Heather's Garden

AT LAST

It only took 6 months, but we have a shed!  I left the men to finish up on Saturday as I headed off to an appointment.  They ran into a problem and gave up.  I came home and fixed the issue in less than 5 minutes but it was too dark to finish up.  They headed outside before me on Sunday and I came around the corner of the house to find this:

Yes, that's SS2 climbing on to a table to climb onto a chair to reach the middle of the roof.  And VPH hiding his face in shame as I snap the photo.  No one was injured in the assembling of the shed:

 

Getting the shed done in under an hour gave VPH and I time to take a walk on that lovely day (possibly the last one over 65 degrees that we'll see in 2009).  Our destination was Dave's garden (the lovely man who got me started growing dahlias).  His dahlias are so beautiful: 

Every color you can think of and so lush and full:

 

VPH told me to be sure to snap a photo of the flowering tree behind the hydrangea here:

 

I can't remember what it's called, but it's Hawaiian and Dave digs it (and the other 2 or 3 he has) up to overwinter in his basement each year (please note even his grass looks awesome):

 

Back in our garden...I'm loving the wildflowers blooming all over the place right now that are making the hill next to our house a little less ugly:

 

A close-up of the wildflowers that shows a few slow-moving bees that are loving them too:

 

Here in southern CT on my 35th birthday, it's rather cool.  Some years my birthday is a short-sleeved t-shirt Indian Summer day, but not this year.  At least the shed is up and once we get the insanity of the American Girl Fashion Shows out of the way (tickets still available here), we'll get the garden tucked in for the winter.

IF THE SUN EVER COMES BACK...

The rain stops, and the thermometer gets up over 70 degrees, I'll be back out at my current favorite spot in the garden.  We found raccoon prints on the edge of the wading pool one day and we just couldn't go in it anymore.  So off it went to a friend's house (cleaned first) and the double-lounger went into its place (please note my nifty watering can table):

The dahlias are beautiful and since they're about the only thing flowering in the garden right now, really doing a great job of attracting pollinators:

Wait, I take that back...I've got marigolds blooming too!  the ones I grew from seed are finally flowering:

I'm inordinately proud of them:

And the peppers have suddenly started getting color out of nowhere:

 

And best of all I have a big beautiful Black Russian tomato sitting on the kitchen windowsill to have with lunch on Monday (our luncheon guest, Christine, doesn't know how lucky she is yet).  Now we just have to get through moving SS2 back to school tomorrow!

ANYONE REMEMBER THE SHED PROJECT?

I first talked about the shed project way back here.  In April.  Yes, over 4 months ago.  With SS2 heading back to school this weekend, we thought it was probably time we got around to putting up the shed.  First we pulled the stakes holding down the old pop-up shed, picked it up, and walked it out to the driveway.  I listed it on Freecycle and have received quite a bit of interest even though I was very candid about its condition.  VPH pulled weeds and attempted to level the empty spot:

SS2 and I started assembling the foundation on the patio:

Keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't rain tonight, though I think a little wouldn't hurt anything we have out there along the fence:

The gravel patio seems much larger without that huge box under a tarp (now balled up under the table until we can get it cleaned up and stowed away):

Well we didn't quite finish, but we pretty darn far!  And we got it as close to level as one possibly could:

 

We'll finish up tomorrow morning since rain is predicted for the afternoon and more importantly I have a 3:30pm pedicure.  Sure I may spend day one of my vacation assembling the shed, but there had better be some pampering for me on day two!  There's only a million more pieces to assemble before I get pampered:

I'm getting so excited to take down the other shed and do our little project in that spot.  Oh, and I didn't even tell you the best part...VPH found a huge stone while he was leveling out the area.  It will be the lintel or step into the shed (haven't decided if it will be partially buried or just plopped on the ground in front of the shed).  Stay tuned for the completed shed!

UPDATE: It started raining much earlier than predicted this morning (VPH ran around in the rain gathering all the remaining parts and stowing them away on the gravel patio back under the tarp and moving the weedwacker and whatnot to the basement), so we won't be able to finish today.  It's supposed to rain all day on Saturday, and on Sunday we have to move SS2 back to school, so either late Sunday afternoon or early Monday morning VPH and I will finish up by ourselves. 

OKAY, DON'T LAUGH

This is what happens when you ask your husband to plant while you're at the office.  Once I got home and we stood together staring at the 12 coleus plants in the ground, he said, "Yeah, it might have made sense to put the tall ones in back along the rocks and the short ones in front."  I added, "And maybe mixed up the colors a little?"  Well he's sweet to plant them regardless and they'll fill in soon.  Plus he mulched the whole bed, so really I'm not complaining:

 

Remember how it rained for June?  At some point during those weeks of rain, I decided that the sun would return and we would need a way to cool off.  But this is the summer of cheap and as you know we don't own this property.  4 years ago, before we started gardening, we asked the landlords if they had any objection to us putting up one of those big blue inflatable pools...they did, turns out their insurance premiums would have gone up.  Which is retrospect really worked out for the best.  We never would have started gardening if the yard was dominated by a big blue pool.  Do you see where I'm going with this:

 

Hey, it was only $20.12!  Though it's on clearance now for even less.  This is the sunniest part of our garden with full sun from about 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.  We put down a tarp we had on hand (luckily it was about the right size and blue) to try and protect the bottom of the pool since once the grass dies (sigh), there won't be much between the pool and the glass and rocks that seem to be the main components of our soil:

 

This is also about the flattest section of our garden, but it's still not level.  There will be a deep end of this pool.  I should stop calling it a pool.  The package called it an aqua lounger, which amused VPH to no end:

 

We also picked up a solar cover at a local overstock store for $33.  But even the smallest one they had was more than twice as large as needed, so we cut it in half and stored the rest for future use, so I'm only going to include $16.50 in the aqua lounger expenses.  (The directions for the solar cover recommended letting the cover sit for a few days to straighten out before you did the final trim to size and shape, lest you think we're just dumb.)  Another $7 got us a skimmer.  So that's a total of $43.62 -- well we already got an afternoon's amusement out of setting it up, in my mind that's money well spent.  VPH included in photo for scale:

 

I am so excited to see what color the daylilies on those tall stalks will be and still taking endless pleasure in the patio garden:

  

The Green Zebra tomatoes are definitely going to have the first ripe fruit, I'm just not sure how I'm going to know when it's ripe.  Lots of squeezing tomatoes I guess:  

  

The first beans are Burpee's Stringless Green Pod, though the Royal Purple Bush beans (not pictured) are running a close second:

 

See how much better the weather is (knock wood) -- basil that's not rotting: 

 

The mystery bush in a long weedy hedgerow on our evening walk:

 

We walked down to Dave & Dottie's house, which we do several times a week.  Remember them?  They gave me my first dahlias last year and serve as inspiration for all who pass by their home.  Walking by their garden these days smells like walking into a florist shop.  They have easily a hundred lilies blooming right now.  Their dahlias are all in, growing like crazy, carefully staked and labeled:

 

I love all the different types of hosta under the tree:

 

Some of the scads of lilies:

 

I don't know what this was (can anyone identify it? I remember seeing it on someone's blog not too long ago), but it was sharing space on an obelisk with a clematis.  Each bloom? seedhead? was about the size of a silver dollar.  Definitely calendar-worthy:

 

Nor do I have any idea what these Dr. Seuss-like plants were:

 

But the bees were loving them:

 

I have to go into the office on Thursday, so no time in the aqua-lounger for me, but VPH is going to complete the mulching and mow the lawn, so he said he might relax in it once he finishes if he and the weather are warm enough.  Remember, don't laugh!

COMPLETELY OFF TOPIC...

I'm surprised by how saddened I am by Michael Jackson's death.  I think I've mentioned my age here before, but in case you don't remember or haven't read the archives I'm 34, almost 35.  My first album was Thriller -- the autographed photo record in fact.  I vividly remember watching the Motown 25th Anniversary special, which wikipedia tells me was broadcast on May 16, 1983, with my father and sister.

Yes he was a troubled man, but I don't think I'm mourning the Michael Jackson of post-1989.  This article sums up how I'm feeling better than I can.  Yup, apparently I'm old now.

In garden news, there are actual tomatoes on at least one Husky cherry tomato plant:

 

I'll be back on topic soon.

REPORT FROM THE ARK

You think I'm kidding, but not really.  VPH was watching a film on tv featuring a monsoon and there was no difference between the surround sound and the open windows.  Yes, my windows are open even though it's only 63 degrees, I'm a New Englander and it's June I am not closing my windows!

The only gardening of any sort that has piqued my interest lately is on a larger scale.  I drive through the tobacco fields in Windsor, CT a few times a week (or will for another week, then my office is being relocated yet again).  Now that our weather is exclusively rainy and overcast, I've noticed that the sides of the tents over the tobacco fields are tied up.  Today I captured a terrible photo of a field on my cell phone while stopped at a light:

 

Which got me wondering...why would they open up the tents?  I did a little research and found an explanation on a tobacco enthusiast's website:

Between 1900 and 1910 there was a new development in the tobacco industry here. Experiments in Windsor, CT had proven that it was possible to grow Cuban tobacco in Connecticut by reproducing the tropical climate of Cuba and Sumatra artificially. This was done by enclosing the tobacco field in a "tent" of very loosely woven cloth. The resulting tobacco had a thinner leaf which had previously been imported into the US by local cigar manufacturers. Several of these "shade grown" plantations were successful enough to survive until the early 1970s when the market for this once important crop declined dramatically. The resurgence of shade tobacco growing in this area is solely attributable to the efforts of the Enfield Shade Tobacco Co. Enfield Shade Tobacco grows solely for ALTADIS USA...the manufacturer of brands such as Montecristo Don Diego. Enfield Shade plans on increasing its current acreage of 300 acres in 2002.

And an old photo:

  

If the rain ever stops I'll get back out into the garden and finish things up. 

IT SMELLS LIKE A WHOREHOUSE IN HERE

I don't have any lilacs growing in my garden, but my friend Mary does and she shares!  As a result it really does smell like at least a florist shop in our living room:

 

Especially with a second arrangement on the other side of the room:

 

And whose bathroom couldn't use a few lilac blooms?  Ours does for sure:

 

I would plant a bush or two, but I imagine that some day we'll leave this rental, no idea when, but I don't think we'll live here forever.  Add another item to the list of reasons why I love Mary!

WHY I NEED TO HAVE A CHAPERONE ON SHOPPING TRIPS DURING THE MONTH OF MAY

Because I apparently cannot pass a plant display without buying something.  Only $25 more dollars, but still:

 

And I really needed those 2 hosta, 2 husky cherry tomato, 2 large leaf Italian basil, 2 rosemary, 1 lavender, and 6 wee little habanero peppers plants.

And if it ever warms up, I will actually plant something in soil!

SERIOUSLY?

I'm thinking of not watching the news anymore.  Could someone please explain to me how the AIG executives receiving bonuses leads to people leaving emails and voice mails threatening the children of said executives?  I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the same people who left the threats left their names, email addresses, and phone numbers?  After that I had to get outside and clear my head.

I'm not altogether sure that the little rhododendrons in pots survived the winter:

 

Some of the leaves are not looking so good:

 

However I am certain that the heather in the pot is dead:

The irises are coming up:

 

And I finally see a crocus or two coming up near the tulips:

 

And there are also daffodils with the tulips:

 

You can see the big shed is toast: 

 

In case you looked at the first photo and said, oh you can fix that...not so much with the rip right along the zipper:

 

The whole garden's definitely brown:

 

But the shed looks pretty good from the back:

 

Okay, back to obsessing over which shed to buy from homedepot.com.

I WAS UNREASONABLY PLEASED TO READ THIS...

The White House will have a vegetable garden:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/dining/19garden-web.html

I am really surprised how excited I am by this.

SCHEMING

We're expecting a large winter storm Sunday night into Monday, but it's too late.  My mind has moved on to spring cleaning and seed-starting.  Friday was a lovely day near 60 degrees and we spent it on UCONN's campus.  I don't know if they started their bulbs in greenhouses and then planted them in the beds along the road, but there those green shoots sat and VPH and I both noticed.  No signs of them in my garden though, which could mean that the varmints ate all our bulbs, or they just haven't fought their way up yet. 

The stores all have seeds out and I have completely succumbed to the temptation those little packets offer.  Combined with the leftovers from the last 2 years I have quite the little seed stash:

 

Please note the wintry, anemic light and the Christmas-themed socks in the background...clear signs that it is not yet time to be planting anything no matter how badly I want to!

Are you dying to get started too?

LIVING VICARIOUSLY

Though we've been experiencing an unusual February thaw, it's only served to infect me with early spring fever.  It's still cold and windy...and since it's February, I can't even think about planting, bulbs popping throw the mud (there was a lot of snow and ice out there that's now melted), or even tidying up outside. 

So since I have nothing to say about gardening, I can point you to 2 sites that have lots to say:

Interested in new music and don't have any 18-year-old men around to inform you of the best indy stuff around?  Fork/Knife can give you what you need.

Are you in your mid-30s and trying to figure out who you are and what you want to do with your life?  Or just want to see some beautiful photos of far off places and read humorous travelogues?  My cousin has what you need at her blog This End Up!

49 degrees is nice, but I suspect that freezing temps are lurking just around the corner.  It just can't be April quickly enough.

HIBERNATING

I had a dream last night that I walked into the garden and the passalong irises we planted in the fall had bloomed.  Now why I would have that dream is beyond me.  The garden is buried beneath a layer of snow and at least a 1/2 inch of ice.  The entry to the large pop-up shed is ripped and flapping in the wind (don't expect a photo, it's too sad), and despite repeated requests to VPH, the outdoor furniture is out and unprotected from that snow and ice -- even the cushions.  I'm so frightened by the economy that I'm having trouble buying things we need like groceries and I completely skipped buying bulbs to force this winter.  The weather report just predicted -3 overnight on Thursday.  I don't remember the last time the mercury dropped below 0 here. 

So is it any wonder that I'm struggling to find anything to write about or photograph these days?  Maybe the dream was my brain's way of reminding me that this too shall pass.  Spring will come and there will be new growth.  In the meantime I'm going to hunker down and save my pennies for the spring. 

LAST HARVEST?

I haven't had a ripe tomato in I don't remember when, but I'm still getting something of a harvest:

 

And that's all I've got.  Instead of working in the garden today I went shopping and along with some new fall clothes, got this cool canvas print for $1.99 at Kohl's:

 

And this china platter for $2.99 (it's a much darker blue than it appears here and the pen is for scale):

 

Nothing else is going on at all.  I'm a complete slacker so I haven't gotten around to planting all those bulbs yet.  But I will.  Soon.  Really.  I swear.

I'VE HEARD THAT THEY CAN BE INVASIVE

I noticed Sunday that the morning glories had spread to the wind-chime hanging on the trellis that they call home:

I had a lot of fun taking shots from different angles: 

Lots of lines and colors and shadows: 

From below:

I can't decide if this is my favorite shot:  

Or if this is:

What do you think?

NORTHEASTERN SPRING FLING (and it only took us 4 months to pull it off)

Layanee and I have been trying to get together for months and months and more months.  We were going to meet up at Logee's twice, but I had to cancel both times.  The last scheduled trip was in early April and in my post about it I coined the term Northeastern Spring Fling.  (Layanee's plans to attend Spring Fling were foiled by the airlines and mine by the dire state of my finances.)  Ironically in that same post I announced my grand intention to attend Gardenwalk Buffalo which also didn't happen this year due to both step-sons in college and the high price of gas.  Well at least I finally got to see the ledge of Ledge and Gardens today! 

Layanee's not kidding when she says that she lives out in the country, but she gives excellent directions.  I was a little nervous going down the dirt road (not many of those in my usual haunts), but I turned into her driveway and there was the unique home and beautiful gardens that I've come to know from her blog.  I wasn't, however, prepared for how large it is.  Photos just don't do her garden justice.  Layanee's actually in this photo:

Turning in any direction brings more astonishing beauty: 

Tucker is an exceptionally well-behaved dog.  Usually dogs instantly pick up on the fact that I'm not so fond of them and want to be my best friend.  Tucker said hi and then wandered off.  I used to think that Layanee had him well trained to sit so still for all those photos, but he's just that kind of dog:

Equally patient and well-behaved was VPH.  He and I were only about 30 minutes from Layanee's house on other business today, so he got dragged along for our visit.  He even joined us on part of the garden tour and rescued a frog from the pool (well 2 actually, but I only saw one, I was busy coveting Layanee's tomato cages when he scooped out the other):

You know how I have a good number of frog statues in my garden?  Today I saw a real live frog for every statue I have:

That one's a pretty decent candidate for the calendar, but so is this one:

Right after I took this photo the frog croaked at me and I think I actually caught air when I jumped.   

Northeastern Spring Fling must be commemorated by a group photo (Heather on the left, Layanee on the right):

And the exchanging of gifts (bee balm from Layanee on the left, woolly thyme from Heather on the right):

Another shot of the beautiful bee balm:

This was about the time that a frog jumped over Layanee's foot and she mentioned snakes.  I have to admit that I started to watch where I was stepping a little more carefully.  She sent VPH and I out the door with some other gifts (really she's too nice), and directions to cut a few highway exits off the trip home. 

As we drove away VPH said, "It's strange to meet someone for the first time and have them know so much about me already."  I explained that it was only because Layanee and I have talked on the phone, the whole internet doesn't know that much about him.  The other amusing exclamation was, "That's a garden?  10 acres -- That's a f---ing estate!"  I guess I could have prepped him better.  Thanks again, Layanee, that was the perfect relaxing cap to a crazy busy week and I can't wait to come visit again!

SECRET GARDENS TOUR

The town I grew up in, Guilford, CT, has long been a host for the A Better Chance program.  Their big yearly fund-raiser is a Secret Garden Tour.  This is the first year that I have taken the tour (I purchased tickets last year, but it poured, so my friend and I skipped the garden portion). 

This year my friend Mary and I made a day of it and hit all 7 gardens on the tour.  Mary knows absolutely everyone in town and I do a fair job myself, so we spent a lot of time gabbing with people we encountered on the way.  This is by no means a complete review of the beautiful gardens we saw, but instead what struck my eye as we toured.

Garden #1

Each garden had a secret.  As we approached this beautiful garden via the driveway, our eyes were drawn around the house to the first secret around the back of the house:

It was biscotti and lemonade on the beautiful patio.  I particularly liked the colors that the home-owners used in their containers and the iron finial shaped structures they added -- very cool.  And they told us that their sons did all the stonework as their summer jobs over a period of years.  That Forbes stone is a carriage step from the home that originally stood on this land (it fell into disrepair, was abandoned, vandalized, partially burned down, and eventually demolished to make way for this home and the one next door which was home #2 on the tour):

This stove repurposed as a planter was salvaged from the original house: 

I'm not usually a fan of this sort of country style decoration, but this worked really well: 

Garden #2

I have a personal connection to the second garden on the tour so I am not going to write about it here or post photos of it, but the secret was beautiful photographs by a local artist -- extreme close-ups of flora.

Garden #3

The secret here was paintings in the garden, but I failed to photograph any of them.  We walked down a gravel driveway to these interesting piles of rocks: 

And found this charming patio.  I so wanted to sit down, but I thought that would be in poor taste:

Then I saw their back porch.  Okay, I officially want it.  Half screened in, a swing, the beautiful steps down to a wood deck -- uh yum: 

Mary looked at this tree and said, "Could that be a redwood?"  Then we looked in the program and sure enough, it's a redwood.  I had no idea they would grown in CT: 

In addition to a putting green (not pictured), they have a freaking greenhouse:

A firepit with adorable stump seats around it and a perennial border around: 

How cool is the gate to their veggie garden: 

Their veggie garden was so big and such an interesting shape that I couldn't get it in one photo.  View #1 shows a birdhouse above, tall trellises for beans, and the wavy border on the outside of the veggie garden to soften the edges:

View #2 shows their beautiful broccoli in the foreground and a lovely spot to rest between bouts of weeding in the background: 

Garden #4 

Let me say here for the record that this was a beautiful garden, but not exactly to my taste.  The home-owner is a big time fan of garden kitsch.  It worked here for me in a small way, but it was rarely done in a small way:

The secret here was snacks in the gazebo and oil paintings scattered throughout:

A sampling of the easily 100 stepping stones scattered around the property:

These figures on the picnic table made me laugh: 

This small patio was at the very back of the garden hidden under a tree (the canopy of which did not allow me to stand up straight).  The home-owner said she enjoys her morning coffee here with her cat.  I didn't notice the painted container until I saw it in the photograph.  I'm intrigued by this idea.  It might be a nice way to disguise inexpensive plastic planters: 

Garden #5

I ran into a high school friend at this garden and got to chatting, so I forgot to take photos until we were leaving and I snapped this one quickly.  The secret in this garden was the glass and metal sculptures which were installed the previous day.  I love this one, but there were lots of other ones that caught the light more effectively, sorry I flaked:

Garden #6

Was down a long driveway past another house.  It was set so far back that it wasn't visible from the street.  What a pleasant surprise to walk past a very normal looking split ranch with average foundation plantings to find this:

The house was built 5 years ago and the gardens over the past 2 years.  They've created a lovely perennial border around the side of the house.  Mary loved this object in nestled among the hostas -- a petrified lichen?  Thanks, Maggie, for identifying this as a shelf mushroom knocked off of a tree:

We reached the back of the house and wow, look at that pond!  I love the little seating area, the beautiful fence (must be a talented artist somewhere who created those birds), and the fountain:   

Their cantilevered deck knocked our socks off, but we were all frightened by the lack of railings: 

I'd really love to know how long this weeping willow has been in that spot at the back of the garden.  Between that focal point and the pond, there's no lack of visual stimulation here: 

Garden #7 

I think I was so wowed by the windows on the home in garden #7 that I was shaking, so please excuse the slightly blurry photo below.  This was also the first stone-edged bed that we saw...there would be plenty more:

Just down the driveway to the right we found this outbuilding:

This garden was full of really large focal points: 

This is a sycamore tree and the photo really doesn't do it justice: 

This is around the corner of that outbuilding I showed earlier.  I love the pergola and the escape ladder cracked me up: 

Directly to the left of where I took the above photo was a sunny rock-bordered veggie garden and on its left was a similarly sized bed full of what appeared to be perennial flowers: 

Standing between the 2 beds looking at the breath-taking pond:

Standing on the other side of the pond looking back at the outbuilding:

Standing to the right of the hammock looking back at the house.  The rock bordered bed on the right held tomatoes and peppers:

The home-owner had created these plant tags and labeled almost every plant on the property just for the tour: 

I thought this sedum (I'm pretty sure it was sedum) growing out of the stump was strikingly beautiful:  

Another person on the tour called this a zen garden:  

I climbed up and sat in the middle.  It was very peaceful: 

And stared at this purple smoke bush: 

It looks so different up close: 

Are these sweet peas or some neat variety of pea with colored flowers?  They had an entire bed of whatever it is: 

Oh, the secret here was more paintings, but again, I failed to photograph any of them, and frankly this garden was so vast and the focal points so large, the paintings were a little lost.  We had a ball touring the 7 beautiful gardens and the rain held off until the early evening to everyone's relief.  I can't wait to see next year's featured gardens!

HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY TO ME!

One year ago today I published my first post and became a garden blogger.  I look back now on that post and cringe.  It's so text heavy and the photos are not good, interesting, or, in one case, in focus.  When I started out this blog was a way of showing my family who lived far away (especially my mom) what I was describing poorly during phone calls.  Then it also became a way to keep track of what I had planted where and when. 

But along the way the reason I was blogging changed.  I fell back in love with taking photos.  I found a deep peace working in the garden.  On some crazy days the only excuse I had to take a break during the day was to go to the garden and take photos so I could blog later that evening.  I've made gardening friends who I "talk" to more often than some of my "real life" friends. 

Gardening and blogging are inextricably linked in my mind (and VPH's) and both have brought me great joy.  Thank you, readers, for sticking with me through the ups and downs of year one -- bring on YEAR TWO!

Because although the gardening has improved:

I'm not so sure about the photography:

(Did you see my hands and camera in the shadow that hits the bottom petal of the flower and on the ground?)

UPDATE: I hit an all-time high number of hits today -- 111.  A year ago I had 5.  Wow!  And my mom's not even on-line right now!

HOW HAPPY AM I TO BE GROWING MY OWN TOMATOES?

If the incredible taste of homegrown tomatoes wasn't enough motivation to grow your own:

 

McDonald's pulls tomatoes from sandwiches

McDonald's Corp. said on Monday it has temporarily stopped serving sliced tomatoes on its sandwiches in the United States as health officials work to pinpoint the source of a salmonella outbreak.

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25062058/from/ET/

 

JUST A NOTE TO SAY I'M ALIVE

I've been caught up in the preparation for and execution of a fundraising gala for a local arts organization.  I serve on their board of directors and it was our first attempt at this sort of event.  It was wildly successful and we raised lots of money and had lots of fun.  Once I'm fully rested up I'll get back to the garden which has exploded in growth with this week's rain and heat.

MY COMMUTE

I have the strangest 62 mile commute to work.  I start out turning the corner and heading down the hill from our house past my neighbor's vast vegetable garden (he turned the soil sometime before the rain earlier this week):

Then I hop on the highway heading north for an hour.  You might think that as I drove north it would get colder and I would see fewer signs of spring, but you would be wrong.  Heading inland from the shoreline it gets about 10 degrees warmer by the time I reach my office and it's probably about a week ahead of where spring is at my house.

When I hop off the highway -- finally -- I end up very close to Bradley International Airport.  If you've ever driven near Bradley, then you know that there is still a lot of tobacco grown in CT.  So I drive through fields and fields of this:

In the heat of the summer the fabric will cover all the fields.  I don't understand why tobacco is still grown in CT.  Does anyone know?

Here's where it gets really strange...out of the other window, you have this:

And then a series of small industrial parks with beautiful median plantings:

I'd also like to point out that I was driving along at 60 miles per hour taking photos out the passenger's side window or through my dirty windshield -- not too shabby if I do say so myself: 

It was a beautiful day, but rather chilly with a high of only 60.  I want freaking summer to get here already!

NONSENSE ABOUT ME

Over 3 inches of rain on Monday:

I have peas (there are Sugar Snap as well):

Gina tagged me to answer a few questions and it's pouring rain, so here you have it:

What was I doing 10 years ago?

Getting ready for my rapidly approaching wedding in mid-June.  I was such a basket case that I actually slapped VPH across the face -- in public, in front of the kids -- when I felt like he wasn't being helpful enough.  Luckily he married me anyway and nothing like that has ever happened again!  He also started helping a lot more.  Now explain to me how my 10th wedding anniversary and my youngest step-son's high school graduation are falling on the same evening.

My to-do list/What I actually did

For today?  Go to work/went to work.  It's still raining and cold, so not much else on the docket.  Left to accomplish in the garden...don't get me started.

Snacks I enjoy

A better question would be which snacks do I not enjoy?!  My go to snack is cheese -- really good cheese -- smoked Gouda, a French triple cream, Havarti with dill, or a really sharp Cheddar.  YUM!  I'm also partial to Ruffles with ridges and Philly whipped cream cheese with chives (mostly when I'm drunk).  And every woman needs a good chocolate fix at least once a month -- I love Kit Kats, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and Godiva chocolates -- but no coconut.

Things I would do if I were a billionaire

I would quit working and finish my undergraduate degree, but on-line so I could travel while I did it.  I'd give the 2 non-profits I work with huge sums of money instead of my time like I currently do.  I'd buy a beautiful new house with lots of land and garden the hell out of it.  But I would want to spend ridiculously large sums of money on hardscaping.

3 bad habits

Being a lazy bum with a fat ass.  I'm constantly running late and driving too fast to get everywhere on time.  I procrastinate like nobody's business.  Everything gets done on time, but not until the last minute.  Ironically, most people don't know this about me -- I have a former boss who swears I'm not lazy and never procrastinate and I worked for her for 5 and 1/2 years -- though she would attest to me being a few minutes late every morning.

5 places I've lived

Great Falls, MT; Southington, CT; Ashford, CT; New Haven, CT; Guilford, CT; Storrs, CT; Branford, CT; but I've also spent considerable time over the years at my dad's houses at the time in MA, WA, AZ; and my mom's homes in Ft. Myers, FL and Marco Island, FL

5 jobs I've had

-Nanny -- which is hilarious if you know how much I dislike spending long periods of time with small children unless they're super well-behaved and fricking adorable.

-Kitchen helper/babysitter/Girl Friday for a really wealthy woman in the town I grew up in during summers in high school and college -- which is hysterical if you know that I don't cook, still dislike children, and am lazy.

-Administrative Clerk -- I have no idea what it is either.  It was the job I got through a temp agency when I dropped of out college.  Essentially I was the back-up for the receptionist.  Yes, the back-up for the receptionist.

-Executive Assistant to the CEO of a major manufacturer of stationery, shaving, and lighter products.  I'm sure you can figure out what company it was, but I'm not saying.   And how I got that job without a college degree and ended up spending 2 weeks in Paris during it is a whole post in itself.

-Office Manager for a 2 person office currently camping out in a sister subsidiary company's office which has its own office manager, so I don't really have an office to manage.

5 people who have interesting blogs that I'd like to tag (feel free not to participate -- no pressure)

Layanee at Ledge and Gardens

Kim at A Study in Contrasts (though I suspect Kim won't participate since she hasn't been posting often lately)

Genie at The Inadvertent Gardener

Michelle at My Grandpa's Garden (she'll probably make me tear up like she does when she writes about her grandpa)

Chris at Notes From the Trenches (She's really busy with 7 kids, and may not have time to do this, but she's a great writer and hysterically funny, so if she does, it will be worth reading!)

COMING ATTRACTIONS TAKE II

Remember this excited post about my upcoming trip to Logee's with Layanee?  It's back on for this Friday!!!  We're calling it the Northeastern Spring Fling since neither of us could make it to Austin for Spring Fling proper -- United is to blame for Layanee's non-attendance and the lack of direct flights and high ticket prices are to blame for mine.

I need this trip because I am having the hardest time getting my butt in gear and heading out to the garden to clean up, plan and start sowing seeds.  I'm a great procrastinator.  I am not good at dividing large projects up into a bunch of smaller projects.  I'm a get it all done at the same time kind of person and if the project is going to take more than one day I get paralyzed and can't start.  You would think being aware of this tendency would help me get over it, but nope, still can't get it done.

Anyway, I'm charging my camera battery and keeping my fingers crossed that I will be able to get away this time.  Cross yours too!

COMING ATTRACTIONS

Layanee and I are taking a field trip tomorrow to Logee's.  I'm so excited to meet my blogging friend!  I must remember to charge my camera battery tonight so I can take bunches of photos.

UPDATE: Real life interfered and I had to reschedule -- bummer!

STUPID COMMENTS ON STUPID BLOGGER

Apparently Blogger has decided that in order to leave a comment on all of my gardening friends' blogs I need to sign in with a Google or Blogger identity.  Well that's all well and good, but I use Typepad, not Blogger, and I cannot figure out how to get my blog address linked into a Google or Blogger identity.  Help!  They ask for an ftp address and all sorts of other things that I know nothing about.

In the meantime, friends, I'm reading your blogs and making notes for when I can comment properly.  And why do so many of you use Blogger?!

MY HUSBAND THE HERO

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my husband?  I do, madly.  Not just because he's a wonderful man, but because he's so good about doing the things that I hate to do.  Like raking leaves into huge piles:

And then making them disappear:

He filled 30 bags without any assistance:

Don't worry, we chipped a bunch into the compost and the bastard garden area (which is really just a big uncontained compost pile).  Our town collects leaves in brown paper bags or uncovered garbage cans until mid-December with your normal trash pick-up and composts them at the transfer station.  Free compost is also available to residents who bring their own containers.

I sucked up all the leaves on the right below (the wildflower patch) and threw the chipped remains back on top of the patch.  This is a  before picture, but it's not that different from an after photo.  You'll have to take my word for it:

I must do something about this mess:

I picked up the clay pots on the right at my neighbor's tag sale last month.  $3.00 for about 20 pots.  I'm sharing my shame with you in the hopes that I'm motivated to take action and get this organized before the "wintry mix" predicted for Sunday arrives. 

And finally, the one bright spot in the two day leaf clearing affair.  The last remaining flowering plant in my garden:

Are you prepared for winter weather?

UPDATE: I just carried all 30 bags from the side of the house to the curb -- probably 25 feet -- and I'm about to collapse.  I don't know how he did that all.  Keep your fingers crossed that they get picked up tomorrow!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

To all my loved ones near and far (and that includes you, dear reader), I hope your Thanksgiving is filled with yummy food, peace, and tranquility.

It's not typical Thanksgiving weather here.  Someone (I wish I could remember who) recently wrote on their blog that this time of year the trees in their area are usually bare.  That's true in Southern CT as well.  But take a look at the trees above our house on Saturday:

Just as well we haven't raked a single leaf yet.  It will be a while before they all come down.  The reverse view of the yard:

It's supposed to reach 60 here today, but rainy.  If it stays clear I may enjoy a glass of wine on the patio and think fondly on global warming.

POST-RAINY DAY BLUES

The forecast for today was 60 degrees and sunny so VPH took the day off to stay home and help me with garden clean-up.  We had a killing frost come through over the weekend and it looks bad out there...very bad.  Unfortunately we didn't plan for the rain storm that started late last night and soaked everything, which has canceled garden clean-up day.  We can't very well put away wet wooden lawn furniture or lug around pots of wet soil.  Oh well, keep your fingers crossed for another warm, but dry, day soon.  On the plus side we're having a fun lazy day at home together.  Oh and the rain gave us a construction respite for the day.

THIS IS DRIVING ME CRAZY

Remember the enormous garage going up about 50-75 feet from my bedroom?  Now they're driving screws or something that is incredibly loud and annoying.  I uploaded a video to YouTube so you can get the full sound effect.

And that is from inside the house.  I'm trying to watch TV and I keep having to turn up the volume to hear the dialogue.

This morning (a Saturday) they woke me at 8:30 am with the beep-beep-beep of a bobcat backing up repeatedly over and over and over again.  I am not a morning person.  On a Saturday I want to be able to sleep at least until 9:00 am and then wake gently on my own. 

When will this stupid thing be built?  Really how long does it take to build a three car garage?  We've been listening to this for well over a month.

And this is garden related.  I don't want to spend any time in my garden between the noise, construction guys able to clearly watch me putter around, and the diesel fumes from their equipment.

I'VE GOT NOTHING

It's been raining all week -- which is good since we were in a near-drought situation -- but doesn't make for good photos, which gives me no inspiration to write.  I didn't want anyone to worry about me hence my short post just to confirm I am alive.

Cross your fingers for some sun so I'll be back on GTS with photos.

NIMG (Not in My Garden)

Kim challenged us to post on the topic of NIMG. 

"Here are the "rules": Think about 5 (or 10, or 3, or however many come to mind) things that you really like but would never put into your own yard. Make a post that explains each thing and also tells why, much as you like each one, it will never appear in your garden."

Strangley VPH is much more opinated about these things that I am, so I asked him to chime in today and all he could give me was #4.

1. Gazing balls - I've seen some that I love and they look great.  Layanee seems to use them in various spots with great success, but with how small and structured our garden is, I just don't think I could get one to look "right."
2. Bird baths - I've seen some really cute ones and been really tempted to buy one, but I'm afraid of getting more mosquitoes (which we really don't need) and more bird poop on the patio furniture (which we really don't want).
3. Bird feeders - see poop issue above.
4. Koi pond - too much maintenance.  We had a 1/2 barrel pond with 3 goldfish and floating plants last year (Kim, I laughed as I read your NIMG example) and it was such a pain to keep the fountain clean, the water clear, and the floating plants from clumping together.  Never again and definitely not larger with bigger fish!
5. Bulbs of any kind - I love daffodils, hyacinths, etc., but we have such tree roots all over the property that VPH had to use an axe to dig holes for the few things we did plant in the ground.  I'm also not into so much effort for so short a return.  I picked up a few hyacinths from W-Mart this past spring and threw them in a pot on my desk at work and will probably do so again next year.  Plus we have moles and I just know that after hacking a hole in the ground and carefully planting a bulb, with our luck the moles would eat it.
6. Roses - love them, absolutely love them.  But they are a high-maintenance garden item in my opinion and I'm just not ready for that level of committment yet.  Maybe some day.
7. Corn - boy I would love to eat corn right off the stalk from my own garden, but once I figured out how many plants you need, the fact that you only get one ear from each stalk, the square footage required...yeah, so not going to happen. 
8. Angel statuary - some of it is absolutely lovely, but just not my style.  VPH would add here no frog statuary, but it's Heather's Garden and we must have frog statuary forthwith (anybody else see Ladykillers?).
9. Repurposed junk - some people are so creative using old bicycles, wheelbarrows, chairs, or beds as planters, but anything I did would just look like junk with flowers.  Of course, I've already put a plant in a watering can, so you never know what might happen.
10. Mums - oh crap too late.

So what's your list?  Leave Kim a comment if you decide to join in this meme.

NIGHT GARDEN

I promised photos of the garden by tiki torch before we took them down.  I had my friend's 6 almost 7 year old all day on Saturday and while we were waiting for his mom to arrive we lit a few of the torches around the patio.  Of course he wanted to light them all, so I figured what the hey, I'll try and photograph them for you.

I apologize for the blurred photos, but really low light leads to extreme shutter length and I'm not a tripod!

The wildflower patch looks so exotic by firelight (and with the exception of the torch in the front right, these stay in year round and really light up the patio when reflecting off the siding):

The veggie garden sure looks different -- and dark:

Don't you just love the electric lights on the gazebo:

We put tiki torches and mini-sconces with citronella candles all the way around the yard:

I tried using the table by the Adirondack chairs as a tripod and had slightly better results:

    

I love the fairy garden and I hate to take the torches out, but it is a little much to expect VPH to mow around them.

THE AFTERMATH

First, thanks for all the nice wishes for a speedy recovery from my knee injury.  It's not keeping me from walking, but it did make sleeping last night next to impossible.  Every time I shifted I hit it and woke myself up.  Ugh -- there's nothing I hate worse than not sleeping well!

As I said, we were so busy during the picnic that I didn't have a chance to take any photos.  By the time we sat down to socialize, I was too tired and my knee hurt too badly to go grab the camera.  So you will only hear about the cutest thing I saw on Saturday rather than seeing a photo of it.  My friend Meg's two boys are 4 and 6 and you know that my two boys are 17 and 21.  Somehow the little boys conned the big boys into playing badminton with them.  It really was adorable to see these two 6 foot guys playing with two 3 foot guys and having a ball.  At one point the 17 year old took a break and came to sit down with the adults.  The 6 year old came over after a few minutes and said "Have you recovered your tiredness yet?"  It's such a joy to see a spontaneous smile on a 17 year old boy's face.  And how could you refuse such a cute request?

Here's where the mythic match took place:

I cut all the fading flowers off the Endless Summer hydrangea and made two bouquets:

And this one surrounded by blue citronella candles:

Here's where the food sat (note how bare the hydrangea is without all the faded blooms):

Endless Summer hydrangeas have been taking a hit in the gardening blogosphere lately.  Read this post at Cold Climate Gardening for what the fuss is all about.  This is my first season with the plant, but right now it's about 18 inches tall and growing nicely.  I've cut off all the blooms twice now and it continues to grow back.  I'll let you know how it overwinters here. 

The veggie garden did double duty as the drink area:

And lastly, the view of the yard set up for the party: 

The big round thing above is a double-lounger that we love, but we rarely leave out.  Rather than put it away we moved it over by the potting table on the gravel drive for a while.  There are about 20 tiki torches and 18 sconces with citronella candles stuck in the ground which will have to be pulled before VPH mows again, but I'll try to light them all and take a photo before they come out.  It looks like a fairyland back there with them burning and I hate to take them out.

Tomorrow back to the plants.

MOM'S GARDEN

I've been struggling a little in coming up with topics for my posts lately.  I think I'm in a rut or I've just got too much on my mind and can't clear it away for the fun of gardening and writing about it.  We seem to be in sort of an in-between time in the garden.  Waiting on veggies to harvest and watching flowers fade in the hot August sun.  I'm going to make a trip to the local garden center tomorrow and see if I can generate some fun for myself.  It doesn't help that my fingers are sweating trying to type this post.  Check out this photo from 7:00pm on the patio tonight:

Yup, that says 88 degrees at 7:00pm in a spot that hasn't seen sun in 4 hours.  Note the excellent 30th birthday present from VPH several years ago -- my watch until then had been a souvenir from a spring break trip to Walt Disney World at age 19.  Sure it was the Genie from Aladdin around the dial instead of hour marks, but it worked for over 10 years, in fact it still works and its in my dresser drawer in case this one needs to go into the jeweler. 

I'm was going to try and finish this post and take a cool shower, but I don't think I can make it.  UPDATE: I finished writing and ran to the shower, which helped a lot -- I HATE sweating sitting still.  I sincerely regret the decision to conserve energy and not installing the air conditioner in the bedroom this year.  The living room unit has been pumping away, but it's not putting a dent in this muggy heat.  I know that 88 really isn't that hot, but when you're not used to it the humid hot days just sap your energy and here on the shore in CT we rarely see this kind of weather.  I expect the news tonight will talk about senior citizens dropping dead.

Speaking of heat and senior citizens...my mom sent me 2 photos of her garden this morning and since I'm experiencing a distinct lack of inspiration from my own garden, I've cobbled together photos from her garden sent to me over the last month or so.  So sort of a guest-blog, but I'm still doing the writing.

Mom is gardening in a little coastal town in NC  between Myrtle Beach, SC and Wilmington, NC.  Needless to say, her soil is rather sandy and the climate is hot and dry.  She called these her perky peppers:

Can you imagine trying to coax a plant to grown in that soil?  It looks like she plopped a raised bed onto a beach.

Mom calls this her red hat planting -- a red rose with a purple hyacinth bean growing up a string hanging off the fence:

Are you familiar with the Red Hat Society?  Mom either belongs or has thought about joining, sorry I can't remember, Mom.  I think it's a great idea and will probably join when I'm old enough.

I love the water hyacinth in her pond:

Every time mom mentions water hyacinth she makes sure to remind me that you must never introduce it to an open body of water because it is an extremely invasive plant.  The water lily is Arc-en-Ciel (French for rainbow), and is really a lovely mix of purple and green -- too bad I don't have a water feature anymore, it would totally suit my purple and green obsession.

Magnolia blossoms:

Does anyone have an tips on how to photograph white flowers without that glow?  The leaves are so green and shiny -- pretty.

Mom wanted me to see the watermelon hiding on the bottom left, but I think her perky peppers are coming along nicely. 

In fact, I'm rather jealous of her ripening peppers, so I'll close with one photo from my own garden.  The bell peppers are finally showing some signs of changing color:

Mom, did you enjoy "guest blogging?"   Maybe next time I'll even let you write your own post.

MORE VACATION RENTAL

Younger step-son's sunburn has now become so itchy he can't sleep, so VPH and I are running around trying everything we can think of to make him more comfortable.  It's so hard to watch your kids in distress, even when it is their own fault. After multiple calls to the dermatologist and multiple trips to the pharmacy, he's finally able to rest without writhing in discomfort and poor thing, crying in frustration.  However, it looks like our trip tomorrow to Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame is in not going to happen.  It is the only thing that I planned for this vacation and I want to go! 

Wildlife abounds here in the Catskill Mountains.  There are hummingbirds, but so far they've been too fast for me to capture.  We keep seeing deer on the side of the road driving around at 50 mph -- not terrifying at all, really -- but haven't seen any around the house to photograph. 

Take a look at this:

Pardon the photo through a window, but we had a bear in this spot not 30 minutes ago.  I am now a touch petrified to go outside.  Elder step-son came running upstairs shouting.  Apparently the bear put his face right up the window and scared the heck out of the boy.  I don't think I have ever seen him move that fast.  By the time we got to the window, only younger step-son actually saw the bear, VPH and I were both too slow and it wandered off into the woods -- I heard it moving around in the brush off the deck though.  Probably a good thing that I missed it, if I had actually laid eyes on it I would be even more freaked out.

Here's the only wildlife I've been able to capture on "film" so far:

Not exactly scary since the rabbit is not in my garden, but if I were at home, I would be absolutely terrified!

This is the incredible view from my bedroom  -- I will miss it once I've gone home:

But I haven't been using the little deck up there because of these:

Sorry for the slightly out of focus photo, but I was shaking being so close to that many wasps!

The last little surprise that the property had in store for us is just past the parking area:

Walk forward 20 feet and you find this:

Again, at some point it must have been lovely, but the pond has fallen into disrepair.  The waterfall appears to come from a stream that runs the entire length of the hill.  It's pretty nasty water/dirt, but full of the cutest little tadpoles:

I want to be home, I wonder if I have a ripe tomato waiting for me.  Less than 48 hours now.  VPH and I will miss the pool, but because of what happened to younger step-son, elder step-son now refuses to go out in the sun.  I swear plants are easier than kids.

THE VACATION RENTAL

My impression of the area around the vacation rental house is that at some point there was a woman who loved this property, but she's no longer in the picture.

A forgotten garden:

This must have been a lovely little patio by the pool:

Little surprises are everywhere:

I wish I had the courage to eat some, they look delicious.

I'll leave you with a shot of the pool.  Note VPH and younger step-son waging fierce battle:

At least I sort of have a theme

Isn't my heather plant beautiful?  I miss those purple flowers.  Focus Heather, this post is about the statuary theme (look for a post on the ever-shrinking heather plant soon).  June 11th:

VPH's mom, Ruth, had quite a thing for frogs.  There's a big brass frog (indoor sculpture about a foot high and very heavy) that gets passed around the family as a zonk gift.  Does that only make sense if you have watched Let's Make a Deal?  Last year we had a water garden in the herb barrel and the fountain was a frog laying on his back with his legs crossed spitting water into the barrel.  I miss that guy, so I had to buy this guitar playing cross-legged frog when I saw him this spring.  The frog theme is at least in part in Ruth's memory.

The large bare spots in the above photo are because we took down the old temporary retaining wall and VPH put in this awesome one a few weeks after the wildflowers sprouted.  I've seen a lot of people on-line complain about concrete retaining wall blocks, something about them not being as "organic" or attractive as natural stone.  I may be biased, but I think this wall is pretty darn attractive and in terms of ease of installation...I helped with this install and easy it was not.  Easier than trying to level natural stone, sure, but you know what, it's not made of nuclear waste and this is a tricky spot.  There are no gutters on the house and when it rains this area really wants to wash away and take the concrete walkway with it, so we need a really strong retaining wall here.

VPH is not a fan of the frog statue (he's a minimalist), but it's okay because the wildflowers are just about obscuring him (and the ugly foundation) at this point:

And today you can hardly see it:

I just had to have this decorative pot holder (the pentas in it are quite nice too and supposedly attract butterflies):

And since I needed hose guides, why not get frogs?  Sorry about the focus on this photo, I have two of these, but the hoses rub the green-black paint off, and I keep spray-painting them with black enamel.  They've lost some of their contrast since this photo was taken weeks ago and look like black blobs in photos, but like frog statues in real life.

I bought this momma frog and babies last week and stuck them under the hydrangea.  And yes, my hydrangea is supported by one of those round grid-wire supports because all the blossoms are too heavy for their branches and it looked awful flopped over on the ground.  Unless you stick your head down there to photograph a frog statue, you don't notice the support too much -- or at least I didn't until I cut a bunch of hydrangea off last Saturday, sigh.  I stupidly threw some fertilizer down around the hydrangea the following day without thinking and now it's turning purplish/pinkish.  I will love it just as much not blue, but I think this may be the first spot to receive our completed compost in a month or so.

I see gardens full of angels and fairies all over the place.  Do you have a theme in your garden?

The Bean Has Sprouted

During her 2nd pregnancy (you're such a good big brother Kyle!), my friend Jessica called her baby-to-be the Bean.  Since we chat via email practically all day everyday, I picked up the habit.  On Saturday the Bean finally sprouted!

I cut a bunch of hydrangeas from my bush, stripped off the leaves, built a bouquet in my hand, wired the stems together, and plopped it in a vase.  My friend Ashley brought over this vase full of daffodils from her garden this spring and I hope that Jessica passes it on to someone full of something from her yard.  Off to the hospital I went:

Jessica and John's harvest was a lot nicer than mine:

Ryan Charles (with his beaming daddy)

July 14, 2007

8 pounds, 14 ounces

21 inches