Spring has Sprung!!

I'm happy to report that Spring is (finally) in full swing around these parts!  Although, I do believe we broke the record for the wettest on record.  I'm thinking I may need to build an ark soon . . . here is a pic I managed to take on one of the (rare) sunny days we had recently.  It is supposed to be in the high 80's by Memorial Day.  I'm thinking we are just going to fast forward into summer.  Crazy weather!!

Rain, rain . . . Go Away!

Yesterday we ventured to Eastern Market, where we bought all of the plants you see pictured above.  Today was designated as the day to put them all in the ground, but it seems that Mother Nature had other plans.  So, here I sit, looking out the window and patiently waiting for the rain to stop.  Tick tock, tick tock . . .

Fun with Herbs

Don’t get any funny ideas . . . I’m not referring to anything illegal here ;) Thanks to a good friend, I’ve been learning some new ways to use the herbs from my garden, aside from just cooking with them. For instance, I have a bounty of parsley that is way more than I could ever use. I learned that you can make a homemade facial cleanser for oily skin with it. Perfecto! It’s very easy too. Here are the directions: Ingredients: · ½ cup chopped parsley · 1 tbsp. dried mint (or 2 tbsp. fresh mint) If using dry mint, add 1 tbsp. When using chopped fresh mint, add 2 tbsp. Combine the mint and ½ cup of parsley and add to 1 cup of boiling water. Allow the mixture to steep for one hour. Pour the mixture through a strainer into a jar or bottle. I tried it. It smelled good ~ very clean and refreshing. My sister told me of an herb farm that is near where she lives, and I plan to make a trip there in the next month or so. They are going to be having a seminar on using herbs to make chemical free cleaning products. I’ll be sure to pass along any good tips that I learn there.

Late Bloomers

By now just about everything in my little garden has done its thing for the season . . . kinda makes me sad :( I look so forward to seeing all my little babies open up for the first time. Before I get all sentimental, I thought I'd share the latest. The good news is that now we have goodies we can actually eat, like these grape tomatoes. They really started to ripen in the last week. My favorite thing right now is a fresh tomato slice with salt and pepper on it ~ Mmmmmm!!!!

My beautiful Rose of Sharon is filled with awesome blooms like these

More purple ~ I love these coneflowers!

These are Rutger tomatoes. They aren't ready for picking just yet, neither are the Romas. When they are, we'll have more tomatoes than we know what to do with. That just means lots of Basil, tomato and mozzarella salad for us :)

We have peppers! So far the Anaheim, Inferno, and Poblanos have ripened. That means salsa making time is right around the corner.

Weed Woes

I absolutely detest pulling weeds, but unfortunately it is one of those necessary evils of gardening. As much as we try to keep up with this daunting task, we got a little behind on it ~ in one part due to the July 4th holiday weekend (I refuse to do manual labor on a holiday!) and also because of feeling a bit under the weather during the week that followed. So . . . tonight Mr. V. and I went out and tackled those nasty weeds! What a job it was ~ now I know where the saying "growing like a weed" comes from ~ they really do grow much faster than plants! I would love to hear your suggestions for keeping the weeds under control . . . please!!! While we were in the garden, I snapped this photo of a busy bumblebee gathering pollen from my white lavender plant. I can see why Mr. Bee loves this one ~ it smells divine!!

Fun with Mosaic Maker

I've been having lots of fun playing around with fd's Flickr Toys ~ here is a mosaic I created out of photos I took of my flowers: They are, starting at top left: White lavender, purple day lillies, phlox, dahlia, isotoma, red day lily. Yeah, I know what you're thinking ~ I need to get a life!! LOL

Garden Update ~ Everything's in Bloom!

When we returned from our trip, I was pleasantly surprised to see all the new flowers that opened up while we were away. Not only were they fully in bloom, but looking extremely healthy and HUGE, due to the rain we got during that time ~ thanks, Mother Nature ;) The fluffy white stuff you see all over them is from the Cottonwood trees ~ they've been spreading their seeds around the neighborhood for weeks now. Not only does this stuff clog your gutters and the storm drains, but it irritates my nose and throat to no end. It's one aspect of Summer that I do not look forward to each year, but it's a small price to pay for fun in the sun and the rewards that come with it.

Multi-colored petunias that sit by my side door ~ love 'em!! A pot filled with Calibrachoa, Lobelia and other annuals.

This is my "mini" foxglove ~ it's actually quite big and spilling over with flowers

A sea of yellow coreopsis standing at full attention

Beautiful clematis ~ this year loaded with blooms

Avens ~ so sweet and a pretty shade of red

Found Garden Art

My grandparents grew up during the Great Depression and came from large families where even the most basic necessities were scarce. As a result, they saved everything in their later years. When my grandpa passed away, it took a crew of us to go through his house. It was quite a task, let me tell you. At the same time, it was also interesting to see some of the things he collected, such as these glass insulators. They were used on telephone and electric power lines. My grandpa lived in a very rural railroad town and he loved to go venturing through the woods. We discovered many of the items he found on his ventures, including a cannon ball, antique bottles and other remnants from Prohibition times. He had amassed quite a collection of these insulators and we were not even sure what to do with them. It turns out, they are quite collectable. When we held a garage sale, many of them sold. However, I wanted to save a few for myself, because I found them intriquing and oddly beautiful. Grandpa obviously found them special enough to keep, which made them feel sentimental to me. It then dawned on me that they would make excellent candle holders, but they are pretty heavy so I decided to keep them outside, in my garden. I place citronella candles in them and they look lovely when lit up.

Here are some photos I snapped this evening of the latest happenings in my backyard:

My lilac is in full bloom and it smells heavenly! This is a lupine ~ it's getting ready to open up, but not quite yet!

May Flowers Are Here!

The sun was shining today, so I ventured out into my little backyard with camera in tow. The rain showers that seemed never ending this past week really did help to bring May flowers, as you can see from these photos!

I just love this bleeding heart! I planted it last year, after my other one died. It seems to be loving its new home

Lily of the Valley ~ just starting to poke out their little heads

Lungwort ~ I love these little pink and bluish purple flowers!

Happy Spring and Happy Gardening!!

A Salsa Soiree!

If you’ve read this blog more than a few times you probably know that I love to cook. As a descendant of a long line of good cooks, I come by this trait honestly. In my family, we show you that we care by feeding you.

When I was a kid, my mom was hard core ~ baking cookies from scratch, every night dinner was something different and definitely not from a box. By the time my parents finally gave in and bought a microwave, it was rarely used.

So, you can see that I inherited my culinary skills. The one thing I never attempted was canning or preserving food. I remember my mom canning jam in the summer ~ usually on what seemed like a sweltering hot day. My memory is of her slaving over a stove for what seemed like an eternity. As a kid I never fully appreciated the time nor the love that she put into each and every jar. As a family, we would often travel to the blueberry farm to pick the berries that would later become jam. Sometimes they would be strawberries or blackberries that were grown by members of my family who lived in Northern Michigan. I now know that canning fresh produce is a lost art ~ but at the time I just took for granted that we had homemade jam at my house while all of my friends had the stuff you buy in the store. You can probably imagine my reaction when our good friends suggested that we get together and can Salsa with the peppers we grow in our garden every year. I seriously thought they were insane ~ it sure didn’t seem like a fun way to spend a perfectly good Saturday to me at all. It took a little coaxing, but I finally gave in. After all, we end up with more hot peppers than we could ever consume, and I hate to see them go to waste. This seemed like the best way to make them last.

A few weeks ago, we all got together for our 2nd annual Salsa making party. These are some pictures of the fun we had, and the result of our efforts. Each of us has our own role, which seems to work out really well. The process took about four hours from start to finish, and that is with four people chopping, peeling, stirring and pouring. I think back to the days when my mom made that jam by herself, and now I realize how much work she put into it!

It is fully worth the work, though. We ended up with 18 jars of Salsa, which we can enjoy throughout the year. It is really good stuff, too. Slightly on the hot side, but fresh and wonderful!

If you’ve never canned before, give it a shot. Get together with some friends (preferably some who know what they’re doing) and let the fun begin!

Move Over, Martha!

OK, so I'm having a little fun with the title of this post :) I am no Martha Stewart by any means, but I do have to brag a little about my green thumb. My flowers seem to be doing exceptionally well this year, which is due mostly to the extraordinary weather we've been having, not to my gardening skills! Usually by now our lawn is dried up and we're limited to watering every other day due to lack of rain. I'm glad to say that so far this summer, that has not been the case. So far it's been a balance of sun and rain, with very few days, if any, surpassing the 90 degree mark. As you can see by this photo, the flowers on my front step are loving it ~ they get full sun all day but they look happy and healthy as can be.

I can't claim the genius (and mass fortune) of Ms. Stewart ~ but I think she would be proud. The pot these are planted in (which is not visible in the photo) is one of hers, purchased at that store that begins with a "K" (on Clearance, no less!)

5/22/08 ~ Everything's Blooming!

I absolutely love Spring!! Of course, I love all seasons ~ except for Winter, which I can only stand for about two weeks. The bonus to living in Michigan is that each season is distinctly different and wonderful.

You can probably tell that I'm a freak about flowers. I feel like I have my own slice of Heaven when I can look out and see the beauty that is growing in my little backyard. It makes me happy :)

Some famous person once said "Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into". I would agree. These shots were taken this evening.

Mystery Flower

This flowering plant grows in my backyard ~ it comes back every year, but I do not know the name of it. I guess I must be big on knowing the correct names of plants, because it really bugs me that I do not know what this is called!!

Does anyone know??

Anyone, Anyone?

Bueller?