loss in the garden

Every season the garden teaches me something.  Whether it be patience, perseverance or simply to be still, I always come away changed from what unfolds.  This season has brought about some loss in my garden.  The biggest loss to swallow is my maple that is in the center of my shade bed in the front garden.

  I began to notice that large branches were dying and with this being the second year that it has not produced seeds I knew that something was wrong.  After consulting with an arborist we have come to learn that one of my favorite trees in our garden has girdle root which means that 20 something years ago when this tree was planted someone most likely planted it incorrectly by leaving it in its metal basket.  The roots are basically suffocating the tree by wrapping themselves around itself instead of growing outward.

I will miss the change of seasons with this tree and all of the memories that have come with it.  When my son was born I would look out his window into its canopy on cold November days as I fed him in his room.  Its brilliant autumn color when the beans were headed out to go trick-or-treating will be missed as well.  Yes,  I am mourning my tree.  Comes with the territory of life.  Nothing is permanent and we all have to adjust our sails to the changes that come.

So you shift and get busy heading in a different direction.  Or as Liz Taylor would say....

Though I don't wear much lipstick I do think this quote is fantastic and so it has been my mission the last few days to walk around my imperfect space to look for beauty.

 {my newly planted Oenothera tetragona by my bird statue}

 {quick combo...Campanula and Foam Flower}

{My new shrub Calycanthus Floridus....Allspice is beginning to bloom brilliantly}

 {long view of the back bed as it unfolds this spring}

 {golden rod, phlox, butterfly weed, roses and sedum filling in and getting ready to bloom...almost covering utility box...finally!}

 {Rambling Red climbing rose and Hyacinth Bean which is an annual vine to fill this season as the rose grows}

{the little guy cutting lettuce for dinner}


Beauty elsewhere

{a visit to the arboretum}

And today we went down to visit some family and enjoy the farmers market.  So many organic farmers selling their beautiful vegetables and plants.  And whatever your stance is or isn't on GMOS,  any crop that is sprayed with crap is bad for the Earth and all who inhabit it....bottom line.  

and to take in a little of this....

my brother entertaining the whole market with his tunes...

{photo taken by my lovely sister}

John Till Music

My tree was special.  The garden is ever changing as nature is.  It's our job to keep on going and seek out the beauty.

I hope that whatever your garden, whether it be a window box or a farm, that you pass on your love of it to just one person.  Together our seeds will transform the future.

Pass on the garden folks and make it a great weekend!  

Happy Growing!  

MAKING Mondays.....Children's Garden

Happy Mother's Day to all you out there!  We have been working on a little children's garden out back...here's what's happening....


we painted our old fence posts today...

I repurposed my old garden buckets and filled them with cement to hold the posts....

Their little space connects to our veggie plot

buried the buckets and began laying out annuals (Verbena Boniariensis and Salvia black and blue) between the posts....

added some stumps from my parents house for sitting and a pallet for a bridge entering the garden...

Things left to do....

paint the back sides of the posts

make some hooks for our watering cans

plant more annuals between our posts

add some blue stones (shiny as requested from my bean girls) to represent water in-between our bridge slats

have the beans make their pots of annuals that they will be responsible for this summer

So there you have it!  A little spot for the beans to be in the garden.  And I just wanted to say I'm a bit behind with my blog reading but will be around to check in with everyone today!!  Have a great start to your week friends!!!  And happy growing!!!  

doing things different...Permaculture

Hi everyone!  How are you all?  I really should be sleeping as I have not had a good nights rest in several nights due to some sick little beans but I am so excited about spring!  Flowers are blooming, compost and veggies are going in and we are officially back in the garden!!!  


I recently took a class at McDonald Farm with my gardening pal Sue about permaculture.  To say that we were inspired was an understatement.  With California's severe drought and the environment shifting, permaculture is changing the way we think about growing food and our relationship with the environment.

PERMACULTURE....Permaculture is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive systems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems. It is the harmonious integration of the landscape with people providing their food, energy, shelter and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way.

Here we are standing in front of a garden that was created to handle excess runoff water from the farm.  The water used for cleaning farm equipment and washing crops would just spill out into the field causing major erosion issues.

Now the water has been routed into a little creek where it feeds a natural forest garden full of fruit trees and edible perennials.  Nothing is wasted.

Below is a diagram of a small garden formed around a fruit tree that can be used for a residential garden.  A fruit tree planted with several layers of plants that not only help pollinate the tree but create a perennial garden full of low maintenance edibles.

Currently the folks here at the farm are working on creating gardens such as these at local shelters and schools.

Benefits...

*Provides fresh local food to the community

*Demonstrates a commitment to food security and ecological restoration

*reduces or eliminates lawn maintenance costs

*Creates a community park

*Serves as an outdoor classroom or educational resource

*Connects people to food and nature

*Inspires the growth of individual edible forest gardens

It was an unbelievable day at the farm to begin to think about what is possible and what is already taking place around the world.  A movement is happening!  

Won't you join in? 

Happy gardening my friends I will be around soon to check in with you all!  

embracing small....our edible garden plans for 2015

I'm not gonna lie.  I've been struggling with mapping out the veggies this year as I've been working very hard to embrace small plot gardening.  You'd think I'd have a grip on this by now as I have mastered (kind of) living in a 1600 square foot house with 3 kids.  The truth of it all is that my dream of having a rocking huge yard to grow every kind of fruit and vegetable possible still lingers around in my head especially when I come across gardens like this.....

via~myrevelment 

Dreams aside, and life in the now brings me to what vegetables I'm going to grow this year.  I find it very overwhelming to map out what veggies I want to grow so making a visual collage always helps me stay focused when seed and plant shopping.  Here is what's going in....

Peppers

Peas

Carrots 

Tomatoes-heirloom and cherry {cherry tomatoes in pots}

Salad {pots}

Cucumbers

Yellow Crookneck Squash {seeds from here...Seeds Of Change}

Eggplant  {pots}

Pole Beans {over my arbor}

I will be purchasing many of my seeds this year  from
All Good Things Organic Seeds.  

Via~Mano Farm

Now to save on space many of my vegetables will be going in pots as I have listed above.  Not in the list above are all of my herbs.  They always go in containers and those include.....

Basil

Parsley

Mint

Chives

Other edibles I have growing in containers are Autumn Bliss raspberries and strawberries.

The two plots I constructed for this season are each 4 by 6 feet so I will have room for my climbers in the far north bed {cucumbers and peas}.  

The Victory Gardens of the past always inspire me when dealing with my small plot.  It's amazing what you can create with a vision! 

So that's the start of the endless planning and mapping for the upcoming season...but my brain wouldn't have it any other way!  

Happy Making, Baking, and Growing Friends!

reflecting...

I forgot how much I love November.  The air has turned cold and the skies are that deep gray that only autumn can share.  The nights come quickly as we get ready for dinner.  One of the best parts of my day is sitting and eating as a family.  The baking has been steady as birthday treats and school snacks are to be made.  I now have time to reflect on how wonderful October was.  The seeds I planted in my Pop's garden produced some amazing pumpkins in the pumpkin patch.  The beans had fun going to Gram and Gramps' house to choose their pumpkins for carving.  The firetruck cake that I was nervous to make came out just fine and my son was proud of it.  Little art projects for the season have been filling up the walls and my beans are all one year older.  That little fairy up there won't be so little next year so I hug and carry her extra tight right now.

Happy November Friends

thinking ahead...garden solutions 2015

When we finished the deck last month we were left with a gap between the house and the deck.  We left a space because we have a window well there and we did not want to cover it up.

There are several design dilemmas when looking at this space.  The first is the drop off when walking out the door.  Though the drop is only about 10 inches I want to place a planter there for safety and visual interest.  The container will not only act as a boundary but will be a great location for kitchen herbs.


The next dilemma is what to plant here.  Being a gardener who lives on a city plot I don't want to waste any space.  Looking at this little area we have about 3 feet between the deck and the house.  Here are the options I thought would work for the space....

1.   Climbing roses (first choice)
2.   Tall perennials...this could be a fun mosaic of wild in a contained area
3.   Flowering shrubs
4.   My tomato plants...which don't do anything for winter interest



Here is where we are now...

This is where I could take it with a trellis to create height against the house...

There will be some space left under the window for plantings if I go ahead with the trellis.

Jennifer from Three Dogs in a Garden wrote about Rosa "Jasmina" which I thought would make a nice specimen.  I like that it is disease resistant while also having great size and form.

Rosa 'Jasmina': A climbing rose with long-lasting pastel pink roses that deepen to mauve in the centre.  This rose has disease resistant foliage and can reach a height of around 8'.

This winter I hope to target most of the areas in my garden to give myself a head start before spring. 

 What would you vote to plant in this little space???

Happy Making, Baking, and Growing Friends!!!

Here is to a wonderful November!