Water Gardens

What is the other feature one could have in their backyard that could be as dangerous to children as bees? Sure enough, a pond. Needless to say we don’t have the yard that you can just turn your kids loose to play in, it is definitely a supervised jungle at all times.
When I was in 8th grade, my dad and I built a pond in our backyard at home. It has undergone many a transformations, but it is still absolutely beautiful. When the husband and I bought our house, I was more than ecstatic that this house built way back in the 1920’s had an old cement lined pond in its backyard.
For a little bit of history—our house was built by the Matthews of Matthews-Belk, the department store. (If you are from the Charlotte area, it will sound familiar.) Mrs. Elisabeth Matthews LOVED gardening… oh the stories I could share about her. She had 4 children and one year an uncle bought the kids a baby pet alligator. (Evidently back then getting a baby alligator was like getting a free hermit crab at the beach.) Well “Lizagator” grew and grew and eventually was about 6 feet long. In the winter she lived in the basement of the house and during the summer she lived in this deep cement lined pond. No one can settle on how the alligator died but she was supposedly buried on the property.
**This is all completely TRUE, the oldest son Frank still lives close by and we’ve been able to sit down and record a lot of history through his stories. Several other older families throughout our neighborhood attest that all he says is true. Just another great thing about living in an old house, so much character and history in these places.**
When we moved here in 2005 the pond had been neglected for MANY years and there was no sign of life in it, instead it was filled with what I called “jello-mud.” It was nasty and we spent many weeks cleaning that thing up and getting it back into working shape. But how glad I am that we did. Here is a view of the pond with the beehives in the background: 

After the death of the alligator, it was a koi pond. Our 90 year old neighbor across the street was given one of the koi out of our pond YEARS ago and wanted it to come back to its original home once the pond was up and running again. Our neighbors down the street moved and wanted their koi to be taken well care of, so they also came to live with us. So here are our monster koi fish! These guys are SUPER expensive if you buy them, so how gracious we were to adopt all these guys.

The smaller gold ones in the top left and in the middle are 99 cent fish I bought at PetSmart when we first moved in and had no fish. Fish experts tell the truth, as long as they have space, they will grow and grow—those guys are now about 8 inches. The koi, about 18-20 inches long.
Here is my oldest, whose job is feeding the fish. She knows exactly how much and will tell you when they are full. We are trying to get the BIG white and gold one to eat out of our hand and we are getting close but it hasn’t happened yet. After that perhaps will try to get it to jump through hoops. :)

Gardening around the pond has been challenging, especially since our entire yard is super shaded. But over the years we’ve found some plants that love calling the pond’s edge their home. Ivy and hellebores (one of my all time favorite plants) line the western rim of the pond.

Our beautiful water iris are at the north side, these guys actually have all their roots in the upper pool of the pond. We started with one tiny plant and look what they’ve done. It is indeed time to split these guys and send them out to some new homes. We have other floating plants and lily pads in the water, and they do fairly well unless we are gone too many days in a row and the fish get hungry. They don’t think twice about eating the green stuff in the water.

If you look closely at the two pictures above you can see our two big cement gargoyles that loom over the water’s edge. They were here when we moved in and they are part of the history, so they have stayed. Gargoyles, though not something I have been fond of before, have become my gardening friends.
Something about water in a garden is relaxing and we indeed enjoy watching the fish, plants, and the many insects (dragonflies being our favorite these days) that make this area their home.
Water gardening, while it may seem very overwhelming, can be low maintenance and enjoyable if done correctly. It doesn’t even have to be a giant pond, there are so many size options. Consider it, it’s a whole other world of gardening!!

Bok Bok

We visited family in Virginia over the weekend. My brother has a coop with six chickens. He and my sister-in-law hatched two of them and purchased four others. They are giving some away to friends. The weekend the first two hatched, our family, which is spread across several states, all eagerly awaited pictures and videos on Facebook with as much excitement as if we were getting some new nieces.

The Man-child enjoyed tossing seed into the coop and watching my brother "fly" them and hypnotize them. As we were pulling back into town, he looks at me very seriously and says, "I think we need chickens in our yard." He seemed to have thought on that the whole three hour drive home. Sadly, our HOA doesn't allow anything other than indoor house pets. We could possibly pass around a petition to get the rule changed, but I'm thinking that wouldn't fly on our street.

All the way home, the Man and I were romancing the idea of country living. We love being in the city, but there's great appeal to owning a tract of land and tractor and being able to do what you want with it. It's a long while before we would consider moving, so maybe it's just time to start convincing the neighbors.

Spring Fling Giveaway: KidCo BabySteps Deluxe Food Mill with Travel Tote

Now that your garden is on its way to being planted and giving you juicy homegrown food, consider how wonderful it will be to feed the little ones in your life food from your own garden!

I'm really excited to share my experience with today's Spring Fling Giveaway product, the BabySteps KidCo Deluxe Food Mill with Travel Tote. I used to make baby food for the Man-child when he was little, but my previous process always involved tearing up the kitchen and making a huge sticky mess. I was interested in finding a way to make a single, fresh meal at a time with simple cleanup.

Assistant Reviewer

I chopped up a pear and banana and tested the banana first, thinking "what can't be used to smoosh a banana?" It came out nice and smooth. I then wanted to add some pear chunks, and this is where I must insert a confession: I lost the user's manual. No problem, Man-child came to my rescue showing me how the medical grade stainless steel strainer and cutting blade set could simply be removed to add more to the canister. The mill handled the pear like a champ as well. It really was simple to use, and with a little help from me, the Man-child was able to crank it on his own.

I can do it!

Banana-pear sauce ready for tastiing

We used this in our own kitchen, but it could easily be taken out for a picnic since the snap on lid keeps all leftovers sealed in the cup. The seeds and rinds stay within the canister for cleaning later. The Baby was thorougly please with his breakfast. I think the BabySteps Deluxe Food Mill will come in handy in adding fruit to plain yogurt and oatmeal. The best part is that no batteries or electricity are required! We love saving the earth one less battery at a time.

Official taste-tester

Features
• 4 oz. serving cup
• Medical grade stainless steel strainer and cutting blade
• Snap on lid
• Non-skid grip and base
• Nylong travel tote with accessory compartments
• Dishwasher safe

You can find these in Babies R Us and online on Amazon, Target, and Walgreens.

One week from now, a lucky reader will be selected to win their very own KidCo BabySteps Deluxe Food Mill with Travel Tote. To enter, tell us what you would use your food mill to make. To get an extra entry, share this giveaway with your friends either on Facebook of Twitter or like KidCo on Facebook and comment below. Please include an email address where we can contact you if you win. Thanks, KidCo!

Congrats to Heather Garner!

Spring Fling Giveaway: Bee Happy!

I’m new here at Love Sown, and I sometimes get lengthy… but I think you’ll enjoy the read! So hang in there with me….
Years ago whenever I told people I’d never been stung by a bee, I said it was because I was a “bee charmer.” (Please say you’ve all seen Fried Green Tomatoes.) I’ve never had a fear of bees so when we moved into our house in the middle of a downtown area and my horticulturist husband asked if we could have honeybees I actually thought it was a fun idea. (Since then, I have said no to chickens and a goat!)
Four summers later, we are still beekeeping and daily enjoying our harvest of honey. Our neighbors have noted increased production in their gardens and flowers and it has been an educational tool for so many. Our oldest daughter eats honey on everything and if you ask her about the bees, she’ll say she is a “bee charmer.” She has no fear of our little friends and knows the rules of the bees—you only go near the hives with mom or dad. She will sit in the grass in our backyard and call them hoping one might land on her outstretched hand.

Whatever your interest level in bees, they are very fascinating creatures. Here are just a few facts:

- Honey bees account for $14 billion a year in pollination services in the US.

- In the US honey bees account for 80% of all insect pollination. (You NEED them in your garden.)

- An average worker bee produces 1/12 of a tsp in her lifetime (6 weeks)—so if you don’t lick the spoon, a bee died in vain.

- Worker bees are female… are you surprised? I wasn’t.

- To gather 1 pound of honey, bees travel 25,000 miles, or a trip around the world.

- Honey has antiseptic properties and while there is a lot of talk about how it helps cure allergies, the research isn’t there to prove it yet. (Although I do think it has helped mine!)

- Honey bee numbers are drastically declining in the US for many reasons… diseases, pests, pesticides, etc.

Below are THREE ways you can help support your local bees:

1 ) Raise your own bees!! Call your local county extension office and find out where the beekeepers are in your county. These people have been doing it for years and most often love to welcome in some young blood. NOW is the perfect time of year to start!

2) Support the local honey industry because they are supporting your flowers and gardens! Buy honey at your local farmers’ market – it is SO different from what you purchase in the store.

3) Pay attention to what bees you kill at your home. DO NOT KILL HONEYBEES!! If you have a swarm in your yard, call your extension office. They have people that will come remove these bees for you. Honey bees are not aggressive but can sting to protect their home
For the record, I’ve been stung twice now since we began beekeeping and both were completely my fault. So, in all actuality, I’m not quite up to “bee charmer” status. :)



GIVEAWAY of the DAY!! To say thanks for reading and improving your bee knowledge, I am giving away a one pound jar of our Downtown Honey. To enter today's giveaway, comment with a bee story of your own. As a second entry, tweet or post on Facebook about this giveaway and leave a comment below. One comment for each entry! The winner will be announced here next week!
In addition, here are three great links for you:
- Apiculture at NC State…. be sure to click on extension, then beekeeping notes. There are some great documents there including what plants to plant in your yard to attract bees for pollination.

- NC Cooperative Extension Office… not only a great resource for bees, but for so many other aspects of everyday and community life. Check them out.
- The Extraordinary Ordinary… my family blog. I hope to be getting to know you better in the months ahead.

We are pleased to announce the winner of this giveaway is Susan Stevens!

Spring Fling Giveaway: Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots

Today's giveaway is a beautifully illustrated book by Sharon Lovejoy titled "Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children."

From her biography:

For the first seven years of her life, Sharon Lovejoy was introduced to the wonders of nature by her Quaker grandmother Abigal Lovejoy, a botanist and an educator. As an adult, Sharon's passion for the natural world guided her to become an award winning nature, gardening, and children’s book author and water color illustrator.

This book brings a dash of whimsy, a sprinkle of adventure, and a whole cup full of imagination into the outdoor garden. Ms. Lovejoy provides recipes, planting plans, and activities for kids. The boys and I are attempting to grow gourds for birdhouses this year, and I was excited to find guides on hole sizes for various bird species in her book.

From Amazon.com

Learn how to make everything from a pizza garden (pizza-pie-shaped, with herbs and vegetables for a fabulous pizza at harvest time), to a sunflower house (a secret hideaway with stately sunflowers and lovely creeping morning glories), to a moon garden ("Fragrance is the color of night"). Chock full of helpful hints, clever and artistic touches, and intriguing "recipes" (Moth Broth and Compost Sandwich, to name a few), this idea book will spark creativity and a lifelong fascination with gardening. Nine concepts for theme gardens are presented in a clearly defined yet non-rigid manner that is just right for encouraging young gardeners.

To enter this giveaway, follow this blog, Love Sown, and leave a comment below on your favorite childhood memory of gardening or helping a family member in the garden. You may have a second entry by liking the page on Facebook and leaving a comment below. (One comment for each entry!)

One winner will be selected at random Monday, April 25 and announced here.

The winner of this giveaway is Larkrise garden girl! Congrats and thanks to everyone who shared their wonderful memories!

Discovery: Lavender

An Introduction & Recommended Gardening Reading

I was raised to garden. My Mother was a gardener, my Grandmother, my Great Grandmother before her. I have fond memories of sitting on the porch swing at my Great Grandmother's smelling the scent of Muscadine grapes wafting from her backyard vines. I am proud to carry on the tradition to my own daughter who at three has her own little bed filled with oregano, thyme and parsley that she picked out and planted herself.



I have a particular affection for herbs and edibles and love to use them in homemade face masks and cooking. I hope to share these things with you, here on Love Sown.

Below are some of my favorite books and reference guides that I heartily recommend you add to your own library:



Books from left to right:
1. The Backyard Homesteader 2. Gardening in the Carolinas 3. The Herbal Kitchen 4. Gaia's Garden 5. Four Season Harvest 6. Alice Waters and Chez Pannise 7. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle 8. Natural Beauty from the Garden 9. Farm City 10. In Defense of Food 11. Worms Eat My Garbage

Have you read any of the above too? What are your favorites?

Spring Fling giveaways are next week!

Love Sown is throwing a party for you and itself, but mainly for you - to thank you for following this new blog and giving it so much love. Starting Monday, a new giveaway will posted each day to help get you in the mood for spring and all the yummy things the garden will bring, as if you weren't already.

Look for these wonderful giveaways next week:

A $20 gift certificate to Renee's Garden

KidCo's BabySteps Deluxe Food Mill with Travel Tote

A 1-year subscription to Organic Gardening Magazine

A copy of the book, Roots, Shoots, Buckets, & Boots: Gardening Together with Children by Sharon Lovejoy

... and more to come! One will be posted each day and the winner will be selected and announced the following week.

If you would like to participate in this fun little Spring Fling by donating something for a giveaway, please contact me at info@lovesown.com.

Lake Benson Park

Yesterday morning we took a short trip out to Garner's Lake Benson Park for a little lunch and playtime. I'm willing to drive a good twenty minutes to get to a park if it is really great. For a park to make my list of greats, it has to have several features:

1. A nature trail. This doesn't have to be a formal nature trail, just a path through some trees with a water feature here and there.

Bike pumps make great walking sticks, thud phhhh... thud phhhh

2. Shaded play area. Several of my favorite parks are my favorites simply because they either have a section of the playground that has shade canopies or are wooded enough that there is shade.

Climbing lessons

3. Trees and wildlife. We love birds and squirrels, and if you throw in a hawk swooping over our heads on a shady nature hike, you've captured our hearts.

Squirrels like french fries too.

4. Unique features. We love it when a playground has innovative equipment for the boys to play on. Whether this is an exploration of sound or motion, it's a step up from the typical swings and slide combination, although we always love the classics.

Who knew spiders made webs for boys?

Discovery: Greening of the Garden

A work in progress

Kale

Herbs, daylilies, and garlic

Oregano

Romaine

Radish

Revamp: Succulent Garden Spot (Part 2)

Rock and bricks add structure

Cluck cluck!

Isn't it amazing how this succulent garden filled in overnight? Just kidding. I made another trip to a different Lowes which had more Hens and Chicks. (previous post)

Revamp: Succulent Garden Spot (Part 1)

I purchased this plant at the Farmer's Market last fall, intentionally picking out one with a lot of babies. I'm told the babies are referred to as "chicks". I was thinking they would just mound and grow bigger, but they decided they wanted to explore. I decided they should go explore outside. I really hope they are hardy in zone 7b.

"Chicks" ready to leave the nest

There is one spot at my front steps that always gets the shaft. I intended it to be an herb garden before I knew how large herbs can get. Once we created a bed around the back deck, the herbs have slowly been moved until one last stand of Greek Oregano was left with the purple shamrock and the daffodils that got dumped from their old home to make way for a new bed of Asiatic Lilies and crocuses.

Before

I kept the purple shamrock for sentimental reasons, but uprooted everything else. I replanted the daffodils keeping the greenery intact next to their long lost brothers and sisters that had formed a refugee colony behind the daylilies. The oregano was sent to live with his cousin out back.

Uprooted plants

This morning (before all the digging) I went to the Phi Alpha Xi plant sale at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum and came back with some lovelies - four kinds of Sedum. Confession: when I went to the plant sale I didn't know what I wanted other than some irises, but as I perused the plants, the succulent garden idea took form. There were good finds and good conversation. It's why I go to these things.

Plant sale loot

I trimmed those independence-seeking chicks. I even took the mother hen out of the pot.

Trimmed "Chicks"

On a trip to Lowes for more pickets for our garden fence, I found another Sedum and two Echervia Mazarines to go with the others. I tried to give all the plants ample spacing for them to grow, but I was so tempted to just jam-pack the space in like these awesome succulent wall planters. For a gal who never gave much thought to succulent gardening, this didn't turn out half bad. I'm sure I'll add to the collection on the next trip to the Farmer's Market.

After

See the "completed" project at: Revamp: Succulent Garden Spot (Part 2)

Discovery: New Love

Once upon a time, there was a girl that loved Fall. She loved everything about it - the curling of colorful leaves, the nervousness that came with the return of school, the backpacking and car camping trips, and the food... oh, the food on these camping trips! Doughboys, cobbler, pancakes on the griddle!

One lovely April day, that girl, a good bit older, spent sunrise to sunset in her back yard playing with her own kids and knew that she had found a new love - Spring. Spring meant little boys in the wading pool, sunshade hats, picnic blankets covered in Cheerios, soft winter rye under the toes, and peaceful evenings by the fire with good friends. Happy Spring, all!

I Won a Wally One!

Talk about a tongue-twister of a title.

A couple weeks ago, I discovered a "Vertical Gardening Cyber Book Party". Perhaps Ricky Nelson's "I Went to a Garden Party" just entered your brain.. it did mine.  Well don't you know I visited every single blog hosting giveaways as a promotion for launch of the new book Garden Up!: Smart Vertical Gardening for Small and Large Spaces by Susan Morrison and Rebecca Sweet. Unlike a certain member of the Sheen family, I am not often a winner, but to my delight Laura from Interleafings selected me as the winner of the Outdoor Wally One.

Wally is a "modular living wall system ... made from 100% recycled plastic water bottles." You know how Love Sown likes to feature reuse and recycling of materials, so this product got me excited.

Knowing the Man would absolutely die if I drilled holes in the side of the house, I decided to forgo the included screws and hang it on my trellis with tie wraps next to the upcycled garden bench.

Remember those two herb plants the Baby kept unpotting? Now they have a safer home! I was surprised at how much soil the Wally held, and in my excitement may have overstuffed it. I'd recommend hanging it before completely filling it to make sure it will lie flat against the wall or trellis. It looks great! Thanks, Laura, Susan and Rebecca!

A New Bench

I found this cute little bench while grocery shopping at my local Kroger. It is the perfect height for the boys, and after helping me put it together, the Man-child proclaimed that it was his bench and I could have the one we up-cycled from the old hot box. Thanks buddy!

Our neighbor came over to admire the bench and the fence that is still in the works.

Our neighbors are the best neighbors out there. They regularly have conversations with the boys and talk gardening with me. They have seriously green thumbs too. Once the pickets are up, I may have to refer to our neighbor as Wilson on this blog ... any Home Improvement fans out there?