can find something to do all the time.

Is it difficult for you to sit and enjoy your yard?

I ask because every time I sit down

I see something

and get up to take care of it

and then the

next thing

and

the next.

Next think ya know and I've been working

in the yard for hours.

New Garden Bed

2011-10-03T04:00:00.000-07:00

I've finally done something more with the new garden bed.

I'd like to get rid of all the grass and make this one huge bed

with rows, no individual wood borders and NO grass!

It would be nice for all of the grass in this area to be gone and

for the garden bed to encompass this whole area.

I think it would give me more actual garden space.

Here is a side view, I was really trying to get the flowers!

I suppose you can't help but notice the cat?

Brutus loves the garden, he follows me around sniffing the flowers,

rubbing on them and me and he always is sticking his face in

the camera. Brutus is a great hunter and keeps our compost

area and gardens free from the long tailed pests that

frequently can be a problem.

Phlox suffers in the rain

2011-10-02T04:00:00.000-07:00

Maybe the title should say: gardener neglects to stake the phlox

which causes it to suffer in the heavy winds and the frequent fall rains.

Oops.

The white flowered quite well all summer and into the fall,

the other colors flowered early and were done September.

The white is still flowering even if half of it is on the ground.

This pink/purple was planted at the same time as the white

but not grown to the size of the white. I like it just the same.

My other half picked out this pinwheel phlox, isn't it pretty?

This pink is flowering as part of the pinwheel, fine with me as

they look stunning together.

Pretty Shrub

2011-10-01T04:00:00.000-07:00

Earlier this summer we visited a few local parks, I like to
take extra photos during the summer so that in
winter I can post something other than what's actually
going on in my yard - winter rain.
Winter rain isn't pretty but this flowering shrub is.
Not sure what it is but I like!

Pennyroyal

2011-09-30T04:00:00.000-07:00

Pennyroyal is a mint that I've grown for years but I can't really say why.
I do love the flowers but can I live without them, well, no.
Of course there are other plants just as pretty

but still I grow it for some reason.

I think the reason is it sort of scares me.

~
Pennyroyal has been used as a tea and was regarded

as a highly important herbal plant in days of past.
People even cooked with it! I say this with surprise

as it is quite strong smelling and I can imagine it to be a

strong flavor. Even though it has had many uses in

the past, it is to be regarded with caution as it is toxic.
~
Confused? Me too, is it safe or is it toxic.
I view it as mostly toxic and figure it might be

well used as a repellent and

maybe I should hang it throughout the house.

~
What do you think of Pennyroyal?

I like it in a pot on the front steps, although this isn't the best picture.

I feel like maybe it keeps out evil as it is so scary.

Funny thing to me about Pennyroyal is one of the nicknames -
Pudding Grass (really pudding, even a meat pudding)!

A street side planting

2011-09-29T04:00:00.000-07:00

This was a street side planting somewhere in the area!
I see purple petunias and I think the orange ones are zinnias but

what are the pink ones?

Manzano Orange Pepper Plant and Flowers

2011-09-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

Who knew an orange pepper with a purple flower and

black seeds and heat heat heat!

The plant is getting tall and I love the fuzzy leaves.
Unlike the peppers I've grown before.

~
This plant will be coming in the house when it

starts getting too cold out. Although word is

this pepper comes from the Andes and can tolerate

below freezing temps.

~
Tradewindsfruit.com has seeds for the Manzano orange pepper.

I've not ordered seeds from them I just wanted you to

take a look at their website! LOL I love looking at all

those peppers.

~
Wikipedia has more information about this pepper

variety and from what it says this is a long lived - tree like

pepper - it can live up to 15 years!!!! WOW

~
Did I mention HOT!!!!!
~
A local market carries these peppers, when I saw
the black seeds I saved the peppers because
I wanted to grow this pepper.

More re-purposed containers

2011-09-27T04:00:00.000-07:00

Junkmarketstyle.com has some great ideas, that's where the idea for the re-purposed
butter containers came from. Check the original out here.
I bought this brand of butter at Safeway, I think it is their butter brand. It was inexpensive
and I bought it for this purpose in mind. Pretty darn cute don't ya think?
Do you see the wood peeking out from behind the violas? That is a bird house my son
made for me but I don't want to put in the yard, I like it on my porch!

You can see the zip sandwhich bag sticking out the top.

I put the bag in and used a funnel to put some soil in,

stuffed the baby plants in and funneled in some more soil.

Do you like it?

Woosh!

2011-09-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

Woosh! It's been quite windy overnight and into today, the

poorly staked green beans couldn't quite handle it.

If you look closely you can see the green beans hanging on the vines.
~
I picked them after this photo and then I broke out in a rash.

Green bean plants cause a rash as do peach leaves and fuzz, the spring

sunshine causes a similar rash.
I've decided that I should wear cotton pants and
long sleeve shirt and a hat when in the garden.

fft yeah right

I probably should, it would be cool and comfy and protect me

from multiple irritants but I'd ruin that kind of clothing

out there.

~
I am thankful for the bountiful harvest of green beans

this year, rash or not.

A couple of photos

2011-09-25T13:23:00.000-07:00

The 1 lonely fig.
|Do you grow figs and if so does this look

like a black mission fig to you?
That's what the tag said but honestly I wouldn't know.

I planted this Japanese Anemone last summer, here is the

first flower.

Cilantro in re-purposed planters

2011-09-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

This is my cilantro, it's flowering. It went to flower

rather quickly, is that normal?

It's growing near the sweet potato, I used a plastic coffee "can"
and a smaller dog food bag.
Why do I buy coffee in the grocery store?
For re-purposed containers for my plants.

Rudbeckia and Knautia

2011-09-23T04:00:00.000-07:00

I happen to think this is a stunner of a combo, I didn't plan it and

cannot take credit for it. As if I could take credit for it in the first place.
~
Knautia macedonia is an easy to grow perennial. Actually it is
beyond easy, plant it and wait for it to come up in other places.
~
It can be a bit taller and lanky so it really needs to be planted
where it can weave through other plants.
That is what happened here but like I said,
I didn't plant it in that spot.
~
The first bed I planted the knautia in needs some help.
It's a very dry-weedy-unkempt garden bed.
It has been neglected while I work on the rest of the yard
but it's past time and I think the knautia is too big for it's bed.
~
~
~
I want to thank everyone for stopping by from blotanical.com
I am finding it very difficult to find the time to
visit everyone and keep up with the end of summer
garden along with the photos I am taking to stock up for winter.
Do you stock up on photos for winter?
Oh and I am looking for a job.

Joe Pye Weed

2011-09-22T04:00:00.000-07:00

Joe Pye Weed takes up this corner of my yard.

In front is a red twig dogwood, slightly to the right

is a oak-leaf hydrangea and the brown crispy on the right edge

is what's left of Queen of the Prairie, she look was beautiful

earlier this summer.

On the left is some rudbeckia and a carpet rose

that doesn't seem to love it's location.

A stunner in any light.

This is the shortest stalk in the whole bunch, the rest of the plant

is 10 feet plus!

I do love this plant and it's neighbor Queen of the Prairie.

Anacortes

2011-09-21T04:00:00.000-07:00

Anacortes, WA is one of our favorite places to visit.

Although it was a cloudy day, it's always beautiful.

We like to hike in the Washington Park area,
there is always something different to see.

I do not know what plant this is. I really need to get some
id books.

A couple of fungis!

~ ~ ~
Cap Sante park is another beautiful area bordering the marina.

The fennel grows abundantly along the marina.

This beautiful tree not only has the marina as a backdrop but that

fennel behind it makes it really stand out.

I should know what this plant is off the top of my head....
I had to look it up in my field guide, of course it's sweet white clover.
Considered an invasive but it smells wonderful. It reminds me of my

childhood - it must have grown wild along the road as
I could always smell it when we went to town.

I think this one is Spreading Fleabane as it grows in sandy areas

and this was along the shoreline.

Curlycup Gumweed.
I was excited to see it's sunny face,
that lovely yellow is so cherry.

Dustybay.blogspot.com covered the gumweed recently,

check it out.

A heron flew over our heads to land in this tree, probably

waiting for us to get out of its way down on the beach.

I love this area, can you tell?

Yikes, green beans!

2011-09-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

Gosh aren't those nice,
we are having a beautiful late harvest of green beans.
I say late harvest because I know in places

where summers are warm the green beans

can be harvested all summer long, not just
in August and September.

This is what the green bean area looked like last month.

The bush beans were putting out a great harvest at this time

and nothing had taken over yet.

I didn't expect all of the bean seeds to sprout.

None of my other seeds sprouted so well.

We have had to stake and restake and restake the green beans.

Like I said I didn't expect all of the seeds to sprout

but they did and now they are top heavy.

Someone didn't help me put the stakes in for the beans so maybe
just maybe it was a weak setup?!

Next year something different will have to happen!

Those pole beans are flowering beautifully and producing well,

it all works out!

The pole beans are a larger meatier pod.

I planted 2 varieties of bush beans on the outsides

of the bed and the pole beans are in the middle of the bed.

A mistake yes! I shouldn't have planted

bush beans on both sides of the bed because

a duh is that the shade side didn't grow as well.

It's been a lesson but a very edible lesson.

This is my favorite photo today!

Using the sprinkler may be one of the worst ways to water

a garden but it is one of the best ways to enjoy

the watering of the garden.

Do you see all the little birdies? They greatly enjoy the sprinkler.

Sweet Potato in an odd planter

2011-09-19T04:00:00.000-07:00

There was a huge sweet potato sitting in a bag on my counter.
I forgot about it as it was behind some other stuff. AHEM

Anyways it sprouted so I planted it.

Did I mention this is a cat food bag?

~
There is an area on our back patio, it's a cement beam running
along the edge of the patio and it may be holding up something?
I don't know what it's purpose is exactly but I do know it

isn't pretty looking.
~
There are all kinds of planters on it but I was running out of

planters so decided to start repurposing various containers
to use as planters. This is one of those containers.
~

Very pretty leaves.
~
Our weather isn't really warm enough for there to be

a sweet potato harvest but those pretty leaves make up for it.

Fuzzy Wuzzy

2011-09-18T04:00:00.000-07:00

I've no idea what little bugger this is but it is cute.
Yes I think it's cute.

~
When my kids were young we would check out

books from the library to figure out

what critter was what.
~
I should buy a critter book.
I call them critters because when is a bug a bug and

when isn't a bug a bug? !