Yo, Paige! Where have you been?

I was at the beach with these handsome boys! No, I didn't blog, but I'll be back in the game soon. Here are several more pictures from the week since I don't feel much like putting it all into words.

In Bloom: Red Gladiolus

Since the first time I noticed a bouquet of flowers with a gladiolus in it, I've loved the flower. It reminded me of asparagus. However, I haven't met many other people that like them. I was looking at bulbs and mentioned to the lady shopping next to me how pretty they were, and she scrunched her nose saying that she hated the flower. My look of surprise prompted her to explain that they were the flower used at her mother's funeral. I guess because of it's height, the gladiolus does tend to get used at funerals. Please, when I die, don't ruin the flower for everyone else, okay? Thanks!

Gardening with Kids: Teaching Observation Skills

There are several items that my youngest goes to almost every time we are in the garden. I'm thinking about  now setting up a crate for his special objects. This morning I want to show you one of his current favorites and share a game my older son really enjoyed.

This magnifying glass has been great fun for Matthew. He goes from plant to plant looking at the different flowers, which gives me a chance to toss in a lesson in colors and size. He also loves observing insects, and for a kid who doesn't say much yet, he has mastered the word "bee".

My four-year-old Daniel and I recently played a game of leaf identification. One of us would close our eyes while the other would go pick a leaf from a tree and bring it back for the other to then try and match to the correct tree. We were able to talk about the shape, color, texture, and shine of the leaves. If we moved the game to the garden, we could also throw in scent by picking different herbs and even tomato leaves. I doubt I could get him to taste them too, but it might be worth a shot! One idea to stretch observation and assessment further is to ask what are three things that are similar and three things that are different.

Do you have any fun observation activities that the kids love?

Long-sleeve T altered for summer!

After months of oberving all the krafties cutting up their shirts and making new pieces for their wardrobe, I finally did it. I got the female version of cojonies and took a green longsleeve shirt from Old Navy and made something fancy. The best part is that absolutely no sewing was required. Here's what you need to do the same: A shirt, scissors, snaps (the pronged part and the back of the snap - the innie of the snap), and a hammer. This is the final product:

Lay your shirt on the floor and line up the shoulder seams so that you get an even cut on the sleeve.

Decide what shape and length you want for your sleeves and cut the first side.

Fold the shirt over matching up the seems in the front, back and on both sides. Make your cut on the other sleeve to match the first.

Assess for evenness and clean up the edges.

Using the remnants of the sleeves, cut out circles for the flowers. I chose to do three of them. Arrange them how you want them to be spaced. Place the pronged part of the snap on the inside of the shirt with the prongs facing the front of the shirt, and gently push your flowers onto the prongs. Place the other part of the snap on the top carefully align so it catches all teh prongs and gently hammer them together.

Wednesday Night Post to Count as My Thursday Post

So I realize I must bore you all to death. Yada yada my garden this, yada yada this pretty picture. Here's the thing. This evening my cat took a sip of my tequila and orange juice. How do I know? I saw the post lick ripples in the water, and then she proceeded to lick her nose and wipe it with her paw. I am not okay with this. I really like this tequila and it was the last of the bottle. Typically, I would toss out anything that came into contact with the cat's tongue, but I couldn't this time. I simply couldn't waste good tequila. So I told my cat what I really thought about her, and then I tweeted about it. BECAUSE I LIKE AN AUDIENCE.

That's right. I like to be heard. I want to amuse people. I want to impress you and make you feel better about yourself all at the same time with my charming and witty asininity. I do really dumb things. Whenever I'm with my brother and we get to talking with people who don't know me, he loves to tell them about the time in sixth grade that I put deodorant in my hair because I thought my hair was stinky and didn't have time to wash it. I was in sixth grade, friends. I'd just started using deodorant. Nowhere on the stick did it say "don't apply to scalp". I think it went on clear, but that's besides the point. Why was my scalp stinky? That one still boggles my mind. Even more so, I was going out to eat with my family. Who exactly would be sniffing my head?

My brother also likes to tell people that I once said I like to eat a lot of tomatoes because it helps prevent prostate cancer. He took me in all seriousness, but common. A prostate? I know I don't have a prostate. I was being ironic before being ironic was cool. Even better than being ironic, I was being a dork - apparently a very convincing one. The funny thing is though, two summers ago I ate so many tomatoes that it sent me to the doctor thinking I was sick because I constantly had to urinate. Once she heard I was eating at least two tomatoes a day, she told me I might want to lay off that habit because all that acid was messing me up. I guess it really is a good thing I don't have a prostate to worry about!

In Bloom: Steel Blue Meadow Sage

Toddling Through Tuesday

I hope my friends don't envision me constantly coming up with gardening lesson plans and creative activities for my boys. I'm honestly not that motivated, as evidenced by my near inability to pry myself out of bed this morning and then again after Matthew awoke from his afternoon nap. I'm a very tired mom, due mainly to insomnia and the exorbitant number of Clif Kid Z Bars I consume. All that processed chewy, sweet goodness must be killing my metabolism.

At best, I leave the door cracked when I go out to the garden in the morning. Most of the time, Daniel remains engulfed in cartoons, but usually Matthew toddles on out the door like my baby duckling. Yesterday he saw me tossing weeds into a plastic flower pot, and this morning he fetched it and demanded, "More!". At first he wanted to help pull weeds, yet after getting fussed at for pulling up the corn, he decided to just carry the pot and boss me around. We took turns putting weeds in the pot and then dumping the pot into the compost pile.

This afternoon, we went back out, this time at Daniel's request. I started picking peas and eating them, and gave Matthew some to try. He's tried them before but never chewed them. The first mouthful was spit back out onto the deck, but after another shot at it, he started picking the pods himself and asking me to open them. I'm not sure how many little peas he devoured, but we cleaned off every last ripe pod from the vines. 

Close Encounters of the Feathered Kind

This morning I was getting all National Geographic on my backyard, and this mocking bird starting shrieking and flying from tree top to rooftop. I assumed it was because the cat had come outside with me, and I started trying to snap its picture. A pair of hawks swooped overhead, so my theory about the cat shifted to the hawks. The mockingbird's young must have been out and she was trying to protect them. She finally roosted (still shrieking) in a nearby magnolia and I got one blurred photo and was just about to get another when she took off and next thing I knew, she was screaming in my face... or at least it felt that way since I was looking at her through a 24x optical zoom and the noise was coming from only 5 feet away. I didn't wet myself, but if there ever were a moment, this would have been it.

Me? She was yelling at me? The cat crouched nervously near me with absolutely no intention of pouncing. I never saw the fledglings, but given the radius she was circling, I'm guessing they were out of the nest and making their debut in the 'hood. From the picture, it's obvious she means serious business. I kept the camera to my eyes so she wouldn't peck them out.

Mother's Day Plant Ideas

It's Mother's Day weekend, and my husband has recently mastered gift-giving. He knows a live tree or plant is always preferred over a bouquet of flowers. Here are some plants that would make great gifts for the mother whose thumbs may be just a little brown. Be sure to dig the holes for her!

Asiatic lilies. I purchased clearance Asiatic lilies four years ago. The blossoms were already past prime and falling. Each year they come back with brilliance and multiply. The fun thing is that each Mother's Day, they are nearing their bloom time, so it's like this gift (which I gifted to myself) keeps on giving. Mine are planted in part shade - part sun and seem to thrive.

Hostas. We recently visited the Farmers Market where I was blown away by the variety of available hostas. They come in all shades of greens and come in a variety of textures. I picked up some lovely puckered ones in a dark green with lighter green edging. If you have a shady yard, these are perfect. Like the lilies, they multiply and come back every year. Some also blossom.


Blueberry bushes. It's not hard to come by a decent sized blueberry bush for $12-$20. Just make sure you purchase two different varieties and have a sunny spot in the yard for them. Don't forget to water! I purchased two bushes last year, and already this year they have more than doubled in size and are covered in berries. The smaller live-stakes I purchased from a big box store have struggled to take off.  Annual pruning in late winter or early spring will make sure the bush keeps bearing plenty of fruit and not get overgrown.

Other plants that are fun but require trellising are Carolina Jessamine, Tangerine Crossvine and Golden Showers Roses (all climbers). For the balcony-bound mom, plants that can be brought indoors like succulents, ferns, and tropicals may hit the spot.

Sunrise Garden Walk

Mornings after a good rain are always the best in spring. The air is cool, the ground is damp, and everything glistens. I poked around in the garden for a bit pulling weeds, snipping of the lowest branches of the tomatoes, and looking for yellow leaves on the potato plants. Birds were shooting like tiny rockets across the yard, and the cat perched expectantly under the empty feeder that had been raided by the squirrels. If only I'd take ten minutes every morning to breathe in the fresh air and absorb the sights and sounds before entering the chaos of the day.

In Bloom: Burgundy Beans

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What's Growing, Paige?

People ask me what I'm currently growing and I can't help but get wide-eyed. I don't think they really want more than the general, "Oh you know, tomatoes, squash, the usual..." But in my mind, the eight tomato varieties I planted are each quite unique, and then there are the mystery ones that popped up in the compost that may be a new hybrid. So for the garden geeks like myself, here's a rundown of what is currently growing.

Tomatoes:
Costoluto, Black Krim, Persimmon, Matt's Wild Cherry, Red Kiss (something I saved from a mixed pack and renamed), Aunt Ruby's German Green, Dutch Pink, Striped Roma, and a variety of mystery volunteers.

Peppers:
Big Bertha Bell, Sweet Bell, Pepperoncini, Anaheim, Jalapeno,Tapas Peppers

Greens:
Rustic Arugula, Wasabi Arugula, Romaine, Cabbages, Red Russian Kale, Baby Butterhead, Speckled Lettuce, Bright Lights Swiss Chard, Ruby Swiss Chard, French Merville Lettuce, Market Mix Lettuce, Baby Leaf Spinach

Beans/Peas:
Edamame, Burgundy Beans, Pole Beans (stringless, long and slender), Blue Lake Pole Beans, French Climbing Beans, Garden Peas, Queen Anne Peas, Purple Hyacinth Beans

Roots/Bulbs:
Russet Potatoes, Blue Adirondack Potatoes, Petite Carrots, Carrots (longer ones), Radishes (I don't remember which type I planted), Four kinds of garlic including Spanish Red and Elephant, Red Onions, Sweet Onions, Leeks, Scallions

Squashes:
Armenian Cucumbers, Baby Persian "Green Fingers" Cucumber, Trombeta Italian Climbing Squash, Goldbar Hybrid Squash, Black Zucchini, Birdhouse Gourds, Luffa Squash, "Romanesco" Zucchini, Buttercup Squash

Herbs:
Chives, Garlic Chives, Rosemary, Sweet Mint, Chocolate Mint, Slow Bolt Cilantro, Dill, Sweet Basil, Marjoram, Borage, Greek Oregano, Variegated Thyme, English Lavender, Providence Lavender, French Lavender, Texas Tarragon, Lemon Verbena, Hibiscus, Green Tea Leaf Camellia,

Fruits/Berries:
Muscadines, Blueberries, Blackberries, Raspberries (which look ill), Peaches, Nectarines, Plums,  Strawberries, Cantaloup, Strawberry Watermelon

Other:
Red Okra, Sunflowers, Marigolds, Silver Queen Corn, Tomatillos (Purple and "Toma Verde"), Artichokes (Purple and green), Purple Asparagus

Will I eat all of these things? Probably not. Some of them will likely never make it to harvest. I love trying out new varieties and seeing which grow well in my yard. This reminds me, I probably should start a spreadsheet to keep track of their success this year!

Creating a Lizard Habitat

We have managed to attracted a diversity of birds and pollinators to our garden, but I've only seen one or two lizards in the past year. There are several benefits to having lizards in your home garden.

• Lizards prey on insects and rodents
• They help propagate native plants by aiding in pollination and spreading seeds
• They typically don't feed on the vegetation but on the pests that may be eating your vegetation
• They are one more critter for kids to learn about!

To create a lizard habitat, I first selected an area of the garden where there wasn't a lot of foot traffic and there was plenty of vegetative cover. My son, Daniel, also gave me some input and liked that it was right next to his "rock quarry". In the pollinator section, there are plenty of flowers and a perennial thyme as well as an area with rocks and bricks. This would ensure an area for sunning, but protection from predators.We also have a broken birdbath that was already in the location.

I gathered some materials I had on hand: a birdhouse gourd, some flat pieces of wood from a broken barrel planter, and an orchid pot I found for $1 on a clearance rack.

I sank the birdhouse gourd into the soil just a little to secure it and did the same with one of the flat pieces of wood.I placed the other board at the entrance of the gourd between it and birdbath.

I added rocks and pebbles to the birdbath lest I cause any accidental lizard drownings. This will also benefit bees and butterflies who don't do so well landing on the water surface to drink.

This is the finished habitat. There are several hiding places, a variety of texture, and tunnels through which to crawl.

The Friday Freaky: Red Russian Kale Root

Seriously. This kale plant was gargantuan. I'm a little dubious of just how massive this root had grown.

A Potato Tidbit

Lest you think my tomatoes have already fruited, this is not a picture of tomatoes. This morning I discovered that the potatoes had fruited. The part we like to eat grows underground, but these small fruits contain the seeds - not to be confused with seed potatoes. Once it is ripe, I'll figure out how to save the seeds for the next crop, and I'll post some pictures here. This is the first time I've ever seen my potatoes produce seeds, and I'm hoping it is a sign of a healthy plant and an abundant crop to come!

In Blossom: Toma Verde Tomatillo

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Bath Time!

I was just outside in the heat of the day and against better judgement was watering the garden with the hose and my thumb. I was near the teepee watering the muscadine vine and climbing squash, when I saw what seemed like the most gigantic dragonfly zipping in and out of the water. On second look, as it landed in the old bean vines on the teepee, I saw that it was a ruby-throated hummingbird! When I moved the shower to another area, he followed it. So then I positioned the hose so a light spray was landing on him as he perched back on the teepee, and he sat there fluttering his wings and preening his feathers. I ran inside for the camera, and to my delight he was still there waiting to finish his bath.