Month: March 2012

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Brontosauraus Topiary for the Young at Heart

Brontosaurus Topiary

When my boys were small and interested in things like trains and dinosaurs, I spotted a Brontosaurus topiary frame in a garden catalog.  I’d never created a topiary before, but I thought it would be fun to try.  Having children gives you permission to play with Lego’s and to connect train tracks across the living room floor.  It’s also great justification for buying a pricey topiary frame “for the kids.”  I could hardly wait for it to arrive!

I bought and assembled the frame, centering it in the corner garden and bought four small-leafed ivy plants to place in each of the feet.  Somehow I missed a step and all the ivy died.  The small plants simply dried out too quickly.  I bought more ivy, and this time planted straight into the ground.  I stuffed the frame with Sphagnum moss and waited for the plants to fill in.  After a month or so, I had enough ivy to start threading it through the frame.  Eventually it was thick enough to prune.  It took longer than I thought, but the frame filled out and we had an adorable green Brontosaurus in our yard.

The boys are more interested in Minecraft than dinosaurs these days, but the charming little fellow lives on.  I trim it once or twice a year but for the most part it requires very little attention.  After a good prune, I find a small flower for the dinosaur’s eye.  It reminds me of my carefree summer days in our London yard and for just a moment I’m five years old again.

Time for a Trim

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Farmtek: I’ve Arrived

Greenhouse Available from Farmtek®

As a professional organizer, I’ve worked diligently to remove my name from mailing lists.  Using Catalog Choice, I’ve stopped most direct-mail ads and over 100 catalogs from filling my mailbox.

So imagine how silly I looked when a catalog called Farmtek® arrived with today’s mail and my heart skipped a beat.  Did this mean someone thought I was a farmer?  Little did they know I plant on a tiny plot of land in the suburbs of what was once beautiful orchards.  Our entire lot, including the house, is only 6,000 square feet. Once home to apricots and prunes, our agricultural heritage gave way to Apple, Cisco, Intel and HP.

It’s unlikely I’ll be ordering grow lights for my (non-existent) greenhouse or an air inflation system, though the idea of both is appealing.  Thumbing through the catalog I found a few items for small-scale gardeners, but nothing I can’t buy in town.  I’m afraid Farmtek’s® catalog is headed the way of most.  It was fun though, getting a small glimpse into the shopping options of a farmer.

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Blooming Thursday: Where Have all the Flowers Gone?

Blushing Azaleas

Didn’t spring just arrive? According to my calendar, yes. My garden, however moves along at a different pace. Buds are forming on the berry vines, but everything else seems to be heading for the leafy stage of growth. Green is my favorite color so I’m not completely disappointed, but the contrast of pinks, purples, reds and golds is visually stunning. Only two small blooms remain on the Hardenbergia.  This time next week that spectacle of color will be a distant memory.  The Azaleas are popping in pinks and whites.  Soon they’ll flaunt a brilliant show of color.

Taking photographs each day is a rewarding experience.  I’ve bared witness to things in the garden I might have otherwise missed.  This time next year I’ll have a record for comparison.  Today I’m working on living in the moment.  Perhaps my garden is right on schedule and only now am I taking proper notice.

In order to hedge my bets, I think it’s time to visit Almaden Valley Nursery for some summer annuals.  I want to continue my Blooming Thursdays.

Hardenbergia about to close up shop

Magnolia Continues to Flower

Wildflower Holdover from Last Summer

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Eric Milner: Tea from the Past

E. Milner,center, 1915 - 1969

My father traversed an interesting path, one of travel, adventure and creativity. Born in England, he studied botany and horticultural science at Wimbledon Technical College. He worked as a student gardener at the John Innes Horticultural Institution in London.

In a letter dated October 1st, 1937, it says:

“Mr. E. Milner came to us on Sept. 16th 1935 as a Student Gardener. Since that time he has spent 4 months in the Fruit Department, 2 months in the Rock Garden, 8 months on general outdoor work and 10 months under glass. His experience with us has included the propagation and maintenance of stove, glasshouse and herbaceous plants, all of which we grow in considerable variety.”

After completing his courses, he moved to India to work on a tea plantation around 1937.  He remained in India during the second world war serving as a translator.

In a letter dated 7th May, 1946 from the India Office, Whitehall, it says:

Sir,

“Now that the time has come for your release from active military duty, I am to convey to you the thanks of the Secretary of State for India and of the Government of India for the valuable services which you have rendered to your country at a time of grave national emergency.

At the end of the emergency you will relinquish your commission, and at that time a notification will appear in the London Gazette (Supplement), granting you also the honorary rank of Captain.  Meanwhile, you have permission to use that rank with effect from the date of your release.”

He returned to England in 1946 and shortly thereafter immigrated to Canada where he met and married my mother.  Together they owned a pair of flower shops for a few years.  My father later managed a nursery in my hometown of London, Ontario.

Lucky for me his hobbies included photography and the careful assembly of albums, like the one pictured below.  I remain fascinated all these years later of his time in India and his work planting and propagating tea in the Darjeeling region.

Photos from my Father's Album

Planting Young Tea
photo by E. Milner

Tea Grows in India, 1939
photo by my father E. Milner

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Tea Time

Lisa’s Tea Treasures is a charming tea room and gift parlor in nearby Campbell, California. Designed to resemble an early nineteenth century English parlor, they serve “high tea” in cozy rooms where you ring the bell for service. Fresh tea brews at your table in fine china pots wrapped in “cozies.”  Lisa’s is one of my go-to places to celebrate with my tea-loving friends.

Table Top at Lisa's Tea Treasures

I acquired my love of tea from my British father who not only drank it, but grew it on a tea plantation in Darjeeling. I have an album filled with black and white photos from his time in India, carefully captioned in his neat print. It’s a beautiful legacy from the man who died when I was nine.  I wish he were alive to fill in the details of what had to be an amazing experience.

According to Wissotzky Tea,

“Tea is an evergreen plant of the Camellia genus. Its scientific name is “Camellia Sinensis) and it originated in China, Tibet and Northern India. The tea plant has thick leaves, dark green in color, and a strong thick stem. The tea flowers bloom in white or pink and have a delicate fragrance.

There are about 200 different species of the tea plant around the world.”

Assorted Teas Available in Lisa's Tea Salon

We believe tea originated in China, still a primary source of the world’s tea, along with India, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Nepal and Japan.  Herbal “teas” aren’t really teas at all but a collection of flowers, stems, leaves and buds.

Visiting a tea plantation is on my proverbial bucket list.  To see this plant, brewed and enjoyed the world round, would be a treat.

A few of my favorite teas:

Numi® Organic Tea: Super premium, organic and fair trade teas.

Celestial Seasonings: Sleepytime anyone?

Yogi Tea: Wonderful green tea.

Traditional Medicinals: I’m a huge fan of their Cold Care and Throat Coat teas.

Do you have a favorite?

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The Traveling Gardener: Flowers of Southern California

I took a road trip this weekend with a small group of close friends covering several hundred miles of California. We started in the Bay Area, moved south to Santa Cruz, and then traveled “The 5” to Marina del Ray. The trip was extraordinary in many ways. I had joyous, but all too brief reunions with friends from my theater days; wonderful re-acquaintances after thirty years.  Through the connectivity of Facebook, I’ve opened doors to people I would never have met, while drawing back the curtain from parts of my life I was sorry to see fade away.  I’m still reveling in this friendship high.

We passed miles of coastline and rolling hills, and the not so elegant oil-well pumps and truck stops.  Garden enthusiasts like me reaped the benefits of travel in early spring: flowers everywhere.

Here are a few of my favorites.

Madonna Inn: Poppies in the Rain

Tiny Little Flowers Cascading Over Rocks

Part of the Santa Barbara Welcoming Committee

Bird of Paradise after dark in Marina del Rey

Palm Fronds Rustle in the Breeze in Marina del Rey

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Mystery Nest: Sticks and Twigs

A critter built a sizable nest at the top of our orange tree using twigs and sticks to support her family. Given the size, I’m wondering if a family of squirrels plans to move in. Opossums are another possibility. I’ve not had the chance to research the style of the nest, and I haven’t seen any “traffic” to indicate who might be up there.

I’m fascinated by nests, and the resourcefulness of the resident builder. I hope she reveals herself in the weeks to come.

Who do you think built this nest?

Mystery Nest

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Hide and Seek in the Garden

I’m in beautiful Marina del Rey today, enjoying a long overdue catch-up with good friends. My room with a view opens up to sand, surf, seagulls, and last night, a duck next to the pool. Good times!

I plan to snap some shots of the local flora to share with all of you when I return. I love travel and time with friends as much as I love my home, my family and the felines that keep me on my toes.

Slinky and Lindy are still working out the order of dominance, hence this brief game of kitty hide and seek. I’m not privy to their private thoughts, but when I return they’ll have a story to tell, the subtext of which is “where have you been?!”

Hide and Seek

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Blueberries: The Third Year it Leaps!

It was heartening to read on one of my favorite blogs yesterday, that my blueberries may start producing this year. We didn’t have any production the first year, and only 4 berries (four!!!) last year.

Blueberry Bush

According to What’s Green with Betsy?!?:

“This will probably be the year it produces. According to my arborist husband, “the first year it sleeps, the second year it creeps, the third year it leaps”. Your plant has been working on root development for the first two years. There is a lot going on beneath the soil that we can’t see.”

I’ll keep you posted.

In the meantime, check out What’s Green with Betsy for some great, earth-friendly gardening tips.

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Blooming Thursday: The Color of the Day is Pink

A Natural Bouquet

The color pink can “stimulate energy and can increase the blood pressure, respiration, heartbeat, and pulse rate,” according to All About the Color Pink.  Conversely, prison walls are painted  lighter shades of pink to calm aggression and anxiety.

When choosing flowering plants for my garden, pink is my top choice.  Pinks contrast beautifully with green, and they are softer and cooler than reds. I’ve planted pink clover, Impatiens, cyclamen and geraniums in the past along with carpet roses and azaleas.  Interestingly, the star jasmine starts out with pink buds, morphing into white when fully in bloom.  The flowering blossoms on many of the fruit trees are also a lovely shade of pink.  Our now-deceased almond tree served as the focal point of our garden for years.  We were  sad to see it go.  We’ve since replaced it with a four-in-one fruit cocktail tree with equally magnificent flowers, but it will be a few years before it grows to the same magnificent size.

What’s your favorite pink bloom?

Four-in-one Fruit Tree

Flowering Bulbs

Jasmine and Mousy

Yes, I am pretty darn cute

Okay, just one more cute kitty picture. Look at those pink ears and that adorable pink nose.