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Adventures In Gardening is now known as The Portable Homestead!
Still on Connect*Share*Grow. You can find my AIG posts by clicking here and here for TPH. Below is the archive for my gardening memoir column, Adventures In Gardening/The Portable Homestead, which originally appeared on The#gardenchatBlog and now appears on #gardenchat Connect-Share-Grow.
(Apologies for the often odd spacing throughout the posts).
posted on APRIL 28, 2013 by
Welcome, everyone to The Portable Homestead, formerly known as Adventures In Gardening!
Since I last wrote here, another unintentional hiatus has occurred. Last year this happened after losing my beloved father-in-law. This year, a crisis of a different sort lead me to withdraw once again from my writing, but I’ve spent the last few weeks taking stock, refocusing and writing my way through it.
During this time of exploration, I went back to the name “Adventures In Gardening” because it never truly felt right for me. It was one of the first possibilities I came up with in 2011 before posting my first column to #gardenchat, and I liked it, especially compared with others I tried out, so I settled on it, but I wasn’t sure if it really fit me or my garden. In all honesty, any “adventures” I have are most often health related and not exactly exciting in a positive way!
Earlier this month, after I discovered three dead-as-door-nails roses during the first cleanup of the season, I made a rough sketch of how I wanted to re-organize that section of the garden before eventually buying new plants…
I was once again thankful for the portability of my (primarily container) garden! It’s easier for things to be removed if they go dead-as-door-nail on me, I can move something to a different location if it doesn’t seem to like where I plunked it down to begin with…
And that’s when it hit me! The Portable Homestead. I knew as soon as I uttered the words in my mind that it fits. 98% of what I grow is in containers.
Are you still stuck on those three roses I lost? Well, I am disappointed too. (Understatement). There were tears. (And perhaps a few expletives between them). They were all roses bought in 2012: ’Don Jaun’ Climber Hybrid Tea, ‘Grande Dame’ Grandiflora (my “mystery rose” mislabeled as ‘Queen Elizabeth’ Grandiflora), a miniature peach rose (which came with no specific identifying information) and either ‘Love’ Grandiflora or ‘Love’s Magic’ Hybrid Tea. (I’m still going through last years gardening notes and photos to see if I can confirm which one it is before the survivor blooms). Add ‘Kordes Perfecta’ Hybrid Tea, lost before the end of last Summer, and that brings the total of lost roses to four of six bought in 2012. I lost more than half of ‘Mardi Gras’ Floribunda and my three red Knock Outs (‘Radrazz’). My theory? I truly think the 96 mile per hour winds of Hurricane Sandy this past October shocked them beyond return. However, the two pink Knock Outs (‘Radcon’), ‘Queen Elizabeth’ Grandiflora, ‘Pope John Paul II’ Hybrid Tea and ‘Easy Does It’ Floribunda look as healthy as can be!
I also lost my white Butterfly Bush and half of Buddlei davidii ‘Black Knight’ and the Azalea’s, though readying to bloom, look iffy. But, the Forsythia, Cherry trees, Bleeding Heart and Camellia ‘April Blush’ have been stunning this month!
With having a more normal Northeast Winter and Spring here in NJ Zones 7b & 6 so far this year than in recent memory, the return of vibrant colors to the landscape has been a welcome sight for these eyes!
There’s much to be done here at The Portable Homestead. Two of three fences are in rough shape thanks to first Hurricane Irene then Hurricane Sandy, so they’re on the ‘repair & re-stain’ list. Two new arbors are awaiting assembly to replace the ones damaged beyond repair by Hurricane Sandy. Containers need rearranging & repainting…
Every Spring I always wonder how there can be so much to do when just in Autumn I thought for sure there wouldn’t be! But, truth be told, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Adventures In Gardening: Love Struck!
As gardeners, we fall in love over and over again. Every time we flip through a catalog, make a trip to the nursery, or take a walk in a new garden. Often, many of these new loves get pushed out of our minds and onto the “maybe one day’ list, but, there are those that get a hold of our hearts and refuse to let go.
My passionate love affair and fascination with Camellias began just a year ago this month, at the end of February, in Charleston, South Carolina.
We arrived in Charleston after a somewhat horrendous fifteen hour drive late Sunday afternoon the 26th and unfortunately had to leave the following day. Because my mother had a stroke the week before, we didn’t have the three days we originally planned. We needed to continue heading south to FL on Monday to visit with my father-in-law for what would be the last time as he was diagnosed with in-operable heart failure that January (and cancer just after we arrived back home from this trip). It was an awful time for Hubbs and I!
He didn’t want to rush us through what little time we had in SC, but it was definitely a case of “Take your time, but hurry up!” that Monday. But, Hubbs knew though how excited I was to be in Charleston, how stressed and upset I had been since my mother’s stroke (on top of being devastated over his father) so he told me to figure out a place we could visit before getting back on the road that afternoon. I immediately went through the dozen postcards I bought in the hotel lobby that morning before breakfast and found the one with “54 Meeting Street” printed on the front.
From the photo of that postcard here, I’m sure you can see why I picked this place!
Little did I know, it is a private residence and garden, one that you can only catch glimpses of from the sidewalk through a black iron fence. I was so disappointed, I about burst into tears right in the middle of the sidewalk!
The morning was dark and thick with humidity, the morning quiet. We crossed back over to our SUV, which was parked near the start of a long brick wall with a black iron fence running along the stop of it that went well above our heads.
Hubbs called to me from inside the main gate and I followed enough to see a sign that read, “Nathaniel Russell House & Museum.” In front of my was a stunning antebellum home! My spirits lifted when I saw that it was open for tours. We followed a path to our left, leading away from the house and into a magnificent, expansive garden, the likes of which I could never have begun to imagine was behind that towering wall of brick and iron out front!
I was floored.
I was love struck!
This was a world unlike anything I had been in before.
Cupid’s arrow landed squarely in my heart.
So much in bloom! And In February! My Northern self could not get over it. Delicate shades of pink and green in the trees and bushes. Pops of white too.
Tall, wide bushes of red and pink flowers, much like roses, with mustard yellow centers, grew along a brick wall and in the corner while clusters of smaller bushes nearly covered the ground, their blooms, heavy with moisture, bowing to the soil. What were they? I had to find out! I just had to!
But, first we toured the inside of Nathaniel Russell House.
Afterwards, I headed back out into the garden and the sweet, humid air, forgetting the umbrella I had purchased in the gift shop earlier. I rounded a path…
And discovered this with a gasp:
Cupid got me with another arrow to the heart. And I fell hopelessly in love!
What are…? This one has a name!
Camellias!
These beautiful, rose-like creatures were all Camellias!
Did I know about Camellias? How did I not know about Camellias? Of course, I immediately wanted one for my own garden here at home, but I (incorrectly) assumed they weren’t something I could grow here in the North.
When we arrived at my beloved father-in-law’s home the next day, we were greeted by the large Camellia bush with more red flowers on it than anything I had ever seen. (Sadly, I cannot locate the photo I took of it). Later, he asked me if I knew what it was and told me that my mother-in-law had planted it years ago, but he couldn’t remember if he ever knew what it was called. I told him and he turned to Hubbs and said, “I knew she’d know!” I smiled.
I’ve since learned that you can grow them here in NJ, they’re not fond of windy locations, they are fond of rich, well drained acid soil, the correct pronunciation isn’t a long ‘e’ like in “feel” but like in “fell” (Camellia vs Cameellia) and that there is even an American Camellia Society.
I bought a Camellia for my own garden last Spring, Camellia japonica ‘April Blush,’ and I’m anxiously awaiting more blooms this year! (If I can keep the squirrels from eating all of the buds that is. So far, Old Bay seasoning is the only thing that keeps the destructive little critters away).
I have much more to learn about Camellias and I do believe this has been the beginning of a long time, beautiful relationship!
What have you been ‘love struck’ by and had to have for your own garden?
Happy Valentines to one and all!
PS: To read about the promise I made regarding honoring my father-in-law’s memory in my garden, click here to read a previous edition of Adventures In Gardening entitled, “Honoring Loved Ones In The Garden.”
Adventures In Gardening: Snapdragons In January
Happy New Year one and all! I hope 2013 is off to a great start in your corner of the garden.
Snapdragons in January. You heard (er, read) that right! Above is a photo of our front porch, taken just a couple of days ago and even this morning, they are still blooming.
Snapdragons. In January. In the Northeast!
These annual, lemon yellow Antirrhinums began as a four pack, given to me by our Northwestern NJ neighbor last April/May. I stopped trying to grow Snapdragons years ago, despite my love of them, because they always quickly died on me, regardless of where I planted them and I told her this as she handed them to me while we stood on her steps.
“Please take them, I bought a little extra, for you. I know how you love to garden!”
To give them a fighting chance, I brought them home with us to the coast where we live full time, where I could keep an eye on them and tend to them regularly instead of leaving them alone up north for indefinite periods of time.
Most of the containers in my coastal garden are essentially stationary, even ones in which I plant annuals. Generally, my only exceptions to this are the front porch, back patio and ‘deck’ planters along one of the back fences, which I like to switch up seasonally. However, now and again, I find myself babying a plant, moving it around the yard & garden, to follow the shade, or sun, as the growing season moves along, trying to keep its’ environment stable and prolong its’ life, gently coaxing it to re-bloom even after it seems its’ time has come & gone.
I decided to baby these Snapdragons. And it worked well! Honestly, I was nothing less than surprised as they made it through the rest of Spring, then Summer and into Autumn.
I thought for sure the winds of Hurricane Sandy at the end of October, which gusted to 96mph here, would have shocked them to death, but no! After the hurricane, and a snowy Nor’Easter a week later, I moved them from the back yard to the front porch and partially sheltered them underneath the old, iron end table where they stayed green and lush. In December, they bloomed again! That cluster, pictured above, is still going strong, blooming right through Christmas and New Years, (could have ‘knocked me over with a feather’ I couldn’t believe it), while another cluster, out of sight in the photo down on the right, began blooming last weekend.
We have been well above freezing and well below, all over the weather map these last few weeks, yet it seems to have little affect on these Snapdragons. Once again, I am reminded, that like ourselves, our gardens are stronger and more miraculous than we often remember and give them credit for.
What in your garden is surprising you today?
Until next time,
~Jo
aka Bloomin’Chick.
I blog about diggin’ through the muck to find the beauty & turning upheaval into revival at Diggin’ Around and share from every angle at Through My Eyes360.
I blog about diggin’ through the muck to find the beauty & turning upheaval into revival at Diggin’ Around and share from every angle at Through My Eyes360.
Looking Back While Moving Forward (First Anniversary Post!)
Saturday, December 29, 2012
A year ago, on December 30th, 2011, Brenda Haas asked me to write for The#gardenchatBlog and on December 31st, I sat down to post my first Adventures In Gardening column.
In fact, it was a Saturday, like today (though thanks to leap year this year, the date/day is a bit off). This was completely 'uncharted territory' for me. I was super excited and scared at the same time! A little overwhelmed, filled with self-doubt and even a little queasy, but for once, I wasn't going to let fear, or anything else, stop me from doing this. I spent over two hours writing and revising my first column, Getting To Know You.
(Some of my favorite photos from this first year of Adventures In Gardening)
Now here we are, my first anniversary of writing Adventures In Gardening and I honestly haven't the foggiest idea of how to commemorate such an occasion! So I'd like to take this time to share my deep appreciation with all of you. Thank you for sticking with me as I felt my way along this new path, during beautiful times in my home & garden, and through heartbreaking bumps in the road like my mothers stroke, my beloved father.in.law's illnesses & passing, Hurricane Sandy and my unpredictable health.
I also couldn't have made it this far without Brenda's continued support, encouragement, friendship and faith in me, nor can I thank her enough for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this blog!
As gardeners, like our gardens, we continue to grow with each passing season & year. I hope you'll continue to grow with me here as we begin life's journey anew in 2013.
Best wishes and peaceful blessings for the New Year!
I'll see you next time in January.
~Jo
aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven,
survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't
real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a)
& avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something
who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled
with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.
I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.
Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!
Winters' Arrival & Amaryllis Season
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Happy Winter friends!
The Solstice has come & gone once again and despite cold temps settling in for the long haul, our daylight hours now begin to lengthen bit by bit as we slowly turn back towards the sun.
I tell y'all what, Autumn didn't leave us here without a fight! A wind-swept rain storm brought down more trees & branches, knocking out power again for many, as well as flooding. I'm usually so sad to see Autumn go, but this year I'm glad to move forward! Now, Old Man Winter is making sure any trace of Autumn is blown away before Christmas arrives. Wind is roaring around us here, as we're down in a bit of a valley here on the coast, bringing down more branches and keeping temps in the 30s. We've had bouts of flurries & snow showers throughout the day and even though it's not enough to stick, I'm delighted! It's beginning to look (and feel) a lot like Christmas!
Indoors, the Amaryllis have begun to bloom and what I fondly call 'Amaryllis Season' is under way! The first to bloom, a new one I'm trying this year (but I've misplaced the name of), had been open since the beginning of December. Today, one of my many 'Apple Blossom' has started to open.
I adore Amaryllis!
In fact, I can't remember a time when I didn't grow them, but I've only been doing so for several years. In my Zones (coastal NJ 7b & mountain NJ Zone 6a), Amaryllis aren't usually able to grow outside like in warmer climates, especially when we have a normal Northeast Winter! (There were a couple of 'Winters that weren't' where I did get them to grow outside, in pots, but the results were lackluster despite lush foliage). I love growing them around our home while my garden outside is at rest. As with most blooms, they're quite addictive! You can never have too many - no matter what my Hubby says! I've grown many shades of red & pink, solids & striped, one that was nearly orange and one that was white, but 'Apple Blossom' is my favorite.
These bulbs combine a couple of aspects of growing I love most: Low maintenance with beautiful blooms. Plop an Amaryllis bulb into just about any container (I prefer one with some kind of drainage holes) filled with your favorite potting soil or pebbles, water sparingly (to avoid mold & rot which happen all too often here), place around your home (in direct sun or indirect) and voila! Stunning blooms.
I usually begin forcing the bulbs around Halloween and stagger them from that point on by a week or two in between so I have Amaryllis blooming from Thanksgiving through Valentines, but, this year I got a later than usual start because Hurricane Sandy drove me to complete distraction.
I'm fascinated by how they change, not just daily, but throughout any give day once they open, which usually compels me to take many (many!) photos of them every day. This year, I created a photo slideshow on picasa called The Daily Amaryllis for my blog, Diggin' Around, which I'll be adding new photos to throughout the weeks to come, so I can share all of this season's Amaryllis photos in one spot. I wanted to share it with you here too:
After today, you can drop by my blog to see new photos! (Scroll down, the slideshow appears in the right hand column).
I'll see you here next Saturday, December 29th, my 1st anniversary of writing for The#gardenchatBlog!
I leave you with best wishes & blessings for this Winter and a Merry Christmas to all who are celebrating next week!
~Jo
aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven,
survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't
real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a)
& avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something
who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled
with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.
I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.
Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!
Catching Up
Saturday, December 7, 2012
Hello friends!
Let me start off by asking for your forgiveness for not having photos with this post! I'm having upload issues, but I have linked to the photos which have appeared here on #gardenchat and my blog as well.
Let's see now, where are we?! December is well under way already and there is so much to catch up with you about. The last time I wrote, I was spending the week before Halloween with Hubbs at our Northwestern NJ home in Zone 6a. (Click here). Autumn in the NJ Skylands and in near by Northeastern PA is spectacular and it’s our favorite time of year to be up there, even when it’s cloudy & dim like it was 7 of the 9 days we were up there this October.
Our great week was cut short by a Hurricane named Sandy. We spent that Friday prepping our Northwestern home and headed back to the Coast early Saturday to make final preparations here at the complex and for ourselves. Our 2nd hurricane in 14 months. It was unthinkable. The waiting for her arrival, which began sometime on Sunday and gradually built through Monday, only added to the fear. We lost power at 3:30pm on Monday the 29th. To a degree, that’s the worst; when you can no longer see what’s going on beyond your own windows. Monday night was awful. Overnight the winds were forecasted to diminish, yet they increased, gusting over 90mph again & again... You could feel everything shift, shake. The windows rattled. I felt the floor vibrating under my feet. I prayed we would still have a roof above us by daylight.
Thank God we didn’t have the rain with Sandy that we did with Irene. We didn’t flood this time after losing power (and therefore, the sump pumps). No structural damage either, aside from a few missing shingles on one of the buildings and some siding blew off another. I lost one of my arbors in the back yard, the one at the red gate with all of the morning glories & beans still growing on it. But that was it and we are so deeply grateful. We, literally right here, are so very lucky.
The destruction, locally and widespread, along the NJ coast, throughout NJ (and in areas on NY and CT) has been unlike anything we have ever experienced first hand and hope we don’t witness again. Utterly heartbreaking, though I’m still not sure that does it justice. Life changing. For a few brief photos, click here. (I recently made a decision about sharing my Hurricane Sandy photos publicly: I’ll wait. It’s too soon, especially for those who’ve lost so much. Some I will begin sharing after the holidays, others, I haven't decided when yet). By the following week, I still felt stunned, dazed, numb. It was all so hard to comprehend, process and explain. I attempted to try here.
Most of my garden was pretty twisted up and shocked into silence by Hurricane Sandy’s winds. And the snowy Nor’easter we had a week after the hurricane didn’t help matters much. I had beautiful Autumn colors in the garden, along with roses up through Thanksgiving after the storms. (Click here and here). I discovered a couple of Knock Out rose blooms this week that some how escaped the grasp of the off & on frosts. My pink Wax Begonia’s made it until yesterday. And the Snapdragons are still going strong! Snapdragons in December in the Northeast, who knew?! I’ve never been able to keep them going past Spring much less into December! (Click here).
We’ve surrounded my containers with fallen leaves and topped them off with fresh soil & mulched leaves as we do every late Autumn. One of the ‘Apple Blossom’ Amaryllis is about to bloom in the living room (click here) while other Amaryllis are just beginning to return. (I love to have them blooming off & on through Valentines).
I’m so glad to be back here with you! Were you affected by Hurricane Sandy? Is your garden now at rest? Have you started (forced) any blubs indoors? Share with me in the comments below!
Until next time…
~Jo
aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven,
survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't
real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a)
& avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something
who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled
with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.
I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.
Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!
On Vacation!
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Hello friends! I'm writing to you from Northwestern NJ Zone 6a this morning, our Skylands home, on my Blackberry, to let you know Adventures In Gardening is on Autumn vacation, but I'll be back soon to hopefully share photos of an amazing area garden in Autumn!
Be sure to stay tuned to Diggin' Around & New Jersey Through My Eyes for more Autumn photos from yours truly!
Catch up with my prior posts: http://gardenchatblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Adventures%20In%20Gardening
or click on the Adventures In Gardening label at the end of this post.
Until next time...
-Jo
aka @BloominChick
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
A New Spin On #GardenWalk Thursdays
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Happy Saturday from a damp & cool coastal NJ Zone 7b!
Since I last wrote, Autumn has been fickle weather-wise: teasing us with beautiful, quintessential Fall days then slamming us with unbearable humidity other days & sometimes drenching us with rain.
But, while the garden is starting to slow down & thin out a bit, it’s still going strong with nearly everything in bloom!
Is there anything more delightful than roses in Autumn, I ask you?!
And that’s when it hit me! Changing up #GardenWalk Thursdays - seasonally that is! (Lots of things are hitting me at random as of late; Autumn is my most creative time of year). Even monthly themes, throughout the year. Why this hadn’t dawned on me before, I’ll never know!
Beginning Thursday, October 4th, #GardenWalk Thursday celebrates Autumn in our gardens for the month of October!
Tweet a photo of your favorite Autumn bloom, color or harvest from your garden on Thursdays, including the #gardenwalk hastag in your tweet & you may be featured here on our blog on Fridays!
I hope you'll join us for #GardenWalk Thursdays!
Until next time…
~Jo
aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven,
survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't
real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a)
& avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something
who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled
with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.
I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.
Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!
Preserving The Harvest (What To Do With All Those Beans!)
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Happy Autumn everyone & welcome to my first (official) "how-to" Adventures In Gardening!
In my last post, I mentioned I was up to my eyeballs in (green) beans this year, so much so that I've been freezing my near daily harvests to enjoy during the colder months. Today I wanted to share with you how easy it is to freeze beans!
Let's get started. Yesterday I used a fresh batch of harvested beans. (I clip them off right into zip lock bags so they can go right into the fridge if being used that day or the next - if keeping them longer than than, I like to freeze them).
Regardless of how you grow edibles in your garden, give the beans a quick rinse before cutting. (I grow my beans on the gate arbors & the birdies love to hang out in the foliage).
I cut both end tips of the beans off, but you may only want to cut off the top where it connected to the vine. Then I cut the larger beans down into smaller pieces. Many of the beans are more than six inches long! If any of the beans feel 'hollow,' pop them open and take out the bean seeds - dry them on a paper plate in a safe spot & you can use them to sow next year! (All of my beans this year came from seeds I saved from last).
Now that the beans are ready, fill a large pot with water half way & bring to a boil. Fill a large bowl half way with cold water & add an ice cube trays' worth of ice to the bowl.
When the water comes to rolling boil, it's time to carefully dump the beans into the pot!
Once they're all in, I set my timer for 3 minutes & I stir them a couple of times.
Bring your bowl of ice water close to the stove so you can easily transfer the beans from the pot to the ice water. I use a large serrated serving spoon to fish the beans out of the pot.
Brrr!
Once all the beans are in the ice water, give them a good stir or two. I leave them in here for a few minutes.
After a few minutes in the ice water, I drain the beans.
Pick out the ice cubes & then give the beans a few good shakes to help drain the excess water.
At this point they're just about completely cooled off; I let them sit for a few more minutes.
Line a bowl or plate with a paper towel, then dump your batch of beans out onto it to help them dry off a bit. You can move them around my hand or spoon to give them all a chance to dry.
After a couple of minutes on the paper towel, I place the beans inside a zip lock bag, filling one bag about half way. (You may need more than one bag per batch of freezing).
Before sealing the bag, I make sure as much of the excess air is out of the bag as possible. Then I make sure to spread the beans out in the sealed bag as much as I can (so they're not in one big clump & therefore don't freeze that way) before placing flat in the freezer.
And there you have it! Takes a little longer than 'easy as 1-2-3' (roughly 20 minutes) but it's well worth the effort. Add to your favorite cold weather soups, stews & roasts right from the freezer or bring to a low boil in a small pot half filled with water for a side veggie. Enjoy!
What garden harvests are you preserving now? Share with us in the comments section below!
Until next time…
~Jo
aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven,
survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't
real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a)
& avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something
who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled
with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.
I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.
Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!
Saturday, September 9, 2012
We had a stormy day yesterday, complete with tornado's in the area (NY) but thankfully we were spared the worst of it all here. A cold front came and now it feels more like September instead of July in September! Thankfully yesterday's rain wasn't like what we've had over the past couple of weeks; it came down so hard & fast, it wasn't good for much more than causing flooding & running off to the lowest point (and did more harm than good in the garden - no pumpkins this year).
So far today we've gotten a break from the oppressive tropical humidity we've been stuck with for well over a week now. It was truly a beautiful day in the neighborhood! The calm after the storm.
 | |
| (From our back yard, clouds were doing crazy things!) |
 | |
| (Our neck of the (coastal) woods) |
At the end of August, I made the last round of deadheading the roses and doubled checked on Friday to make sure I hadn't missed any. Both days were disgustingly humid but it will be worth it to have roses blooming through Thanksgiving! The Knock Outs have produced quite a few clusters of large hips so I've left them be for now. It's a great time of year for the roses in my garden!
Stroll with me through the roses...
'Love' is new to my garden this year, a stunning rose for sure!
 | |||
| ('Love' grandiflora) |
I'm so glad I was able to find another 'Easy Does It' to replace the one I had last year which didn't make it to this year. It wasn't in the best condition but the nursery gave it to me for a deep discount so I was willing to see what I could do with it. Now it's 3ft wide by 3 ft tall! A little different than my original one but still a favorite.
 | |
| ('Easy Does It' floribunda) |
This rose (pictured right below) was labeled 'Queen Elizabeth' & only $9 so I scooped it up. I love my QE. But, this one is definitely not QE! My 1st QE is a strawberry ice cream pink, light to no scent, quite tall (4-6ft+) & has deep wine colored new growth that turns a fairly dark green. This rose is a stunning fushia, heavily scented, short/bushy (3ft) with bright red new growth that turns a light green. From what I've gathered from online research, this is no QE!
 | |
| (Mystery grandiflora rose) |
'Mardi Gras' has had a stellar year! The best since I bought it back in 2007 from the clearance table!
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| ('Mardi Gras' floribunda with 'Black Knight' Buddleja) |
Will the real 'Queen Elizabeth' please stand?
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| ('Queen Elizabeth' grandiflora) |
I'm up to my eye balls & other things in (green) beans this year so I've started freezing my daily harvests! (Stay tuned, how-to with photo's coming soon!)
 |
| (One of many bowls full of beans!) |
It's been a Slow season for my Early Girls but I finally got a nice sized tomato right before Labor Day weekend! With no longer having the full sun garden, I didn't go crazy with toms as I have before, seeing what will work & not in the back yard. It's been nice though having the toms coming in dribs & drabs though. It's doubtful I would've been able to keep up with the usual hectic 'use or preserve' pace this year.
 | |
| ('Early Girl' tomato) |
Another round of Roma's is ripening and I'm pretty sure these will be the last of the season. I was able to keep the 2 containers of Roma's on the front porch where they get full sun.
 | |
| ('Roma' tomatoes from Bonnie Plants) |
Late Summer peaches! Could have knocked me over with a feather. I took this photo while we were up at our Skylands (Northwest NJ) home for the holiday weekend. Quite a few late Summer peaches are ripening on one of the 3 trees. Not sure they'll be edible, but we'll see!
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| (Peaches) |
I bought these, many, many moons ago at a friends shop, now long ago closed, back when I had my first garden. They still make me smile every time I see them and I hope they'll bring a smile to yours now.
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| (Old, longtime friends) |
And yes, I grow all that you see here in containers! (Except the peach trees, those are along side of our place up north). I do have one raised bed which is overflowing with coneflowers, hosta, lemon balm and some other autumn blooming wildflowers I can't recall the name of!
What's blooming in your garden so far this September? Share with me in the comments below!
The unofficial end of Summer has come & gone and with it most of the tourists here in our neck of coastal NJ Zone 7b. The sun rises later & sets earlier, its' rays more golden. Leaves are already turning. I am ready for Autumn! Ready for cooler temps and less humidity. Ready for Autumn in the garden. It's my favorite time of year! September's arrival has me breathing a sigh of relief as I know the heat of Summer is finally going to wane.
But, with September's arrival comes the anniversary of September 11th. A day I will never forget. Can never forget. And I feel as though I'm holding my breath until September 12th. If you'd like to read my September 11th story, please click here. If you have a September 11th story, please share it with me below in the comments.
Until next time…
~Jo
aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven,
survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't
real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a)
& avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something
who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled
with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.
I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.
Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Hello friends! It's another sticky morning here in coastal NJ zone 7b, much different than last Saturday where it was damp & cool and only 68* at Noon! I'm still 'weak in the knees' relieved that we've had something of a break from this awful Summer heat & humidity combo with cool early mornings & evenings bearing a hint of crispness that gently pats you on the shoulder and promises Autumn will be here soon. I cannot wait! I'm getting cabin feverish from having to hibernate indoors with the ac so much this year. (Because of my health, humidity (plus heat) and I do not get along).
The cooler temps have also been welcomed by my garden and it's come back from Summer vacation to my delight & joy! When I was a kid, I hate August, probably because it meant Summer camp would be ending & school would begin again soon. I didn't notice the changing light, the resurgence of nature after a brutal Summer, the beginning of leaves turning (which is already happening here!!!) and that subtle hint of cool in the air I mentioned above. And how could I not have remembered August meant Halloween was only 2 months away?! Over the last two weeks, after noticing the beginnings of the change in seasons, I've come to love August.
With so much going on in the garden these days, I'm going to play 'show & tell' instead of writing more today! I hope you enjoy my August Garden Walk slideshow and tell me afterwards in the comments below what's blooming in your garden this month!
Until next time…
~Jo
aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven,
survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't
real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a)
& avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something
who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled
with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.
I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.
Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!
Saturday, August 11, 2012
NJ Zone 7b.
Good Saturday morning from a super sticky coastal NJ where it's 79* with 94% humidity! (And it's not raining). Soaking t-storms passed through yesterday afternoon & evening and more are expected soon today. It's been a period of adjustments since I last wrote. We had (Hubby's) Dad's memorial service and my elderly sister.in.law flew back to FL last Saturday. Our home is ours again and things are getting back to "normal," or something like it. ("Another new normal" as I say).
Amid the chaos of plumbers repairing the upstairs bathroom (which leaked through our bathroom ceiling, again) and getting ready for my iv medicine session Tuesday morning, I spied the first Morning Glory of the season blooming out on the arbor by the tall gate! (We have two gates, one tall, the other short). A pretty pink beacon. So exciting! Happy dance in the garden! (Well, a bit later in the kitchen actually). You know what this means don't you?! Autumn is coming! (My favorite season, my happy place).
Now, like everything else in my garden this year (except the tomato's & beans), these Morning Glories, grown this year from 'Scarlet O' Hara' seeds that were left to dry on the arbors until this Spring, are blooming one to two months early. Twitter & blogging friend, @HedgerowRose said, "They're back to school flowers" for her, which in previous years would have accurately described their timely appearance here in my garden (which runs through Halloween, or the first good frost). Early or not, this first bloom made my heart about burst with joy, something I haven't felt since before Dad passed.
Wednesday morning, after a frustrating night of mediocre & uncomfortable sleep, I remembered the Morning Glory from the day before, dressed quickly and grabbed my cameras. I went to the spare room window & peaked through the blind. Sure enough, two small clusters of pink blooms on the arbor! So out into the beautiful, foggy (horridly sticky!) morning I went. Thankfully the sun wasn't having an easy time of breaking through the dense fog, which kept the heat somewhat at bay so I could putter about in the garden after I took Morning Glory photos. A bit of watering & deadheading and I was 'stick a fork in me' Done. The oppressive, moisture filled air sapped the energy right out of me, especially since I'd just had my iv medicine session the day before, but, despite the fatigue, my heart was again filled with joy.
I can't believe how happy the Morning Glories appearance makes me every morning!
Plus, I love being out in the garden so early, before I do anything, like eat breakfast or journal. Before the symphony of crickets, cardinals (and sometimes cicadas) is drowned out by the commuter traffic on the highway (which we live 150 feet from). Before the neighbor across the alley is out in her yard with her hard of hearing sister. ("What?!" "WHAT?!") More times than not, I wake each morning feeling as though I haven't slept (even when I have) and in pain from head to toe (which is no exaggeration). Early morning garden walks, when I'm able to get out there for them, are an easy, peaceful & engaging way for me to fully wake up & begin my day.
While you enjoy my 'Scarlet O'Hara' Morning Glory slideshow of photos I've taken these last five days, think about what simple pleasures in your garden fill you with joy & help you through your day.
Share them with me in the comments below!
Until next time…
~Jo
aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (Which is not the kind you see on those "reality" shows!) Writer,
photographer, joyful gardener, avid reader, occasional knitter, lover
of all things Autumn, Halloween, pink & snow. Braider of pigtails,
my Summer trademark. Eclectic, creative & happily married
late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who
happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis and Fibromyalgia.
I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.
Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!
Saturday, July 28, 2012
A sampling of my garden, taken this morning.
Good morning friends! I'm writing to you this morning from a sultry, engulfed in fog, coastal NJ zone 7b where we are again under severe t-storm & rip current warnings. Thankfully there's a gusty breeze kicking up to move the oppressive air around enough so I was able to turn off the ac's and open the windows & kitchen door for a little fresh, albeit it humid, air. (I've since turned the ac back on as the 98% humidity is unbearable indoors!)
Since I last wrote here, the 4th heatwave of the season has come & gone, the humidity has been oppressive (even by our usual standards), a massive water main break right before the 4th of July caused a state of emergency in our county (water restrictions were only just lifted this week), dangerous t-storms have been our only prevention from plunging back into full on drought conditions and the peaches & pears in my Northwestern/Skylands garden have ripened and I'm sure have been a delicious treat as usual for the resident deer, chipmunk & bears as we haven't been up there since Independence Day.
Here in the coast, the Hydrangea (Strawberries & Cream), Coneflower (Purple & Sundown), Knock Outs (Pink & Red), Lavender (Hidcote Blue) and Hybrid Teas (Pope John Paul II & Love's Magic) all seem to have gone on Summer vacation. However the tomato's (Bonnie Plants Roma & a mystery plant), green beans, Butterfly Bushes (Buddleja davidii Black Knight & mystery white), the Floribunda roses (Mardi Gras & Easy Does It), the Grandiflora roses (Love & Queen Elizabeth) and the Bee Balm (Monarda Pink Lace) are taking center stage along with a new favorite, Tiger Eye Rudbeckia. (For photos, click here).
The Hostas, Caladium & Lemon Balm are still going strong. The Morning Glory vines are just about covering both arbors now and my peach miniature rose finally bloomed again for the first time since February. Aphids, black spot & watering conditions have been an on-going issue but that's not unusual. (Well, the black spot is actually. It's widespread throughout the area, more so than I've ever seen before). I've lost one of the new roses I picked up in May of this year, Kordes Perfecta Hybrid Tea and I'm quite crushed as I'd fallen in love with its beautiful, antique looking pink, white & yellow rose blooms. It went from healthy looking & blooming to literally dead in two days. I 'quarantined' it and returned it for a refund.
When I last wrote here, my beloved father.in.law was still with us. On June 24th, my husband got the call from his brother in FL we were both dreading. My grief has been overwhelming. For a week after, my heart literally hurt & I felt as though I couldn't breathe. As much as I have loved him, I miss him. I stopped writing, even journaling, as though a switch had been flipped. And there was so much to do before the memorial services last Saturday (Tropical Storm Debby held things up down in FL initially) and my elderly sister.in.law came up from FL & has been staying with us. For the first time since I started, I've been unable to find comfort in my garden. 'Mindless' deadheading has been a good distraction though. So much has (temporarily??) lost its importance & joy. But, I will get that back, and get back to myself. Again. In time.
And next Spring, the first thing I will do is buy a red Camellia bush to plant next to the Dogwood...
Until next time…
~Jo
aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven,
survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't
real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a)
& avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something
who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled
with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.
I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.
Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!
Tales Of A Northern Garden
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Hello friends! Beautiful weather has settled upon us and my coastal garden couldn't be happier it seems when I took these this afternoon after a morning of errands. Word has it we'll be rain-free for the next 5 days. Yep, I'll believe it when I see it too! (I see those of you in my neck of the Northeast nodding your heads in agreement).
Here on the coast, thankfully the last round of heavy rain & wind this week didn't ruin the flush of blooms on the pink Knock Outs, though there were several other casualties in the way of Roses (Pope John Paul II hybrid tea & Mardi Gras floribunda are not fond of being rained on). Strawberries & Cream Hydrangea are well under way and even more beautiful than last year! One of the Clematis is on a second bloom while the other is still recovering from being moved early this May. The red Knock Outs, Hostas & Lavender are still going strong but the Salvia is finished. The Coneflowers, Monarda Bee Balm & Butterfly Bushes are getting ready to bloom while the Beans & Morning Glory vines have really taken off up the arbors. Lastly, I began harvesting Raspberries this week!
Unfortunately, we're unable to head north this weekend as planned (two troublesome trucks equals one Huge headache) and I'm anxious to see how things may be coming along in my mountain garden. This Memorial Day weekend, despite that awful cold I had, I finally came up with what I hope is a garden that will bloom regardless of how often it gets watered, as we're unable to spend time at our northern home on a consistent basis, and my inspiration for it came from the wildflowers lining the country roads & open fields like the white & purple Phlox, Black-Eyed Susans, Daisy's & Buttercups etc blooming that weekend. I changed my focus from plants to seeds. Perennial wildflowers & drought tolerant perennial flowers to be more specific.
I realize some may not bloom until next year or after, some annual seeds may have snuck there way in, some may end up acting like annuals because of the NJ Zone 6a climate & usually shorter seasons, and a few may not exactly fit the 'drought tolerant' preference, but I'm very happy with the choices I made and content to have my mountain garden finally settled & under way.
Here are the seeds I've started with this year:
~Pennington Premium Wildflower Mix 1,000 sq ft bag (the first time I've used this brand).
~Burpee Wildflowers Perennial Mix 1,200 sq ft bag.
~Ferry-Morse Gold Dust Alyssum, Unwins Dwarf Dahlia, Black-Eyed Susan, Foxglove Mix, Summer Carnival Hollyhock Mix.
~Burpee Goblin Gaillardia, Early Sunrise Coreopsis, Blue Star & William Guiness Columbine, Treu Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), Alaska Shasta Daisy, Purple & White Coneflower Mix, Purple Coneflower, Fantasia Delphinium Mix, Carneum Poppy, Country Romance Hollyhock Mix.
Yes, I went heavy on the seeds and will do so again next year, just in case some don't take and the wildlife (ducks & swans specifically) happen to find the ones that do to be tasty!
All gardens take their time to come into their own - factor in a new garden for a home you don't live in full time which is in a completely different Zone than where you've gardened for the last 13 years and soil littered with rocks & boulders and what a challenge it's been! (Not to mention waiting to see what perennials were already there). This garden has been 3 years in the making so far. But, it has not been an unrewarding challenge by any means.
I'd love for you to share with me your new garden challenges in the comments below!
PS: There's a new twist on #gardenwalk Thursday! Stay tuned to me on Twitter this Thursday to find out more.
And a Happy Father's Day tomorrow!
Until next time...
~Jo
aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven,
survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (Those you see on those reality shows aren’t
real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a)
& avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something
who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled
with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.
I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.
Coastal Garden Walk
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Greetings from my coastal NJ Zone 7b garden on this beautiful Saturday!
The awful heat & humidity of the last week+ finally broke yesterday and we've had nothing but cool, gusty on-shore breezes & windows wide open since. More rain fell last night and more is on the way in the forecast for tonight & tomorrow. The triple assault of powdery mildew, black spot & aphids on the Roses seems to be well under control, though the aphids are now attacking the Clematis vines so I got out the soapy baking soda water this morning & sprayed away! I then finished the first round of dead-heading the Roses this season. Seeds have sprouted and are well under way throughout the garden. The Hydrangea's are just starting to bloom along with the Salvia. The first harvest of Raspberries should be ready by 4th of July. The raised bed needs to be rid of ivy again, coming through the fence from the alley, but that will have to wait until I'm over this nasty cold.
Unable to do much else this week thanks to the aforementioned cold, I took a lot of photos during my garden walks this week. (I know, I know, my taking a lot of photos of anything is nothing new!) My apologies for being brief today, but they say "a picture is worth a thousand words" and trying to write with this cold is like trying to swim through molasses (or what I might assume that's like) so I thought this week I would let my photos do the talking for me. Here is a slideshow of some of my favorites from the last week:
While at our northern home for Memorial Day weekend, I came up with a plan for my northern garden! Much to come on that so stay tuned!
What's blooming in your garden right now? Share with me in the comments below and be sure to leave links to your photos/blog posts with photos!
Until next time...
~Jo
@BloominChick
NJ Zones 7b & 6a
Diggin’ Around
New Jersey Through My Eyes
Remembering & Honoring Our Fallen
Saturday, May 26, 2012
(Writing from coastal NJ Zone 7b)
Hello friends & tweeps! I hope you're all well and your gardens are growing beautifully. We've more than caught up on our rain deficit, going from roughly 10"s below normal for this time of year to about 3"s and I for one couldn't be happier as I'm sure my garden is too! I've been battling black spot, powdery mildew & aphids already for weeks on my roses but it seems to be under control as of now. (Oddly enough, black spot is prevalent on the length of our road this year but the closer to the water you get or further inland you go, it disappears). Our wicked humidity has returned and temps are on the rise, just in time for this unofficial start of Summer.
My husband, a Marine, has been in the American Legion for more years than I probably know, has been active with a Post since around 2004 and is Commander of his current Post (just re-elected for another year) and May is just about the busiest month of our year because of Memorial Day. I feel very honored to help him, his Post and our VFW with the Annual planting of the Flags for Veterans in a local cemetery. I don't know how many acres this beautiful cemetery is, but there are well over 2,000 Veterans buried here from what seems like every conflict the US has ever been involved in to the present, as well as victims from September 11, 2001. Our little group of 5 placed roughly 800 flags in just under 4 hours. It's not easy for me physically and I usually end up sick by the time we're finished (as I did again this year), but, it's the very least I can do to thank those who've protected our Freedom.
I was sad not to see even one Peony blooming as they have been in previous years when we've been there for this. Bloom times are completely out of synch this year. This cemetery is roughly 5 miles inland from our home and the Peonies were well finished blooming even though we were there a week earlier than usual. (Here on the coast, Peonies bloomed the week after).
This is the same cemetery where I honor my daughter at different times of year because I feel the need to go beyond my own garden sometimes. It's truly a peaceful place where the garden & landscape honor those passed and comfort the living.
In honor of this Memorial Day, I wanted to share with you some of the many (many) photos I took while placing Flags. I hope you'll take some time throughout this holiday weekend to remember our Fallen, past & present and if you see a Vet, please thank him or her for their Service, you'll make their day! Have a safe & lovely weekend!
Until next time...
~Jo
@BloominChick
NJ Zones 7b & 6a
Diggin’ Around
New Jersey Through My Eyes
Raspberries, A Lesson In Patience
Saturday, May 5, 2012
From Zone 7b
I'm writing to you from a wet, humid, foggy & dimly lit NJ coast this morning and loving it! Rain, yes, we've finally been getting rain. More than 3's over the last couple of weeks. We're still upwards of 10's below normal and residents throughout the State are being asked to conserve water, but I'll take whatever we can get and my garden is loving it as well.
The Raspberries are just starting to push out what will soon be fruit. My initial harvest last year was the first week of June; we'll see what how the so far crazy weather of 2012 has affected them! I originally picked up my raspberry canes (Brandwine I believe) from a big box garden center on a whim. I planted them in the corner against a brick wall, the only space left in my tiny, heavily clay soil garden, then in zone 6. They never produced fruit, not that I was surprised, but I loved their bright green foliage that turned yellow & purple in the Autumn and so they stayed.
In 2005, I dug them up & potted them into a large, 16" container (along with potting up my few other perennials) and brought them to our new home here in zone 7. I placed the container of raspberries on our full sun front porch. And waited. Again, their foliage their saving grace. In 2007, a few berries. 3 to be exact! I was ecstatic! Every year since, my harvests have grown by leaps & bounds and have thrilled me (as well as the birds & deer) to no end. Honestly, most never make it into our home! I end up eating them right there on our front porch as I pick, still warm from the days sun.
They're at least 12 years old now and may finally need a bigger container this year as they've grown back Huge so far and shot out many new canes. I've only dealt with pests once before, last year, (teeny tiny clear little worm-like things chomping away on the under side of the foliage, making lace of the leaves) and was able to rid them just by turning the container on its' side on the lawn and hosing down the underside of the foliage with the garden hose on a powerful stream.
In ground or in a container, I've learned that Raspberries love good drainage, soil that doesn't stay overly damp for long, lots of full sun and good air circulation. I've also found them to be fairly drought & heat tolerant as well. In fact, my best year to date with more bowls full harvests than I can remember was in 2010 during one of our hottest & driest summers on record! As with any container, be sure to replenish the soil as needed each year once the level is lower than an inch from the rim of the container.
I've heard many stories of raspberries taking their time to bear fruit, even taking some years off from bearing fruit. They say, "Patience is a virtue." When it comes to Raspberries, if you have patience, you'll reap the rewards on many different levels!
What perennial (fruit, tree, shrub, flower etc.) have you bought on a whim and/or refused to give up on? Share with me in the comments below!
And don't forget to get out and see the Super Moon tonight!
Until next time...
~Jo
@BloominChick
NJ Zones 7b & 6a
Diggin’ Around
New Jersey Through My Eyes
Coming Clean
April 21, 2012
From coastal NJ Zone 7b
I was startled by the humid air which greeted me this morning when I walked into the back yard for a quick garden walk. Our humidity levels have been unusually low since the Autumn and I can't say that I've missed the humidity for the most part. Aside from that, a refreshing on-shore breeze moves the sweetly scented air tinkling the wind chimes and the sun is shining. Very much the typical "calm before the storm" kind of day. Tomorrow, rain arrives. As much as 3 inches through Monday morning. We're 8 inches below normal precipitation levels here in NJ for this time of year. This will at least make a dent in our drought and reduce the State-wide fire threat.
As you can see above, the Rosa 'Radrazz' Knock Outs and Azalea's are blooming! The sun is now resting on some Pansy's and past bloom Muscari (Muscari armeniacum & Muscari armeniacum 'Blue Spike' aka Grape Hyacinth). It was looking at those same Muscari when they first re-bloomed a few weeks ago that gave me the idea for this post.
In July, 2010, I nearly kicked the proverbial bucket because of a bacterial infection. The infection and fever from it put my left kidney in jeopardy, affected my heart and damaged areas of my long & short term memory. The anesthesia from my follow-up kidney surgery 3 months later also affected my memory (as well as my sense of taste & smell). Along with the extensive physical & emotional recovery, it has been a lengthy process of regaining memories, re-learning in general and finding ways to cope with my lack of short term memory. (When you see me talk about my "memory issues" this is what I'm referring to!)
How much this has affected me gardening wise has become more apparent over time but it wasn't until I recently looked at those Muscari and had no idea how or when they got there that I realized the full extent. That moment was as deeply unsettling to me as the day I couldn't recall where my Nana was born in Ireland (or when I got us lost going to my Aunt's home last Sunday). The more I realize how much information/knowledge I can't bring to mind like I used to, the more I feel like an imposter in the gardening world!
I find myself referring to my blog, old notebooks & textbooks often and not always finding what I'm looking for because the clue remains just out of reach. I see trees, flowers & shrubs that look So familiar but I just can't bring their names to mind. In some ways I feel like a beginner all over again! It's altogether discouraging, disheartening, overwhelming & maddening, to say the least.
But, I won't give up! Because there are some things I haven't forgotten: The healing powers of my hands in the soil and how much I love my garden.
How does memory affect you when it comes to gardening? Please share with me in the comments below.
Until next time...
~Jo
@BloominChick
NJ Zones 7b & 6a
Diggin’ Around
New Jersey Through My Eyes
Honoring Our Loved Ones In The Garden (to view slideshow, please click here).
April 14, 2012
From NJ Zone 7b.
Hard to believe after this morning's chilly sunrise garden walk that we will be near 80* tomorrow and 86* on Monday before dropping back into the 60s again. Still no rain to speak of in our forecast and red flag warnings cover the State from top to bottom. (For those who are unfamiliar, 'red flag warning' means an enhanced risk of brush fires and/or wildfires).
From where I sit now in the kitchen, I can see the Pink Knock Out (Rosa 'Radcon'), my second rose, purchased in 2007 around the anniversary of my daughters passing to grow in her memory; one of the years when the coming & going of that anniversary was particularly awful. I see Rosa 'Pope John Paul II' (Hybrid Tea Rose), growing in my Nana's memory since last year because I happened upon this clearanced rose named after a man she loved & respected for as long as I can remember. (She passed away in 2000). I see my beloved Dogwood just now waking from its' Winter slumber, rescued from a re-landscaping job roughly a few years ago. I just found out recently that Dogwoods were my mother.in.law's favorite tree. (She passed away in 2005).
Thursday evening we received devastating news about my husband's wonderful father. On top of his ailing heart, he has cancer. Cancer that has already spread from its' original location to another area. Inoperable. Nothing they can do. Words aren't enough to tell you... It's so awful. We love him dearly. I love him dearly. The only man I have ever known better than he is my husband.
I mentioned previously that I fell in love with Camellias during our road trip to FL & back to see my father.in.law in February. Not only that, I saw the huge Camellia bush in front of my in.law's home in full, red bloom for the first time. Before getting back home to NJ, I decided I wanted to try growing a Camellia in my garden, if they grew this far Northeast and apparently, they do.
When I was at the nursery yesterday, standing among the containers of red, white and pink Camellias, I decided something else: If the Camellia I brought home comes back & blooms next year, I will purchase another; it will be red, in honor of both my father.in.law & mother.in.law and I will place it near the Dogwood in our back yard.
Do you honor loved ones in your garden? Please share with me in the comments below what you grow, for whom and why. (Does it just remind you of them? Was it their favorite?)
Until next time...
~Jo
@BloominChick
NJ Zones 7b & 6a
Diggin’ Around
New Jersey Through My Eyes
Bloomin' Beginnings (to view slideshow, please click here).
April 7, 2012
(Due to technical difficulties, the slideshow is brief)
Hello from my northern garden here in Northwest NJ Zone 6a in the Kittatinny Mountains. Yes, NJ has mountains! In fact, the Appalachian Trail is just minutes from here. We're in what's often referred to The Skylands Region of NJ. We may live down on the Coast full time, out of necessity, (and appreciate that Blessing) but this is Home. I had hoped to show you what was blooming here, but Spring is taking its' normal time to arrive in these parts and things are much farther behind than down on the coast where things are way ahead of schedule.
We first bought our tiny slice of Heaven on Earth back in July of 2009 to get away to on weekends, some holidays and most vacations. It's funny, you would think that by now, two months shy of our 3rd anniversary of being up here, that I would have gotten more done gardening-wise, but as Hubbs would jokingly say, "That's what you get for thinking!"
It took a lot of work initially to get the small lot in shape and Hubbs did an awesome job of it! I pruned and cut back what I could to help things get healthy again. The first year, I wanted to wait, to see what was here already, to see what bloomed and what didn't.
Daffodils and tulips around the flag pole. Varieties of phlox, sedum, iris and other perennials along the front side. Two enormous rose bushes, lakeside, I've affectionately named Thing 1 & Thing 2 with the tiniest white & pink roses I've ever seen and the most fragrant I've ever smelled! (Their bloom time is short and I finally caught it early last Summer!) A mystery bush in front of the roses and a few along side that don't seem to be coming back (and will hopefully be replaced this year). Large white water lillies with yellow centers. A small rose bush out back that has yet to bloom though it's now growing by leaps & bounds. The most unique irises I've ever seen that bloom right up out of the lake in front of Thing 1 & Thing 2. And lastly, the fruit trees out back, one pear and three peach (two different kinds I'm guessing since their flowers are different colors), which the deer, bear and chipmunks love. (Yes, we have bear here in NJ too and this is definitely bear country, not to mention rattlesnake country as well, which I try not to think about).
Admittedly, I have made attempts. Year before last I tried a wildflower garden with seeds galore but they never grew. Last year that area was taken over by milk thistle but attracted so many butterflies, moths, bees & gold finch, I let it be. (No pun intended!) Often, as I washed dishes, I got lost in all of the activity & the sweet scent as I watched from the kitchen window. The resident swan ate my (then new) magenta butterfly bush down to a twig and it has yet to recover. And the resident Mallard ducks love pansys! Here the soil isn't so much rocky, as it's, well, mountainous, and if I didn't know better, I'd think I was growing boulders! One thing I don't do is shop for things to plant up here while I'm down in the coast, I stick to the local nurseries up here. I'm still amazed at how incredibly different the overall climate is up here vs 85 miles south on the coast.
But, every garden takes time to come into its' own; it's all about trial & error and learning. What do you love most about beginning a new garden? Share with me below in the comments!
To everyone celebrating/observing Passover and Easter this holiday weekend, I wish you a Blessed holiday and a lovely weekend to all!
Until next time...
~Jo
@BloominChick
NJ Zones 7a? 7b? & 6a
Diggin’ Around
New Jersey Through My Eyes
Spring Has Sprung, Zone Changes & Buying Local
March 24, 2012
Hello & happy Spring friends!
We officially left "the Winter that wasn't" behind on Tuesday and continued our "May weather in March" trend for much of the week. Temps dropped a bit yesterday and though we'll get into the 60s today, it looks like we'll be in the 50s for some time once the rain arrives tomorrow with a couple of nights dipping into the 30s! (Time to bring in those tender plants!) Daffodils are already past bloom (disturbing!) and just about every flowering tree & bush in the entire area is in bloom and even if I didn't see them I'd know - AAACHOO!!!
Both my northern & coastal gardens have had Zone changes per the updated 2012 Plant Hardiness Zone Map from the USDA which you can find here. I've moved from 6 to 6a up north and apparently from 7a to 7b here on the coast, though I'm not too certain about that. When I look at my coastal zone on the map, the color indicates 7a, which is what I've been since we moved here and I looked it up in 2005. But, when I search by my coastal zip code, it says I'm in 7b! I think it's great that the USDA has made changes to the map, even adding zones, with all of the climate changes around the Country, but I had hoped the new map would have negated any confusion!
Thursday was Forsythia Bush buying day! What do you mean you hadn't heard?! You must have missed my tweets!
On the way home from the doctors office, we stopped at a longtime, local area fixture, the Betsy Ross Farm Market, established in 1919, located in Port Monmouth NJ, so I could pick out two new Forsythia for out front. This is the only place I buy my Forythia from! Buying local is very important to me, whether here on the coast or up at our northern home and I do so as often as possible for everything before going to the big box stores etc.. I start in town then work my way to the surrounding communities & so on.
I also buy other plants for the garden here at Betsy Ross Farm Market, usually annuals like the Pansy's in the first photo above, their gorgeous yellow & wine colors my favorite & their scent so tempting, but I only had enough "sneaky money" (as I call it) for those Forsythia! (Ah gardening budgets!) He has a healthy, beautiful selection, reasonable priced for their large size and they do well in containers! (Very large containers). I was tempted to pick two in bloom like mine at home but thought the trip home, albeit it short, might do more harm than good so I picked two that hadn't opened yet. Hopefully they are the same large, vibrant yellow like I have already (I suspect they may be the more pale yellow with the smaller flowers), but either way I know I'll love them! I've loved Forsythia since I was a little girl. I love them for their Spring & Autumn beauty as well as their year-round privacy! (Even without their foliage in the Winter, there's enough of their 'bones' to provide some privacy).
Healing our landscape post Hurricane Irene has begun in the back yard! The three foot deep hole in the corner of the yard (where the fallen tree roots also pulled up the fences) is filled in and my containers of Roses, Hydrangea & Bleeding Heart and the bird bath have been returned to their places by the gate. (Please excuse my 'naked' containers, I haven't painted them for the season yet!)
Next step is bringing our chainsaw home to the coast from our northern shed so Hubbs can get rid of what's left of those fallen trees & their roots left behind by the power company & see what needs to be done to fix the fences. (Another step may be picking up two additional Forsythia to place along that chain-link fence to fill two empty spots & add privacy). Then the red fence will get re-stained.
I can't tell you how Good it felt to sit on the patio and see that corner (mostly) as it was pre Hurricane Irene!
What are you up to in the garden right now? What do you use your "sneaky money" for? I'd love to hear from you!
Until next time...
~Jo
@BloominChick
NJ Zones 7a? 7b? & 6a
Diggin’ Around
New Jersey Through My Eyes
Spring Forward
March 10, 2012
Hello friends! I hope you & your gardens are well!
I'm back from an unintentional hiatus of sorts the result of germs, family matter & scares and a whirl-wind road trip from NJ to FL and back again in exactly 7 days! Mom's health scare, which many of you comforted me through, shortened our trip by a couple of days, but because of my father.in.law's health, it was absolutely necessary for us to go down to FL anyway. (Mom stayed with my Aunt while we were away, we didn't just leave her home by herself!) We've been back since late last Sunday evening and are still adjusting nearly a week later. Or readjusting as the case may be since Hubbs returned to his full time job on Tuesday after having been home for over two months on Winter layoff, which has us both getting into our "what's old is new again" routines.
I always say, it's all about "turning upheaval into revival." (I even have that under my header on my personal blog!)
Throughout the South, it was a delightful distraction for this Northeast gal being treated to Spring blooms in February of Winter. I've been dreaming of hidden historic gardens, Camellias and Angel Oaks draped in Spanish Moss since Charleston, SC, one of our planned detours along our trip south. We experienced just about every kind of weather along the way to & fro except an ice storm: Wind storm, heavy rains, record heat & humidity (in North Central FL), thunderstorms, hail, tornado's (in GA & Western NC), snow (in VA) and temps ranging from the 30s to the 90s! (Thankfully we packed accordingly as it turns out).
Temps here in NJ Zone 7a soared into the 60s & 70s this week then promptly plummeted and today I don't think we got out of the 30s. Tomorrow, we're supposed to warm back up into the 60s and stay that way (or get warmer) for the coming week.
I don't know what to make of it all either!
My coastal garden is beginning to yawn & stretch, awakening from what little Winter slumber its' had. All of the Roses are covered in new growth, the Raspberry canes are budding, Clematis 'Daniel Deronda' has foliage, 'Strawberries & Cream' Hydrangea's buds are unfurling, purple Crocus are ready to open and the Snowdrops are still going strong along the back fence despite blooming 6 weeks early this year.
It's so exciting to see the garden come back to life! I took my first "official" Garden Walk of 2012 this morning! (Click here to view the photos).
The landscape of our back yard has changed yet again! While we were away, the house across the power company right-away traded out their brown stockade fence for a shorter, white decorative fence. It actually reflect a lot of light into our yard & kitchen which I like because they've always been on the dark side. (Luke, I am your father! Ha ha! Dark side? Anyhoo...) The fact that I can see more of her house than before though makes me even more self conscious about our privacy and how much of it we've lost since Hurricane Irene last August. (Aside from that, I don't care about the fence one way or another, or what anyone does with their home/property for that matter, that's their business!) It's amazing the domino affect that one storm can bring to your surroundings! As a result, this week may be the perfect time to take photos of the back yard, print them on copy paper, tape them together for a 'panoramic' view and get to sketching out the idea's that are rolling around in my head for this new season! (Something I do annually).
Next week, I'd like to do an Irish themed gardening post in honor of St. Patrick's Day, but I'm not sure it will pan out! I'm Irish and in recent years, it's become very important to me to learn about & connect with my heritage(s - there are others) but I've yet to do so in the gardening sense so we'll see!
Lastly, don't forget to Spring Forward when you go to bed tonight!
Until next time...
~Jo
@BloominChick
NJ Zones 7a & 6b
Diggin’ Around
New Jersey Through My Eyes
PS: Did you see that #gardenchat made the news?! Click here to go to the post with the video!!!
And So It Begins
February 18, 2012
Hello friends, long time no chat! The Snowdrops arrived along the back fence at the beginning of the month, roughly six weeks early (they usually don't bloom here until the week of St. Patrick's Day) and outside the wind is howling as a "quick" Nor'Easter approaches. Earlier it was pouring rain. Again. A couple of dustings of snow this month barely lasted a full day. 'Queen Elzabeth' Grandiflora is getting a head start on Spring and sending out new growth all over herself. Hyacinth, Crocus & Tulip foliage is peaking up from the dirt in the raised bed. (My Crocuses bloom late though) and I've seen Daffodil foliage coming up along the creek. The light looks different in the afternoon, less golden, and the air smells of dirt & things waking up.
Super Sow Sunday was a fun & frenzied success but last weekend was anything but fun having to put my eldest kitty down. It was time and certainly best as I didn't want him to suffer any more than he may have been at that point but it's still an utterly heartbreaking process to go through. He was 4 months shy of his 14th birthday; I was just 23 when I got him and am now nearing 37. He was a part of my life before gardening & my husband! I couldn't think strait much less write this weekly column but I've found my thoughts in my garden, which happens often when I'm sad or in need of healing.
Prior to Hurricane Irene last August, our back yard & my garden looked the best since we moved here. Hurricane Irene changed things drastically. Three trees fell on the other side of the fence (thankfully away from us) but their root systems pulled up a section of our back & side fences (which made the side fence & gate completely off kilter) and created a three foot sink-hole in that corner. Then the power company came along in the Fall and cleared away all of the over-grown brush on the other side of our back fence (in their access alley) to roughly three feet before our fence and took down most of the trees along-side it. (Had it been maintained all along there would have been no need to be as drastic and perhaps this area would have had its' power restored before a week's time had passed, but that's all a debate for another time and forum!) It could have been a lot worse and I'm thankful it wasn't, but it was still a hard pill to swallow.
All of these changes to the landscape left our yard disheveled and feeling very open to the street we live on. (It's really not but it feels that way as you can see more of the street from our yard vs being able to see into the yard from the street, especially when driving by). It also brought about people from the neighborhood taking walks over specifically to look through the chain-link fence into ours & our tenants yards as if we'd all just suddenly popped up out of no-where! (Yes, seriously! I know, talk about rude!) I started standing in our patio doorway waving at people & that seemed to stop the gawking pretty quickly but people are now using the alley as a short-cut, encroaching on the privacy we've had 5.5 years prior to the hurricane. (Makes me more than just a tad uncomfortable).
Ideas are beginning to collect. Lattice along the bottom half of the back fence, the length of the yard. Lots of climbers like Morning Glories & Moon Flower along that length of fence. Lemon Balm to fill in the gaps between the pavers that lead to the grill. (Seeds my friends! I'm all about affordable options in the garden). Four Azalea's to fill in the gaps along the back fence or four new Roses! (Maybe both!) On my Rose Radar so far for 2012 are the Biltmore Loretta Lynn Van Lear Floribunda Rose from Edmunds' roses (click here to view), the Sally Holmes Modern Shrub Rose (click here to view) as well as venturing into "cupped" roses (specific types not yet determined). And then there are Sedums. I love my Autumn Joy (10+ years & counting for the one on the front porch!) but I have seen so many pretty new kinds of Sedum in the catalogs I may just start collecting them! Soon I'll take photos of the back yard, print them out on 8.5"x11" paper, tape them together to create large panorama's & pencil in my idea's, something I do every year as Spring nears.
I'd love to hear what you are doing or planning right now for your gardens!
~Jo
(PS: We will be on the road the next two coming weekends so I may not post again here until March 10th!)
NJ Zones 7a & 6b
New Jersey Through My Eye
Are You Ready For Some Sowing?!
February 4, 2012
With the countdown to Super Sow Sunday officially under way, I'm interrupting my regularly scheduled Adventures In Gardening post today to focus on this fun and exciting annual event! If I recall correctly, this is my 3rd time participating - it's grown and evolved over the years.
To find all of the info for tomorrow's big event and how to make sure you have plenty of chances to win great prizes, click HERE. (This includes when to RT, start & finish time for the main event and time prizes will be drawn). Make sure to leave a comment there too!
And don't forget to use the #SuperSowSunday hashtag when you tweet tomorrow! Especially if you're starting seeds and sharing seed sowing info.
Will you be starting seeds tomorrow or looking for info to guide when you do at a later date? I usually have more luck with direct sowing than I do with starting seeds indoors so I'm not sure yet if I'll be starting any tomorrow.
Super Sow Sunday - A great way to "kick off" the growing season! (Oh stop, you knew that was coming!)
~Jo
PS: To all of us attending Super Bowl parties tomorrow, have fun and be safe! (Personally, I'm in it for the food!)
NJ Zones 7a & 6b
New Jersey Through My Eye
In Sickness & In Health
January 28, 2012
Last week, accumulating snow, ice & frigid temps. This week we hit 60*. I don't know what to make of it either and neither does my poor garden! But I won't go there, yet again.
This past Wednesday morning, I went for a MRI of my 'inner auditory canals' and 'brain' in order to determine if I still have an inner ear infection or if perhaps my arthritis is affecting my ear drum/the nerve and to rule out "anything bad" that could be causing the vibrating hum in my right ear that started on Christmas Eve when the infection kicked in. He doesn't believe anything bad will show up, but "just to rule it out." I will not even let myself consider what those "bad possibilities are!
Now, I'm no stranger to MRIs, I've had many in the last 8 years, but only once before have I had to go head first into one and even though I only do "open" MRIs, it's not the most pleasant experience. Add having my neck & head in a brace with a hockey mask like cage over my face, ear plugs in my ears and not being able to turn my head to either side so I could see out of the machine (like I was able to do during that only other time I've gone in head first) and it was everything I could do not to panic!
I tried just concentrating on breathing. In and out. In and out. But my shoulders were in an awkwardly strait position and at times I felt as though I couldn't breathe correctly so I started to panic.
Then I started counting but would lose track because of the noise from the MRI machine (which was Loud even with the ear plugs in) and that just frustrated me.
Then I started saying Hail Mary's which often helps to calm me when I'm stressed, but again the noise was distracting and I kept losing my place which frustrated me even more.
And of course I began to itch. In places all over my face I couldn't scratch because I had to keep still. Ack!
I wished I could read my book, which was sitting with my husband in the waiting room. I needed to have it finished for bookclub Thursday evening and I still had 100 pages to go! Reading would distract me from all of this...
Then I thought of my garden. My garden!
Immediately I began to relax and my breathing felt less labored.
Images popped into my mind: My 'Mardi Gras' floribunda Rose set against Tangerine Superbells, raindrops on the Bleeding Heart foliage, the Clematis ('Daniel Deronda') after its' petals fell off, Mardi Gras with purple Savlia and the Knockouts after a sunshower, the bright pink of my Azalea’s in bloom... (Pictured in slideshow below). The pungent conglomeration of scents from blooms & foliage on a humid Summer day when I first walk out onto the front porch or out the back door rolled through my mind too.
Then it was time to stop for a bit while they tried to find a good vein in my right arm for the contrast injection. That didn't go well so after a few attempts they bandaged me up and tried the left arm. Thankfully the vein they tried cooperated, the MRI resumed. And with that, I went for a garden walk. Before I knew it, I was finished and free to go! It had still been a long and uncomfortable hour, but once again, my garden was there for me when I need its' comfort.
In sickness and in health, my garden is there for me when I need it and I am there for my garden when it needs me.
PS: Be sure to check the 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone map! I know several people, including myself, who've had a Zone change. To view the new map, click here.
~Jo
@BloominChick
NJ Zones 7a & 6b
Diggin’ Around
New Jersey Through My Eyes
Dreaming Of Spring On A Wintry Day
January 21, 2012
For the first time this Winter, we’re getting accumulating snow here on the coast. (I imagine my northern garden is laughing, having already had roughly 2 feet of snow since Halloween). I awoke in the middle of the night to a muffled quiet & glow coming in around the windows and knew immediately that this forecasted snow had indeed arrived. Sunrise revealed a peaceful Winter wonderland we haven’t seen (here) since last year. And with the snow, the Dark-Eyed Junco's have returned to the feeders! Unfortunately, as we approached mid-morning, the snow changed to sleet and we’ve been icing up since. The roads must be treacherous as folks never ride up & down our street slowly for any other reason, even when it’s flooded by the creek!
This wintry day is perfect for things like: A morning #gardenwalk (with camera in hand of course), watching birds huddle within the branches of the old Christmas tree freshly decorated with bird seed yesterday, a lunch of left-over chili & baking banana bread (I love a well stocked pantry & freezer!), some reading for bookclub next week, a little writing (obviously), maybe starting another scarf with that new pink yarn I picked up earlier in the week and, most of all, tackling that ever-growing stack of gardening catalogs.
Yes dear readers, it’s time! During breakfast, as I flipped page after page of stunning veggies, flowers and shrubs, I gasped & gasped, ear-marking pages and annoying my husband as he tried to read. (Heehee!) Every year I am utterly swept away by the images!
This is what I call my ‘love at first sight’ phase when it comes to a new season of gardening catalogs. I fall in love over and over again with the turn of each page. (How can you not?!) I go through them all in one shot to get it out of my system and so I can organize them into categories (seeds, veggies, roses, bulbs, combo catalogs that offer seeds & plants, etc.). Once I’ve had some distance and the infatuation begins to fade, I start with one category and go through the catalogs, re-visiting the pages I ear-marked to see if those same items still make my heart race. If they do, I write them down on a list that I’ll review again before making any orders at the beginning of February. (I give myself a gardening budget each year and do my best to stay within it).
I don’t often order plants for delivery anymore after some bad experiences several years ago but I do order seeds every year. Plus, with my migraines, scent is a big issue for me and one careful sniff can tell me ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ on something I’m considering whereas a brief description isn’t going to do that for me! Catalogs that offer plants become invaluable sources of inspiration & information and accompany me during my frequent visits to local nurseries early in the season. (One nursery, in particular, has an incredible selection and has yet to disappoint when I’m looking for something I’ve seen in a catalog, magazine or online).
I confess I’ve saved the Rose catalogs for last today! Those I’m unable to go through as quickly. Captivated by their beauty, I linger on each page, dreaming of where each one would go in my garden and imagining their scents on a humid day. Roses just may be the love of my gardening life! So now I’m going to settle down with them and a slice of banana bread, still warm from the oven, while Hubbs naps on the couch, tired from fighting with the snowblower this morning. From my seat by the livingroom window, I see things are continuing to freeze up outside. But, inside, gardening hopes & dreams keep me warm. I hope you’re all enjoying your Saturday, no matter the weather!
Be sure to check #gardenwalk and Diggin’ Around for today’s snowy photos!
~Jo
@BloominChick
NJ Zones 7a & 6
Diggin’ Around
New Jersey Through My Eyes
Gardening Reads, A January Tradition
January 14, 2012
Has Old Man Winter returned from holiday? Yesterday morning we dropped more than 15* after starting the day at 50*f and had sleet & snow! Wind roared through the hills around us, crashing the wind chimes together & driving me to distraction (perhaps I have too many now?), knocked containers clear off the front porch and snapped the Flag as if it were a sheet hung on the line to dry. The rapidly changing weather also brought a flurry of feathers to the feeders & bird bath and sent the squirrels into a tizzy, all providing some exciting entertainment for the kitties in the house.
It was a perfect day to stay in and write, as the case may be, or read! Only instead of reading, I perused my collection of gardening related book (which snowballed into things like re-organizing shelves, updating my online reading list - you know how that goes). I love a good gardening read at any time of year really, but especially, it seems, in January. Typically at this time of year, here and at our home up north, the gardens are fully at rest for Winter and I'm in the midst of battling some kind of secondary infection (this year it's an inner ear infection) so reading is definitely on my agenda! (No, I'm still not quite ready to give in to that ever-growing stack of catalogs!)
Unlike with gardening, I've been an avid reader since I was a little girl. Reading was my "first love" in the hobby department, if you will. Of course, as my love of gardening has flourished over the last 12 or so years, so has my love of gardening books! (Not to mention the size of said collection). I have older traditional how-to's dating back decades which I still refer to & find solutions in, encyclopedia style references which are great for their inspirational photos, histories of specific flowers/gardens/gardeners; the list goes on & on!
The genres I enjoy reading most, however, are fiction novels with a gardening focus (or lots of garden descriptions) and gardening/farming memoirs. I love being transported to a garden, real or imagined, when mine is at rest (or when I'm unwell and unable to be out in mine which happens often). I love relating to the discoveries, struggles, joys & heartbreaks of those venturing into the worlds of gardening & farming, either for the first time or after a life-change, etc.. I got several title suggestions during #gardenchat a couple of weeks ago that I've added to my "to-read" list. (You can find my reading lists via my blog Diggin' Around by clicking here. This page is new and a work in progress, thank you for your patience). I'm always on the hunt for more!
Instead of boring you with bland details of books, I've created a slideshow (below) to show you bits & pieces of my collection: favorite gardening related novel reads & memoirs (and some I haven't read yet, but "keep meaning to"), what I'm reading now as well as some favorite oldies. *If the slideshow moves too quickly for you or is too small, just click on it and you'll be brought to the online album where you can look at each picture individually and enlarge them if you need to.*
So tell me, what are your favorite gardening/farming related reads, fiction & non? Please share with me below when leaving a comment, I'd love to hear them!
~Jo
NJ Zones 7a & 6
@BloominChick
Diggin' Around
New Jersey Through My Eyes
Oh Winter, Where Are You?
January 7, 2012
Happy New Year everyone! January is underway and, oddly enough, as I look of the wide open patio door from the kitchen into the back yard, I don't see snow or even ice. As a matter of fact, it's 64* here today in NJ Zone 7a as I write this. Motorcycles have been roaring down the highway to the beach since this morning. Autumn Joy Sedum is re-blooming on the front porch & last week I had a yellow bloom open on the Forsythia Bush! There's new growth on all of the Knockouts. Even Rosa 'Pope John Paul II' Hybrid Tea is joining in and my Azalea's look as if they're about to bloom! (This worries me as Winter is surely to return).
This time last year, we were still recovering from the "Day After Christmas Blizzard" and preparing for another snowfall. The snow in our back yard was four feet deep where it hadn't drifted, the spare room windows were covered completely, as were our bedroom windows, with a drift roughly 10 feet high. Temperatures were frigid. My childhood was filled with winters like that! I loved it! I'll admit that getting nearly an entire season's worth of snow in one shot was rather a bit much as it took us 5 days to finish digging out (drifts averaged 8-12 feet high!), but I love my winters snowy & cold and I've yet to get over my child-like enthusiasm for snow. The closest I believe I've ever been to having 'Zen'-like moments have been while standing outside as the flakes swirl about in the wind around me. Like gardening, snow soothes my soul and fills my heart with great joy. I think it's also one of the most beautiful times in the garden and 2011 was my best season ever, which I feel had much to do with the snowy Winter.
Warm winters make me thoroughly cranky and throw me completely out of sorts! I need four distinct seasons, though, truth be told, I could do without NJ's hot & humid summers. I could gleefully live in perpetual Autumn, Winter & Spring! It seemed in the last few years we returned to our normal seasons & winters here, finally leaving our fairly Winter-less years behind us. During those strange years, Summer continued into late Autumn, Autumn took over December and wet Springs began in January that months later turned back into Summer. And we never got a break from the humidity. Things bloomed out of season. The only exception would be in February & March, the weeks of Valentines & St. Patrick's, when we'd get some snow that melted down shortly after and a lot of ice, inches worth at one shot. I'd much rather have snow than ice, though it was quite beautiful to look at.
As I've always loved the colder months of the year (since I was a little girl), until I began gardening, I used to get Horribly depressed when Spring arrived! (imagines gasps of horror, fainting, jaws agape, cyber rocks thrown) I know, I should have better prepared you for such a startling confession and I apologize! Until I realized just how much gardening was helping me to heal & move forward in ways I'd never expected, I was initially thankful just to have found a way to help me through the 'awful & depressing' warmer months of the year. (dodges another cyber rock) Though Winters' end still saddens me, I now have something to look forward to and it's exciting!
Over time, gardening has also helped me to be even more in tune with the ebb & flow of the seasons, appreciating each one and what it has to offer. (Though, honestly, and forgive me for repeating myself, but I really do dread our Summers!!!) I still long for Autumn & Winter year round, but, now I notice the changes in the landscape with each season more than ever before, and that in & of itself is a blessing in my humble book!
The weather man says Winter will return around the middle of January. I'll believe it when I see it and hope my garden senses the changes coming and gets back to sleep soon. Now that Christmas is packed away, I wont be able to resist that ever-growing stack of gardening catalogs much longer, though I'd prefer to sit down with them or some new gardening memoirs, beside the front window when the snow is falling and dream of Spring.
*Stay tuned for "Adventures In Gardening: Gardening Themed Reads, A January Tradition."*
~Jo
@BloominChick
Diggin' Around
New Jersey Through My Eyes
(Funny, when I told Hubby the night before last I was going to write another column, he asked, "What's there to write about gardening when it's Winter?!" "Plenty," I replied. "Plenty," and smiled).
Getting To Know You
December 31, 2012
First off I'd like to thank Brenda, @BG_Garden, for the exciting opportunity to be a part of and a writer for the #gardenchat blog! I'm truly appreciative of her friendship and support.
For those of you who don't know me from Twitter where I tweet as @BloominChick, I thought I would use my first post to introduce myself: I'm an eclectic & creative, happily married (late) 30-something who happens to be disabled with sero-negative arthritis & fibromyalgia, mother of an angel in heaven and a born & raised Jersey girl who joyfully gardens in Zone 7a on the coast and 6 in the mountains. (Yup, we have mountains!) I'm also a constipated writer (when it comes to fiction writing) and an avid reader, photo-taker & blogger. Autumn, Winter and Spring are my favorite seasons and I love, love, love a good snowfall.
I don't come from a long line of gardeners. My uncle always planted tomato's though from what I'm told. (And oddly enough, it seems my cousin and I both became interested in gardening around the same time, unbeknownst to one another). 2012 will usher in my 13th gardening season, which all started one April with two containers of large, cheery yellow pansies from the local supermarket that apparently wanted nothing more than to grow & prosper on my old front stoop. I had no idea tending to those little flowers would bring such joy & comfort and quickly lead to my full immersion into (and often obsession with) the world of gardening! Now I cannot imagine my life without gardening. It's something I can't not do and I won't let my frequently uncooperative body & unpredictable health (or the voles) keep me from it!
Those simple pansies lead me to dip my tow into the pool of container gardening. Later on, I was told I could use the small corner "plot" to the side of my old front stoop because none of the neighbors wanted it, so then I dipped my toe into the pool of in-ground gardening. When we finally moved from there in 2005, my few perennials potted up in the back of my husband's pickup truck, I stood in that tiny, secluded spot and cried. (Leaving my first garden behind broke my heart!) Our move gave me more outdoor space than I've ever had before, being a life-long apartment dweller, and has enabled me to have two gardens, full sun out front and partial shade throughout the back yard and now, 6 years later, I have more things growing than ever! I'm still gardening on a smaller scale than many who aren't apartment dwellers and I'm fairly restricted to container gardening (for reasons I'll share another time), but, to me, it's not the size of your garden, what you grow or where it is that matters! Just growing matters and gardens of all shapes, sizes, budgets, in-ground or in containers, etc. make our world a better place when they're tended to with love.
I learn more with every passing season; it's all about trying and seeing what happens. I love reading & writing about this wonderful journey that is gardening. There's so much we experience from dirt to bloom, in and out of the garden, whether it's our own space or anothers'.
I'm looking forward to sharing my Adventures In Gardening with you in the posts to come. Best Wishes for 2012 & a prosperous gardening season and a safe & Happy New Year to all!
~Jo
Diggin' Around
NewJerseyThroughMyEyes
