Busy fall days acting like a homesteader

October has been a busy month.  I'm into canning and a lot of other homestead lifestyle activities even though I still live on the small trailer lot in the middle of town. 

But notice the mesh bag hanging on the deck.  That's sheep's wool hanging out to dry. It was tedious work cleaning it, and there are many more bags worth yet to do, but when I am done washing and carding it, I will have enough bats to make a warm quilt.  This is a project I started because I am still hoping to get that piece of land and then we are planning on having sheep.  The wool was given to me and I wanted to get started learning to use it.

My cottage garden around the trailer has to fend for itself a lot these days, but it seems to be doing well in spite of my being so sidetracked.

We have already had a few light frosts, and even though the roses have been hit, it doesn't prevent them from putting on a show.

While some of the less hardy annuals, like impatiens, have succumbed to the cold, there are plenty of perennials and a few brave annuals like alyssum and lobelia to carry on until the snow covers them.

In my front walk garden, the birds planted a sunflower seed, and it adds a needed bit of color to that side of the house.

So while the garden continues on with it's mums, and munk's hood, and roses,

I'll just keep playing acting being a homesteader, and I'll put up some more jars of tomatoes to help see me through the winter.

Are my dreams bigger than my stamina?

As we moved from place to place my cottage gardens got bigger and bigger until they were almost more than I could handle.  The garden in Paisley was lovely, (The people who bought the house said it added $10,000.00 to the value of the house) but keeping up with it was a full time job.

The next place had a smaller lot and I loved working the cottage garden I created there, but then we got called to teach at a  Reservation up north for part of the time and I started to wonder if I shouldn't cut back some more.

When we finished on the reserve we bought a mobile home on a tiny lot and I immediately got rid of all the grass to satisfy my garden craving.

But it wasn't quite enough, so I got a 10 x 30 ft garden plot across the street, and helped a daughter with another.

This year spring fever hit me hard.  I offered to help one of my daughters revamp a small garden bed, another daughter is going to let me work in her big back yard adding some of my own plants and making the beds bigger, and the twelve year old across the lane wants me to help her start a garden in front of her trailer.

I may be as busy this year as when I had the big garden in Paisley.

Knockout Roses

My dad always enjoyed gardening and had beautiful gardens throughout his property. But the one thing he always complained about were his roses. No matter what he did, he always got black spot on his Tea Roses and it really bothered him. So, a few years ago, I gave my dad a small, 12" Knockout Rose for his birthday. At the time, I was taking a class on Woody Plants at Farmingdale and my teacher was Vinnie Simeone, director of Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay, New York. He spoke to us not only about the beauty of these shrub roses, but also the ease in which they can be cared for. Knockout Roses are disease resistant, drought tolerant and self cleaning, so there is no need to deadhead. At Planting Fields, he was slowly replacing the Tea Roses with shrub roses. This was a plant I knew my dad had to have. 

Take a look at it today:

Clearly it is doing well! And as promised, it has been disease free and maintenance free. He prunes it every spring, but otherwise, he just lets it do its thing. 

The rich cherry red/hot pink flowers begin blooming in the spring and will continue until the first hard frost. The foliage is a dark purpleish green and turns burgundy in the fall. It enjoys full sun. They are a wonderful plant for every garden and landscape.

Something Amazingly Crazy Happened After I Found Blotanical

It was incredible.  One of those one in a thousand chances that just happened.  It all started when I found a fantastic garden community online called blotanica. 

No, actually it started before that when I moved to the last place where we lived.

We moved in spring, and of course, I was busy turning a burr bush weed patch into a garden, but whenever I had to go downtown I would choose the scenic route to get there.  I would tour my neighborhood to view some of what I knew must be Owen Sound's best gardens. When there were no impatient cars behind me I would slow right down and enjoy my driving garden tour. 
I often thought of stopping to talk to a gardener along the way, but I never did.

Back to the present and my new found favorite e-community, Blotanical.  I had no idea there was one site where I could find so many garden blogs from literally all parts of the world.  I started checking out a few of the garden blogs, occasionally commenting or picking a favorite.

One gardener sent me a message back.  I had commented on her beautiful blog and she had seen where I was from.  "Where abouts in Owen Sound are you?" she asked. 

Believe it or not, from a community of thousands of gardeners from all over the world, I had connected with a gardener not only from my own town but from one of those beautiful gardens in my old neighborhood.

If your path should lead to Blotanica be sure to look me up there at my plot

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - April 2011

Thank you to Carol over at May Dreams Gardens for hosting the monthly Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. I'm very excited to be participating for the first time.

Spring is bursting out all over town here - daffodils, hyacinth, forsythia and weeping cherry trees. Here at my house, I have mostly containers filled with pansies. As the weather continues to warm up, these pansies will be replaced with summer annuals and a few perennials. But for now, here's what's blooming at my house:

The cute little faces of the pansies greet me by the front door

A little green caterpillar has joined the purple pansies

And an orange snail has nestled into the smaller flower box on the patio

A yellow mushroom and little "flying" bugs adorn the container in the corner

The rose bush my hubby gave me as a gift a for Valentine's Day last year has started to show some new growth. 

The strawberry plant is showing more and more blooms each day. My kids are so excited for the strawberries to come!

I have eight new impatiens plants I made from cuttings this year. One of them is blooming! I'm so excited these are doing well and can't wait to see them in the garden next month. 

Hope you enjoyed the little tour around my yard and I look forward to seeing you again next month for the May Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

After reading my post, be sure to head on over to May Dreams Gardens to check out Carol's April Bloom Day post to see what's blooming around the world!

What's Blooming: June

It's Garden Bloggers Bloom Day! Here's what's growing and blooming in my garden this month.

All my containers are starting to bloom and fill in. The house faces east and therefore, the front gets the most sun in the morning and midday. Here is a look at what the front porch area looks like:

A close up on the flower boxes and containers:

The main box is planted with impatiens and geraniums (both from cuttings), morning glories, white bacopa, purple saliva, black eyed susan, yellow zinnia and sweet william.

Below the box are two pots containing flat leaf parsley and columbine seedlings. To the right of the box are perennial daisies just starting to bloom and beneath that is the geranium plant I overwintered and took cuttings from this spring. It has just started to bloom and produce new growth.

The left box is filled with pansies (still holding on!), impatiens and geraniums, pink pentas, purple saliva, lobelia, morning glory vines, lychnis and white salvia.

The middle box is filled with white Angelonia augustifolia, pink verbena, campanula, pansy, purple salvia and a wild flower seed mix (still not sure what will bloom from these seeds). A small pot of basil I grew from seeds sits below the flower box.

 On the railing, I filled this box with small annual dahlias and yellow chiffon superbells.

I placed a strawberry pot filled with pansies, mint and strawberries (both of which came back on their own this year) on top of a tree trunk log for some height.

 

The rose bush is blooming nicely (a Valentine's gift from my honey two years ago). String beans and sweat peas are climbing vigorously on the teepee - I spotted my first sweet pea flower today! Sunflowers are growing in the container on the steps.

In April, I posted about my new Raspberry shrub. I honestly didn't know if it would be happy in a container, but so far it has been doing great. My kids and I even ate a few berries from it today!

Here's what's going on in the backyard, which gets part shade/dappled sun only in the afternoon:

Double impatiens, coleus, white impatiens and lobelia

 

This box still has yet to fill in, but when it does, the impatiens and lobelia together will look nice I think. 

 Two more impatiens created by cuttings this year, planted here with more lobelia

My newest addition this year - 6 large containers filled with 2 Ostrich ferns, 1 Cinnamon fern and 2 different varieties of hosta. I'm hoping the ferns will grow tall and act as a screen from the park path behind my house.

Beneath the maple tree, I have 3 containers each filled with Caladium. Impatiens fill in the outside boxes, while Lysimachia fills in the middle one. And how cute is my stone owl?!

Along the back fence, under the maple tree, I placed a long flower box and filled it with lime colored coleus and pink begonias. It adds a little bit of color to a very shady spot. I transplanted the ivy along the ground last fall and am happy to see new growth on it this year.

And that's it. By next month, I'm hoping the Morning Glory vines will have reached new heights, the string beans will be full of beans and the ferns grown taller. Be sure to come back and check in with me!

Many thanks to Carol over at May Dreams Gardens for hosting the monthly Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.

Garden Tour: House #2 Lattingtown

The second house on the Garden Tour along Long Island's Gold Coast was in Lattingtown, NY. The four acres of property at this house allowed for various types of gardens, from full sun to full shade.

The real unique feature of this property was the water view. As soon as we entered the backyard, that was the first place my eye went to - sweeping green lawn, cascading downward to the bay in the distance.

The owners kept most of the gardens off to the side with an occasional accent in the lawn like the water fountain, the rose buses or even the artificial sheep grazing on grass.


This garden was in full sun and ran along the side of the lawn. It was filled with foxglove, lilies and purple loosestrife.

The meandering path leading down to the pool was as delightful as the accompanying garden. The garden was filled with lots of lilies, catmint, and coreopsis (just to name a few). They apparently have some rabbits who like to nibble on the plants, hence the wire fencing along the plant bases. Along the pool were various rose bushes in mostly pinks and whites.

The gardens were pretty but it was the water view that made this property so spectacular!

Be sure to check out the other homes on the Garden Tour:
House #1: Centre Island
House #3: Bayville 
House # 4: Oyster Bay Cove

What's Blooming: June 2013

June is my favorite month in the garden. Everything is bursting with color and new growth, the birds are chirping in the trees and the weather is still comfortable enough to enjoy the outdoors all day long.

Here are a few things blooming in my garden this month:

Ah, beautiful pink carpet roses. They stay low to the ground, are disease resistant and keep flowering without the need to deadhead. When in full bloom, it really does look like I have a pink rose carpet in my garden.

I have grown quite fond of Astilbe over the years. These in particular are wonderful. They look like fluffy pink feathers and have a wonderful sweet aroma that I catch every time I walk by. These used to be in mostly shade, but now, after the backyard renovation last year, they are in mostly full sun and seem to be tolerating it really well (thankfully!)

Lacecap Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla normalis) is so beautiful, unique and elegant (in my opinion, of course!). The bees love the blue "landing pads" and the cute white flowers that surround it make it look as dainty as a doily.

And of course, it wouldn't be June in the shade if I didn't have the Mophead Hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) to enjoy. The deep blue is simply stunning. I have 4 of these shrubs under the oak tree and only one is more pink/purple than the rest. I'm guessing the soil pH in that spot is slightly more alkaline (above pH 7) than the rest of the area (which is probably neutral to acidic since these flowers are blue).

The previous owners of our house had so many hostas on the property. I keep finding them in random places and moving them to the garden. I love this blue one with it's textured, slightly cupped leaf and the bright white flowers on the erect stems above the leaves.

And of course, my favorite flower of all time, the daisy (Leucanthemum). It's bright, white petals with golden yellow center is so cheery and makes me smile every time I see them. 

The Cardinals have been particularly happy with our backyard. They come visit nearly every day, whether the bird feeder is stocked or not. We spotted this one high up in the tree this morning, chirping away. 

Things are growing so quickly here and more blooms each week. Stay tuned for July's "What's Blooming" in a few weeks!

Garden Tour: House #1 Centre Island

A few weeks ago, I attended a garden tour through four homes in the Oyster Bay area. Oyster Bay is located along Long Island's northern shore, bordering the Long Island Sound.  Traditionally, this region has been the most affluent on Long Island, which has earned it the nickname "the Gold Coast." My two year old daughter and I saw many beautiful gardens, manicured lawns and breathtaking views on this tour.

The first home was located in Centre Island, NY.  Centre Island is a 605 acre peninsula with over four miles of coast line. The house sits on a six-acre plot of land with spectacular views of the harbor. The owner has lived there for 30 years and as such, her gardens are extensive and stunning. She is passionate about flower gardening and flower arranging and has planned her garden so she can have things to work with all year round.

Upon entering the backyard, we were greeted with a delightful table setting. A gorgeous flower arrangement hung from a tree limb above, inviting the visitor to sit and enjoy the peacefulness in the shade.

The back of the house, facing the water.

The view of the harbor and personal dock from the backyard.

A covered but open outdoor patio was filled furniture suitable for dining or simply relaxing. The ceiling was covered with Ivy and the outer walls were draped with Wisteria.

Behind the guest house on the right, she had a workshop room, complete with a counter, refrigerator and various tools for flower arranging and potting.

Outside the guest house was the kitchen garden filled with all sorts of vegetables, herbs and edible flowers.

Following the path leading away from the kitchen garden, I walked through a rose-covered archway. The scent was heavenly!

The path led to the pool, where the owner had filled gardens on either sides of the pool with a gorgeous mix of perennials.

Behind the pool, nestled among the trees in the yard was this fantastic tree house. It had a winding staircase up to the "house" where one could look at the main house on one side and the harbor on the other.

For those less inclined to have lunch in the tree house, there was a beautiful gazebo at the edge of the property, overlooking the water. The property sloped down just beyond the gazebo to a small beach below.

The pond was indeed a highlight. The owner had created a small "stream" that ran down into it, providing a hypnotic trickling sound. The owner told me she had a Blue Heron visit that morning, but usually only enjoys watching the koi swimming below the water and the frogs sunning themselves on the rocks.

Beyond the pond was a woodland walk filled with Ferns, Hostas and other shade loving plants. She had bird baths and bird houses placed all along the path.


Looping back to the main house from the woodland walk, there was a small glass house that fit only a few sitting chairs, a table with chairs and a hot tub. I could imagine sitting in here in the winter, admiring the snow covered trees and grounds, but being warmed by the sun (of the hot tub!).

Along the back of the house was another covered outdoor patio, again beautifully and naturally decorated with ivy on the ceiling.

View of the backyard from the glass house.

A truly stunning spot to visit. We spent well over an hour there looking through each nook and cranny of the yard and its gardens. What a treasure to be able to visit!

Check out the other gardens on the tour:
House #2: Lattingtown
House #3: Bayville
House #4: Oyster Bay Cove