Dahlia Dinnerplate Bloom

Last night after work all I wanted to do was lay in the grass and relax in the garden and enjoy the sunset. I was so focused on how nice it felt to relax that I didn’t notice this flower at first but I was so excited when I saw this!! I’ve been waiting for so long for it to open and finally it’s here!!! I know I mentioned that this is only my second year of growing dahlias but this tuber was the only one that survived the dinnerplate series that I overwintered. I wasn’t even sure that it was going to produce a flower. From all that I’ve read and learned about Dahlias they continue to amaze me all the time! I remember reading that it doesn’t matter when it comes to the size of the tuber, and that even the tiniest tubers can produce the biggest flowers. This was hard to believe but I remained hopeful that this information was true. Also the tuber that I planted wasn’t the prettiest and I’ve also read that you can’t always judge the looks of the tuber. This is an absolutely stunning flower and my hope is that when I dig up the tubers this fall, they will have multiplied and be blessed with many more 💕

Harvesting Green Beans

This time of year gets a little crazy when it comes to being able to keep up with the harvesting of green beans. I like them when they are smaller and it seems like there is a window of picking opportunity to get the best ones. When they are left for too long they get a little tough and then the stage right after that they are not at all edible. I currently have a constant supply of beans for dinner and lunches and I feel like I am never tired of them. Last year I grew cantaloupe in half of the box and I decided to change it up a little bit and it’s entirely all beans this year.

The variety of bean that is growing here is called Blue Lake Pole Beans from Botanical Interests

I created a small arbor that goes from one box to the other and I posted a little about it last 

summer. You can see more at this link 

 

Magical Garden

I frequently get so busy with life and the constant going and going, that moments like the one tonight is just magical to me.

After walking the dog after work, mowing the new patch of grass and tending to the rose garden, I did some late night watering and looked around me and the feeling that had made me me feel so blessed. I am truly thankful to have this space to create in.

This picture is pretty dark but I tried to capture this moment before the sun went down. My favorite thing to do in the evenings is to sit in the back in between the garden boxes and the fence so I’m under the flowers and I get the feeling I’m in another world with the sunflowers towering above my head making almost a tunnel shape. It’s so peaceful and quiet. Every once in awhile I will be lucky to spot a hummingbird as it zips by going from flower to flower and the birds singing and feeding off of the sunflowers. It’s just the sweetest feeling in the world. 

 

Making my first tinctures

In my last post I mentioned that I wanted to explore the world of tinctures and make my first California Poppy Blend along with some other flowers that I am growing in the garden. I decided to try making a few jars with what I already had harvested for making teas since they were mostly dry. I researched a few different websites and followed some advice that I read about the process. Some people mentioned that it is better to use the dried flowers as it makes the tincture more potent. I decided to try a little of both fresh and dried in hopes to get more of a rounded overall tincture. I also used Vodka for this process. I started off with enough to make 3 jars of the poppy and I also had some lavender that I started drying in bundles inside in the springtime, so I decided to try 2 jars of that as well. Currently they are still soaking and have about 3 weeks left to go. I found some instructions online so that really gave me the confidence to try it out. I will update on how it turned out very soon.

Harvesting California Poppies

I have a new favorite tea that I’ve been drinking before bed and it’s called soothing caramel tea which is made by the Yogi tea company. I love so many of their teas but this one has become my favorite. One of the ingredients in the tea is California poppies.  I think that this blend helps me to get better nights sleep than the Valarian root tea that I was drinking previously. I still enjoy Valarian tea on occasion but I do prefer the taste of the poppy tea best. Since I enjoy making my own teas from the medicinal plants I grow, I first did some research on this flower to see if it was safe to grow and what parts of the plants are harvested. I grew a few varieties but this bright orange one was the best producing flower with beautiful bright blooms. They were a little slow to get started but now are doing every well. Here I am harvesting some of the poppies that I currently have growing. First they will need to be dried and later will decide what I will put in the tea blend. I might add some chamomile flowers to the mix which is another one of my favorites. 

I also have an interest in making tinctures from some of the plants I have growing and have begun to research a little on the topic, I will be sure to post what Ive learned if I ever choose to explore that path.

To the left is a picture of some of the poppies I have harvested in the basket and below is a picture of the dried poppies after cutting them up. 

New Lawn for Luna

In July I started a new project growing a new lawn from seed. Having grass would be nice for a few reasons. One great benefit is that it will cut down on the dust. There is so much dirt here and when the wind blows it’s very uncomfortable. Plus my friend had mentioned that he would like to have a lawn, so I wanted to make that come true for him. And the dog is going to love it!! I thought that if it didn’t work out, I would just consider it an experiment. I think that this made it easier for me to go into this project without the pressure of needing to be perfect and was prepared for whatever the result would be.

I’ve heard of people growing a clover mixture lawn and some have even grown an entire lawn with it, so I did a little research on the topic and reviewed opinions and also some of the advantages and the disadvantages but there was very little that discouraged me from going forward with it and trying it. I started off small. If I was successful with a small patch of grass, I would continue the process and extend it to the front perennial gardens and up to the driveway.

First I stared by raking the area to flatten it as much as possible and removed the weeds and large rocks and sticks. Then I sprinkled some compost on the surface using a bucket, watered well so that the seeds would stick to the soil surface better. Then I sprinkled some grass seed using a slotted spoon and a bucket. I did not have a professional seed spreader, and topped with a fine layer of peat moss and compost mix. I made a fenced off area with some bamboo stakes and some twine  to keep the dog out and continued to keep it well watered several times a day.  Day 4 is when the growth really started to show and on around day 25 it was ready for mowing.  I bought a push mower and it’s really amazing! I am very happy with it! It’s so cute to watch Luna and seeing her excitement when the string fence was removed and she was finally allowed to step inside.

The process of seeding started with some white clover and then I realized that what I really wanted was microclover because it’s suppose to hold up to heavy traffic better and is way more dense. For now I only have the white clover growing and so far I really love it, it’s so soft! I have read that it is not as affected by dog urine as much as grass is, but it’s too soon to know right now. The first grass seed that I started was Kentucky blue Grass since that was one my friend suggested and that he has used on all his properties in the past.  Then I tried a mixture called landscapers mix and another one that was for a high traffic. lol I am experimenting at this point and see what happens. I’ve been using a little of everything. 

The video shows the process from start to finish but I didn’t record the seeding part. I found that the most rewarding part of this whole project is that the entire process took under a month to complete and Ive made one happy dog in the process. It has been a great place to gather around the back garden and be cool and away from the summer heat. I also find that laying in the grass with the dog in the late afternoons is extremely relaxing. I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed grass until now. I am most grateful for the small things that are really great big things in my life!