Holiday Half Apron

I have never been a model. I am honored to be asked and so with dignity, I present the first Christmas Aprons in Gold. And may I note that my hair is perfectly coiffed for the Headwraps they make to complete the Apron as an outfit.

I must add that I do find gold and silver an elegant and regal choice for Holidays. It is a perfect combination for the hostess who cares to demonstrate grace and dignity.

 I am told I will be called upon to model each of the Holiday Aprons for you.

And I am happy to do so.

Warm Regards,

Betty

The Season has changed.

I have been requested inside. A melancholy moment of seasons passing. Gardens are now brown and crunchy underfoot and the wind has a chill to it.There is a moment for each of us, here in New England when we know its time, the moment has come, to hurry inside and huddle through the winter's cold.

And Holiday time approaches as well. This is the time of year when people who never baked, never cooked, and have never seen a cookie press, spring forward onto a new enthusiatic path of discovery. They learn what baking powder does and more importantly they learn that cooking is more gracefully survived when one wears an Apron.

I hear new things are being created in the studio upstairs. It is time for us to join them there.

Warm Regards,
Betty

Autumn

It's becoming cool outside. Mornings are quite cool and bring the beginnings of frost. Sadly my outdoor posts will need to end and I will need to retreat to the warmth of the studio and gaze outdoors longingly for the warm, green liveliness of the gardens. Tomatoes are being harvested soon and I hear that kettles of pasta sauce will be made. I may stroll in and have a photo for you.

Warm Regards,
Betty

A Request for Identification

Dear Friends,

We received cuttings from the Post Office a while ago. We have two cuttings that have grown fabulously in the kitchen, growing up the wall and blossoming these big gorgeous blooms. We are so pleased with their presence and dramatic stance.

Unfortunately, we have no name for this plant. Are any of our readers familiar with them? We were lucky enough to have them in bloom for their photos. Wonderful, aren't they?

Warm Regards,
Betty

Pepper Trial

We have grown Bell Peppers over the years. Ours were found to be thin skinned and not very tasty. These photographs show peppers that are new to our garden. I have only been told that they are Italian Drying Peppers. We are told that when the temperatures begin to near freezing, we are to pull up the plant in its entirety and hang to dry. We look forward to trying these dried peppers.

Surprisingly and thankfully, these new vegetables were not touched by our forest friends.

It is our theory that the long grassy weeds confuses them.

Warm Regards,

Betty

A quick tour of todays flowers.

Another happy bee, this one has landed on the Statice.

This is Phlox, I believe. It smelled heavenly like perfume.

We have grown Angels Trumpet in the garden but this year we chose the Ballerina variety. It is taller, with fewer blossoms and later to bloom. Here is a first blossom ready for bloom.

Tomorrow we begin to pick, first flowers for bouquets, flowers to dry and tomatoes for sauce.

Sadly, this will be the start of the end of gardening season.

Warn Regards,

Betty

The Sunflower and the Bee.

Dear Friends,

Today a bee was captured on camera.

The chubby looking bee didn't seem to mind us at all.

It seems our presence was not as important as this bountiful flower.

Warm Regards,

Betty

Tomatoes

We have an unusually abundant crop of tomatoes this year. Apparently our forest friends have no desire to feast upon this plant. All tomatoe plants remain intact with lots of tomatoes. We do have a concern. They are green, all of them and the Vermont nights are getting cooler, dropping to below 50 degrees. We would like them to redden on the vine but we may, in the end, find ourselves with an abundance of paper bags lined up in the house doing the job that the garden did not. We will see.

Here is a pictorial of the many kinds of tomatoes we grew.

Warm Regards,

Betty

Cosmos

We love our Cosmos. They are so bright, happy, and colorful that they make outstanding, although wild-looking arrangements for the house.

 And we're told deer hate them. We made Cosmos a border plant surrounding our garden and so far, not a hoof mark has been found in our garden soil.

Warm Regards,

Betty

A New Friend

In our garden this year, we have discovered many forest friends. They have eaten multiple rows of peas and greens. We have patiently replanted and they have enjoyed yet another delectable bountiful feast.

Today, we discovered our first domesticated new friend. He or she was spotted perched upon a fence post. We dont know the Cats name.

We don't where he or she lives but we can see that they find our garden quite comfortable and have even claimed a perch for themself. He or she sat still enough for a close-up photo. We will have to inquire of the neighbors so that we may address this new friend correctly.

Warm Regards,

Betty

Yellow Daisies

There are few things in life as happy as yellow daisies. Ours are just beginning to bloom. They are wonderful cut in vases for the dinner table, wonderful in masses in the garden.

I wish you a bountiful Daisy-filled season.

Warm Regards,

Betty

Fern

Somehow a Fern has decided to join us. We don't quite know how. It's quite a garden mystery but there he is, right and royal. One wonders how and why he came to choose this particular spot to sit. Did he not like the Japanese Iris?

Can anyone identify this Fern for us? We have no idea what to call him. For now, we'll call him Fred.

Warm Regards,

Betty

Flowers blooming in our garden

A few garden photographs.

Miniature Zinnia in a planters box.          Hostas bloom at the base of a tree.

Here is the first of the Cosmos.

Cosmos have such feathery, lacey leaves and delicate blossoms. They are pretty in a garden and lovely in a vase on the table.

Warm Regards,

Betty

Shopping Bags

We discovered a use of shopping bags. Did you know they make a crunchy noise when attached to a stick and left to blow in the wind? It is our greatest hope that our joyously singing bird friends will not be attracted to the snapping and crunching of these bags, and our forest friends will be afraid and not return. And if our newest planted row bears fruition, our newly planted seeds will grow past seedling stage and provide us with a lovely crop. We will keep you abreast of this dire circunstance.

New Forest Friends

We have discovered we have friends in places that we knew nothing about. Here are photos of their front doors. Apparently, they have become our neighbors and quiet gardeners. Through our windows, we have seen rabbits, woodchucks and racoons. They all feast on our plants and are determined that there will be no plant in row 1 of the garden. They have heartedly eaten the peas, twice and a row of beans. We have decided to be crafty. We are planting squash instead.

A close-up of our new friends front door.

 Can you spot the entrance to their house?

Warm Regards,
Betty

Tomatoes in a bed of Straw

We call this the tomato jungle. We are somewhat lawless around here. I'm quite sure the professional gardeners would have quite a bit to say if they saw the goings-on around here. Time management being what it is, we praise the jungle for it lacks the required attention of a constant gardener.

Our tomato plan is simple indeed, we lay a bed of straw around the closely planted seedlings. As the plants grow large they block sun that would allow weeds to grow.The bed of straw keeps the soil consistenly moist and provides a proper bed on which the little tomatoes will grow. We use no stakes, no pruning, no cages. We let the plants be what they will, with a lovely layer of bedding to keep them comfortable.

You can barely see the little babies poking out of the straw.

Warm Regards,
Betty

Columbine Flower

An old Farmer once told me that you know when the garden is happy, it will send gifts. He said that suddenly a flower will appear that was never there before. And that if you take care of the gift by tending it, dividing it and caring for its soil, more gifts will come.

We have the gift of a purple Columbine Flower this year. Amidst the Iris and spreading Ivy, this lovely and delicate flower has appeared. We are wonderously excited and grateful. Our next step is to show our gratitude by removing the naughty speading Ivy and give this new plant a bit of growing room and weedless soil for its feet. If tended to properly, this plant will divide into two within a few sort years. How beautiful it iwll be to see several in a mass of bloom.

Regards,

Betty

The First Peas

Can you see the little green leaves poking out of the ground?

Those are the very first peas. The hope is that the peas will grow up, they will climb the dried brush for support. It has worked beautifully in the past.

Regards,

Betty

Japanese Iris

The Japanese Iris have bloomed, If you look closely you will see that a regular Iris has snuck into one of the photos. It does provide opportunity for compariosn,doesn't it?

Do you see it? It's in the second photo hiding in the background.

I thought to mention that we did grow these from seed a few years back. They do look quite healthy and make a pretty presence in our flower bed.

Regards,

Betty

Peonies

The garden is a place filled with life

and you can see that life grow 

and change like no where else.

Here is a picture of a peony bud,

still covered in tightly bound leaves.

So small and tightly wound, it's amazing what surprise

awaits from those tiny leaves.

 Then the ants come. From nowhere they suddenly appear

with a job to do. I still dont know why the Peony needs ants

in order to create their blooms.

The buds grow as the ants work.

And suddenly the ants finish and leave the flower

to finish blossoming on its own..

It opens into a magnificant, strongly sweetly perfumed massive ball of soft while petals.

Peonies don't last long so we take care to appreciate them, 

and take a sweet whiff every moment we can.

One blissfully large bloom so far, we await the masses.

Regards,

Betty

Tilled Soil

This is a new veggie garden, its very first year.

You can see the little clumps of grass that keep peeking through to replant themselves. 

We mark our rows by walking barefoot in the soil.

we are fairly lawless here of garden rules.

We work barefoot, aproned and hopeful for a bountiful year.

You can see the transplanted Daylilies surrounding our new plot.

We thought it would be beautiful to surround the garden with a large floral border. 

Looking rather skimpy this year provides us with a good beginning.

Next year should prove lovely indeed.

Who could resist photographing the very first seedling chosen to reside in our new plot.

Regards,

Betty

Out in the yard....

These grassy looking clumps are actually Japanese Iris. They grow in a ring formation and with each passing year are found stronger and bolder. Their flowers will be delicate though, similar to butterflies hovering above their grassy base. Soon they will form buds and blossom. 

We were gifted with strawberry plants that have now filled a generous section of the herb bed. Rich with blossoms, we expect an abundant crop of fruit, our first.

We have a Hosta bed that surrounds the base of a tree, lined with rocks for an edging. Hostas are wonderful for shade and create a pretty textured leafy display all season.

Thats my bit of yard tour for today. I pray you have lovely weather for gardening.

Regards,

Betty

Cuttings from the Post Office

In this rural area, the post office is the hub of the village. Sometimes when you get the mail, you may find a plate of warm brownies from someone's kitchen, or rows of plant cuttings to share. I don't know the name of the Ivy.

Each cutting sat on the post office counter in a small plastic cup of water. We took two with a thank you and brought them home. They got a good potting up in new soil, plunked into the new soil feet first, of course and added to the collection of plants above the kitchen sink.
Here they are freshly potted up in spare containers.

  By the way, the homespun half apron is perfect for potting up, it takes well to muddy soil and hand wiping.

Warm Regards,
Betty

Potting Seedlings

Our plant seedlings are growing up
and have moved out from under grow lights
to outside onto the porch.
This is a photo of their first day in the real sunshine.

Our baby Zinnias were moved into wooden planters.
A few of them sweltered in the sun, but most did fine and look very green.

These are our Tomatillos. They were transplanted to bigger pots.
Everyone has high hopes for these this year.
There are lots of salsa recipes floating around.

I hope your gardens are going well.

Warm regards,
Betty