Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Wordless Wednesday
Monday, September 28, 2009
Bee
Just me, a bee
That never takes a shower
Just a bee
A bee
That sits under a flower
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Beyond The Tour Gardens
This fence and the plants in front of it were shown in my post Fanciful Fences . It was in early spring:
These are more images from Port Townsend, Washington's Victorian seaport:
Gardens are like an additional bonus to the striking natural beauty of Washington state's San Juan Islands.



The following are pictures from Alaska.
This residence is unique, but the little flower boxes and pots were the things that made me to stop and smile.
Through the windshield, I could see a gentleman working on his computer. He certainly got used to the view in front of him:
Isn't it a neat idea, to use nine wagons to display container plants? I think it is great!
Washington or Alaska, Hawaii or Minnesota, gardeners make this world a better place.
One garden at a time.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Who Stole The Show In My Garden?
That's when I took the picture of our pup sniffing poppies which highlights my blog. The poppy seeds were scattered on the perennial bed in 2004, the very first year of my garden. The plants self-seeded, and this is what I got:
The lesson I learned that year: if not thinned, gray mold and root rot start. However, if you thin them too well, there won't be such a mass of color!
These red poppies would seed again, but I pulled out the plants before going on a long trip.
This year, in June, purple oriental poppies screamed for attention.


I also had an Oriental poppy that stopped blooming after I moved it to a different location. It emerges every year, has nice foliage, but no flowers. I'll move it to the previous spot and see if it will thank me for that.
Later, came these watermelon red flowers. These are the seeds I sent to some blotanists together with the foxglove seeds.
These poppies were on My Picture Of The Day " Three Stages Of Life":
I got the seeds for this variety from an Orcas Island gardener.
FYI, Orcas Island is one of the major San-Juan Islands located between Washington and Canada. In 2007, we traveled there and got lucky since it was time for their annual garden tour! I talked to the owner/gardener, and he was kind to send me some seeds!
I like plants with a story behind them. They bring warm and grateful memories of the people who shared part of their gardens with me.
These are some pictures from our Orcas Island garden tour:
Do you know what is this plant with large variegated, almost white, leaves in the center of the picture below?
This is variagated horseradish. I tried to find this plant in nurseries and garden centers, but most of the people have never heard of it. Well, maybe it's good that I didn't find it, since horseradish left undisturbed in the garden spreads via underground shoots and can become invasive.
I love these tall poppies with pink flowers . Aren't they lovely?
Growing poppies, I try to remember the following:
- they don't like to be overwatered;-soil should be well-drained;
- seedlings don't like to be transplanted;
- in severe winters, plants should be protected with mulch in fall;
- plants go dormant in late summer, so markers are useful to avoid disturbing area;
- it is recommended to combine poppies with plants like Gypsophila paniculata to conceal the dying foliage in summer;
- full sun or light shade is preferred;
- the seeds of the poppy have great nutritive value.
I hope the seeds of the plants from Orcas Island will do well in your gardens,
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Inspiration **



Our local garden tour supports an Adult Basic Education program.This program has provided literacy ans basic skills education to local residents since 1989. The program offers one-on-one, small group and classroom tutoring. All tutors are trained volunteers. More than 300 students per year are served by this program. Many students who needs basic skills or ESL education cannot afford to pay for private tutoring. This progam is a link which they need to advance toward their personal, family and work-related goals.

The owners of this garden chose plants which are able to deal with sun, shade,wind and salt. Among their favorites are hebes, grasses, srurge, antique and tea roses, flax and bamboo.


Whimsical art by local artists gives this garden an extra charm.

I am so grateful to the gardeners allowing us to browse their gardens and take pictures.
It's such a great event!
Look at these plant markers made from old knives! What a beautiful second life for used cutlery.


Some other photographs from our local garden tours can be seen here Fanciful Fences and here Dress Up That Wall!
Blog Archive
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2009
(149)
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September
(19)
- Wordless Wednesday
- Bee
- Beyond The Tour Gardens
- Who Stole The Show In My Garden?
- Inspiration **
- Dew And Light
- Dog's Dreams Of Summer
- Enough Cuties! How About This?
- A Dinosaur Garden
- Autumn? What are you talking about? GBBD
- Amazing!
- September 11th
- Good Bye Summer!
- Bouquets
- Chicken Secrets
- Critters? How about this?
- Dahlia Kingdom
- Potato Hummingbird and J.P.Weed update
- My Picture Of The Day
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September
(19)

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