July 26, 2011 by Born To Organize

Bagby Garden: How Does Your Garden Grow?

We lucked out with two weeks in the Bagby Garden this summer. We harvested a few summer squashes but the berries weren’t quite ripe for picking. The greatest treasures, however, always lie in the unexpected: a lizard panting in the sun, bees among the petals of a flower and that earthy, damp smell after an uncommon summer rain.

Bee in the Borage

Latin name: Borago officinalis

Lounging Lizard

This little critter is probably a Western Side-blotched lizard, abundant in the warm, western areas of California.

“A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.” -Aldo Leopold. A Sand County Almanac. Oxford University Press, 1949.

All Out Artichokes

Green Thumb Gardener

June 16, 2011 by Born To Organize

A Crack in the Fence

Fine arts photographer, Paul Hood recently posted these stunning photos on Facebook entitled “Ten Minutes in the Backyard.”

I love taking photos in my own garden, but only dream of approaching the artistry of his work. With Paul’s permission, for your viewing pleasure:

Secret Garden

Lace

Blooms

Crack in the Fence

Fig Tree

May 29, 2011 by Born To Organize

This Bud’s For…

The Buds Have It

If I finish that thought, I’m afraid I’ll be sued. It happened years ago to a florist who received a cease and desist order for using “This Bud’s For You” as the name of a flower shop. I never developed a taste for “Bud’s” or suds of the drinking variety, but I do love the buds in my garden.

According to Wikipedia, “In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or embryonic shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of the stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormant condition, or it may form a shoot immediately.”

I love their embryonic nature. I’m in my fifties and I still marvel at the wonders of a seed, a bud, a flower and a fruit, that perfectly orchestrated cycle of plant life. But it’s the bud that holds the promise of tomorrow; new beginnings, fresh starts.

This undeveloped, embryonic shoot is for you!