Nature does not stand still and wait for us to catch up. It’s a glorious spring after all the winter rains we finally enjoyed after so many drought years. Verdancy is erupting in the garden and the air is abuzz with activity. There are summer veggies to plant and damselflies to admire. The ladybugs areContinue reading “Spring Awe–Buds and Bugs”
Tag Archives: garden bloggers
The Frogs are Happy, Dormant Pruning Is Done, Bareroot Is Planted, Fungi Is Fruiting and Seedlings Are Started–Whew
I’ve lost track of how many atmospheric rivers have come through California so far this rainy season, so I just looked it up. The answer is fourteen! (KGET) Not that I noticed when one ended and the next began. I’m not complaining. I’m delighted to see that Lake Sonoma is full again, as is ourContinue reading “The Frogs are Happy, Dormant Pruning Is Done, Bareroot Is Planted, Fungi Is Fruiting and Seedlings Are Started–Whew”
Winter Garden Reflections
The winter shadows are long across the landscape, creating dramatic patterns amongst the fallen leaves. We’ve awakened to ice on the bird fountains many mornings and felt grateful for the warmth of our wood stove at night. Even Puffball Kitty, well-outfitted in her full-puff winter coat, and not put off by a bit of coldContinue reading “Winter Garden Reflections”
A Summertime Saunter Through the Garden — butterflies, pruning winter squash, hand-pollinating corn, saving seeds
Stroll thru the summer garden with me and see some butterflies, help prune the winter squash, hand-pollinate the corn, save seeds for next year, put out some free cucumbers for neighbors, taste a ripe Asian pear, and ponder how to keep the squirrel from harvesting all the walnuts.
First Monarch Butterfly Sighting, Saving Seed from California Poppies, & an Unfortunate Contaminant
Monarch Butterfly Sighting Today I let slip a little scream of excitement when I spotted the first monarch butterfly here in our garden–at least the first one I can remember in the two decades we’ve been at our current location. Growing up in the Midwest many decades ago, we used to see Eastern Monarchs allContinue reading “First Monarch Butterfly Sighting, Saving Seed from California Poppies, & an Unfortunate Contaminant”
Petals Aplenty — six snapshots of spring from a Sonoma County garden
The petals are popping and the juice of spring is coursing through my veins like so many shots of espresso. The spring garden is a party not to be missed, and just to sit at my computer to post this blog, rather than be out with the surging sap and sunshine, is requiring a strongContinue reading “Petals Aplenty — six snapshots of spring from a Sonoma County garden”
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)”
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”