No matter the language, my garden is my paradise. To watch the lovely birds that nest in the trees and bushes. The bees, butterflies are such a joy to see.
Saturday .. what a day .. windy, blustery … rainy .. and then the sun did come out, later on in the day. A sweet promise of what will happen on Sunday.
So I really wanted to play outside, but decided to save that treat for another day.
Looked outside at the trees, branches waving away in the winds … glad that we planted so many here .. years ago. Knowing that the birds have many places to take cover in rough weather. Places to nest … unseen by human eyes. I respect their privacy. Although I would love to see their little homes . .I leave them be.
Happy that Mother Nature is watering the gardens thoroughly . .no worries about dry soil for the plants. Oh, this will be good for everything, the berries, the garlic .. the fruit trees. And the grass .. another opportunity for me to use my newest garden tool .. the push mower.
And I must empty the Rubbermaid containers .. that are full of seaweed. So they can begin to enrich the plants with their mineral laden goodness.
So I didn’t take any pics on Saturday and am posting some of sunnier days: Including some pics when my pal D & I visited the beaches of Sooke. Slowed down when we saw a young deer standing, transfixed, by the side of the road.
Then, later, we’d been busy gathering seaweed and were surprised to see deer prints, freshly made. It had been around our area and hadn’t made a sound!
Visited the beautiful Point No Point for the most delicious chicken soup, homemade bread and tea. Drank delicious water, untainted by chlorine .. Looked out the windows at the magnificent ocean vista. Priceless. What a lovely place .. it’s been years since I’ve been here and I vow to return again.
Wandered the magnificent property. Walked the lovely red bridge .. a truly beautiful place to be.
Glad I took pics .. lovely memories of nature.
Well . on with this new day. Some gardening, you say? Of course! At Dakota Cafe!
And so the winds continued yesterday. Sun came out .. .went for a break, then decided to shine for a while. Glad to have you back, transforming the yard!
I’ve started taking a teaspoon of the EM concentrate every day .. as it seemed to have been very effective in warding off a recent ailment that was bothering me. Yea again to the magic of EM. I’d listened to someone who shared that she has taken a spoon daily for a few years and has managed to avoid catching strong colds that were affecting her friends. Those kinds of colds that really knock you off your feet. So I’ve heeded her story and have begun with the daily EM. It tastes quite sharp and not bad at all.
Decided it was time to mix up a batch of garlic scape pesto… so quickly chopped, put in the blender, added olive oil, finely shredded parmesan and almond slices (slightly browned in a small cast iron pan). Loosely guided by a recipe found on the ‘net .. I soon had a delicious mix prepared. Garlicy .. delicious.
Next, I placed a small amount in wax paper and into the freezer, to firm up a bit. Later, I placed sections in a small square of w/paper, formed into a small circular shape, and piled them in glass containers for the freezer. Now, I’m all set to use a bit in the next recipe.
And speaking of which, I found a great blog with a variety of pesto recipes and one in particular for pesto broccoli quinoa .. I’ll reblog that one!
Yesterday I was getting back in my stride … feeling so much better. Spent hours outside … finally potting up those herb seeds from a gift years ago. Funny, the seed packets note to “use the seeds before 2006” … ha ha, I scoff, as I soak the contents of each packet in a diluted EM solution. We’ll see, my pretties!
Don’t know what I’ll do if all the seeds sprout, though! There are: coriander, thyme, parsley, basil and some spinach. Bumper crop. Then I found some lovely squash seeds and my wonderful luffa. I’ll just try a few of the luffa seeds .. to see if I can actually grow some. Fingers crossed.
Then I spent some time unpotting some Scotch moss, separated some of the plants into two sections, soaked them in diluted EM and placed them at the side garden, in front of the boxwood. This area is starting to look great. And I scattered hundreds of Calendula seeds in this area. These flowers grow like weeds. Lovely yellow and orange coloured petals. Then I can collect the petals for future use. Ah, at times it seems as if I’m regressing .. I used to do this years ago.
I plan to get back into soap making .. on a small-scale, just for the fun of it. I’ll not use tallow this time .. will focus on the cocoanut base and other plant-based materials. And I do not plan to go into business this time … so will just enjoy the pleasure of creating a small variety of soaps for friends and myself.
Watched the baby sparrows learning from their parents, how to feed at the bird feeders. I can hear their tiny chirps high above in the trees. They sound cute. Still looking forward to seeing the little woodpeckers, chickadees and other birds.
Funny how time just disappears in the garden. Such an enjoyable place to be. And I’m very slowly decluttering .. planting the cuttings started last year. Collecting all unused plant pots. I’m really making headway .. and … enjoying the journey!
So, the winds arrived on Sunday .. well, they were really a continuation from the past few days. They really dry out the soil so I had my little garden sprinkler on in several places, in particular in the garlic patch.
Still gathering some garlic scapes. Funny, some of them are so small, they are easy to miss. I’ve read that only hardneck has scapes, but I’m also finding them on the soft neck also.
I’d purchased 4 types of garlic from Richter’s a few years ago… had started off with a lovely sign for each type, or so I’d thought. Quite cute, I thought, writing the name of the garlic on a large shell, using permanent black felt marker. Until the weathering from the rain and the winters caused the letters to fade. I was then left with quite a quantity of garlic and used to guess which bulbs they were.
Well, the Kazakhstan, Music and a few others were just mixed in together. Now I realized that I am not the world’s best organizer in the world of plants and that just suits me fine. Gotta live with what’s there, right? I’ll leave it to other gardeners to neatly label, sort and plant nice orderly gardens. That just doesn’t work with me.
And this just adds to the zany colourful and magical world of gardening.
I’d also purchased a few Elephant garlic cloves from a market stall and planted these alongside the fence at the side of the yard. Last year I was rewarded with several baseball sized single cloves. These were just delicious . .mild and flavourful.
What I would love is a large field so I could plant more garlic .. am I obsessed? That’s ok if I am .. not a bad obsession, I think. Our next place will definitely have more space for gardening. I’m using this year to show my sweetie that I really can be tidier and organized (in my own way, though!) and am getting to be more successful in growing fruits and veggies.
This success, though, is mainly due to that most wonderful EM .. with the addition of seaweed. And also some spent hops which I collect from time to time. Adding to the lovely garden beds. And the best compost of my life .. now that I’m more aware of the correct procedures of composting. Information learned in the OMG course, Gaia College. Changed my life forever in the way that I garden.
So, anyway, yesterday .. I’d been hit, out of the blue, by some kind of bug that must have been picked up when we went out for supper a few nights ago. So I fought it as best I could. Taking a spoonful of concentrated EM … feeling the improvement. Lots of water with lemon. Tried to work outside, but no energy .. oh, I dislike being ill, yes I do.
Still, I dressed up for gardening, not keeping a good woman out of her garden! Topped up the bird feeders … they were empty, whether due to the winds shaking the contents about or perhaps a heavy influx of birds, who knows!
Wandered back to the latest gardening area. Planning to fill in some areas with spoiled hay, seaweed gathered last week. Mix in some soil. Plant some squash and some basil. Lovely.
And I have this great little herb seed gift pack from years ago to plant up. The kit contains some great little labels, printed on think copper sign posts. They will look great.
Played with my new lawnmower .. so happy to have a push mower again! Two-fold activity .. burn a few calories and cut the grass without pollution and noise .. hmm .. that’s three-fold!
Gathered a few more roses for drying. Abundant blooms this year. Can you say “EM”?
Wandered around the garlic plants .. those scapes keep growing, even when picked. And today, I’ll make up another batch of garlic scape pesto, adding lots of garlic gathered from last years crop. This is green-gold!!
Another great day. And today .. energized, time to go outside and play some more.
Saturday .. a mix of rain ..and clouds. Outside for a little bit. The day was for puttering around. Not a day for massive amounts of work.
I like these kinds of days. Time to relax, be creative. Perfect opportunity to just focus on some little things to do. Those things that get cast aside when the urge to work hard and dig and move hits me.
So yesterday I took advantage of this little window of fun. Started off by putting more empty pots in a container .. to be washed out and either given away or recycled.
Next, time to clear off my little outdoor working table. It’s one of those white plastic patio tables that I bought many years ago at Sears during a Saturday sale. The umbrella is long gone .. but the usefulness of the table lives on. Just the perfect size and weight so that I can easily move around the yard for my various projects. The legs are easily undone and the unit stored away when not needed.
A quick scrub and a rinse with the hose and the table’s surface is proper again.
The rain continues … it changes from a light mist, moves on to a drizzle and then pours down. Oh, it feels wonderful to be outside at this time. Nice and cosy. I tuck my i-Pod and camera into one of those new little clear plastic storage boxes, purchased at Canadian Tire yesterday. Handy little things, these are and perfect for the rain.
First chore … is to finally pot up some miniature rose plants …. gifts from the Christmas season. Nicely watered with EM and time for them to be planted in some real soil, instead of the shredded coconut fibre that they were packed in. So now they are sitting pretty in some cheerful blue coloured round garden pots. Did I hear a sigh of relief as their roots settled into real soil? Or was that just my imagination??? 🙂
Well, I feel better anyway!
Then, time to pot up some flax seeds. These have a good history to them. And a special importance. They are from a collection belonging to a person who was quite ardent in permaculture, in recycling, in all the healthy and non-pollutant ways of living.
I was lucky enough to ask for and receive one of the packets of flax at her service earlier this year. And promised to share these with friends. I’d originally intended to repackage the seeds into several small envelopes, but, seeing that I’d inadvertently left a lot of my seeds outside (oops)… it was time to just plant them the best way that I could. Thus the little pots. Once they start to grow a bit more … then it will be time to share them. And for me to plant some in my yard. Positive memories and inspiration for the future.
During some breaks in the rain, I wandered around the yard, admiring the beautiful crystal clear droplets of water that bejewelled the leaves and flowers. Such decadent beauty.
Finding more garlic scapes (they will keep on growing after I’ve broken off the scapes) .. .and gathered them all up. Yum …. more garlic pesto!!
Looking forward to harvesting the garlic .. that will be just so much fun, like Christmas morning!
Just last October, I’d reshaped the garlic bed and carefully planted lots and lots of these wonderful bulbs. And now, with the lovely mulched soil, lots of EM and a healthy topping of seaweed .. I have a true garlic forest!
Stopped for a while and watched the little Chestnut-Backed Chickadees foraging for insects and spiders in the white lilac tree. Loving their little nasal chirps. Wonder where the Red-Breasted Nuthatches are …. as these two travel together, or so I’m told.
Looking forward to the new baby Bushtits. Last fall & winter there were so many in the yard. Then spring arrived and there was one couple .. so I was wondering where they might have set up a nest in the yard. There are plenty of places around our yard for them to set up a little home.
Spent some time just relaxing outside, enjoying the peace and quiet, the sounds of the birds. The sounds of the raindrops pelting the leaves. Breathing in the wonderful earthy smell of the wet ground around me. Utterly content.
So, yesterday, I spent nearly the whole day in the garden, from early morning till later afternoon.
My intention was to proceed with the clearing up of cuttings made last spring, sort plant pots. Decided to make a pile of things to give away, including the majority of those fantastic hard styrofoam flats that are just magic for propagating those difficult things, like boxwood, bay laurel, etc.
There are about 80 cells in each flat. Each cell is about 2 inches in diameter at the top and tapers down to about 1/2 ” .. and they are about 4 ” deep. They offer tremendous protection throughout the seasons to encourage root formation. And the root formation for the bay laurels are very strong. Each time I pried up a cutting from a cell and saw the tremendous root growth .. my belief in the magic of gardening was affirmed.
So I emptied 4 of these flats, have a few more to go. I was very strict with myself, and any cuttings that didn’t show any roots .. well, they go into the compost.
Next .. I looked at the flats of Boxwood .. what to do with these plants? I’d originally made the cuttings …. just to see if they would root. And they all did! I was going to have a plant sale, but … changed my mind. And then the idea began, of actually using these little plants in the yard.
So, I began digging away at the back side of the yard .. at the location where I had located my gigantic leaf compost pile last year. The soil here is very good. Gently digging away at the area … I began planting the tiny boxwood plants. Shook away the soill they grew in, dusted the roots with mycorrhizal fungi to encourage strong growth.
Soon, I had a little border of these plantings. They look tiny now, but just wait a few months! I temporarily placed some other potted plants here and there, just to see what the effects would be. Some variegated grasses, daisies. Irish Moss will be at the front of the row. They add a touch of brilliant green foliage and brighten up this area.
Once I’ve determined the final shaping of this area and the little veggie place at the back (where I’ll plant those Kentucky Wonder beans!) .. then I’ll put some ground up tree branch mulching … the final remnants of some free material that I gathered from a residence, thanks to Used Victoria.
This will add a good finish to the ground, allowing a soft surface to the little paths here. And I just don’t like the look of bare ground, anyway. The mulch will add a sort of carpet like feel to this area.
After hours of digging, on my hands and knees, moving things here and there I was just getting a little tired, so decided to go inside, make a cup of Yorkshire Tea .. and just for the heck of it .. turned on the computer.
Went to Used Victoria and … voila . … there was an ad for a push mower, only a year old and just $10! Plus, I was the first viewer!!! Quickly called the owner, and I was the first contact! So raced over there .. and made my purchase!
I’d really been wanting a push mower. The last one I owned had been quite heavy and difficult to move, so I’d given it away.
Plus, met some lovely little doggies and some rescued ferrets. Turns out this gentleman and his wife care greatly for these little animals. At this time, they have 4, but in the past, they’ve had quite a few. So inspirational to meet such lovely kind people who care for animals.
Yippee .. my new lawn mower in my car .. time to make a few grocery purchases on the way home. And, what do you know! Plants are on sale at a local supermarket! There was a lovely selection of ferns, so I chose 4 (includes a Japanese painted fern, beautiful). Was thinking also about getting another grape-vine, but decided against it.
I’d planted a grapevine in a sort of sunny/shady area a few years ago. It’s not grown much. That is, it hadn’t grown much … until .. I watered EM on it! Now it has flourished and is growing like crazy. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was able to actually see grapes this year.
Well, wonder of wonders! There was a grapevine in the store that was going to be discarded, and magically, it was given to me! This one I will plant in the sun and feed it lots of EM.
How lucky am I, then? Two wonderful items that I’d really wanted and now I have them!
Back home, I try out the mower .. works great. The front grassy section of the yard isn’t even, so I had quite a workout and burned a few calories. Great fun.
So, Friday was a wonderful day for gardening and so onwards and upwards, will continue today!
My Lovely Garden … Mon Joli Jardin 