I ventured out of my house yesterday. Hardly ever do that anymore. But it felt good. A little scary! The sun peaked through the trees and shone in my eyes, a cold breeze came through the car. I felt good.
My main reason was to go for birdseed and something for the squirrel. We have a virtual zoo in the backyard. I think we are the only people in our neighborhood feeding them. Bri has a whole set-up in the front yard and we have one in the back. I spent $100's at ACE hardware... always feels good to support our local businesses.
This little guy was caught on the bird cam ... I thought I heard him say ... hey, hello in there ... do you guys know we need food out here?
The Camilla next door has it's bud set to bloom soon! And very very soon the Sweet Box, Sarcococca will bloom and the entire yard will smell so sweet. We have them planted all over the front yard now too. If you do not have a couple of these in your yard, you should!
The flowers may go unnoticed as they are rather small and hidden
amongst dark glossy leaves, but their scent will grab you. On sunny
winter days (yes we do have some of those in Portland) the sweet
fragrance they are named for fills the air.
Sweet smelling flowers are enough to make us love a
plant forever, but Sarcococca keeps on giving. It’s dark, glossy,
evergreen leaves, bird-attracting berries, comfort in shady gardens
(even in dry shade!) and pest-free nature clinch the deal. We’re all in.
White flowers in January, red berries in fall turn
black. Grows 3-5’ x 3-5’ if left alone but it can easily be pruned into a
lower hedge (see below). Shade-part shade, Z7 (0-10f).
The sunlight streaming in the windows has a golden hue because of the smoke from the fires in Canada. I feel so badly for those folks getting pushed out by the fire and the uncertainty if their homes will survive. Not to forget the tragedy in Lahaina, all the lost property and lives gone.
I always feel so righteous when I eat out of the freezer! I brought some steak upstairs, frozen dinners and left-over BBQ from David's memorial. Called Matt and told him to "go shopping" out of the freezer. I also made Earl Grey ice tea and used some of my newly grown mint! Yum!
My friends book came in today that we put together on Blurb. I told her to only print one until we could look it over. She is making a few of them for her best friends. Can't wait to take a look.
I get drawn in to the most interesting YouTube videos! Today I discovered and shared this with a friend of mine. I found these women delightful.
Forests of Judean date palm trees once covered ancient Israel, from Lake Galilee to the Dead Sea.
The fruit of the tree symbolised life and prosperity and was praised in ancient literature for its unique medicinal properties. But the dates of Judea were made extinct by the Middle Ages.
Now a team of scientists has succeeded in resurrecting the ancient tree.
The paintings by Nicholas Kennedy have almost a textile quality.
I have been seeing these enormous weeds show up under the hydrangeas. Thinking, well, I am watering a lot so they are really growing. They have LONG fibrous roots that connect them all. And they are so hard to pull out of the dirt. So I got what I could. I took a photo to identify it since I have so many!
And Clerodendrum trichotomum came up. I kept thinking, I don't think I planted anything like this and it is obviously a lovely big bush (eventually). After finding out that it has lovely flowers I thought, I wish I had transplanted some of them and NOT pulled them all up. But then again ... the mystery of where they came from.
Yesterday, looking out from the deck, I noticed right above this area is a big bush in covered in lovely flowers. I have noticed it before and did not really mind that it was coming over the fence. But to my shock, I realized it was the adult version of these little saplings!
I said to myself, well, DUH! So at least I know the source. I could have transplanted one to the corner where I want a tree! Think and investigate before you start pulling.
Is A hortensia the same as a hydrangea? I have been seeing these pop up on Instagram and I finally found out what they are, where they are and who is growing them in Holland, Pico Bello. MY heart stopped!
Have you ever heard a hydrangea bush called a "hortensia"? Long used as a common name for the plant, the name 'hortensia' also indicates a specific selection of bigleaf hydrangea, which goes by the scientific name Hydrangea macrophylla 'Hortensia.
I have seem Horsetails used in real landscaping (on purpose), not just there to send a gardener into a screaming rage trying to control them. And if I had thought of that years ago, I may have done it.
Have you ever seen the root system of them? I realized the other day that they are long and horizontal, connecting them to other Horsetails happily growing in my yard. I mean yes, they are an interesting plant, if they are been invited. Just like the Morning Glory, the bane of my existence.
The birds have virtually disappeared. I wonder if they are busy somewhere else or if the cats have scared them away. I noticed something is still nibbling the suet.
Watching people strolling and looking fabulous in New York, London and Milan.
I have been spending much of last week working in the yard. I am NOT as strong as I used to be so it takes me much longer. Matt promises to come help me put some bigger things away and dig out a few plants that are not wanted. I have been digging out weeds, mainly horse tails. Cleaning up and watering. Some of the peonies are coming back. All and all, the yard is looking good. You can see here why I hate that big tree is gone and I have lost my privacy. Still trying to figure out what to plant in that corner to regain some privacy back! Next of my to-do list is trimming the bushes.
The honeysuckle that had fallen down a year ago, that Matt finally pulled it back up, is dead, I need a new one. The azaleas, the clematis, the mock orange, the two snowballs are all busy blooming. And most importantly, David's new grass is looking good. I have just been trying to remember to water it!
My new plants in the front are looking pretty good too. But in all of this gardening, I have managed to hurt my back :( So I am taking it easy this morning before I head over to pick up the girls from school.
The snowball is so beautiful at dusk.
The girls spent Saturday night then the kids came over to make me Eggs Benedict for Mother's Day. Mason was making her mom a slideshow and I found about 50 new photos on my phone ;)
Searching through my 3,000 drafts of potential blog post. Found one! Going off the get my booster. I had scheduled ours weeks ago. Speaking of gardens, I need to water today. Usually not my job so I am forgetting.
David and I went back to Flower World. I was hesitant to go but told him if we did, we promised not to purchase too many plants.
We bought another Sweet Box and two Weigela for the back where the bushes were destroyed by the tree removers. And now the situation back there is all sun, so I think Weigela might work. Hummingbirds like them. PS I love pink flowers.
I also bought one more hydrangea in a weak moment. A Hydrangea macrophylla 'Glowing Embers' which will replace the Nikko Blue that isn't doing very good back there. But I am going to try this method and propagate some of the old Nikko I have had for years. So now I think we need to hire someone to make sure we get all of these in the ground the next couple of days. Nikko blue is my favorite because of the beautiful fall transitions colors it gives us.
I hate to even say this but sometimes I think will we not even be here by the time these plants start growing. We have to plant a tree and keep telling David, we won't even be around to see this tree reach the height we want. I can remember even when I was much younger, I would look at all the peonies blooming in my yard and say, Please let me be here one more year to see these again. Depressing thoughts I know, but it feels like I am just trying to keep it real.
We saw a Crepe Myrtle tree, thought that might be a possibility for the back corner. Saw a few others, but we need a fast growing tree, not too messy. Still investigating.
And how did I not know that there was such a wonderful thing as PINK SNOWBALL Viburnum???
I have a white one, getting a pink one soon
I got my new Meadowrue in the ground today. This is NOT mine, I have three pretty small versions. Have you ever put something in the ground and then think, I hope I am around to see it next year? Sometimes these thoughts pop into my head.
We are getting closer to cutting down the Liquid Amber in the backyard. David and I seem to almost some to blows over this decision. I am sad about it because the animals love the tree and it gives a great visual barrier to the neighbors behind us in a house that looks over all of the backyards. I just want to make sure we are confident cutting it down is the right decision, I mean the tree has been here for probably more than 60 years. It would open up so many possibilities for gardening. My beloved peonies would return once they received some sun! So many more opportunities in the yard! But what to plant to get some privacy while David and I are still alive? This is the part David does not quite grasp. We don't have 20+ years to get some Maple to grow to give any cover. The Snowballs grow pretty fast, that might be a cheap solution. He doesn't think in how many years we have left unless it comes to getting a new dog or cat ... then he is all, we can't really get one at this age. Seeking inspiration.
NOWNESS series on Great Gardens. These are very short glimpses into their gardens.
A lake out in the back, with a big mud pit and Murphy is here. Should be a nice, muddy day ;)
We have put off the guys who are hauling dirt this rainy day. Noah is making me do her "fetch it" for me stuff this morning. "Get my bunny", "more chocolate milk", "I want cereal", "I want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich", "can I take my dress off?", "put my dress back on", "can I have some chocolate chips?".
That was the first 30 minutes.
David is in the rain trying to finish installing 3 mailboxes with locks we have with the neighbors. He started last night but it became too dark to finish. Now he is standing in the rain before the mail comes.
Murphy went out but managed to stay out of the mud, "good boy, Murphy".
Matt gave me a big, heart felt hug yesterday before leaving. I didn't cry but I wanted to.
The Americans, Lawrence Johnston and his mother, settled in Britain about 1900, and Lawrence immediately became a British citizen and fought in the British army during the Boer war. In 1907 Johnston's mother, Mrs Gertrude Winthrop (she had re-married), purchased the Hidcote Manor Estate. It was situated in a part of Britain with strong connections to the then-burgeoning Arts and Crafts movement and an Anglicized American artistic expatriate community centered nearby at Broadway, Worcestershire.Johnston soon became interested in turning the fields around the house into a garden. By 1910 he had begun to lay out the key features of the garden, and by the 1920s he had twelve full-time gardeners working for him.
Gardeners’ World 2022: Gardening show packed with good ideas, tips, advice from experts and timely reminders to get the most out of your garden, whatever its size or type. Because it is that time of the year.
Because fragrance is such a subjective category, everyone has a list of their favorite fragrant roses. The All American Rose Selections top ten roses for fragrance are the following:
Double Delight: fruit, spice; hybrid tea with creamy blooms edged in deep pink
Elle: citrus, spice; hybrid tea with light pink blooms that have a pink-orange reverse
Fourth of July: apple, rose; climbing rose with single petal blooms striped red and white
Honey Perfume: fruit, spice; floribunda with warm apricot blooms
Memorial Day: damask; hybrid tea with pale pink blooms
Midas Touch: musk; hybrid tea with deep yellow blooms
Mister Lincoln: rose, spice; hybrid tea with deep red blooms
Scentimental: damask, spice; floribunda with striped burgundy and white blooms
Sheer Bliss: spice; hybrid tea with white blooms that have a pink center
Sun Sprinkles: spice; miniature with deep yellow blooms
The previously mentioned James A. Gamble Medal for fragrance has been awarded to 16 varieties since its late 1950's inception.
1961: Crimson Glory: damask; hybrid tea with red blooms
1962: Tiffany: fruit; hybrid tea with salmon pink blooms
1965: Chrysler Imperial: old rose, fruit; hybrid tea with deep red blooms
1966: Sutter's Gold: fruit, spice; hybrid tea with gold yellow blooms that have edges of red
1968: Granada: old rose, spice; hybrid tea with yellow red blend blooms
1970: Fragrant Cloud: citrus, damask, spice; hybrid tea with orange red blooms
1974: Papa Meilland: old rose; hybrid tea with red blooms
1979: Sunsprite: fruit; floribunda with deep yellow blooms
1986: Double Delight: see above
1997: Fragrant Hour: old rose, fruit; hybrid tea with orange pink blooms
2001: Angel Face: citrus; floribunda with mauve, purple blend blooms
2002: Secret: spice; hybrid tea with yellow pink blend blooms
2003: Mister Lincoln: see above
2005: Sheila's Perfume: fruit, spice; floribunda with yellow blooms that have deep pink edges
2007: Fragrant Plum: fruit; grandiflora with mauve blooms
- Cancer-Fighting Many microgreens, especially broccoli, contain high levels of sulforaphane which research shows inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
Prevents chronic disease.
- Microgreens have many health-promoting micronutrients to help stave off major diseases.
- High in Minerals. Microgreens have larger quantities of minerals than their vegetable counterpart.
- High in Antioxidants.
- May lower cholesterol
- 40 times more nutrients than their mature plant counterpart.
- Helps with weight management
- Microgreens are considered a prebiotic which feeds good bacteria in the gut
- Possibly lowers blood pressure
- High in Vitamins A, Beta Carotene, C, E, K and Lutein.
There is a kit at feasting from home link but I also found a few more:
Looks like Walmart has one too, Microgreen Grow Kit - 5 Harvests (Fun Pack) - 5 Varieties of Microgreens: Basic Salad Mix, Broccoli, Sunflower, Radish and Speckled Pea
I look for the beauty in nature, patterns, the ordinary. This is my place where I save wonderful discoveries since 2004. Please contact me at kimberlycarney AT hotmail DOTCOM.
The Camilla next door has it's bud set to bloom soon! And very very soon the Sweet Box, Sarcococca will bloom and the entire yard will smell so sweet. We have them planted all over the front yard now too. If you do not have a couple of these in your yard, you should!
