confused calla

confused calla
Originally uploaded by jensect.

The calla lilies are coming up again. The only thing I can think is that our mild-so-far fall/winter has got them sincerely confused. I don't remember them coming up this time of year before, but maybe I just didn't notice..

still some pink

still some pink
Originally uploaded by jensect.

The hydrangea is pretty much gone by, except there are still a few pink blossoms hanging on. I would really like to get one of the deep purpley blue ones, but first I have to figure out when the best time to plant them is (I'm sure I've missed it, as that is usually the case), and - more importantly, prep the spot I want to put it.

This one was transplanted from a spot that was too dry and too sunny. It did much better this year.

lovely library

I am fortunate to live in Multnomah County, which has one of the best and most used library systems in the country. I am extra-fortunate that my local branch has a large gardening section, which makes it very easy to browse. I've decided I am going to pick up a couple of garden books every time I go and see what strikes my fancy.

Kitchen Garden: what to grow and how to grow it, by Lucy Peel - this is part of the Harper Collins Practical Gardener series. It is probably a little to simplistic for hardcore kitchen gardeners, but at my particular phase, it is just the right combination of information and pictures. Flipping through it again right now, I would say that it is a very good source for the knowledgeable but amateur gardener. I can also say that some fiend has ripped out pages 159- 162, which are the pages on disease. Shame on you, page-ripper!


The Scented Garden, by Richard Bird - this is part of the Essential Garden Library series (vol. 10). Here's the blurb on the back which really says it better than I could: Each Garden Project Workbook provides a comprehensive, practical guide to a single subject. Taking as gospel that you learn best by doing, every book features 20 projects, each spread across a triple page "gatefold," enabling you to see at a glance all the materials and equipment needed, plus techniques, and a source guide. Additional special features -- a hard cover to withstand the elements and a concealed spiral binding that allows the book to lie flat-- make it possible to take the workbook into the garden for easy on-site reference


Well, all of that is true EXCEPT I can't imagine any book but a totally plastic one that would escape the ravages of going into the garden with me. I mean, we're talking mud, garden hose, and the most deadly of all - forgetting I took it out there, looking all over for it, and finding it in the spring under the rhododendron. So, since I would never do this to a library book, I had better just read it in the house. It has some nice ideas for a potted scented garden, and instructions for a sweet-pea obelisk. The rest I just sort of read as inspirations for plants since I don't have a handy 30 foot walkway just waiting for a catmint border. (let's not even think of all the neighborhood drunken cats I would have lolling around in the garden).

determined

Rather than let this blog languish over the winter, I have decided to be determined, like this Rhodie still blooming in NOVEMBER, and keep it going. I will be thinking about what I want to do in the spring, what I should be doing in the now, and also looking for good garden books to get some ideas. I am particularly interested in figuring out the best way to grow vegetables. My tomatoes this year were a complete bust - I know the soil really needed to be amended, but that was probably just part of the problem. Our entire yard faces north, and I really only have one very sunny corner. (when the sun is shining, that is). I am going to try to figure out some container or raised bed or something solution. I LOVE fresh tomatoes, and was very sorry that the squirrels got the one and only one that managed to get red.

I have also decided to try the pictures in this larger size. You can still click to them to get to the Flickr page they're from.

edit: well, it pops a little over the edge of the allotted area in this template. I guess I could change templates, but I think I'll sleep on it and see what I can figure out.