More Garden Goodies

Yesterday I went shopping at The Craft Star for some wonderful garden decor items.  Today I'm off to visit some old friends at Handmade Artists.  And look at what I found for my gardens.

First up, nothing says spring like butterflies.  And I think the colors on this hand painted metal butterfly are amazing!  It is all hand cut, detailed, and painted in the shop of Tropic Decor.  

I love my fresh herbs, they make food taste just...wow.  Much better than dried herbs, but let me tell you, they can be hard to tell apart.  Especially oregano and marjoram.  That's why I neeeed these Herb or Veggie Markers from kpdreams.

Every garden needs at least one fairy item, and this OOAK handmade polymer clay fairy home will be a welcome addition.  And once the word gets out, there will be fairies knocking down the door to move in.  I found this in the shop of mkirby.

And lastly, every picnic table or outdoor deck needs something mosaic, and this mosaic flower pot from Glassbrook Designs.  Now these are the kind of bees I wouldn't mind around my dinner plate.

So, what do you think?  Are you ready to get ready for summer?  I know I sure am, so now turn off the computer and get outside.  But first, comment, share, and visit these amazing shops.

Remember, when you buy handmade, you support small business.

Be blessed,

Debbi

Our very busy day

There is no rest for the wicked on the Huntington homestead today. First we have Chuck and Hannah replacing the liner in the pool before the next thunderstorm hits. 

And I need to weed the gardens and stake the tomatoes. All this rain is good, for the weeds. 

I'm busy lining some purses I made for the shop, crocheting toys for little Quintin, then I had the great idea to make some strawberry jam. 

And with all this going on I'm babysitting Owen and V for Amanda, AND my friends will be dropping off their 2 little kids to stay with us for a while due to a death in their family.  It is making for a crazy day, but I'm glad we can help our friends at this time, even in this small way   So, how is your weekend shaping up?

Be Blessed,

Debbi

Shopping for the garden

Believe it or not, yesterday we had some hail mixed in with our rain.  I am glad that we held off putting the vegetable plants in the garden.  But by this afternoon, the sun should be out, and stay out!  I can't wait for my summertime.  But since we are still housebound today, I thought I would do a little shopping for all my gardens.  I have 5, so lets's shop for all 5.

First my vegetables...

I love these!!!!  What a great way to mark my garden rows before the weeds take over.  I found these right away in the shop of litlbit59  on the Etsy site.  Each one is handpainted and sealed with Rustoleum paint and primer to withstand the wind and rain.  Of course, I would probably have a problem with Owen playing with them and moving them around, lol.

Next is my herb garden.  Last year I was depending on my memory when I was cooking, but let me tell you that while oregano and marjoram look the same, they sure don't taste the same!  I found these stone plant markers at Handmade Artists.  Go check out the shop of kpdreams, where you will find all kinds of signage, outdoors and indoors.  One of my favs is "we don't skinny dip, we chunky dunk". 

hahahahaha

Every butterfly garden needs bushes, and nectar laden flowers and fruits, but did you know that butterflies also need a place to sleep?  I've had several of these butterfly houses, but they were only white.  I bet the bright colors of this house would attract the butterflies home each night.  I found this in the Etsy shop of BeeGracious. 

I have a rose garden on the side of my house, with about 15 bushes in it.  The thing I love best about this garden (besides the awesome smells) is that this is where I use most of my outdoor decor.  Mostly because this is the part of the yard where the kids usually don't play.  So I thought this handpainted gourd birdhouse would look great hanging from a shepherds pole.  I found this pretty one in the shop of ChaseYourDreams at Handmade Artists. 

You'll also find some great gourd birdhouses in the shop of Wyndwalker Creations. 

My last garden is the pond in my front yard.  I've never done much with it, but now that we have ducks, I better get it ready.  I don't want them using my swimming pool. hahaha.  The kids would probably enjoy that though.  Since it's for the ducks, I can't do too much with the pond, but since it's under a tree, the solar light jars from Sunworx would be great.  In this shop you'll find lots of different designs, but I chose this moon and stars one.  A perfect nightlight for my little duckie babies.

So, are you ready for your summer gardens?  How many do you have?

Be blessed,

Debbi

the day after Easter

Yesterday I shared with you the fun we had at Amanda's house for Easter dinner.  

Today I'll show you the day after....lol

Owen asked to come home with us after Easter dinner and of course, we said YES!  He hasn't slept over in months, he's been in a "I have to sleep in my bed" funk lately and after having to take him home at 10 pm in my pajamas, we dropped the subject.  Well, on Easter he decided that he wanted to sleep over again.  And this time he waited till 9 to cry to go home, but by the time Amanda got to my house to get him, he had fallen asleep, so he did finally get to spend the night...again.  On Monday, Amanda and D met us at the local greenhouse as we plotted and planned our vegetable garden.

 Owen loved running from greenhouse to greenhouse looking at all the little plants.  He liked the colorful flowers best, but this trip was all about our future dinners.

When I wasn't looking, he got a hold of my camera, and took this picture.  Not bad, for a 4 year old.

We filled the back of the truck with 10 flats of the basic vegetables.  And we're still looking for more.  

Owen was pretty tired by the time we were back in the truck and on our way home.  He sill had a busy day ahead of him, meeting his other Gramma Debbie who came in from Washington State for a visit, and a birthday party in the park for his cousin.  What a social butterfly.  This is him with his Aunt Hannah.

The weather turned cold and wet, so our garden is in our enclosed back deck for now.  Chuck and Hannah manged to put in 3 rows of corn, but I want more.  So, who else is planting this summer?

Be blessed,

Debbi

Time to get ready for summer

Yes, I know, we just finished our New Years celebrations, and it is still officially winter, but for me, summer can't come fast enough!
 Sun? yes, please. 
Heat? bring it on, that's what our pool is for. 
Yard work? no so much fun, but planning now will make it easier. 

So first, my Burpee catalog and what vegetables do we want to grow this summer?  Luckily we have not had a hard freeze here, so Chuck can start turning over the ground, and turn over the ground, and turn over the ground, for our vegetable garden.  Last year we put our garden in a new spot, and it wasn't turned over enough first, so it got overrun with weeds and grass.  Funny how the heat can mess with my vegetables and flowers, but the weeds just thrive. lol.  So, once Chuck sprays and turns over, it will be time to start our seedlings.  We will have tomatoes, of course.  I can never seem to grow enough of them.  And corn.  Our corn last year never formed :0(  but luckily we still had corn frozen from the year before.  I want peas again, they didn't come up last year, I think I need to come up with a better trellis idea for my peas, and tomatoes.  I hate tying them up to stakes.  I love potatoes, carrots, and onions, but Chuck said the underground vegetables are too hard to harvest.  But these are pretty much the only vegetables my family eats.  This year we will plant only about half as many cucumbers.  Chuck is the only one in the house that likes cucumbers, so 15+ cucumber plants were way too much.  Now to the catalog to see what new veggies we should try.

I absolutely LOVE the color, shape, and feel of eggplant.  But the taste? Not so much.  Amanda made us Eggplant Parmesan once, but I just didn't like it.  And Amanda is a wonderful cook.  Maybe I'll put in 1 or 2 for her, use them as models for some still-life paintings, then she can have them.  Now cantaloupes, honeydew, musk melons, and watermelons are a must....I just wish there was a way to preserve them for winter consumption.  The ones you buy in the stores this time of year just have no flavor.

 This year I have to learn how to grow garlic.  I use a lot of garlic in my cooking and canning, and I thought, how cool would a string of garlic look hanging in my kitchen. hahaha.  Then there is my love affair with lettuce.  Not iceburg lettuce, but big, leafy, buttercrunch lettuce.  The name even sounds tasty...buttercrunch...like ice cream!

 

And now for something completely different...blue potatoes!  How cool would these look in a summer potato salad?  And popcorn is a big hit in my house, so growing our own would be something that may get the kids interested in working the garden. (probably not).  My uncle used to grow popcorn on his farm, I told all my friends cuz I thought that was just so neat.

Well, that should be enough for our vegetable garden...next week on to the herb garden, and pot gardening.

So, what will you be planting this year?

Be blessed,

Debbi

my little Christmas cactus

I purchased this Christmas cactus quite a few years ago because I loved the unusual flowers.  It bloomed the first few years, then nothing.  Of course it has been dropped, picked at by little fingers, and there have been times where I have totally forgotten to water it.  Well, this summer it only had about 6 branches left, so I stuck it outside on a shelf, where I promptly forgot about it again.  It loved it out there!!! 
Sun and rain!!!
 Look at it now!

It's blooming!  
I saw the little flower buds on it while it was still outside, but now that the temperatures are dipping again, I had to bring it into the house.  These pictures were taken over the weekend.   I love the bright pink flowers, and the shape of them is so different, and I love different.  I took another picture to get a good close up of the flowers.

They have opened up even more.  I sure hope it will continue to bloom until Christmas.  Hmmmm, maybe I'll try growing an Amaryllis again this year.  Miracles can happen you know. :0)

Be blessed,

Debbi

fall flowers

Someone forgot to tell these flowers that summer is over and I am no longer gardening.
 



I found this lonely little petunia in my pot pile.  Just when you think something is dead...and has been dead all summer...well, there she is! lol  And these dainty white flowers were growing over by our fire pit...amongst a pile of dead twigs waiting to be burned.  Yes, I have many piles in our yard, and just for fun, I'll make the kids move them around every now and then.  :0)  A few summers ago, we had a pile of rocks for our garden pond, and a foster son who had anger issues.  So every time he trashed our house or got into a fight, he had to move the pile of rocks.  It was a looooong summer, but by the end of it, he had not only learned to control his outbursts (anger is ok, hitting is not) but he had some great biceps too.

  

Up by my studio is my new, and still growing, hibiscus.  We planted one on each side of the steps.  I just love the bright orange and yellow of the HUGH blooms.  I got this mandavilla to cover our not needed satellite dish.  I thought all mandavilla's were vines, but I bought a bush.  Oh well, the flowers are a pretty red with white stripes.  It's so nice to still be able to go outside and enjoy the remnants of my summer.  I pray everyone enjoys theirs.  And stop looking at the weeds! heehee

Be blessed,

Debbi

the colors of nature

Last night, after dinner, we went to Lowes for a potato fork so we can harvest the pitiful potatoes from our garden.  (The 3 digit heat this summer is not doing our veggies any good).  While there I got distracted, easily distracted, in their gardening section.  Look what I found!

It's a hibiscus...and I just fell in love with the colors...now I just need the find the perfect spot.  After taking this picture I decided to stroll thru my yard and check out my other flowers.

Some crepe myrtle, blooming a little early due to the heat...

My day lilies...the bright orange ones came from our neighbor, and the peach ones we planted last year.

My roses are feeling the heat...badly.  It's so hot, I haven't even had too much trouble with the beetles, lol  Out of my 13 bushes...I only have 2 flowers, but they are bright and happy flowers.

 Chuck "found" this bakers rack top, and so he attached it to the side of his work shop.  A great place to add some color with flowers.  Trying to find high heat and low water plants limits your choices, but I love my sunny cactus, and zinnias are another favorite or mine, and of my butterflies.

The only plants thriving in this heat are the weeds...the ground along the road by my mailbox was just cut last week by the county.  And this grew to about 3 feet high in just that week.  But the cool thing about this weed is the top....

covered with tiny yellow flowers.  The beauty of nature!

So, how does your garden grow this super heated summer?

Be blessed,

Debbi



how our gardens grow

Lately my friends and I over at the Handmade Artists Forum have been comparing our gardening stories.  So last night I took a few pics to share with you.

This is my herb garden.  I love fresh herbs when I cook.  I had to cut back a lot last week because the weather here has been just perfect lately and everything was going crazy!  Starting in the back left corner I have, parsley, lemon balm, rosemary, sage, oregano, basil, mint, marjoram, and chives.  I didn't read the fine print when I planted the mint...and it doesn't just spread above ground, it spreads underground, and mixing in with my other herbs.  Frustrating.

This is our vegetable garden, almost a full 1/4 acre.  That's a lot for a family of 5.  We have 5 rows of corn, 3 rows of peas, 1 row of butternut squash, 1 row of potatoes, 2 rows of peppers, 1 row of pickling cucumbers, 3 rows of regular cucumbers, and tons of tomatoes....I love tomatoes.  What did not come up was the spinach, very little carrots, and eggplant.  Last week I harvested 3 bushels of cucumbers....and last night I tried my hand at making pickles again.  They don't look right!  hahaha

Now my fun gardens.  I love butterflies, and my butterfly garden is blooming large and the Swallowtails are returning.  Yeah!  I have flowers ranging in colors from white to pink to purple.  When my butterflies get bigger and more numerous...I'll share some more pictures of them with you.

These small plants are also in my butterfly garden.  I love the red color of the zinnia on the left, and they are another butterfly favorite.  And on the right is clover.  I had an envelope of seeds and when I planted the bushes, I just threw in the seeds to see what would come up.  They don't get very big, and I'm still waiting for the flowers to open.

A few years ago I planted this hydrangea to hide my air conditioner unit.  It didn't bloom for the first 2 years, and it only got a few blooms last summer.  So this year I did not cut it back at all...(actually I forgot), and now it is amazing!  I love the color.

And along the side of our house I planted some day lilies...I originally wanted the bright orange ones you find growing wild on the sides of the road, but the nursery only had these colored ones.  I have 2 of this very nice red/rust and 2 of a light yellow/beige.  But some night, when no-one is looking, I may go find myself some of those wild bright orange ones.  :~D  I find gardening to be so stress free and relaxing, and I recommend it to everyone.  There is a perfect garden for every size home and every personality.

Be blessed,

Debbi

Do you recognize this flower?

Chuck found this wonderful flower / plant growing by our propane tank, and we have no idea what it is our how it got there.

 Chuck put the stakes around it to keep various children and animals from running it over.

I just love the vibrant colors.  If you know what this is, please let me know.  I hope it comes back again.

Debbi