I’ve been longing to participate in the Six-On-Saturday blog-fest again (see The Propagator) but in the mega-drought we are experiencing here in the western U.S., the garden is a shadow of its usual glory. So, I’m going to jump in with some sturdy succulents for now! And, to perk up the post, I made someContinue reading “Six Sun-kissed Succulents”
Author Archives: lisatheardentgardener
Houseplants Have Become My Summer Oasis
The drought and everything else got to me. Something had to give. Gardening in our summer-dry climate of Sonoma County requires adjusting to winters that are usually verdant and soggy with vernal pools, morphing into summers dry enough to burst into flames if you sneeze too hard. It’s like living in two separate ecosystems atContinue reading “Houseplants Have Become My Summer Oasis”
Summer Garden Harvests In An Extreme Year
Given the extreme drought we’re dealing with here in Sonoma County and the West Coast of the U.S. in general, I’m especially grateful that we still have some sustaining food harvests from the garden this summer. Growing your own food in a summer dry climate always requires some irrigation. If you’ve been reading this blog,Continue reading “Summer Garden Harvests In An Extreme Year”
Sun & Sunflowers (and a very dry summer)
I thought I’d start with something cheery. Certain flowers, like daffodils or sunflowers, just brighten the moment — a garden anti-depressant — kissing your face with affectionate optimism and inducing an autonomic smile. I think I’d be going nuts by now if I didn’t have a garden and I wish I had magical powers toContinue reading “Sun & Sunflowers (and a very dry summer)”
Six On Saturday — A Flurry of Flowers
Today I am dipping my toes for the first time into the phenomenon called Six On Saturday. For those of you who, like me, were unaware of it, #SixOnSaturday was started by the blogger The Propagator. The invitation is to share six garden things on Saturdays. See more here. ONE It’s been a tough yearContinue reading “Six On Saturday — A Flurry of Flowers”
Upcycle Leftover Paint In A Garden Sidewalk
Summertime in the garden bespeaks the sensual delights of picking juicy tomatoes, finding yourself danced over by butterfly shadows and basking in the radiance of sun and sunflowers. It’s also a great time for creating hardscaping elements, like garden paths. And those can be an opportunity for reusing and recycling leftover materials. As someone whoContinue reading “Upcycle Leftover Paint In A Garden Sidewalk”
Lavender Harvest!
The highlight of the garden right now is a waving patch of purple, aromatic and buzzing with life. It’s time for the lavender harvest! We planted this patch fourteen years ago and it has outlasted our expectations. I pondered back then what we could plant that the gophers would leave alone, that was drought-tolerant andContinue reading “Lavender Harvest!”
Dry Soil, But Delicious Cherries
You’ve probably read about the extreme drought here in much of the western U.S., or you are dealing with it yourself and have the biceps to show for it (carrying greywater buckets). The field grasses in our low-lying spot in Sonoma County, California, are turning brown and crackly now, and it feels like late summer,Continue reading “Dry Soil, But Delicious Cherries”
Upcycled Micro Bags & Bins — Made From Plastic Bag Trash
Though this is primarily a garden blog, I like to toss in a few posts about creativity and upcycling from time to time, since those also inspire me and feel in sync with nature itself: creative and cyclic. One of the recycling challenges that always stumps me is what to do with the plastic bagsContinue reading “Upcycled Micro Bags & Bins — Made From Plastic Bag Trash”
Drips, Frit’s & Fruits — a mélange of garden musings
Drips, Frit’s & Fruits — a garden mélange of garden harvests, butterflies and irrigation during drought #sonomacounty #drought #gardenblogger