meg's garden: Gardening Saga

Yes, it really is popping up all over

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 04:05:52 GMT

I realize that it doesn't officially begin until Thursday, but after two weeks of moderate temperatures, everything around the Garden is positively screaming “Spring!” (hence the redecorating- BTW, the photo in the new banner is one I took in Victoria, BC last summer)

For those of you who are concerned that I’m too busy, rest assured I do know when to take a break; this weekend was spent doing a fairly decent impression of a sofa cushion. Sleeping in, watching TV (“N.C.I.S.” marathon & Season One of “Fawlty Towers”), knitting, & some light reading- all activities designed to recharge an overworked woman.

To ease my Puritan-ethic sensibilities, I made a foray to Cost*co & Pet*smart so we all could eat this week, & a kamikaze tour of Wal*mart for grooming essentials, snail bait, & 5 bags of compost. This afternoon, after a nap with the girls, I spent some quality time in the yard, putting some of the new plants in the ground.

Then I did a little photo tour of the treasures around me:

This week is looking reasonably quiet- I have my annual mammogram in the morning, Sam plans to go over to DMV to take his permit test, I need to get the rest of the plants in the ground, & firm up our itineraries for our days in Washington, DC. Oh yeah, I guess there are some things to complete at work *sigh* I would much rather just hang around the house…

Can you blame me?

My hands are dirty

Tue, 15 May 2007 02:36:00 GMT

Thought I best update the gardening news (given the name of the blog & all- wouldn’t want to be accused of false advertising); things are growing J (sorry- it’s the smart aleck in me). The garden is looking pretty good right now- the front bed still looks a bit like the Luther Burbank Test Farm (one of everything & little design scheme), but with the exception of the groundcover, everything seems to be thriving in spite of the intense wind & hot spell we had last week. It has become a pleasure to drive up to a greeting of flowers & greens; the only disappointment is the progressively sorry state of the rest of our neighborhood. Many new people have moved in since last year & they don’t bother to keep up their yards- weeds & garbage cover more than half of the lawns. *Sigh* that is one the greatest drawbacks of living in a rental community- there is little sense of responsibility toward or pride in the properties- I’m embarrassed to have people over because of the “ghetto” appearance of the rest of the area. I’ve been seriously tempted to go out at night with the lawnmower, weed-whacker, & garbage bags to clean up the worst of it- but to be honest, I’m scared of some of these people & worry they would take pot shots at us.

Remember these things that followed me home in March?

This is what they look like now- I’m quite happy with the results.

The vegetables are going like gangbusters; the 3-inch tomato plant we brought home from the hardware store is 5 foot high & already threatening to bust out the cage. We’ve been eating lettuce for a month or so, have picked a dozen sweet snap peas, & while weeding the carrots, I found a lot of thick, orange tops, so I think we’ll be harvesting some soon. I’ve also been picking a few strawberries that came up in a planter box I was given last fall; I just set the dirt-filled box out next to the house, planning to recycle it in the spring. Imagine my surprise when a healthy ever-bearing plant came up- I’ve been picking 3 to 6 berries a week for a while & it’s still putting out flowers. Unfortunately, the blueberries aren’t doing as well; they put out tons of flowers in March, but it doesn’t look like any of them were pollinated & they have all fallen off, though I noticed a few new blossoms this morning. The dwarf Meyer’s lemon is again covered with small fruits; I believe we ended up with around 30 matured lemons altogether last season, picking the last one in February. I also planted a new variety of squash- a Mango Squash, which is already putting out blossoms- in one of the big barrel containers I had tulips in- I’m planning on caging them to grow vertically, alongside an upright cucumber bush & my snap peas. There is still a large patch of raised bed- about 6 X 4 foot- that we haven’t put anything in yet; I’m not certain what I want to plant there- Chris suggested another squash or some melons, but they take up so much room, I’m hesitant- any suggestions?

I don’t know how much I’ll be around in the next few days; we have a particularly full, but fun, week coming up. Saturday & Sunday are the 4^th annual Livermore Highland Games, which is our club’s second biggest event of the year, so Monday & Friday evenings are committed to rehearsals for our demos. Tuesday, I take Daisy back to the vet for her first 12 hour blood-sugar monitoring, to see if we have her insulin levels balanced correctly; she seems to be doing fairly well- she’s eating well, keeping her food down (Thank you Lord)- & doesn’t seem to mind the twice daily injections, but beyond that, it’s hard to tell since her natural activity level is so low. Wednesday is the Celtic Women concert in San Jose; Chris & I are both taking off work early that day, so we can go to dinner beforehand. I had Chris take a couple of vacation days, since he is about to max out his accrual, so he’ll have a long weekend to enjoy the Games & chauffer me around- the “Check Engine” light came on in my car this weekend, so we’re dropping it at the shop Thursday for servicing (ironically, I just received a postcard the day before, warning my that the factory warranty was about to expire- how do they plan these things? Not to worry- we bought the extended warranty & I’m planning on trading my car in later this summer for a newer model) Last, but certainly not least, Sunday afternoon Sam has his next Karate belt testing (which we will miss) for his First Class Brown Belt- next step (in 6 months to a year) will be his Black Belt. So as you can see, sitting down in front of the computer (other than at work) will probably be difficult to do for a while- any “free” time will be spent on the baby quilt, eating, or sleeping- I know, I really need to work on my priorities.

In closing, I would like to share this- I don’t usually quote (or even read) poetry, but this spoke to me; Spring is my favorite time, & May has always brought special things to my life.

Now the bright Morning star, day's harbinger,

Comes dancing from the East, and brings with her

The flowery May; who from her green lap throws

The yellow cowslip and the pale primrose

Hail! flowery May that dost inspire

Mirth and youth and warm desire.

Woods and groves are of thy dressing

Hill and dale doth boast thy blessing

Thus we salute thee with our early song

and welcome thee and wish thee long.

John Milton ~ MAY SONG ~

Time for a Makeover

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 21:00:52 GMT

Despite the nasty heat (topped out at 115 degrees- that’s not a temp for living in- it’s the temp to bake cookies!) I had an urge to do something about my front flowerbed . No, I didn’t want to work on it- I’m not THAT motivated- I just wanted to buy stuff to plant in it. This area has become my Everest to conquer; I can’t seem to find much that will survive, let alone thrive, there. It’s one of those awkward areas- north facing, shaded by the house & the tree, early morning & late afternoon sun, & subject to almost constant wind. So far, alyssum, 2 geraniums, my giant dahlia, & (surprisingly) California poppies have done well, but with the wind & heat, everything is looking pretty dreadful . I had a gift certificate my mother-in-law gave for graduation to a very cool nursery in Lafayette called the Orchard, plus some bonus bucks that were only good in the month of July. So, I woke up early (for a non-work day), shoved Sam into the shower, fed the animals, & hit the road by 8:45, after fortifying ourselves at Jamba Juice (Melonade Wave w/2 scoops of soy protein- YUM!).

I could normally spend about 3-4 hours just wandering around this place- permanent living display areas, cool things tuck into every corner, detailed descriptions for every plant, plus a gift shop, statuary, fountains, tools, gadgets, & a great, friendly staff. Even though we got there by 10:00, it was already over 90 degrees & very humid- not something we’re use to- so every 5 minutes, someone walked by & handed us each a COLD water bottle. I ended up buying 5 plants- Myoporum, a low-profile groundcover w/pink flowers; Cosmos, an old fashion flower that’s suppose to be heat tolerant; a topiary ivy for inside; a dark red Geranium to replace one that didn’t make it; & another Lemon Balm, since the Orange Mint I planted smothered the last one. One of the staff suggested I try this product called Cloud Cover for my fuchsias & hydrangeas- they keep getting wind burned. I also picked up a ring stake for my dahlia (it has 3 blossoms on it) & the cutest little trellis for some sweet peas I want to put in- & I got out of there with a $1.68 left on my gift card!

Since we were only about 10 miles from Berkeley, stopped off for a visit with my family. Mom & Michael, my step-dad, just returned Thursday from seeing my sister in Hawaii , so we were fortunate to find them home. We had a nice catch up in the garden, where it was relatively cool, then had some lunch inside. I caught a glimpse of my youngest brother, but never got to talk to him- he hightailed it back upstairs when he realized someone was in the house (he’s kind of an odd duck- musician/science major with anti-social tendencies ) Even though they’re only an hour away, we only see my family a couple times a year when we drive out to see them. Mom is bi-polar & it is sometimes difficult for me to be around her- I get worried & stressed because they’re somewhat casual about her medication. Michael is pretty much in denial about her illness (he thinks she’s just a little high-strung) but he keeps her balanced- they will be celebrating their 40^th wedding anniversary in January. Fortunately, her case is not very difficult- her cycles are regular & not horribly severe.

Sam & I headed home around 2:30 to beat the traffic coming home from the beaches. As we drove home, this huge band of thunderstorm clouds came in from the southeast- it never did rain, but the clouds blocked the sun long enough to take an edge off the heat. We spent the rest of the day napping & watching British comedies & Mystery on PBS. At 8:30, we decided to hit the grocery store for water, ice cream & mustard- we never seem to have enough mustard around our house!

Chris gets home late tonight ; I think I’ll wait until tomorrow to tell him we’re going to dig up the front bed again. Actually, I need to get some more mulch & compost to put in the ground, & pick up a new spading fork; besides, I’d like to wait for a break in the heat- possibly this weekend- so we don’t have to work in the dark!

Success!

Tue, 11 Jul 2006 03:43:52 GMT

It's small, it's limited, but it's edible- yes, I've managed to harvest from my vegatable garden. I know it looks like an amateur still life, but I had to show off my 1st harvest of the year. And those are actually full-sized, as in buy at the market!

The timing is perfect, since Chris gets home tomorrow after 3 weeks away & loves fresh veggies. He flies into Oakland at 9:30 am, then has to go into work! He says it's just to drop off his tools & check-in, but I know once he sees the work orders lined up & the number of bookings for the weekend, he'll put in a full day. That's okay, since I can't take off work right now & wouldn't see him until evening anyway.

This past weekend, I alternated between my impression of a whirling dervish & a bump on a log. During bursts of energy & determination, I did laundry, pulled weeds, cleaned bathrooms, & did some shopping. The lawn was driving me crazy, so I sent Sam out to mow. Unfortunately, his wasn't really committed to doing it "Dad's Way"- ie neat rows, edging done- so I sent him back out twice to finish it. (I'm not on his favorite person list, but tough cookies.) Then, the momentum would fizzle out & I would take a nap or veg out on Food Network or History Channel. But I did get alot done on the socks I'm knitting for my mother-in-law.

The highlight of the weekend was attending a graduation celebration for a exceptional young man in our church. Chuks Obi was valadictorian (with a GPA of 4.27!) star football player known as the "Nigerian Nightmare", noted in "Who's Who of High School Student 2006", & was awarded no less than 14 scholarships, & will be attending Harvard this fall on an academic & athletic scholarship. He is a very sweet, soft-spoken young man, with a great bass voice. His large, extended family threw a huge celebration at the church Saturday night- the ladies cooked for 4 days. The food was copious, but somewhat odorous. I was brave & tried a little of everything, but the smell & texture of some dishes was too much for me, so I had alot of fruit & salad. After the speeches, prayers & presentation of gifts & awards, they began dancing- everyone got up, young & old, all colors & nationalities, the women in their colorful headdresses & men in bright caftans, dancing in celebration & praising God.

Garden Saga I

Thu, 06 Jul 2006 05:26:42 GMT

I aspire to be a gardener- unfortunately, most of my plants expire rather than inspire. But, hope springs eternal, so every spring, Chris & I head to the garden center & bring home a new crop of victims. Some make it, like the 12 tomato plants that produced until November (unfortunately, I don't really like fresh tomatos), the volunteer grapevine that showed up 7 years ago & has pulled down one side of our fence, & a couple beautiful, but confused, rose bushes that bloom out of sync with the rest of town; the rest go to a special place God made for abused plants.

My son's FFA project this year was a backyard remodel, so I have a nice raised planting area to work with for vegatables. Since Chris is still in Florida, I decided to do some work in the yard yesterday morning. It was then I discovered my monumental error for the growing season. In April, I planted a Lemon Cucumber, planning on training up a trellis to conserve space. Since the plant was so small, I didn't think I needed to install the trellis right away. I waited; the plant grew slowly, so I figured "Hey, no rush!" Then, the hot weather hit & suddenly, this kudzu-in-disguise takes off, threatening to strangle the tomatos (only 3 this year), bell peppers & heirloom 3-color string beans. So, I hit Home Depot & buy a HUGE Texas Tomato cage, thinking I'll corral the invader & make it go up instead of out. Yeah, right. Picture a plump, 5'4" woman single-handedly wrestling a 6'8" mess of tangled vines into a 18" square cage. Not pretty. Halfway thru the attempt, my son walks out with the phone & not only doesn't he offer to help, he falls down laughing. (Needless to say, he spent the rest of the morning scrubbing the toilets & floor with super cleaner & a toothbrush.) I gave up on trying to corral it- I opened the cage into a half-circle, brutally cut back half the vines, & gently threaded the remaining vines thru the cage. I hope it survives, because while doing battle, I found the single cucumber this monster produced. I had it for lunch today & it's really good.

Now, don't get the idea I'm completely incompetent in the garden. The herbs are doing well, so well that I'm dealing basil & tarragon at work because I can't eat it all. I also have a dahlia plant in front that has the BIGGEST flower I've ever grown!

Actually, this is the 2nd largest dahlia- I had to trim the 1st one because it was pulling the whole plant over. So, we'll see how the rest of the season goes. The drawf Meyers Lemon has about 40 fruits on it & the yellow squash is covered in flowers, so potential is there. I just hope the Plant Fairy is there, too.