SassyFras Cottage

Rutledge Falls TN

2011-07-07T16:58:00.001-05:00

I have been accused, by my husband and son, of having a case of OCD as it pertains to the cleanliness of my house and the condition of my gardens! Of course, I completely disagree with this unsolicited diagnoses, though it appears to have some ( a very small "some") merit. Apparently, it is the amount of time I spend on these activities that is the true issue here. According to the men in my life I don't spend enough time having FUN. I usually respond to this accusation with the my standby response of "Gardening IS fun to me" and "A clean and orderly home makes me happy". Here's the thing, when I stop to really think about it...they are RIGHT!! Oh, I'd never let them in on that tidbit of information, as the gloating would be more than I could bear. Instead, I made a promise this Summer, a promise to them and to myself. I promised that I would spend less time obsessing over the house and gardens and more time having fun. Fun is subjective, of course. It means different things to different people. To me it means spending more time experiencing new things, reconnecting with enjoyable things not done in awhile, and allowing some things to go undone. With that promise in mind, I put aside the garden and housework this past weekend, packed up a picnic lunch, grabbed my husband and headed to-

Rutledge Falls

A mere 20 minutes from home, Rutledge Falls is THE swimming hole of choice for locals. Privately owned, the family has chosen to leave this area open to the public.

The falls give way to shallow rock areas perfect for setting out a picnic, wading or sunning.

Never overly crowded and free of charge, generations of local children have spent their summers herel

It was peaceful, cool, romantic and FUN! I think I'm going to like this Promise! Next on the list, Tubing down the Elk River.

An Ending And A Beginning!!

2011-07-04T11:35:00.001-05:00

Hello my fellow bloggers! It has been a whirlwind year and I've had little time for gardening and even less time for blogging. My year began on a sad note, as my mother lost her fight with cancer in January. Losing a parent is incredibly more difficult than I had imagined. I'm sure that many of you have experienced this and know the terrible sense of loss and change that I have felt. Nature being my healer, I'm currently working on a memorial garden in her honor and will be sure to blog on its' progress as it moves from paper to reality.

On a Joyful Note--we welcomed our first grandchild into this world on June 4th! Sweet Baby Adrian as I like to refer to him! He is truly a blessing in our lives and has brought great joy to me in my time of grief. We are looking forward to all the wonderful "grandparent" experiences ahead.

So my dear friends, you can see that 2011 has been anything but normal for me. However, I have managed to get in some tomatoes and cucumbers this year and am attempting to keep up with the garden of weeds! In the next few days I will post some pictures on the beautiful Gladiolas that have managed to do wonderfully with no upkeep from this busy gal. See you then!

Happy Gardening!

Copyright Infringement and the Internet

2011-06-23T14:57:00.000-05:00

Many of you will notice that I have not been blogging. However, the other day I received a comment on my last post which was called "A Silent Plea for Winters' End" the post included a poem which I had located online. I had given credit to the person and blog on which I had found this poem. The commenter was a bit upset, she indicated that she was the author of this poem and did not have a problem with me posting it, as long as she was given credit. I attempted to contact this person concerning the issue, but no email or link was available. Obviously, she did have a problem because today I received an email from blogspot, they had a complaint of copyright infringement on this post and have removed the post. And they also had some stern words concerning the issue. Many bloggers post poems or quotes on their blogs, most of which are not their own. I have always given credit where credit is due, however, I have also gone by the assumption that the source from which I've gotten the material has also given proper credit. It is apparent, from this situation, that this is not always the case.
The problem I ran into was who to believe, the person whose blog I had gotten the Poem from or the commenter who claimed she was the author. While I understand the commenter being upset, I certainly think it could have been addressed differently had I been given some type of contact information and a chance to explain and correct the problem. Dear Bloggers, please be careful or your sources when you are adding material to your blog. While I enjoyed the poem, it was just a fill in post and certainly not worth the hassle.

Happy Gardening!

Learning From The Garden

2010-10-07T17:45:00.000-05:00

I was perusing some older photos of the garden the other day and it struck me how much it has changed in the 3 years since I began to carve out the beds and give each plant a home. We know, even expect, that a garden will change from moment to moment, day to day, year to year. It will grow, some will not make it through, some will flourish and become unruly, seeds will blow about creating beauty you never knew possible, your best laid plans may or may not come to fruition, and some under appreciated plants will suddenly become the best thing you ever planted, the only thing certain about a garden is that it will change. Our lives are no different than the garden! This was never so obvious to me as it has been this year. I am not particularly fond of change, though rationally I know it will happen whether I want it to or not. I prefer quiet change, a gentle type that simmers awhile before it boils and am much less happy with change that seems to run up and smack you hard in the head...you know the kind I speak of! I have been smacked in the head so often lately, I honestly think I have a concussion! In the span of 5 short months my Mom has been diagnosed with cancer, gone through treatment to no avail and now faces having her voice box removed, my husband suddenly lost the job he had been in for 18 years leaving us without our main source of income and putting us into a state of shock and panic, he has since been fortunate enough to secure a better position and just as we began to believe the storm had passed, a very close and dear friend suddenly died of a massive heart attack, leaving everyone who loved him to ponder the fragility of life. We have come out the other side intact, but forever changed in a multitude of very personal, deep down in the soul ways. We have grown, much the same as the garden after a storm. Today, we were informed that we are to become Grandparents....Hallelujah, the sun is shining and the birds are singing!! Change, my friends, happens moment to moment, day to day, year to year. In life, as in the garden, the sun will shine, the storm will come, change will happen, it is inevitable!
Happy Gardening!

Cemetery Centennial Potluck 2010

2010-10-04T08:55:00.000-05:00

Every 2nd Saturday of September our mountain community gathers for the annual cemetery potluck. This tradition has gone on for decades, starting as an annual clean-up and transforming into a day spent decorating the headstones and enjoying good food and good company. I'll admit that I originally found the concept odd, at best. I simply couldn't wrap my head around eating at a cemetery, uckk! However, I have found it to be a truly sweet way of showing respect for those family members that have passed on. Our little mountain is predominatly inhabited by folks whose families have owned this land for generations and our cemetery serves as the final resting place of those who have gone before them. The tradition brings generations of family home each year allowing them the opportunity to spend time with cousins, aunts, parents, siblings and grandparents in one visit. While the potluck takes place for only one day, the family gatherings go on for several days beforehand and even afterward. Wondering what a Cemetery potluck looks like? Well, here are some pictures of this years gathering, which happened to be the Centennial Anniversary of the mountain cemetery.

The tree over the cement tables is an oak whose acorns have been known to cause serious injury so several years back the community got together a built a covered pavilion to avoid this. It's a great addition and helped hugely when a storm came through this year.

Tucked up under the tree in the corner is a wonderful little gospel band that plays during the gathering.

Four generations of the Sisk Family, a local family who have been on the mountain for over 100 years.

We always have a great time visiting with everyone and I find I look forward to this event every year. My husband and I own plots in this cemetery and hope that our extended family will continue to participate in this wonderful tradition.

Got Roosters?

2010-08-05T21:37:00.000-05:00

I'm joining in on the Rooster Blog Party at Bella Vista today. My Rooster collection began 20 years ago when my Great-Grandmother gave me several Roosters she had displayed in ther kitchen for years. I was thrilled and the love affair began. I have refrained from including all of them as it could just go on forever, but you'll find some of my favorites below.

(You can click on the photos to enlarge them in another window)

I love the curtains in my breakfast nook (upper right) the crazy looking Rooster to the left of those is about 2 feet tall and sets in a corner next to the kitchen table.

Even in the garden, you'll find the wonderful Rooster weathervane that resides in the Potager Garden. I apologize for the snow, I just didn't get a chance to get a current picture and I really think he looks lovely all white and frosty! From top right: my favorite as it was one of the wonderful pieces my great-grandmother passed to me. Next is actually the chandelier that hangs in the breakfast nook and the beautiful guy next to that is my newest addition. I just fell in love with his tail!

If you get a chance hop on over to Bella Vista and check out some other bloggers Roosters. If you don't have them already, I guarantee it will inspire you to run out immediately and begin a long and happy love affair with all things Rooster! Find the Rooster Blog Party button to your right, click ..and your off!! Enjoy!

Adventures In My Garden Has A New Name

2010-08-04T18:28:00.002-05:00

A word on why I've changed my blog name. I don't want to confuse my followers, but an update was just so overdue. A Blog is a bit like a house, in that it takes some time getting a feel for it before you decide what works for you and what doesn't. Well, it's taken some time for my house, my garden and my blog to "speak" to me. We built our home in 2006 and right from the beginning I knew I wanted to name our little piece of heaven, it's a practice that the English seem to have down pat and to me it imbues there homes with a sense of personality and a wonderful quaintness. The problem was, the name just wasn't coming to me. I know now it was because we needed time to grow on each other. As weird as that sounds, there just isn't any other way of putting it. Finally, it came to me..quickly and without any real thought..SassyFras Cottage! And there it was, the name of our home, just like that! Why, you ask? SassyFras is simply a play on the word Sassafras. The abundance of Sassafras trees and seedlings growing on this property was one the first things I noticed about it and it's also something that is brought to my attention again and again by folks who come to visit. In other words, it is a recurring theme..it just took me awhile to see it! I changed it to Sassy..fras because it turns out that just like myself, our house, the land and even my gardens seem be well...just a little Sassy!

Sassy

sas·sy[ sássee ]ADJECTIVE

1. impudent: impudent or disrespectful 2. high-spirited: lively and high- spirited

The Cottage part was just a no-brainer as my home was built to feel like my idea of a country cottage and all of my gardens lean heavily toward the Cottage style. (Cottage Gardening = Planned Chaos..you just wouldn't expect anything less from someone Sassy, would you? )

Well, it stood to reason that after naming our home changing my blog was next. I thought of changing it to SassyFras Cottage Gardens, but after 2 years in blog land I've come to realize that I liked to write about more than just gardening. Don't get me wrong..gardening is my obsession, my passion, but it's not ALL I am. There are other facets of my life I'd like to write about, so I will be expanding my topics in the future. I hope that all my lovely gardening friends will continue to visit, I promise there will still be a large volume of gardening posts and beautiful pictures to see.

So there it is..the long winded and complicated reason I've changed my Blog name. Somewhere in this post my sweet hubby would have interjected with "Is this going to be a long story?" lol Yes..yes it is! So sorry, I should've have warned you, but it's done now. Happy Gardening, Friends!

Lord It's Hot-What's A Gardener To Do?

2010-08-01T10:31:00.006-05:00

Alright, I haven't been posting this month. One little post in the month of July, it's just pathetic really and now here it is August already. In my defense, there truly isn't much to see in the garden right now. The lack of rain and the ridiculously high humidity has every poor little plant in a state of shock. This gardener has made an attempt to keep it watered and cleaned up, but I'm having to wait until 6:30 each evening and even then I'm sweating buckets 10 minutes into it. We've givin up on those moments I adore, sipping sweet tea in the porch rockers, grilling out on the deck, morning coffee in the garden, I hate to wish for winter, but Fall would be awesome! I know, I know, QuityerBelliachin!!

Yesterday we got rain..hooray!! You cannot believe how truly happy the garden is, I swear I heard a collective sigh of relief coming from that direction. This morning I wandered out to take a look see, hoping I could get a bit of much needed garden work done-Lord you'd of thought I was standing in a tropical rain forest it was so humid. I'm not kidding..look at this picture--

I just couldn't figure out why the heck I couldn't see anything on the screen, then I realized the lens was completely fogged up..uggh!

This is what I was trying to take a picture of --

Aren't they just the cutest? This is the reason I usually let the garden look a bit messy, if had pruned out the not so pretty susans these little guys would've missed out on breakfast.

So, what does a gardener do when it's just too danged hot to garden?

Well one garden is flourishing, the vegie garden! I've been cooking and canning--peach jam, bread and butter pickles, homemade tomato sauce, fried okra, green beans galore, yummy squash casserole, if it's ready for harvest I find something to do with it! It's been a healthy eating bonanza around here! Of course, there has also been a lot of sharing the bounty with friends and neighbors, after all that's the southern way! In that spirit of sharing I'll be trying to set up a recipes page this week and will start out by posting some of our favorite "From the Garden" recipes. Look for it to be up sometime this month, until then stay out of the heat and Happy Gardening!!

Summer Sundays-It's a Peach Thing!

2010-07-11T19:14:00.001-05:00

It's peach pie time! The craving started a week or two ago and simply could not wait any longer, so off to the local Orchard we drove. Returning gleefully with our sweet treasures I set about to create the delicacy that would finally "scratch our itch". The salivating began as the sweet aroma of peach pie began to waft through the house, permeating every corner and crevice. Bringing with it the comforting familiarity of Summers spent with my Great-Grandmother.

And Finally....It Was Time...

From laden boughs, from hands,

from sweet fellowship in the bins,

comes nectar at the roadside, succulent

peaches we devour, dusty skin and all,

comes the familiar dust of summer, dust we eat.

O, to take what we love inside,

to carry within us an orchard, to eat

not only the skin, but the shade,

not only the sugar, but the days, to hold

the fruit in our hands, adore it, then bite into

the round jubilance of peach.

Li-Young Lee

Summer Sundays hosted by The Tablescaper.

Jump on over there and check it out --it's surely a blog of inspiration.

Summer Solstice Has Arrived--12 Things I Love About Summer!

2010-06-21T18:25:00.002-05:00

Today is the official start of Summer! The Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. It's a bit hard to believe that Summer is only just beginning as its' been hotter than Georgia asphalt around here since the end of May. I love Summer, always have. Of course, it's not the hot weather I love so much..it's what Summer stands for. The lazy days of summer when we slow down just a bit and spend more time having fun with family and friends.

Twelve things I love about Summer----

1) Lightning Bugs--(or Summer Faeries as I refer to them) bring magic and whimsy to our Summer evenings.

2) Porch Rockers--the perfect place to enjoy a glass of Sweet Tea or Lemonade and visit with your neighbors.

3) Outdoor Parties on the Deck-- time to enjoy the company of our loved ones and share a few laughs.

4) Those Summer Night Campfires--which are perfect for---

5) Making S'mores--you can't have a campfire without S'mores..it just wouldn't be right!

6) The 4th of July Celebrations-- fireworks, parades, cook-outs, and sparklers..what's not to love?

7) Watermelon--Summer and watermelon go hand in hand..you can't have one without the other!

8) Time spent on the Lake-boating, swimming, fishing, floating and good old-fashioned frolicking!

9.) Sunflowers--the happiest of the summer flowers!

10) Just picked Vegies from the garden--I can't wait for that first ripe tomato, picked right from the vine and eaten before I'm out the gate!

11) Picking Wild Blackberries--and eating half of them before we get them home!

12) Using the half that makes it home--yummy preserves and jams await!

So, how about you, what do you love about summer?

Bringing the Beauty Into The House

2010-06-20T20:26:00.002-05:00

Despite my best intentions I did not get in as much garden time as I would have liked this weekend. But I did manage to gather up a few beauties to bring indoors before a storm hit on Saturday afternoon. I noticed the Gladiolas and Rose of Sharon have begun to bloom and made a mental note to take some photos for the blog which I hope to do this week. In the meantime, please enjoy a few indoor blooms. (I apologize for the quality, I have not yet perfected the art of taking photos indoors..:)

(click on photo to enlarge in new window)

When is a Weed, Not a Weed?

2010-06-18T17:38:00.001-05:00

A dear friend and I were recently discussing her annoyance with the “weeds” that were rampantly growing in her lush lawn. The poor girl was beside herself with frustration over the prolific way they were taking over and her apparent inability to rid herself of them. In an effort to calm her and perhaps be of help, I took a trip to her place to take a look for myself. Turns out that what she called “weeds” were actually wildflowers/herbs. There along the front of her house interspersed with what we would refer to as grass, was a beautiful sea of White Clover, patches of Vetch and even a smattering of Wild Bergamont. I happen to consider all three of these beneficial and desirable plants.

The fact that her “weeds” had names and purposes had no affect on her desire to stamp them out. Which brings me to the question..when is a weed, not a weed? After all, say the word dandelion and most people will think weed. Large amounts of herbicide is used every season in an effort to eradicate this one little plant. However, dandelions are not weeds, they are actually herbs and are even classified as wildflowers. Did you know that dandelion plants contain high levels of vitamins A and C? The young leaves make a nutritious addition to salads, the flowers can be used to make dandelion wine (common around these parts), and the root can be used as a coffee substitute. The dandelion root and leaves make a great kidney cleansing tea and the root is a traditional medicinal herb. It’s good for chronic hepatitis, reduces liver swelling and jaundice, and it helps indigestion caused by insufficient bile. Besides, they’re just so much fun to make a wish on and blow into the wind!

Many plants we consider weeds, just aren’t which made me wonder what the true definition of the word “weed” is, so I looked it up and here’s what I found:

Main Entry: 1weed

Pronunciation: \ˈwēd\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English wēod weed, herb; akin to Old Saxon wiod weed

Date: before 12th century
1 a (1) : a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth; especially : one that tends to overgrow or choke out more desirable plants (2) : a weedy growth of plants b : an aquatic plant; especially : SEAWEED c (1) : tobacco products (2) : MARIJUANA
2 a : an obnoxious growth, thing, or person b : something like a weed in detrimental quality; especially : an animal unfit to breed from

Now, there’s an ahaa moment for you! So when is a weed, not a weed? When you say it isn’t, that’s when! Under that definition, I’m pretty sure we can all think of atleast one plant in our gardens we would classify as a weed. What immediately came to my mind was the Mint I erroneously placed amongst the roses, and the lemon balm I had no idea would attempt a coup.

A weed is truly in the eye of the beholder!

After commenting from some of my garden friends..I'm adding this to my post. Many of you seem to have wildflowers/herbs/weeds that you would like to identify. The best thing to use is a Wildflower identification book for your area. Since I'm in TN I can recommend "Wildflowers of Tennessee the Ohio Valley and the southern Appalachians", by Horn-Cathcart. This is the offical guide of the Tennessee native Plant Society. It's pretty much like my bible, I take it everywhere. It has a wonderful color key in the front which allows you to identify the plant by color and then gives you the page you can find more information on. I found it at Amazon.com, but if you have a book store in your area I'd imagine they have it.

The Cottage Garden Is Having Its' Best Year!

2010-06-15T22:02:00.000-05:00

Just a couple of notes on what the garden is up to recently. First, and worst, today I began to see the Japanese Beetles. I so very much dislike those nasty little critters and they so very much adore eating my roses! On to some garden views and a much happier topic....

Forever Pink Hydrangeas

Annabelle Hydrangea...I adore this plant..grows quick and huge and is just laden with blooms.

Astilbe and just between the two you can make out some Delphiniums.

The Lavender is quickly becoming a favorite. It took two years, but now it's showing it's beauty and grabbing my heart in the process. I've decided, more Lavender is in the future!

The Daylillies have gone wild. They can't help but make you happy!

A daisy has escaped it proper place (a typical event in my garden) and looks lovely with the roses.

Mr. Snail and I couldn't be happier that you dropped by to visit the garden.

Happy Gardening!

Southern Country Style Fun

2010-06-08T22:21:00.002-05:00

Several years back our little town started an annual Dogwood Festival. As would be expected it was timed around the Dogwood blooming season which happens to be about the middle of April. Now, anyone living in these here parts can tell you the overall downside of that plan...it's called Dogwood Winter. You see, the end of March and early April brings warmer weather our way, but just about the time those beautiful Dogwood trees unfurl their petals we experience a dip in temps. It's temporary, of course, and only lasts a day or two and it's unfortunate that those couple of days seemed to consistently ruin our little festival. So, after a couple of years of lousy turn out, the city folk moved the festival to May and... WALLA...a beautiful weekend, a great time and a fantastic turnout. Okay, so technically the Dogwoods are finished with their annual bloom, but I like to think that we are still celebrating the beauty we enjoyed a few weeks prior.

The festival is held in out town square, which after receiving a fantastic grant is being restored to it's historical beauty. Hubby and I enjoyed the weather, music and food and I thought I'd share just a couple of photos I took during one of our visits.

No gathering in Tennessee would be complete without Lemonade or Funnel Cakes. I admit I will go to a festival just to get the funnel cakes or the roasted ears of corn, for that matter!

In the South we just Luv to deep fry..yup I think the Southern folks can deep fry just about anything!

Of course, there was Bluegrass...I can't even believe you'd ask that question!

And some street dancin by our local Senior Center members.

There was general frolicking amongst the attendees. I don't know who she is, but she was having the

greatest of times! Ahhhh...childhood!!

And then...there is what I have dubbed..the Redneck Fountain. Yes, it's a truck...do you have an old truck sittin around your yard..is your wife naggin you about gettin rid of it? Wanna make her happy?

Well..here's whatcha do.....

Throw it in a rather large pond liner, surround it with plants, stick some water tubing through its' rusty holes, and you, my friend, have a one of a kind water feature for your landscape pleasure. Oh..don't forget the alligator (see him at the bottom of this photo)..it just wouldn't be the same without the alligator..!

A New Family In Our Neighborhood

2010-05-11T16:56:00.002-05:00

A few weeks back I got busy cleaning up and decorating the porches in anticipation of the warm weather. As is typical I had procrastinated removing the winter wreath from the front porch and was looking forward to transforming the area into its' Spring attire.
However, my plans were put on hold when I discovered that the winter wreath had become inhabitated by an expectant mom.

This morning I am pleased to announce that a new family has moved in. Congratulations to the new Mom!

A Sea of Roses

2010-05-08T21:50:00.009-05:00

I love this time of year, when the roses take center stage. The garden is exploding with roses and I want to sit and drink it in all day.

Rainbow Sherbert

2010-04-17T19:36:00.000-05:00

Visitors to the garden this morning! The fantastic Luna Moth which I refer to as the Lime Sherbert Moth was sitting alongside the Rosy Maple Moth. I have dubbed them Rainbow Sherbert!

My first encounter with this moth just about sent me into cardiac arrest! Huge and neon green, when it whizzes past your head you're instinct is to duck and bolt!

But, as you can see they are truly docile creatures.

This little guy is a Rosy Maple Moth or as I call him Raspberry/Lemon Sherbert.

Such a cheerful and pretty little thing.

You can see he isn't quite as large and his friend!

It just goes to show that moths can be just as beautiful as butterflies!

The Teeniest Tiniest Grasshopper

2010-04-15T18:53:00.005-05:00

I was busily photographing this dandelion this afternoon and I suddenly noticed something moving inside of it. On closer inspection I discovered..the teeniest, tiniest little grasshopper I've ever seen! So I took his photo..as best I could anyway. The little fellow couldn't have been any bigger than a grain of rice. Amazing, the things you don't see in nature!

Beauty Within

2010-04-11T19:01:00.031-05:00

In nature we often need to look closer to see the beauty that lies within. For instance, take the typical tulip..a beautiful flower especially when planted in mass. When we look at a tulip this is what we immediately see....

When we take the time to look closer....

Delve even deeper you see a world of amazing color and form.

The next time you gaze at a tulip....take time to look within.

2009-09-06T13:10:00.012-05:00

A recent trip to Rock City Gardens...Enjoy!

1823 – Drawn by amazing tales, sightseers came and rode mules through the naturally formed “streets and avenues” of the place they nicknamed Rock City.
1928 – Frieda Carter spent four years forging a path through the wilderness among the rock formations with only a string to mark her trail. Garnet Carter introduced her unique gardens to the public as Rock City Gardens in 1932.

1936 – Garnet Carter began his famous barn roof advertising campaign to lure vacationers from the highways. By the 1950’s Clark Byers had painted “See Rock City” on 900 barn roofs from Michigan to Texas.

I am experiencing issues with my posts and the ability to move pictures within them which is why I haven't posted lately...complete frustration! I have more photos of this trip to share and will do so in another post.

What's Been Blooming? An Update!

2009-07-25T12:08:00.019-05:00

I've not been posting...and some of you have commented. Rest assured I am fine, the garden is fine (aside from a Japanese Beetle issue currently driving me to madness) and Mr. Maximus is as sweet as ever. I have a multitude of reasons I have not blogged, most of which have nothing to do with the garden, therefore I will refrain from boring you to death with the specifics. I did feel though that I ought to post some pics at the very least. Yes, I have actually been taking them even if I wasn't sharing..LOL

So here is what the garden has been doing...

Spring arrived and the garden began to unfurl its' hidden beauty. The Bearded Iris were beautiful this year. Every single one of these Iris were passalongs given to me by various folks in the Fall of 07. They did not bloom at all in 2008 and I was incredibly dissapointed, but a google search assured me that new divisions often don't bloom the first year. I was ecstatic when they bloomed with abandon this year. Until the flowers bloomed I was not certain what colors I had and where, but it all worked out fine. I must admit I was partial to the Purple ones, though the white certainly held its' own.

Climbing Pinkie Rose which I planted on each side of the arbor. They are just babies really as they were planted in Spring of 08. The blooms were amazing this year and it's my understanding that they get better every year. As we headed into Summer the colors of the garden began to shift to brighter and stronger hues.

Phlox and Rudbeckia(above)and gladiola(below).

A Handpicked Bouquet for the house, one of the best perks of gardening.

Ladies and Gentlemen, May I Present.. Sunny!!

2009-05-03T16:09:00.026-05:00

Isn't it amazing that the acquiring of a much desired plant can create not just excitement, but actual giddiness within us? Last year I heard that a new Knockout Rose was due to hit the market. A beauty of soft yellow and I searched for her to no avail. As the planting season was heating up this year I again searched, Home Depot, Walmart, Lowes and came up empty handed. And then, just as I was about to go the internet route, a sea of yellow caught my eye as I passed a local mom and pop nursery. I slammed on the brakes, made an immediate U-turn and 30 minutes later was swimming in giddiness as I carefully transported 4 of the beauties home.

Meet Sunny, the newbie of the Knockout family. While she doesn't look like much right now, just give her a season to show her inner beauty. An added bonus, she has an intoxicating fragrance. A discovery I made when the perfume filled my car on the ride home. I love roses, but as an organic gardener the hybrid teas have proven too needy. The constant spraying of chemicals to eliminate disease was not something I was prepared to do. Not willing to forgo their beauty entirely I have concentrated on growing the hardy antique varieties and lean heavily toward those found on the EarthKind Rose List. The Knockout series of roses have made this list and for very good reason. They are not fussy, are incredibly disease resistant, grow like weeds and bloom pretty much nonstop until frost. You can find them in red, pink, mauve and now Sunny yellow. My fellow gardeners, run don't walk to your nearest nursery and grab yourself a couple of these beauties.

For Me?

2009-05-01T23:10:00.019-05:00

This month, May 3rd will mark the first blogaversary for Adventures In My Garden. I was comtemplating my blog to commemorate this event when I logged on and discovered that Lynn over at Best In Bloom Today has given me a most wonderful and unexpected Blogaversary gift. An award, my first award and the timing could not have been better.

The Renee Award

It is one of the most meaningful awards in blog world because it honors someone who is incredibly inspirational in her intelligent and witty writing. And by doing so, this award celebrates women's smart, strong and inspirational spirit! It honors women who spread joy and love like an Acorn......a small package growing into a tall and sturdy oak tree which gives more acorns.

What an honor to receive such an award from my fellow gardener. I must admit that my reaction was much like that of Sally Fields during her Oscar acceptance speech (obviously showing my age..LOL) "You like me, you really like me!" So Lynn, thank you so very much for this amazing honor, I am truly grateful.

I understand that it is tradition to pass such an gift on. This proved a difficult decision as there a so many of you wonderful bloggers that I enjoy visiting. So in keeping with my blogaversary I am passing this award to a blogger who has been with me since the beginning and the blogger that inspired me to begin my own.

Kanak at Terra Farmer--For sharing her corner of our world and always supporting my blog efforts.

Connie at Notes From A Cottage Garden--It was my accidental discovery of this blog that inspired me to begin my own. Much gratitude to Connie for being my inpiration.

The Potager: Tomato Companions

2009-04-19T16:20:00.018-05:00

The excitement is building as we move closer to vegie plantin time. The potager sits, ready and waiting. The red clover planted as a cover crop has been turned, a nice layer of compost has been added, the paths have been weeded. Yesterday I sat out the tomato cages and obelisks and attached the netting to the posts for the beans. I plan out each bed on paper, but it is always a general guideline. Knowing where I want to put each plant keeps me focused and gives me a list of what and how many plants to purchase. Because growing your vegetables in a Potager relies heavily on companion planting, it takes a bit more planning than simply setting your plants out in a row. I rotate my crops and keep my vegies in "neighborhods". Each neighborhood has a family, friends, and a mulch type. Below is my "neighborhood" list for the Tomato neighborhood.
Family- Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and greens.
Friends- Basil, parsley, marigolds, cleome, cosmos, dill, chives and alyssum.
Mulch-clover
A 4x8 raised bed of tomatoes would also include eggplants and peppers. Lettuce plants would do well in this bed shaded by the growing tomato plants and harvest would be completed before they grew to large. The "friends" add color, attract beneficial insects and in some cases, repel and/or confuse less desirable pests keeping them from your vegie crops.
Basil-repels aphids, asparagus beetles, mites, mosquitoes, and tomato hornworms. The largest benefit to me is the abundance of basil for summer cooking and winter drying.
Parsley-attracts benefical wasps when allowed to flower.
Chives-are a deterrent to japanese beetles.
Marigolds, cleome, cosmos and alyssum add lovely color while attracting many beneficials such as parasitic wasps, hoverflies, bees, ground beetles, spiders.
Mulch-many folks swear by black or red pastic as a mulch for tomatoes. As the beds are normally full in a potager, I prefer clover which can be allowed to continue growing after the plants have been harvested and turned under as food for the soil. Clover has the added benefit of attracting beneficial insects.
Throw it all together and you got vegies and herbs for cooking and flowers that benefit both while giving your garden color and even filling a vase or two for your dinner table.

Seeing The Beauty

2009-04-13T18:25:00.021-05:00

There are times that I am truly in awe of the beauty that surrounds me. It is so easy to fade into daily routines and become blind to what is in front of us. So I thought I'd share some of this beauty with all my gardening friends. Above and below is a view into the valley from our mountain top. It is spectacular to see before you an ocean of green pastures on your way to work each morning. It is unfortunate that the day I took these pictures it was a bit hazy in the valley. There are mornings, just after a rain, as the sun is rising that literally take your breath away.

We loaded up on the ATV last Sunday and puttered around the mountain and found this beautiful stream. It was the perfect place to spread a blanket and enjoy an Easter Sunday picnic.
Some of the wildflowers just beginning to bloom here and there. I haven't any idea what they are. I could look it up, but it might be more fun to ask all of you. Does anyone know what this is?

These beautiful Red Cardinal Flowers grow wild along the creek behind our house. This photo was actually taken in the Summer as they begin to bloom around July.

Wild Azaleas grow abundantly all over the mountain. They are often referred to as Wild Honeysuckle and the fragrance is pure heaven.

We also enjoy a large population of wild dogwood. This one decorates the entrance to my driveway.

If you venture down into the mountain you will often come across cabins such as this. They are used by ATV riders as overnight accomodations and often by hunters during hunting season. Personally, I'd rather sleep in a tent! However, the rustic charm is just oozing all over!

When the daily grind becomes the norm and life seems dull and predictable, go outside and take the time to truly "see" what is around you. There is beauty and wonder just outside your door!

The Black Hole Cometh

2009-04-11T12:54:00.001-05:00

The black hole just outside my home has formed, it does this on an annual basis. It’s an expected and highly anticipated event. Though my husband is less than enthusiastic by its’ appearance. Its’ gravitational pull will become stronger and stronger with each passing day. Soon I will cross the event horizon, which oddly seems to correspond with the date of our last frost, and there will be no escape. Spacetime will become distorted and all things outside the black hole will no longer exist for me.
My absence will not be immediately noticed. Time will pass, a layer of dust will build upon the furniture, finding clean clothes will become more difficult, nightly hot meals will give way to soup and sandwiches, the pantry will seem more spacious, and phone calls will go unanswered. Eventually, friends and loved ones will become concerned and my husband will be besieged with questions, “What has happened to Rhonda?” “Where in the heck is Rhonda?” and he will smile and calmly answer “She’s in the Garden, of course!”

Nothing?

2009-04-09T21:00:00.000-05:00

Have you ever sat down to blog and nothing appears? I do this more often than I care to admit. Considering the abundance of perennials pushing through the earth, the recent April snow and the new projects I've been busily planning you would think I'd be typing my little fingers to the bone. I have watched the beauty of the pear, crabapple and redbud blossoms take center stage, the brilliant seas of yellow forsythia lay before me, the cheerful nod of the tulips greet me at every turn, yet as I sit down, prepare to blog and nothing! Is it just me my friends, or do you too experience these moments of complete and utter nothingness?

A Walk On The Wildside

2009-03-03T15:44:00.036-06:00

Our property is a Certified Wildlife Habitat. Sounds impressive, doesn’t it? The problem is I had absolutely nothing to do with creating this haven for wildlife. No, it is Mother Nature herself who deserves all of the credit. Aside from a couple of garden areas and two or three birdhouses, my only contribution has consisted of doing nothing, literally. I have simply allowed nature to prevail without my interference by leaving downed trees, dead stumps, natural vegetation, wood piles and wildflowers. I refrain from using chemical fertilizers or pesticides and have taken care not to affect the natural flow of the stream which flows behind our house. I drove my contractor to the brink of insanity with my insistence on protecting the existing trees and wildlife during the building of our home. But, I’ve been rewarded a thousands times over by the beauty and diversity of the wildlife that routinely visit.

Of course, "rewarded" is a matter of perspective. It doesn't feel very rewarding when you come across Thumper lunching in the vegetable garden or Bambi partaking of your prize perennials. Co-existing with wildlife often requires a keen sense of humour. Although there is an abundance of deer on the property they have (so far) behaved themselves. I like to believe it's because I offer them a safe haven as just up the road from us exists a very active hunting area. Naive? Yes, but it helps me sleep at night!

There is a tree on our property which serves as a warm weather home to a flock of buzzards. I know it doesn't sound very glamorous, but I truly enjoy their annual return. I love the sound their wings make as they take flight each morning and I can time the setting of the sun by their nightly return. Oddly they returned a bit earlier than normal this year and got caught in last weekends snow storm.

This guy was sitting just off the back deck early Sunday morning and I watched from the kitchen table as he worked to de-ice his wings. Each time the sun would peek through the clouds he would open them up and bask in its warmth. It was fascinating to watch and I felt a bit like a peeping tom as I sat there.

Sometime later, after moving to a lower branch he caught sight of me, but seemed unfazed and I felt incredibly privileged that he'd allow my presence. It took several hours, but eventually he did dry out and I watched as he headed upward and began to glide above the treetops. There is beauty, even in a buzzard!

Mother Nature created this haven and the wildlife inhabit it, I am simply a guest. As such, I feel a sense of obligation to live peacefully with them. Now let's hope they feel the same way!

The Bookshelf: Worthy Reading-Mother Earth News

2009-02-28T09:23:00.034-06:00

I have skipped over the What's Bloomin In The Cottage Garden entry this month. I do apologize, however I currently have a shortage (none) of blooms, as well as, days in this month. So please forgive me as I head directly into The Bookshelf: Worthy Reading post and I promise to make it up to all of you as soon as the blooms decide to unfurl.

I'm a lover of the written word, from prose to blog postings and everything in between. I turn to fiction when I want to escape, but more often than not I can be found filling my head with information on whatever topic happens to catch my fancy through various sources. There are favorite books and magazines which fill shelves, baskets and tabletops throughout the house. They are old friends, dog-eared, tattered and visited often. If you look closely you will discover that 90% of them relate in some manner to gardening. This monthly post is my way of sharing those beloved friends with all of you. If some of them are already amongst your favorites, fantastic! If not, then perhaps you will find a new friend to add to your own collection.

This month I'd like to share one of my favorite publications. I will admit that there is rarely a trip to the store that does not result in atleast one magazine making its' way into my shopping bag. However, there are only a few that are subscription worthy and have the distinct honor of showing up in my mailbox on a regular basis. An event, I might add, that I look forward to with great expectation. And Mother Earth News is one of the magazines I look forward to the most.

Mother Earth News has been around since 1970. This magazine embraced the back-to-the-land movement of the 70’s with a combined interest in ecology and self-sufficiency. It has been a pioneer in the promotion of renewable energy, recycling, family farms, organic practices and affordable housing options. Thirty -eight years later these issues are as important as ever and this magazine is going strong. Along the way it has changed owners and come in and out of vogue while managing to bring itself into modern times keeping its' original down-to-earth and practical standpoint. Mother Earth News itself explains its’ content as “an invaluable guide to leading a more sustainable life, covering ideas from fighting rising energy costs and protecting the environment to avoiding unnecessary spending on processed food. You’ll find tips for slashing heating bills; growing fresh, natural produce at home; and more. Mother Earth News helps you cut costs without sacrificing modern luxuries.” I’ve been an avid reader of this magazine for several years and I have found valuable information in every issue, from growing tomatoes, raising chickens, and making preserves to priming a water pump, building an outdoor wood burner and changing the oil in my car. The magazine seems a bit heavy on solar power articles, but I imagine I feel that way simply because I don’t currently use it. It is a bi-monthly magazine, but at a subscription rate of $10 a year is well worth the money. In addition, they have one of the best websites of any magazine I’ve seen. You can access information on an amazing variety of topics, sign up to receive newsletters related to your interests and get instructions for any number of DIY projects. It’s easy to see why this magazine keeps going. Check it out, your bound to learn something new.

Happy Gardening!

What The Heck Is A Potager?

2009-02-14T10:02:00.017-06:00

The seeds of my gardening passion were planted by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Ms. Burnett was an artist, not of the garden, but of the written word. She is the author of the beloved classic “The Secret Garden”. It was during my first reading of this novel that I began to see the beauty of nature. What little girl would not be mesmerized by an ivy clad wall hiding a secret door behind which lay a magical cottage garden of rambling roses and dancing buttercups? I have been intent on creating my very own secret garden ever since. So when I began to plan a vegetable garden I instinctively knew it would be a Potager (pronounced: puh-ta-zhay), just as I knew when I began to garden that my gardens would lean heavily toward Cottage style. Perfectly laid out rows of vegetables would never fit into my “secret garden” vision, I find them strictly utilitarian and lacking in charm. A Potager is an attractive mixed garden for growing food as well as flowers, it is a landscape feature begging to be seen and enjoyed rather than hidden from view. It has its' roots in 16th century France and can be incredibly formal with paved paths, geometrically laid out paths, and fenced with shrubberies or permanent structures, however many potager gardens in rural areas of france had paths of dirt that wound casually through informal, asymmetrical plots. Now commonly referred to as a Kitchen Garden, the potager concept has gained popularity in the United States and garden design is as varied as the gardeners themselves. As companion plants, flowers and herbs in the vegetable garden are not only a feast for the eyes, but provide insect control, improve growth and production and attract bees for pollination. This combination is a dream for those of us who prefer to garden organically. The beautiful Potager above is the creative work of a gardenweb forum member and is located in her front yard. She is able to grow vegetables while staying within the good graces of her neighbors and the Homeowners Association. There are no hard and fast rules to creating a potager, though the beds are often raised and set in a symmetrical pattern and are traditionally set close to the kitchen to allow easy access to the cook. Whether your potager is enclosed with shrubbery or a more permanent structure is entirely up to your tastes and budget.

This is an early photo of my Potager which was taken in Spring of last year. There are 4 beds which are 4x8 each and I have set them in the traditional 4 quadrant design. I have allowed walking paths 3 feet wide and have planted along the fence line both within the enclosure and outside of it. Potager gardening relies heavily on the concept of using trellises, arbors and other structures as planting space.

Another gardenweb forum member used rebar and cattle fencing to create these beautiful arbors throughout her Potager garden. Smothered in morning glory vines they provide a "secret garden" feel to the vegetable garden.

The Potager is a an old concept, but a valid one even today. To grow your food, flowers for your table and herbs for seasoning in one space just makes sense. If you are thinking of creating your own Potager and would like some help pick up a copy of "Designing the New Kitchen Garden" by Jennifer R. Bartley. This book has been an invaluable source of information for me, I relied heavily on it during the planning phase and refer to it often for continued help.

Happy Gardening!

I Hate Grass!

2009-02-06T15:27:00.002-06:00

No, I'm not referring to the type you smoke. I'm going to make that clear to anyone who has found this post via google and made an assumption based on the title. And while we are on the subject, I find it annoying that I am unable to grow such a beautiful plant in my garden. Oh sorry, I digress. What was I saying? Oh yeah, I hate grass! Seriously, as a gardener it is truly on the top of my pet peeve list (and it's a long list). Today I was making my 2009 garden "To Do" list and I grudgingly added, lime and fertilize the lawn..Uggh! It isn't that a nice green lawn isn't beautiful in it's own way, but the constant upkeep puts the needs of my roses to shame. Personally, I don't feel the means justify the ends. Grass is needy! When we lived in Florida I actually paid a company to care for the needs of my grass, still it's unsatiable thirst nearly drove me to the brink of insanity and the poor house. Though I suspect that the water company relies heavily on revenue generated by grass. My new (Tennessee) grass drives me mad with the need for lime,water, fertilizer and mowing. The mowing being the one and only outdoor chore my husband is in charge of, a chore that became an actual part of the household budget when gas prices shot up over $4.00 a gallon last year. All of this seems out of sink somehow with mother nature. Don't even get me started on the cost and overall pain in the butt factor of constantly putting down grass seed. As our home is newly built it was necessary to plant a certain amount of grass, if only to avoid the constant trudging through mud. I will, and you can quote me on this, one day iradicate every blade of grass on this property. It will be replaced with beautiful, flowing and colorful beds of flowers and greenery requiring less coddling and allowing mother nature to prevail once again.

Awaking From Winter Slumber

2009-01-30T15:16:00.010-06:00

I'm baaacck!! Honestly I didn't really go anywhere, but gardening and this blog took a backseat to my life for the past two months. Winter arrived with a bang, the garden slipped into a deep slumber, my son shipped off for Boot Camp, the holiday season was a rather depressing one and once the New Year arrived plans to attend my sons graduation took center stage. Gardening was not even a blip on my radar, in fact each and every gardening catalog received was tossed into a pile without a second thought. I, my friends, had followed the garden into its deep winter slumber and like the garden it took a tease from mother nature to awaken me. This tease came in the form of uncharacteristicly warm (72 degrees) sunny day at the beginning of this week. Oh I knew it wouldn't last, but it was just the thing I needed to snap me out of my slumber. My mind began at once to think of the garden, warm summer days, BBQ's on the deck with friends, ATV and motorcycle adventures, ice tea enjoyed while rocking on the front porch...aaahhhhh...spring was in the air if only for a day! I took the time on this glorious day to walk the garden for the first time since Winter began. My heart skipped a beat when I rounded the corner and caught sight of this----

Just as I have awaken, so too has the garden. Daffodils, Crocus, and Tulips have begun to push up through the earth. An undeniable signal that spring is on its' way...HOORAY!!! And so the pile of catalogs is getting smaller, the Pottager is being planned for the new year and seeds and new garden plantings are being ordered. Once again the garden is beginning to push its' way to the forefront of my mind. Yes, I'm definitely back!

And Now...A Moment of Tranquility

2008-12-03T16:46:00.011-06:00

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

Robert Frost

There is such beauty and peace in a garden of new fallen snow and I just wanted to share a piece of this tranquility.

We've Adopted!

2008-11-30T01:40:00.014-06:00

Hubby and I were having a bit of trouble catching the Holiday spirit this year. We’ve been empty nesters for 2 years and although our son has been living at home for the last 5 months, it was temporary and he will be leaving for Navy Boot Camp on Monday. We’ve haven’t been big on giving each other gifts over the last few years, it just seems as though we don’t really need much of anything and we came to the conclusion long ago that Christmas was entirely too commercialized. So we decided to adopt. (Right about now my mother is reading this and wondering if I’ve lost my mind).

We’ve adopted a wonderful 22 year old Soldier stationed in Iraq. We did this through the Adopt a US Soldier program which is an amazing group of folks providing a fantastic service to our troops. They match up supporters like ourselves with soldiers in need of a little support and a care package or two. The process is quick and easy, you access the website Adopt A US Soldier, register online and within a couple of days your soldiers information which includes mailing address, personal info, email addy if they have one and any comments or requests are sent to your email address. From there it’s up to you. Here is one of the letters written to a supporter which I thought summed it all up:

Letter from SSG Arthur L. Felder

OH MY GOD SHARON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If I was there I would hug and kiss everyone. You just don't know what you have done for the morale of me and all my soldiers. We have been going through a real rough time and a week ago we had to watch as they put a couple of our friends in some bodybags. But the care packages that you have sent really put a smile on all the soldiers faces and gave them a piece of home. Some of them broke down and cried and some just sat on the desert floor and ate the goodies. We are all trying to send a picture to the local newspaper thanking you and the church personally. I don't know if it will happen but I want to personally say I thank God for you and all those who gave. I passed out the cards and letters to all the soldiers and it was kind of hard to watch some of them read the cards because with some of them, their own families don't even write them and it is hard for me to understand how can complete strangers care more about us than our families. How can I ever thank you, what can I say or do for you and the kind people of your church. Some of the soldiers and myself feel kind of guilty cause we really don't have much to give in return. But even as I am emailing you, my soldiers are constantly coming up with ideas of what we can do to show our gratitude. Thank you all, God bless you all.

Their needs are small, news from home, snacks, toiletries, reading material. It’s such a small thing when you consider what they are doing and how difficult their days must be.

Currently the organization is experiencing a high volume of Soldiers to be adopted, and not enough supporters so I’m trying to get the word out. Take a moment to check out the website and consider doing something wonderful for someone you don’t know, after all that’s what the Christmas spirit is all about.

NOTE: Please remember that supporting a soldier is not a one time Christmas card or care package. When adopting a soldier keep in mind that he/she will be counting on hearing from you until they safely return home.

Lessons From The Vegetable Garden

2008-11-23T20:59:00.013-06:00

The growing season has ended and we are settling in for that "long winters nap" which means it is time to reflect on some lessons from the vegetable garden this year.

Before I plunge into the actual vegetables themselves, I want to share with you my favorite discovery this year. These fantastic tomato cages from Gardeners Supply Co. I refrained from posting about these until I tried them out and I can honestly say that they are well worth the money. These babies are incredibly sturdy and durable and can be used for more than just tomatoes. They are easy to put up and even easier to store because they fit into each other, taking up very little room. Throw out those flimsy round wire cages and put a set of these on your Christmas wish list. I guarantee you won't be sorry! Find them at Gardeners Supply Co.

As this was the first year I attempted an actual full-scale vegetable garden there were, of course, mistakes made. Here a few things I learned:

1. Do not grow morning glory vines on the same trellis as pole beans! I will admit it was stunning when the morning glories bloomed, however it was a nightmare attempting to locate the beans for picking.

2. Growing five cucumber plants when you are the only person in your house that will eat them is just plain stupidity! If I had thought to actually plant both slicing and pickling varieties this would not have been a problem. On the up side, the ladies at work never had to purchase a cucumber the entire season. The same can be said for Okra which is a prolific producer.

3. Even determinate tomatoes need cages! Having never grown this type in the past I was not aware that the 5 Roma plants would end up sprawled all over the place. I will not make that mistake again.

4. Treat the garden with beneficial nematodes to combat the bean beetle prior to them devouring your crop of heirloom Italian beans. Experience is the best teacher!

5. Corn is not an easy crop to grow. Apparently, you need to grow it in depths of 3 rows in order for it to successfully pollinate, who knew?

With the mistakes came some wonderful successes. I discovered pole beans to be an extremely easy and plentiful crop to grow and have a freezer full of them to prove it. The tomato crop was unbelievably productive this year. Along with fresh tomatoes on a daily basis I was able to freeze 30 quarts of tomato sauce which will be used in stews and various sauces over the winter. I had limited success with both Sugar Baby Watermelon and cantaloupe which were last minute plantings and were planted a bit late in the season. Overall it was a productive year and I'm looking forward to the mistakes and successes of next season.

Why Did The Turkey Cross The Road?

2008-11-19T17:34:00.006-06:00

We had our first snow on Saturday night. It was pretty, but didn't stick around long. The weather has turned cold, too cold for my liking. The garden is looking pretty bare, my son will be leaving in two weeks for Navy Boot Camp, our water line developed a leak which took several days to find and fix, the laptop took a crap and is now in the repair shop, and it is getting dark by 5pm. For all these reasons and a hundred more, I was not in the happiest frame of mind today.
But, it took just the silliest thing to bring a smile to my face.

I was driving up the mountain on my way home this afternoon, and I found myself coming to an abrupt halt. Why, you ask? Well, I was forced to stop by a rather large Turkey who was crossing the road! He leisurely strolled past the front of the truck, looking as though he hadn't a care in the world, then proceeded to do a little hop as he made it to the grass on the other side.
I had to laugh, it was just too absurd a scene not to. I actually rolled down the window and informed the silly fellow that he ought not be out in plain view this time of year, as Thanksgiving was just around the corner. He didn't seem to care, or perhaps that is why he was crossing the road.

Time To Dry The Herbs

2008-11-09T14:36:00.027-06:00

If you've recently purchased dried herbs in your local market you know how pricey they've become. One of the benefits of growing a variety of herbs in your garden is the ability dry your own for winter use. It isn't at all complicated.

Gather the herbs before the first frost. Wash and dry by setting them on baking racks or screens to allow air-flow. Once they are dry, bundle them using rubberbands to tie them together, attach string to the rubberband so that you have something to hang them with. Now the trick is to find a dark, well-ventilated, dry place to hang them. The attic is the perfect spot in the winter, but I use the pantry or a closet during the warm months.

Once the herbs have dried simply run your hand from the bottom of the dry stem to the top to remove the dried leaves. The easiest way I have found to grind up the dried herbs is to use an electric coffee bean grinder. Throw them in, grind them up and move on to the next batch, easy. Just remember to clean the grinder between types of herbs unless you don't mind mixing them.

The dried herbs can be stored in a variety of things. I use canning jars basically because I have so many. Whatever you use make sure you label and date each herb and store in a dark place such as the pantry or cupboard.

My Top Ten Herbs For Drying

Basil

Oregano

Tarragon

Marjoram

Dill

Sage

Mint

Chamomile

Rosemary

Thyme

Dude, Where's My Driveway?

2008-11-08T09:25:00.005-06:00

The annual migration of leaves from tree to ground has begun. Four days into it I'm surrounded by a sea of crunchiness.

Somewhere underneath this is a gravel road which happens to be my driveway. Navigating our way to the garage these days takes more concentration than normal. Last year hubby made the error of attempting clean up about this time which lasted all of about 2 hours before any evidence of his hard work was erased. Having learned from that experience, there will be no attempt at clearing a path until the trees have completed their annual shedding.

I managed to capture this beauty yesterday and thought I'd share it with you.

Fall Color From The Mountains of Southern Middle Tennessee

2008-11-03T18:43:00.032-06:00

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." - George Eliot

It seems to happen overnight, the highly anticipated change of autumns colors from subtle shades of yellows and golds to the brilliant and breathtaking kaleidoscope of fiery reds, burnt oranges, rich golds and deep yellows. Each day as I leave the mountain and then return I marvel at the brilliance and beauty before me. From the valley the mountain appears as a vast patchwork quilt fashioned by the warm and comforting hands of mother nature. I grab for the camera, but the beauty of fall is elusive and it doesn't seem to capture the essence of my surroundings. However, I offer what I can for your enjoyment and apologize for not having the ability to truly bring you to my world through the lens.

Bordered on the right by our property, this is the amazing view that greets me as I turn down the road toward home. Look out toward the end of the road, just as it begins to bend and you can just make out our mailbox to the right.

The colorful show which is currently playing on our back porch.

Looking to view more of mother natures fall beauty? Surf over and visit The Garden Bloggers Fall Color Project, hosted by Dave at The Home Garden . Thanks Dave..what a fantastic idea.

What's Bloomin In The Cottage Garden-October

2008-10-18T14:29:00.038-05:00

Today is our first day of true fall weather. It's a cool 60 degrees outside as I type this post. Our daytime temps had been hovering in the 80's prior to todays dip. While the trees have begun to change and some leaves have been dropping, the higher temps have seemingly confused most of the plant life around here. Green is still outwaying the colors of fall, the tomatoes are still producing and the flowers continue to unfurl their beautiful blooms. As todays abrupt cool down will most likely signal to all that winter is indeed around the corner I took some time to snap some photos this morning. I've decorated the porch in its fall attire, however the garden is not cooperating as it appears to be in a spring mood.

The roses have once again taken center stage and are truly breathtaking. They need pruning, but are so profusely and beautifully blooming right now that I simply can't bring myself to do it. I've decided to wait until after the first frost to say good bye to them.

These pics also show the beautiful new coat of white stain that I've been so busily applying to the arbor and picket fence. It's been alot of work, but the results are well worth it.

These geraniums were planted in May, but they have just bloomed and bloomed and bloomed all season. I think they look better right now than they have all year. It's such a shame they are annuals here and will need replanting next year.
Below is some of the purple coneflower which is still in bloom much to the delight of the bees.

Some of the Phlox is hangin in there though it is not blooming as abundantly as it had been.

Spiderwort which is on its third rebloom of the season. It can get tall and gangly so I cut it back to about a foot early summer and late summer which causes a wonderful rebloom and nice new foliage. Below it is pictured with The Fairy Rose and baptisia which did not bloom this year, but I'm hoping it will next year. Regardless, the foliage is so attractive that I'd keep it even if it didn't bloom.

Both this delphinium and the hollyhock below it are striving to get in one last bloom before their winter slumber.

There was a noticeable change in the garden bee population this morning. Looks like this little guy found the Sedum enticing enough to brave the cooler weather. Both the daylillies and the Lantana continue to provide the garden with beautiful punches of yellow.

If you've never grown pineapple sage, you absoloutely must! It is, unfortunately, an annual in my neck of the woods. However, it's worth replanting each year. This one plant started as a tiny nursery bedding plant in May and has reached 5ft tall with very little attention. The blooms are stupendous and everyone asks what it is. Another plus, it actually smells like pineapple.

One of the many varieties of basil I grow. This is cinnamon basil and yes it does smell like cinnamon. I always let this basil go to bloom because I love its dark purple stems and flower spikes. However, if you are growing basil for culinary purposes you should not let it go to bloom as it changes the flavor of the plant.

Basil Tip -- Toward the end of summer allow atleast one of your basil plants to flower. This will create a slew of baby basil plants in your garden. When they are large enough, transplant into pots and bring into the house. This will ensure you have fresh basil for use during the winter. Pot up the rest of the babies and give them away to friends and family. All of the basil plants in my garden this year started this way last year. I enjoyed them throughout winter and then tranplanted them into the garden when the weather warmed up.

Pentsemon

The Morning Glories are still in bloom. This is a picture of several that are growing in the pottager (vegie garden). Normally these only bloom in the morning (hence the name) but as the weather cools down they bloom longer throughout the day.

Pictured below is Lavender though I can't recall the specific variety.

So as you can see the garden is still full of life and color. Soon the first frost will arrive and severe pruning will be necessary. Once again the garden will sleep until the first sign of spring arrives and I suppose my photos will have to suffice until then.

Caution: Hard Hat Recommended

2008-10-04T15:51:00.009-05:00

Ahaa, Fall..wonderful, cool, colorful Fall!! It is my new favorite season. I suspect it would always have been my favorite season had I actually experienced a true honest to goodness Fall, but 18 years in Arizona and 9 in South Florida left me little opportunity for such an experience. The foliage has just begun to show some changes, though our peak of color won't happen for a couple of more weeks. I'll be sure to post some photos when we get to that point. There is one event in fall that I could probably do without and it started about a week ago. The falling of the acorns. I don't mind the leaves so much, though the clean up can be a bear at times, but a simple walk while the acorns are falling truly requires a hard hat. I've no doubt, based on the size and terrible thud they make as they hit the ground, that a person could end up with a concussion if hit. The thudding as they hit the ground is constant these days and if a wind should stir up the trees they fall in large clusters showering the ground and creating a ping ping pinging sound as they bounce of the metal roof of the barn. My husband has expressed concern that his next lawn mowing experience could be a deadly one. I've suggested suiting up in full protective gear before even attempting it. Though I'm not sure just how to protect my windows if one of those things comes shooting out from underneath the mower.

Aside from the acorns we've been very busy in the garden and outside in general preparing for fall and to some extent winter. The picket fence and arbor are in the process of being stained a wonderful white. The Pottager is still producing a large number of tomatoes and sweet peppers. Many of the beds have already been cleaned up and planted with red clover as a cover crop and the remaining plants will need to be pulled soon. There are no plans for fall or winter veggies as work needs to be done to build up the soil in the beds for next year and because I'm simply tired and need a break. I've also taken the time to add some fall decor to the front porch which will stay until it's time to change it out for the Xmas decorations. Tomorrow there are plans for applesauce making as we have been to the neighbors apple tree and returned with an abundance of apples. You'll have to forgive my lack of blogging as it seems I've just been too busy working in the garden to write about the garden. Happy Fall to all my fellow gardeners!

Defiant and Thriving

2008-09-11T16:51:00.004-05:00

Forget the AAS Winners, All American Selections, Proven Winners and Plant of The Year award winners. Let’s turn instead to the idea of a Defiant and Thriving award. Have you ever had a plant that didn’t just survive, but thrived even in a situation that went against the planting requirements set forth by the ever invisible and all powerful “Gods of Gardening”? The hydrangea that was never suppose to grow in your zone, the rose bush planted in more shade that sun and rarely watered, the delphinium flourishing in the front yard sun garden? Let us pay homage to these miracles of our gardens with a Defiant and Thriving award.

I’m going to start by nominating my defiant and thriving Agastache Blue Fortune. Last fall I was on the hunt for flowering shrubs that would add color to a row of hollies planted at the base of our front porch. I will admit that I went completely against my own rules when I purchased the Agastache. I had not taken the time to research the sun, soil or water requirements of the plant. I had, in fact, never heard much about the plant. I simply fell in love with the enticing licorice scent and spikes of lavender blue flowers. I did take the time to read the plant label attached to the pot which indicated a mature size of 24-36 inches in height and 18-24 inches in width which fit in with my plans just fine. Below is a picture of the Agastache coming back in this Spring.

And so they grew, beautiful, green and healthy until they were dwarfing the poor hollies and I reluctantly pruned them back a bit. About 3 weeks later I noticed that they were once again dwarfing the hollies and because they hadn’t yet bloomed I figured it was a good time to prune them back again. A month after that the beautiful purple blooms began to appear and soon the Agastache was a cloud of lavender blue and a good 5 feet tall. Now math was not my favorite subject, but I seem to recall that 36inches equals 3 feet and 5 feet less 2 prunings of about a foot each is closer to 7 foot than 3. So, once again, I pruned. I hated to do this because they were blooming so beautifully, but the poor daylillies at the front of the bed were reaching out for sun and fresh air. I needn’t have worried that they wouldn’t bloom the rest of the year. The picture below was taken just a week ago. You'll notice they have once again covered the poor daylillies.

Crazy growth alone doesn’t make the Agastache Blue Fortune a good candidate for the Defiant and Thriving award. What really makes it a candidate is the fact that I discovered later I had planted all 4 of these plants in heavy and wet soil. The “Gods of Gardening” say ( and I quote) The most critical factor is good drainage. This plant will NOT tolerate wet soil, especially in winter. Strike One!
They are planted in front of the hollies in slightly acidic soil. The “Gods of Gardening” say…Agastache should be planted in slightly alkaline soil. Strike Two!

The bed the Agastache is planted in faces Northeast giving the plants a few hours of early morning sun and shade the rest of the day. They receive even less sun in the winter. The “Gods of Gardening” say…Plant Agastache in full sun. Strike Three!
It appears that I did everything wrong when I planted these. It's a miracle they've even survived and that's what makes them Defiant and Thriving.

So, do you have a plant you would like to nominate for the Defiant and Thriving award? Leave a comment or even better post about it on your blog.

For The Love Of Trees

2008-09-05T14:55:00.018-05:00

I think Fall is often times busier than Spring. My gardening "to do" list seems to be growing before my eyes and I'm impatiently awaiting the cooler weather which seems to be taking longer to materialize this year.

I'm looking forward to the winter break when I can do some planning for next year and spend a little time on projects in the house that are currently on the back burner. We are currently having several trees removed from our property. This is not by choice but by necessity as the population of dead trees seems to increase daily. In retrospect we should have had more trees cleared from around the house, but I simply couldn't bring myself to do it during the building process. Unfortunately, the drought last year was tough on the trees and I'm sure the house construction contributed to the demise of some of them. Having these monsters removed is not an easy task as most of them are a good 80-100 feet tall. If you look at the blog title picture of our home you can clearly see just how high these trees tower. The removal of the necessary trees has caused an enormous amount of clean up around the yard this last week. There appears to be only about 8 more that are need of removal. Most of these are located further out on our property near my husbands workshop/toy barn. We hope to have this job completed before the end of this month and I will be glad to get things back to normal. On the upside, removal of the large trees has given us the opportunity to add some wonderful trees that will bring us a shot of color in the Spring. We've planted several Eastern Redbuds...

Eastern Redbuds are native to our area. You have never seen anything as beautiful as this mountain in Spring when it is covered with the purple blooms of the Eastern Redbuds. I had never seen this tree until we moved here and I fell in love with it immediately. It is also known as the Judas tree as it dates back to biblical times. It blooms in a cloud of purple in spring which always made me wonder why on earth it was called a red bud and not a purple bud. The leaves are large and heart shaped and turn a brilliant yellow in the fall. Mature size is apx 30ft tall and 20-30ft wide.

Several of the large oaks where located in a small island just outside of the garage and surrounded by our gravel drive. We have replaced these with Yoshino Flowering Cherry Trees. It is the main cherry tree in Washington, commonly seen on the US Capitol grounds and around the Library of Congress. The average size of this tree is 40'tall x 30'wide, it is cold hardy to -20degrees, blooms in spring, attracts butterflies and is fragrant. What's not to love?

We have also added several pink flowering Dogwood trees. Dogwoods are another tree which is native to our area. In fact, the little town down the road is the location of a wonderful annual Dogwood Festival in April.

The dogwoods, as well as, the eastern redbuds are wonderful understory trees which is the way they grow in the wild here. I have seen them used as specimen trees, but they are much more stunning if they are planted in masses. I suppose you can say that about the Cherry trees as well, think cherry tree blossom time in Washington DC and you get an idea of just how beautiful they are in mass.

The death and subsequent removal of our wonderful trees has been terribly sad for me as it somehow feels as though these trees are a huge part of this land and its' history. Planting trees to replace them has made the process a bit easier as I feel that we are giving back in some small way.

How To Fill A Rain Barrel Without Rain

2008-08-24T13:04:00.011-05:00

Rain barrels are fantastic devices, I have several. Unfortunately, they need rain to work correctly, go figure! The summer rains were showing up regularly and my rain barrels were doing a great job filling in between showers. I was feeling pretty good about the whole set up when August showed up and once again Mother Nature reached out and smacked me upside the head, a reminder that I am not in control. We are on well water, a low-yielding well at that and with some changes in our routine we have sufficient amounts of water for our everyday use. When it becomes necessary to water the gardens I use water from the rain barrels. I sometimes supplement with house water, but break the gardens down into zones, watering only one each day. They say that necessity is the mother of all invention and lack of water in the rain barrels got my creative juices flowing. Here is how you fill a rain barrel without rain;

I have two of these huge units, one for upstairs and one for downstairs. The upstairs unit runs more often for obvious reasons. The condensation that each unit makes is expelled through the pipe. Well, I kept watching this process and was surprised at how much water these units were sending out. So I set a bucket underneath them to get an estimate of the amount of water they were putting out.
In one hour the output of water was just over 13 quarts between the two units. That translates into just over 3 gallons of clean, unused water. Amazing isn't it? By simply setting a bucket under the drains I was able to refill my rain barrels in no time at all. The downfall is that you must check them regularly and dump the water into the barrels. However, I am currently working on a way to make this easier. Before I landscape this side of the house I am looking into sinking a small holding tank into the ground below these drains and adding a small sump pump which will automatically send the water directly to the rain barrels when the water reaches a certain level. If anyone has suggestions or has capitalized on this idea already, please leave a comment. I'd love some ideas for easy use.

An Accidental Butterfly Garden

2008-08-20T17:03:00.023-05:00

As I sit quietly rocking on the front porch, glass of sweet tea in hand, I watch the dance of butterflies fluttering deliriously throughout the garden. It is often when we sit and enjoy the garden that we become acutely aware of such wondrous things. It isn't as though they have completely escaped my notice. On any given day there must be 30 or more of them working side by side with me as I prune, harvest, water and weed. On numerous occasions I have had to slow down as I walk the garden path to allow the crossing of a butterfly. They are not fearful of my presence and have been known to alight on my hand or a garden tool as I'm working. I did not set out to create a haven for butterflies, I would say that I am simply the fortunate owner of an accidental butterfly garden. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled and honored that they have made my garden a home, but I didn't specifically plant to attract them. Perhaps the butterflies and I simply enjoy the same flowers. They have added such a cheerfulness to my garden that I have come to refer to them as my little fluttering flowers. Accidental or not, I couldn't imagine my garden without them.

Poke Salet (Salad) Annie

2008-08-17T01:16:00.017-05:00

How many of you recall the song “Poke Salad Annie”? Written and sung by Tony Joe White in 1969 it was about a little southern girl. The single actually made #8 on the Top Billboard 100. Later, Elvis Presley picked up the song and recorded it several times. It is his version that I remember from my childhood though I never understood what in the heck poke salad was. For those of you not familiar with this song, here are a portion of the lyrics;

(spoken)
If some of ya'll never been down South too much..

I'm gonna tell you a little bit about this, so that you'll understand

What I'm talking about

Down there we have a plant that grows out in the woods and the fields, looks somethin' like a turnip green.

Everybody calls it Polk salad.

Used to know a girl that lived down there and she'd go out in the evenings and pick a mess of it...

Carry it home and cook it for supper, 'cause that's about all they had to eat, But they did all right.

(sung)
Down in Louisiana
Where the alligators grow so mean

There lived a girl that I swear to the world

Made the alligators look tame
Polk salad Annie polk salad Annie

Everybody said it was a shame

Cause her mama was working on the chain-gang

(a mean, vicious woman)
Everyday 'fore supper time
She'd go down by the truck patch

And pick her a mess o' Polk salad
And carry it home in a tote sack
Polk salad Annie 'Gators got you granny

Everybody said it was a shame

'Cause her mama was aworkin' on the chain-gang

Not a particularly happy song my any means, but it somehow sticks with you. Not long after we moved to Tennessee I began to notice a plant that kept popping up in places it hadn’t been planted. It behaved like an mildly invasive weed, but was actually very pretty with purple stems and little berries that turned from white to purple.

So I took a piece of it to my Master Gardeners class and was amazed to discover the Poke Salad portion of this odd little song actually existed. I swear it was one of those “AHAA” moments where your first reaction is to say “Get out a here, no way!!” Much the same reaction I had when I discovered that Moonshine Makin is indeed alive and well, but that’s an entirely different subject all together. Well, being who I am I immediately set about researching the topic (the Poke Salet, not the Moonshine). And here in a nutshell is what I learned:

The plant is actually called Pokeweed and is a perennial potherb native to the eastern United States. The Native Americans used the berries to make dye and the word poke is derived from an Indian word “pakon” referring to a dye plant. The word is sometimes spelled polk and supporters of President James K. Polk wore the leaves during his campaign. The berries were once used to color pale wines, but the practice was ended when it was discovered they were poisonous. The young leaves and shoots are cooked and the dish is called Poke Salet, though it is also refered to as Poke Salad and is well known among country folk in the south as a tasty cooked green. "Salet" is an old English term for "cooked greens", as opposed to "salad", uncooked greens. The people of the rural south have gathered the plants that grow in abundance here for centuries. I recently had the opportunity to try Poke Salet and was surprised to find that it tastes much the same as collard greens. I doubt that I will attempt to cook these greens myself as there is an art to the process and a misstep can result in my poisoning my poor family. The key here is to harvest the tender young shoots and boil them twice discarding the first water to rid the leaves of any possible poison. They are then seasoned with salt and bacon drippings.

Now here is something interesting, someone is capitalizing on my weeds.

Isn’t it fascinating that someone will pay for something you have an abundance of and don’t think twice about? Hmmm…wonder how lucrative it is….

I will tell you that Tennessee has a festival for just about anything you can think of and Poke Salad is no different…

And there is even a Miss Polk Salad

This festival comes from The Tennessee Polk Salad Association. I mean, who knew there was an association?

I think I'm going to open a U Pick Poke Salet Farm. So if any of you folks are in need of a little Poke Salet, come on by. You think we ought to offer hay rides?

Mischievous Vegetables

2008-08-05T17:44:00.010-05:00

We had family in for the weekend and I had only a few moments on Saturday to check through the vegie garden. I picked a couple of tomatoes for supper and made a mental note that some of the cucumbers where close to ready. Nothing else seemed likely to be ripe enough for picking in the next couple of days. Well, imagine my amazement when on Monday a walk through the garden netted this harvest. I find that the garden enjoys a bit of trickery and just when I believe I have figured out the timing of harvest it will throw me a curve. As I close the fence gate I often sense the plants are snickering at my pompous belief that I have it under control. Apparently, the straight 8 cucumber was feeling particularly mischievous when it produced this huge cucumber seemingly overnight.

I will swear

that this cucumber

was nothing but

a beautiful yellow

flower on Saturday.

Though it is possible

that this mischievous

plant simply hid its'

bounty from my

prying eyes.

Annuals I Love

2008-07-31T14:50:00.024-05:00

After two straight days of rain the garden is exploding in a riot of summer color. I was admiring a particularly lovely Zinnia this afternoon and I began to think about the role annuals play in my garden. Thinking back I realized that it was annuals that originally drew me to gardening. My very first garden consisted mostly of petunias and marigolds. As my experience and knowledge progressed I all but turned my back on annuals, believing them to be common, unimpressive and simply not good enough for my garden. Eventually annuals began to creep back into the garden when I began to notice a lack of color between perennial blooms. They are particularly helpful when establishing a new garden, filling in with foliage and color and giving the perennials time to establish themselves. Somewhere along the way I left behind the petunias and marigolds in favor of annuals that readily reseed and create stunning surprises in the garden each year. A few that I could not live without..
Cleome--Like butterfly wings throughout the garden. These lovely annuals can be grown easily from seed, just throw them in the soil and wait. Soon masses of flowers arise growing4-6ft tall and blooming non-stop. Mine have been blooming since the beginning of June and show no signs of stopping.

Zinnias-One of the best annuals for cutting. My garden just wouldn't be the same without them. Easy to grow and blooming all summer into fall they come in a variety of colors, though I'm partial to the pinks and mauves. I often have to argue with the bees and butterflies when I want to cut some to bring in the house.

Sunflowers-I adore sunflowers. I don't know how I ever lived without them. I believe the variety I grow is call Lemon Jewel..something like that. They are a much softer yellow shade than the typical sunflowers. They have several flowers to a stem and will repeat bloom if spent flowers are pruned. They are huge..some of the stems are upward of 10ft tall right now. I have had sunflower arrangements in the house non-stop for over a month. They look fantastic with the mauve Zinnias. Whoever said pink and yellow don't work..is dead wrong. I grow them in the Potager with my vegies because they bring tons of bees into the garden.

The moral of the story-don't forget the annuals. You won't be disappointed!

Oh Beautiful Dahlia

2008-07-30T19:59:00.004-05:00

The first Dahlia of the year has bloomed and what a beauty she is. There is just something mesmerizing about Dahlias. With all of the pest problems I have had this year, she remains completely unscathed and I'm more than impressed.

Let's Play Scattergories

2008-07-29T19:29:00.002-05:00

I was recently visiting Aunt Debbi's Garden where a rousing game of scattergories was being played. It was intriguing so I figured why not? Here is how it's played- Erase my answers, enter yours and post it on to your blog. Let me know when you have done it and I will come check it out!Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places, names, things. Nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial.You CAN’T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

WHAT IS YOUR NAME? Rhonda
4 LETTER WORD: Road
VEHICLE: Rodeo---by Isuzu--I know there must be others, but I’m drawing a blank.
TV SHOW: Rachel Ray
CITY: Reno
BOY NAME: Robert
GIRL NAME: Renee
OCCUPATION: Repairman
SOMETHING YOU WEAR: Robe
FOOD: Rhubarb
SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM: Rod-as in towel rod..that one was hard
REASON FOR BEING LATE: Odd question---robbed? Guess that would be a good reason
SOMETHING YOU SHOUT: Red Rover--I can’t believe that just came to me..LOL

Deb, that was alot harder than it looked, but a great way to pass some time. Thanks.

Organic Control Of Japanese Beetles

2008-07-27T10:25:00.024-05:00

Having had a huge problem with Japanese Beetles this year I have spent a lot of time researching safe and effective methods of control. Now that my infestation is beginning to wane it occurred to me that many of my garden pals could probably use the information I have collected. The first point I must make is...there is NO failsafe method of elimination..period! Japanese Beetles can fly up to 5 miles and because I cannot treat the woods and those of you in neighborhoods cannot treat your neighbors yards they are here to stay. Of course, during the worst part of my infestation I had considered dropping a bomb, however, it's my belief that they would survive, much like cockroaches. Control of the population which will lessen the devastation is the goal.

If you have read my bio you know that I have taken the organic route. This means different things to different people. For me it means that unless a particular disease or pest gets way out of hand I do not use regular, systematic means of control. If the population of a pest is not significant I remove it by hand or wait for it's natural predatory enemy to arrive and take care of it for me. When it becomes apparent that I must interfere I attempt to use methods that are safe for the health of my family, pets, beneficials and the environment. Therefore, I will NOT tell you to run out and drench or dust everything with Sevin and please, please refrain from doing so. Of course, that is a topic for another post, however, if you are interested in the pros and cons of Sevin you can start here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbaryl and http://www.beyondpesticides.org/infoservices/pesticidesandyou/Fall%2005/pets.pdf

Japanese Beetles begin as those lovely little grubs in your garden and lawn soil. In fact, the beetles themselves spend their time in your garden eating and mating. The female flies down to the ground numerous times to lay eggs which then become grubs and hatch next year to swarm uncontrollably through your garden. Therefore, the first line of defense is to is to eliminate or control the grubs. The best organic solution for this is two fold; Milky Spore and Grub Control Nematodes. Timing is critical as grubs tend to migrate deeper into the soil during colder months. Plan to apply these products July-August or April-May for best results.

Milky Spore is a naturally occurring host specific bacterium (Bacillus popillae-Dutky). It is not harmful to beneficials, birds, bees, pets or humans. It is approved and registered with the EPA and will not affect wells, ponds or streams. It comes as a powder which is applied in small amounts every 4 feet. The grub ingests the spores during feeding, and dies within 7-21 days. As it decomposes it releases billions of new spores. It's an ongoing process and the spores will eventually spread further than your initial application and last for 10 years. The downside is that Milky Spore takes atleast 3 years after application to reach it's full potential. In the meantime, applications of beneficial nematodes will lower your grub population and has the added benefit of controlling other pests as well. You can find Milky Spore online at http://www.gardeners.com/ I found it at the local Co-op and I have also seen it at Lowes.

Nematodes are unsegmented roundworms, and can only be seen using a microscope. There are many kinds of nematodes and most are beneficial. Plant-parasitic nematodes such as those I battled in Florida are not beneficial and are not the type being discussed here. The two types most lethal to grubs are heterorhabditis spp. and steinernema carpocapsae. Both http://www.gardeners.com/ and http://www.gardensalive.com/ carry grub control nematodes. I have used beneficial nematodes for control of various pests for many years, recently to control a population of bean beetles having a family reunion in my vegetable garden. They are safe, easy to apply and incredibly effective.

Now that you've taken steps to control the grub population what do you do about the Japanese Beetles already swarming? Unfortunately, that is a more difficult battle and one that will not have a clear victor. We are fighting mother nature here folks and she has a track record of winning. It is always best to work with her instead of against her. In this case your idea of victory may need adjusting. Remember, control and not elimination is the goal. If you attempt to eradicate every Japanese Beetle in your garden you are setting yourself up for a trip to the looney bin. Here is what has worked for me.

I went with my old standby Neem Oil. Neem oil and insecticidal soap are the two products I rely on when I must spray. What I have always liked about Neem Oil is that it works as a fungicide, insecticide and miticide. This eliminates the necessity of purchasing several products. I sprayed only the affected plants on a schedule of once every 7 days for 2 weeks during the height of the problem and then once at 14 days and I will spray again at 30 days. When using a product such as this it is important to cultivate patience. Neem does not working by killing on contact, rather it disrupts the natural cycle of the insect. Good information about this process can be found at http://www.discoverneem.com/neem-oil-insecticide.html You can visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neem_oil for more info on Neem oil. This product is not difficult to find, all of the above links carry the product as does planet earth and Lowes. Please follow the directions and precautions when using this product. It is safe to beneficials when dry, however, it can and will kill them if they are sprayed directly or if spraying is done while they are active. Therefore, please spray very early in the morning or in the evening whilst your bees and ladybugs are snoozing.

Between applications of Neem I used 2 tablespoons of liquid dishwashing soap to 1 gallon of water and applied it to infested plants while the beetles were active. This competely killed some and made it difficult for others to fly away which gave me the opportunity to hand pick them or knock them from the plant into a bucket of soapy water.

I am happy to report that my Japanese Beetle population has dwindled considerably in the past 6 weeks. One thing I will mention is that I only treated the plants that they seemed to really like, namely my roses and morning glories. I did find that once it began to work they started to visit other plants which were not treated, though in lower numbers. If this happens just treat the plants they have decided to visit and avoid treating everything in your garden. The fact is that Japanese Beetles tend to avoid some plants and are attracted to others so it really isn't necessary to spray everything.

I hope you have found this information helpful and I wish everyone the best of luck with your Japanese Beetle population. If anyone has other advice or information to share please feel free to comment.

A Belated Tag

2008-07-03T18:05:00.016-05:00

Okay, July just got away from me. The proof is in all the posts I didn't write. I haven't got a clue what happened..yesterday it was July 4th and today I woke up and it was the 29th...sheeez! Well, back about mid June I was tagged by Kanak at Terra Farmer. Kanak, I do apologize for the delay in responding. Seems my life has been a bit hectic. Okay, the rules for tagging; Link to the person who tagged you, post the rules on the blog, write six random things about yourself, tag six people at the end of your post, let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. Let the tagger know when you have responded. Okay, I think I can do that..six random things about myself:
1) My 22 year old son has just joined the Navy. We are very proud and Mom is also a bit concerned. He put a lot of thought into the decision and we were with him every step of the way. He'll be shipping out Dec 2nd...now if that doesn't diminish the holiday cheer, not sure what could.
2) That leads right into, I'm an Army Brat. My father was career Army.
3) I have lived in Georgia, Mississippi, California, Germany, Oregon, Texas, Arizona, Florida and now Tennessee. Many of those by choice and for no other reason than IT WAS THERE! But, I have now settled, there will no more moves although I would ask that you please not hold me to that.
4) I love animals...of all kinds. Okay, maybe not snakes..LOL
5) I will never ever like Winter. I have tried, but I simply can find no redeeming qualities to the season.
6) I love being "older"-I am happy with my life and myself and am content to just BE. Most the time, however, I am not happy with my garden..LOL
Okay...now I am tagging: (All those people who have most likely been tagged a dozen times and will grimace when I let them know)

Square Foot Gardening In Nashville
The Home Garden: Gardening In the Home Landscape
Notes From A Cottage Garden
Clay and Limestone
A Bumblebee Garden
Aunt Debbi's Garden (because she sucked me into that scattergories game)
Okay Kanak, I promised I would get to it and I did. It was actually kinda fun so thanks for tagging me.

The Potager Experience

2008-06-30T19:34:00.024-05:00

Even before moving into our new home I was planning my vegetable garden. Actually, I have longed for years for a potager/kitchen garden. Last fall my husband was kind enough to build 4 8x4 foot raised beds and thus began my kitchen garden. Just this past April we had a picket fence built to surround the garden and I began the long, tiring job of hauling in better quality soil from various locations of our property. This was done via wheelbarrow and I now harbor an aversion to hauling wheelbarrows full of soil (atleast until next year..LOL). The fence will eventually be stained white to match the trim of our house.Although the soil will take many more seasons of composting to bring it to its' best, I started planting almost immediately. As my vegetable gardening experience has been limited to tomatoes, I have started slowly and cautiously attempting to gain some knowledge and experience before going hog wild. Italian Bush Beans-Having been a "canned" bean eater most of my life I am amazed at just how good fresh beans taste. There will be no more canned beans in this house-unless I can them myself, of course.

A beautiful Purple Bell Pepper. This green bell pepper will eventually turn orange. They all taste the same, but a variety of colors just look nice in a salad.

The first little watermelon-I'm growing Sugar Baby up a trellis. The flower will eventually become Okra-great for soups and frying.

The cucumbers are doing great! No fruit yet, but tons of flowers. I found some wonderful metal obelisks at a local discount store for less than $20 a piece. I've used them for cucumbers, zuchini and pole beans. They have worked out wonderfully and add a decorative touch to the garden.

Cinnamon Basil-it truly smells like cinnamon! I grow several varieties of basil-Sweet, Cinnamon and Lime are my favorite. When I find myself out of actual Lime (they are expensive these days) I use Lime Basil in my Corona, it's fantastic! I also grow Sage, Rosemary, French Tarragon, Parsley, Spearmint, Peppermint, Chives, Oregano, Lemon Balm and Cilantro (Coriander).

The (fill in curse word here) Japanese Beetles-UGGH!

2008-06-30T16:57:00.007-05:00

About two weeks ago the Japanese Beetles began their yearly devastation of all things I hold dear...Ugh! I have tried the bags..and been told they only bring more beetles. I did find that to be the case and am no longer using them. I have sprayed both insecticidal soap and neem oil to no avail. I have spent numerous hours squishing, squashing and drowning as many beetles as possible. For every one I kill, two more come to my garden. I'm beginning to think they send out signals for help! And so my dear garden friends, I am sending out my signal for help! HELP! Does anyone have any organic suggestions on how to battle these insects from hell?

Shock and Awe In The Garden

2008-06-01T17:39:00.043-05:00

A Little Awe

It's a rainy day and since it's been awhile since I posted I thought I'd give everyone an update on the adventures in my garden. The warm weather is in full swing and it has brought a flurry of gardening activity and a continuous change of blooms. It has also brought both welcome and not so welcome visitors to the garden. Before we get to that I want to share this beautiful photo I took during a break in the rain today. I love getting up close with the camera because it allows me to see things that I would usually miss...

How many of us take notice of the raindrops? We see them, but do we really notice them? If you look closely you will see that each little raindrop acts as a tiny gazing ball magnifying life around it...

Look closely and you can see the raindrop on the left mirroring (upside down) the leaves of the plant. The raindrop on the right shows the picket fence directly behind the plant, the tops of the trees and a bit of the cloudy sky. Amazing isn't it, the things we don't really see?

A Lot of Shock

I'm sorry, but I am about to ruin your moment of blissful awe with this....

This is most definitely one of the unwelcome visitors to the garden! He was one of two that I encountered within 15 minutes of each other. The first was attacked by my Great Dane as she was let outside into the fenced area of the yard. As soon as I could get her back into the house my son promptly ended its' life. Shortly afterward Mr. Maximus (see photo to the right) and I began our daily walk through the garden and he spied this lovely critter. I was incredibly grateful as he was tucked up into the corner below the water spigot that I use everyday and was doing a great job of blending in. I again called to my son who rather comically attempted to extract the thing without puncturing a hole in my garden hose. The snake then managed to wrap itself around the base of a holly plant and after several failed attempts we did manage to put an end to its' rampage. I was uncertain as to the type of snakes they were. They looked like rattlers, but had no rattles. All I knew for certain is that they were not the average little garden snakes I was accustomed to. A neighbor has since indicated that they appear to have been chicken snakes. No matter...they scared the crud out of me..and I find that I am much more cautious in the garden.

This little guy, though much smaller and less intimidating, is another of my unwelcome visitors.

He's kinda cute isn't he? He reminds me of those little GloWorms the children play with. Do they still make those? Anyway, as cute as he was you can clearly see the damage he managed to do to my sweet little rosebud. I'm sorry to say that the little fellow is no more.

More Awe

Okay, that was the bad now here are some very lovely and most welcome visitors to the garden.

And here is some awe in the form of new bloomers in the garden and those who are just on the verge of blooming..

The soft colors of early spring are now beginning to give way to the warmer colors of summer. The daylillies are the first to bring yellow to the garden. I love daylillies and try to tuck them throughout the garden. The brigher shades of yellow are brought in with this wonderful coreopsis....
And the Cosmos are beginning to sprout up throughout the garden...
All through the garden there are promises of blooms to come...Cleome, Coneflower, Phlox and Roses.

FOR MY MOM...HAPPY 60th!

2008-05-27T16:35:00.008-05:00

Today is my mothers 60th Birthday. I think there was a time that both she and I would have thought 60 was terribly old. My grandmother sure seemed older somehow at 60 than my mom does. It seems to me that 60 should be celebrated BIG and I hope that my mom will take time to do that. As much as I would love to be celebrating with her, she currently lives in Arizona which makes that a bit difficult. So I decided to mark this occassion by planting a big beautiful butterfly bush smack-dab in the middle of the cottage garden. What better way to be reminded of her on a daily basis.

Butterfly Wings

Like a butterfly emerges

And unfolds its graceful wings,

A child grows and develops

With the love a mother brings.

I'm thankful for the times

When you encouraged me to try,

For God gave me my wings,

But, Mom, you taught me how to fly.

Happy 60th Birthday Mom..I love you!

Encountering The Gardenphobe

2008-05-14T15:15:00.008-05:00

You might want to sit down for this! Ready? There are people who truly dislike and have no interest in gardening! I know, I know, it's simply unimaginable, astonishing really. How can that be, you ask. Have they no souls, no passion, no dedication? Sadly, they do not! I'm kidding, of course they have souls (I think). I have been aware of the existence of such a species for some time now and refer to them politely (or not so politely) as gardenphobes. For them an annual is a bill paid yearly, PH relates to pool chemicals and beneficial insects are simply "bugs". There are varying degrees of dislike within the species ranging from those with an aversion to anything mildly related to gardening to those who appreciate the beauty, but not the interaction. The later being the easiest to convert. You will know when you have encountered a gardenphobe, their eyes will gloss over with pure boredom in the midst of your rambling on about the newest garden gadget, your composting efforts or the beautiful clematis that has just bloomed. If you watch closely you might even catch the slight rolling of the eyes, this signifies their utter annoyance with your constant babbling on the subject. Please be aware that your spouse is exempt from this identification process as it is difficult to distinguish between the gardenphobe eye glazing and the "everyday" glazing and eye roll so prevalent in your spouse.
Now if you should encounter a gardenphobe you really only have two choices; a) avoid the subject of gardening or anything remotely close to it. To a gardenaholic such as myself, this is tantamount to cutting off my air supply. b) work like mad to convert them. This is the more difficult, but much more rewarding option. If we can save just one misguided gardenphobe from living a drab, colorless, dirtless life we will have succeeded.

The Cottage Garden-What's In Bloom?

2008-05-11T16:38:00.009-05:00

It seems that the garden is changing by the minute these days and I am always surprised and delighted to find a new bloom or a sprouting seedling. Our new home was completed in December of 2006 and I was unable to begin the creation of my gardens until late April of 2007. Therefore, my garden is still in its' infancy. Even so, I have been very pleased this Spring with the progress that my perennials have made. Here are some pictures of what is blooming right now in my Cottage Garden...this garden is located in the front of my house and the walkway to our front door cuts right through it. It is a beautiful welcome home everyday and gives me the opportunity to share it with friends and guests. I adore roses, more specifically I adore antique roses. Having grown Hybrid Teas I have found them beautiful, but difficult to care for. Because I am an organic gardener I refuse to stick to a spray regime which is often times necessary when growing Hybrid Teas. In my new garden I have stayed true to roses designated as Earthkind through Texas A & M Universities Agriculture Program. If you would like more information please visit http://earthkindroses.tamu.edu/
This is a pink Knockout Rose. You can't go wrong with the Knockout series of roses.

Spiderwort-one my favorite plants. It is not picky about soil, will take full sun or part shade and blooms from Spring through Fall. Chive Blooms...these are not only beautiful but, are fantastic in a tossed salad.

Ox-Eye Daisy, Roses and Purple Homestead Verbena.

The picture doesn't do this rose bush justice. It is so full of blooms that it takes my breath away everytime I see it. These roses will bloom from now until first or even second frost.
A crazy, wild melody of blooms...just the way I like it.

Bloomin Blackberry Brambles (say that fast three times)

2008-05-11T14:48:00.032-05:00

The blackberry brambles are bloomin all over the mountain and what a site they are! Glorious seas of white alive with the constant buzz of bees. Yesterday, my husband and I, taking advantage of the perfect Spring weather, took a walk through the woods to make note of each and every bramble. We were practically salivating at the mere thought of the Blackberries to come.

I took these pictures while perched atop a pile of felled trees and as I peered into the bramble it occurred to me that it was one place I definitely did not want to fall into. For those of you not familiar with Blackberry vines, they are loaded with thorns. I was also certain that the bees would not approve of the interruption. So, after taking some photos I carefully climbed down from the pile, made note of the location and we sauntered off leaving the bees to work in peace.

Check back during the month of June when I will blog on Blackberry pickin, complete with "how-to" do so with as little pain as possible, recipes for using and preserving Blackberries and hopefully some really great photos of the adventure.

For The Love Of Verbena

2008-05-05T17:51:00.039-05:00

I've fallen in love! His name is Purple Homestead Verbena and he's glorious. We met on a warm summer day as I hurried through the garden center of a local discount store. The outing was not intended for the garden and I dared not glance at the offerings as I passed. Suddenly, I caught a brilliant cloud of purple in my peripheral vision, and it was over! As my heart began to race and my palms began to sweat I knew I was shifting into GTHIM (got to have it mode) and there would be no turning back. Still, it was not love..lust perhaps..but certainly not love. No, to make that leap he would have to do more than just look great he would have to prove himself worthy of such affection. Through one of the worst droughts this area has seen, that beautiful little plant grew and grew and grew all the while sending up brilliant little orbs of swirling purple flowers. From the heat of summer into the frosty days of December it gave an Oscar worthy performance. Oh, I was mightily impressed, but resigned to cautiousness. After all, who has ever heard of a Verbena that can make it through the winter? As mother nature took a much deserved rest and snow blanketed the mountain, my attention turned toward next years garden plans and my little purple treasure was all but forgotten. And then, one early spring morning as I admired the newly opened tulips, I caught a brilliant cloud of purple in my peripheral vision, and it was over! As my heart began to race and my palms began to sweat I knew I was in love and my garden would never be the same.

Spring On The Mountain...At Last!!

2008-05-03T12:47:00.005-05:00

Well, I think that Spring has finally sprung on the mountain. Technically it was in April, I suppose. But, the weather was on again, off again and while I was chomping at the bit to get some planting done...the threat of a late frost akin to last years killer, kept me in check until after April 15th. The locals call it Dogwood Winter...seemingly it pops up about the time that the Dogwoods bloom. It appears it was followed by Blackberry Winter a week later when temperatures dipped again. I was baffled by the term Blackberry Winter, until I walked through the woods the other day and noticed that the wild blackberries have begun to set buds. The terminology has come from the old-timers, most likely past from generation to generation of farmers and mountain folk. It may seem "cute", but it is sound knowledge and worth listening to when planning the garden. The mountain has started it's bloom...and what a surprise to find when I walked out side and began to see pink flowers all over the woods. Curious I took a closer look....
and running for my TN Wildflower book I have discovered Mountain Azalea, also known as Piedmont Azalea and referred to by the old-timers as Wild Honeysuckle, no doubt because its' fragrance is heavenly! Clustered in the wooded areas these beautiful plants are blooming in a profusion of pink, mauve and white flowers. I was not aware of the existence of these beauties because they did not bloom last year. I'm assuming it was do to the late deep freeze and drought we were suffering. They have more than made up for it this Spring...chalk another one up for Mother Nature.....