Gardening In My Rubber Boots

Visit Me on WordPress

2009-09-27T09:53:00.000-07:00

I'm new to blogging and before creating this journal I didn't research other blogging sites (bad, I know). After reading some pretty amazing blogs I found one I really liked and decided to make the switch.

Please forgive me and if you still wish to follow my blog, you can find me at http://myrubberboots.com.

Have a great day!

Drying Tomatoes in the Oven - The Impatient Way

2009-09-21T16:31:00.001-07:00

Just recently I heard about drying tomatoes in the oven and when looking for a recipe to borrow, I found that everyone does it different. Most people skin the tomatoes first and cook at a really low temperature (200°) for many, many hours. This is for patient people - not for me.

I got a recipe from my friend & co-worker Barb and found it was perfect for me with a couple slight modifications. To start, I LEFT THE SKINS ON. After making BBQ sauce a couple weeks ago, I will never remove tomato skins again.

As you can see by the picture, I cut the larger tomatoes into chunks, cut smaller ones in half and left the cherry tomatoes whole.

I drizzled olive oil over the tomatoes and made sure the surface of the pan was covered as well. Then sprinkled with a little course ground sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Since I left the skins on, I made sure the skin side was down when possible. Then placed the pan in the cold oven.

Next, I turned the oven to 450° and waited until the oven was preheated. This caused a real stink in my house - literally. It got pretty smokey, so if you're like me and don't clean your oven, you've been warned.

Once your oven is preheated, turn it down to 325° for about an hour and a half. Since I like mine a little softer, I turned it down to 200° for another hour and a half (three hours total). If you like them crispy, keep it at 325° for a full two-three hours. During the last hour, I checked the tomatoes often and pulled the smaller pieces off as they were crispy and dark.

You can tell when they're done based on if they're crispy, dark and taste wonderful. When mine were done, I put them on a cooling rack for about an hour and then put whatever I didn't eat in the freezer.

I love how the dried tomatoes tasted sweet, zippy and then spicy. I wasn't expecting that. Even though I put mine in the freezer, some folks put theirs in olive oil and store in the fridge (they do spoil faster this way).

Thanks Barb for the great recipe!

-- Posted from the road

Northern California Garden Tour

2009-09-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Travis and I took a little road trip to Northern California to meet some great folks I met on Twitter. This may sound strange to some of you, but it seemed perfectly normal to me. After all, I met Travis online just over three years ago.

Our total trip was from Wednesday night to Monday night; driving time was a little over 11 hours each way. We arrived at Carri's home in Sacramento Thursday night -- just in time for the first tweet-up with Katie and Kristi. It was great chatting face to face. Carri and her family were fantastic hosts and took us to many sites around Northern California during our three day visit.

It all started Friday with two garden tours and a Filoli tweet-up.

We started the day in Laura's garden and ended it there under the red umbrella - drinking limoncello.

Click here to see Laura's garden.

Rebecca's garden was our second garden tour that morning.

Click here to see Rebecca's garden.

Laura, Rebecca, Carri, Travis and I then met Chuck at Filoli (Fight, Love, Live) gardens.

Click here to see Filoli garden.

Saturday morning we hung around Carri's home and garden. We even got to see the plans for her new front yard!

For lunch we headed to Napa Valley to check out the wineries and do a little vino tasting.

Click here to see the Napa pictures.

Sunday morning Travis and I headed home. We took the long way through San Francisco so we could check out some of the sites.

Click here to see our San Francisco and Muir Redwood pictures.

We stayed Sunday night in Ashland, Oregon and pulled into our driveway Monday afternoon around 5:30 p.m.

It was a great trip - next time we fly.

What's Blooming September 15

2009-09-15T19:01:00.000-07:00

Here’s everything that’s blooming in my garden this September 15, 2009 - aside from the dahlias that are still blooming!

And YES the crazy daphne is still in bloom.

Leslie Knows Yard Art

2009-09-01T18:03:00.000-07:00

Travis' mom, Leslie, does a fantastic job collecting and displaying art on her fence and throughout her yard. Even though each piece is different, they still go together perfectly in the backyard paradise she's worked hard to create. I hope you're as inspired as I am.

When talking to Leslie about this post, she wanted me to mentioned the fence art she recently saw at a friends house. She has a friend with multiple plate racks hanging on her fence that she's filled with plates collected from thrift stores and garage sales (these are of roosters & chickens). According to Leslie, this looked pretty amazing.

Just remember, art is in the eye of the beholder.

So, get to it! Start collecting pieces you love and I bet you'll be surprised how fantastic they look in your garden and even on your fence. And if the art you pick looks bad together - at least you love it.

Below is a sample of Leslie's collection; her favorites are the masks. My favorites are the first and last pictures and the rock. And, yes, I think her pool is very artistic.

Outdoor Movie Night

2009-08-30T16:02:00.001-07:00

Last night we held our first outdoor movie night in our back yard. We asked everyone show up around 7 p.m. to pick a spot and visit. Then started the first movie, WALL-E, around 8:30.

After the kiddies went home, we watched Haunting in Connecticut for our second movie. We figured a scary movie was fitting for backyard movie entertainment.

Then for the third movie, Adventureland, we went inside since our friends Aaron and Kala were the only ones left and it was starting to get chilly. That and we didn't want to keep our neighbors up too late (we did let them know & invited them).

I tried to get a picture of everyone during the first movie but, unfortunately, it turned out a little blurry. I've never been known to be a great photographer.

Anyway, to add to the overall outdoor movie experience we ended up renting a popcorn machine. We LOVED the popcorn machine. It not only added to the experience but freed up time we would've spent manually making popcorn for our guests all night. We may even look into buying one for future parties - it'll be well worth the investment.

To fancy it up a bit, we also provided some fun popcorn toppings:

Truffle Salt
Parmesan Cheese
Melted Cougar Gold Cheese
Tabasco
Johnny's Seasoning Salt
Fresh Ground Sea Salt
Peanut M&Ms
Gummy Bears

But, since the popcorn machine is magic, it really didn't need any toppings at all. Every batch of popcorn tasted perfect.

This is a bit of a surprise since we didn't purchase the pre-measure kits that came with the machine and ended up guessing: 1 cup of popping corn, 1/4 cup of grape seed oil (then olive oil later when we ran out) and 1 tablespoon salt. I'm sure these aren't the official measurements but they worked great last night!

Plus, we just used the random oil we had in the house and I'm pretty sure this is NOT what you're supposed to do. I read online that coconut oil is best.

All in all it was a great time. I highly recommend throwing an outdoor movie night - even if you can't get your hands on a popcorn machine. It's even a treat for the chickens since they're waddling around the yard right now eating up fallen popcorn.

Dahlia Eye Candy

2009-08-26T20:09:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we drove to Everett to check out the 2009 American Dahlia Society National Show; this year's show was hosted by the Snohomish County Dahlia Society.

As you may already know, I love Dahlias.

That being said, I was a little surprised how fast we walked through the hundreds of flowers on display. I guess that's what happens when you bring along a crafty 10 year old boy. I still don't know how he did it...

At least I got pictures of the blooms that caught my eye as we rushed past. Click here to see the slideshow.

If you'd like to know more about the event you can visit their Web site http://www.scdahlias.org.

What's Blooming this August 15

2009-08-15T18:37:00.000-07:00

Here’s everything that’s blooming in my garden this August 15, 2009.

Reed Fencing Covers Ugly Chain Link

2009-08-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to find something affordable to cover the ugly chain link fence along the south side of my yard for over four years now.

So, I was pleasantly surprised to find 6' x 15' rolls of reed fencing for $22 each at Lowes. I didn't know such a thing existed!

I picked up five rolls and started covering the fence the VERY SAME DAY.

The front yard after picture is on the right. I don't have any before pictures because I hated the fence so much I never took pictures of the flower beds.

The back yard 'in progress' picture is on the lower left - you can see the weeds growing from the neighbor's side of the fence. The after picture is on the right. As you can see, I still need to do some trimming but it already looks 100 percent better.

Anyone can do this little project in a couple hours. All you need are the rolls of the reed fencing and some black zip ties.

Stella Sneaks in Coop While Chickens Roll in Dirt

2009-08-02T12:43:00.001-07:00

Chickens Rolling in Dirt
Originally uploaded by MyRubberBoots

I took a little video of the chickens rolling around in the dirt outside their coop. Then about halfway through the video you can see Stella sneak inside the coop to check it out.

The chickens almost got her twice when she tried to sneak past them on her way out of the coop.

I originally didn't know this but have since found out that chickens roll around in the dirt like this to take a bath and cool down.

Enjoy.

What I've Learned About My Gardening Style

2009-07-26T14:55:00.000-07:00

I recently had an ‘aha moment’ about my gardening style and decided I need to work on my patience and organization. I figure by sharing some of the mistakes I’ve been making, others can hold me accountable and maybe learn a little in the process.

Here’s a list of my more common gardening mistakes, followed by the plan I’ll follow to become a better gardener.

If I love a plant, I buy it. This is only a problem when I don’t have anywhere to plant my new treasure and end up putting it in the first open spot that’s big enough. In most cases I end up moving the plant at a later date.
I don’t plan before I plant. I do this mostly because I need to get it in the ground quick before it dries out. As a result, I get clashing bloom colors, taller plants in front of smaller plants or plants getting too large for the space. Again, I end up moving the plant at a later date.
Instead buying three or more of the same plant, I buy one. I’ve noticed lately that I have a lot of single plants scattered throughout the garden instead of plant groupings. This makes for a messy look in the garden. I really love the way plant groupings look -- clean and uniform.
I get plants from other gardeners or plant sales. In other words, I have a lot of random nameless free plants. This is okay until it’s time to get more of the same plant or someone asks me the plant name.

Being a Better Gardener Will Take Patience & Organization

To start, I'll do a little reorganizing and create a garden plan. This includes flagging plants NOW that need a new home in either my garden or a friend’s garden. Since I’ll do most of the moving in the fall, I have plenty of time to evaluate the new location to make sure it’s best.

I will document all plants in my garden and create tags with plant name, size, bloom time and color. This new labeling approach should help me from planting orange poppies next to pink peonies again. And by having the plant details I can purchase more of the same plants I’ve grown to love.

In the future, when purchasing new plants, I will carefully evaluate what I need and where it will live in the garden. If a plant will look fabulous as a grouping, I will sacrifice getting other random plants and purchase multiples of the same plant instead.

I’m glad I finally realize what I’m doing wrong. The chaos of blooms, colors and random plant heights finally pushed me over the edge this summer. Now, it's your turn to hold me accountable.

Chickens are Like Fluffy Little Pigs

2009-07-16T19:01:00.000-07:00

I tried kicking the chickens out of the coop today, since it was coop cleaning day, but they didn't make it any further than the doorway.

Apparently the cool dirt was calling to them, so they dug a hole and rolled around in it like little pigs. What a beautiful thing to watch.

It was so cute that I shoo'd them into the yard and removed some pavers from their coop floor. Now they have a little dirt patch in their coop and don't need to wait for their weekly yard visits.

Notice how the hens and chicks are a family now and the chicks are getting bigger and fuzzier. Even the hens are looking healthier being away from roosters.

The picture above is of the chickens rolling in the dirt. Below are pictures of the dirty coop and the chickens taking a stroll around the yard.

What's Blooming this July 15

2009-07-15T17:24:00.001-07:00

Here’s everything that’s blooming in my garden this July 15, 2009. I thought about cheating by taking pictures of flowers that were almost blooming – but I didn’t. Enjoy.

Bainbridge Garden Tour - July 2009

2009-07-12T15:37:00.001-07:00

On July 11, my friend Sara (pictured in many of the photos) and I took the ferry over to Bainbridge Island to visit five unique gardens featured in the island's 2009 garden tour. This year's tour included the Huntley House, Church, Parker, Sultan and Holt gardens.

I put together a quick bio of each garden that includes a slideshow of the pictures I took. The gardens are in order of how we visited them.

Huntley House Garden

A large five-acre garden with an outdoor living area, ivy front steps, multiple berry patches, a fruit orchard, a wooded area and a cottage cutting garden.

Click here for a slideshow of the Huntley House Garden.

Church Garden

A Japanese style sustainable garden with a 20 second view of the water - according to the homeowner this is the length of time boats are in view before they disappear. A large bed of nasturtiums also added a bit of whimsy to this otherwise formal garden.

Click here for a slideshow of the Church Garden.

Parker Garden
A very Pacific Northwest style landscape with many evergreen shrubs and trees planted around two creeks and a pond. I especially liked the style of the fences and gate at this home.

Click here for a slideshow of the Parker Garden.

Sultan

We spent a lot of time wondering the pathways of this diverse garden. There were paths, pots, urns, patios, benches and flowerbeds with great plant combinations everywhere you walked. They also had an old cabin on site and the most amazing view of Puget Sound.

Click here for a slideshow of the Sultan Garden.

Holt Garden

I was an excited little kid wondering through this magical formal garden. It's really what dreams are made of - at least mine. There's a weeping willow next to a pond, a pool surrounded by a large perennial garden, a brick secret garden with espalier fruit trees, a view of the water, a labyrinth and a maple with a witch's broom hanging at the end of a limb.

This garden was also featured in the September 2007 Martha Stewart Living magazine.

Click here for a slideshow of the Holt Garden.

Click here to watch the dizzy video I took in the secret garden.

Front Entry Mini Makeover

2009-07-05T21:22:00.000-07:00

Every couple years my front porch starts to look a little shabby. To spruce it up this year, I painted the porch a nice black color and replanted the urns. One of these days I'm going to resurface the front porch with stone and replace the front walk with a more natural walkway. Until then, a new coat of paint does wonders.

Left (front yard urns): Boxleaf Hebe, Aurea Heather, Black Mondo Grass & Scarlet Leader Cotoneaster

Right (back yard urn): Orme Hebe, Spring Torch Heather & Scarlet Leader Cotoneaster

In just a couple hours I went from hating my front porch to accepting it - almost liking it. I bet when the urns fill out - I'll love this spot even more.

What's funny is that last time I painted the porch I pretty much just painted it the color of concrete. Then because I picked a laytex paint it scratched off the show the green paint underneath - I hated it from day one (see 'before' picture on right).

Click here to see what my house looked like when I bought it in 2005.

My Chickens Are Finally Acting Like Chickens

2009-06-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

Meet Brownie, Hazel & Henny Penny. Buttercup is also somewhere in the coop - you can see more of her in the video below.

I apologize for the video quality. I don't know what I'm doing.

Veggie Garden Late June

2009-06-28T14:03:00.001-07:00

June has been very good to us. Our veggie garden has made great progress this year - much better than the cold soggy garden we had this time last year.

We have a dahlia cutting garden and herbs (picture on left) and a total of three raised beds for veggies (picture on right).

Below we have pictures of our almost ripe Beafsteak tomatoes, our yellow and purple potato patch, three basil plants, our cinderella pumpkin, our corn/bush beans/volunteer tomato/volunteer sunflower patch, dill, our row of mammoth sunflowers, lettuce and peas.

Help Needed: It's Time for a Patio

2009-06-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

We have a patch of grass in the middle of our back yard that acts as a patio with our outdoor sectional, bar-b-que, fire pit and table.

Every week we move all the furniture to the pathways to mow the grass. When done mowing we move it all back. This is very annoying.

We need a permanent patio. I'd like to add large pavers/stone where the lawn currently is with a ground cover between the pavers. Then add stone paths to the driveway and garage door - again with ground cover between.

By using ground cover we won't have to mow but we'll still have a green look.

This is where we need your help. The shape of the space is triangular and we can't agree on how to create a patio design that looks natural and provides the two walkways to the garage and driveway. We also disagree on the type of stone, rock, pavers to use. I'd love to hear what you think about this project.

Chicks Are Getting Fuzzy

2009-06-17T21:31:00.000-07:00

Brownie & Buttercup are starting to get big and pretty fuzzy. The last couple days they even started getting too big for their brooder. Sadly, we moved them into the closed hen house with a heat lamp and plenty of straw, food and water.

I already have anxiety and want them back in the house. They seem fine and almost happy they're in a bigger spot. I just miss them and their little cheep cheep cheeps.

Travis says it's like they're camping. Let's hope I get some sleep tonight.

Elliot Bay Rose Garden

2009-06-13T09:34:00.000-07:00

A couple days a week at lunch we walk along the Seattle waterfront, through the Olympic Sculpture Park and down the Elliot Bay Trail. Tucked towards the end of our route is the Elliot Bay Rose Garden.

This waterfront garden gives us the opportunity to "stop and smell the roses" in the middle of a hectic work day.

We stop long enough to stroll slowly down the garden's single brick path. There's the scent of roses, lavender and a little salt water; accompanied by the amazing views of Elliot Bay, Olympic Mountains and the city. What a treasure.

The garden is small and takes only a couple minutes to walk through. At our exit, we reluctantly turn around and follow our same route back - to work.

Here are some pictures of the roses, garden and views. I apologize the pictures aren't "scratch and sniff." Again, I took them with my phone.

The Hens Hate Us

2009-06-10T18:51:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't know, we brought home two one year old Silkie hens from my mom's house a couple weekends ago. Not only do Henny Penny and Hazel hate us, but they're not doing what they're supposed to do and this has me worried.

They don't eat out of their feeder, use the roosting pole, eat yummy veggie treats, lay eggs (except one) and they sure don't stink. We did have one VERY large poop today - good news!

And here I thought the chicks were going to be the hard ones - we brought home two of those as well - they're in the house.

Because I'm a "problem solver," I went in their coop today to see if I could make things a little better for them. I started by raking up their old shavings - this got them all in a tizzy. Henny Penny started squawking and flapping around. Ok. The rake is bad. Hazel then made an attempt to get away from Henny Penny and got a hand full of clean shavings dropped on her head - oops. Now she really hates me. They eventually calmed down and hid in the coop corner. I quickly finished adding the new shavings, and threw down some feed AND scratch on the coop floor. Head down - I left the coop.

I hope they come out of their hiding spot soon to eat their food - I need to see more big poops before I'm happy. Next, we'll work on laying eggs.

If you look closely at the picture, you can see them in far right (the dark spot) laying on top of each other (next to an urn of our outdoor cat's ashes). Poor things. I'm sure eventually they'll learn to tolerate us.

But The Chicks Love Us

Brownie and Buttercup are a true joy. They entertain us like little comedians. I've heard people say they watch their chickens, now I know what they're talking about. These little guys are eating, drinking, and pooping A LOT. All good signs. They actually poop so much that we have to clean their brooder at least once a day.

We're not quite sure if we have hens or roosters yet - it appears that Buttercup has a couple pink feathers so may be a rooster. If we do end up with a rooster we're going to try to keep him anyway - since we don't have rules against this in our town. It's only a problem if he gets too noisy & the neighbors complain. My neighbors love me.

One neighbor did have a rooster for a bit and only got rid of him because he was getting mean. We'll see. I'm not one to give up pets...

These little guys have a couple more weeks in the house before we'll start introducing them to the chicken coop. We're still not sure if one of the hens in the coop is their mom. Maybe that's why they hate us?

Tour of Seattle's Japanese Garden

2009-06-06T21:01:00.000-07:00

I found myself driving through the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle today & passing by the Japanese Garden. Since it was a beautiful morning and the garden is less than 4 acres, I decided to take a quick tour. I haven't been to the garden for almost 10 yrs.

It was the best $5 I've spent it a long time. I could've sat there and walked around all day just soaking up the calm and peaceful environment.

As I was walking (relaxed) through the perfectly pruned trees, I decided to take this tour at least once a year to help replicate the peace and openness in my garden but on a slightly smaller scale.

I'll also need to go back with Travis, so he can get inspiration for his bonsai trees.

Below are some pictures I took of the garden - with my phone! Since I wasn't planning on taking a garden tour I didn't bring our camera.

9 - Hosta: My Top 10 Favorite Plants

2009-06-06T20:09:00.000-07:00

I can never have enough Hostas. I buy new ones every year and still seem to need more. Even today I was thinking I needed some Hostas for under the Magnolia - the hydrangeas just aren't enough. I love the big leaves, the colors, and the different shapes and sizes.

I'm always on a mission to find a huge leaf hosta. I have a couple big ones - but not THE big one. Maybe next year.

Weekend at Mom's Farm

2009-06-02T21:43:00.000-07:00

My mom and step-dad have a farm out in the middle of nowhere (Omak, WA). A typical weekend visit includes milking goats, watching chickens run around, petting horses, giving milk to baby goats and eating a lot of great food. And that's exactly what we did this past weekend.

As a child I lived on a small farm with dogs, cats, chickens, pigs, horses, goats, a cow, a turkey, peacocks and geese (I still hate geese). It seems as though every day I had chores to do - replace shavings, clean horse stalls, stack wood, and etc. It's funny, as an adult, I long to live on a small farm again. Just something I can be proud of while providing for my family.

Here are some pictures from our weekend at my mom's.

Pets With Benefits

2009-06-01T21:05:00.000-07:00

We finally finished the coop last night. Of course we still have a few finishing touches to add but it's good enough for now.

The hens are living in their new home and are still a bit scared. This is expected since they came from a farm with farm noises and now live in town with loud town noises. We're a couple blocks from the train, a hwy, the post office and main street - it can get pretty loud.

Every hour they seem to get a little more comfortable with their new home and venture a little further out. They're slowly getting used to us and no longer squack and attack us when we enter their coop.

It appears we have a quiet passive hen and a fiesty loud one. It's great to see their personalities already.

We named the hens Henny Penny and Hazel. Penny is the copper colored hen while Hazel is the brown one. They're both Silkies and were born about this time last year.

They're not used to climbing up ramps, having a hen house, or sleeping on roosting poles. So, I need to make a couple modifications to the ramp & hen house to make it a little cozier for laying eggs.

I'm sure we'll get it right one of these days. Until then, we'll just take it one day at a time.

We also have two Silkie chicks in the house; we weren't sure if either of the hens we brought home are the mother and didn't want them to freeze to death outside. Even though it's pretty warm during the day it can get pretty cold at night. We also like having them in the house since they're cute.

I put together this brooding box to make sure they are warm and safe. The wire top is to keep Pepper (cat) away from the chicks, even though he could care less.

I'm sure this isn't the last time you'll hear about these guys. I love having pets and I was able to justify (and get approval for) chickens since they also provide eggs. They're a pet with benefits.

Almost Ready for our Silkies

2009-05-27T21:42:00.000-07:00

We're getting a little bit closer to being done with the chicken pen/coop. Just in time for our drive over to my mom's this weekend to pick up three Silky hens.

I still need to install a lock on the door, pick up the their little roosting/nesting house, add the cement block floor and add the roofing.

There are also the finishing touches like making a ramp and getting all the supplies.

It's all worth the effort since I now LOVE this part of my yard. It went from being the spot I avoided (except to lie in the hammock) to a charming little private spot with chickens. I even managed to keep the poppy alive during construction.

Recycling an Old Door into a Chicken Coop Door

2009-05-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

I was talking to my mom on the phone the other day about my chicken coop. As I was describing how cute it was, she expressed concern about the door to the coop since they once had a problem with raccoons trying to push through the bottom of one of their doors. It appears those crafty fellows will stop at nothing to get in your coop.

It just happened to be by accident that we were using an old heavy duty interior door as our coop entrance. I'm one of those fortunate people that has an antique dealer living next door - with an endless supply of old doors. I love old doors. So when ever I need one or she happens to be giving them away, I'll pick one up. I have an old door for my front gate and now my chicken coop.

Anyways. You'll see by the picture on the left that the door isn't finished yet. I still need to paint the door white, add the hardware cloth, add handles and locks and mount on the coop. But here's what we did to transform the door from an interior door to a chicken coop door.

To start you'll need a sturdy solid wood door.

1. If you don't like power tools then enlist the help of someone who does - cigar optional.

2. Cut out the center of the door using a saw, like the one you see below. At first we thought we'd have two open panels but when it looked bad, he cut out the entire center panel.

3. Add additional supports at each corner to ensure the door doesn't sag over time. Then removed all old hardware.

Now you have a door to your chicken coop that is sturdy enough to keep those unwanted critters out.

8 - Lilacs: My Top 10 Favorite Plants

2009-05-15T20:49:00.000-07:00

I didn't purchase a single one of these lilacs. I dug each of them up from random people's yards. I then dug them up and moved them all again. That's why they're a little on the small side. Travis likes to call them "scrawny."

Another reason they're scrawy, is because I was inspired to prune the lilacs to be more like trees. What seems like forever ago, I saw pictures of a town/island on the east coast known for lilacs (can't remember the name) and all the lilacs were trees and not bushes. I think they look elegant this way. So, until they fill in and get more mature they'll continue to be on the scrawny side. This doesn't bother me since they still produce beautiful fragrant flower clusters and for some reason I can be patient with these plants.

I'm already looking forward to next year.

And YES, we have a movie screen on the back of our garage. Nothing compares to watching movies outside in the summer. In the garden.

Is the Chicken Coop Ever Going to Get Done?

2009-05-12T18:55:00.001-07:00

At least I got started on the chicken coop this past weekend. Some of you may be wondering why we're putting the coop in front of such a nice big window and up against the house. Well, the view from this window is a 4' chain link fence then my neighbor's dirt pile, dog and bright blue house. Their kitchen window also looks directly into this window - we sometimes wave at each other in the morning.

No need to worry about the dog getting the chickens, she could care less about birds and actually prefers possums and raccoons (yay). I'm still going to plant some bamboo along the fence to keep the chickens in our yard and block the neighbor's house.

Don't get me wrong, I like my neighbors, I just don't want to look at their house anymore.

I also put the coop here because the dirt is horrible (for plants) and it's somewhat sheltered from the elements. So it's perfect for chickens! I also like the idea of being able to watch the chickens from inside the house.

I hope to start working on the coop again tomorrow since I need to get it done before the weekend is over - it's crunch time! Picking up chickens the last weekend of the month.

Picture on the right is looking at my house and chicken coop while picture on the left looks out my window towards the neighbor's. The hammock is mine but the fence and everything behind it belongs to them (including the rock/dirt sifter thing). I'm planting the bamboo in front of the fence to cover it and create a little sanctuary.

My Friend Mr. Squirrel

2009-05-09T21:41:00.000-07:00

Here is Mr. Squirrel. He comes out of hiding about this time every year and is such a joy. He just sits up in his tree and nibbles on his walnut stash. I've never had a problem with him eating any bulbs or plants (that I know of anyway).

He's a good squirrel because of the two giant walnut trees in my neighbor's yard (in the picture he's sitting in one of them). The larger of the two trees hangs over the fence into my front yard.

Mr. Squirrel has a good life. We all love him and he has dibs on all the walnuts his little heart desires. He not only has some buried in my garden, but I bet he's got a huge stockpile somewhere (just incase).

These walnut trees are beautiful with their light green feathery leaves. It's a bit of a pain in autumn when the walnuts start dropping out of the tree like little bombs - you really garden at your own risk. Then in the spring I have to seek and destroy all the walnut tree saplings. Other than that, I love the tree and my friend Mr. Squirrel.

Problem: No Rain Barrel Overflow

2009-05-09T09:01:00.000-07:00

We installed our rain barrel a couple years ago but never added an overflow. I had grand dreams, at the time, that we'd eventually add a couple more barrels and collect all the water we needed for summer watering. Someday we'll do this.

For now we'll just stick to the one barrel and add an overflow hose towards the top to redirect the water into the drain. AND since we've waited so long to add the overflow, you'll notice that our rain barrel is now slightly lower on the left side.

This is where the water overflows down the side of the barrel and onto the ground below.

This will be my project for next weekend. For now, I need to get to work on my chicken coop. I hate power tools, so wish me luck.

My Trip to the Master Gardener Plant Sale

2009-05-02T12:02:00.000-07:00

This was my first year attending the Snohomish County Master Gardener Plant Sale in Mill Creek. It was well worth the trip. Not only did it have plant starts and a vast selection of tomato plants but it also had a couple specialized nurseries selling unique plants.

I found two real treasures today: Aeonium Arboreum (plant in front) and Heuchera Marmalade (orange/pink plant in back)! Loved both of theses the second I saw them.

For the garden I also picked up Aeonium Pinwheel; Aconitum; and 2 Hostas (both big leaf one blue one green variegated)

For the herbs I purchased Berggarten Sage; Salvia Microphylla 'Hot Lips'; Golden Sage; Rosemary; Cilantro; Italian Parsley; Dill; French Thyme; 2 Sweet Basil; and Mammoth Sweet Basil. Since I don't have room in the new herb raised bed, I guess I'll have to dig up some pots - that should be pretty cute.

For the vegetable garden I picked up some peppers, including Blockbuster Bell; California Wonder Bell; 2 Jalapenos; and a mystery pepper with a poorly written name. I also got six tomatoes: Ildi (yellow cherry); Gardener's Delight (cherry); Big Beef; Stupice; Big Rainbow; and Ensalada (Roma).

This was my last big plant buying trip of the year. I still need to cover up that pesky fence and get some bamboo to shade the chicken coop.

There were a couple nurseries there that had amazing plants, including White Picket Gardens from Stanwood and the Desert Northwest from Sequim. Desert Northwest is were I picked up the Aeonium. He also had a great selection of eucalyptus plants; and some day I will have a eucalyptus tree in my yard. He did mention that he can ship plants if needed so check them out.

7 - Euphorbia: My Top 10 Favorite Plants

2009-05-01T22:45:00.000-07:00

Euphorbia is great because it's evergreen and look amazing when flowering. The cut stalks make for a nice greenery in flower arrangements or can hold their own in a vase by themselves. They're usually pretty tough plants but mine had a pretty rough winter this year (as you can tell from the pictures). All the heavy snow and freezing temperatures, sadly, killed my largest Euphorbia. I am happy to report that six baby plants were left in its place.

Growing an Apple Arbor - A True Piece of Art

2009-04-30T18:49:00.000-07:00

I visited a nursery in Duvall over four years ago called Box Hill Farm and spotted the most amazing apple arbor along one of their garden pathways. I loved it on the spot and was pleasantly surprised to find they had directions on how to create one.

By the way, this turned out to be a very successful day for me since I also got my red twig dogwood start for a $1 at the Jr. High plant sale in Carnation. It's BEAUTIFUL now.

I kept the directions for at least a year (maybe two) until I moved into my charming little house. This is when I found the perfect spot in the front yard where it could frame the edge of the lawn perfectly. It's difficult to capture the true beauty of the apple arbor in a photo - especially since I have it planted in front of a very large hedge. But to give you an idea, the picture (middle left) shows how my apple arbor looked the second year.

I also love my apple arbor because it looks like an amazing piece of art in the winter and even in the fall. You can even see how much the arbor has filled out.

This picture (right) was taken this past winter - the arbor is now three years old.

You can click on the directions (on the left) to see a larger view and print.

They can't possibly mind me passing the directions along four + years later. Here's a link to their site if you want more information about their nursery. http://www.boxhillfarm.com/index.html

Our New Raised Bed & Planted Dahlias

2009-04-28T19:43:00.000-07:00

It all started this fall when Travis suggested we dig up the Pampas Grass - because he hated it. Ever since then I knew it was the perfect spot for a new Dahlia bed! On the first warm day this winter, I painfully dug up the large grass mass and pawned the chunks off on my friends.

We decided to get started on the new bed this Saturday after the plant sale. We picked up some amazing compost/dirt and then stopped by Lowes for the wood. We had a slight disagreement on the design and as always the carpenter won. Apparently, my idea to create a large new bed for my Dahlias wasn't going to work because "we need to be able to walk around the beds" (I totally disagree). Once the smaller new bed was built, I moved the herbs into their smaller home and got to work planting my new and old Dahlias in one location.

I dug up a handful of Dahlias from around the yard and planted into the new bed; leaving maybe six plants scattered around the yard that I couldn't quite fit. Not bad.

I also planted a bunch of new tubers I purchased this winter, including: Walter Hardisty; Bride To Be; Bliss; Crazy Legs; Tropic Sun; Matchmaker; Touche; Star Child; Serkan; White Onesta; and Pink Accent.

I'm feeling pretty good about getting all my well loved tubers in the ground. Now, I only need to wait 2+ months and I'll have an endless supply of fresh cut flowers.

Below is a full picture of all our raised beds in the back yard.
Notice, the smaller/lighter bed past the Dahlia bed - that's the new bed - where I was supposed to plant my tubers until I moved the herbs.

Three of the beds are for our veggies, including along the back fence and behind the herb garden. We also have raspberries and blueberries planted along the driveway, a strawberry bed and various fruit trees scattered about.

So far, for veggies, we have peas, carrots, garlic, spinach, lettuce, and radishes sprouting.

We just planted corn, Cinderella pumpkins, and bush beans.

We still have pole beans, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and random herbs to plant in a couple more weeks.

So, this is where we're at with the vegetable garden so far this year. I'll continue to share progress along the way.

I Scored at the Snohomish Plant Sale

2009-04-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

It's always a treat to pick through the Snohomish Garden Club's plant sale each spring. Even though the plants tend to be the same year after year - most likely since they're divided/starts from the same gardens - it seems I'm usually looking for something different each time. This year I wanted to find a couple more Hostas and some ground covers. Unfortunately, I was so distracted by all the plants that I didn't find any Hostas and got only two ground covers. Oh well. I'm more than happy with the plants we brought home.

As you can see, our wheelbarrow was full of new plants and I'm not even sure I have room for them. Here's what we got:

2 California Bay Trees; 2 Black Mondo Grass; 1 Purple Heuchera; 2 Lime Green Heuchera; 1 Helleborus; 1 Hardy Geranium; 1 Purple Phlox; 1 Bare Root Pussy Willow Tree; 1 Astilbe; 2 Cyclamen; 2 Varigated Arabis; 1 Sedum; 2 Echevera; 1 Astrantia; 1 Lupine; 1 Bergenia; 1 Speedwell.

Not only was it great because we got new plants, but because we met up with our really close friends the Wellers (pictured with Travis) and Sara, who came with her mom. I wish we could've chatted all day but it was very cold and we had a lot of chores to do at home. As did our friends.

I was delighted to see little Isabelle and Abigail - they're growing so quickly! I can't believe how time is flying by. I guess we'll just have to visit Toby and Michelle's one day soon to chat about their family and check out the garden.

Just my opinion, but, everyone should do their part to support their local garden club. By doing so, you're contributing to your neighborhood and, if you're lucky, you may run into some old friends.

Discovering the Belltown P-Patch

2009-04-23T17:29:00.000-07:00

In middle of a bustling city, we found a garden sanctuary with tile mosaic walls, beautiful iron fences and therapeutic patches of dirt - ready for planting.

The Belltown P-Patch is located on the corner of Elliot and Vine - nestled between condominiums, businesses and a warehouse.

You're welcomed by a beautiful tile mosaic staircase that leads to a whimsical garden and a view of Puget Sound.

An iron fence surrounds the garden with designs including onions, leaves and various garden tools.

Pathways weave around the personal spaces set aside for each gardener. Artwork, trellises, and edging help make each space special.

I'm happy this patch of land was saved and the view wasn't used to build more condominiums - that would've been a waste. Click here to read more about the garden and how they got started.

Yes, I Cheated When Picking Favorite Plants

2009-04-23T06:30:00.001-07:00

I realize I cheated by picking a plant family instead of a specific plant - I apologize. There's no way I can pick only 10 plants. I also don't remember all my plant names and have become horrible at keeping records. I'll try to improve in this area. Until then, enjoy my first six favorite plant families and pictures from my garden (most of them anyway). I'll post my remaining four shortly.

6 - Magnolia: My Top 10 Favorite Plants

2009-04-22T21:11:00.000-07:00

This Saucer Magnolia tree is one of the main reasons I purchased my house. I love it. Last fall I got the smaller Star Magnolia bush for the back yard.

5 - Dahlia: My Top 10 Favorite Plants

2009-04-21T19:16:00.001-07:00

Ahhh, the Dahlia. This MUST be my favorite flower since I own over 25 different varieties. I love Dahlias because they're beautiful and give me flowers all summer long. I don't dig mine up, but simply cover with Magnolia leaves each fall and they winter over just fine.

4 - Lilies: My Top 10 Favorite Plants

2009-04-21T18:56:00.000-07:00

I love how diverse lilies are. I have a water lily, trumpet lilies, lilies that smell amazing, lilies with black stems, orange lilies...the options are endless. I get a new/different one every year.

3 - Peony: My Top 10 Favorite Plants

2009-04-21T17:54:00.001-07:00

The Peony. An elegant flower and plant - I especially love the doubles. Even after the flowers are spent the foliage remains beautiful into the fall.

2 - Daphne Odora: My Top 10 Favorite Plants

2009-04-21T17:40:00.000-07:00

This may actually be my favorite plant. It's the first to bloom and smells WONDERFUL. The one pictured below, unfortunately, isn't mine - mine is dead. It's a fragile plant that doesn't like to be moved and needs to be planted in 'just the right spot.' All the fussing is worth it.

1 - Aeonium: My Top 10 Favorite Plants

2009-04-20T21:24:00.001-07:00

I love Aeonium. These plants are very fragile and don't last over the winter but are worth buying every year - if you can find them. If you keep them in pots and bring them in the house then you can enjoy them year over year.

The picture below wasn't taken in my garden but was part of a garden tour I went on a couple years ago. This homeowner was able to keep his Aeonium alive over winter - I wish I could remember where he lived so I can ask him how.