MySecretGarden

My Garden Accessories

2012-02-09T20:40:00.000-08:00

Similar to people, gardens can be transformed with decorations, ornaments, etc. Some of them are practical and are meаnt to perform a certain function. Others are purely for eye pleasing. Garden accessories are earrings, necklaces, brouches and pins for a garden.
I like these definitions of Accessory from BING dictionary:

- optional part: an optional part that may be fitted to something to perform an additional function or enhance performance
- fashion article: an item of clothing that is worn or used for a fashionable effect with an outfit

Accessories in my garden do exactly what the dictionary says. Among their functions are: to hold, to prompt, to support plants and to enhance the garden performance.

The word optional is very important. I usually take some time to decide whether to opt for a certain item or to skip it. I prefer a garden which underuses accessories to a garden that is overwhelmed with them.

Together with permanent items, I like accessories which can be moved in and out of the garden, relocated to a different garden corner and combined with other items.
Here are some of my garden accessories. Pictures can be enlarged by clicking.

I hope you like them...

My Garden Fairy

2012-02-01T12:17:00.000-08:00

Let' me show you my Garden Fairy. The one who inspires me and tells me what flowers to plant, where to dig, weed, water, when and where to seed, prune, thin out and what to move and where. No, it's not a dog. This is my Garden Fairy:

She spends her time equally in the house and in the garden. She flies from room to room checking how the garden looks out of the windows. Then, she whispers to me what I need to change.

While I sleep, she turns the pages of garden magazines, books and catalogs, checks the Internet, and then gives me various ideas.

Being an early bird herself, she awakens me early in the morning, calls to the garden and watches how I work.

She is provocative. Sometimes, I tell myself not to buy new plants any more, but she whispers again and again into my ear, and I drive to a nursery and come back with full trunk of plants.

She takes care of me. When I fall asleep on the garden sofa, she chases flies away from me, keeps my tea hot and uses her hat to protect my nose from sunburn.

At night, she brings pleasant flowery dreams, heals scratches on my hands, massages my sore lower back, pulls out a spiderweb tangled in my hair and whispers: "Don't forget to turn over the compost pile..."
I like her.

Do you have a garden fairy?

My Garden-2011 in Pictures

2012-01-28T08:12:00.000-08:00

Inspired by Donna and her wonderful creative year-end review, I adjusted my garden collages to depict my own garden month by month.

MySecretGarden - zone 7b, Pacific Northwest, in 2011:

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I join
Saturday Show-Off

Frankfurt Botanical Garden

2012-01-24T12:59:00.000-08:00

If you travel to Frankfurt, Germany, I highly recommend that you plan a visit to two interesting gardens. There is just several minutes of walking from one garden to another. I visited them in May 2011. My pictures from Palmengarten are here: The PalmenGarten in Frankfurt, Germany .
This post includes my pictures of Goether University Botanical Garden.

Botanischer Garten Frankfurt am Main is maintained by the Johann Wolfgang University. It is a botanical gaden and arboretum.

The day I was there, there were very few visitors. In most of the parts of the garden, I met no one. It was a relaxing, calm and enjoyable walk.

Established in 1763 and moved to its current location in 1931, it has an amazing variety of plants - over 5000 species. Each plant has undergone research, been catalogued and has a label.

Cental European plants are represented here the best. Besides them, there are plants from the Mediterranean region, Asia and North America and some others.

Mixed forests, collections of berries, water, alpine and meadow plants, dune and swamp vegetation, herbs, medicinal plants may be found here.

Above: Salvia officinalis (Common Sage)

I love this orchid, Bletilla striata. Sometimes, it is sold as Hardy Orchid or Chinese Ground Orchid

Above: Cerastium bierbersteinii (Boreal chickweed)

Above: Aconitum lycoctonum (Wolf's bane)

A big part of the garden has a natural layout and looks like a beautiful meadow.

Alpine garden is absolutely gorgeous

Above: Anthericum liliago (St. Bernard's Lily)

Above: Galium glaucum

Above: Bistorta officinalis Delarbre

Asphodelus albus

The garden is open from March 1st to October 31st and admission is free.

Tip: In spring, be aware of the strong aroma from hundreds of blooming plants. I needed to buy anti-allergy pills after walking through the gardens. The good thing is the pharmacies there are well prepared for such type of emergency.

I join Gale at Clay and Limestone for the Wildflower Wednesday.

My Icy Winter Garden

2012-01-22T10:36:00.000-08:00

Isn't there one step from beauty to ugliness? But stop! Why do I call it ugliness?

After the temperature went up on Thursday January 19th, our snow turned to ice.

Having similar, and even worse previous experiences when we lived in the Midwest, helped to cope with the icy situation. Winter is not a disaster, it's a season with its own features. It's us, people, who assign those features to categories good and bad. An icy storm might be bad for us, but it's a part of nature.

Plants are stronger than we often think. Putting aside hybrids, most of the plants are strong and resilent enough to deal with winter conditions. It's us, gardeners, who experiment with border plants. So, if some plants freeze, it's a part of our experiment, but not the fault of winter.

Now, some pictures.

This is my tree peony. Last year, It didn't bloom since March cold froze its buds. I'd prefer an earlier January freeze.

Japanese maple in front of the house. Climate in its native Japan is challenging also, so it is prepared for severe winters.

Before the ice:

During the icy time:

Astilbe is beautiful.

Before:

After:

Japanese forest grass before:

During:

Doesn't it look like a hierogliph?

This is our new Japanese maple planted last summer.

Here, it's covered by light fluffy snow:

Here comes the ice:

Joe Pye Weed heads look like snowflakes on their tall legs:

Ice made their stems to bend. I thought they will break. But, they stand straight again after the ice melts!

Burning bush is adorable:

Usually, I was able to walk straight under this limb.

Not now, when the heavy snow bent it to the ground:

Grasses are irreplacable in winter as well as in summer!

Stipa tenuissima

Carex before the ice came:

And after. The snow crust was pretty thick!

Sedum. I'm so glad I didn't cut it down:

Sedum with ice:

Alder along the road:

Love the raspberry color inside the icy case:

Me and doggy:

This is Hebe 'Tricolor'. Will I blame the winter if it freezes? Nope! It's suitable for zone 9b. Our zone is 7b.

We still have snow - crusty and heavy. But, the garden plants look good. It was time when my privet and escalonia hedge looked horrible. I helped them a bit by shaking ice lightly from underneath. Well, now they look like nothing happened.

I hope your gardens are doing well!

My Snowy Winter Garden (zone 7b)

2012-01-20T12:06:00.000-08:00

Footprints in the snow show where we take our new puppy day and night for housetraining.

A view of our cul de sac. It's clear that schools will be closed. This is the first time in seven years when we have had three snow days! Kids are happy!

You need to be a kid to ride a bike on the snow!

Beyond the street, there is a little wonderful forest:

It's so quiet here...

Back to my garden.

You can see my pineapple under the clematis arch:

We got 6 inches of snow in 24 hours. Do you see the Privet to the right from the house entrance? Several years ago, heavy snow slid from the roof and badly damaged it. I hope it won't happen again!

Hydrangea 'Endless Summer':

I'm glad I didn't cut this tall grass. It looks good now:

Looking back at the cul-de-sac. The row of fir trees marks the boundary. Burning bush is strikingly beautiful in winter with its tiny red berries.

This huge fir branch almost touches the ground because of the weight of the snow:

The view of the so called terrace garden. It's taken up by perennials, berry bushes and, in summer, vegetables. Joe Pye Weed is towering in the middle:

Monarda is beautiful in winter!

Dwarf pampas grass didn't bloom last year. I like it anyway.

Gazebo enveloped in grape vines and Japanese ilex hedge :

The back lawn:

Aren't these trees beautiful. Mostly, we have Douglas fir and a couple of Hemlocks.

Let's get closer to the house. Do you see a dragon on the garden table? I don't. It hides under the snow.

Kitchen garden with its boxwoods actually looks even prettier under the white cover. My three raised beds serve as an additional composting place in winter.

Do you see Amur, our older dog, under the tree? To the right fron him is my hidden compost pile.

Behind the garden: Escalonia bushes are on the right. They can get damaged by the heavy snow, but they recover fast.

Behind the corner of the house, there is my new potting bench. I bet that a little vinca minor plant, in the middle of the lower shelf, will survive! Vinca is tough!

We made a circle around the house. Front flower bed is covered by snow. My main concern is my only tree peony. Its buds can freeze like happened last year after a March snow. It never bloomed in 2011. Melianthus is also somewhere there under the snow. I'm not sure it'll survive.

I don't think this Japanese maple is going to be hurt. It proved its toughness before.

Another Japanese maple and Helleborus foetidus with its powdered blooms:

Somewhere under the snow there are pansies in this container:

Yuccas, in the pot and behind the light post, look good even now:

It is unusual to see the garden almost black and white.

Although, there was some other color, Mr.Lincoln rose bud:

Thank you for taking a walk with me through my winter garden.

Attention: These pictures were taken before the disaster struck. Right now, everything is enclosed in ice. But, that is a different story.

Join Scenic Sunday

Happy Snow Dogs. My Pictures Of The Day

2012-01-18T16:00:00.000-08:00

Roses Under Snow. My Picture Of The Day

2012-01-16T20:37:00.000-08:00

I join Nature Footstep NF-flowers and Wordless Wednesday

Yes! My Pictures Of The Day

2012-01-15T10:34:00.000-08:00

Yes! Our first snow! Early morning... The very beginning...
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My Garden in January (Pacific Northwest, zone 7b)

2012-01-14T08:37:00.000-08:00

If I look at my garden right now, it appears that there will be an early spring.

Fir trees, boxwoods, Japanese ilex, grass and moss provide green color all year around.

I still keep some dry perennial stalks. The birds check them for leftover seeds from time to time. And, I still hope to see snow on them one day. We might get snow later in January and even as late as March.

Joe Pye Weed

Monarda

Joe Pye Weed

Russian sage and Monarda

Somehow, shrub roses manage to keep several flowers and buds pink:

They attract an eye right away against the rather brown background in my perennial flowerbed:

Raspberry stalks have an interesting purplish color. Our mild winters here in the Pacific Northwest don't require bending them to the ground and covering with soil as we used to do in our Russian garden long ago.

In winter, moss becomes a star in the garden. Gray sky and plenty of moisture speed up its growth. I try to restrict it from spreading on the lawn. Applying lime helps a bit. Lime doesn't kill acid-loving moss, but it increases the PH of soil. In spring, I remove it with a rake and hands, then I put grass seeds down. I don't try to totally get rid of moss as it's impossible. But, I try to control it and keep it in the areas of the garden where it looks good.

Anywhere else beyond the lawn, moss is welcome. I like to use it in containers - outside and inside.

It looks great around paperwhites for example.

Big lacey heads of Hydrangea look lovely:

Mondo grass has its cute earrings on:

Chives grow wildly in my kitchen garden. I tried to remove their purple heads on a timely basis. Otherwise, it can take the whole bed.

There are some flowers on the Campanula, Alyssum, Calendula, hardy Fuchsia and Helleborus foetidus:

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Tree fuchsia

Temperature is above freezing. What a mild, green winter!

Light morning frost on the nearby golf course.

Feed a Dragon. My Picture of the Day

2012-01-10T22:19:00.000-08:00

Morning in the Harbor. Fall-2011 pictures

2012-01-06T05:14:00.000-08:00

Before and After. The Worst of 2011 For Me

2012-01-03T11:44:00.000-08:00

As I remember, the last time I felt awfully bad about dying plants was three years ago. Then, my Privet (Ligustrum japonicum) was hit by falling snow and my Cordyline froze (I Am Not Crying, Am I? ). While the Cordyline was gone for good, the Privet was given a second chance. It hasn't recovered 100% yet, but it survived, gave new growth and looks very promising now. I didn't know then how much worse the pain of losing plants can be even when those plants are not technically yours. Without further deliberations, let me show you what I mean.

A forest is also a garden, isn't it? Nature garden.

Before (Dec. 2008, snowy pictures) and After (Fall 2011)

Now, I know what sound I hate the most. It's the sound of a logging saw and the loud noise of falling trees crushing other trees on their way down. There is an agony of living things dying in that sound.

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This summer, we hired a tree service company to trim several tall fir trees around our house. We also got permission from our Home Owners Association to remove one tree. The roots of that tree could harm our driveway. It wasn't an easy decision. It took our family several days to discuss if that tree needed to be cut down. Before the tree cutters came, I told my boys to go and say Good Bye to that fir and thank it for the beauty it gave us as well as for the shade it provided.

A bit later, I happened to look out of the window. One of the boys was standing at the tree and touching its trunk. I watched him. He stayed there for several long minutes! He was talking to the tree!

We never took that tree down. It is still there.

I can't tell you how many times I thought about that after the whole forest was gone in October.

I don't know what my kids will do when they grow up. They say 'never say never'. But, I hope they will never buy a piece of land near their own neighborhood with one specific purpose - to harvest all the trees and sell them to China. I hope they will never destroy such beauty for financial purposes. I hope they will never be disliked (softly saying) by all the people who used to come to the forest to feel themselves as part of nature, to enjoy its greatness and beauty and to stay sane in the whirlpool of stressful life.

How can we, people, come to believing that we can do with nature what we want and what we need? How can a person sleep after destroying not one, not ten, but hundreds of trees? How can people believe that their rights are more superior than the Earth and what belongs to it?

How can something that is legally right be so ugly and morally wrong?

Holiday Table - 2. My Pictures of the Day

2011-12-30T13:23:00.000-08:00

Red, green and gold were the colors of my previous Holiday Table . White, blue and silver are the colors for the New Year. For this setting, I used only what I could find in the house. Nothing was bought additionally. The biggest part of the crystal and silver came from my treasure hunts: reasonable and affordable. The framed art on the walls are replicas of famous Russian painters' works. The small blue figurine on the table is Grandfather Frost (Russian Santa). Without going into historical and cultural explanations, let me just say that this figure belongs not to the Christmas celebration, but to the New Year celebration in Russia. A metal lizard, holding salt- and pepper shakers symbolizes the incoming year of a Dragon. All in all, this room happens to have some international flavor.

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Wishing you all only the best in 2012, most of all - peace, happiness and good health!
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I join the Open House Party
and Saturday Show Off

Holiday Paperwhites

2011-12-26T23:40:00.000-08:00

Christmas Is Almost Here. My Son's August Picture

2011-12-23T18:37:00.000-08:00

My 13-year old son took this picture, edited it and installed it on his computer as a screensaver back in August...

Merry Christmas everyone and Happy Year!

My Holiday Table. Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-20T23:14:00.000-08:00

M e r r y C h r i s t m a s!

I join Wordless Wednesday.
***Copyright 2011 TatyanaS

Late Season Garden Pictures (Zone 7b)

2011-12-17T10:43:00.000-08:00

This season is mild here in the Pacific Northwest. Surprisingly, we don't have a lot of rain. Temperatures are above freezing, and there is no sign of snow. A couple of light frosts is all that we've had thus far. So, my garden still looks green with splashes of brown and yellow here and there.

This is what I see from my back windows. Clematis montana leaves are changing color. There will soon be the time when it gets bare.

The water in the birdbath got a thin layer of ice recently.

Escalonia, privet and boxwood will stay green all year around.

Our new Japanese maple finally got its leaves off. I am eager to see its color in spring. This is the type of maple that has pink leaves in spring and fall. We bought it in May. During the summer, the pink turned to green as it was supposed to be. But, in fall the leaves stayed greenish-yellow instead of pink. I read that it can happen when the soil is too rich. The nursery employees did put very good soil in the planting hole to give the tree a good start in its new place. I hope with time that the soil gets normal, and we will see the leaves change from green to pink.

In the picture below, the blooms of fuchsia Double Otto can be seen. It is such a wonderful hardy plant. It blooms until the hard frost. Further in the garden, tall brown stalks of Joe Pye weed still stand high. Together with monarda, it attracts birds and gives them some seeds to munch on.

Do you see a bird in the next picture?

After the garden stops blooming and loses its fresh neat look, there is always a choice between esthetics and birds. I am so glad I didn't cut down these perennials!

This red Monarda was a magnet for hummingbirds in summer (Hummingbird Has Brown Eyes ).

Red berries decorate Burning bush (Winged Euonymus):

Finally, this is my last autumn bouquet picture taken on the 30th of November:

Some plants that blooming in December are: campanula, fuchsia, primula, brunnera. Also, there are buds on the rose bushes, but I doubt if they will open.

My Christmas Tree. Pictures Of The Day

2011-12-13T14:17:00.000-08:00

Holiday Tables in Beautiful Lakewold Gardens. Part 2

2011-12-11T09:12:00.000-08:00

I continue to share my pictures taken at the annual holiday tables showcase in November 2011 in Lakewold Gardens, a historic Northwest estate.

'A Winter Celebration'

This table was presented by the staff at Drees of Olympia. They used hand-beaded chargers, ivory wedgewood dinner plates, artisan-formed and fired first course bowls.

This table was a winner in the Professional - Season/Holiday category.

It also got a second place in the People's Choice Professional category.

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'Uptown Gold'

Designer Bonnie Stromberg (Selden's Home Furnishings) used Lenox 'Urban Lights' china for this elegant setting. It's a winner in the Professional - Contemporary category.

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'Before The Fireworks'

Designer Lori Durr used 'Clearlake' china by Noritake, red chargers by Martha Stewart, flatware by Oneida 'Royal Flute' and glassware from Pier I.
A Canadian tree is decorated with 4th of July ornaments.

Although this setting was created with the 4th of July celebration in mind, the tree looks appropriate for this holiday season too.

This table setting was the best in the Novice - Seasonal/Holiday category.

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'Every (Snow) Cloud Has a Silver Lining'

Designer - Caroline Alexander of Downtown Dirt.

She used white Crate&Barrel dishes, IKEA flatware, vintage silver glasses and Waterford stemware.

The description of the tables was provided by Lakewold Gardens.

Previous post with holiday table settings is here: Holiday Tables in Beautiful Lakewold Gardens

Save a date! The 2012 Beautiful Tables Showcase is planned for October 25-28, 2012 from 10 am to 4 pm at Lakewold Gardens.

These are some pictures of Lakewold Gardens in September:

If you plan to visit Lakewold Gardens, this is their website: http://www.lakewoldgardens.org/

December Pumpkins. My Pictures Of The Day

2011-12-07T06:46:00.000-08:00

Posted for WW.

Holiday Tables in Beautiful Lakewold Gardens

2011-12-02T09:41:00.000-08:00

Seeing these tables will inspire you to decorate your own holiday tables. For 17 years, in November, Lakewold Gardens in Lakewood, WA has been treating its visitors to a display of beautiful tables designed by amateurs and professionals.

This particular table, 'Santa's Breakfast', was decorated by Virginia Walkey. She used her mother's Royal Copenhagen "Full Lace'" china, her grandmother's Christmas collectibles and International "Royal Danish"sterling. The centerpiece was designed by Claudia Smith. (This information was provided by Lakewold Gardens).

Another festive table, "Family & Tradition: A Holiday Celebration", was designed by Elaine Edmondson and Karen Pate. They used Lenox Holiday china, Nachtmann's crystal stemware and Bavarian nutcrackers collected over the years.

The garden itself is gorgeous and deserves a visit. Actually, one visit is never enough.

Pictures above were taken in November, and here are several views of the garden in September:

Other tables will be shown in another post.

Dawn Drama in a Harbor

2011-11-26T07:59:00.000-08:00

Holiday Table

2011-11-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving Dear Friends!

November Blooms in My Pacific Northwest Garden

2011-11-23T07:10:00.000-08:00

For the record: on November 20th we had our first frost. Before that, this is what was blooming in my zone 7b garden.

Cinnabar Marigold (Tagetes patula 'Cinnabar') bought from the vendor who told me that they got seeds from the plants of the Great Dixter. The height of this marigold is more than 3 feet!

Salvia Black and Blue (Salvia guaranitica) which started its blooming only in October!!!

Mums that I wished would spread, but they don't!

My mums were late this year.

Shrub rose 'Carefree Marvel' It's blooming even after the frost.

Verbascum chaixii 'Wedding Candles'. Beautiful and longlasting flowers! It developed several shoots after the main stock finished blooming.

Nasturtium that develops very long stems and crawls all over the bed. It needs to be held under control. One plant can create a huge green cloud with its healthy round leaves and bright flowers. November nasturtium flowers look more pale than earlier flowers.

Strong, loyal calendula.

Dahlia that needs to be moved further from the rose with bright pink flowers. Not a good color combination!

Vinka is reblooming after being 'shaved' earlier in the season:

On the above picture, notice how high were the plants. They covered the whole pedestal!

Cut it low, almost to the ground, and it will come back fast:

Nicco Blue and Endless Summer hydrangeas are covered with blooms.

Japanese maple with the Endless Summer hydrangea in the background.

Serbian Bellflower (Campanula poscharskyana 'Blue Waterfall') is blooming the third time this season! Even now, in late November. What a plant!

Hardy fuchsias were amazing!

Wild cyclomen is tiny but oh so beautiful. And, it spreads!

Japanese aralia (Fatsia japonica) is uunbelievable! Huge healthy plants!

Do you remember Blue fingers (Senecio mansraliscae)? I took the strawberry pot inside.

Summer photo

The flowers are small but cute. I am wondering if it can survive indoors. It certainly can't go through the winter outside!

Fuchsia Double Otto in the pot. My hero!

Summer started late in our area, but the blooming lasted far into the fall.

How Big Is A Leaf?

2011-11-17T12:25:00.000-08:00

Big Leaf maple has the largest leaves of any maples, typically 6-12" (15–30 cm) across, with five deeply-incised palmate lobes, with the largest running to 24" (61 cm).

Everything is relative. Let's make some comparisons.

Big Leaf maple's leaf and Japanese maples' leaves.

The leaf and my German Shepherd dog

The leaf and my shoe & glove

Acer macrophyllum (Big Leaf Maple or Oregon Maple)

Height - up to 115' (35 m), but more commonly - 49-65' (20 m) tall.

This deciduous tree is native to western North America, mostly near the Pacific coast, from southernmost Alaska to southern California.

"I am wondering what was on my back??"

Japanese Maples. Picture Gallery

2011-11-10T12:14:00.000-08:00

This is the second batch of my pictures taken in one of the best nurseries which carry Japanese maples, Yang's Nursery and Landscaping. The beginning is here: Japanese Maples. Autumn Madness.

Besides maples, the nursery has evergreens, fruit trees, palms, bamboo, rhododendrons, some perennials, annuals, water plants, rare and unusual plants.

I am grateful to those of you who let me know what images are your favorite in these posts!

I join the 2011 Fall Color Project .

Japanese Maples. Autumn Madness

2011-11-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

This is the first batch of my pictures taken at Yang's Nursery and Landscaping in Washington state, in the beginning of November. I am grateful to its owners for allowing me to browse through their fantastic place, with my eyes wide opened and jaws dropped. They believe they have the largest variety of Japanese maples in Washington state (400!).
Tell me please what was your favorite photograph.
Also, please tell me if it's a problem for your computer to open such a big number of large pictures.
To be continued...
I'm joining The Creative Exchange

Using Raised Beds In Winter. Part 2

2011-11-06T06:37:00.000-08:00

This is a brief report about my experience with two of my wooden framed beds. First post is here: Using Raised Beds In Winter. The final result - success! I will do it again!
The idea was to find more space for making compost since my compost pile and composter were full already. All the usual materials - dry leaves, selected food leftovers, newspapers, egg cartons, weeds, finished perennials, etc. were used. Not all the ingredients were 100% rotten. I removed the bigger remaining pieces with a rake and my hands. But, most of the ingredients composted totally.
Since I was not sure if there were enough needed elements in the compost, one or a half of a garden soil bag was mixed in while a final preparation of the beds was made in spring.
Things for myself to remember:
- place smaller pieces of materials into the beds;
- stop adding tougher materials in early spring;
- never ever ever put potato rinds in the compost, UNLESS you want to grow potatoes there!
I did put some potato rinds in the raised beds. Then, in spring, I tried to get them out. Naturally, some of them remained uncovered and started sprouting in spring. I decided to leave several plants and voila! we had normal, middle to large size tasty potatoes!
I have potatoes growing in my garden from the store-bought potatoes which I planted just because they were not used in the kitchen and I wanted to show my kids that potatoes don't grow in a grocery store (here is the post Back To Potatoes!) So, I have those potatoes growing already for the third season. Now, rind potatoes joined them. I think I'll never get rid of them and I don't want to!
Raised bed potatoes were EASY, since I didn't do any hilling. There is not enough soil and space there for hilling. Nevertheless, potatoes grew well! Here are some pictures.

Above: in August, the green potatoe plants on the back and fava beans in front of the picture.

I don't harvest all of the potatoes at the same time. Usually, I dig only as many potatoes as needed for dinner.

Above: If one of the smallest potatoes shown above is left in the soil, it'll start growing in the spring.

Above and below: The size of the potatoes was pretty big.

I also have Peruvian Purple fingerling potatoes. They also grow from the potatoes that I first planted in 2009. They are ready to be harvested while their foliage is still green.

In the next picture, you can see how dense is the fingerlings' foliage. The vines were up to 9 feet long. All the lower right quarter in the picture is taken by Purple Peruvian foliage with small white flowers:

I have already started to dump composting materials into one of the raised beds. To keep the raised beds looking tidy, I cover them with soil. Prior to that, I removed the upper layer of the soil and spread it around the garden.

***Copyright 2011 TatyanaS

Water, Fog, Yarrow

2011-11-02T06:59:00.000-07:00

Autumn, Northwest Style. Picture Gallery

2011-10-29T17:48:00.000-07:00

In the next three pictures: the same three aspen trees

Sorbus aucuparia

The main players are maples, aspens, oaks, sweet gum trees, burning bushes... The pictures were taken in my neighborhood and around it.

I am joining The Fall Color Project on the Growing the Home Garden blog.

***Copyright 2011 TatyanaS

Wildflower Wonders: The 50 Best Wildflower Sites in the World. Book Review

2011-10-28T06:07:00.000-07:00

Wildflower Wonders: The 50 Best Wildflower Sites in the World. Bob Gibbons. With a foreword by Richard Mabey.

Format: Hardcover.

192 pages.

Publish Date: 10/2011.

Subject: Nature.

ISBN: 9780691152295.

Published by Princeton University Press.

The main purpose of the book defined in the Introduction by the author, renowned naturalist, tour leader and photographer - to show some of the most 'beautiful and flowery places that are still left in the world'.
The areas covered include sites in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. I was excited to see, together with some exotic and unknown places, several areas which I have visited: Washington state's Mt. Rainier and Olympic National Park, Colorado's Crested Butte and Georgia's The Great Caucasus (not the U.S. state, but the independent country).
I like the fact that the author focused only on the wildflower sites characterized by 'spectacular beauty and diversity coupled with reasonable accessibility'. Tour operators and useful contacts are suggested at the end of the book.
Each chapter includes a map showing the site location, reasons to go there, best time to visit and protected status. Key flower species are described together with the general ecological profile of each site. Birds and mammals which could be seen are also mentioned.
Also offered are the starting points and possible routes for exploring the sites.
Why I agreed to review this book. While I am not a wildflower expert and wildflowers do not constitute the biggest part of my garden, they have special meaning to me. I grew up in Eastern Russia, in the area that borders Northern China where some well known plantsmen travel to look for new plants. The area of my childhood has Amur maple, peonies, arctic kiwi (Actinidia kolomikta), tiger lilies, lotus, trillium, wild orchids, etc. As children, we used to go to the forest which was home to lily of the valley, foxgloves, lady's slippers, corydalis and many other wildflowers that made their way from wilderness to gardens. There were hundreds of Siberian irises growing in a swampy area near my Grandma's house. I always have special feelings for these plants when I see them in nurseries and gardens. They connect me with my childhood and my mother who introduced them to me.
It is my desire to make my own garden more favorable for native flowers. I want to work with nature and not against it. Thus, I want plants that like my soil and climate and not those which struggle to survive here.
I feel as if I am making a circle and returning to what I started with - happy plants in their natural environment.

I could relate to this book as a traveller, a gardener and a photographer.
As a traveller, I appreciate that all the places included in the book are relatively easy to reach. The author gives tips regarding the best places, including viewing heights, from where to see the flower displays. This, together with the time when the blooming is at its peak, makes the book useful in planning a trip.
A valuable feature of the book is that the timing of the site photographs was perfect. I remember how disappointing it was for me to arrive in Death Valley, California and find only the very beginning of the wildflowers blooming season. Although seeing even a few flowers was a pleasure, I was almost getting lightheaded while imagining the whole desert in bloom. Thus, knowing the precise time of the spectacular wildflower displays is important, and the book provides that feature for its readers.
As a photographer, I appreciate having 200 large size color photographs in the book. The wonderful high quality and well composed pictures provided not only pure enjoyment but also gave me a visual lesson of how to photograph the flowers in masses against the surrounding scenery. Combining in one photograph the beauty of a single flower and the powerful majesty of the background mountains, snowy peaks and vast valleys is a work of art.
The photographs by Bob Gibbons are very inspirational.
As a gardener, I appreciate the book reinforcing what I already knew but do not always follow. For example, the magical effect of mass plantings. Panoramic views of flowery hills and meadows got embedded in my mind under the sign: Tatyana, never buy just one plant!

Color combinations created by nature itself are another visual lesson I found beneficial. And, although a mixture of colors could create a wonderful mosaic, monochromatic flower scenes are also impressive! Seeing, for example, whole mountains covered by golden flowers in California leaves a powerful impression.

Watching breathtaking images makes me wonder again why wildflowers produce fantastic blooms in nature, but when brought to my own garden and surrounded by TLC often are just average performers. Should I pay more attention to their growing conditions in the wild and then just leave them alone to be on their own?

I know that I won't ever be able to visit all these 50 wonderful places with the gorgeous wildflowers at their blooming peak. For me personally, one of the best features of the book is a chance to see what I love without ever leaving home.
I also find the book educational. The author helps the reader to understand why some places on the planet are so flowery and what are the main factors behind the most spectacular flower-rich places.
This type of a book is good for perusing during the colder time of the year while planning next season's garden or a trip, polishing photography skills or surviving the gray damp winter.
Of great interest to me was a Species List which includes common and botanical names of numerous wildflowers.
The Selected Bibliography prompted me to look for another book I may be interested in reading.

Was there anything I didn't like in the book? Not much.
Most of the photographs are accompanied by the names of some key plants shown in them. I would like to have additional thumbnails of individual flowers and their names to be included for easy identification. But, it was not the purpose of the book. It is not a pocket field guide. Rather, it is a source of inspiration and guidance for gardeners and travellers with images of flowers to admire and locations to explore.
A bigger font size would also be better for my eyes.
The cover price shown for the book is $27.95. A quick Internet search indicated that it can be bought for a price of $17 to $21. This price certainly makes the book more attractive.
I consider this book to be a good gift idea for the people on my list of gardeners, particularly those who are wildflower enthusiasts, travellers and nature lovers.

This and previous photographs by Bob Gibbons are from the book
***

P.S. Some other books by Bob Gibbons:
Garden Wildlife of Britain and Europe (Green guides)
Insects of Britain and Europe
Philip's Guide to Wild Flowers of Britain and Nothern Europe
Seashore Life
The Fascinating World of Butterflies and Moths
The Grand Canyon And the American West: Trekking in the Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks
Wild France
Tracker: Wild Flowers

American Apple Pie and Russian Samovar

2011-10-21T08:15:00.000-07:00

Now you know what I did with the apples that we picked at Sunrise Farm!

I am glad you liked the pictures of the dahlias and animals from that farm shown in the post Barns and Dahlias. These apples were tasty but a bit hard. Perfect for baking!

We ate part of them, and I used the rest of the bunch to make an apple pie. It's easy nowdays to find recipes. The Internet offers hundreds of them. Just choose what appeals to you. I chose a very simple recipe from here.

Ingredients:

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

8 apples - peeled, cored and sliced. The recipe calls for Granny Smith apples, but I used those which we had.

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.

-Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.

-Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.

I like to put some powdered sugar on top of the pie:

This is my new Russian samovar which I bought in late July. Isn't it beautiful?

It is not functional, so I use it only for decoration.

The lovely hand-painted tray on the background was one of the wedding gifts my father gave us, and the big wooden red-yellow-black vase on the left was made in Russia for our first wedding anniversary. The nesting dolls are a gift from my sister and my niece.

Did YOU bake an apple pie this fall?
*

Finally, several more pictures from the farm:

Repose Gone Wrong. My Picture of the Day

2011-10-19T07:36:00.000-07:00

Beets. My Picture Of The Day

2011-10-12T09:02:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: These beets are not from my garden! They are from the Kingston Farmers market. Organic!!!

***Copyright 2011 TatyanaS

Barns and Dahlias

2011-10-08T07:03:00.000-07:00

Do you love the countryside, barns, animals, apple orchids? Then, you came to the right place. When fall comes, it's time to go to a farm. This year, we discovered a new one -Sunrise Farm on the Kitsap Peninsula, in Kingston, Washington.

By the way, do you know why most barns are red? It's interesting! The Farmers Almanac tells about the paints here.

This horse made me laugh. I watched it gracefully get down on its knees, lie on its side and then roll on the grass like a dog!

While our boys were checking out the awesome corn maze shaped like a dragon's head, I was hypnotised by the flowers.

What are these plants with pink and purple blooms? Any ideas?

Lavenders were huge and charming

Grasses were amazing

Animals were adorable

Doesn't it remind you of your dog? I love this next picture!

Llamas:

Hydrangea changing its colors

Everything was nice at the farm, but this is the best. Gorgeous dahlias. Enjoy!

I hope you have had a chance to visit a farm near you and were able to feel like a child again.

As for us, we picked some apples, had a tricycle race, shot miniature pumpkins via a giant slingshot, ate caramel apples and were just plain happy!
P.S. Can you tell me please, what picture size do you prefer - the largest or the middle one? Thanks!

Seeds

2011-10-03T06:51:00.000-07:00

Allium

Dill

Marigolds

Marigolds and Calendula

Blackberries. My Picture Of The Day

2011-09-29T13:13:00.000-07:00

Fuchsia in September

2011-09-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

Fuchsia is the queen of my front flowerbed in August and September. Better to say, there are two queens there. Bought about six years ago, they don't have tags so I can't give you their names. I call them Fuchsia The Brunette and Fuchsia The Blonde. They were tiny plants back when I picked them, but now, they are two good size shrubs.

They both are very photogenic.

Somehow, I always take more pictures of Fuchsia The Blonde with its large pink-dark pink-light purple flowers.

- Why do you take her pictures more often than mine? -asked Fuchsia The Brunette.

- And why do you focus mostly on the individual flowers? Look how full my shrub is!

Really, the shrub is pretty big and full!

- Because I am prettier! - Fuchsia The Blonde interjected.

-I am thinner and my flowers are lighter !

-Show-off! The only thing you do the whole day is flirt with your neighbor Melianthus! - said The Brunette.

- Everyone in our flowerbed knows that!

-Ladies! Stop the squabbling! I am big enough for both of you - exclaimed Antonow's Blue Honey Bush, Melianthus as he invitingly spread his huge branches.

- Casanova! - said Fuchsia The Brunette.

- Skirt-chaser! - said Fuchsia The Blonde.

- Fine! - growled Melianthus. I'll make friends with The Daylilies. They bloom only for one day, but there are so many of them! One finishes blooming, but another is ready to replace it!

-Womanizer! - cried both Fuchsias simultaneously as they intertwined their branches. Case closed.

Melianthus major 'Antonow's Blue': Powder-blue, highly textural evergreen foliage grows along stems to 8 feet tall. In late spring, spikes of deep burgundy, nectar-rich flowers will attract numerous bird species to the garden. USDA Cold Hardiness Zone 7-12. Average minimum temperature of 0 to 10 degrees F. Needs regular watering -weekly, or more often in extreme heat. Partial to full sun. (Description by Monrovia)

I have others fuchsias growing separately, and I will show them later.

Late Summer Garden Picture

2011-09-23T18:03:00.000-07:00

The end of the summer happened to be warm, dry and colorful in my garden. Maybe it is some kind of a reward for us after having a cool and wet start to the summer. There are plenty of bright blooms right now, but this is the picture I chose as my entry for the Gardening Gone Wild September's 'Picture This' photo contest Late Summer Garden:

I focused on the buds of this lovely bluish echeveria. They symbolize the highest moment in a plant's life and contain hope for a new life. Lobelia 'Riviere Sky Blue' was not the main object of this shot, but it adds a lot to the picture. It is finishing its all-summer non-stop blooming, and its summery bright flowers present such a contrast with their dry brown stems! The blooming sedum in the background is another sign of summer ending.

You might remember this strawberry pot filled with succulents and lobelia from the early posting Succulent container. My favorite

This is how the strawberry pot looks now in the second half of September:

Do you see what I see? There are buds on almost every tip of Senecio mandraliscae 'Blue Fingers'! Have you ever seen it blooming? I haven't. I will post pictures of its blooms soon!

Illumination: Hollyhock, Tradescantia, Phlox

2011-09-21T09:08:00.000-07:00

Morning is the best time to take pictures in my garden. Plants look different then. With each of three plants, I included their picture taken without morning sun.
I link this post to Donna's blog Garden Walk Garden Talk

Hollyhock

No-illumination shot:

***

Tradescantia (Spiderwort)

No-illumination shot:

***

Perennial Phlox

No-illumination shot:

Accidental Flowerbed - Before and After

2011-09-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

Last October, I wrote about my so called 'Accidental' Flowerbed. It's time to show its progress since that time.
For starters, a couple of pictures from September 2009, when I finally decided to turn a pile of dirt into a plant bed.

September 2009:

Marking location for Ligularia and grasses:

Next picture, six months later, April 2010:

Plants are limited by grasses, Ligularias, Alliums and Heucheras

May 2010:

Blooming Bowles' Golden grass (Milium effusum 'Aureum') and Heucheras took center stage

Angelina Stonecrop starts to cover the soil

June 2010:

July 2010:

Alliums and more Heucheras opened their buds

One year later, May 2011

June 2011:

Japanese maple and ferns were added in fall 2010. Groundcovers and mosses are spreading. Volunteer Foxglove has grown huge in the middle of Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'.

July 2011

A view from above:

Hostas with their variegated leaves really add nice accents to the bed. Among the varieties is Hosta undulata 'Albo marginata'

Blooming grass is Bowles' Golden grass (Milium effusum 'Aureum')

White-flowering Tradescantia loves this place

August 2011:

Ligularia and Echinacea 'Milkshake' are both long bloomers

Current look, September 2011:

Knock Out rose on the right and zonal geranium on the left brighten the bed with their last blooms

The bed is filled with plants. Not shown here, but present are: Brunnera Jack Frost, Euphorbia and several tiny shrubs of Hydrangea and Euonymus 'Canadale Gold'. I use this bed for hosting plants and their divisions taken from other parts of my garden. The last addition is a little purple Cotinus, Smoke bush

All in all, I am pleased with this accidental bed. The only frustration is the roots of the trees growing nearby on the border with neighbors. Whenever I dig a new planting hole, I encounter not only a thick mat of feeder roots but also long thick woody roots. I believe that is why the plants in this bed dodn't grow as well as they could. Some of them are slow growers.

Panicking Roses

2011-09-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

The rose is in panic: Autumn is coming! Autumn is coming, but I haven't shown all my blooms yet!

Do you see it holding its head?

Climbing rose Don Juan

Look at this one! It holds its head too!

Кnock Out rosa Radrazz

My First Autumn Containers

2011-09-14T07:55:00.000-07:00

Plants: Japanese silver grass 'Gold Bar' (Miscanthus sinensis), Chrysanthemum morifolium.

These containers will be viewed only from one side, that is why the plants are arranged this way. Some space is left for mums to grow. I like the big red containers themselves and try to choose the plants which won't overwhelm them.

We are still enjoying our warm dry September. There are not many obvious signs of fall in my garden yet.

Hydrangea Bouquet. My Picture of the Day

2011-09-05T06:32:00.000-07:00

Hydrangea macrophylla Nikko Blue

Isn't He Handsome?

2011-09-04T19:44:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen this creature's nose? His nose is a hole on his right side!

I found him on these daisies:

Some interesting facts about slugs are here .

Japanese Garden. Bloedel Reserve

2011-08-31T10:24:00.000-07:00

Bloedel Reserve, Bainbridge Island, Washington state.

Designer -Fujitaro Kubota

Dry Garden designed by Koichi Kawana

I link this post to Wordless Wednesday