August Pinterest Photos

PHOTOS FROM MY GARDEN THIS MONTH

VIBRANT COLORS

BLOOMING SUCCULENTS

BEACH THEME LANDSCAPE

SUNFLOWERS

OLLOCLIP FISHEYE LENSE

December Garden Planting Guide

                                      

POINSETTIA "Christmas Star" indigenous of Mexico
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VEGGIES = BEETS - BROCCOLI - BRUSSELS SPROUTS - CABBAGE - CARROTS- CAULIFLOWER- CELERY - COLLARDS- ENDIVE - FAVAS - KALE - LEEKS - LETTUCE MUSTARD - ONIONS - PARSLEY - PARSNIP - RADISH-RUTABAGA - SPINACH - SWISS CHARD- TURNIPS

FLOWERS = POPPIES – VIOLA - SWEET PEA - SNAPDRAGON - PANSY - PHLOX MARIGOLD - LAVENDER - LUPINE - WALLFLOWER - CARNATION - CANDY TUFT CALENDULA - FOXGLOVE - COLUMBINE - BLUEBELLS -  BLAZING STAR - BULBS (Tulip-Daffodil-Crocus-Hyacinths).

GREAT GIFT IDEA- POTTED THEME GARDENS
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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

AUGUST PLANTING GUIDE

AUGUST PLANTING GUIDE FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Beans: Bush and Pole

Beets

Carrots

Celery

Corn

Cucumber

Lima Beans

Radish

Summer Squash

Swiss Chard

Flower planting guide: 

Nasturtium

Baby's Breath- Bachelor Button- Cosmos- Flax- Foxglove- Hollyhock- Marigold- Nasturtium- Petunia- Phlox- Poppy- Primrose- Snapdragon- Stock- Sweet Pea- Wallflower

The August planting guide is a bit more sparse than other months of the year so planting carrots in several varieties can help with the Need to Seed addiction!

The Round Baby Romeo carrots look great in soups and salads. Try using the carrot planting strips for very simple planting and success. GREAT TIP: Pouring very hot to boiling water over the carrot seeds just before topping them with soil in their little trenches will help them to germinate faster.

ENJOY YOUR GARDEN!

Summer flowers: Sunflower, Dahlia, Plumeria

Summer time is the perfect time to ENJOY your garden. 

smiling zucchini

smiling cactus

sugar baby watermelon

Lavender

Lavender

The perfect aromatic perennial garden herb with multi-purpose uses. A top pick for summer freshness and beauty. This herb will grow quite large if planted in the ground and also works well as a potted plant. Plant lavender in full sun.
Several Lavender Recipes from:Union-Tribune Section E4:6/29/13

Lavender Water: 1/4 Cup Dried Blossoms soaked in 8 oz. distilled water for a week and strained is the perfect squirt bottle spray for laundry, sheets, facial refresher. Mixed with a bit of witch hazel or a few drops of lavender oil and refrigerated will help it to keep longer. 
Lavender Sachets: Mix together with hands: 1 Cup Dried Lavender, 1 Cup Dried Rose petals/buds, 2 Tablespoons Cedar chips, 1 teaspoon Nutmeg, 10 Drops Lavender Oil.
Mix all together and place in Cheese cloth or handkerchiefs, use a ribbon to tie the ends.

Zen Fable and Beautiful Dahlia

I heard this Zen fable years ago and came across it again this Sunday morning.
It's a wise fable about judgement. Photographing this Dahlia in my garden today created a symbolic reminder to judge less and enjoy more, judge less and love more. Gardening quiets the mind and nourishes the soul.
 Zen Fable:
There was once a wise old farmer who owned a prize horse. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came over to offer their condolences. "Such bad luck," they said sympathetically. "Maybe," was all the farmer replied. A few days later the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. "How wonderful," the neighbors exclaimed. "Maybe," replied the old man again. The following day, the farmer’s son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown off, and broke his leg. Once again, the neighbors offered their sympathy, saying "How awful." "Maybe," answered the farmer one more time. The day after that, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son of the farmer had a broken leg, they passed him by. The neighbors once again congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out. “What good fortune,” they said. The farmer replied yet again, “Maybe.”

Sunflower with natural looking heart center

Photo today: Sunflower in my garden with a natural heart center. 

What are the chances of that? I did a double take then ran for my camera!

June Garden Planting Guide

GARDEN PLANTING GUIDE FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE *SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA*

SUGAR BABY WATERMELON

BEANS- Bush and Pole Types, 

BEETS

CANTALOUPE

CORN

CUCUMBER

LIMA BEANS

OKRA

PEPPERS

PUMPKIN

RADISH

SUMMER SQUASH

SUNFLOWER

SWISS CHARD

TOMATOES

WATERMELON

MY FIRST CUCUMBER THIS SEASON WITH MANY MORE ON THE WAY

Salad Bowl- From Garden to Table

One of the easiest raised planter garden vegetables to grow is lettuce. It sprouts up well in cold weather and in the summer can be planted in shady areas for equal success. Planting lettuce seeds each month provides a continual and fresh harvest. Throw in some nasturtium flowers for a peppery tasting and colorful addition. Growing a variety of different lettuce types will make your dinner salad bowl a gastronomic delight! 

Renee's Seeds

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thought for the day...

Sunflower Heirloom Seeds

This is a great time to start planting Sunflowers for summer blooms. Choosing to plant sunflowers of any height and variety gives the garden a beautiful summer ambiance.  Sunflowers have long been used as a food and oil supply for cooking, but their beauty makes their value that much more special. The Sunflower symbolizes happiness, longevity, warmth and beauty. A great garden flower!

6-8 foot sunflowers peek over the fence line

small size sunflower for floral display

late summer sunflowers used in a fall display last year

One of my favorite sunflowers- from Renee's Seeds

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY 

May today be a day of thanksgiving for our relationship with our mother's. For those who have passed away and for the memories that will always be with us... blessings.

Purple Contessa Flower

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.

Borage in the Garden

Borage: An aromatic herb with beautiful blue flowers. Blossoms are edible and the young leaves of a borage plant can be used in salads, or use the same as cabbage. Blossoms can also be dried or used fresh as a garnish, in ice cubes, cake decorating, cocktails, or candied. They can also be used in potpourri. Borage is rich in minerals and potassium and can be used in soups and stews, cooked or raw.

I harvested a huge amount of Borage last weekend and dried the flowers and saved them for many future uses. These photos below are from my raised planters.

Planter Bed full of Borage

Blue Borage Flower- these look great in ice cubes

Bee on Borage Flower

Set up for Drying with MicroFleur Microwave Flower Press

MicroFleur product for drying herbs and flowers

All Done- Dried and Stored for future use
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March Planting Guide: Southern California

Vegetables:

Beans (bush and pole), Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage, Chives, Collards, Endive, Kale, Parsley, Potatoes, Radish, Spinach, Squash, Swiss Chard, Turnips. Possibly tomatoes at the end of the month.

The soil is beginning to warm up and the selection of vegetables are increasing.

Some of the easiest to grow are lettuce and radishes and planting heirloom, or unique varieties like "rainbow radishes" makes the experience that much better.

Companion planting- Group these together for better yields, harmonious planting and best overall conditions for growing. 

-carrot, parsley, tomato.

-beans (pole), radish, cabbage, lettuce

-beans (bush), carrot, lettuce, strawberry, savory, mint, collard

“The trouble with gardening is that is does not remain an avocation. It becomes an obsession.” 

 -Phyllis McGinley

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Sweet Peas

In Southern California coastal region we are in the last month to plant Sweet Peas according to Renee's Seeds advice. I’ve had great luck planting these fragrant beauties in raised planters, along fences and in small containers for the patio. This is an easy to grow flower and purchasing from quality seed companies makes a difference. 

♥  Some helpful hints for planting sweet peas  ♥

♥ Soak the seeds over night to soften the hard seed coat prior to planting.

♥ Plant seeds 3″- 6″ apart and 1″ deep in a sunny location. Morning sun works best.

♥ Sweat Peas need a trellis, string or twine to grow and climb (unless you purchase the bush type).

♥ They make a great cut flower. Cut frequently for a heavier production.

♥ Use a thin top layer of mulch to retain moisture.

♥ Plant Sweet Peas in cool weather months.

♥ Heirloom or Open Pollinated/ Self -pollinated sweet peas will grow from saved seeds. Allow the plants to dry out while still planted in the ground and then collect the seeds from the pods. Store in containers in a cool and dry place.