My Granddaughter’s little bouquet

01 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by Julia Monroe in family, flowers, gardening, grandkids

Tags

bouquet, bouquet of flowers, flowers, Scepter'd Isle roses

A couple days ago, my five year old granddaughter and I made a little bouquet. I have very few flowers this year so we used every bloom we could find around the yard – basil, mint, honeysuckle, tall phlox, and the lovely, purple ornamental grass spikes. She forgot to take the bouquet home so she wrote me this note.

The note my granddaughter wrote to me when she forgot her bouquet.

It says:
“My heart was broken last night. I forgot my bouquet of flowers. I really hope I get them tomorrow.” And she signed her name.

Oh my heart had such a tug! The night she left the bouquet, I saw it still sitting on the table and considered driving it to her house!
Well, she was back today so we made a new bouquet. Flowering basil and mint, English ivy, ornamental grass flowers, a little butterfly bush and the very last Scepter’d Isle roses.

Her little bouquet.

The rosebush is bare but this little bouquet went home with her, much to her delight. Love has a scent; it smells like mint and rose.

Our first ripe figs of 2013

15 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by Julia Monroe in food, gardening, nature

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Tags

fig trees, figs, food, fruit, fruit trees, gardening, harvest, nature

The figs are juicy, sweet and huge this year!

We were really pleased that the netting kept the birds away.

We put the net over the tree too early though so some of the new tree growth went right through the net. We’ll have to either prune the tree or cut the net to get it off in the fall.

We haven’t hung the bug traps yet so we lost a few figs to beetles and bees.

But there are still so many green, healthy figs.

I hope the traps work for beetles. We didn’t have beetles last year.

It’s disturbing to see how they ravage a fig. But at least they stay on one fig until it is all used up without taking a single bite out of the neighboring fig.

Beetles ravage a ripe fig hanging on the tree.

The basket was heavy with plump figs.

This warm-from-the-tree fig fits my palm!

I remember our first harvest several years ago yielded just one tiny fig that didn’t even fit in a spoon. Look at the size of these. Luscious!

We weren’t sure if the figs were ripe or overripe. This was one of the yellower figs. I thought so much white pith might mean the fig wasn’t ripe. It still tasted delicious and juicy and sweet.

Here is a riper fig, with a darker brown skin next to the golden yellow skinned fig from the same tree for comparison.

When both figs were compared in flavor and texture, they were still almost identical. The riper fig had a slightly larger pink, seeded center. The seeded area should take up more of the fruit but this year the figs are dropping if left much longer on the tree. They still taste delicious.

Figs keep only a day or two and taste better at room temperature so these will sit on the counter for snacking. I cut and ate half of one immediately after picking then ate the other half several hours later. The flavor was better after the fig sat for a bit after picking. I’m not sure what caused it to be sweeter. We are still newbies at growing figs.

We planted strawberries in the hanging planter

15 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by Julia Monroe in gardening, Uncategorized

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container gardening, gardening, hanging plants, nature, planters, plants, strawberries, strawberry planter, strawberry plants

Honestly though, I’m not optimistic. My husband brought home a box of 20 “Strawberry Plants” from a discount store. Inside were two plastic bags of dirt and not a green leaf in sight. It took me a while to figure out the mass of mulch-looking matter actually contained some roots. I had no idea how the tangled mass was 20 plants so I just played in the dirt a bit until 20 little “pony tails” fell out.

The strawberry plant roots were all tangled together in a mass

I figured the plant end must be the part that was not the root end. I’m really a beginner at most gardening so this mass of root was new to me. ha

Strawberry plant… which end is which?

We’ve had the Hanging Strawberry Planter “As Seen on TV!” for several years but have never used it. I’ve never seen it on TV but bought it when it was steeply discounted in a toy catalog. Not exactly a move a seasoned gardener would make, eh?
We put dirt into the planter up to the middle of the first holes and lightly pressed it down. The directions said to press the roots of strawberry plants in through the hole, being careful not to damage the fragile leaves. But all we had was a lumpy stump so I did it opposite – I pushed the hard little stump out of the planter and spread the pony tail roots inside.

Good planting soil is shoveled into the hanging strawberry planter.

We slowly filled the planter with dirt and kept adding plants. Some plants had to share a hole.

Here you can see the roots spread out over the soil and the “not root” end sticking out the hole.

We continued laying plants and soil until the planter was full. After the last plants were added, we filled the planter up with soil.

A last layer of soil is added to the planter.

One of my strong sons lifted the planter up to the sturdy hook in the roof. It’s the sunniest spot on the deck and the strawberries should fare ok there.

The planter is lifted up to the sturdy hook.

We measured a gallon of water and poured it in.

When the soil settled, we added a bit more and then added more water. We must water once a day.

And now we wait.

It’s not the prettiest addition to our deck, but it is promising.

I’m going to watch for leaves. I’ll give these plants a week or so before making a judgement. If they don’t make it, now that we know how to use the hanging planter, I’ll go to a garden center and get “real” strawberry plants. Since I’m still a beginning gardener, I need a back-up gardening plan like that. We suspect that more knowledgeable gardeners must spend way less money on gardening than beginners like us with multi-layered back-up plans.

The roses have bloomed

15 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by Julia Monroe in flowers, gardening, Inspirational, Scripture

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

flowers, gardening, roses, spring

‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13

The bright pink roses are Zepherine, the pale pink is Sceptre'd Isle and the barely pink is Blush Noisette. The purple flowers are Columbine. The scent has completely filled my dining room.

The bright pink roses are Zephirine Drouhin, the pale pink is Sceptre’d Isle and the barely pink is Blush Noisette. The purple flowers are Columbine. The scent from this little bouquet has completely filled my dining room.

My rose bushes were seriously neglected for over five years. For all this neglect, they still burst into bloom. I am honored and humbled that roses grace my table. The Lord’s plans are good.

Figs

29 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by Julia Monroe in gardening, Inspirational, nature, sunlight

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Tags

fig trees, figs, God, harvest, new growth, Psalms, spring

Sometimes there’s a really brutal winter. The rains are torrential, the winds searing, the snow deep. But then comes the spring.

This will be the biggest fig harvest yet.

The leaves are gorgeous when the sun streams through them.

After winter, always new growth.

And the harvest.

I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD. Psalm 27: 13-14

Always the harvest.

Pineapple wins

15 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by Julia Monroe in gardening, nature, The cats

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

cat, cats, pets

Slowly but surely she made it known that her body fits the space way better than my plants.
I concede.

Pineapple claims the planter. For now, I concede.

The Dewing of the Hanging Plant Easter Egg Tree

19 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by Julia Monroe in All Sparkled Up, beading, crafts, Easter, flowers, gardening, home decor, miniature, sparkling, tutorial

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All Sparkled Up, crafts, Easter, Easter decoration, Easter Egg Tree, egg tree, miniature, miniature eggs, miniature flowers, miniature plants

Last year I posted about the Hanging Plant Easter Egg Tree I made. It’s time to get it out again. Adding the drops of dew was my favorite part.
After I finished each miniature plant, with it’s tiny leaves and petals, I hung it on the tree. Though pretty, the plant didn’t seem fully alive it was all sparkled up with spring rain or drops of dew.
For each drop, I used tweezers to dab a single crystal seed bead in tacky glue and attach it where it should go, hanging from the tip of a leaf or puddled in the folds of a petal.

The tree was from Pottery Barn a couple years ago. The hanging egg baskets are cut from small plastic eggs and filled with tiny plants

The tree was from Pottery Barn a couple years ago. The hanging egg baskets were cut from small plastic eggs. The miniature plants were made by cutting up full-size artificial flowers and leaves. Some of the hanging vines were made by gluing hand-cut leaves to artificial plant stems. Click on photos to see the full size images if you wish.

Miniature Daisies.

Miniature daisies.

Miniature Lily of the Valley.

Miniature ferns and moss.

Miniature Forget-me-not.

Miniature Burros Tail.

If you want to add realistic drops to an artificial plant, remember how real water acts. It flows down hill. So it will puddle at the bottom of a flower center, or hang from the lower tip of a petal or leaf.

Miniature Blue Flowers. The fluffy white balls were actually stamens cut from the center of a full-size artificial flower.

Miniature ferns and moss.

Miniature Tuberous Begonia, reminiscent of the colors of my mom’s beautiful begonia hanging plant.

Miniature Marigold.

Miniature Roses. To make a rose, I took one petal from a 1″ artificial rose, folded it in half and glued and rolled it up into a cone shape. The pointed tip of the cone was cut off and stuck down inside the top part of the cone to make center of the rose. Some cone tips are also used as the buds.

Placing the tiny bead droplets on the plants was a very contemplative task, like yoga or painting, with each moment crystallized and beautiful. No it was not tedious, it was restorative and full of light. All sparkled up.

“And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” Isaiah 58:11

First Ripe Figs!

04 Saturday Aug 2012

Posted by Julia Monroe in food, gardening

≈ 4 Comments

Last month we checked our two fig trees and were dismayed that something was eating them. Judging from the strange markings, we figured that birds were pecking them. I bought two big fruit tree nets and we spread the netting over the trees. That worked!

Fig tree covered with netting.

We’ve had a really wet summer so some of the fig skins are bursting. And Some of the figs are getting eaten by bees, flies and ants. But those insects seem to focus on already eaten fruit and leave the rest alone. So we picked a nice bowl full.

Juicy figs with bursting skins.

They are sweet and juicy, with subtle watermelon and peach notes. For an afternoon treat, we spread cream cheese on homemade rolls, topped with fresh sliced figs and then drizzled with honey friends had given us from their neighborhood hive. Absolutely delicious!

Homemade rolls topped with cream cheese, fresh sliced figs and drizzled with honey. Delicious!

Violet Skirt Petunias

18 Wednesday Jul 2012

Posted by Julia Monroe in flowers, gardening

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Tags

cascadia petunias, gardening, gardening in pots, petunias, planters, purple and white petunias, violet skirt, Violet Skirt Petunias

This year I tried a new Cascadia Petunia on the deck – Violet Skirt petunias from newgardenplants.com.

Cascadia Petunia – Violet Skirt

This pot contains Violet Skirt grown from a cutting. As I removed one of the plants from the packaging in the spring, one of the stems broke off. I stripped the leaves from the lower section of stem and stuck it in a pot of dirt. It struggled for a couple months but never died. I’m thrilled that it is thriving now! If I was more diligent to deadhead it, there would be more blooms. It still looks lovely despite the neglect.

For good instructions on rooting petunias from cuttings, check this site.

Cascadias are my favorite petunias. They do well in hot weather but need water daily when the temp is in the upper 90’s. They quit flowering when it’s over 100 degrees but come back quickly when the temperatures drops.

I usually get Cascadias from Spring Hill Nurseries. Spring Hill no longer sells the Choice White Cascadias alone. In years past, I planted Choice White with pink and coral geraniums in the planters. The waterfall of white is splendid over a balcony. This year, I wanted a change and the purple is gorgeous.

Grow where you are planted.

22 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by Julia Monroe in gardening, Inspirational, nature

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birdfeeder, grass, grow, grow where you are planted

Sometimes we are where nobody else has ever been.
Sometimes the view is unexpected and we don’t have anyone to tell us what to do or how to do it.
Sometimes we don’t know how to put down roots.
Sometimes we are making completely new paths that have never been trodden before.
Sometimes we make paths that no one will ever follow. And it’s just a path for us.
And sometimes we’re scared.
But growth doesn’t stop. For now, grow where you are planted.