Next Year

Next year....how many times do we hear gardeners say those words? We start saying that as soon as the gardens start to take off. Next year, I'll do it this way, next year I'll plant this, next year I'll do it differently. I'm guilty of this....I start in as soon as I see something beautiful in another's garden, or as soon as the weather just doesn't cooperate and I have to drag that hose, or as soon as I see something that I like, in a color that I've never been crazy about. I make notes during the growing season and also this blog is good for keeping track of what did well and what has to go. I go back and look at pictures that I post, and see how things looked at certain times of the year. This year I've been seeing pretty much the same old... same old. So here I go...next year I want to make some simple changes. 

First of all....my container on the corner in front is made of a fibrous material...kind of like those things that they use in funerals and cemeteries....to hold flowers. I don't know where it came from, but it has to go. It dries out so quickly and has to be watered sometimes twice a day. It was a dark color and I wanted that at the time.

The plants that I put there did well, however. The little filler below, a purplish-blue flower called Whirlwind Blue Fan Flower (scaevola) has bloomed it's head off. It has filled in beautifully and cascades down, covering some of the pot. I'll be sure to get this one again. The plant that I thought I would like....Kent's Beauty Ornamental Oregano...really didn't appeal to me as it grew. I had high hopes for this, but it is too pale in color and right now, I want color.

 I've been looking at Crocosmia Neptune... and think that I might like to try this for a change. Talk about color! I'll have to move some things out of the way, so this can have an undisturbed location. I wish that it could be planted in the fall, but everywhere I go they say available for spring shipment. When I get an idea...I like to go with it and not have to wait a whole season. I may place this where the container was and not bother with the container next year. The purple asters are about to bloom... just behind where I want to place this plant. The asters often look kind of dried and ratty on the bottom and the foliage of the crocosmia would cover that. I like the combination of purple and orange too.

 This year has been a dream year for gardeners in my area. Nice days and not too hot. I've been able to work in the garden most everyday. A little at a time is the way I like to do it now. I have found that if you keep at it, working for small increments of time, it all gets done. Things always look tidy. I don't work for hours there anymore...maybe as little as 20 min a day keeps things up. 

Soon, the dreaded fall cleanup will be upon us. I'm starting already by taking in some of the garden ornaments, clearing some of the foliage that can be taken down now.....like hosta stalks. While I do that, I often cut back some things. The hostas are the hardest things to clean up in the fall....and I have a lot of hostas. Leaving them until they turn color gives the garden a little fall color and at the same time soften the leaves so they can just be raked out.

Oh, I get tired just thinking about it all. A day at a time, Balisha. Just a few minutes a day and it will be done. Then hours in the house finding things to do, and looking out the window at snow. 

Balisha

One Thing Leads to Another, by Balisha

    One Thing Leads to Another...by Balisha

I woke up in the morning... with cleaning on my mind..
I went into the kitchen and what did I find?
The sink was full of dishes... I really need to wash..
But first I went to find the pack of new dishcloths.
The washer in the corner... had a load that couldn't wait..
I checked to find my sock that didn't have a mate.
I found it in my drawer in the bedroom down the hall..
As I was leaving there, I picked up the puppy's ball.
The dog was moaning softly...I knew she wanted out..
I took her to the door.. and a neighbor gave a shout..
"Come for coffee, dear"....I went and had some cake.
My mind was thinking happily... of all I had to bake.
Coming back an hour later..... I spied some ugly weeds..
I got my garden trowel and got down upon my knees.
The telephone was ringing...I went inside the house.
When conversation ended... I thought I saw a mouse.
I found the trap and set it... and turned to find my way..
I found that I was back where I started out today.
I thought about this morning... and the thought came in my head..
My work had made me tired...so I jumped back into bed.

Isn't that the way it always goes. One thing leads to another in the garden and in the house. Sometimes I enter a room and wonder... "Why did I come in here?" Or I'll stand in the basement and wonder, "What did I come down here for?" It happens to all of us, young and old. I have found that as I age....my brain gets so full of knowledge, after all my years of living...that there's no room for more. At least that's what I tell myself :)

Have a nice day....or did I say that already??
Balisha

Old People Go UNH!

"I'm tired"... Just did a couple of hours work outside and I'm done in, as grandma used to say. We went to the pool this morning and as we were driving into the garage, I spied several things that needed my care in the garden. I figured that if things needed care in the front garden, there would be things go do all around the house. So, after lunch, I got into my gardening duds and headed out the door. The geraniums by the drive are starting to look a little shabby...so I went out and cut off all the dead things and watered them good. They look refreshed now and won't need anything until the end of the week. The knockout roses have so many dead roses on them. They say that you don't have to cut them off, but I don't like to look at dead blossoms....so I lopped them off. I cut down some more hosta stalks and tidied up Mary's Garden. I cleaned the bird bath and filled it then I stepped back and took a look. Not bad for just a little time spent. I meandered out to the deck and cut back the petunias and cut off some dead blooms. I had forgotten how sticky petunias can get. I don't like the way they cling to my hands as I work. I may not plant them next year. They take a lot of care in my stack and grow container. After I cut them back, I had to sweep around the planter. The geraniums last year were so much neater. The tomatoes needed watering, so I did that. I picked a couple of almost ripe ones and noticed that a couple of ripe ones have bites taken out of them. (Joe just came in from cutting down boxes to put in the recycle bin, he's complaining of being tired too. He said, "It feels like I just did 8 hrs. of work!) 

This is what I don't like about growing older....just these few things make us tired. We eat well, get plenty of exercise, keep regular hours for sleep,drink a lot of water, reg. visits to Drs., take very few medications, have a fairly active social life, regular Church....we do everything right, as far as I know. I guess our bodies are changing and our attitudes have to change too. We can't expect to do what we once did. I used to work like wonder woman years ago. I don't expect to carry on like that, but heck...all I want is to be able to do a few jobs without having to grunt and moan. I used to hear older people go unh.....when they lifted themselves out of a chair. I vowed never to do that. Well, hear I go...getting out of my computer chair...unh!

Balisha

Old Gardeners Say UNH!, by Balisha

I'm working in the garden..the day is very hot..

Some plants need some water and some do not.

Petunias need some trimming...they really look a mess..

I'm getting sort of tired...this I must confess.

I go to sit a while...on my porch that's in the shade..

People going by..... think I have it made.

My glass is full of water a slice of lemon too..

Some sweat runs off my nose...I loosen up my shoes.

I sit there for a while and watch the birds in flight..

I hope that no one visits...I really look a sight.

I really must get busy and do the work that's there..

But first I need to stand....UNH! as I get up from my chair.

My joints are aching that is true..I have no time for pain..

I finish up and go inside and say a prayer for rain :)

Green Bean Hot Dish and How it Was Eaten

I didn't take a picture, but hopefully I can describe with words. I happen to love fresh green beans. We had them a couple of days ago...just plain with a little salt and butter on them. I had several raw beans left over and didn't want them the same way. So, this morning I fried a couple strips of bacon for Joe....knowing that I would use the bacon fat for my dinner. I grew up during the depression and my mom and grandma stretched a meal like no other. Sometimes we had a mixture of vegetables and no meat. They  would keep a little cup of bacon fat on the stove, in the back in the middle of the burners. She added to this cup every time she fried some bacon.  This green bean recipe is hers, but when I was first married, I found that my mother in law made this too, and her mother before her. It seems like it is a southern recipe, but my mom wasn't southern.
Here's the recipe....
Green bean hot dish
Fry 3 strips of bacon and save the grease.

Preparing the green beans..
Use fresh green beans and cut them in thirds. Cook them for a short time in salted boiling water. As soon as they are just starting to get tender, drain them.

Preparing the potatoes..
I used cut up red potatoes, but her recipe calls for new potatoes.
Cut the potatoes in bite sized chunks and set aside for a little bit.

Fry a chopped onion in the bacon fat until translucent. When this is done...add the potatoes and green beans. Toss them until they are coated with the bacon fat. Season with lots of pepper and some salt. Add a cup of hot water. Mix this well and cover the pan.

Simmer this until the beans wilt and the potatoes are softened. The beans will glisten and the potatoes will be a little browned from the bacon fat. Cook until most of the water is gone...then crumble the strips of bacon on top and serve.

OK....I went to the trouble of preparing just like the recipe and serving it in a bowl at our table. We did have some meat with it and Joe had an ear of sweet corn. I'll have to tell you what's funny about this meal. After cooking everything and tossing it all together, Joe makes separate piles of potatoes and green beans on his plate. He mashes the potatoes and puts gravy from the meat on top. I feel that he missed the whole idea of this meal...I could have just made green beans and mashed potatoes...Go figure.

The first thing I noticed about Joe 12 yrs ago, before we married, was that  had very neat eating habits. We ordered burgers and fries. He was very particular about how his burger was constructed and he stacked his fries very neatly on the other side of his plate. I even mentioned it to him a little later, when I knew him better. He reminded me of that dinner today, when I complained about how he was eating this meal.

I grew up with a Dad who was in the 2nd World War. When I was a fuss budget about my food touching on my plate...he would say, "You better not go in the Army...they pile everything on top of each other with the dessert on the very top." Then he would chuckle at my reaction.

I guess Joe's habit isn't so bad....but I wish he had tasted the good flavor in the cubed potatoes :)
Balisha

The Garden Nature Made

This garden is a little neglected when you consider how much time I have spent on the front gardens this year. I've been trying new things in the little memory garden for Tim and also the new plantings in containers out by the entrance to our home. This little garden on the west just seems to get along OK without me. The secret to my easy care garden is to pack in as much as I can...thus no room for weeds. I didn't plan it this way, but I have chosen flowers that multiply and fill in. My old faithful, Black Eyed Susans, come back every year and are so hardy...and I love the fact that they are a clean plant....always look crisp and tidy. My kids often give me things for my gardens. The brighter green plant in front is the bleeding heart from my son, John. The little Church birdhouse a gift from my daughter, LuAnn. I didn't know where to hang this heavy house, but I knew it needed something sturdy to hang from. Joe built the trellis for clematis and this little piece of wood was added to hold the house. It's out away from any tree covering...hanging there just above my head. As soon as I hung it there a chick a dee moved in. They tolerate my being there flitting back and forth telling me to hurry up with what ever I'm doing....they need to get to there babies inside. They have had a couple of batches of babies this year. Sometimes, I even move to another place to work, if they squawk enough :)...but as I said, I don't do much in this area, so they can come and go as they need. 

Another planting by the birds or the chipmunk is this sunflower. It's next to the copper bird feeder-bath that my daughter gave me also. I've had this copper addition to my garden for several years. I took the picture and then realized that it was empty. I usually put a few sunflower seeds in it...that's where the sunflower is growing. Maybe a seed just dropped...but I like to think that a critter planted it :) Last year my Russian Sage was looking really messy, so I just plopped the copper in the middle and tied pieces of the sage to the copper leaves below. It worked out well and this year I didn't have to tie it, but it's growing so well that you can't see the copper leaves at the bottom of the feeder. I tried to dig out the sage, because it looked so unkempt, but I guess I didn't get it all.  I transplanted some of it back in the woods border, but it has since died, so I'm glad a little piece was left here.

So it just goes to show you that we can't control everything. You know the saying about the "best laid plans of mice and men" You can plan and plan, but sometimes your garden just takes over and things spread and multiply with no help from you. Sometimes the outcome is better than you could have ever planned. This little spot was such an eyesore...such a hard place to garden with the lawn sloping down to the back yard. I had to watch myself, so I didn't fall or when sitting tip... over because of the slope. I found myself always working downhill. So my plans for a simple herb garden failed, but my neglect let the plants take over and fill in. Now it's such a pleasure to come here and not have to do much weeding...just enjoy the garden that nature made.

Here's the poem that gave us the famous quote...

From Robert Burns' poem To a Mouse, 1786. It tells of how he, while ploughing a field, upturned a mouse's nest. The resulting poem is an apology to the mouse:

But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane [you aren't alone] 

In proving foresight may be vain:

The best laid schemes o' mice an' men

Gang aft a-gley, [often go awry] 

An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,

For promised joy.

The poem is, of course, the source for the title of John Steinbeck's 1937 novel - Of Mice and Men.

Balisha

Favorite Flower in the Garden

I think that I stumped everyone yesterday with a picture of my favorite flower in bud. One is open today...It's a Japanese Anemone. They always bloom when the Black Eyed Susans bloom. Two of my favorites, but the Anemone is my favorite....just like the Red Bud is my favorite tree. I do wish that these flowers were front and center in my garden. They are tucked in along the west side of the house, where it's a little shadier. They would burn up out in the front. Wouldn't it be nice if we could just shift plants around as they come into bloom? We wouldn't have to go to other parts of the yard to see things blooming....Of course my yard would be packed with flowers right in front...maybe that's why I love cottage gardens. I used to drive by a house that had a flower garden that encompassed the whole front yard. A simple picket fence bordered the front. Small flowering trees...red buds I think.No grass in this front yard. It was intriguing to me to see that she had things blooming all the time. Just a simple garden I thought until one day I stopped and talked to the gardener. She said that it was difficult to maintain...trying to have something blooming all the time. Many times it looked messy to her....what with cutting things back and having to leave some plants until the leaves died back. Also trying to decide what to do with bare spots and in spring dealing with mud. She was going to try some grasses at the time. I haven't been by there in years, so I don't know if she gave it up or not.

When I think of gardens in the front, reminds me that I used to have a small veggie garden on the side of our house that extended out to the front. We had so much shade in the back at that time...so wanting a small patch for a few tomatoes, peppers, cukes, and herbs, I put the garden out for everyone to see. I decided that I had to keep it neat as it was seen from the road. (no sidewalks) There were logs stacked along the back of the garden. I bordered the garden with flowers and put the veggies inside of the border. My next door neighbors got a kick out of  my little garden. They had a huge garden in town near their business....65 tomato plants to give you an idea how big it was. They always shared with us.

So, after a nice rain last night...everything is sparkling and beautiful. No watering today. Funny...I was out watering the pots and a few other things just shortly before the storm. The sky was clear and we thought that it wouldn't rain. The storm came up fast and before we knew it the weather radio warned of flooding in our county. I guess some parts of our county had a lot of rain. We had just  a half inch...but every bit counts.

Balisha

My Favorite Flower is About to Bloom

My very favorite flower is about to burst out of these pretty buds and bloom. Love the flower in bud....love the flower in bloom. I bought six plants and they were planted a few years ago, when I saw them on Lona's blog  http://lonadawn7.blogspot.com/ I visit her whenever she posts something. I have learned so much from this lady...her flower gardens are to die for.

I'm a little different than many gardeners, I love simple blooms. Just small blossoms with single petals. I like roses and other fancy flowers, but I love the smaller ones. I always gravitate toward small flowers, orchids is a good example. The smaller the better for me. The lilies....as I showed my Blackberry Lily just a couple of days ago...my favorite lily. A single buttercup...not the double blossomed one. The flower that is my favorite fits the bill. I have them in shades of pink and white. The first couple of years, I didn't think that they would survive. This year, all of a sudden....there they are front and center. They are starting to spread. They love the shady herb garden. Their leaves are pretty big this year. I can't wait for them to pop open. 

What is my favorite flower?

Balisha