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: Sonoma County Garden Blogs
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”
Winged Wildlife Rescues
As gardeners, we learn to observe, don’t we? Our senses become attuned to the plants, the insects, the weather — life all around. And sometimes we notice life forms that need a bit of help. Two notable examples happened last week. An Encounter With a Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly | Battus philenor hirsuta The first happenedContinue reading “Winged Wildlife Rescues”
Our Garden Seems To Be Marie Kondoing Itself
Nature in the form of our garden is having a purge. First, a huge branch of a decades-old willow tree dropped, narrowly missing our most productive mulberry and blueberry patch. Next, a sizeable limb of an old red maple fell. And then one evening while knitting, I heard a splitting crack and felt the house shutter. Was it an earthquake? No, it was a pine tree up on the hill splitting at the base and hitting the ground with force. Our garden seems to be Marie Kondoing itself and has inspired us to have a thorough garden clean-up.
Raindrop Adornments — the thirsty garden is quenched | for #six-on-Saturday
As I write this, our drought-parched landscape here in SoCo California is about to get a thorough dousing, probably even flooding! But that is for the next post, which may require a canoe. 😉 Meanwhile, this last week gifted us with our first showers — polishing dusty leaves and quenching a thirsty garden. For thoseContinue reading “Raindrop Adornments — the thirsty garden is quenched | for #six-on-Saturday”
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”
What’s Been Happening In the Early April Garden
Garden Flowers and Scents to Balm the Spirit This week, the garden soothed worries, as it so often does, with the comfort and enjoyment of the squiggling tadpoles, the pipevine butterflies, and the blossoms of the flowering crabapples, flowering currants, ceanothus and pear trees. Wandering through the garden, I’m often taken aback by lovely aromas.Continue reading “What’s Been Happening In the Early April Garden”