OK You Can Have It….For Now

Guess who was back in my garden this morning?!!  Yep, you guessed it.  OK you cute little critter, you can have my garden for now.  But come next spring I’ll chase you out again.

Pot Party on the Left Bank

To celebrate the conclusion of my latest project, I’m having a Pot Party.  Oh not that kind of Pot Party, the kind where you bring a Pot and take a Pot…  My friends will bring a Potted Plant from their garden and I’ll send them home with a Potted Plant from my garden!  Or maybe they’ll choose to take home a Pot of river rocks.  Or a little garden ornament in a Pot.  All legal stuff, you get the idea!

It’s taken me all summer to re-terrace my very first terraced bank.  I call this my ‘Left Bank’ because it’s on the left side of my garden if you’re looking out from my front deck.  If you look closely at the photo above, you can see that rocks were falling down and weeds had taken over some areas.  I started removing plants a year and a half ago, knowing this task had to be done.  As my pretties bloomed, I moved them to a nicer location and eventually I had all most of the plants cleared out of my way.

Mid June I started at the base, pulling out all the anchor rocks.  I missed removing a few plants, so worked around them while they bloomed; then moved them out of my way and dug out all the grass and weeds.

  I used the largest rocks I could find to re-establish the base level, also moving it forward a bit.  About thirty feet of big rocks.  Under the hot sun.  Mostly just 2 to 3 hours each morning was all I could take.

With all of ‘Row One’ complete, I began ‘Row Two’, again pulling out the rocks to begin with and trying to not trample the few remaining plants.  I didn’t want to move them until I knew where I wanted to place them.

Towards the end of July, ‘Row Two’ was almost complete, but I was running out of big rocks.  I began Row Three as a diversion because pulling out rocks was easier than finding ‘the right rocks’ to fit the end of Row Two.  It was a giant rock puzzle.

Excavating by hand was particularly grueling under July’s hot sun.  I finally remembered the trick:  soak the soil the night before and it was much easier to dig out.

I was running out of large rocks, but on the garden tour I went on a few weeks ago, I met Donna, who was willing to give me lava rock, one of my favorites!

Row three now well underway, I’m once again having to get creative about using rock.  I scavenge other parts of my garden, trading smaller rocks there for larger ones here.  I stack flat river rocks and incorporate some of my cement sculptures.

Row Three finally complete, I felt compelled to celebrate by planting a beautiful red hibiscus as an anchor plant.  I know I should wait, I still have the last row on top to finish.  But….. to have my Pot Party while the weather is nice, I’m putting the last row off until fall so I don’t have to move all those plants that I’d left in place.

I should have thought about stairs sooner, but originally didn’t think I needed them.

Tonight I’ll contemplate what to do about those stairs and more importantly what I’m going to plant!  Thanks for stopping by.

July Flowers

One of my favorites, Eremurus robustus (Foxtail Lily) grows about 8′ tall & signals the start of summer in my Pacific Northwest garden.

Leucanthemum superbum (Shasta Daisies) seem to jump up everywhere if I don’t keep my eye on them.

Allium ‘Hair’ is another favorite that adds whimsey to a bouquet of color.  They took awhile to spread, but are now interspersed throughout my garden.

Hot pink Yarrow adds giant sparks of color, and pulls up easily when it starts taking over.

Filipendula rubra ‘Venusta’  is about to bloom.  It’s taken awhile to get started and deer love it.

What can I say about lilies…my favorites!  This is Lily lankongense ‘Angela North’.

Lily lankongense ‘Rosepoint Lace’.

Although not fragrant, I love this pale pink Asiatic lily as most of my Asiatics are red or yellow.

Eryngium amithystinum (Sea Holly) is taking over one section of my garden and hard to pull out!

Rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susan) ready to open.

Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’, another favorite is ready to open.  I’m trying to incorporate these into more sections of the garden.

Astrantia ‘Rose Symphony’ is so sweet, and finally starting to spread.

Rodgersia pinnata is another deer favorite so I think this is the first flower I’ve seen.

I love Peonies and have a small collection, but have forgotten the names of most.  This red with yellow center is very striking.

…As is this pink – also with yellow center

But I really love this pink and fluffy peony with very large blooms.

‘Bowl of Beauty’ was one of the first I planted in my garden.

Along with ‘Sarah Bernhardt’, another big beautiful fluffy bloom.

Thanks for stopping by, I always appreciate it!

Mid May Musings

Taking a moment to breathe between weekend art shows.  I am amazed at what’s blooming in my garden.  I love these colorful Parrot tulips.

Pink fringed tulips are also favorites ….

…as are yellow, orange, and red tulips!  Blooming under my Magnolia tree.  With a glass garden fairy that I made swinging from a branch.

Little Chickadee oh so sweet.

Evening grosbeaks taking refreshment.

Epimediums are starting to bloom. I LOVE purple…..

…and pink!!  There are more, but these are my favorites.

Love catching these little hummingbirds at our feeders.

I must take 300 photos for every one that turns out.

Is there a secret to photographing hummingbirds in flight?

My Soloman’s Seal is finally multiplying.  I’ve waited several years for this to happen so I can spread it throughout my woodland gardens.

Back out in the sun my miniature iris are starting to bloom.  I love these little guys.

And these little guys.  The Goldfinches like to sip directly from the dripper at this birdbath.

That looks like a chair calling my name.  Try not to notice all the weeds, ok?  Until next time…thanks for stopping by.

Hello Spring, I Love You

I’m breathing a sigh of relief after our cold, long and dreary Northwest winter.

Spring has finally arrived in my top of the world, higher elevation garden.

Work still has me scrambling, which is a good thing for an artist.  More people are realizing that owning original art is more fulfilling, fun and rewarding than having the same thing all your neighbors have that was purchased at a big box store.

If you’re in the Portland Oregon area, please come to the Glass Gallery at the Portland Convention Center April 29 – May 1st to see what I do!

Yesterday when the sun came out I was compelled to take a break….

….to make sure my garden was still growing.  And to see what the deer left me.

Yes, they’ve been grazing through my garden all winter and spring.

I haven’t had time to spray Liquid Fence, which has worked beautifully for me.

I’ll be showing glass garden art at the Master Gardener’s Plant Sale at the Extension Office in Hood River on May 7th in the morning.  Their sale closes at 1pm, so come early!

May 14 and 15 you can come tour my studio along with 40 other artists in the Gorge Artists Open Studio Tour.

June 3 – 26 you’ll find my work at Columbia Arts gallery show ‘Get Centered’.

As you can see, I will only have limited forays into my garden as time allows.

Hopefully I can work fast in the mornings, then spend a few hours in my garden.

I have so many plans for this year.  Plants that need to be moved, a terraced slope that needs to be redone.  Not to mention expansion.  I still have several areas that can be converted to garden space on my little two acres.

Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time…..

On the Eve of Spring…

….I can breathe a deep sigh, knowing I made it through another long dark winter.

Tomorrow, March 20, at 7:21 P.M. EDT is the official first day of Spring, also called the Vernal Equinox.  It makes me happy.

The world is in uproar with catastrophic disaster and another looming war, yet my garden is bursting forth with a new season of growth.

It makes me happy.  This little patch of paradise that I’ve built for myself sustains my soul.

As the colors emerge my energy returns.  Another season of caring for my plants, rearranging them into more beautiful combinations.  You remember don’t you?  I rearrange my garden the way others rearrange their furniture.

There’s a lot of work to be done.  I should put my camera down and get to it.

And get back to deterring squirrels from the bird seed!  Any suggestions?

Thanks for stopping by….

 

A Fondness for Fritillarias

F. stenanthera, one of the earliest frits to bloom, it's an unusual pink color!

Have I told you I’m a collector?  Why have just one when you can have multiples.  Not multiples of the same thing, mind you, but different views of the same idea.

F. pallidiflora, large, yellow, easy to grow.

Or in this case, different varieties of the same flower.  Like Fritillaria.  I love the sweet little flower that comes in many colors and shapes from this interesting bulb.  I even love the name…say it with me….Fritillaria.

F. persica, tall as F. imperialis with small black bells.

I’m attempting to document my collection as each flower blooms (time permitting) and will eventually have photos of each.  Of course, eventually I’ll have every pretty little Fritillaria!

F. assyriaca must have been a favorite one year because it's growing in multiple spots!

I just placed my order with Odyssey Bulbs for F. caucasica, F. nigra, F. whittallii, F. bucharica and F. camschatcensis.  I’ve tried F. camschatcensis many times without success.  So what do I do?

F. acmopetala is very subtle, but large enough it doesn't go unnoticed.

This time I ordered three (three’s a charm) to try each in a different location…I MUST have this beautiful black beauty!  And the price has come down since I first tried it.

F. lanceolata - I think this is the wild Guinea Hen but I have several that are similar.

My day job (I run a full-time  art glass studio) is still preventing me from spending time in the garden, so weeds have overgrown and this blog has become dusty.

I began my collection with the Crown Imperial as the centerpiece of my first bulb bed.

Although I long for the outdoors and tending my plants, I am grateful for the work in our current economy, so will refrain from complaint.

F. sewerzowii? Not sure I have the right name here, anyone know?

Thanks for continuing to stop by!  Until my next post….

F. raddeana, a yellow Crown Imperial

Spring Blooms, May Flowers

This has been my busiest spring ever, work-wise!  It’s been wonderful with fantastic projects and great classes.  You can see what I’ve been up to over at my Studio blog if you’d like.

I’ve managed to document the spring growth of my garden, just haven’t had the time to process and post photos.  Looks like my summer might be busier than normal also.

Spring clean up (most gardeners manage to get these tasks done in the fall) has been sporadic at best, so please forgive any unsightly messes you may witness here!

Two weeks ago my bleeding hearts were barely budded out.

They’ve now completely unfurled.

Same with this Clematis…

The little goldfinches started showing up before all the other migratory birds!

I noticed buds on a couple peonies and two weeks later they’re still buds!

One of my tree peonies has her first bud!  Paeonia suffruticosa ‘Kamata-Nishiki’ has resided here for three…four….maybe even five years now.  I can hardly wait to see the purplish pink flower.

If I blink, I might miss my species tulips, they bloom and fade so fast….

…but the Leopard’s bane (Doronicum) blooms on and on and on…

Invaded by Evening Grosbeaks, it’s a struggle to keep the feeders filled once they show up.

But I love their bright color and raucous attitudes.  The daffodils are still blooming…

This is the last of my new pinks to bloom…some of them are very similar with maybe a little more ‘ruffle’ being the only difference.

I have lots of ‘little treasures’ that quickly burst out and shine for only a moment….

…and some that arrive to spend the entire season with me.

My collection of treasured miniature iris are just beginning their bloom season.

Adverse to most groundcover, I’ve found Aubrieta fairly tame, not overly aggressive and easy to pull out should they overrun their bounds.

Drought tolerant Veronica, I’m waiting for her to spread out more.

Artemisia…

The Black-headed Grosbeaks are also non-aggressive and can’t get a word in or a sunflower seed out, next to the Evening Grosbeaks!  This little guy waited ten minutes for his chance at the feeders.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hopefully my ‘next time’ post won’t be so far away…..

Think Pink Daffodils…

As promised, here are the pinks beginning to bloom!

Do these look pink to you?  I think we’re getting closer!

I know you’ll want to know:  I ordered these from Mitsch Daffodils in Oregon.  Tell them I sent you!

And the doubles are starting to emerge….I love doubles!

Because of my higher elevation, spring is later for me.  The following might have already bloomed for you:

There are still more to bloom, including pinks.  I’ll let you know if any are truly pink.

Thanks for stopping by!  Until next time…….

Is it Spring Yet?

“It’s Sspprrrrriiiiiiinnnnnnggggggg” she screamed as she ran out the door into the blindingly bright Sunday morning.  Iris reticulata have opened, snowdrops are nodding their pretty faces, crocus glow in the sunlight.

Primrose smile their pretty colors, a few violets are nodding in agreement and half a dozen daffodils are very close to popping open, so it MUST be spring.

She was almost caught up with a larger than normal amount of work in her tiny glass studio and decided she MUST GET OUTDOORS before she could possibly move on to the next project.  It was too glorious a day to miss.

The warmth of the sun on her back, the mesmerizing color of those first spring flowers, and the birds chirping their background music … exactly what she needed.

The garden’s fall cleanup had been left behind because she never had time for it in autumn.  It now awaited her on this perfect, almost-spring day.

The gardener went through her large garden one section at a time, snipping off dried lily stems, cutting back dead stalks and leaves of perennials, mowing off stands of grass with her newly sharpened clippers.

Gazing up at the blue sky often for reassurance this was not a dream, but a deliciously warm March day even though the first day of spring had not yet officially arrived.  It was oh so magical to be in her garden, cleaning, raking, and tidying each of the many beds.

A truckload of chipped bark had been delivered by the county road department, but that would have to wait.  Today, she wanted to… no…. needed to touch her plants, the soil they were emerging from, and the warm rocks surrounding them.

Realigning the borders, thinning out overrun perennials, deciding where the new dahlias would be planted while carefully watching for new buds that she might have missed kept her moving from bed to bed all afternoon.

Yes, ever mindful to not strain her back, to not over-do this first day of gardening, she purposefully inspected each plant for signs of new growth and new offspring.

Camera in hand, of course!

Like many of you, I’ve begun taking my camera with me everywhere because I don’t want to miss any potentially great shots for my newest blog, 365 One Day at a Time.  A very old friend…(she’s not old, I’ve known her a long time!)…convinced me to partake in the Shutter Sisters 365, taking and posting a photo a day.

Without words, it’s fairly easy for me to post daily on that blog.  Because my daily photos are not always about gardening, this wasn’t the right place for them, nor was my work blog, so obviously I had to start a third blog, just for my photos.  A lot of nature, landscapes and wildlife; a reminder of what I enjoy each day.

I’ve fallen in with a group of photographers who lead me, push me, advise me and hold my hand down this new road of learning to be a better photographer.  In that vein, I found a site that I want to share with you, my fellow gardeners.  It’s a contest I know you’ll want to enter.  Epiphanie camera bags are gorgeous and sophisticated while protecting your camera in a not so obvious “I’m a black camera bag” sort of way!  Work is going so well that soon I hope to have one of my own!!

Oh…and what happened to the gardener in my story?  After a good day in her warm and almost cleaned up garden it snowed overnight.  Not necessarily a bad thing, because she had so much more work waiting for her in the studio.  Another day in the garden would’ve put her behind, but she relished that lone day and looks forward to the next warm sunny day when she can escape to her garden.

For now her garden sleeps again, a little more tidy, awaiting the first day of spring, and the end of too many projects that she said ‘yes’ to……

As always, thanks for stopping by, especially when there’s not much happening in the garden!  Until next time…..