December 29, 2012 by Born To Organize

Cranberry Hydrangea: A Lovely Bloom to See in the New Year

Cranberry Colored Hydrangea

My ever-changing Hydrangeas are now a brilliant shade of cranberry. I love their ruddy complexion. They’ve set buds for spring, but the pom-pom like blooms linger.

It’s a challenge pulling together a flower arrangement from the garden this time of year. That said, I wanted to come up with a creative way to use what I had, including these lovely flowers.

Here’s what I did:

I removed the bloom above the last set of buds, leaving a short but sturdy stem to work with.

I filled one small jar with leftover florist’s foam. I filled a second, slightly wider jar with a handful of crystal beads. Together they create the illusion of a tall vase, even though the stem itself is less than three inches long.

Hydrangea blossom with short stem, supported with florist foam

Florist foam…or volcanic rock?

Glass jars, stacked and slightly nested

Do they make a crayon this color? I would name it “Spectacular”

Bacopa Cordata

Winter Flower Arrangement

And there you have it. Simple and festive and ready to see in the new year.

How will you celebrate the start of a new year?

December 28, 2012 by Born To Organize

Sunset Gardens: A Self-Guided Tour

As luck would have it, I worked in Menlo Park today. Menlo Park, California is home to Sunset Gardens, a test garden for Sunset Books and Sunset Magazine. After work, I headed straight there and took the (frigid) self-guided tour.

Southern Pacific Railroad Company founded Sunset Magazine in 1898 . It evolved over the years to reflect the changing times. It went from promotional tool, to literary magazine, before settling into what it is today: a lifestyle magazine for the west. For over 40 years, they’ve produced the Western Garden Book, the most comprehensive book of its kind. I’m on my second copy, and though it’s now available on the web, I still enjoy the weight of the book in my hand and the ease of use.

Sunset’s headquarters surrounds the editorial test garden in addition to an array of Climate Zone gardens ranging from the Pacific Northwest to the Southern Desert. It’s a testament to the Bay Area temps that the Menlo Park location can support so many growing zones.

I’m going to make an extra effort this year to get back there in the spring, when the rose garden and many of the flowering shrubs are in bloom.

Here are the highlights from today:

Garden Bench

The one downside to self guided tours is all the unanswered questions. I was curious to know more about this bench,tucked in a corner near the chicken coop. It’s made from a variety of recycled material, including old fence planks, scraps of metal, and the insulator caps from old high-tension wires. The birdhouse posts on the end of the bench are fully functional, though probably impractical from a predator stand point. They’re awfully cute though.

Birdhouse bench detail

Healthy Chickens = garden manure

Wine Country Chicken Coop

That is one, high-end chicken coop, conveniently located near the composting bins.

Succulent Planter

This lovely planter was part of a seating area. It’s made from driftwood and scraps of lumber.

Stylish Seating Area

Test Garden Pavers

This unique patio meandered through the entrance to the Test Garden. What looks like crushed rock, is actually tumbled recycled glass (white and green). The small round objects are actually synthetic wine “corks” from a Bay Area winery. The dark squares, upper right corner, are scraps of fencing lumber. Clever use of cast off materials.

Recycled, Tumbled Green Glass

Cactus Garden: Keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times :-)

The Old Man: Coast Live Oak

Garden Path and Plantings

To learn more about the history of Sunset, visit their website.

Self-guided tours are free and open to the public Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 4:00 pm. Call ahead for additional details at 1-650-321-3600. The gardens are universally accessible.

December 27, 2012 by Born To Organize

Garden Social: If Only Squirrels Had Facebook

My favorite part of the holiday season is all the visiting. Friends stop by or invite you out for lunch or drinks. Calendars fill with parties and Facebook is abuzz with everyone’s photos. It’s that wonderful social connection that makes us human.

Today, the sun came out and I noticed the socializing spilled over into the garden. I couldn’t make out all the conversations but the body language was pretty clear. We humans aren’t the only ones socializing. Wouldn’t it be great to have one of those Universal Translators from Star Trek so you could understand what the birds and four-legged critters had to say?

Three different squirrels raced around the pine tree, then disappeared into the neighbor’s yard for another peanut. It was hard to keep up. At times they appeared to be chasing each other, but it wasn’t always clear. There was very little squirrel chatter and trust me, when they have something to say, it spills forth loud and clear. It was near impossible to capture the activity, and I’m wondering now why I didn’t take a video clip. I ended up with lots of shots of empty tree trunks.

Squirrel hide…

…and seek

Hummingbirds don’t seem to mind the rain, so we’ve seen them visiting the feeders all week. It was more pleasant taking pictures, however, on a clear day. A pair of hummers seemed to dance midair, less a courtship than a race to the feeder.

Hummers dancing

Our neighbor Roger stopped by with his adorable pooch, Freckles. Will you look at that face? Freckles had a few choice “words” for Mouse the neighborhood cat who also came over for a snack. Mouse is awfully brave most of the time, but he cleared the deck for Freckles.

Freckles, why are you licking your lips?

Oh no! Not that dog again!

Garden snails were playing hide and seek under the strawberry plants and a tiny slug figured out the best hiding place ever: inside a peanut shell, dropped through the hole of a garden pot.

Hide and seek in a peanut shell

As kids we too loved to play hide-and-seek or chase for hours. We stayed out in the cold, teeth chattering. We didn’t want to risk going home for a coat, only to be called in for the night. They say play is the work of children. I would like to add that the garden is the playground for all creatures.

I’m off to see if one of those squirrels left a Facebook status update.

December 26, 2012 by Born To Organize

San Jose: Green in all the Right Places

Though San José is known globally as part of Silicon Valley, we have greener reasons to be proud. According to Bright Green San Jose, our city recycles 71 percent of the waste we generate. Wow! Further:

San Jose’s collective recycling helped the Recycle Plus program win the 2012 Green City Award from the national magazine Waste and Recycling News. The award honored San José for having the most effective residential program for a large city in the United States.

One of the programs San José offers is composting workshops and bin sales. I just started composting yard waste and kitchen scraps this year. Our yard is small, and packed with plants and flowers with limited space for growing veggies. I assumed composting required a lot of space and full sun. I purchased a Tumbling Composter earlier this year, which allowed me to compost kitchen scraps in a small space, diverting them from our landfill.

Tumbling Composter

The tumbler filled quickly, so I started a second bin using an old Rubbermaid storage box. Now that’s full, too. You can’t rush compost, so while I wait for nature to rot its course, I’m pondering my next move.

You know what’s funny? I used to toss kitchen scraps or put them down the garbage disposal. Now that I’m composting, throwing out the food waste feels wrong.

I’ve decided to attend one of San José’s free Backyard Composting Workshops to pick up some additional tips. The first workshop is March 27th, 2013. They also sell Wriggly Ranch worm bins and Soil Saver compost bins at a steep discount.

In the meantime, any tips on composting in small spaces are welcome. My counter top bin is filling rapidly, and those coffee grounds and pepper cores need a place to call home.

December 25, 2012 by Born To Organize

Fairy Mystique: The Young and the Young-Hearted

If you’ve been following Gardening Nirvana for a while, you’ll know that I’ve fallen in love with fairy gardens. You can read a bit about them here. I created several over the past year, and shared them on my blog. They’re whimsical and fun.

Imagine my delight to learn that the two little girls across the street decided to create a fairy garden of their own. They caught the fairy garden bug!

When the holiday season rolled around this year, I thought it would be fun to don my “fairy cap” and create a little magic of my own.

On my first visit to their families outdoor Christmas tree, I left a tiny note and some “decorating material” including sequins, silk thread and a roll of red laundry lint, perfect for making fairy pillows and blankets. I tucked it deep in the branches so they could enjoy the search.

Fairy Garden Package #1

Next up, another note along with some ribbon, a few wooden stars and a family of matchstick-sized dolls tucked inside a baby food jar and wrapped in mesh.

Fairy Garden Package #2

On my last visit to the tree, I left a parcel of miniature bristle trees, a few shiny mirrors (great for lakes and ponds) and a bag of fairy snow.

Fairy Snow

It has been so much fun sorting through my sewing box, scrap-booking materials, and left over art supplies to pull together little treasures for the fairy aficionados.

On Christmas Eve, just before heading out with my family to look at neighborhood Christmas lights I made one last visit. My son helped me fill the top half of a paper Christmas cracker, with a few gold coins. While my husband backed out the car, I tiptoed to their door, deposited the gifts, rang the bell, and ran like crazy. Getting caught in the act would spoil all the fun.

As I raced across their lawn and out of view, the neighborhood kitty gave chase. My parting thought as I ran around the corner was how funny it must have looked to see a woman in her fifties running across her neighbor’s lawn, with a small white cat in hot pursuit.

There’s Magic in that Tree

Fairy Garden Snow Recipe

one small handful of craft snow
a pinch of sparkles
a dash of blue bakers sugar

December 24, 2012 by Born To Organize

Dove Bomb Surprise: A Recipe for World Peace

Please Note: This recipe is not for pessimists or doomsayers.

As with all good recipes, the ingredients are critical. Do not settle for substitutes unless otherwise noted.

Gather together the following organic ingredients:

1 ounce of prevention

1/2 pound of genuine hugs

A sprinkle of laughter

Sunshine (to taste)

Optional: season with soothing music or a winter’s nap

You will also need:

1 missile launching kit (available on the Internet)

Assorted bomb casings

A positive attitude

Energy saving tip: No need to preheat your oven. Global warming is sufficient.

Prepare your missile launching kit following the manufacturer’s instructions. Set aside.

Mix one ounce of prevention with a half pound of genuine hugs until smooth. Fold in a sprinkle of laughter, blending well. Add sunshine to taste.

Remove chilled bomb casings from the freezer and carefully fill to the three-quarter mark with the above mixture. Add optional ingredients at this time.

Pop the dove bomb surprise into the missile-launcher and fire away. Upon impact Dove Bomb Surprise will coat the earth’s population. Those lucky enough to be at the center of impact will experience an incredible sense of euphoria. Others, at a more distant radius, will experience an overall feeling of joy and content. Pregnant women will give birth to children addicted to world peace. Warring factions everywhere will lay down their weapons and cast off their anger, wondering why they harbored them in the first place. Hatred will be rendered obsolete. Some nations will decide to share their oil; others will share food and water. Technology will be applied for the good of all humankind. The environment will return to its intended state and freedom will reign for all.

No mess to clean up. Serves several billion.

Olive Branch

Merry Christmas. May your world be joyful and bright. Gardening Nirvana

December 23, 2012 by Born To Organize

Harvesting the Gourds: I Grew a Pair

It’s pouring today. (I love it). Good thing I cleaned the garden box when I did. After a midweek frost, the birdhouse gourd vines shriveled up. I cut down the last of them and brought the pair of gourds indoors for drying.

Tidied Garden

I have a good giggle whenever I pass them. They look exactly like a pair of bowling pins.

Lindy keeps an eye on the “bowling pins.”

Earlier in the year, one of the vines grew up and over the telephone line. Eventually one of the two large gourds took hold, putting weight on the lines. I came up with a quick fix using garden twine and a mesh bag, pictured below.

birdhouse gourd in the bag

It worked really well, allowing the gourd to grow unhampered and at the same time it kept my internet up and running. I have my priorities.

What I didn’t expect was the honeycomb pattern the bag left on the gourd. It’s not imprinted but rather faded from the lack of sun. Isn’t that interesting?

Honeycomb Patterned Gourd

Now we wait. While the gourds are drying, I’ll be dreaming of a way to decorate each one. Here are a few ideas:

Debbie Almond: Birdsmiths

Linseed Oil finish from Fun In The Making

Natural Finish (from my ever changing garden)

December 22, 2012 by Born To Organize

Winter Solstice: Near Miss

I guess I missed it.

I’ve been referring to my wall calendar all week and according to the cute little box with the number 22, winter solstice occurred at 6:12 am EST today, December 22nd, 2012. With all the “end of the world” talk this week, I somehow failed to connect the winter solstice and the end of the world on the same day. My calendar was plain wrong.

December 22nd, 2012

It’s no small irony that the calendar producer is a company called Sounds True.

Sounds True Calendar

The rest of the calendar entries were correct this year, so you can appreciate why I missed it. Remaining dates are in good working order as well: Christmas, December 25th. Check. Boxing Day, December 26th. Check. And finally, New Year’s Eve, December 31st.

Here’s is what National Geographic has to say about the solstice:

During the winter solstice the sun hugs closer to the horizon than at any other time during the year, yielding the least amount of daylight annually. On the bright side, the day after the winter solstice marks the beginning of lengthening days leading up to the summer solstice.

“Solstice” is derived from the Latin phrase for “sun stands still.” That’s because—after months of growing shorter and lower since the summer solstice—the sun’s arc through the sky appears to stabilize, with the sun seeming to rise and set in the same two places for several days. Then the arc begins growing longer and higher in the sky, reaching its peak at the summer solstice.

The solstices occur twice a year (around December 21 and June 21) because Earth is tilted by an average of 23.5 degrees as it orbits the sun—the same phenomenon that drives the seasons.

During the warmer half of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, the North Pole is tilted toward the sun. The northern winter solstice occurs when the “top” half of Earth is tilted away from the sun at its most extreme angle of the year.

Please join me in counting down to the first day of spring; the Vernal Equinox. For those of us that long to get our hands in the dirt, that’s a date we don’t want to miss. And for all you computer experts who know that the internet is always right, please help me understand why my countdown calendar (right sidebar) it teasing me when it says March 20th is in two months?

December 21, 2012 by Born To Organize

Centerpiece on the Fly

The older I get, the more likely I am to buck tradition. Tonight’s centerpiece is a good case in point. I’ve enjoyed pulling together meaningful gifts in an unusual arrangement. It’s fun and festive and probably not available from your local floral shop.

First up, this lovely snowman casserole dish. It was a gift from a dear friend. I’ve never had the heart to actually cook in it, but instead usually display it on an easel. Tonight it’s the foundation for the centerpiece and a reminder of our friendship.

Snowman Casserole Dish, A Gift from a Friend

Next, I’ve featured my son’s recent clay project. He used a ruler and a fine carving tool to meticulously carve each brick. Such detail! I like the overall shape of the piece and the sweeping curves of the design. I love his creativity.

Ceramic Clay Medieval Turret

The flowers are the last remaining blooms of a pretty bouquet, a gift from the man I love. We’ve been together for 18 years and he still brings me flowers, just because. How can you not be cheered by flowers?

Flowers in a Spice Jar

I emptied the last of the peppercorns so I could use the spice jar as a vase. It’s the perfect size for the turret. A quick dusting of craft-store snow to pull it all together and I’m set.

The centerpiece represents love and friendship as well as art, nature and a bit of whimsy. In my heart of hearts, I think that’s what traditions are all about.

Are you entertaining guests this holiday season? What makes it special for you?

Unique Centerpiece Displays:

Fire and Ice (I love this idea!)
Non-traditional colors (Purple anyone?)
Vintage Roller Skates

December 20, 2012 by Born To Organize

Fairy Garden Snow

Little hands made it snow in the fairy garden today. It certainly felt cold enough for the real deal, but alas the skies were blue and clear.

My neighbor Jazzy’s day care kids love to run up and down the ramp and along the deck at day’s end. They were full of energy, happy to be outdoors and impervious to the cold. One of the little Munchkins asked if she could play with her doll in the fairy garden. How lucky that I had my camera! She was full of questions: was the grass real? Were the plants real? What about the berries?

Playing in the fairy garden

A pinch of snow

I love the inquisitiveness. One by one, the others joined in. I was pointing out the “snow” when I realized the wind had carried much of it away. I ran inside for more and within short order, they created a fairy winter wonderland.