August 12, 2012 by Born To Organize

Looking up at the Cosmos

Looking up at the cosmos this evening was a treat. I fell in love this summer with these magnificent flowers. Like any new love, I’ve enjoyed the novelty and discovery of uncharted territory.

Writing about cosmos for this blog and snapping dozens of photos along the way has enriched my garden experience. I’ve captured small changes I might have otherwise missed in pictures and prose. Such simple pleasures.

All week I’ve wanted to gather a few seeds, but the heat has been oppressive. This evening, after an hour of tending to the less glamorous garden chores, I sat cross-legged in front of the cosmos and took a moment to enjoy the view. Then, using a soft toothbrush, I swept up the seeds gathering on the pumpkin leaves below. I’ll package some of the seeds for holiday gifts and the rest will be carefully stored in my Seed Keeper for next year. I’ve spotted several black and white songbirds lately, so I’ve left plenty of seeds behind for them too.

Seeds safely stowed, I rolled on my back and took a few photos from the ground looking up. For a moment in time I was a girl again, lying barefoot on the grass, eyes skyward. Time for a bit of daydreaming until reality intrudes.

Cosmos Looking Up

Cosmo Seeds

Cosmo seeds at the Beach

Blooming Thursday: Dwarfed by the Cosmos (gardeningnirvana.wordpress.com)
Sit Back and Enjoy a Cosmo (zone9b.wordpress.com)

August 11, 2012 by Born To Organize

Allium Stellatum by Nightfall

I see beautiful white stars on this hot summer night, though I’ve cast my eyes down, not up. By the light of the moon, Allium Stellatum, also known as Prairie Onions, are covered in tiny, star-like blooms. The Allium set buds nearly two weeks ago. This evening they’re covered in flowers. A light, sweet onion scent lingers above the soil

Many flowers close up shop for the evening. It’s a nice surprise finding these tiny flowers wide awake and enjoying the August heat.

Allium Stellatum or Prairie Onion

Star light, star bright

True star-gazers might catch a falling star tonight as the Perseids shower the night sky with meteors. They will reach their August peak this weekend, visible to the naked eye in most parts of North America.

August 9, 2012 by Born To Organize

Blooming Thursday: It Must Be August

In the far corner of the garden, the Japanese Anemone are about to put on a show. The plant is unremarkable most of the year, with a low, leafy green spreading across the rock wall. After a winter die-back, they reemerge in the spring, gathering energy for the days ahead.

Anemone Buds

Anemone Japonica ‘White’

July arrives and on cue, the Anemone burst forth sending out tall stems covered in lush green leaves. July is dress rehearsal.

Anemone Bloom

Take a seat ladies and gentlemen, the show is about to begin. The chorus lines the rock wall, tiny buds at the ready. When the curtain opens, dozens of white blooms take center stage.

Be sure to tell all your friends. The show continues its run through late August.

August 8, 2012 by Born To Organize

A Page From My Garden

Fun times at the computer today. I finally got the hang of the Creative Memories StoryBook Creator software. I tried out my skills creating a page of flowers from the garden. If you’re remotely interested, I suggest you give it a whirl. Once you’re over the proverbial hump, you’ll be amazed at what you can do.

Among the more interesting features: creating a “rubber stamp” effect using your photos or one of the “embellishments” from the library. Also fun: matting your photo with an exact color from your picture.

I’ve been assembling scrapbooks since I was a girl. Mom would make paste from flour and water, then she would line the kitchen table with newspapers and let us go to town. My sister and I cut pictures from magazines and pasted away. Who knew all these years later that I would be cutting and pasting with a computer?

Are you a ‘scrapper? Have you joined the digital bandwagon?

August 7, 2012 by Born To Organize

Tomatoes and Basil, Together at Last

My husband made a delicious Caprese salad for dinner last night with store-bought tomatoes and basil. It’s one of our favorite dishes. He found plump, flavorful heirloom tomatoes, filled with juicy sweetness. Today, at last, we have our own ripening tomatoes on the vine and a healthy crop of basil.

I planted three organic starter plants on one side of the City Picker planting system, and three sets of seeds on the other. Everything came up. When the pumpkin vines took over the area between the garden beds, I simply rolled our tomatoes to a sunny spot on the walkway, something I couldn’t have done otherwise. I’ll definitely plant tomatoes in the box again.

Okay, all you tomato growers: are your tomatoes ripening on the vine? Ours took 94 days from seed to red fruit.

Tomatoes and Basil

Tomato Quirks: I learned a thing or two from this article.
The Green Grower: Bonnie vegetable starters now come in biodegradable “pots” that go straight into the ground with the plant. No more plastic pots!
The World’s Largest Tomato: A record holder at over 7 pounds.
Insalata Caprese: My husband usually just wings it, but here is a recipe similar to the one he prepared.

August 6, 2012 by Born To Organize

Sunflower Wall or Bust

My longed-for “wall of sunflowers” is coming along nicely, but I’ve revised my description a bit.

Three sunflower seedlings survived the first planting but the squirrels pilfered the rest. The second crop did much better after I engineered a screen saver, but the plants are shorter. I thought they would catch up in height, but since they are also setting buds, I think they’ll remain vertically challenged. So…here are my…sunflowers, minus the flowers. They’ll be along shortly.

Sunflower Bud

Sunflowers Line the Upper Deck
Lavender grazes below

August 5, 2012 by Born To Organize

Pumpkin Mishaps, Emotional Gardening

A watched pot never boils.

Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.

A watched pumpkin slowly produces fruit, but while your busy hatching plans for Jack o’ lanterns, nature intervenes.

What started as a scar is now a split in the side of this pumpkin. Oh well.

Clichés and tortured prose aside, when things go wrong my disappointment is palpable. Pumpkin vines grow from seed to fruit in just 90 days. If I could cast the seeds over my shoulder and forget about them till harvest, would it temper my sense of loss when things don’t work out? Perhaps.

I’m not that kind of gardener.

When I lay seeds on the warm earth, I tuck them in with soil and hope. Emerging seedlings make my heart pump a little faster. Flowers and fruit arrive on the scene and I can’t wait to drag family and friends into the garden to see the latest earthy surprise.

Talking about tomato yields with fellow bloggers gives me a wonderful sense of community. Glancing up from the kitchen sink to see a neighbor slow down to admire the sunflowers makes me smile.

Sharing my disappointments, however, makes me sad. I learn from my garden failures and continue to plant every year, but still it’s such a let down. If only I would take things a less personally.

Emotional gardener or gardening sap? I’ll leave that to my readers to decide.

The weight of the pumpkin snapped the vine from the trellis and sent it tumbling to the ground. It’s such a beautiful shape, but since it broke away prematurely, it won’t develop a hard, protective shell.

Pumpkin Vine Sprawl (gardeningnirvana.wordpress.com)
‘Big Max’ Pumpkin Vine: Busy Bees, Budding Fruit (gardeningnirvana.wordpress.com)
The Joyful Gardener Turns 12 (gardeningnirvana.wordpress.com)

August 4, 2012 by Born To Organize

Stairway to Heaven: The Ants Go Marching One by One

Ants love sugar. They’re also incredibly resourceful. The mystery, however, is how they knew that a single Cosmo grew to just the right height this week, allowing them direct access to the heavenly meal above, out of reach just the day before.

Cosmo Meets Hummingbird Feeder

My husband fills the hummingbird feeders every few days, while I tend to the flowers below. The planter has assorted annuals, each just a few inches tall. The hummingbird feeder hangs a reasonable distance overhead. A self-seeded Cosmo popped up a few weeks ago, and quickly grew parallel to the feeder. Within a day, the ants marched up the side of the flower-pot, on to the leaves, up the stem and across the bottom of the feeder. Victory! Well…if you’re an ant.

Cosmo Stem: Bridge to Sugary Heaven

What else could I do but grab the camera and start taking pictures?

Have you ever tried photographing moving ants? It’s not easy. My patience, however paid off. As I stood to the side of the feeder, trying to get a good shot of the single Cosmo, I heard the hummers chit-chatting nearby. Pressing myself against the side of the house I stood stock still, camera poised. My shutter finger at the ready, a ruby-throated beauty came into view. What a joyful few seconds as I clicked away, sparkling red feathers catching the sunlight as the hummer sipped a meal.

Hummingbird at Feeder

Perhaps I should extend an olive branch to those opportunistic ants. Without them, I would have missed the beautiful show.

You can see all twelve hummingbird photos, by clicking on my Animoto Video Slide Show.

August 2, 2012 by Born To Organize

Blooming Thursday: A Tiny Bouquet

I used to dream of growing tall, sturdy flowers that I could arrange in elegant bouquets.

I’m over it.

Gathering tiny blooms, bits of green here and there, and then arranging them in a small vessel is infinitely more fun. Last night, as I gathered seeds from the Cosmos, I snipped a few blooms for a bouquet. I added lavender, asparagus fern, tall grass and a few bluebells and arranged them in my favorite cup.

Cosmos, Lavender and Bluebells in a vase

Cosmos at rest: Flowers from the garden, cat mug from the heart
Cosmos, bluebells, lavender, fern and grass

Cosmos by the light of day

My college friend, Carrielin, gave me this cup thirty years ago. It’s always been a favorite. She knew how much I loved cats, flowers, and tea, and managed to combine all three in this charming mug. What better way to display my little bouquet.

Kitty Mug Close-up

Even the Handle is a Cat

Do you have a favorite little treasure filled with joyful memories?

July 31, 2012 by Born To Organize

Sarah Winchester’s Garden

We toured the perplexing and historic Winchester Mystery House last week, in the heart of Silicon Valley. I wrote about our experience here.

Before the tour, I strolled the well-groomed gardens. Mrs. Winchester planted trees and shrubs from around the world, beautifully maintained for over a century.

I hope to go back one day and follow along with the self guided tour, listening to the recorded messages along the way. Here is a small sample of the grounds.