October Planting Guide Southern California

CARROT PLANTING STRIPS ARE A REALLY GREAT IDEA!

BEETS- Home grown are always best when it comes to flavor. The leaves from beets are an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, sodium and have higher iron than spinach.

BROCCOLI-  CABBAGE- COLLARDS- 
CARROTS- Seed Tape is a great way to plant carrots… easy and simple.

LETTUCE- Grows the best in the cooler weather.

FAVAS – KALE – LEEKS – PARSLEY

RADISH- Try 'Rainbow Radish' 

SPINACH- SWISS CHARD -WINTER ZUCCHINI

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FLOWERS TO PLANT IN OCTOBER
Cornflower - Butterfly Flower - Marigold - California Poppy - Candytuft - Carnation - Flax - Foxglove - Larkspur - Lupine - Nemesia - Nephophila - Pansy - Petunia - Phlox - Pincushion Flower - Poppy - Primrose - Snapdragon - Stock - Sweet Pea - Verbena - Viola - Wallflower

DAHLIA: ELEGANCE AND DIGNITY

DAHLIA- ELEGANCE AND DIGNITY
Amazing and perfect Dahlia blooming in my garden this month. 

THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS: COMMUNICATION THROUGH THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS HAS HAD MEANINGS FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS AND FLORIOGRAPHY (the language of flowers) BECAME POPULAR IN FRANCE IN 1810-1850.

"Daffodils signal new beginnings, daisies innocence. Lilacs mean the first emotions of love, periwinkles tender recollection. Early Victorians used flowers as a way to express their feelings—love or grief, jealousy or devotion. Now, modern-day romantics are enjoying a resurgence of this bygone custom, and this book will share the historical, literary, and cultural significance of flowers with a whole new generation. With lavish illustrations, a dual dictionary of flora and meanings, and suggestions for creating expressive arrangements, this keepsake is the perfect compendium for everyone who has ever given or received a bouquet."

San Diego County Fair 2013

The San Diego County Fair in Del Mar, CA goes  until July 4th. This is the first sign of summer for locals as the Ferris Wheel and Sky Swings decorate the Del Mar Race Track. This was a great week for taking photos. Happy Summer!

when was the last time you shared a banana split? Heaven!

Anything with bacon at the fair

Win a prize and play a game

Traditional Corn on the Cob

Battered artichoke heart with garlic- so yummy

http://pinterest.com/pin/344032859005216432/

Summer Solstice 2013

Happy Summer Solstice today, the longest day of the year and the official start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. 

This is beautiful day to celebrate light and meditate on light as a symbol of energy both physical and spiritual.

My first Dahlia bloomed today in the garden. Summer is here!

DIY: BEACH CRAFT PLASTER MOLDS

This beach craft was just as much fun for kids as it was for the adults. Great idea for a camping trip or day at the beach. Crowds will begin to form as people who pass by will want to join in the fun!

SUPPLIES: 

Plaster from a craft store: buy several boxes.

Mixing bowl and spoon- or beach bucket

Paint brush for smooth off sand after it dries.

String, shells, dried lavender flowers, or any extra decoration you want to add to the craft.

(Place a string at the top with a loop and allow to dry - it is an instant hanger already attached).

Allow the plaster to completely dry (about 30 minutes) before removing

Create your project in a dense area of sand... near the seashore where the sand is a bit moist.

Create any type of mold in the sand... a flower, a sea start, a handprint, etc.

A Sea Star here with a little lavender flowers placed first

 Here we have a hand print mold

- Dried Lavender Flowers were placed in the mold before pouring plaster

A small bowl, a smiley face and a sea star forms


-create some fun words in the sand and use the saved photo for a future greeting card-

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thought for the day...

Succulents: Aeoniums

Aeonium Succulents: 

Leaves arranged in rosettes and flower with white or yellow blooms. 

From the Crassulaceae family of succulents and look like large rose flowers. 

Drought tolerant and easy to grow. 

They do not like intense heat or frost.

Black Rose with Lavender in my front planter beds

Black Rose MacroPhoto 

Variegated Aeonium

Dahlia Planting Time

Adding more flowers to my garden this year next to my tomatoes and around my herb garden has been very rewarding. If you have not tried Dahlias I highly recommend them! There’s still time to plant them before the summer heat sets in and I promise you will love the sturdiness and beauty of this amazing flower.

The photos below are the Sky Angel Purple Dahlia

Simple Care Guide for Growing and Caring for Dahlias:

→ Plant Dahlias in April and May with morning sun exposure and at least 6 hours of sunshine per day.

→ Plant 4-6″ Deep and 18″ apart. Do not water right away. Less water is better until sprouts have appeared. Since these flowers are planted in April and May the natural rainfall should suffice.

→ Use stakes for tall growing Dahlias over 3 feet.

→ I grow these in my vegetable garden since they both require the same type of fertilizer such as 5-10-10.

→ Dahlia bulbs are tubers. The dahlia plant can mature for years without benefit of seed or spores. To sprout the next season, each tuber must have one eye. This makes a great cut flower.

MAY PLANTING GUIDE: SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

VEGETABLES TO PLANT IN THE MERRY MONTH OF MAY:

 

BEANS: Bush and Pole
BEETS- these can be bought in seed strips which makes planting very easy
CANTALOPE- yummy
CARROTS- you can buy carrot strips for easy planting
CORN- a fun garden plant for kids
CUCUMBER- try patio snackers variety
EGGPLANT- a great purple color in the garden- try the Nadia Eggplant 
LIMA BEANS- only if you have to- do southern californians really eat Lima Beans?
OKRA- do you think Oprah likes Okra?
PEPPERS- I typically will get peppers as plants vs. seeds
PUMPKIN - try Carriage Pumpkins
RADISH- try rainbow radishes
SQUASH- winter and summer can be planted now
SUNFLOWERS- from miniature to 8 foot tall growers- they are all amazing
SWISS CHARD- easy to grow and beautiful colors
TOMATOES- I grow yellow pear and cherry tomatoes every year + roma and heirloom
WATERMELON- sugar baby is a great small melon for backyard gardener

COMPANION PLANTING- TRY GROUPING TOGETHER THESE COMBINATIONS:
Why companion plant? 
* It helps and improves plant growth by enriching the soil. 
* Plants help eachother grow by placing tall plants next to smaller plants that need shade.
* It can help with pest problems with the aromatic scents of marigolds and other herbs.
* Attract the good insects "beneficial" insects- plant attracting pollinators!

BEANS - RADISH - SUNFLOWER- EGGPLANT- ROSEMARY

TOMATO- BASIL- CARROT- PARSLEY

CUCUMBER- PEA - SUNFLOWER- MARIGOLD- RADISH- CARROT

SAGE - THYME - TOMATO - BASIL- DILL- MARIGOLD- LETTUCE

Check out these Heirloom Seeds on ETSY that looked interesting. Sunflowers and all types of seeds


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Agave Victoria-reginae

This agave has the look of hand painted white lines on leaves. A slow grower and drought tolerant, a landscape design gem! Grows in USDA zone 9-12. High heat tolerance, full sun and can survive temperatures as low as 12 degrees F. This Agave was named after the English Queen Victoria with several varieties and can take up to 40 years to bloom. Small spines are on the tip of each leaf which reminds me of an artichoke. 

Bliss Chalk Drawing

BLISS: complete happiness, supreme happiness, utter joy or contentment, paradise.

Wishing you a blissful day full of kind and purposeful thoughts and actions. Create your own bliss? Absolutely!

This link shows how to create a DIY: wet chalk drawing.  Chalk boards make great canvases for artwork that can be changed up, or place in the kitchen for weekly dinner menus. 

(Thank you Taylor for this amazing chalk drawing- not to be erased!)
Happy Birthday Pam!
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Nature's Patterns- Daily Gratitude

Simply put... beautiful walk this weekend and I was glad I had my camera. The natural patterns all around were jumping out at me, or maybe I was just in a state of amazing gratitude and noticed. 

AGAVE : San Diego

Palm Tree Trunk: Swami's Beach, San Diego

Low Tide: I found a Heart in the rocks

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Scrabble Message of the Day- LOVE

What we love determines what we seek. What we seek determines what we think and do. What we think and do determines who we are and who we will become. -D. Uchtdorf

love

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DIY: ICE MOLDS WITH CANDLES, FRUIT, FLOWERS, HERBS

DIY: Ice Molds with Candles

Here is a great link for small Ice Spheres that can be infused with fruit, flowers, or herbs. This is a great way to add flavor to a pitcher of water while adding a nice splash of color and decoration. These can be fun for a kids party too with plastic zoo animals or toys in the ice molds.

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Being Inspired

The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The meaning of life is to give it away.

-by David Viscott

Hawaiian Palm Trees in Oahu

It feels good to come across a quote, a new inspiration that creates a fresh way to look at love and beauty. We can always count on growing in love and being inspired for a lifetime because love has no limits. Love is always expanding and has the possibility for vast creative expression. This is how I view hope, an awareness of the possibility for growth regardless of how the circumstances seem at the moment. I have often read that finding our gifts comes from doing what we love and that sounds simple enough. 

Enjoy your beautiful day

Just Be You!

“Let yourself be drawn by the stronger pull of that which you truly love.”   - Rumi 

"When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everyone will respect you."
  -Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

                                           

Tuna Tartare Appetizer is a must for sushi lovers

Tuna, Water crackers and warmed Brie Cheese appetizer

Small diced jalapeno peppers and wasabi powder  make this appetizer  tasty!

Another amazing appetizer from the recipe files of Barefoot Contessa. Purchase Sushi grade raw Tuna for this recipe as fresh as possible, a perfectly ripe avacado and it is sure to be a success~
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Mussel Appetizer gets a thumbs up!

Last night I made Black Mussels as part of a first course entree for a dinner birthday party. I'm sharing it here because it was truly amazing and easy. In addition to the recipe I added sweet white onion slices and an 1/8th cup bread crumb mixture into the wine broth to add a bit more flavor to the steaming process. It is always "taking a chance" making something for the first time for a special event, but I always have luck doing anything that involves an Ina Garten recipe.

Barefoot Contessa: Recipe Link: Mussles and Basil Bread Crumbs.

Black Mussels steamed in a cast iron skillet

Serving them straight to the table in a cast iron skillet keeps the mussels warm.

 Serve with slices of baked rustic bread.

-Happy Eating- 

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Native American Proverb and Mod Podge

Hanging Ornament

This is a Mod Podge gift I made for a friend at Christmas. Follow this link for some DIY Mod Podge ideas on Pinterest. This is a fun craft idea and the possibilities seem endless on Pinterest boards.

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Scrabble Word of the Day - Pray

I had fun this weekend with my camera and Scrabble tiles and a meditation in my mind about prayer being limitless in its form and expression. Then I found some inspiring quotes from famous people and thought about what prayer meant to them throughout their lives and how they brought strength into their day.

"I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day."

-Abraham Lincoln

"If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough."

- Meister Eckhart

"Go where your best prayers take you."

-F. Buechner

"By meditation we connect the little joy of the soul with the vast joy of the Spirit."

-P. Yogananda

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