Why does it always rain when the Irises bloom? #gardenchat #gardencuizine

It Always Rains 

when the Irises Bloom!

Today is another chilly, rainy day in our Jersey garden. It's so cool, we even had a fire last night! I'll never complain about rain; but, why does it always rain when the irises bloom? Have you ever noticed that? 

For those of you who don't grow Iris, the blooms can get so heavy from the rain drops, they often tip over! This year is a stellar season for our Iris.

Carpet of Petals!

Our Kwanzan cherry tree blooms were amazing too. The flowers never last long enough though. The delicate petals fall off in mass like a pink snowfall and cover everything! It was a beautiful sight. Even the bird bath under that tree was full of pink! 

And, speaking of pink, Harry and I missed the Komen More than Pink walk yesterday in Philly. The weather was awful. All donations still counted. If you want to donate, Google "Senior Stars Komen walk Philly" and you will get my fund raising page. Our goal was $500.00. We still have a long way to go.

After several failed attempts, one black pussy willow shrub is finally well established. We have it planted near a bird bath so it gets water when the BB is refreshed. We got the plant from a Dave's Garden swap long ago. I miss those special events. The catkins are interesting when you look closely at them. Salix is an early bloomer and one of our first shrubs to bloom.

Wygelias, Tulip tree, Azaleas and Viburnums are blooming now.

Perennial Helebores and Baptisia are still blooming. The plant shown was from a DG swap too! Money plants and Easter plants like hyacinths, daffodils and tulips are all finished blooming now. 

Pink and white wave petunias and pink cascading geraniums will be planted in coconut fiber lined hanging baskets. Annuals will bring you joy all summer long!

As for our veggies, I didn't grow as many plants from seeds this year. I did plant our usual heirlooms that are hard to find at garden centers. They are now on my "to do list" to get them in the ground. 

In the next few weeks we will lug the bags of canna tubers up from the basement. They need to get in the ground asap too. 

We most likely will have extra heirloom tomatoes and cannas that will be offered for a good will donation at the Trinity Church, Moorestown, NJ, Blueberry Festival - June 21 at 5:00 pm. Come visit us!

What's growing in your garden?

Happy Gardening!

Blog post and photos Copyright (C)Wnd. All rights reserved.

Today in Our Garden #GardenCuizine #gardenchat

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Today In Our Garden 
South Jersey
USDA Zone 7a (formerly zone 6b) 

Such a beautiful day that even the weeds are beautiful including Eastern Daisy fleabane. Our newly planted Chicago Fig and Cherry trees (Blackgold Sweet Cherry and Stark Montmorency Pie Cherry) are looking good and showing new growth.

Hard to believe that store bought pink trumpet-like blooms of potted Italian Heather (Erica ventricosa) could look so amazing. Harry got the plant from Wegmans - a supermarket - of all places! 

Clematis are especially gorgeous this time of year, especially the rich purple Clematis Wildfire - a Polish hybrid.

The bright lights of Amsonia blue star are fading as our attention shifts to bright hot pink climbing rose Zephirine Drouhin growing beneath a locally crafted ceramic bird house. A little, vocal wren has been actively guarding her nest this morning.

A new, beautiful orange-yellow Scotch Broom plant by the roadside is small now, but will grow into a decent sized 4 to 6-foot shrub: Scotch Broom 'Pomona'.

Memorial Day holiday weekend is a good time to plant veggie seeds and plant out seedlings that were home grown or purchased. What are you planting? We have several homegrown, organic, heirloom tomatoes planted including: Chocolate cherry, large red, large yellow, Goldman's Italian American, Berkeley Tie Dye, and Cherokee Purple.

Happy and Healthy Gardening
We plan to prepare something healthy with red, white and blue this holiday weekend. How about you? Watch for blueberry vinaigrette post coming soon.
Blog post and photos Copyright (C)2014 Wind. All rights reserved. 

Today in Our Garden #GardenCuizine and a fun visit to @popesgardens

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Today In Our Garden 
South Jersey
USDA Zone 7a (formerly zone 6b) 
May 4, 2014

Flowering dogwood, Kwanzan cherry, and tulips are still blooming along with variegated Solomon's Seal, Cowslip, Bleeding Hearts and Money plants. Grapevines and hostas are leafing out and Azalea blossoms are just opening up to start showing off their beauty. The beautiful colors and pleasant fragrances sure soften the blow of the damage done this past winter of 2013. New Jersey's third coldest winter since 1982.

We enjoyed visiting Popes' Gardens yesterday where we bought new rosemary plants to replace ALL the rosemary that died. Even our larger rosemary shrub, Rosmarinus officinalis 'Gorizia', that we've had for 9 years - died after the 2013 winter. I decided to replace only the rosemary that we use in cooking, so we selected upright blue rosemary and not the coarse-needle ARP or Gorizia shrub-type.

Joan Pope, one of the owners said she heard several of her NJ customers saying that they lost their rosemary AND butterfly bushes. When I got home I checked our butterfly bushes and a few do look dead, including our 10-year old buddleia bi-color. Some shrubs show definite signs of life, but others, not even one leaf. Maybe those that look dead are just late in leafing out, which is normal for buddleias. So if yours looks dead too, yes it could be, but it may just be late. I'd at least give it to the end of the month before you dig it out. 

What else did Winter 2013 kill in your Garden? 

Our little 6-year old fig tree sure appears dead. The black branch tips show no signs of life at all. In fact, lichen is starting to grow on it's slender trunk. I'm not going to completely give up hope yet or dig it up until June, just to be absolutely sure.

Visit Popes' Gardens
Besides the few replacement rosemary plants, hot peppers, sweet peppers and rhubarb, we picked up Coronado Hyssop, introduced by Denver Botanic Gardens and Colorado State University, which will surely please the hummingbirds. The silvery leaves are aromatic too, which makes it a welcomed garden addition to a sunny, well-drained site.

At the entrance to Popes' Gardens you'll be greeted by their friendly goat and mascot, Rosey. Rosey has a goat friend too, not sure of his or her name. In a huge field behind their greenhouses, we visited some interesting animals. Here are a few pictures of their sweet-faced Alpacas and hairy Highland Cattle. The Alpacas were quite personable!

Scottish Highlander

Related Articles
Uncommon Nutrition from the Common Fig ~ Ficus carica - scroll to the bottom of the article to see our little fig tree when it was only 1-year old. It survived 5 winters without protection prior to 2013.

NJ Winter 2013/14 Summary
Blog post and photos Copyright (C)2014 Wind. All rights reserved.

Today in our Garden #GardenCuizine #gardenchat Opening Day for local Farmers' Markets!

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Today In Our Garden 
South Jersey
USDA Zone 7a (formerly zone 6b) 
May 4, 2013

Our South Jersey garden is busting out with blooms and seedlings everywhere. Hummingbirds have arrived too. And yes, dandelions and weeds are part of the blooming frenzy here in our neck of the woods. We're trying to weed, weed and weed. Loved a sign posted on Facebook this morning which read, "Come over - knock - if no answer, pull weeds!"

Today is opening day for many Jersey Farmers Markets who begin offering locally grown Jersey Fresh produce, making this an exciting time for better health and nutrition. Think Garden-to-Table or Farm-to-Table... your table. 

Enhance your health 

by increasing your physical activity and by growing and eating 

more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

 

Arugula

Our arugula is going to seed now. Just let it bloom and go to seed, then save the seeds and plant some again. Arugula is a must for every kitchen garden. You can never find arugula commercially with decent flavor. Once you grow your own, you can taste the difference and see for yourself. 

Indoor Seedlings

Inside we have trays of veggie seedlings growing that will eventually make their way to our gardens as well as shared with gardening friends. Our seedlings include: dill weed, tomatoes, pepperoncini; amaranth, cypress vine, zinnias, nasturtiums, salvias, Japanese morning glories, Spanish flag vine, Nierembergia and hollyhocks.

Strawberries

Strawberry plants (shown photo collage) are flowering now, which means strawberries will soon be on the way. 

Fennel

Bronze fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is looking good -  swallowtail butterflies will surely love it and we'll love using the seeds in recipes. 

Potatoes

After all the weeding and digging, a few undug potatoes pieces must have remained down under the earth and low and behold, potato seedlings are sprouting up everywhere in areas where we had planted them last year. This is good news since we didn't buy any seed potatoes this season. 

Comphrey

Our perennial comphrey herb (Symphytum officinale), located in a part-shade corner of our veggie and herb garden, is alive and well. Hummingbirds love comphreys tubular blooms.

Oregano

Over the years perennial oregano will grow into an established healthy mound to provide you with plenty of flavorful leaves to snip for your recipes.

Money plants

Our home is surrounded by lavender purple Money plant (Lunaria annua) blooms that seem to naturalize beautifully when left alone. Other names for this beautiful flower include Honesty, Moonwort and Silver Dollar because the seed pods look round like silver dollars.

Plan a Garden

It's not to late to start a garden if you haven't already. Remember you can grow veggies and herbs in pots too if you don't have a yard. Or, you can ask to start a garden at work or join a community, neighborhood garden. 

Wherever you garden, Happy and Healthy Gardening!

Thanks Mom!!

Gardens encourage all family members to increase their physical activity. Mom has been doing just that and has become our official garden weeder this season. She has done a fantastic job of reclaiming our garden. Thanks Mom!!

Blog post and photos Copyright (C)2013 Wind. All rights reserved.