Landscape Advice for Lazy People

Some of us love to spend lots of time gardening.  Some of us don't.  I LOVE a pretty garden, but have not been willing to tend to it like I should.  I've spread myself too thin with all my projects.  I'm on a mission to simplify my life (I should drop things like Facebook and Blogging and Pinterest, but that ain't happ'nin').  Anyway, I came across this landscape advice and it may be perfect advice for me.  The book goes into much better detail.

By the way, I have finished the book and it will soon be in my booth for $5. 

Linda's Green Thumb

My sister-in-law, Linda, has a green thumb.  She hasn't always been a gardener.  This remarkable skill seems to have "blossomed" in the last 10 years.   She has turned her yard into a place that everyone wants to visit.  These photos of her back yard were actually taken in mid-June. (What can I say?  I am way behind on my blogging!)  I only had my camera phone at the time, so the photos are so-so.  Plus, they were taken mid-day, when the light is harsh and unforgiving.

The magic begins the minute you step onto her deck.  She has pots of flowers on the deck and hanging from her deck.  I love those hangers.  There are also fun little details tucked here and there - like the funny little snail.  You need to know that Linda loves kids.  LOVES kids.  Is ga-ga over them. If there's a room full of people and one kid, guess where she'll be!  She has grandchildren and loads of other young visitors who come to her house.  Those little details are, no doubt, for her pint sized friends, but I have to tell you, their magic worked on me, too.

There are lots of spots in her yard which are in deep shade.  Linda definitely has worked out how to make those look their best.  That's a special talent, for sure.

Other areas are in full sun - especially in the center of the yard.  It has been turned into an island with pretty flowering bushes and plants.  Keep in mind that all this is growing despite the fact that all sorts of wild critters roam through her yard daily - especially deer, raccoon, and armadillos (which Linda despises with a passion!)

Some of her plants were purchased.  Some were from friends and have sentimental value.  Others, like these ferns, were volunteers which fit happily into the landscape.  By the way, this is an under-the-house deep shade/scorching sun, poor soil next to the house, hard-to-grow spot, yet these fern, as you can see, are thriving.  I suspect Linda talks to them or something.

I could waste energy by being jealous of this garden... or Linda's house, which is always eat-off-the floor, spotlessly clean.  Nope.  Instead, it feels like a safe haven.  If I can't take my messy house and ill-tended garden another minute, I know there's a place I can visit that will take me away better than a Calgon bath!

Mr. Wheat's Iris

The iris that Mr. Wheat gave us a few years back are in full bloom.  They are beautiful and they will always remind me of a man Rudy and I dearly love.  I was playing around with headers and decided to try using one of the iris photos as a background.  It was OK.  Then I played around with some photo techniques and came across one that I loved almost immediately.

Here's the photo before -

And here's the photo after - cropped and with my title -

Spring in February

Global warming has certainly made it's mark in Georgia.  Spring is here.  This is what I see as I come down the driveway.  It's just the beginning of February.  Everywhere I go I see things in full bloom.  The temp was in the 70s yesterday.  Now, I have a really bad case of Spring Fever!!! 

Beautiful Flower from a Friend - Clivia

My neighbor, Pat, gave me this beautiful plant two years ago.  It blooms every spring --- around mid-May.

I had forgotten the name of it and had to really do some serious Googling before find it.

It's called Clivia.

Pat told me to keep it indoors when it gets cold.  When it's warm outside, Clivia is very happy outside, but must be kept out of direct sunlight.  My north-facing front porch is perfect.

This photo is from 2 or 3 weeks ago (which should be a clue on how seriously behind I am on EVERYTHING in my life).   Isn't it a beauty?  I wish I had picked off that little dead bit.  I never seem to notice the flaws til I view my photos. 

Inspired By... Spring Decorating

Spring is in the air!  Literally and figuratively.  The pollen is out. If you are outside and hear someone gasp, it may be because they can't breathe or it may be that they just saw something else in bloom. Living in Georgia (which has to be the worst place in the world when it comes to pollen) means ignoring the yellow haze and admiring the breathtaking spring show all around.  It is Beee-autiful!!!   So of course, the posts I was most drawn to this week had something to do with Spring.  Take a look -

Debra at Common Ground went to a Spring Open House in Ozark.  She found some really nice things and the displays were lovely.  I don't use the word lovely much, but doesn't it sound refined and classy?  I can pretend, can't I?

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch did some Spring Sprucing on her Porch.  Her porch is fabulous.  She hung sheers out there 3 years ago and says they have held up perfectly.  She's only had to wash them once.  They are polyester and dry immediately after it rains. 

Becky at Buckets of Burlap planted a wonderful herb garden in a wine barrel.  I'm ready to start planting!

Maria at Dreamy Whites visited one of her favorite shops - The Antique Gardener - and came away with some wonderful inspiring photos.

Last, but not least, this Spring Garden post from Carolyn at Aiken House and Gardens will be my inspiration next fall when it's time to plant bulbs!  Seriously!  I'm putting a link to this post on my calendar!  One look and my body will jump into action planting lots of bulbs! At least that's my hope. My body doesn't often jump into action.

Side note:  Lulu, one of our old dogs, has been sleeping on the floor beside me as I wrote this post.  Mostly she's been snoring, but she must have also been having an interesting dream - she was barking in her sleep.

Growing Greens Indoors

This post is for Maria.  She and her family are stationed in Germany.  It's very cold and she is having a hard time finding good fruits and vegetables.  The commissary is, apparently, not known for their produce section.  I have a number of posts about growing greens and vegetables indoors for the winter (or anytime of year actually).  This post will pull together and link to the various posts. 

 The absolute easiest way to add some greens to your life is by growing sprouts. It's cheap and easy and you can add them to sandwiches, salads and more.  They are super nutritious and can be ready to eat in just a few days.  My post on sprouts is here.

You can grow lettuce and spinach indoors.  I'm doing it now.  I have 4 planters going, but really should have more.  Maybe I'll get some more going this week.  

Lots of things can be used as containers.

You can plant them in any size planter or pot.  If you don't have real planters or pots, be creative and find something that could be used as a planter.  

Lettuce and spinach do great in a sunny window.  If you don't have a good sunny window, you can put them under a grow light.  You can even grow other salad fixin's indoors, like tomatoes and bell pepper, but they won't do well with just a sunny window.  They also need a grow light.  However, I do have a cherry tomato growing in a sunny window without a grow light.  It produces.  Not a lot, but some.

Having things growing in your house, especially the kitchen, is really nice.  Take a look at my post on the Southern Living House kitchen and notice how nice it looks with all the herbs and greens.  I especially love the one on the table.

They'll be ready to eat in a month.  You can even eat them sooner when they are young and tender.  I have several links with valuable tips on growing lettuce and spinach indoors on my Garden page.

 Bakers racks are great to use to hold lots of salad planters.  They are easy to move to the porch when the weather warms up.

Kale grows well in the winter and some varieties can survive in temps as low as 5 degrees.  I have some growing in planters outside, but haven't eaten any yet.  They are so pretty and colorful I haven't had the heart to cut them.  I need to get over that.

Spring isn't far away.  Salads are cool weather crops.  You may want to consider having some salad tables and growing an absolute feast of greens. The ones above look pretty deep, but all the research shows you only need about 3 or 4 inches of dirt.

If you can't find good produce, 

produce it yourself!

UPDATE:  I realize that not everybody reads the comments on a post and this one from Staci is too good to not be read. It's such a good idea!!!   ---

The principal at our elementary school decided to fundraise for growboxes in every classroom. There are quite a few apartments in our school boundary, and she realized that a lot of the kids had no idea that you COULD produce your own produce. She ran the fundraising, and a boy scout built the boxes for his Eagle project. The kids get to tend the boxes and when they're ready to harvest, the produce gets added to the salad bar in the lunch room.

I'm linking this post with  -

• Homemaker Monday at 11th Heaven 
• Making Monday Marvelous at C.R.A.F.T. 
• Something I Whipped Up Monday at The Girl Creative  
• Tuesday Garden Party at An Oregon Cottage
• All Things Domestic at Crazy Domestic

Two Bakers Rack RE-dos

I bought another bakers rack at a yard sale.  I thought about selling it in my booth for two seconds.  I decided to keep it til something snazzier comes along.  First, it was in dire need of a makeover.  

 It's one of those cheap-o models.  It was green with icky fake wood.  But it's sturdy and the shelf sizes are perfect for my salad garden bins.

Paint is all this little rack needed.  But what color?  I had lots of inspiration - remember my post on bakers racks a few weeks ago?

I decided on ORB (Oil Rubbed Bronze).  Why?  I don't know.  I'm in love with that color right now.  I had a couple of cans on hand.  If it had been spring, I might have painted it Heirloom White.  See how much thought I put into things?

While I was at it, I decided to give the ORB treatment to my oldest bakers rack, which I had painted a hideous hunter green at least 20 years ago. 

 Oh yes.  Much better!

Next step - paint the fake wood.  I sanded and primed, then painted it with Ralph Lauren's Raffia.  

I loved covering the fake wood.  But still, I wanted more.  More turned out to be Minwax Wood Finish in Ebony.  I rubbed it on and wiped most of it off.  

The color is very chameleon-like.  It can be whatever you want it to be and looks different all day as the light changes - gray, tan, taupe, off-white, khaki, green, gold.  I'm not kidding.  I don't even know what color family to put this in.  

Now it's all put back together and in front of one of our large south-facing windows.  Hopefully, it will be home to salad greens all winter.

I added these little yard sale birdies after the above photo was taken.  I think they'd look better another color, but they work fine with all the golds in this location. 

I know I'll soon change the whole look on this bakers rack with other accessories.  This is just a thrown together, good-enough-for-now look.

The other bakers rack is in the loft where I have another bank of south facing windows.  I got everything in place in the nick of time.  It has dipped below the magic 32 degree temp for the last two nights and will likely do so again tonight.  Hello.  This is Georgia.  I'm not supposed to have to move all my plants in this early!

I even had to move in a few things that need to be planted outside - like the lavender and hosta.  

One thing I do love bringing in are the geraniums.  I can keep those blooming all winter long.  I rotate them around all winter long, putting the prettiest ones downstairs.  While upstairs, I trim them back so they won't be so leggy next spring.

Take a Closer Look + OCTOBER Porch & Garden Party

The days are cooler now and the nights have been downright chilly (by Georgia standards).  The flowers are still hanging on.  They look a bit frazzled, but if you take the time to take a closer look, they are still quite pretty.

Maybe, it's a bit like people.  

As people get older, they may not seem all that attractive, 

but if you take the time to get closer to them, 

you might find they are truly beautiful,

in the best sense of the word.

Everyone has beauty if you just look closely enough.

OCTOBER Porch and Garden Party

This is the last Porch and Garden Party for 2010.  

I'm going to keep it open through the whole month!

Fall porches always seem to be a bit exciting, don't you think? 

Feel free to add any posts you create that go along with the theme.

The main topic is, of course, porches and gardens. 

If you make something that would look good on a porch, that'll do.  Sunrooms count as porches.  Anything outdoorsy is good.  Door decor - perfect!  Fall decor - yeah!  If you think your post works with this theme, then it's fine!  Anyway,what kind of a host would I be if I turned someone away from a party? Welcome...  and enjoy!

I'm joining the following parties:

• Outdoor Wednesdays at A Southern Daydreamer 
• Mosaic Monday at Little Red House
• Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
• Friday Finding Beauty at Dipity Road 
• It's a HodgePodge Friday at It's a HodgePodge Life 
• I'm Lovin' It Fridays at Tidy Mom 

Kale - Decorative and Edible + Garden Party

I bought two heavy cement planters a couple of weeks ago at a yard sale.  Instead of planting them with mums or some other decorative fall plant, I decided to plant kale.  

The hardest part was moving the planters to their new location.  I was determined to do it without Mr. Dream's help - he's been working way too hard lately and I feel guilty asking him to do anything extra.

First, I tried using a wagon.  That required lifting the planter up and over into the wagon.  Let me just say that my biceps got a Gold's Gym worthy workout.  Whew!

For the second planter, I pulled out the hand trucks.  That was sooooo much easier.

If I had planned ahead or not been in a rush for instant gratification, I could have grown my kale from seed. Instead, I bought ten small plants - five for each planter.  That does NOT allow for the recommended spacing, but I'm figuring on cutting the outer leaves on a fairly regular basis.  We'll see how it goes.  Three plants per container might have worked better. 

I'll try to remember to do an update in a month or so.  By then, the planters should be looking lush and colorful.

Lots of gardeners use kale can be used as an ornamental.  In zone 7 and above it can be used as a winter annual.  Experts say it looks especially nice with pansies and dianthus.  I planted my kale with... more kale.  I got three varieties and unfortunately, the tags don't tell you what's what.  They labeled all three flowering kale.  Well that's helpful.  One of the varieties is definitely a curly one.

Kale with purple mums from Arabella Weddings Blog

I do want my kale to look attractive, but mainly, I want to eat it. It's very nutritious!!!  I especially love using kale in green smoothies. Note:  I was going to link to my previous post about green smoothies and can't find one.  Can it be that I have not posted about green smoothies?  Oh, my.  They are fabulous and don't taste "green" at all.  I'll post about them soon - maybe even this week.

It's pretty wilt resistant so lots of restaurants use it to make their salad bar look prettier. At home, it would be pretty as part of a serving platter arrangement.

from Sullivan and Murphy

Tips on Growing Kale

Small Print Disclaimer:  

I have never grown kale before.  

All the information here is gleamed from my research.

I'll let you know how it all works out. 

Kale is not crazy about heat, so, for now, I put the planters in a spot that receives only morning sun.  It's still pretty hot here in Georgia.

from Kennedy's Country Gardens

The cool fall weather brings out the color. Kale will hold their brilliant color all the way into spring.  You can grow them in pots to decorate your porch or patios, or plant a group together right in your garden beds. They grow 1 to 2 feet tall.

from Better Homes and Gardens

My kale should do well even in the winter. Around December, I'll probably move the planters to a full sun location.  It's one of the most frost tolerant of vegetables.  It's fine with temperatures as low as 20 degrees. Some sites said they would survive as low as 5 or 10 degrees depending on the variety. If it gets really cold, I'll probably cover or move mine just to be safe.

Kale actually needs the cool weather. It needs several nights of frost to make it sweet. The frost helps break the sugars into starches.

from Southern Living

To harvest, you can cut a few leaves at a time when the plant is 8 to 10 inches high. You start with the outside leaves first. Or you can harvest the entire plant.  Cut 2 inches above the soil and the plant will sprout new leaves in 1 to 2 weeks. Harvest kale before it gets old and tough. 

from My Sweet Savannah - She has more examples on this post!

 The good thing about having my own kale plants is that the fresher the plant, the sweeter it is.  The flavor gets stronger the longer it's refrigerated.  Who knows just how fresh it is when you get it in the grocery store.

from Garden Delights

 Now - - - Time for Porch and Garden Party #8!

 Link up posts you have 
about anything to do with porches or gardens 
- door decorations, nature, sunrooms...
indoor and outdoor plant posts are welcome, too!


Lots of you are decorating your doors and porches for fall - please link up!

I've joined in with the following parties:
100 Ideas Under $100 at Beyond the Picket Fence
Strut your Stuff at Fireflies and Jelly Beans
Hooking Up With HOH at House of Hepworths
It’s Party Time  at Pony Tails and Fish Scales
Strut Your Stuff Thursday at Somewhat Simple
Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville
Make It Yours Day at My Backyard Eden
Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Designs
Show Us What You're Workin' With at Me and My Bucket
Creative Share Wednesday at Trendy Treehouse

Porch and Garden Party # 5

I think the party is starting to catch on!  I sure did get inspired by entries from the last party. Take a look -

Cuisine Kathleen used a bed canopy cover as a tablecloth.  I am completely smitten!  Please click on the link to her post so you can see how it turns out once it's all set up.  Beautiful. Be sure to notice the folded napkins with delicate white flowers tucked in.

I have several very pretty twin sized coverlets and dust ruffles.  I may have to pull them out and start playing.  What a fun idea!

Plus, take a look at her wrap around porch and yard.  It's beautiful and neat as a pin.  And isn't that hosta out front gorgeous? There are more porch photos on the same post. 

I love this blue table seen on Happy to Design.  She had a tea party for herself on her veranda to celebrate her birthday.  I love the extra care she took to make it special for herself - her post has some wonderful pictures of the the amazing pieces, many with sentimental value.  It's amazing how being kind to yourself translates in being able to be better for others.

Three Pixie Lane has a wonderful screened porch.  You need to see the before pictures to appreciate all she has done.  There are many things to inspire in her post, but one item in particular took my fancy.  It's a simple linen (burlap-y textured) and cotton table runner. Or maybe it's a place mat.  There are several photos with it, but it's not visible in the one above.  You'll need to go to her post to see it!

Here's another porch post from Three Pixie Lane.  This one is about her porch on the beach in North Carolina.  This porch is wonderfully simple and fresh.  I would love to settle in on this porch swing with the blue and white ticking pillows positioned just so and gently swing in rhythm to the sound of the waves.  Mmmm.  Nice.  How lucky she is to have two such wonderful porches!

You know... just thinking here... if we ever move again, I think I'd want a tiny little house with a fabulous screened porch.

 Linda at A Toile Tale linked up a wonderful end of summer porch tablescape.  She used sea glass colors as her inspiration.  It was purposely kept simple - no patterns.  It's pretty in this photo, but to truly appreciate it, you need to read her post and see the pieces she used. 

Now, let's party some more!