Author Archive
Welcome to my first giveaway. I know! I have never done one before and I had a great opportunity that was presented to me by P. Allen Smith and the folks at Berry Family of Nurseries.
Do you like the wreath at the top of the is article? That is what you have the chance to win! Its 20 inches and will be sipped directly from Berry Family of Nurseries to your home. Please follow the directions carefully at the bottom. The winner will be chosen at random from those who have followed instructions, on November 28, 2012. To choose the winner I will be using Random.org.
Over the past two years I have gotten to know Allen and his hard-working staff and really admire all they are trying to do.
I have also gotten to talk with Heidi Berry on several occasions and learned a bit about the family business.
Allen shows a wide range of great decor in the Holday Collection
The Berry Family of Nurseries partnered with P. Allen Smith to create the P. Allen Smith Holiday Collection. Fresh greenery such as Noble Fir, Western Red Cedar and Douglas Fir along with berries and cones are hand assemble and tied to create the perfect accent for your holiday home. The Berry Family of Nurseries strives to be sustainable and gathers fresh greens from the lower branches of the trees, they strive not to cut trees down, but prune them. This makes me very comfortable offering this giveaway.
How I got the chance to offer this – Yes, I am going to spill the beans.
One of this year’s great highlights was a social media event I was invited to, Garden2Blog.
Allen started Garden2Blog in 2011 and he had the idea of gathering 20-25 garden bloggers or so and brought them together at his Garden Home Retreat outside Little Rock, Arkansas where they could meet with garden product representatives, ask questions, share experiences, and learn about plants and products available on the American market. His idea was that these bloggers would come away with information that could help strengthen awareness and help them to relate to a broader audience that is out there on the web, create dialog and share within the online garden community. It was truly one of the highlights of my year.
Here is the NITTY-GRITTY
My contest has a couple of hoops. To enter you must complete a few things. Yes, nothing in life is completely free.
Number One – You must follow the link to my Pinterest account. This first link is specifically to the picture of the wreath on my Holiday board. http://pinterest.com/pin/174796029258844762/ Please leave a comment, if you have a twitter handle please sign the comment with it as it helps me contact you if you have won. Secondly re-pin this to your own Pinterest board and tweet it out attaching @PAllenSmith and @WherePlantsRock to the tweet.
Number Two. Please follow the link provided to my second pin on Pinterest. http://pinterest.com/pin/90212798757283651/ Please watch and leave a comment. I think you will like what P. Allen Smith is doing with bloggers from around the country, but it also gives you an idea of what Garden2Blog is all about.
November 12, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: #g2b12, Arkansas, Berry Family of Nurseries, garden2blog, giveaway, Holiday, Little Rock, P. Allen Smith, wreath | 2 Comments »
Going into fall and winter meals tend to get a little more rich and little less health conscious.
I am finding myself going through recipes and adapting things. Recently, I found myself looking at a classic dish and how it’s made. Boeuf Bourguignon, the classic French dish we all associate with Julia Child and her renaissance of cooking in the late fifties and early sixties.
-
braise the beef first, remember to pat it dry before you do otherwise it will not brown
Use 1-2 Lbs beef. Usually a nicer cut of meat, but something reasonably priced.
Cut the beef into into “cubes” or nice healthy sized pieces.
Pat it dry and brown it in a pan. We all saw the movie and know this by now.
You want to seal in the natural juices this way and it keeps the meat nice and tender.
After the meat is browned pot on a plate and place it to the side.
I use one tablespoon Chile Olive Oil in the pan.
It has a good flavor without tainting the meat with too much olive.
getting your vegetables to start caramelizing is so important
Take at least a half a dozen large scallions and peal them.
Cut the top and the bottom off the scallions and peal the dry layer off.
- Place the scallions into the pan just browned the meat in and start to get them caramelized.
At this time also add the 1/2 pound smoked bacon, get them both cooking. Personally I don’t like to have too much grease in the pot.
While the scallions and bacon are slowly sizzling clean the carrots. Use them as this a rustic dish, some people say no carrots. Use at least two pounds carrots. Scrub the dirt off and then quarter them lengthwise. I like to use a couple of colors of carrots as well.
Garlic- my preference is roasted and minced. 1/2 teaspoon.
Mix one cup tomato bullion, one cube with one cup water. Some recipes call for one tablespoon tomatoe paste, but who wants to open a can of paste for one tablespoon? I also like that the tomato bullion has chicken in it as well. Meat flavors are great fused.
Get your meat rolled in flour.
Add the bacon to the bottom of the pan you are using. I would recommend Le Creuset 6 3/4 quart Oval Dutch Oven. Start to place the carrots around the edge like a nest. Pace some of the meat that you have rolled in flower in the bottom of the pan.
Add some of the scallions in with the meat and add the garlic sort of here and there.
simmer on the stove top
Add more meat and carrots, and then more scallions. Build this up. Layer it all.
At this point what you need next is 1 cup Madeira, 4 cups Burgundy wine, the 1 cup of tomato bullion, 2 cups beef stock and three tablespoons butter.
Place the pot on the stove and turn it on to medium high.
Pre-heat the oven at 325-350 degrees depending.
- While the oven is preheating, slowly add the Madeira around the outer edges and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Next add the tomato bullion. Just get it in there and let that simmer 5 minutes as well.
Go ahead and add the three cups Burgundy, bringing it up to a boil and place your butter on top. (I add fresh ground pepper on top at this point as well.)
place the lid on and allow to simmer more before placing inot a preheated oven
Cover it and let it simmer rapidly for about 20 minutes.
Take off of burner and put into 325-350 degree oven for 3 hours.
At this point add the last cup of Burgundy and place back inot oven for another 45 minutes.
I had to peak at it in the oven…steaming hot!
Make sure to get yourself some nice crusty bread or rolls to eat with this. You will need it to wipe every little spatter off your plate!
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
2 lbs top cut beef
1 tablespoon Chili Olive Oil
1/2 pound smoked bacon
2 pounds carrots, get a good variety of colors.
1 pound scallions. Highly recommend those that are large with several cloves inside.
2 cups sliced mushrooms (no they were not mentioned because I did not use them, but you can)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tomato bullion cube
2 cups beef stock
1 cup water
1 cup Madeira
4 cups Burgundy wine
3 tablespoons butter (your preference of salted or unsalted
Fresh ground black pepper
Good kitchen help is hard to find. LB likes to help clean up!
October 30, 2012 | Categories: in the kitchen | Tags: bacon, beef, boil, braise, burgundy, butter, caramelize, carrots, Chili Olive Oil, cook, cooking, Dutch oven, Frech, Garden, garlic, Julia Child, kitchen, Le Creuset, meat, mediera, oven, scallions, simmer, stove, wine | 2 Comments »
A great contest from the the mistress of the small, the minute, the miniature.
August 17, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave A Comment »
Could this be one of Empress Marie Louise buckets?
Alright, most of my friends know that this past year I have geeked about three ladies of another era. Marie Antoinette, Georgiana Cavendish, and Catherine the Great.
The past couple months I have been really researching the life of Marie Antoinette. She was a public figure, ridiculed, revered, scorned. I have been looking at her life, the way she lived and the objects she lived with. Marie was a girl who decided to ‘buck the system’ and she had style. Unfortunately she lived during a very difficult time during the history of France and she ended up loosing her head.
Marie had been given her own little hideaway, Petit Trianon, and used it as a place to escape the French Court at Versailles. This was a gift from her husband Lois XVI and is was all hers. Louis XVI did not build it for Marie, Louis XV did for Madame de Pompadour, and then was used by Louis XV and Madame du Berry. Now this was given to Marie and she used it to escape and created her own pastoral world. Country was on people’s lips and Marie had made country life very fashionable. Well, her version of it any how.
Marie and Louis also had a few other hideaways, one was Rambouillet. Rambouillet was a château Louis purchased in 1783 because he liked the hunting in this area. He was a big sportsman and was up before dawn to hunt the stag. Marie thought the place was ‘a toad hole’ and loathed to be there. Louis in his ever appeasing way created something to make the ever needing to be distracted Marie happy.
Louis had a dairy, Laiterie, built at Rambouillet for Marie Antoinette as a little surprise. She was making country life fashionable, a statement, and being the queen of fashion herself, needed a place for her and her friends to hang. Now don’t go getting pictures in your head of her in a milkmaid outfit milking the cows. The outfit yes, her hands to an utter no.
This was not a dairy like we know it. It was a small but grande working milk house, or milk temple, a place for her and her friends to gather and sit. It had a cooling room with fountains in the floor, a grotto, and was lit by skylight. Furniture was especially made for this “temple” as well as a large assortment of Sevres porcelain-a few pieces of the porcelain survive. I think I just found another. It had a very ancient look, more Etruscan in detail and coloration.
Let me a back up a moment. I have gotten ahead of myself in a way.
This past May I was invited to attend Garden2Blog12. This is the second time this event has been held and hosted by P. Allen Smith and his wonderful staff and sponsors. It is held in Little Rock, Arkansas at Smith’s Garden Home Retreat. Twenty to twenty-five garden bloggers, writers, personalities, or social media types are gathered from around the nation and flown to Little Rock. Sponsors are given slots to communicate their products, create events, or sponsor the meals. It is no small affair and not done on the cheap.
One of the highlights of the event was a trip out to a Marlsgate Plantation. We were bussed out on a warm sunny day across the Arkansas delta to view the gardens that Smith had designed and to meet his art instructor.
This is no little museum, but a home that someone lives in. It is a grand affair, and that is an understatement. The house, this is the 1904/1905 incarnation, is full of wonderful treasures amassed, accumulated, and unearthed by the family of David P. Garner, Jr.
David is an avid collector and very much a walking encyclopedia of the times, artwork, furniture, and bric-a-brac that fill Marlsgate to the gills. One thing David talked to me was about the several sets and pieces of Sevres. He knows the hallmarks, and who worked on the pieces by the way they were initialed. He is a definite authority and definitely entertaining.
Lately I find myself on Ebay looking at what pieces of Sevres people are attempting to sell. I just about geeked the other day. I am cruising around Ebay and here is this very unusual piece listed as “Gilded Porcelain Cachepot Jardiniere”. (see picture at top of posting)
OMG! This is something I have seen recently. No, not as a photograph, but a watercolor sketch in a book. I found the book I had seen it in recently and though this a sketch it is also spot on.
Original watercolor sketches for the Sevres porcelain by Lagrenee’.
This odd piece that someone is selling as a pot to put a houseplant in is actually a glorified milk pail. Now in my reading I also discovered that the Empress Marie Louise, Empress Josephine’s successor, had these reproduced in white and gold. It is not Marie Antoinette’s milk pail. So much was looted, broken, or just vanished when Louis and Marie were taken into the custody of the French people. One would find some of the objects remarkable if not mind-boggling.Even though several of the ‘wooden’ buckets were made only a few survive.
Questions in my mind: Could this be a one of those that were made? How many are still out there in existence? Does this item need to be returned to the French Government?
I look forward to returning to Marlsgate in the future and talking more with David about some of his extraordinary family pieces and those he has hunted down himself. When I talked to David he extended the invitation to come spend the day and talk about the furniture, art, and beauty that is Marlsgate. I may do just that very soon.
August 6, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: dairy, ebay, France, garden2blog, History, Josephine, Laiterie, Marie Antoinette, Marlsgate Plantation, P. Allen Smith, porcelain, Rambouillet, rare, Sevres | Leave A Comment »
Bruce Bailey is the owner of Heavy Petal Nursery in Moses Lake, WA, or, as he likes to call it, God’s Country. With majors in art, art history, and history Bruce finds expression in the garden art he creates along with the customers he cultivates through an unconventional selection of gardening products that ensure a unique shopping experience. New varieties and surprising introductions of garden worthy plants, as well as old fashioned and unjustly forgotten favorites are all on display. His boundless energy and dynamic spirit are in evidence in all of his endeavors, whether through painting, his plant selections, garden design, home interiors or speaking at garden shows.
“Bruce Bailey does not let living in zone 5 define his gardening or his life. His adventurous style is evident in every plant he selects, and every garden he designs. When I met Bruce, my first impression was one of boundless energy, and a mind always at work. His careful observations of nature–and nature expressed in gardens–informs his plant choices, and once formed his opinions are not hidden. Bruce’s educational background in art history and design, and he is an accomplished interior designer/decorator in addition to his ability of paint pictures with plants. Even plants for sale in his nursery are presented in a painterly manner.”
Linda Beutler – Author and Curator, Rogerson Clematis Collection
Deborah Silver recently mentioned Bruce in her blog Dirt Simple http://www.deborahsilver.com/blog/?p=25116
Northwest Flower and Garden Show http://www.gardenshowblog.com/bruce-bailey/
Heritage Radio Network, We Dig Plants with Carmen Devito & Alice Marcus Krieg http://174.129.224.107/archives?tag=Heavy+Petal+Nursery
Bruce’s speaking engagements for 2012
Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle, Washington
Portland Yard, Garden, Patio Show, Portland, Oregon
Arkansas Flower and Garden Show in Little Rock, Arkansas
Boise Flower and Garden Show, Boise, Idaho
Other regional speaking engagements are also on the calendar.
Topics
A Container Named Desire- Containers, Care, and Combinations
Pump Up Volume- Outstanding Plants for Summer Containers
Painting Your Desert Garden- Using foliage to bring color into your high desert garden.
Harmonizing Your Home and Your Garden- Color, Balance and Enhancement
New for 2013
Upcycling into Your Garden- Found objects, trash to treasure, and creating follies in your garden.
County Garning as Fashion- Marie Antoinette, Marie Louise of Savoy, Yolande Martine Gabrielle de Polastron, Georgiana Cavendish and the flowers they loved.
Flowers of Downton Abbey – a look at Edwardian gardening
Follow Bruce on twitter @WherePlantsRock
Visit his nursery website www.heavypetalnursery.com
You can contact Bruce Bailey info@heavypetalnursery.com
March 9, 2012 | Categories: Garden, nursery, Uncategorized | Tags: art, bio, Bruce Bailey, design, flowers, Garden, Heavy Petal, interior, Nursery, patio, plants, rock, show, Speaker, speaking, Whereplantsrock, yard | Leave A Comment »
It is spring once again and the harbingers of the season are just exposing their bright faces in Arkansas.
This spring I was fortunate enough to be invited to speak at the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show. I decided to stay an extra day to explore the beauty of the area and my host was none other than the hospitable gallant, P. Allen Smith.
Allen, as he likes to be called, picked me up at 7:30 in the morning at my hotel. He had just finished filming two segments in the studio and had a full day ahead of him. I was originally scheduled to have dinner with Allen on Friday evening, but filming had gone long into the day for him and his crew. Honestly, I was tired from my day of traveling but I did not want to admit it. Allen was wondering if I would care to come up to his Garden Home Retreat and see the farm and the early daffodils that were just breaking forth.
How could I refuse such and invite?
I quickly answered yes and Saturday morning could not come soon enough. As a gardener I relish spring and the earth awakening. As a designer I had been looking forward to the opportunity to see the layout of the farm, gardens and the interior of house.
Like a ride from “Wind in the Willows”, a half an hour to get to Allen’s home, set amongst the trundling landscape of Moss Mountain, and I arrived. Allen takes pride in welcoming the public into his home. He is very gracious and at ease amongst the padocks, meadows, Southern Shortleaf Pines, and oaks. Of course what caught my eye was the beginning of the daffodils. Now I have heard a couple of numbers, but it is an estimated 275,000 daffodils been planted in the meadow that lies like a carpet in front of the traditional Greek Revival farmhouse.
A glorious morning of sunshine, blue skies and unseasonable warm temperatures made for an impressionistic landscape. One could just smell the honey laden perfume of the myriad of yellow blooms as the day warmed.
I must admit I am very grateful for the time Allen took to show me his lair. Retreat is not just implied, but is modus vivendi overlooking the Arkansas River Valley.
Time does not stand still, but is certainly savored at Allen’s Garden Home Retreat. Daffodil Days will be starting soon. March 9, 16, 23, and 30. I would book sooner than later because of the unexpected warmth.
Thank you Allen and staff. I look forward to the Garden2Blog event in May and experiencing yet another season of Arkansas.
March 2, 2012 | Categories: Garden, travel | Tags: Arkansas, Daffodils, Garden, Garden Home Retreat, garden2blog, Little Rock, Moss Mountain, P. Allen Smith | 4 Comments »
Prairie plants such as
Echinaceas and grasses dominate at Lurie Garden.
Bees are busy and hard at work at one of the best kept
secrets in Chicago. Hidden away in Millennium Park is a quiet
oasis–Lurie Garden. Consisting of 5 acres and tended by one paid
staff person I was impressed by how natural the setting was.
Another great thing about Lurie Garden is that it rests atop the
Millennium Garden parking structure. Yeah, it is also a rooftop
garden! Is that making the most of your space and hiding an eyesore
all at once?
I met garden writer Helen
Yoest (gardeningwithconfidence.com) and garden photographer
Christopher Tidrick (fromthesoil.blogspot.com) at the
symbolic ”Cloud Gate” (Anish Kapoor, 2006).
With its mirror like finish, this giant sculpture
lays between the vertical and the horizontal; the organic
omphalos refered to by citizens as the “Bean”. On this
glorious August morning, sun shining bright, the mood of
the trio was festive and we were hungry to bite into what Chicago
had to offer. Helen looked forward to seeing this piece as she had
never been to chicago and has a penchant for gazing balls. The
‘Bean’ is one big gazing ball that’s for sure. A few pictures
snapped and off we went to the one garden the three of us
wanted to see. What made that sharing more of an event is the
company I got to share it with.
Christopher Tidrick is
always on the lookout for a great garden shot. Screens or
scrims of grass create great layers and afford the photographer
endless possibilities.
Helen
Yoest- Spendor in the grasses. Textures of stone, plants, wood and
water were awaiting our discovery. This is one garden Helen did not
want to miss in Chicago.
Upon
entering through the armatured hedge the three of us were
amazed at the insular world before us. Textures of stone,
plants, wood and water were awaiting our discovery as we walked
through the small hedge opening, a snicket almost, but I could
be mistaken. Through the hedge we went and momentarily I felt that
we had stepped through the looking-glass. As a big fan of
the natural garden, I could easily glide through meadows and along
the shorelines taking it all in. Lurie Garden is right up my alley
that’s for sure. Prairie perennials, grasses and great
textural plants from the plains mix well with other plants. OK,
Stop!
I am describing it as a
jumble, but its more like a series of rolls. Screens or scrims
of grass created great layers while Echinaceas,
Hemerocallis ‘Chicago Apache’,
Veronicastrum virginicum and
Eupatorium maculatus
‘Gateway’ stood tall and proud showing the world their
colors. Calamintha,
Pycnanthemum muticum,
Eryngium yuccifolium,
and
Amsonia hubrichtii
providing contrast and
interest. Layers and screens, screens and layers. More movement
seems to happen while everything is standing still in this
space.
Just one
August morning is not enough for this garden. It must be visited
several times throughout the seasons. This is a great garden to
study in, have lunch, meet a friend for intimate conversation.
There is an other-worldliness about it. NO place in Chicago feels
like this.
A visitor to Lurie Garden will be
treated to not only a slow quiet pace, but a feast. The bees
certainly are. The bees in Lurie Garden don’t pay visitors any
attention. They are far too busy gleaning what they can and
collecting up what they need to survive the winter. Busy, busy,
busy bees. This is sort of ironic to me. The bees are much like the
humans who work around or outside the garden. I am not talking
the park employees, but those working in downtown Chicago. Outside
the shouldering hedges is a busy area of downtown. Thousands of
people are working and doing their thing so they can survive as
well. 
September 9, 2011 | Categories: Garden, op/ed, Plants That Rock | 1 Comment »
As some of my friends know I am quite the force in the kitchen at times.
When it comes to cooking I learned more from my father than I did my mother–she is no cook.
My folks were born and raised in California–my father was born in Santa Maria and grew up in a strange fashion attending high school in the Santa Ynez Valley and college at Cal Poly, SLO.
His love of California rustic cuisine is still present in the amount of garlic, green onions, and overall flavor he enjoys on or with his food.
So onto the bread!
This recipe is not for those with low cholesterol diets. The butter will he running from the corners of your mouth or dripping from your chin.
You have been warned.
I start with slicing the loaf of bread length wise.
Pre-heat the oven to 425F and put the bread on a cookie
sheet face down.
Let cook till outside is hard and at the crunchy state.
In a sauce pan-
Use 3/4 to one pound butter and melt it in the sauce pan adding 2 heaping tablespoons minced garlic–fresh or from a jar. I like to use roasted minced garlic as the flavor is full and rich. Let it melt on low heat- we are not browning the butter but fusing the flavor of the garlic to the golden substance.
(Butter has this magical quality to it. The fats absorb or take on flavors, organic compounds and chemical compounds.)
After 10 or 12 minutes bring bread out of oven and turn cut side up. It, too, should be crispy and very light in color.
At this point turn the oven on broil and toast the cut side to desired shade.
Pull out of oven and ladle half the butter on the two halved of the bread. Place back under the broiler and let it come to a bubble and remove.
Ladle second half of butter/garlic on bread. Yes! More butter, more garlic.
Repeat steps again with broiler and remove.
Fold buttered faces of bread back onto each other and slice bread into small one inch thick, or thicker, slices.
Serve hot!
September 8, 2011 | Categories: in the kitchen | 3 Comments »
The Park Hill Collection just keeps catching my eye. Yes, I have to walk by it. Yes, it draws me in.
Elegant reclaimed wood pieces, stylish and paired down mixed with vintage feeling prints, rustic metals and those dang sheep I got to have.
Truly, these are great! They are cast from molds of old/vintage pieces in a nice featherstone and given a weathered finish–just awesome.
Lanterns, framed mirrors, and other accessories that blend equally from the outside to the inside. All compliment a savvy sense of finish and presentation that can hit a wide rang of price-points.
Helen Yoest, garden writer and Raleigh, North Carolina resident commented to me, “A combination of contemporary south and old plantation before the days that were gone with the wind.”
I would have to agree with Helen that southern style has never looked better.
August 18, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: casual, decor, decorate, Living, rustic, style | Leave A Comment »
Today was very enlightening. Walking around the trade show floor one just never knows what could catch an eye. She was seen. What I had hoped to find and don’t seem to at trade shows.
This girl is an edgy, goth/alternative type, but right on track. Girl? She just turned twenty-nine and today was her birthday.
Approaching her I asked if I could talk to her for a minute and see how she was enjoying the show and what she was looking at.
The conversation was very relaxed- footing was equal and she appreciated my candid and direct questions as much as enjoyed her esprit decor.
Much was learned quickly–she was here with her mother, a veteran of the garden center trade who had worked for someone else the past 20 years. The mother, with her daughters, had decided it was time to take a risk on something they could call their own. Risky indeed in this economy, but a risk worth taking.
Organics, sustainable, natural were words that came from both these women’s lips. They plan to raise and sell their own eggs- the young woman herself was a bee keeper and planned on having honey as something that was sold at the nursery. Chickens were also part of the package…an odd, but very thought out plan was being related to me and how they would do this in a town with a base population of thirty thousand people.
I feel at times very alternative, very not fitting in with the nursery crowd–too indie. I sell plants to people like this bright young woman when I go to shows and lectures in Spokane, Seattle, and Portland. There is an untapped market of brilliant younger people–couple, singles, families–that are educating themselves online. They are becoming the new plant geeks in the garden sphere.
Nothing like meeting a 22 year old peony collector who is plopping down a hundred dollars on an Itoh peony you have at your show booth. You read that correctly, too sweet to make that kind of stuff up.
Be aware of your customer base–it’s not all ladies 45-60. The base is becoming younger, way hipper, and highly savvy. Just because you have read the cover of a book seldom do you know the story at all.
August 18, 2011 | Categories: nursery, op/ed | Tags: alternative, egg, goth, honey, new thinking, Nursery, Organic, rocking, steam punk, sustainable, unexpected | 2 Comments »
Adaptation is a rule, and a lesson, that almost every gardener must learn. Where to plant, what to plant there, zoning, and watering are all thing that a gardener must keep in mind when purchasing a plant.
Native plants–native to your area or to the North American continent– can be so rewarding with minimal effort. The same holds even more true with plants that are native to the plain states.
European garden designer Piet Oudolf capitalizes on just those qualities that are so natural to the plant.
American gardeners, always in search of value and savings=maximum bang for the dollar, are discovering the qualities of native plants.
Rewarding the gardener with growth and blossom native flowers such as monarda, eupatorium, echinaceas, rudbeckias, and asters add color and texture to any landscape. Even my favorite hibiscus moscheutos are great, showy native plants. These flowers can be easily complimented with native shrubs such as hydrangea quercifolia, viburnum trilobum, and physocarpus.
Producers such as American Beauties really help a small retailer like myself locate and source a lot of the native plants.
I don’t know about you, but I am learning what my time is worth. North Creek Nurseries and American Beauties help me to find plant that my customers love.
August 17, 2011 | Categories: Garden, nursery, Plants That Rock | Tags: native plants, Nursery | Leave A Comment »
Don’t assume I am telling you to cut down on your spending–I am not!
I am suggesting you think about miniature and fairy gardening.
I am loving the miniature garden format. Seeing this in England six years ago I was wondering what the deal is? Gosh, who would want to do this?
The answer is you do.
This is a great idea! Janit Calvo with Two Green Thumbs turned me on to this. Containerized, gardening within a window-box, what have you– it’s all good.
People, if you live in apartment, a condo, or maybe you have limited space–miniature gardening just might be for you.
Retailers, be forewarned, this is a trend, not even new, but it’s on fire.
August 17, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Nursery | 1 Comment »
I have been thinking about this for a while now. I have these signs about plants that people can read but they still want printed information on them. I am not a fan of loads of paper fliers that get faded in the sun or too easily wet when watered.
Along comes a spider–or at least something new in the technology realm. QR codes.
You have seen them popping up on product tags like some jumbled bar code but they hold more information than just a price code.
I am now on a quest. Clients, customers, visitors be warned. BE aware is more like it! I am qurifying all my signs. You will have to use a smart phone if you want to know the price, what the plant is and any other info I have put on the sign. Zone, watering, where to plant–it can all go on there.
August 13, 2011 | Categories: nursery | Leave A Comment »
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The
Hot for Hibiscus event is something that has grown slowly here at Heavy Petal Nursery. This is not the first year I have held this event– it has become an annual thing.
Last year I had a couple of friends come help, the weather was cool and I was forcing the hibiscus to bloom in the greenhouse. We had to haul them all out of the greenhouse the morning of the event, but what a show when the blooms started to open! This year I don’t have that problem, though it is cool again. Odd weather. This year I also have a few friends I have invited to come vend. One of my friends specializes in ferns, and the other is an expert in clematis. I have also invited a few artisans.
Please enjoy a few of the pictures I have assembled into a slide show at the bottom of the page.
Hardy hibiscus, Hibiscus moscheutos, commonly refered to as swamp mallow, rose mallow, or sea hollyhock are showy perennials for any garden. I will remind everyone again I am in USDA zone 5.
Hibiscus m. are late to awaken, usually rising from the ground when it becomes warm (about the time you plant tomatoes) and then they grow with the heat. Dependable bloomers, plants tend to start blooming in my area (zone 5) in late July and keep going till the first heavy frost. Feed them heavily when they start to come up. Slow release fertilizer is fine, manure tea is great as it is there for those hungry awakening roots. You can pinch them back if you want to keep them to size. This also promotes side shoots which equal more branching and more blossoms. I try to dead head my plants to keep them clean and keep them blooming.
In the past I have been raising about 600 hardy hibiscus plants yearly. This year I am raising around one thousand and have about 250 seedlings that I am working with. Yes, a small breeding program—something new for me, but an adventure none the less.
Now I get asked questions all the time like—do they spread?
The answer is not really. They have a central base root and each year produce more canes off this center. They are not going to be invasive, misbehave, or takeover.
Where do I plant one of these hibiscus in my garden?
Well, they are a tall perennial—so back of the border. I have seen them easily reach six feet. I suggest planting them in a hot spot in your garden, or an area that receives a lot of sun. Please don’t put them someplace where they are kept cool and shady.
How much water do they need?
Well, I am in the desert so I would say keep the soil moist. I would say that anywhere with most perennials, but they also have a fantastic root system and could go through short periods of drought if they had to. I have seen a garden that the people moving and put their house up for sale. The person tending the house neglected most things, but the not the lawn. Shrubs and perennials looked dry, but the hibiscus still bloomed. Not the same way as if they were well-tended, but they did bloom.
Customers come up to me and start to talk about the hibiscus they purchased the previous year. Cringing as I am expecting the worse, they proceed with their tale, but it tends to be the opposite. One woman started in on me that her hibiscus was too big for the spot, had already gotten taller than the fence and was pushing other perennials aside. What should she do? I suggested moving the perennials and buying a few more hibiscus. That is exactly what she did and is very happy about it.
Hardy hibiscus are not plants for those who are meek gardeners or weak at heart. They are lusty plants. People see them at my booth at the local farmers market—
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flowers become objects of desire. Reds leer out at passers-by, pinks sparkle, mauve and plums seduce. The flowers are commonly refered to as dinner plates because of their rounded shape and size, but there are several varieties that are lobed like the classic hibiscus we all think of.
I only sell one white variety—Blue Danube II. It is clean, and clear, has no red ‘eye’ and the foliage has a slightly different tint that comes off as blue next to the white plate size blossoms.
Foliage is also another thing to look at when purchasing your hardy hibiscus.
I recall as a child that the only foliage I really saw was a green leaf that reminded me of a Tilia (little leaf linden) but some of the foliage may just more interesting than the flowers themselves. Kopper King and Plum Crazy were a couple of the first I grew with colored foliage. Kopper King has maple-like leaves and the white blossoms with red veins and ‘eye’ just pop on these plants. Plum Crazy is double named. The foliage is plum tinted but so are the flowers—plum with a deep plum eye. Summer Storm with the leaves ranging from maroon to black-purple with clear cotton candy pink blossoms with a red ‘eye’. Fireball, a smoky red bloomer with burgundy blushes to the foliage. The foliage can be quite lovely in the mixed border before the blossoms ever appear.
In the United States these plants are widely grown from Massachusetts to Michigan, southwards to Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. In southern states Hibiscus coccineus is more common being the native swamp mallow found in tidal marshes.
On the west side of the Rockies I have seen them in Boise and here in the Pacific Northwest. I remember seeing them in central California as a kid too. To me they are a great ‘Steam Punk’ Garden plant. They pay homage to the Victorian gardens of the late 19th Century but are definitely contemporary as well. Hardy hibiscus fit my aesthetic.
Enjoy and Happy Gardening!
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July 20, 2011 | Categories: Garden, nursery, Plants That Rock | 1 Comment »
Alright. I wasn’t skeptical about Moo Poor Tea, I bought it with gusto. I have been drenching plants in it for my container business and promoting it in my lectures.
But here is a little something I did not know.
Saturday I had run to Spokane to Northland Rosarium. I am a big believer of roses on their own root and the benefits of that. Nothing like having a rose die down the ground during the winter and have it come back up as something else.
I am into antique roses, OGRs, species roses but occasionally I buy something that is not in one of those categories. I am not sold on teas. Sorry, I’m just not. I like the Kordes roses of Northern Germany. They have been breeding roses for something like 12o years.
Anyhow, I digress.
I also purchased several roses from a client. She was wanting a dark red roses and I had been searching for Lava Flow, or Lavaglut in German. Northland also had a variety called Raven. Well when I was unloading the roses 40 plus roses I purchased I accidentally broke a branch off one of the Raven roses and cut the end and put it into my drench bucket. My drench bucket filled with a fresh batch of Moo Poo Tea.
Well, I drenched the roses submerging them for the morning delivery and forgot about the roses branch when I was going to bring in to the house and enjoy. Wednesday I went to get my bucket to use the tea on some recent bare root plants I have received and there was this blooming rose in the bucket. I could not belive my eyes. Monday and Tuesday the greenhouse had to have been 120 degrees in the middle of the day? But a happy stem of roses is what greeted me at the bucket. I was amazed.
This got me thinking. What if I used Moo Poo Tea in cut flower arrangements? Should I use the tea straight or just add some to the water.
Wednesday evening I called Annie Haven to let her know what I had stumbled upon. I had read postings about Christmas trees, but heat and cut flowers are not a good mix.
Annie and I talked at length. You could hear the smile in her voice.
Annie says yes, use a couple of tea spoons of Moo Poo Tea in cut flower arrangements to make them last longer. The plants/flowers are getting nutrients and as long as you are changing the water every couple of days then you might be able to enjoy the arrangement for up to two weeks. TWO WEEKS!
So below are a couple of pictures of the rose in the bucket. I took them today (Thursday) a good five days after the rose had been cut. It has been through some high degree heat and the rosebuds are still swelling.
Please note—in the 6 o’clock position of the bucket you can see the ‘teabag’.
May 27, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
Did you know that the hotter the region the olives are grown in the more robust the flavor of the olives and the olive oil?
I enjoy some of the California cold press EVOOs, in particular one called Mission Variety from the Olive Pit. (www.olivepit.com)
Pasta salads and roasted vegetables never tates so good!
May 26, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave A Comment »
Coleus are great plants for containers. I cannot resist using them in almost all the summer planting that I do for myself or for clients.
I have had many people come up and ask me what I am planting? Their bright-colored leaves make people curious. When I say they are coleus the reaction I get most often is—”Aren’t those shade pants?”
Well, yes, some are shade plants. The Kong series are shade plants with their huge leaves. They need those huge leaves to capture the filtered light. But the small-leaved varieties are great sun plants. I live in the desert, we don’t have shade.
When I plant coleus in containers I like to drench the roots. This season I have been drenching them in Haven Brand Moo Poo Tea giving the coleus the best advantage to establish. I would suggest feeding them the tea at least once a month throughout the summer. I am starting to become a big believer of the Moo Poo Tea.
Bright and ‘designer’ in feeling, don’t let the sun frighten you from planting these tough little plants.
May 26, 2011 | Categories: nursery, Plants That Rock | Leave A Comment »
Alright, where to start?
I spoke to my first large crowd. I was told there was about 350 people who attended my presentation/talk on containers. It was a triple feature and had a movie theme which adds a touch of entertainment—A Container Named Desire, Plant on a Hot Tin Roof, The Plant Menagerie (True Confessions of a Plantaholic). It was great and I thank those who let me beg and borrow images. The Inland Empire Gardeners are a great group and if you are approached to speak at one of their meetings you really should not hesitate.
Spokane Garden Expo was the weekend after Mother’s Day and its a one day show with a lot of bang. Number two garden show in the State of Washington. They say 25,000 people attend it on the one day it is held. Yes, a one day show—300 vendors and people ready to shop! Where was their tweet-up?
My greenhouse has been filled to the gills and is almost to the point of puking plants! I am serious. I turn around and I have another 500 bare-root or plugs delivered? What am I doing besides planting it all and watering them? Oh yeah, I know what I am doing. I am endeavoring to take care of all my container clients and make sure all of them are happy. Easier said than done—the weather has just warmed up.
Its been a cool and wet spring and the weeds have taken over around the nursery. I am on the defense there and will be mowing, burning, torching and doing what I can to get a hold of my sales yard again. Being in the country is charming and all, but the weeds have minds of their own.
This week I am getting the garden planted. It’s a must. I will be writing a couple more posts and feeling more myself than like“The United States of Tara” that’s for sure.
I have recently purchased for myself a few more antique roses and am currently endeavoring to do my own containers. I don’t have much of a social life.
Work, garden, Farmers Market—my mother (for those of you who know about the situation)—these things don’t leave much time for a social life.
So a short list of what to look in the coming couple weeks.
Antique Roses and why I think you should grow them.
Planting out my garden.
Container madness—or how I became mad?
What is this F’ed up sedum?
So out into the garden I go!
May 23, 2011 | Categories: Garden, nursery, Uncategorized | Leave A Comment »
Lathyrus odoratus Matucana
I have never really thought about sweet peas much untill a couple of years ago. A friend had me arrange flowers for her future daughter-in-law’s wedding party and me being the type of wing it person I am decided since I had to travel across the state to do this I would buy the flowers at the local Farmers Market.
There were two vendors hat sold flowers at the Market that day. Lilies were in season. The bride was using an assortment of pinks so Stargazer lilies were perfect for flower arrangements on the altar. Then I started to look around at what else I could use. Zinnias, snapdragon, larkspur/Delphinium and sweet peas.
I stumbled upon this small flower that was sweetly fragrant, a bit of spice and in a broad range of pinks. I could do bridesmaid bouquets easily and still work them into the bridal bouquet. Corsages and boutonieres could have a touch of sweet pea as well. I could work them into table arrangements for a looser, informal look. I scored the jackpot and bought two bucket loads.
Last year I decided I would grow a few sweet peas…few my rear end. Before I knew it I had purchased 22 different packs of select cultivars and several different packs of mixed seed. Did I just want them to see what I wanted to use? Was it plant lust? I really don’t know.
What I do know is that I enjoyed bringing in the cut flowers and giving them to friends as well.
Lathyrus odoratus Incense Peach Shades
This year I found myself ordering sweet pea seed without hesitation. Heirloom selections, new color mixes, old-fashioned, and traditional varieties.
So here is my list. I have it pretty well-trimmed down. I also have a ‘theme’ or my artistic eye is just looking at small bouquets of them set around my home. Guess I will just have to wait and find out if my eye and my gut were good judges.
Streamers Mix (cooksgarden.com)
Incense Peach Shades (cooksgarden.com)
Royal Family Navy Blue (selectseeds.com)
Chatsworth (for those that know me, you know why I chose this cultivar) (selectseeds.com)
Black Knight (rareseeds.com and seedaholic.com) Grandiflora 1898
Painted Lady (rareseeds.com) dates back to 1730
Beaujolais (rareseeds.com and seedaholic.com) Spencer Traditional Wave
Matucana (seedaholic.com) Grandiflora 1699
Cupani (seedaholics.com) Grandiflora 1695
High Scent (seedaholic.com) Modern Spencer Wave
Leamington (seedaholic.com) Spencer Traditional Wave
Lathyrus odoratus High Scent
Now the only thing I am going to leave you not knowing is how many packs of each I have in fact did purchase. I don’t need to boast, but I must also admit I did hold back and not buy as many as I would have liked.
I have stumbled along and come across many sites that feature sweet peas.
I think next year i will be working on a small display of old, old varieties as well as growing them for my home, friends, and own benefit.
April 17, 2011 | Categories: Garden, nursery, Victorianism | Leave A Comment »
- Our grandmothers canned out of necessity.
Here we are in spring.I have tomatoes and peppers seeded up and sprouting in the greenhouse, snow peas in the ground, need to get lettuce, chard, and other cole crops outside.
I guess this all started with a friend asking me why I am growing 27-28 varieties of tomatoes? What are you going to do with all of them?
What am I going to do with all of them?
First off I am going to treat things naturally, try my best to not use inorganics or harsh chemicals. This started my mind rolling and a conversation with Annie Haven. Annie is known for her Moo Poo tea and her Haven Brand Products— http://www.manuretea.com and how she raises her manure producers. I am comfortable with a no GMO, grass-fed, hormone and antibiotic free cow/steerer making manure I am going to put on something that I will ingest.
My goal is to use the tea while the plants are still juvenile and growing in the greenhouse, then when before I plant them out into the garden I am going to ‘dunk’ them for a little boost, and then I will manure around the plant itself. Simple, sustainable, and where I live it might make a dent in the pile of horse manure. Eighty horses do create one large pile over a year or five.
Back to what am I going to do with all these fruits and vegetables? Eat them of course! But a growing season is too limited and I will be growing more than I can eat so I set a goal for myself this year tha I will learn to can. I know how to freeze things. I could dry them. But canning I have never done. I have watched friends of mine put away Peaches, tomatoes, and pickles, but I have never done it myself.
This basic kit is great for waterbath canning and is a great start to your food preservation future.
Already I am collecting jars. I hit junk shops, and garage sales. I have some great older jars that say Presto, Kerr (which I have even been to the Kerr Mansion in Portland, OR) and I know what Mason jars are. I know I should buy wide mouth jars…but ten, half-gallon size jars for one dollar that are old are cool! Small mouth I will live with.
Alright so the exploration is tomatoes and pickles. What can I do with tomatoes besides just can them? Come on now, I am a tad creative at least.
I am growing peppers both sweet and hot. Salsa is tomatoes and peppers, some cilantro, lemon juice, a bit of vinegar. Salsa.
But what about beyond salsa? Marinara, canned tomatoes, bruschetta, soup base, vinegar sauce, tomato jam. YES, that is correct, I said it. Sweet tomato jam made of golden tomatoes. I can do red, green and purple as well. tomato juice…or bloody mary mix?
Well, if I can make jam from tomatoes I can certainly do that with sweet peppers. I can also pickle the peppers. Peter piper did it, a whole peck.
Pickles, pickling, pickled. Cucumbers are synonymous with the word pickles. Sweet peppers, carrots, onions, garlic scapes, green beans. I could do these. I can! I can do then blood brilliantly. I am also going to try my hand at pickled squash. I know it is not something we are not really familiar with, but whats to say it can’t be grand?
Let us do a quick recap—Canned tomatoes, pickles, salsa, garlic scapes, pickle green beans, pickled onions, onion relish, relish, tomato chutney, bruschetta, marinara, hot vinegar sauce/hot sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato jam, squash pickles, pickled peppers, pickled carrots, tomato soup base, squash soup base, beets, garlic jam, pepper jam, and more ideas than I can shake a stick at.
Buy The seals are meant to be used once and you can never be too safe with food.
Now the great thing about canning is you clean out the jar and reuse it. The sealed lids are what you should buy new every year. With enough preparation one can have everything in place for when that day of days comes and produce is hauled by the box out of the garden! Talk about anticipation, I am so looking forward to this. Explore your best options, and choose those that suit your needs.
It’s early in the season and I do realize this is a strange time to talk about it, but I am doing my best to stay ahead of things and not get sideswiped.
Preservation and people in the know—I am so glad that people like Theresa Loe and Daniel Gasteiger are on the internet sharing what they have learned. My friend Bren is going to delve more into preservation as well, so will also learn together. Don’t forget Daniel has a great new book out Yes, You Can! And Freeze and Dry It Too and Theresa is a trained Master Food Preserver and Associate Producer of Growing a Greener World.
So if you are nice, and not so naughty this year you may receive a basket of choice items for the holidays. Fresh from this years garden, preserved carefully with caring, and given with love.
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If you are canning your own food for the first time you can contact your county extension office and they may have some suggestion, be organizing a class, or have a Master Food Preserver class starting up. You can also talk to people at your local farmers market and they too might be organizing a demonstration or class that you can sign up for. Happy canning!
April 14, 2011 | Categories: food preservation, Garden, Victorianism | 3 Comments »
The more I garden the more I learn—it’s because the less I know.
This year I am taking on a major new garden space. It’s a plot next to my
It's always good to have a qualified machine operator. LB is good at giving direction, getting into mischief, sunbathing in the greenhouse, and keeping down the mice. She would also like to remind all that Earth Day is Friday April 22nd. LB is a great companion as are most Rat Terriers. She also wants me to let you know she is a lucky dog because she has her own dog—Buddy.
living quarters, just a strip of land 25 x 175 feet. The soil is good, some rock, but not excessively rocky. I have worked the soil, last year adding manure and clippings to it. I figure after a good year that stuff should be broken down and ready to be put to work.
I have been reading many other blogs— http://thanksfor2day.blogspot.com/2011/03/gardeners-sustainable-living-2011-win.html
http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/gardens/
http://bggarden.com/blog/2010/06/14/freshfood/
I have been trying to glean from others what may or may not be the best practices. We hear words like green and sustainable, but let’s use terms like practical and self-sufficient. Gardening should be more about common sense than chemistry.
I use the tines to loosen the soil before I disk it.
Now it’s true I don’t live in an apartment, my soil is rather alkaline, and I am in a high desert but I have plenty of resources. I have manure literally at my finger tips because of family horse ranch I am on, water is bountiful, and I have a great growing climate with plenty of sunshine. The only worry I have is livestock getting out and getting into my garden, but I am working on that prevention as well.
My goal this year is to not use chemicals. Chemical fertilizers, amendments, pesticides or herbicides. Our forefathers had other ways of doing things. Making soap concoctions, sprays of cayenne, adding fish renderings into the soil. I guess if it was good enough then it should be good enough now?
It's ok to use larger tools if the space requires it. Gardening should be enjoyed and a lobor of love, not labor intensive.
beautiful worked up soil waiting to be planted
Now I have cheated. I must admit that. I do not have a team of horses, oxen or mules to hook up to a plow and work my soil. I have used a Massey Ferguson tractor that is here on the ranch, have worked up the soil and gotten my plot prepared with a little help that is more contemporary. I have not created beautiful ‘lasagna beds’ like Michael Nolan or many other people I tweet with.
I am a bit more aggressive when it comes to this. I am not worried about the bits of grass, I am not seeking picture perfection. What I am concerned about is making sure the food I produce is healthy and safe for me and my friends.
This was my big spring clean up project for the day. I did not neglect my greenhouse while doing this, no dogs were hurt and I did not go hungry while writing this blog posting.
I would suggest to all out there. If you have a small plot, an apartment, live in a new subdivision, or our in the country—do yourself a favor and grow a few of your vegetables. You can work on your compost this year for next. You can build the soil and work in the earth. It is rewarding in many ways, a stress reliever from the office, a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday living. Even if it is 20 minutes or an hour: find that zen your garden space will create.
Happy Planting!
March 28, 2011 | Categories: Garden | 2 Comments »
Spring is upon us, or me, so I think. I thought I was ready, prepared, scratching for it—I don’t know.
As of yesterday its official—Spring 2011 is here. It was a cruddy day for weather. Windy, cloudy, rainy, and forty-five degrees. I was in the greenhouse which was more mild at sixty-eight degrees than the previous day at 100! OK, the previous day reeked of spring. Sunshine, no breeze, and just about perfect.
I have flats lined up. I am planting seeds, cleaning up plants, watering pots/plants out int the growing yard. Hydrangeas have been trimmed, some moved up to larger containers. Flowering shrubs have been fertilized. It’s a chore at times, but the winter was tight for me this year, and I am waiting/putting off getting help.
Seeding out vegetable starts in a priority this season. Tomatoes are the king crop around here. Twenty-six varieties this year, going to grow some of each as well. Trying to keep the vegetable starts organic, I am not certified, but that doesn’t mean I can’t practice.
Flowers will be next. Peren nials are already awakening in the greenhouse. Hibiscus moscheutos are surfacing in their pots. Plants left from last year have awaken. My seedlings that I have been nurturing are up like gangbusters, four to five stems each in quart size pots. Very exciting for me. Other perennials are up as well. I have even pulled the Sempervivums in so they can be big and showy for Spokane’s Garden Expo in May. I have some really great red forms and they look good next to Sedum ‘Angelina’.
Heucheras that were plugs last year, that I stuck in 3.5 inch pots to over-winter, are up and ready to be moved into six-inch pots. Other plants like herbaceous potentilla, that seem to have fallen out of fashion because of geums, have risen covered in felt and ready to dazzle the world with their crimson, burgundy, and luscious pink blossoms. It’s their year—color is back and bold.
Unusual annuals are being started, color for containers and the garden. Lime, purple, yellow, red and blue. I am just thinking that I am late on making cuttings off my Strobilanthes—I won’t need them until May as it is. Nicotiana, amaranth, select verbena, salvias, and 3.5 inch pots of sweet peas are just waiting to rise up.
All this is a good sign—an assurance or life renewed. Guess I better get out and get cracking. Summer will be here before we know it.
March 21, 2011 | Categories: Garden, nursery | 2 Comments »
Limnanthese douglasii 'Poached Egg Plant'
It has been said that big things come in little packages. This being said, truly seeds are such packages.
I admittedly am a hortiholic. I have plant lust, can have a plantgasm, and truly am excited to get a new plant in my grubby, dirty, little, fat fingered hand. I am a plant slut!
This year I am committing myself …oh committing myself to two things. One is to work on display areas at my small plant nursery. The other is to grow a productive home garden so I can preserve and give away as much as I truly want. You thought I should be committed?
Allow me to talk a bit about some small flowers that I have recently become intrigued, or re-intrigued by. Three plants, Limnanthes, Nemophila, and Neirembergia.
Limnanthes douglasii or Poached Egg Plant is one of those flowers you would like to grow, but you never really see it around. Annie Annuals offers it, but I need flats of it for my displays. It can grow in poor draining soils, clay, and take a fair amount of heat. I have ample water, clay-like soil and lots of heat. That glare and gleam get going. Talk about a good plant to catch the eye. Wikpedia states “It attracts hoverflies to the garden to beat the aphids and is well loved by bees.”
Nemophila maculata 'Five Spot'
Nemophila menziesii 'Pennie Black'
Nemophila menziesii ‘Pennie Black’ & Nemophila menziesii var. atomaria ‘Snowstorm’ are from native California, the California Baha and can be found into Southern Oregon. It is considered an herb by the reading I have done. ‘Pennie Black’ is the opposite of Poached Egg in the the way it recessed instead of jumps forward. Its dark purple-black center quivering in the breeze just makes my heart palpitate. Snow storm is the gleamer. Glistening with its radiant purple markings. There are several varieties of Nemophila, but I am trying to just grow the showier ones.
Nemophila maculata ‘Five Spot’ & Nemophila maculate ‘Baby Blue Eyes’ are herbaceous, herb-like plants endemic to California. The wonderful potted markings are to attract bees. The female bee collects the pollen where both male and female bee eat o the nectar.
Yes, I do think about bees and am seriously thinking about having a couple of hives out on the property. I also think about the native Mason bee. And am concerned about all these bee populations dying off suddenly. Nemophila seems to be a good source of food as well as pollen and what more could hope for besides the beauty of this great little plant good for both borders and containers.
Nierembergia 'White Robe' —picture used with kind permision of Harris Seeds
Nierembergia ‘White Robe’ is a nice front of the border plant as well. It would be happy in a rockery or a container, maybe even a hanging basket.
Cupflower, as it commonly known by, is a member of the nightshade family. That usually mean toxic, but also lets me know it will tolerate high heat. Grow Nierembergia as annuals in USDA zones 3 to 6 and as perennials in zones 7 to 10.
There are purple shades of this darling little flower.
I am staying true with a more white base theme, yellow highlights, smoky black-purples tones. I like unexpected combinations so I am really trying to think about what I personally will mix these flowers with.
I do know I will use them in containers. ‘Penny Black’ would be a natural with anything lime colored. Limnanthes could go will with shocking pinks, black foliage. Cupflower being white is a natural mixing plant, looking good with blues, limes, blacks, oranges, purples. Too many combinations at times.
March 14, 2011 | Categories: Garden | 3 Comments »
Madness has happened here. Maybe my cabin fever has left me partially brain-damaged? Or some strange courage that I have never known has gripped ahold of me? Whatever it is, I could be in deep trouble this year.
Seeds have been ordered. A lot of seed this year—a lot. The seed list consists of 140+ items ranging from small unique annual flowers to large squashes and pumpkins. Some of the seeds such as sunflowers, zinnias, some tomatoes, have been ordered in volume packs of 250 seeds. For selected varieties I have only ordered the smaller “sampler” pack of seeds—trying to purchase organic seed where I can, untreated as well, and NO GMO seeds.
Now to be honest, my nursery has been mainly woody and flowering shrubs, select evergreen plants, unexpected trees and kick ass perennials in the past. I do very little with annuals except custom containers. Vegetables—only for myself.
This year is a new endeavor. Two things are being done with the seeds that are on their way—vegetable and annual starts. The space to be planted at my house measures 25×180 feet. Inspired by others I have taken out a full strip of lawn, disked the soil and am adding manure in preparation to plant. There are plans for a cutting garden as well as for food—fresh or to preserve. Certain things are going to be planted thick, will be top dressed with manure when they come up and people will see this garden from the road! Yep! It’s all mine baby, all mine.
Ideas are being drawn up for this garden working on color blocks and grids. I’m thinking about height and trying not to create too many shadows.
Squash and pumpkins will be planted down the drive as they take up too much space as it is. No worrying about the chickens, or even the other birds, as this is relaxed gardening.
Enjoyment should be foremost. This is not a task to fret over. If you’re thinking that then pack your bags now. This will be a garden for warriors. No timid gardeners allowed around here my friends. I am looking for the brave, the one who can pick at dawn and have jars of preserved goods on the pantry shelf no later than 10 a.m. This is not for the armchair gardener.
Growing charts have been examined.
Twenty six varieties of tomato seeds have been purchased. Only a perfect few will be for fresh eating. A mix will be for salsa and bruchetta, varieties for crushed, sauced, and those best for soups. Beans will be frozen as will corn. Peppers will be dried, roasted and frozen or pickled. cucumbers have been ordered and you will only see white varieties for pickles, Lemon and Crystal Apple for slicing and salads. Beets, carrots, pak choy, lettuce, basil, dill, snow peas will abound in the garden as well. Don’t think that its all conventional varieties here. Heirlooms and heritage varieties will dominate this edible landscape.
The vegetable starts to be sold will be raised a bit healthier too. No inorganic fertilizers, not harsh chemicals and pesticides. I may not certified organic, but people do want to enjoy safe and healthy foods.
When one talks annuals most people tend to think a bit more pedestrian as well, petunias, marigolds, snapdragons. Though those plants are great, they are not exactly what I have in mind when I say “Where Plants Rock”. Color it the key, and grow ability is the mandate.
Annie’s Annuals is very inspiring. Just putting out the number of annuals they do at that nursery blows my mind. Looking at thier catalogs of the past is pure inspiration.
So onward we continue.
Color and how something might perform in the heat are great considerations. contrasting colors of flowers are mesmerizing. They are both smoldering hot and cool and sophisticated at the same time. Cut flowers at farmers markets always attract attention and will be on my list to sell this year.
Annuals with terms such as heirloom, old-fashioned, and cottage annuals strike a deep chord with me as well. Frilly, unexpected, and colorful blooms for summer—they range from ground hugging to six feet tall. Truly, lust should be everyone’s M.O. when it comes to summer blooms. Why else do we plant them? Do we just plant them because they are pretty? Or do we plant them because we want them. Be honest.
Decisions have been made. Selections have been chosen. Plants will be grown.
I look forward to this growing season as should you. Sometimes the simple things in life can be very rewarding. Healthy and beautiful food, lovely blooms, and sweet scents are simple pleasures. The work that goes into these simple things is another posting altogether—let’s not lose our heads.
March 7, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave A Comment »
Welcome to my first giveaway. I know! I have never done one before and I had a great opportunity that was presented to me by P. Allen Smith and the folks at Berry Family of Nurseries.
One of the highlights of the event was a trip out to a Marlsgate Plantation. We were bussed out on a warm sunny day across the Arkansas delta to view the gardens that Smith had designed and to meet his art instructor.
Just one
