My Lovely Garden … Mon Joli Jardin

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.

Tag Archives: plants


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Mother Nature has been taking care of watering the gardens .. thank you very much.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

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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!

Laters!

A.M.


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Walking in the rain. Created the most delicious lasagna. Friday was a super day.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

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Friday morning .. wasn’t sure if it was going to be a sunny day or if the rains were actually going to happen.  Air was quite muggy.

Spent a few hours outside, continuing to sort plant pots.  Check on seedlings.   Mix the seaweed in amongst the garlic and into some veggie beds.  Having quite a lovely time of it, really, just working away, here and there. Feeling great that the yard is taking shape.  It will take a few more weeks and then I’ll really have done a thorough job of tidying up.

Finishing planting some fancy geraniums,   Found the best area for my new grape plant .. at the south side of the house.   Just have to dig up the hard soil about a foot and then place the vine in firmly.    When the sun does shine, this part of the yard is the absolute hottest.  I’ll take some pics when I’ve planted it.

Filled with joy when I discovered that a Salmon berry plant was thriving at the side of the yard.  Last year it looked like a dry stick and so I was just so sad.   Here it’s been growing strongly, beneath some bushes .. so time to relocate this little guy, so it can grow in more open space.

There are about 20 Red Hot Poker plants all thriving well in pots.  These I had potted up last year and just left them to grow .. or not . .and they have all decided to grow.   So, time to share these with others, as a yard can only handle so many, I think.  The birds love the brick-red tubular flowers .. as do the butterflies and hummingbirds. Just as I’m clipping away roses from the side yard, the faintest of little rain drops start to fall.   Then nothing .. so I wasn’t sure if the rains were going to be the type that start and stop.

Kept clipping away. Next, time to check on my latest seeds to see if they’ve sprouted .. . nothing yet.   And then to the very back, to place some stakes around the Silverberry bush, which should be growing tall and instead is tending to loom over the yard … soon had the main branches aiming upwards, adding more space to walk around the back area. Now the rains were pouring down in earnest.

I lingered outside awhile.  Enjoying the feeling of being outside in the rain.  Lovely damp earthy smell as the water hits the ground.  Feeling like a kid again .. listening to the birds.   After awhile … time to head indoors. And time to work on the recycling inside.    Found a bucket of music cassettes .. some going back 20 years.   Troupe music from  several forms of folk dancing, middle eastern dancing, clogging.

Let’s see .. when is the last time that I’ve played these tapes .. too long .. time to recycle. So for a few hours I stand at a counter, tiny screwdriver in hand, slowly undoing the 5 screws that hold the cassette together.  Salvage the plastic bits in one container, the metal bits in another.   And, unfortunately, not able to recycle the actual tape .. well, I’ve seen sites where clever people have actually knitted things from this tape, but I know that’s not going to happen here.

So, out it goes. I’ve dissected about 20 or so cassettes …. and time for a break.

So I go for a little walk out in the rainy .. see a neighbour with her daughter and most beautiful little baby .. all are so happy .. and I smile as I continue my walk. Love walking in the rain! And later, back home, time to cook up another gigantic lasagna dish.

This time I’m using the Lambs Quarters that my pal D has collected when we went to the beach.  Thanks to her I have a huge bowl of these most lovely greens to use, instead of spinach. Using those amazing no-cook lasagna strips makes the process so easy.  I cooked up a mixture of chopped onions, ground chicken, ground veggie meal, the last of the frozen tomatillo’s from last year’s harvest and a few frozen green tomatoes.

Add salsa and canned tomatoes (blended up).    First I browned the onions and meat .. then added the rest. Spread a layer of this mixture into the lasagna pan, then a layer of lasagna sections.   A thick layer of the Lambs Quarters.  These are considered a weed .. but, as I’m finding out .. a lot of “weeds” are highly nutritious and delicious.

Then added 2% cottage cheese, some sauce, some shredded mozzarella and repeated layers  till there was absolutely no more room in the pan, except for the last layer of just blended tomatoes on the top .. to soften the lasagna.  A thick layer of shredded mozzarella .. and into the oven.

Cooked for an hour.   MMMMMMMMMM

Sort of thought of taking a photo, but by then, I’d cut into the lasagna .. oh, it was delicious.  So just imagine the most golden brown cheese encrusted lasagna dish that you have ever seen in your life .. times two .. and that would be the finished dish! Absolutely the best lasagna!

Some will be frozen for future meals .. that is .. if we can stop ourselves from cutting a slice and heating it up for a meal!

Twas quite a day.


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I love my little garden .. it’s my favourite place to be.

Friday, June 22, 2012

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Thursday was a warm, muggy day .. rain is going to be happening in a day or so.   Spent hours and hours spreading the iridea out on the framed trellis sections.  My makeshift outdoor gardening play area, comprised of two fold-out tables.  Used those handy Rubbermaid containers, styrofoam rooting flats and empty blue garbage cans (these are only ever used for gardening).  And thanks to my pal J B for these lovely blue containers.  They are so handy for storing plant items outside, protecting contents from the rain.  And .. they look pretty!

All the plants are looking a bit parched so I watered as much as I could.  The days are longer and so I was working (playing) till after 8 pm.  Wow.

Looked at the containers of seaweed that I really meant to spread on the garden yesterday, but didn’t .. so that’s one chore today.

Tell me .. is this the sign of: a) an avid gardener; b) an obsessed gardener; or c) a very bored person .. when I dream of the vegetables I’ll be planting, where I’ll be planting them, how I will augment the soil and where to place any trellised thingies for the plants to grow up on?

I mean, I woke up this morning, from a dream where I was working away like crazy in the garden.

Some people dream of great inventions and bring them to life .. me .. I just seem to dream a lot about gardening .. maybe it’s just the summer.

Well, a harmless addiction, I must say.

So ..I’m very happy with the progress of the garden.   Especially the new-ish plantings at the side of the yard, along the fenceline.  Tiny plants right now and I can visualize them in a few months time.  Thanks to the waterings of EM, the good soil.  And next week I’ll be ordering yards of that lovely Miracle Mulch.   Comprised of shredded branches, leaves which I will mulch along the sides of the gardens along the fencelines.   Just for the perennials, not the edibles.

Which reminds me, the raspberry canes are just going crazy, along one side of the yard.  I thought I had removed every darn one and transplanted them.  But no … up they sprout.

Well, we will have lots of raspberries, that’s for sure.

Not so sure about the cherries .. the strong winds of the past few weeks have knocked a lot of them down.  And, since the birds are welcome to the cherries at the top of the tree .. I would like to make a pie or two from those that remain on the lower branches.

There will be lots of plums this year!  And apples .. and blueberries (my DH loves these!)  Lots of squash, pumpkins, peas, beans.

I love my little garden …. it’s my little Paradise, my refuge from the busyness of the city.  My oasis, where time doesn’t exist .. and .. after I make a pot of Yorkshire Tea .. .that is where I am heading for the entire day.

Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee


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Wednesday brings good fortune for me and bad karma for others!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

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Wednesday was one of those rare sunny days .. these ones that appear from time to time, and deludes us into  thinking that summer has arrived.  I’ve not yet put my winter clothes away yet and have found that procrastination has paid off!  For the sunny days, there are my capris and t-shirts.  For chilly days, I have my lined cargo plants, t-shirts & jackets.  Gloves and scarves too.

But yesterday was a summery day as my pal D & I headed off to a local beach to collect seaweed for the garden.

Tide was at its lowest about 9:15 …. and it was lovely to see that we could walk way .. way out to the ocean!  It was a nice quiet day, perfect for selecting this treasured material for the garden.

I’m very careful to only collect that seaweed which is dried or otherwise not still attached to rocks and yesterday, due to the heat, there was a nice crispy layer on the surface of the wet seaweed.  So I was rolling the top layer like Sushi!

I’d brought my trusty old Rubbermaid containers, the same units I’ve been using for over 20 years.  Originally I’d used them to store the variety of pot-pourri, moth repellents (herbal), stove top spices and bath herbs, back in the day when I was making the rounds of craft sales.  And also selling these items, packaged, in stores, on a small-scale.

These containers were just plain handy.  Anyway, as I started to fill them up, I noticed that there weren’t as many there as when I’d started.  I had brought 11 and now there were only 7.   Mystified, trying to understand why someone would take 4 of these .. didn’t make sense.  Perhaps there are people who just like to take things that are on a beach?

Well, karma will out.  Next time I’ll write my name on my few remaining containers.  I just hope that whoever took them finds these containers to be as useful to them as they have been to me.

Anyway, collecting done, containers filled, tucked in the car .. it’s time to relax in the sun.  Body aching from hours of bending, collecting, filling, lifting.  It was sheer heaven to settle in on the warm rocks and breathe in the beautiful fresh air.

As always, we meet people who ask what we are doing .. and explain that the seaweed is good for the garden.  Adds minerals and texture to the soil.  enriches the compost.  Garlic loves it and slugs avoid it.

We have both taken an intensive seaweed workshop and understand how to properly harvest any living seaweed, cut off just a little and leave the plant growing.

At the end of our long outing, the decision was made to visit a different little place for our special treats.  We had been going to a little place that was noisy and that was just not relaxing.  So yesterday we went to another place.

And wow .. it was as if we had been transplanted to a lovely little European bakery!  It’s called “Little Vienna Bakery” and what a beautiful change this was for us.   Entering the welcoming open front door (and there were precious mosaic designed bistro tables & matching chairs near the entranceway)… we found ourselves in the most delightful bakery.

Gilt framed mirrors were everywhere.   Spacious tables were positioned so that everyone could comfortably visit and have privacy .. no crowding of tables.   We chose a little table outside .. and were rewarded with the most colourful flowering vista!  Vehicles could be heard but not seen.  Instead, our eyes saw towering banks of colourful foxglove, a wall of sunny California Poppies, waves of delicate red poppies.  And there were other perennials also, but my eyes were drawn towards the cheerful palette of the flowers.

How wonderful to find this oasis .. a perfect way to finish our day’s outing!  Sandwiches, soups, cheeses .. are all served here.  D had the poppy-seed bar, delicate and delicious (she shared with me) and I .. fell in love….  with the Schnecke!  Bought 2, 1 cinnamon and 1 chocolate (a treat for my DH).   Well, I broke off a little piece of the cinnamon one and found myself unable to stop.   So .. bought another one, as a treat, for when I was home.  Luckily there was one remaining in the case, otherwise, I don’t know, I might have broken down and cried if they were all gone.  So I was saved that embarrassment!

D pronounced the Schneckes as perfect, identical to the dainty pastries that were served in Vienna!   So the quality of the pastries, in conjunction with the most beautiful surroundings, the decadent regality of the gilt framed mirrors .. all added to the magnificence of this treasured place.  Oh, and they serve meals also, Breakfast & Lunch.  As well as wheat free products (as in the poppy-seed bar).

I think that next time I will have a grilled Panini .. they have a choice of Sicilian and Parisienne.  Well, with names like that, I just know that they will be delicious (really, though, I know they will be delicious .. cause in this beautiful bakery, everything is beautiful and tasty)  .   I’ll order the Parisienne next time, and I’ll just pretend that I’m back in France, wandering around dusty side streets .. listening to the language being spoken all around.  sigh.

Here is the site for the Vienna Bakery:  http://littleviennabakery.com/

As I was sitting there, looking around at the flowers, D whispered … don’t move!  A striking red and black butterfly had settled on the black ribbon encircling my hat, I was totally unaware.  So I passed the camera to her and she clicked away.  Luckily . .she was able to snap two good photos showing the butterfly nice and clear.  I’ve not seen a butterfly as striking as this one.  So I wondered, is this a sign of good luck?   That’s what I’ll interpret the little visit as.

It made up for the loss of my four containers.   And I released the negativity that I was feeling over the theft.

Soon, time to begin the trek home.  Back in traffic.  Happy for the day’s outing.  It’s so much fun to spend a day like this every once in a while.  Fresh air, sandy beaches.  D noticed a deer and a mink at the beach .. she always notices these things.

Back home, I emptied the containers from the car, and began the process of moving them to the back yard.  Some that I had gathered was for the bath so these I placed out on framed lattice sections, to dry.   The rest .. well I’ll be digging that into the garden today.


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Flying and Gardening .. what a great mix for a Tuesday, wouldn’t you say?

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

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Tuesday starts off nice and sunny.   Plans to go outside and play in the garden change .. as DH & I head off to the local airport.

Early lunch.

Tuesdays, Dak prepares authentic Vietnamese food and today this is curried chicken!  With 2 decadent pork deep-fried egg rolls.  I’m so hungry after a few days of not being able to eat much .. and chow down.  Still, need help from my DH to finish the generous portion of curried chicken, rice, pea pods and green peppers.

A few cups of tea and then we are outside … DH to prep the plane for our flight .. and me .. to tend to the garden outside the restaurant.  I’ll post a few pics later.

Due to the magical mix of EM, lots of sun and ample rain .. all the plants are growing well.  Except .. a bit of care is needed.  The Calendula flowers are rapidly going to seed and need to be ruthlessly cut down ..  no worries .. they will grow again.

I was so busy clipping and watering, that I didn’t take pics .. but will remedy this next week.  For yesterday, though, I showed tough love  .. cutting away the sections that were going to seed ( I have tons of Calendula seeds anyway).  The Mallow plants (like mini-lavatera) are at least 3 feet high, the seed heads have been forming and so it is time to cut them down.   I have millions of lavatera seeds collected from previous years, so no worries.

The lavender and pansy flowers are quite lush.   The sages are also flowering and I’m hoping to collect seeds from the purple and the green/white variegated sages .. this year.

The Rosemary plants are thriving.  As a matter of fact, all of the plants here are drought tolerant .. that’s why I chose them .. so they are tough as nails.

Next time I go out there, I’ll take lots of pics to share!

So I connected the hose and started watering the plants .. until it was time to fly away!

Being that it was such a beautiful sunny day .. the airport was kind of busy, so we had to wait a little bit before we took off.

What a marvellous time we had .. flew local .. I never get tired of this.  And so thankful that DH provided me with ground school and hours of co-pilot time (with the most wonderful instructor, Kirsten .. she is the best . an amazing instructor) last year.

I am so very happy when we are up in the air.  And, really, not having a sense of direction ..I’m ever so content to sit in the passenger seat!

Loved seeing the fluffy clouds way up high in the sky.  Seeing the tidy ploughed fields below.  the farms looking like little play toys.

After our flight, DH allowed me to dismiss my co-pilot duties and continue on to the garden so that I could finish a thorough watering of the garden area outside of the Dakota Cafe.

Not having my clippers, kneeling pads, and other gardening paraphernalia . .I worked away with a cutting knife, deadheading flowers and then watering the beds.   I’ll work more next week.  I love this volunteer gardening at the cafe .. and have plans to liven up the planter pots.

So tea … and relax in the sun for a bit.

Later, back home .. time to continue with the side yard plantings.  More boxwood cuttings are planted, along with the Southernwood.

And .. emptying the styrofoam planters .. I see the amazing root formations that have taken place on the Southernwood and the other cuttings, including the cedar cuttings.  These I tried, just for the heck of it, last fall.

Yesterday, when I removed the green cedar sections (branch tips) from the planters .. I didn’t actually see roots .. but, I did see the sturdy thick layer forming at the bottom of the stems .. which appear to be the beginnings of hardy roots.   So .. I coat these in mycorrhizal powder and put them all in a single pot … for the summer.  Then, in the fall, I’ll put them back in one of the styrofoam rooting planters.

Then, time to empty the Rubbermaid containers full of seaweed.    Place some around the garlic, some around the squash and tomato plants.  Some, also, in the new veggie section where I will be planting the Kentucky beans .. today, definitely.

I see that Yorkshire Tea has a contest on right now .. a chance to win a YT teapot .. so I quickly fill out the online form and submit.  Fingers, toes and eyes crossed.

This was  quite a day.  Spent mostly in the garden .. with a lovely bit of time way up in the sky with my sweetie ….   it was a great day!

🙂


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More on garlic and the powers of EM

Monday, June 18, 2012

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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.

🙂


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Taking advantage of the rainy Saturday to just putter around the yard and just plain enjoying being outside

Sunday, June 17, 2012

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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.

🙂


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The Universe is kind .. and now I have a manual lawnmower and a grapevine to plant, in the sun

Saturday, June 16, 2012

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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!

🙂


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Loving the magic of EM and the effects on all the plants in the yard.

Friday, June 15, 2012

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Thursday started out as an overcast, windy and chilly day.  Which later changed to a sunny and occasionally windy day.  Perfect for drying off the small batch of rock weed gathered at the beach a few days ago.  Air smells lovely with the scent of the sea, mineral laden air, how lovely..

I spread  the small amount of the rock weed into a number of deep sided, woven baskets so that the brisk winds could freely enter  these containers, without swirling the contents into the air.  Seems to have been effective, they are drying .. although they’ll need to sit in the sun for a few more hours.  Today is perfect.

Making sure that the bird feeders are kept filled so that our winged friends can dine in style!  I see the colourful House Finches queueing up at one feeder.   The slightly nasal chirp of the Chestnut-Backed Chickadees sound throughout the yard … they visit the feeders and the suet blocks.   They must be getting used to me, as I was standing by the feeder and one by one, they flew to the feeder, quickly chose a tiny black oiled sunflower, tightly held between their talons and pecked away the hard shell, and munched on the tender meat of the seed.

Is it just my imagination or are these birds a little tired from taking care of the youngsters?   The amazing magical instinctual nurturing is taking place in the current raising of feathery offspring.   I certainly hope that I can see some of the young Chickadees and Bush-Tits flying around.

Yesterday I had a goal .. which was to continue clearing away my propagating area and to create  another small growing space for those amazing Kentucky Wonder Beans.  Found myself spending hours digging out rooted cuttings of lavender, bay laurel, Buddleia, Artemisia.   Potted them up … plan to either install them in a garden area, or leave in pots for another year, so that they can grow a little more before being planted.

Time disappeared .. and all that existed was the exciting discovery of strong root growth in these little cuttings that I’d started last fall.  The natural processes of the life force in the cuttings worked away quietly during the fall, winter and spring seasons.

I think how far my garden knowledge has come since this time last year.  Hard to believe that I really thought that I had so much garden expertise at that time.  My gardening life totally changed once I began the Organic Master Gardening program through Gaia College, held at Royal Roads University.

Now I am aware of the millions of life forms that exist in the soil beneath my feet.  The beneficial and cyclical world that I was so unaware of.  And the amazing power of EM (effective microorganisms).  That alone was worth the cost and time of the course.

I’m constantly preparing batches of EM for the garden.  The plants have grown so well, healthy, strong, and I just can’t single out one plant that is doing so magnificently.  As a matter of fact, every single plant, from the garlic to the blueberries .. the apple and plum trees also.  The tomatoes .. the strawberries .. .all are amazing.

Power to the EM!!

🙂

And I’m still finding little “treasures” in the yard … that somehow keep popping up!  yesterday I found a small section of plastic train track beneath an apple tree.  From whence it came, I do not know . .yet, there it was!  Curious .. I picked it up.    Perhaps a bird flew by and dropped it there?

Anyway .. back out to the yard .. and more EM to be established on plantings.   Today will be a sunshiny day .. and rain is expected for the weekend!  Good for the plants.


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Procrastination doesn’t bode well in the garden .. seeds sprouting in their seed packets!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

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  Yesterday, another lovely hot and sunny day!   Spent some time spreading out some rock weed to dry on some lattice frames.   Perfect for soaking tired hands & feet later on.  Seaweed is perfect for soothing tired muscles, sore from lots of gardening.

So very much to do in the garden .. that’s what happens when chores aren’t organized, I find. However, it’s never too late, I tell myself .. as I wandered around . .. sorting out where to start first.

I’m quite surprised when I visit the area of the garden where I have organized my propagating and seeding area.  Uh, oh, all those packets of seeds that I left out on the table, with all the best intentions of putting them in seeding flats … and then I’d gone on to other things.  Well, most of them have sprouted.

I’d purchased a lot of them at a Seedy Saturday, months ago.  Then stored them neatly in a clear acrylic box, for future use.   After that, I’d taken them outside and so .. now .. after periods of rain .. some of them have actually sprouted in their envelopes.  Strong plant roots have broken through the paper barriers and grown and grown.

Opening some of the envelopes, I’m surprised to see strong and vigorous green growth!  The Pea seeds (a rare German variety) were well rooted.  I soaked the envelope in a little bucket of water, so that I could easily separate these treasures, without harming the root structure.   And I installed one of my wonderful pvc sections, joined in the middle, to form an arch and placed on long rebar stakes, held firmly in the ground.

Next, I hung plastic netting to the sections (last year I’d placed screws along the sides of the pvc, so that the netting could be held firmly in place) and fastened it snugly.   Then, busy gardening, I dug a long trench, planted the pea seeds, watered with EM and placed seaweed carefully around the seeds.  This keeps away the slugs.  No “slug bait” needed here.  Nature rules.

Soon, these strong little peas sprouts will be rapidly climbing the netting.   I foresee a heavy yield of these peas .. and will save some for seeding next year.

Once that was done, I returned to the table to check on the next packet of sprouted seeds.  These turn out to be Kentucky Wonder Beans .. and wow .. do they live up to their name!  Again I placed the seeds in water to loosen up the roots and pot them up, temporarily, in pots, to plant today.  I’m running out of garden space .. so spend some time, planning another temporary garden section.

I notice that the basil and flax seeds have been thoroughly drenched and so I soak them and place them, temporarily in pots, ready for planting.

Procrastination just doesn’t always work in the garden.

I mix up another batch of EM (effective microorganisms) .. the magic elixir that enriches the soil with a mix of bacteria, fungi, et al, that makes the soil come alive and encourages splendid new growth.   And I water some of the veggies with the EM ….. healthy soil, healthy plants.

And I tuck seaweed around the base of some blueberries, to deter the slugs which have been munching away on the leaves.  They aren’t doing that anymore, thanks to the seaweed!!

I love the new temporary raised bed, by the wild and crazy tree.  A wonderful mix of spoiled hay, leaf mulch, alpaca & goat manure, plus compost.   I had one remaining board left from the original raised beds of years ago.  That formed the front edge of the new bed.  Next I collected bricks from around the yard and made a facing, so it appears as if the bed is solidly established.

Then I placed sections of boards on top of the facing board, placed flower planters on top and interspaced them with beach rocks .. so now it appears as if this bed has been here for a long time!   (photos tomorrow!)

So .. today .. lots to do … setting up more little temporary beds and will plant those Kentucky beans there.

Basil & tomato plants to place in sunny areas.

Tidying up.

Bird watching.

Lots to do .. and looking forward to this day!

🙂