flynn070

Rhododendron 'PJM' and Acer 'Sango Kaku' I find myself a bit impatient for spring to arrive. Wait a minute - spring has arrived but you would not be able to tell it by the terrible weather we have been having. Cold, wet, windy, blah. I started back to work at the nursery last week and almost froze to death. Warmer and drier conditions are predicted later in the week. I think this is Spring Break for the school kids so I know they will be excited. I myself am ready for leaves on the trees. Roses are on my mind. We just purchased a moon arch and I was hoping to get it up but the weather prevented that. We did get it together without any major problems. It lies waiting at the moment... I already have a rose planted for the arch - 'Phyllis Bide' - a new one for me. I purchased six new roses yesterday and got all of them planted today except for one. I picked up several David Austin roses as well as a Romantica rose. You can tell that spring has arrived when you loo...

Plants ready to be shipped out On Sunday, I had a chance to visit the Little Prince of Oregon greenhouses for a behind-the-scenes look at their operations as well as a delicious lunch and a chance to buy plants. Mark Leichty, Director of Business Development organizes an annual event for garden writers, bloggers, photographers, etc. I wanted to go last year but could not but I finally made it this year.  The Little Prince of Oregon headquarters are located in Aurora, Oregon in the beautiful Wilamette Valley. After getting off the hectic freeway (it drives me nuts even on an un-busy Sunday morning), the drive is pleasant. There are numerous farms in the area and the greenhouses are surrounded by a horse farm. For the past twenty years, Little Prince has supplied plants to Oregon and Washington nurseries. Gardeners are well familiar with their labels which feature the crown-wearing frog logo. There are 70 greenhouses which are full of plants. Some plants are labeled and ready to go.....

Pinus contorta 'Taylor's Sunburst' I usually do not participate in "Foliage Follow-Up" that immediately follows "Bloom Day" because I think that I don't really have any interesting foliage to photograph. Then, once I do decide to do it, I am out in the garden for hours finding one plant after another with beautiful foliage. This time of year, of course, there is actually more foliage than flowers.  One of my goals is to have foliage year-round and here, with so many evergreens to choose from, that is an easy accomplishment. There are so many different shapes, sizes and textures, that one could easily have a gorgeous evergreen garden. Take a look at Adrian Bloom's wonderful book Gardening with Conifers for some inspiration on that front. It is one of my favorite books. I am far too scatter-brained and undisciplined to strive for such a garden so I aim for a happy medium. One thing that evergreens cannot do though is give you that thril ling surg...

Anemone coronaria 'Marianne Blue' Spring is springing here in south Washington and it is an exciting time. We have had some warm temperatures lately (warmer than average) and the garden is quickly coming out of its winter slumber. Camellia 'Nuccio Bella Rosa' just started blooming today. I kept it covered during the recent freezes. Of course, the daffodils are blooming everywhere around town. I planted a few along the strip next to the road and they are not making a huge show yet, but they are blooming.  Euphorbia characieas wulfenii starting to unfurl.  This beautiful Euphorbia was already planted here when we moved in. It is really striking. Helleborus x ballardiae Gold Collection 'Merlin' has been blooming for months now. Magnolia x loebneri 'Dr. Merrill' is one of the earliest trees I planted. It is in one of the terraced beds and I don't think it is going to be too big there once it starts to expand. I should have already moved it. The questio...

Imagine having two consecutive days off work and having spectacular weather for working in the garden. That happened this week and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I got onion sets planted, got several bird houses up, transplanted and pruned some things, made some progress on the terraces and expanded some existing beds. The garden appears to be slowing waking up from its winter nap. There isn't a lot to see yet but gardeners can see the changes taking place. The approach of spring is always an exciting time in the garden. The only flowers I can find blooming at the moment are from the lone hellebore I planted last fall. Helleborus x ballardiae Gold Collection 'Merlin' My neighbor has the most beautiful crocus blooming right now. Note to self - plant some in the fall! I haven't added many plants to the garden lately but I did get a Weeping Sequoia planted at the driveway entrance a few weeks ago.  Sequoiadendron giganteum 'Pendulum' The terraced beds are almost finishe...

As painful as it is, I am cutting out sugar for a while as I attempt to lower my ever-high triglycerides. I have been on a low-carb diet for a week now and going to continue it for three months until I am tested again. This doesn't mean I will stop baking. I still love to share. For myself, I am going to limit my sweets and also experiment with sugar-alternative recipes. That said, before that - Lots of raves for these cookies.  I took them to a committee meeting and shared the reminder with friends. The cookies are crisp and I normally prefer a soft cookie but these are a combination of crisp and soft. I have no idea what the 1 tablespoon of sour cream does. I thought that was odd but I guess it keeps them from being too dry? No need to question the ingredients though because these are the bomb! This recipe comes from Maida Heatter's Brand New Book of Great Cookies (c1995 Random House) 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (chopped) (Chips are fine) 1 cup salted peanuts 1/2 cup granulat...