KeeWee's Garden

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2009-11-26T08:52:00.000-08:00

I AM SO THANKFUL FOR MANY THINGS.

For my freedom bought with sacrifice by others.
For the man who loves me, and is my best friend.
For all the love and laughter in my life.
For my family.
For good friends
For a job I actually like.
For the sunshine today, after days of fog.
For the beauty on this earth.
Looking out the window, I can see two rabbits, snuggled up against each other at the base of a tree, trying to keep warm. I am thankful for all the wonderful creatures we have on this earth.
For all my blogger friends.
For all the other things too numerous to mention.

Happy Thanksgiving to all and blessings on your day.

Sorry

2009-11-15T18:50:00.000-08:00

I will not be able to blog until I get back home. I have been busy with family and have not taken any garden pictures yet.
Keewee

Leaving on a jet plane..........

2009-11-11T06:52:00.000-08:00

This morning at 11am, I am beginning my journey to New Zealand so blogging will be light for a while. As I am staying in a city I have never visited before I don't know what I will encounter. I hope to take pictures of some of the Kiwi gardens. Kiwis, well many of them, are very garden proud and like to have the gardens leading up to their homes looking nice.
I can't promise I will post a lot of pictures when I am down there, but will catch up when I return home.
I had better go and get myself dressed to go and get a swine flu vaccination. Not exactly what I had in mind to start my vacation, but being in a plane, that is three different planes before arriving at my destination, and with re circulating air in them, you never know what germs are floating around you. Better to be safe than sorry.
see you all when I get back.

Countdown

2009-11-05T06:29:00.000-08:00

I am getting the hang of using this tiny keyboard on the notebook, and having to sit very close so I can see what is on the seven and a half inch screen.

I wonder how large the Rubine Brussels Sprouts will be when I return from New Zealand. I want to cook them with shallots and pancetta.

There are still a few tomatoes on a couple of plants, but they are pretty much tasteless now. Perhaps there will be a day without rain before I leave on vacation, so I can pull the plants out and clean up the bed.
Just six days before jetting out of here.

Testing, testing

2009-11-04T10:05:00.000-08:00

Next Wednesday I am leaving for a vacation in New Zealand and I plan on taking this little notebook with me. I am having to learn a slightly different way of dealing with any photos I want to post. With the help of my very PC knowledgeable sweetheart, I will have it all committed to memory in no time flat.

The garden is looking rather shabby right now, but the mushrooms are somewhat interesting. I have noticed about three different kind of mushrooms ranging in color and size from a brightish gold color to dark brown, and from two inches across to about eight inches across.
Well I managed to get the first post done using this teeny tiny notebook PC with some help, the next one I will attempt on my own.

"for cryin' out loud"

2009-10-28T10:57:00.000-07:00

Due to lousy weather and having to work these past few days, I have not been poking around my garden. Imagine my surprise, today, when I found these plants still blooming.

Will they be the last?

2009-10-24T10:25:00.000-07:00

A small posy of flowers still 'hanging in there' from my garden. I just know the first frost of the season will be here any time soon, and kill off the few flowers still blooming. So why not pick them and enjoy them.

Jack Frost hasn't been here yet

2009-10-22T12:53:00.000-07:00

Some places in the garden are looking very forlorn and bedraggled, while in other areas there is still color.

The volunteer Nicotiana is still flourishing.

And there are still blooms on several of the geraniums. This weekend I must pull these plants to make them ready for over wintering.

I am still able to pick small bunches of sweet peas.

I suppose I should make the effort to pick the last of the tomatoes and make chutney. Perhaps this weekend I will feel like getting the job done as I really hate to see these beauties go to waste.

Two of the largest gourds are going to remain where they are until spring.

Scarlet runner beans drying on the vines for seed to be planted next growing season.

Don't you just love the hardy Nasturtiums? They just keep on producing pretty flowers.

Plants need friends too

2009-10-17T15:17:00.000-07:00

Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on

Wet Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-14T09:29:00.001-07:00

It's creeping up

2009-10-12T07:18:00.000-07:00

The mornings are crisp, but not breath stealing cold yet. Trees, and plants are glowing in their fall colors making for beautiful landscapes all along the roads I drive to work.

Holly, and other assorted berry bearing trees and shrubs, have and still are changing into their winter colors. I love to pick and decorate our home with holly during the holiday season.

Yesterday, I spent time in the veggie garden, digging in compost and manure, pulling a few weeds and some of the straggly vegetables, which I knew would not produce much now. The rabbits sure enjoyed the castoff veggies as they were tossed over the fence. No wonder I have semi-tame rabbits hanging around the vegetable garden. *grin*
I have almost finished my fall cleanup of the gardens before the first frost creeps up. I feel one coming on any time now. The thermometer read 37 degrees this morning.

Cuttings for next Spring

2009-10-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

The makeshift mini green house provides humidity for about 36 cutting of various plants from the garden. The mini greenhouse is downstairs in our daylight basement, which stays at just the right temperature, and provides plenty of bright light for producing nice healthy plants.

There are, coleus, fuchsia, hibiscus, geraniums, a ground cover, lilac, forsythia, and a few others I can't remember right now.
When taking cuttings, I always dip the ends in rooting hormone before planting them. I seem to have a greater success rate of the cuttings taking using this method. Once the cuttings are growing and are starting to fill the pots, they are then transplanted to the next larger size pot.

Harvest Monday

2009-10-05T18:19:00.000-07:00

I almost missed Harvest Monday, oh!well better late than never.

This afternoon I dug up the Russian Fingerling potatoes. They look more like arthritic fingers and one crooked elbow *chuckle* But they sure did taste good, roasted with a few onions, beets and carrots all from the garden.
I did have some green beans sitting on the stove in a saucepan, all ready to cook, but was distracted when a friend stopped by and the roasted veggies were done before I realized I had not cooked the beans. No worries, we will eat them tomorrow.

Go on over to Daphne's Dandelions and check out her harvest, and while you are there you can link to other folk's harvests.

Little works of art

2009-10-02T15:24:00.000-07:00

Mother nature blessed us with rainbow colors throughout the summer months, and has left us with lovely little pieces of garden art for the fall.

"October is nature's funeral month. Nature glories in death more than in life. The month of departure is more beautiful than the month of coming - October than May. Every green thing loves to die in bright colors."
- Henry Ward Beecher

Planning for Spring 2010

2009-09-28T13:28:00.001-07:00

Sunday I came across a 'Barn Sale' where many wonderful things were for sale. The person having the sale, used to have a gift shop and was wanting to sell off all the merchandise.

The prices were such, that I could afford to pretty much buy all I wanted. The nice lady said she has more stuff, and will be having another sale. She has my telephone number to give me a call, so I can go and see what other treasures I may find * chuckle*

I bought, pots, outdoor carpets, yard art and other
miscellaneous 'stuff'
The outdoor carpet you see on the right, will be on our patio along with the brown pots filled with a selection of plants.

A bargain were two pieces of solar yard art, and a whole bunch
of little metal birds.

The birds are copper, brown with white speckles, and a pretty eggshell blue. I have ten of these to place around the garden.
They were originally $8.50 and I bought them for 50 cents each. Who could resist?

I fell in love with the copper weather vane and added it to the pile of goodies I was putting aside to purchase.

The wind chimes weren't new like all the other things, but it has a beautiful melodious sound and I just had to have it too.

The pretty pink plaque, I bought for my daughter, and the blue and yellow outdoor carpet, will be for in front of the steps of our RV.

My car was full by the time I got done buying, Oh! what fun I had, and now, during the cold winter months ahead, I can decide where to place the pieces of decorative art, and plan what new plants I will add to the landscape.
I do bring a lot of my smaller Yard art pieces inside, during the winter months. I know it is a lot of work, but I want them to last for many years.

Vegetable garden cleanup -

2009-09-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

is well on the way to being finished. All the new growth, and many of the leaves, have been trimmed from the tomatoes, so they can soak up the last of the sun before our weather changes.

The corn stalks have been pulled from this bed, manure/compost added, ready to receive the strawberry plants.

On September 3rd, I posted about pinning runners from my older strawberries, onto the tops of small pots ready for my new strawberry bed. As you can see from the picture, the plants have established themselves in the pots with a very healthy root system, in just over three weeks.

As I was working on the cleanup, I got a whiff of a delectable fragrance. "where is that coming from" I asked myself as I turned surveying the garden. As far as I knew there wasn't anything in bloom that close, and I did not recognize the fragrance. I looked down and saw the pot of wildflowers sitting in a corner of the veggie garden. "No , it can't be those little flowers" but on going on over and leaning down to smell, I was very surprised to discover the source of the fragrance. I have no idea what these flowers are, they are from a packet of wildflower mix the local bank was giving out to their customers. I think I would like to sow more of these delightful flowers around the property.

All the new strawberry plants are in their new home and we will be eager to harvest their fruit next season. The berries will produce more, and larger fruit the following year.

The gourds I planted on the outside of the fence, without adding any compost/manure to the soil have produced a couple of small gourds. Next season, I will plant some seed behind the strawberry plants and they should do better with all the goodness in the soil.
These are fun to watch develop and I look forward to having many more to play with, perhaps to make bird houses.

Here is a basket of goodness. A few veggies I am still finding to harvest. They may be small, but they are still tasty.

Autumn is here

2009-09-24T07:00:00.001-07:00

Our days have been so warm that I fear I have a false sense of security. I must get out and pick the tomatoes and beans today, and start on tidying up the garden and prepping it for an early start in Spring.

The Scarlet Runner beans are still blooming and producing plenty of beans for our evening meals. I have left a few of the beans on the vines so I will have some for planting in the Spring.

There are about a dozen late bearing Blueberries still on the plant, but I will be enjoying those as I go about doing the garden chores today.

I haven't been able to eat the 'Sugarsun' cherry tomatoes as fast as they ripen, and that is also with giving bags of them to friends. This is one tomato I will be growing next year. The black Russian I will not bother with, as I found it to be tasteless and kind of mushy.

A Beefsteak which ended up on a sandwich. Oh! how I will miss my tasty tomato sandwiches
during the long winter months.
Our weather here on Whidbey Island is supposed to be nice until I think the weather man said Sunday, when it will be blustery with some showers, so I had better get outside and start on the cleanup.

What am I ?

2009-09-22T01:57:00.000-07:00

I am a Toad lily, and have found a suitable place to put down roots in Keewee's Garden, where I am quite happy to grow, and show of my unusual blooms.

I am a Caterpillar, but what will I be when I grow up?

This big guy, probably around two inches long, was making his way across a path I was coming and going on, as I worked on my garden. It was his bright lime green color which caught my eye and stopped me from stepping on him. I have not seen a caterpillar like this before, so am asking you, my readers, if you know what species it is.

A new look for the front entrance

2009-09-20T03:03:00.000-07:00

It was past time for the Astilbes to be taken from the urns and planted in the shade perennial bed. So on my way home from work I stopped by my favorite nursery.

I wandered around and around the nursery, trying to decide what to buy to replace the Astilbes. I finally settled on a Barnes Wood Fern, Dryoptaris filix- 'Barnesil' and a couple of pansies for one urn, and a Sedge, Carex morrowii 'Evergold' in the other. As with most of my planters, I buy perennials which will go out into the flower beds when it comes time to change out the flowers and plants in the pots.
I rather like the contrast between the green leaves with bright yellow bands of the sedge, and the soft frilly look of the ferns with the brightly colored pansies in front.

You know what they say

2009-09-19T04:15:00.000-07:00

I have been talking about purchasing more ornamental grasses for a while now. The first I have purchased, is Japanese Blood Grass, Imperata cylindrica 'Red Baron'

When lit by the sun, the many shades of green and red, come alive with incredible intensity.
I have seen Japanese Blood Grass planted in a row in front of other taller ornamental grasses, and I must say it looks spectacular, and prompts me to do something similar in my garden.

Gardening Gone Wild is hosting September's
Picture This photo contest.
Nan Ondra, the judge this month, has chosen ornamental grasses as the subject.

The prize for this month, has been selected by David Salman at High Country Gardens He has chosen a collection of ornamental grasses. Who wouldn't like to win such a wonderful prize? I would, so I am entering my picture of the Japanese Blood Grass, for a chance of winning those lovely ornamental grasses.
You Gotta' Be In To Win!!

The last Hurrah!

2009-09-18T09:42:00.000-07:00

The first day of autumn may begin on September 22nd, but some plants in my garden are saying "I think not"

Asters, Helianthus and a Salvia are still blooming and are making the bees happy.

I have Googled this Helianthus, and there are several species which look similar, but it really does not matter much to me which one it happens to be. If my memory serves me right, this Helianthus has been in this spot for three years and certainly is happy here, as it is now just over four feet tall and a mass of flowers.

Two lovely Asters draw bees to their vibrant colors.

I am very happy to have this volunteer Nicotania set up home in a pot with a young Hellebore. I have no idea where the seed came from, unless it has lain dormant in the pot, as I had a few of these plants in the garden a couple of years ago.
I am always pleasantly surprised to discover volunteer plants in my garden, unless of course they are weeds.

See what happens when you take a mini-vacation

2009-09-17T06:56:00.000-07:00

It is amazing how things can change in the garden over a period of six days.

Ahh Haa, so I am going to have some Rubine Brussels sprouts this year. Look at the wee babies starting to form at the juncture of the leaves, I am pretty excited to see the heads as it is the very first time I have ever grown Brussels sprouts.

The gourds are not huge but they are rather cute, don't you think?

Many of he scarlet runner beans are past their prime and these will be saved for seed. The rest will be enjoyed for dinner tonight.

The baseball sized cabbage is firm, and will be a tasty treat for us in the next few days, and Our rabbit is going to like the outer leaves.

Wednesday Whimsy

2009-09-16T03:44:00.000-07:00

Note: we arrived back from our mini vacation last night, and sometime today, I will cruise the gardens to see what has happened while I have been away. I am sure there will be a few surprises waiting for me.

Weird and wonderful

2009-09-13T01:28:00.000-07:00

'Alien encounter '

'Bad Hair day '

'Spit and polished to a high shine '

' Curiouser and curiouser '

Signs of Autumn

2009-09-12T03:50:00.000-07:00

The days are noticeably cooler, dusk comes earlier and the drifting leaves are starting to carpet the ground.

Autumn shades are coloring the hydrangea blooms

and the fern is looking sad and weary.
Soon many of our perennials will be resting, gaining strength to burst forth come Spring. I will also be resting, ordering seeds from catalogs, planning where to grow my new plants, and looking forward to warm spring weather.