Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Dancing Veggies???!

Here's what to do with an abundant harvest....
(be forewarned: the pa-pa-pa can stay with you!)


Saturday, July 14, 2007

July 2007 Bloom Day







July Bloom Day 2007
There is still a lot blooming in Davis...the heat wave that moved through didn't last long enough to cause much damage. When I look around I see many blooming plants but what I don't have is big waves of color...given the small space I have to work with (I know it's all relative!) I mix things in here and there so there is no real "flower bed" and rarely two of the same thing together. I do repeat plants around the yard so there is some sense of cohesiveness but that's as good as it gets. I've got a lot to do tomorrow (like planting the two daylilies I got at Amador Flower Farm today) so I have written the list as of the 14th and will take pictures tomorrow morning...except for the Stargazer that I took this morning when writing my list. I haven't listed the veggies which are also all blooming...
Shasta daisies
Gaura Siskiyou Pink
Gaura white
Pansies
Wax begonoias
Allysum
Marguerite Comet Pink
Blue Marguarite
Star Jasmine
Peruvian Daffodil
Nepeta Walker’s Low
Plumbago Royal Cape
Alstroemeria Regina
Rosa Demitasse
Nemesia Bluebird
Anisodontea Hibiscus Bits
Abutilon Pink ?
Bush mallow
Lilium Stargazer
Penstemon Apple Blossom
Penstemon Bev Jensen
Penstemon Hidcote Pink
Dwarf carnation Evermore
Portulaca Sundial mix
Wisteria
Zinnias
Dahlia ‘Parakeet’
Salvia nemerosa Blue Hill
Salvia nemerosa Caradonna
Salvia nemorosa May Night
Salvia Victoria Blue
Salvia sclerea
Salvia barrelieri
Salvia greggii de Otono
Pandorea jasminoides rosea
Rosa Berries and Cream
Rosa Flower Girl
Meyer lemon
Lavender Society Garlic
Glossy Abelia
Geranium Lady Plymouth Rose
Geranium Rozanne
Geranium Russell Pritchard
Pelargoniums
Ivy geranium
Anise hyssop
Veronica
Ornamental Asparagus sprengeri
Lobelia
Solanum jasminoides
Solanum rantonnetii
Scabiosa Butterfly Blue

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Peruvian Daffodil


Appearing this week...one of my favorite garden blooms...peruvian daffodil! I don't remember where I got these but I just love them! They are so elegant and take no work at all, dying back each fall and coming back without fail each spring.
Another exciting appearance this week...corn silk peaking out on the corn stalks!

"Birds" In The Garden











Annie over at The Transplantable Rose mentioned that she likes blogs that feature birds and gardens and that reminded me that I've been planning to post about the birds in my garden. Mine are quite easy to photograph... even for a photo amateur like myself. I am always on the lookout for inexpensive bird statues that I can hide in my garden...the child care children love to hunt for them and count them. Sometimes I move them to keep them on their toes and it's always fun to see who notices a new statue or one that has gone missing...at which point they all fan out and hunt until they find it. In the meantime they focus in on different plants, flowers, insects and scents along the way...sometimes noticing things that are a surprise to me!

Sunday, July 08, 2007

One Year Later


A year ago today I took a break from gardening (putting in my headboard trellis...since moved to a new spot!) and posted my first blog post. I so enjoyed reading blogs (garden, cooking, anything about Italy) that I thought I would see if I could use blogging as a form of garden journal. Well, there have been lots of positive things connected with blogging but "garden journaling" isn't one of them. My posts are too random to help much with documenting anything but that's OK...I've gotten enough other benefits to make it a more than worth-while activity. So I'd like to say thank you to all the bloggers who have been so nice about sharing their gardens, their thoughts, and their encouragement.
Thank you for helping me look at my garden in new ways, with more focus (until Garden Bloggers Bloom Day I never realised how long some plants bloom here and how many plants bloom but get overlooked because something else is showier.)
Thank you for letting me see how gardens and gardeners are the same and yet different around the world.
Thank you for connecting me with the world in a much larger way with posts about rain, snow, ice storms, cicadas, drought.
Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm, your hopes, your suggestions, your successes and your failures and for sharing mine as well.
Thank you for saving me money, too, by providing garden stories and photos for free so I can avoid buying every garden magazine that comes along! (At least I've been able to cut back...)
Here's to another year!

Sunday, July 01, 2007

Baby Brandywines!



I'm so excited...I have baby Brandywines on both Brandywine plants! Actually the tomatoes are doing well...there are baby everythings...Sungold, Sweet 1oo, Costoluto Genovese, San Marzano, Early Girl...I'm hoping for a wonderful tomato year. Now I just have to be patient until they're ready. In the meantime I'm learning to make homemade mozzerella...and the basil is ready to go!
And my other exciting development is the first tassel on the corn peaked out today...I've only grown corn once before and that was about 20 years ago so this is really fun...I can't wait to see which one of the day care children notices the tassel first tomorrow...(I'm guessing Ian!)

Last Of The Red Onions


I picked almost all of the red onions left in the garden...I think there are about 10 more in the ground and then that's it till next time!