Tall Tales from Kansas

a soft quilt spread in a strategic spot with a bit of shade

Behold, the peonies from the farmers market in Lawrence this week.  They are making my dining room smell like heaven.  Yes, right now I am fairly certain that heaven is a field of peonies under blue skies with big puffy clouds.

And there might be a soft quilt spread in a strategic spot with a bit of shade, placed for resting and relaxing.  There's plenty of time for that in my heaven.  There may, or may not, also be a picnic basket with a jar of cool lemonade inside.  You decide about that. 

a hobby whose only prerequisite is steadfastness

The iris, hostas, alium, japanese painted fern, dianthus, hydrangea, and fothergilla in my garden are all coming along swimmingly. 

These lovely perennials that manage to survive year after year with little attention from me.  All with a story to tell.  The iris from mom's house in Arkansas, the hostas from Megan, the dianthus that continues to hang from the rock wall by a thread. 

The hydrangea is starting year # 10 and survived the recent painting of the exterior of our house with just a few lost limbs. 

Gardening is a most excellent pursuit for those of us with a strong fortitude, who have experienced enough from life to withstand the losses and appreciate the miracles.  I like a hobby whose only prerequisite is steadfastness, something I happen to have a lot of.  Most of the time anyway. 

 

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I still intend to sweep off the front porch

when you schedule your trip to Lawrence this year

Seen on a random drive through Lawrence this week.  It may, or may not, have been on earth day.  This spring every single day feels like earth day to me. 

When you schedule your trip to Lawrence this year, promise me you will take at least a whole afternoon to drive up and down the streets looking for sites like this.  Sweet, old fashioned, pretty.  And all for free.  If you are lucky you will get to meet the gardeners like I did at the house in photo #1.  I might have gushed too much over my love of their garden.  But I don't think they minded.   Not one bit.

if I ask for incubation leave

We have made our first trip of the season to Pine's, one of my favorite gardening spots here in Lawrence.  Is there is anything that rivals the beauty of a sea of brightly colored flowers?  If there is, I don't know what it is. 

This flowering cabbage put me in the mind of a Carmen Miranda hat.  When I asked Chris to put it on his head for a photo, he wasn't having any of it.  I apologize for his lack of enthusiasm for my plan. 

Hanging baskets, foxglove, amaryllis.  I was positively drunk on blooming flower love. 

The peonies are coming along as you can see.  It won't be long before there are buckets full at the market.  

It's too early to plant some of these things, but there is no harm in looking now.  Making plans, coordinating colors, dreaming.  It's as good as planting. 

I did get my seeds, which I intend to sow, right away.  As in maybe this weekend. 

I am considering taking a maternity leave while I work through the germination process with them.  Maybe if I ask for incubation leave that would work?

Ginger says it's time

Once upon a time I shared an office with my friend Barb.  And Barb's mom, Ginger, would always call her in the Spring (and fall) when it was time to plant pansies.   When Barb hung up the phone she would turn to me and say "Ginger say's it's time".  And just like that, we knew it was safe to plant.  Ginger was never wrong. 

Barb's mom died earlier this month, so I have to try and figure this out on my own now.  In her honor I will do my very best to carry on the tradition by alerting any of you who live in zone 6a (according to the Plant Hardiness Zone Map) when it is time.  Which it is, right now.

Boy oh boy do I love that first trip of the spring to the gardening store.  It is filled with so much possibility.  Things you have been dreaming about and ideas for things you hadn't even conceived of.   I'll just be here this weekend, rain or shine, raising my spade and gardening gloves to you, filled with BIG ideas, and always thinking back to the gardeners who have gone before me, thankful for all their lessons. 

they go with anything

When you are buying your spring daffodils in the coming days it's important to remember to get some that are blooming now and some that will bloom in a few days.  This means you will need to "root around" through all the bunches at the store which may cause the flower lady to ask if you are sure you don't need help.  To which you will of course reply "no thank you". 

Then you are going to want to look through all your containers at home and find the one that your adopted sister Jennifer gave you last year on your birthday filled with zinnias and adorned with a green gauzy bow that you also kept, knowing it would come in handy in the coming year. 

If you have a green striped kitchen towel that you bought in Bergen, Norway and a couple of anemic strawberries to throw in the background for photos that's okay too.   But feel free to pull out whatever vases, bows, towels, and fruits you want to.   Any, and all ,will look good with a couple of bunches of daffodils. 

I am pretty they are the universal flower.  In other words, they go with anything. 

And boy howdy, do they smell good!

so the Harvey boys can get a fix

Sunday, while on a mission to fill 7 bags of yard waste for the 6am Monday morning pick-up, I discovered the bare-root poppies that I planted last year, that never bloomed, have emerged! 

While I was out there I did some serious whacking on the rose bush, that has a case of witches broom, but continues to produce lovely fragrant blooms, so I just keep cut off the bad parts and baby it along. 

The red sunset maple is starting to do it's thing.  A glorious thing. 

The lavender decided to stick around for another season.  It's been hard establishing a good lavender in my garden for some reason.  I have had great plants in previous gardens.  Fingers crossed for this one. 

Last but not least are the garlic chives Nancy Walrafen gave me 10 years ago that faithfully return each and every year. 

Now I am off to liberate the cat mint from the spiky dead growth of last year so the Harvey boys can get a fix, and maybe chop down a few ornamental grasses, if I am feeling energetic, and I can talk Chris into helping. 

Just like that, gardening season has begun. 

the Popeye bicep effect

Today, while investigating what was coming up in the garden.  I discovered that a garden gazing ball is a most excellent reflecting surface for a self portrait. 

I am especially fond of the Popeye bicep effect created by the ripple in the glass. 

The crocus, alium, and tulips poking through the grass signal that Spring is on the way.  I am equal parts delighted and fatigued by that.  It might have something to do with all those leaves needing to be attended to.   That chore can wait though.  Right now I have more experimenting to do with the camera and the gazing ball, who knows what other special effects I will discover. 

 

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a competition to see who can be the most amazing in the fall sunlight

Here is what my Euonymus alatus (burning bush) was doing the other day when we were outside sprucing up the yard.    

We declared last Sunday the day for the annual picking up of the pods from the giant thorny locust tree in the yard behind us.   To say they are plentiful would be an understatement.  Jillions and jillions of pods.

Right about the time I got the 5th bucket dumped in the yard waste bag, I though to myself "hey, I could make a garland out of these".  Garland making is a sickness.  Everywhere I look I see things that could be incorporated into garlands.   But I can put the brakes on when I need to. 

During the un-potting of the black eyed susan vine there was a small catastrophe.

The big bird of the patio got decapitated.  It's happened before.  This time when he goes to surgery I think he will need stabilizing rods.  He's about 12 years old and beyond the simple application of wood glue.  I am prepared to get out the orthopedic texts and study up.

My beloved bougainvillea is done for the season.  I did clip all of those last bits of color before dumping the root ball and covering the pot though.

I made a bouquet for the table out of it all.  The flowers on the table and the burning bush right outside the window are having a competition to see who can be the most amazing in the fall sunlight.   I am just on the sidelines enjoying the performances.  And making a list of what I should do every hour between now and Thanksgiving day at 11am when the hike begins.  

going back and forth between the heat and the air conditioning

For the record, I am not complaining.  But I am ready for just a smidge more fall crispness in the air.  

As we speak, the reds and oranges are coming more from the still flowering bougainvillea, in pots on the back deck, than from the maple tree in the front yard.  Some years are like that. 

I'm going with the flow.  Taking what I can get.  Going back and forth between the heat and the air conditioning when the extremes on either side become too much.   Alternating between wanting meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and lima beans for supper and a big salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, feta cheese, and black beans. 

For the record I will still take pumpkin pie for dessert after either of those meals.   I'm very late with making one yet this year.  I intend to remedy that this week.  Whether it's 48 or 76 degrees outside.   

all different shades of orange

 Last year, when we were in Oregon, we stopped at a garden in Lincoln City.  The name escapes me at this exact moment and I am too lazy to go and look it up, but it was right in the middle of a neighborhood and it was absolutely lovely.   They also had seed packets for sale from their specimens. 

Even though I already had a nice crop of marigolds, I purchased some seeds from them and sprinkled them around this spring.  Initially I wasn't sure about them because they didn't produce many flowers.  But since October hit, they have taken off and really put on a great end of fall show.

I love how they are all different shades of orange, AND that they are so tall with very long stems.

Perfect for cutting a big bunch, bringing into the house, and setting on the table in the middle of the pumpkins.

Angie was a marigold lover, through and through.  I like to think of her sitting on a chair in my back yard looking at these.  For sure she would want to deadhead them and have seeds to pass around.  Mary Ann and Dottie - I will be sending you both some of these for sure.   Plant them in the early spring, in the sun, and be patient.    

Anna Lindhagen you are my hero

One of my very favorite things we did while exploring Stockholm, was wander through the allotment gardens.  Tucked away in secret places, all over the city.  They await discovery. 

They are similar to what we call community gardens in the United States, but different.  Most of them have a tiny house or cottage on the property and there is a long waiting list to get one of them.  A walk through them and you will see why.  Inga invited us in to see her plot as we were exploring the gardens of Eriksdalslunden.  She told us they waited 9 years for their spot.   She also picked grape tomatoes, warm from the sun, and gave them to us to taste. 

We visited gardens in three different areas of Stockholm.  At Tantolunden I met a lovely Swedish woman who was tending her flowers and nibbling the  raspberries off her bushes as she moved around the plants.  She was happy to tell me where to go to see more gardens, careful to tell me which route was best.  Gardeners, the world over, are good people.  

We passed by one that overlooked the water and the gardeners were sitting out at a little table enjoying the view and a glass of wine.  Ahhh.  Can you imagine?

Anna Lindhagen, a Swedish nurse (among other things), was instrumental in starting the allotment gardens in Sweden in 1906.  I can not think of a greater legacy to leave.   

Can you imagine anything nicer than a garden playhouse where you spend endless hours on summer days, surrounded by flowers?  Dream.  Come.  True.   

the only thing that goes better with basil than tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, is roses

There was no trip to the market this weekend since I won't be here to eat a week's worth of produce.  I settled for looking lovingly at my tomatoes.  Including this one that will be ready for picking before I get back I am thinking.  I hate to miss the first BLT of the season with our tomatoes but I will make do.  In Stockholm.  Eating something Swedish.  And delicious. 

I made a nice little arrangement for the table with my roses.

There is something very sweet about your own roses.  In your mother-in-law's vase, on your mom's tablecloth, resting on the table that Great Aunt Alice refinished. 

Then I added some basil.

Because the only thing that goes better with basil than tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, is roses. 

 

for their beauty in the garden

All the dried poppy heads were cut down and brought inside in advance of the big rains we had recently.   Taking great care, I might add, not to turn them upside down, to avoid all the seeds spilling out the top.  I will take them outside later in the season and sprinkle them around, to increase next years crop.  I left some of them out, uncut.   The seeds from those will be easily dispersed by the wind. 

Nine pictures might seem like a lot of images to take of the dried fruit of a flower.  But seriously.  They are so beautiful. 

I fully intend to draw and paint some later this summer. 

These are papaver semipervum also known as opium poppies.   They are cultivated widely for a variety of purposes - medicinal use, for seeds which are edible, and of course for their beauty in the garden.   I just bought a book about poppies.  Can you tell from that last sentence that I just started reading it?  It's full of information.  For example did you know that opium is extracted from a latex substance produced in the fruit capsule?   I didn't.  Count on me to keep you up to date with anything equally fascinating I happen to come across in my reading. 

an ode to the purple coneflower

Early in the morning, as the sun is going down, seen from above, or gazed upon from below, the purple coneflower is a gardeners delight.

They are drought tolerant, don't have to be deadheaded, are spread easily by the birds (but don't get overly invasive), and provide color in the hottest part of the summer. 

Dottie I am going to remember to bring you some seed heads in October.  YOU definitely need some of these to add to your garden. 

Last year I bought a "supreme flamingo" echinacea that I moved at the end of the season to a new location.  It is still struggling a bit.  This year I bought a "salsa red" and an orange/red color that I can't remember the name of for the life of me. 

The verdict is not in yet on any of these varieties.  I don't think they will re-seed and spread like the tried and true purple coneflower.  I have also noticed that the rabbits seem to like them better than the ordinary coneflower.   Grrrr.  I don't like to be mad at the rabbits.  But sometimes I can't help it. 

I remain drunk on poppy love

In between making spanish rice for supper, watering the plants out back, deciding what to wear to work tomorrow, and washing my face, I took some pictures of the poppies out front tonight.    I love how they fade to this delicate shade of pink.   And how when the leaves fall off the yellow part of the seed pod detaches and looks like a starfish on top.  And how even when the petals have all fallen off, the pods themselves are decorative.

There is nothing I don't like about poppies.  I am pretty sure I have written that sentence in a post at least once already this season.  Indulge me.  I remain drunk on poppy love. 

something you think is beautiful

Just a few of my favorite garden moments over the last few weeks.   

I hope whatever you are doing today involves something you think is beautiful.  

in 1954 when they were newlyweds

Just when I was about to doubt that I actually knew what poppy foliage looked like, when Chris was asking "what's that lettuce looking stuff supposed to be?", it finally happened.  Confirmation. 

Followed this weekend by blooms.   Poppies are amazing.  It makes me smile just to look at them. 

An absolute wonder of nature.  

Just in time, by the way, for what would have been Ray and Angie's 62nd wedding anniversary on June 5th.  This is them in 1954 when they were still newlyweds.  

Next year I will know not to get inpatient.   I got the seeds from Jeanette several years ago.  As per her instructions I have been shaking the dry pods around the area each year when I cut them down.  My little poppy field is growing. 

the presence of a gentle cross breeze that occurred right as we were coming outside

The "Snow Queen" Oak Leaf Hydrangea is putting on an exceptionally good show this year.  

I planted it in September of 2005 right after we moved in.  In eleven years it has definitely reached it's full potential.  

The photo below is from the garden journal I kept at that time.  The tag on the plant said it should get 4-5 feet tall and 5-6 feet wide.  Done and done. 

Friday night when we stepped out the front door the fragrance hit me for the first time this season. 

It's the combination of the right amount of blooms, exposed for the proper number of hours in the warm (but not too hot) afternoon sun, and the presence of a gentle cross breeze that occurred right as we were coming outside to sip on a beverage and discuss weekend plans.  I love it when circumstances conspire in my favor. 

 

 

all the angels wear head wraps and spend their time during the day pruning the plants

I am fairly certain that heaven is a big space filled with geraniums.  Rows and rows of lovely geraniums with their faintly herbaceous fragrance that float around after you brush your hand over their velvety soft leaves. 

All colors of geraniums.   Reds and oranges and corals and oh the pinks.  Lots and lots of pinks.   

In garden heaven, all the angels wear head wraps and spend their time during the day pruning the plants ...

but at night they let their hair down and dance in the aisles of the greenhouses to Creedence Clearwater Revival songs. 

Don't ask me how I know all this.  I just do.

when Chris builds me a greenhouse

Sunday the tomato growing expert (Chris) and I headed to the greenhouse to select our specimens for this year.

For the record I would like to say that while I did get distracted by other things at the greenhouse, I did not stray from the mission.  The mission to get the tomatoes planted between the rain showers.  The mission that did not involve geraniums or cabbage.

I like looking at everything at the greenhouse.  Teeny tiny germinating seeds are interesting.   It's important whenever you are out to soak up information that could come in handy later.  Like for example, when Chris builds me a greenhouse after he retires.  Just a small one.  Something to keep him busy and out of trouble.   But I am straying from the mission.

We made our selection as we always do - on a whim - with little consideration.  How can you go wrong with all these healthy looking plants?   Then we headed for home, prepared the container according to instructions, unbound the roots, and placed our perfect specimens carefully into the dirt. 

And now the fun begins.  Watching.  Waiting.  Measuring growth.  Checking for blossoms. 

For inquiring minds - we selected a Jet Star this year in addition to the tried and true and very dependable Celebrity. 

should I not expect them to bloom the first year

Things are happening so fast in the garden at this time of year, it's hard to keep track of it all.  

These are all perennials that have done very well over the last 10 years.  Some planted with care and forethought, others just because that's where there was an open spot. 

These hosta's originally came from Megan, a friend who has long since moved to Wichita.  I remember the day I went to her house and we dug them up from the spot where the gardener that lived there before Megan had planted them.  I have since divided and given to friends as well.   

That's the beauty of gardening.  Passing things around.  Seeing what works.  Moving things that don't work.  Accepting that there will be failures.  Rejoicing in successes.  Teaching your younger friends what you have learned. 

Every year I try something new.  This year it is the bare root poppies I planted in the fall.  They foliage is coming up nicely but I see nary a sign of a bloom.  Is it too early or should I not expect them to bloom the first year?  I am hoping one of you will be able to pass your wisdom along to me. 

local flower bouquet season is officially upon us

Stock +  Allium + Weigelia + more stock = one sweet smelling bouquet.

I carefully placed on the kitchen counter, all the stock flowers that fell off in transport.   Each time I walked by, all day long, I could smell them.  Pure heaven. 

And so it begins.  Local flower bouquet season is officially upon us. 

 

they play well together in this small blue bottle

Dianthus and columbine started blooming this weekend here in Lawrence.  

Happily they play well together in this small blue bottle.   Oh Sunday why can't you last just a few hours longer? 

they have each been placed in their respective corners

This year I decided to give the bougainvillea's as long of a growing season as possible.  In other words, I have broken all my "wait until after the 1st of May to start the plants in pots outside" rules.   Because these tropical, heat loving, beautifully vibrant plants have done so well on my back deck in the past, I decided I should have two instead of one this year.  Allow me to introduce "Orange King".

He's a flashy show off but when you have to compete with the magenta red of a "Barbara Karst" bougainvillea, pulling out all the stops is the only way to get any attention.

I want you to see how little they are now so you will be able to fully appreciate how big they get over the course of a few months.  I hope I didn't just jinx myself with all that bragging.

They have each been placed in their respective corners and the tomatoes will go in the middle.  Expect regular progress reports.  If you are looking for a drought tolerant plant that requires minimal care and provides maximum color throughout the summer (and way into the fall), give this a try. 

If you have an old plastic bird, on a wire, whose wings have long ago been broken off, that used to belong to your mother, put it out there too.  For good karma.  I love old, well loved yard art.  Almost as much as I love old, table linens.  And that's a lot. 

they can be examined more closely and for longer periods of time

You know how some people wear "inside" shoes inside and outside shoes outside and never mix the two?  Not me.  I want to be able to be neat and tidy, and not track mud and gravel in the house, but I can't be bothered to go to the trouble.  For the record, I do my best to wipe my feet before I come in the house.  Most days. 

I have the same philosophy for flowers as I do shoes.  Inside and outside double duty.  So if you are one of those people who never cut your iris and bring them inside, get after it.  They are so pretty in a vase on the table. 

They can be examined more closely and for longer periods of time when they are sitting on the table and you walk by them 15 times a day. 

Same goes for grape hyacinths.  I can smell them a whole lot better when the are right in front of the kitchen sink than I can when they are in the front garden. 

Happy amazing Spring Saturday from Kansas where we are edging the flower beds, turning the mulch, and trying to pick a date to go see the Dutch Masters at the Nelson Atkins museum.  All at the same time. 

 

any way I can

Since we didn't make it to the tulip fields in Holland this year, we made do with the Ted Ensley gardens at Lake Shawnee in Topeka.  Only a 30 minute drive away and admission is $5 using the honor system.  Pretty good deal.  

Did I mention the lilacs were blooming and smelled heavenly?  AND they had benches for resting?

The Amsterdam Tulip Museum remains on my list of places to see, in the meantime, I get my tulip fix any way I can. 

be sure you have a good line to tell them

 Dogwoods are pretty in front of brick houses, windows with lace curtains, and lakes.

They photograph well in shade or sun and close up or from a distance.

I like them pink, or white, or pink and white. 

The only piece of advice I will give you about pictures and dogwoods is this:  if you decide to stop in front of a complete strangers house, wander onto their front lawn, and point and shoot in a way that could be misconstrued as snooping, AND the homeowner pulls into their driveway while you are doing this,  be sure you have a good line to tell them and make sure you are very effusive in telling them how beautiful their tree is and how much you loved taking pictures of it and how you really hope they don't mind. 

who among us doesn't want to feel like that?

The fanciest of the fancy, and the most refined of the most elegant flowers in all the world, can not surpass the pleasure derived from going out into my own yard and snipping whatever I find out there, and placing the cuttings in small bottles.  Here is my latest collection. 

Making flower arrangements and then stepping back to admire the work, or make a few adjustments, makes me feel like the greatest artist who ever lived.  And who among us doesn't want to feel like that?

it's probably something like "cha-cha-cha"

Luckily no one tried to fight me over the last bunch of tulips at the store Saturday.  I would have hated to push or shove anyone over them.  But I would have.  A bidding war would also have been a way to go.  If needed.   

I have no idea what their "name" is but it's probably something like "cha-cha-cha"  And if it's not it should be.   Worth every penny.  And then some. 

one emerging cone of blue

It is possible that these grape hyacinths are the most anticipated flower ever.  In all the history of bulb planting.  I feel certain that none have been examined as closely as these have anyway.  Each day, since the first bits of green appeared, I have been inspecting the progress. 

I was a little worried when it snowed.  But only a little.  They may be small but they are mighty and made to withstand a little late snow.

Maybe by Sunday or Monday or Tuesday next they will be at their peak.  And it will be sunny.  Fingers crossed. 

Meanwhile, I am delighted each time I discover one emerging cone of blue.   Delighted and amazed.  And happy.  

even when the world seems like a crazy place

I am about to be done rhapsodizing about all the flowering trees and shrubs, which are putting on an amazing show this Spring, but not before I go on just a bit longer.  There are after all, a few I haven't shown you yet, as well as some that deserve another look - mainly the redbuds, for that pop of purple against the green. 

Flowering quince, pink cherries,  bradford pears, crab apples, and yes, the redbuds.  They all make me sit up and take notice.  Even when the world seems like a crazy place.  

a very wise choice

Joan was sporting her newly knitted poncho on our excursion this week.  This makes the 7th person I know who is currently knitting, or just finished this project.   It looks good on everyone.  Which is the best reason to make it. 

She wore it for our "first of the year" visit to the Kauffman Gardens,  where we spotted a blooming horizontal espalier, one of my adopted cats, a beautiful orchid, some johnny-jump-ups, and a new garden sculpture project to figure out how to make. 

All this beauty worked up a powerful hunger in us so we went and got lunch.  Followed by dessert.  We could not decide between the cranberry oatmeal cookie and the nut bar so we did the smart thing and got both.  A very wise choice. 

If you find yourself around 18th and Baltimore you will need to check out Mildred's Coffeehouse... and everything else in the neighborhood.    On my way home I bought pansies and put them in pots on the front porch.  I couldn't stop myself after seeing these.   

City excursions are the best.   Especially with a good friend. I hope you have one planned soon. 

the floral version of raspberry lemonade

 Prunus Cistena +Forsythia Viridissima = the perfect floral arrangement for Sunday. 

I like to think of it as the floral version of raspberry lemonade.  Especially when arranged in a pink mason jar.  Having it on the table helped me finish my tax preparation work today.

Spring flowering trees and shrubs are the best for floral arrangements while I wait in eager anticipation for the Lawrence Farmers Market to start.  Which I think is in 2 more weeks! 

gratuitous use of props to make a picture work for a purpose to which it really is not suited

 In honor of St. Patrick's day I am starting out these photos of Daffodils with one that features their lovely green stems.  I appreciate their precision uniformity in addition to the hardiness that enables them to support the pretty yellow parts. 

I also put an old basket with a shamrock fabric liner and handle cover in the frame.

This is what is known as gratuitous use of props to make a picture work for a purpose to which it really is not suited.

I think St. Patrick would approve though. 

 

 

days of porch sitting after work and on weekend mornings

The crocus are blooming, the red sunset maple is budding out, and the succulents are turning green here in Kansas.  All sure signs that Spring is just around the corner.  Oh I am ready for some color outside.  My sister has been going for walks at the Huntington gardens and Descanso gardens and it has been making me insanely jealous since we are still mostly in the gray zone around here.  But not for long! 

The tulips, grape hyacinths, and alium are also popping up out of the dirt and the Persian lilac bush has green buds on it.    I have major trimming to do on the rose bush and the decorative grasses need to be cut down.   I suppose there must be some work to balance out the beauty ahead.  The days of porch sitting after work and on weekend mornings can not be far away.  Oh joy. 

I am putty in his hands

My ornamental cabbage is being consumed by a nibbling creature as fast as it is turning color, which leads me to believe that this might be as good as it gets this year. 

The zinnias are also on their last legs, the red husker penstemon has gone from purple to gold, and the euonymus alatus is turning red. 

I would like to report that Harvey is still orange.  And still coming over to help me with the gardening chores.  Which brings me an unimaginable amount of happiness.  I am putty in his hands, and not ashamed to admit it.  

some kind of wonderful

This week, in between cutting lots of flowers to bring inside before the temperatures drop, I planted bulbs.  This past spring I saw the most amazing display of muscari bulbs and vowed to have some of my own next spring.  

When I was ordering them I might have spotted some ornamental poppies with my name on them.  A few tulips ended up in my basket as well.  You can never have too many tulips.

I cleared a spot in my blue/purple bed for the muscari.   In about 6 months I will know if I did everything right.  Same with the poppies.  I haven't planted bare root perennials before. 

I also moved some coneflowers that were standing in for the cherry tree that died this year, and did some general flower bed clean up.  As my hands were aching and my knees were creaking I kept telling myself how glad I was going to be to have done this already come spring. 

My favorite part of the day was watering in the stuff after all the planting was done.  Oh, and then taking advil and sitting on the porch and drinking a glass of wine and wondering why gardening is such hard work at times. 

I love the melting of one season into another.  End of the season flowers, plus pumpkins, on a sunny afternoon is some kind of wonderful... to borrow a phrase from Carole King.

he must have a companion

Happy Friday!  I am not sure what you have planned for the weekend but here are a few of the things I am thinking about.  Farmers market visit.  Making some hash brown waffles.  Planting bulbs if they come in the mail.  Making the final arrangements for our Palm Springs art retreat house and cleaning up some photos on my hard drive.  Which led me to these dahlia photos that I feel you need to see.   

I am also going to draw the design and get my wool strips picked out for the Mary Stanley hooked pumpkin I am going to make this year. I set this guy out on the mantel the other night and decided he must have a companion.

If you are doing something that I may need to add to my list... do tell. 

cut yourself a thick slice of orange and make a Cosmo to sip while you congratulate yourself

As we near the end of summer and it's hot, hot, hot, and you are tired of watering your plants, and you don't want to say it out loud but you might be ready for snow.... this is the time to call yourself a genius for putting a bougainvillea in a giant pot on your back deck.  

This plant thrives in the hot sun with a minimum of water and is currently in the midst of another growth spurt.  It has, in fact, surrounded the head of the big bird of the patio. 

Call yourself a double genius if you remember to cut yourself a thick slice of orange and make a Cosmo to sip while you congratulate yourself for knowing that this was a great plant to get.

Three day weekends were made for sipping and staring.  Hope yours has started out as nicely as mine. 

the perfect side dish for anything you are serving for supper this summer

Is this, or is this not, the loveliest little "pink girl" tomato you have ever seen in your entire life?  Such a perfect specimen.  

Because I know you will want to examine if from all angles,  there it is on the right as compared to one of the "celebrity" tomatoes on the left.   Hard to tell them apart from the inside. 

I accidentally picked a green one when I was gathering up the ripe ones for the salsa.  You know what that means.  More fried green tomatoes.  Oh darn.  

This right here made up about 5 cups of fresh salsa.  Just the right amount for one week.  Gulp.  I swear I could drink the stuff.   It is the perfect side dish for anything you are serving for supper this summer.  Here is a link to the recipe I posted last year when we made it.  Positively addicting.  You have been warned. 

if you are in need of a cat fix while in the area

Somehow, in between the time I took a few hundred photos at The Connie Hansen Garden in Lincoln City Oregon and today, the pictures have gone missing. Has this ever happened to you?

Luckily I have a few shots on my iPhone because I really want you to go if you are in the vicinity.

It was started by a botanist from San Francisco in the 1970's and is now maintained by a conservancy.

Even though I somehow ended up with no pictures on my Nikon, I have many images in my mind AND I did come away with some special seeds to plant in my own garden in the spring.

This is a small treasure that I did not expect to find on the Oregon coast. If you are in the vicinity it is definitely worth a visit.  You can spend a quick 10 minutes to see what's new or a leisurely hour exploring every inch of the place.

This cat lives across the street. If you are in need of a cat fix while in the area.

if any of you are teeth mark experts

This is the "mid point of the Kansas gardening season" update.  That time when it's hotter than heck and my lack of weeding and watering discipline begins to show.  These petunias got leggy so I whacked them off and they bloomed again.  I wish all gardening conundrums were so easily solved. 

The hardy hibiscus continues to have one of it's best years ever.  Alas, it will soon be over.  

One of the front porch succulents bloomed.

The zinnias and salvia, planted as stand ins for the empty spot where the cherry tree was, are in full-on bloom.

The oak leaf hydrangea blooms are turning.  So delicate and pretty.  

The first of the morning glory's are also emerging. 

I close this report with the disturbing news that something came up on my back deck last night and decided to try a nibble of the succulents that are in the light therapy unit (which is working well for them by the way).  Rabbit?  Squirrel? 

What other kind of critter would be on the back deck eating my succulents in the wee hours of the morning?  If any of you are teeth mark experts, click on that picture and examine it closely.  Then get back to me with your guess. 

emphasis on the goodness

Basil harvesting was done this weekend.   I like to harvest basil early in the morning.  With a cup of coffee.  While everyone in the neighborhood is still sleeping.   

Everyone but Harvey that is.  Harvey likes to do all garden work with me including weed pulling and basil harvesting.   Sometimes Harvey forgets he's a cat and poses like a dog.  

Before you know it we had a nice big colander full. 

I washed it (2 packed cups), cut off the stems, toasted some pine nuts (1/4 cup) and some garlic (4 cloves), grated some romano cheese (1/3 cup), and threw it all in the food processor along with 1/2 tsp salt and 7 tablespoons of good olive oil. 

When all was said and done here is what I had. 

So far I have mixed some with mayonnaise and put a small amount on top of batch #2 of fried green tomatoes.  It took the tomatoes completely over the top in terms of utter succulent divine-ness.  Next I ate some on a couple of wheat thins along with some triple cream brie cheese and grapes.  Ridiculously rapturous.  Finally I sliced and heated up baguette last night to go with spaghetti and used the pesto instead of butter on the bread.  Splendiforous. 

If you need another reason to make some, my next project is to put it on toast and top it with a sliced hard boiled egg.  We are talking simple goodness here.  Emphasis on the goodness. 

that was wrong of me

I have never (not even once), come close (or even semi-close) to being able to grow cilantro in my garden.  I have tried all growing conditions ( full sun, partial sun, moist, dry) including careful tending and regularly delivered endearments to please grow.  All to no avail.  Until now. 

At the beginning of May, while shopping for cards, in downtown Lawrence, at Ruff House Art, I found this.  A garden jar with organic cilantro, grown in a self-watering planter INSIDE the house. 

Instructions were read, the jar was set up next to my geranium sprout, and fingers were crossed.  Within a few days things looked good. 

Definite signs of life.  But I remained skeptical.  And that was wrong of me.  

I have now harvested twice and it's still growing.  Could it be that I will have a cilantro plant that will last the whole summer?  Maybe beyond?  Time will tell.   Has anyone else used these before? 

a one serving portion all ready to go

I was thinking today that it's high time for a tomato report.  This year, we are once again delighted by the amazing spectacle that is happening on the back deck.  It's hard to believe that we planted these 56 days ago.  It seems like it's been just a few weeks. 

When instructing Chris to "look animated" as I used him as the frame of reference to demonstrate how tall the plants are, he said "if you think it's so easy you do it and give me the camera".

So I did.  Successfully demonstrating (I believe) that it's not that hard if you put your mind to it.  But lets get back to the tomatoes.

I would say there are at least 30 of them on these two plants.  Medium sized and small mostly.  I like a good medium sized tomato.  A one serving portion all ready to go.  

Every night after work I drop my stuff in the house and go out to see what has changed since the day before.   Tonight for the first time I noticed the smallest beginnings of a tomato.  Just about the size of a pea. Usually I don't spot them until they are a bit bigger than this.  

Last year we picked our first tomato on July 19th.  I think it may be a few days after that this year.  Who can say for sure?  The only thing I know with any degree of certainty is that the first tomato will be made into a nice juicy BLT.   I. Can't. Wait.

when the leaves fall off and the snow flies

The latest addition to my garden is this unusual looking specimen known as Corylus avellana Contorta or Harry Lauder's Walking stick.  It probably goes without saying that I did not buy it for it's spectacularly beautiful foliage.  Yep, it's supposed to look like this in the summer. 

It was chosen to add "winter interest" to the east side of the house.  There used to be three flowering plums over there that moved on to shrub heaven last year.  It has been looking pretty bare since then.

Come winter, when the leaves fall off, and the snow flies, I am pretty sure all these crazy, wacky, twisted, branches are going to look pretty cool.

The next garden addition will be some kind of small decorative tree to replace the weeping cherry in front.  Right now I am trying to decide between another weeping cherry with pink flowers this time OR a weeping redbud.  Decisions, decisions.  What's your favorite specimen for a decorative tree that is hardy for zones 5-6?  I want to learn from your collective gardening experience.  Take your time thinking.  Replacement will not happen until the fall. 

some go up and some go down

There's a bumper crop of coneflowers growing up on top of the rock wall in the backyard.

Some have thick petals and some have thin.  Some go up and some go down.  Some petals are swirly and some are totally gnarly.

I like them all.  No matter the shape or the size.  If you live where the summer is hot and dry, and you want something that will bloom during the dog days of summer, plant a few of these. 

with the astilbe it's really a two for one

While the hollyhocks are looking good and the poppies are emerging, at this time of the year it's the quieter parts of the garden that deserve our respect. 

Those plants that come back year after year and fill in the background and the foreground and the middle ground so all the other stuff can shine. 

Hostas, ferns, astilbe, and grasses.

With the astilbe it's really a two for one.  Great foliage before and after the emergence of the lovely flower.  

On a sadder note, I report the loss of the weeping cherry out front.  The tree guy said the weeping cherries in our area took the dry winter very hard and are not doing well.    It's being removed this week and will be replaced in the fall when it's a bit cooler.   I had 10 great years of beautiful blooms from that tree.  It's hard to ask more than that of a plant.  

spread over the years by the wind and the birds

Red Husker Penstemon was photographed in May and June under blue skies, gray skies, in the rain, close up, farther away, before they were fully opened, early in the day, and after I got home from work.  Photographed endlessly, in all their simple splendid glorious glory. 

Everything you see here started from one plant given to me by a friend when I moved in.  It has been spread over the years by the wind and the birds.  If you don't want it somewhere it's easy to pull up.  A lazy gardeners friend for sure. 

I have dug it up and sent it along to other friends gardens too.  Dottie, I will be sending a pot home with you when you come out next.  No Nebraska fan should be without it.