Tag Archives: gardening

A Little More Houzz–Winter Gardens

In between grocery shopping (done!) and working on our taxes and financial aid forms (definitely not done),  I just spent “a few minutes” poking around on Houzz.  I love to look at everything but of course the gardens draw me in the most.  Here’s a few highlights from my little break in the action:

A beautiful witch hazel tree, said to flower in winter and do well in zones 5-8.  Hmmm….

Hamamelis mollis landscape

Beautiful!

Glencoe Residence Winter 3 landscape

Wow…

January check list traditional-landscape

Yellow-twigged dogwood, looks like a nice alternative to red-twigged…

Cornus sericea 'Flaviramea' traditional-landscape

More beauty…

Glencoe Residence Winter 5 landscape

Very interesting. Michael will love this, but it’s a stretch for me.

Between Naps on the Porch eclectic-landscape

And finally, some sculpture…

Evanson Horses mediterranean-landscape

That’s it! Time to get back to work~

Enjoy Everything!

Michele

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What’s Happening In the Garden– January Thaw Edition

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a garden update.  It’s time to get out there and look around!

Our winter has been mild so far. We’ve had lots of warmer than normal days, with a little bit of snow and ice. Here in the Boston area a common saying about the weather is “if you don’t like the weather, wait an hour.” It’s true, we have dramatic changes year round, sometimes in the course of a single day.  The warm ocean is so close yet the cold air from Canada is right in our backyard. We never know exactly what type of weather the next week will bring. We’re officially in the middle of a January thaw right now so there’s some wonderful hints of green in the garden.

Here are a few things that I enjoyed this morning:

Lots of oregano…IMG_0537

Rosemary! It just needs to be covered  if  when it gets cold. This plant is getting big.  Maybe someday it will resemble my Mother-in-law’s beautiful Rosemary plant  in Delaware. IMG_0542

There are fresh, new thyme leaves, plenty of them!DSC01492

The foxglove is just thinking about spring..IMG_0539

And this garlic is confused. I’m confused actually. It died in the heat last summer, now it’s back? What to do? I’m not sure, I’m just thinking about it.DSC01494

And there’s mesclun! This will make a nice lunch today.DSC01495

Hi ladies, sweet little girls…DSC01497

The snapdragon is poufing up. I wonder if we’ll see blooms if it stays this warm.DSC01501

Creeping sedum… this always pops up when we have a warm day. It’s everywhere and I smile every time I see it.DSC01503

And the highlight of my photo tour, the snowdrops are coming up! These are real! Everything else is kind of a warm weather fluke/treat but the snowdrops really are a sign that spring is on the way. Yesterday I was enjoying gardening blogs from the United Kingdom and France and saw lots of snow drops in all of their glory. It seemed that I would have to wait a very long time for that but maybe not!DSC01507

Red twigged dogwood is so pretty in the winter. DSC01515

Lamb’s ear peeping through.DSC01521

And looking up at the gray sky, there are buds on the flowering pear that we planted last spring.DSC01512

I’m likely to be posting photos of my kids sledding over my buried pumpkins next week, but spring will be here before we know it!

Enjoy Everything!

Michele

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My 100th Post!

It’s very hard to believe that I’ve reached my 100th post… who’d have ever thought it…certainly not me. I remember my first post well. I was so nervous. I’d never done this or anything quite like it before, other than joining Facebook, and other yahoo groups and web sites a long time ago. This was completely different… my little kingdom where I could post anything I wanted, wide open and completely unchartered territory!  So I started posting photos and captions, and writing about them. Lots of my posts were about the garden and my family, which is where my heart is. Sometimes I think I’d like to write a very polished and professional gardening blog, then I find myself writing and sounding just like myself. I’m not generally polished and professional. I can be if needed but I don’t think I’ll ever have that well-spoken, intellectual tone that gets freshly pressed and recognized widely. That’s okay, I’m going to enjoy this and be comfortable in my own skin. I’d like to use The Salem Garden to help people. I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. Maybe I should laser focus in on basic gardening concepts, or start another blog dedicated to helping people who are in very difficult circumstances? Those who are close know that I’ve had kind of a Forest Gump type of experience, especially in the past seven years. I may write about all of that someday, we’ll see.

In the meantime here’s a re-cap of some of my favorite moments from the past six months or so…

The garden at the beginning of the season, all planted in and ready to go..IMG_0311

This was my third post, the one about turkeys in the yard…IMG_5727Then I wanted to give you an idea about what  Salem is really like…IMG_3908And of course, I posted about weeds. I never, ever profess to be a perfect gardener in any way. I make lots and lots of mistakes and I have no professional experience. I just love it and that’s what I share.IMG_0738Then there are these moments, when we can just enjoy the view. IMG_0751The little kids and I planted potatoes!IMG_0769and there were always chickens..IMG_7674And the Common..IMG_7732And kids helping. I love this photo, I used it on our family Christmas Card this year..IMG_7777People loved the green monster post. I should decorate more, and blog about decorating more. There is a really big audience for that!IMG_7806I should post more recipes too, this chocolate chip cookies recipe post is a big favorite…IMG_7829and there’s always more chickens… In the spring I might do some nitty gritty chicken maintenance posts with Michael, especially if we have baby chicks again. Chickens are fun!IMG_7853The bee balm grew.IMG_8605And I posted about my dream house… this was widely read too. I may do a series of dream houses…  IMG_8584We played on the beach at Winter Island a lot..IMG_8754And enjoyed one of my favorite gardens anywhere! IMG_8085There have been waterfalls…IMG_0794

And very special visitors..

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I visited lots of gardens and I have a very long list that I missed!  IMG_8306

We even painted chairs one dayIMG_0094The garden kept growing and growing…IMG_9490We had the experience of Hurricane Sandy, although we were spared the worst of it.. There was also the near miss of the tornado. Who would have ever thought this would happen?DSC00859You all seemed to enjoy this guy last weekend! So did I!
DSC01136

and now we’re looking at the winter garden…

DSC01055

It’s time to settle in for the long New England winter, plan for the spring and enjoy a some quiet, cold days. I have lots of thoughts for the winter edition of The Salem Garden… It will be fun!!

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for reading, commenting, correcting, and cheering me on!

I love it here.

Michele

Pickles Anyone?

We have nice fresh dill growing in the front yard. I’ve had dill volunteering in this spot for a few years. We just never know when it’s going to pop up. We had it growing most of the winter last year. It’s amazing that a plant that looks this delicate could actually be so hardy.

I think I’ll go buy some cucumbers, or a nice piece of fish.

Enjoy everything!

Michele

What We Do With (Old) Pumpkins

Get this, we bury them, strategically, around the yard and woods… We really do! We have put them into the compost before but they take a long time to break down and we’ve been known to end up with crazy pumpkin plants coming up everywhere. So, we prefer to make a sport of choosing some good growing spots and plunking them into or sometimes, onto, the ground.

I love this white pumpkin. This one wasn’t carved this year because we  didn’t get all of them carved. It’s kind of a long story that involves the emergency room and stitches. We won’t go there today.


Michael and I worked together to clear off the front steps and load the wheelbarrow… (not barrel, barrow, thank you spell check!)

Winnie was helping us, he loves to help whenever he can!

Did I mention that it’s very cold here today… 38 minus the wind chill. The wind is blowing at 30 or 40 miles per hour… it’s cold!Hence, the lovely hat and scarf  🙂
We identified a spot for the white pumpkin on the hill leading to the woods… This gets a good amount of sun in the summer and the vines will have a place to spread out.Michael just dug a little hole and buried it in..
I helped him… we are a team after all!  Now, its good to go. In the spring the vines will come and if weather conditions are good and the bee population does it’s job, we’ll have lots of pumpkins from this. It may be run over by sledders all winter, but that’s okay. I think the kid activity actually helps things grow in a weird way… it’s just good energy!And the process is repeated with the hardy mums, they’ll likely re-emerge to enjoy next year. We just look for a good spot, plunk them in and see what happens…

Spring will be here before we know it! This gives us lots to look forward to all winter..

Stay safe and warm today!

Love, Michele (and Michael)

Beans, Beans, Beans

A week or so ago as I was cleaning up I encountered my usual fall “crop” of dried bean pods.  Every year some are just left out there and I always consider them to be one of my gifts of procrastination. They can be hulled and brought in. It’s kind of a fun activity and the kids enjoy it too!

Here we have Kentucky pole beans just as their ready to eat!And here we have the dried out, worn out looking remnants of the season.  I think that most of us find these! It can’t just be me!  I take them out and let them dry for another week or so in the air.Same story with my scarlet runner beans. I grow them as an ornamental, but I’ve read that  they are eaten in Central America, so they can be considered edible. They are lovely growing on a fence, trellis or even a telephone pole and hummingbirds and butterflies are attracted to them. These are truly finished for the season!
Coming out of the shell…And full of color! The kids love to play with these. The last few years I’ve had much more than I’d ever need for the following year. They make pretty decorations in a cup or bowl during the winter.

After their dry (about a week or so) I place them in a labeled envelope and store them in a cool dry place until next spring. One important note is that you need to stick with heirloom varieties. Hybrid beans won’t produce when planted.  Don’t try this with beans harvested from a big box store plant. You’ll likely be wasting time.

Whew, okay, maybe I’m back!  Not a bad post for someone who’s struggling with blogger’s block!

Enjoy Everything!

Michele

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Great Achievement at Salem High and 1000 Varieties of Pears in Salem!

It’s nice to wake up at 5:45am to good and interesting news in the paper.

The front page story in today’s Salem News is about our high school’s AP program. The rate of students taking advanced placement classes has risen dramatically and the success rate on completion has too!  Here’s today’s coverage of the Secretary of Education’s visit and the Massachusetts Math and Science Initiative Program’s recognition of our students. This creative program provides cash incentive to students who pass the AP exams, and to their teachers. My oldest son has benefited greatly from this program and I hope that his siblings will too.  The Salem Public School system has it’s challenges but the schools, students, parents and community are working tirelessly to overcome them. I’m so proud that my children attend the Salem Public Schools. Their education is amazing in many, many ways.

I also have to share this interesting letter to the editor, written by Jeanne Stella of Salem. It describes some of the horticultural history of the northern part of Salem and how the street names reflect that history. North Salem was once farm land and orchards. Imagine growing 3000 trees, with 1000 varieties of pears!  You can read Jeanne Stella’s letter here. We are a city of gardeners. It’s in the soil and it’s passed down through many generations!

I’m hoping to do a little bit of Halloween touring later today and tomorrow. We’ll see where the kids and I land. Photos will be coming!

Enjoy everything!

Michele

What’s Happening in the Garden–October 10

It really feels like fall out in the garden. I can’t say that I love it, I’m a summer person, but it is beautiful here and the Holidays are right around the corner, then the snow, and then spring will be here.. sorry.. I’m getting off track :).

Okay, out to the garden! Here’s our white pine tree undergoing it’s annual fall browning. It may look a bit sad but this is just part of  it’s  fall process. You can read more about the conifer life cycle here in this article by Margaret at A Way to Garden, one of my very favorite gardening blogs. The conifers will be just fine, they really will!

We still have a few hints of summer,  like mesclun.

and some sage.  I need to dry some for the winter.

The tomatoes are hanging on. This tomato plant volunteered from last year and grew all over the asparagus bed.

The peppers like this cool weather.

There’s lots of green tomatoes. My neighbor and I were talking about what to do with them last night.

This morning on the phone my mom said that they can be wrapped in newspaper to slowly ripen. I may try that… will keep you posted!

The cabbage are just about ready.  

There’s still some basil hanging on

and zinnias and gladiolas.

I’m wondering if the gladiolas can winter over in the ground, or should I pull them and put them away for the winter?

(I should probably pull them out)

Our trees are still quite green. we should be seeing some good fall color soon, I hope!

There’s so much clean up to do. We’ll get there, one bed at a time.

Happy fall!  Enjoy everything!

Michele

What’s Happening in the Garden–September 26

I’m a little bit behind on my What’s Happening update.  Soccer, dance and golf (and school) are our main focus right now. Garden time is precious, as is blogging time.   Blogging makes me motivated to get things done out there. Right now I’m wishing I’d gotten fall veggies in. I missed the window, but this is life with a large busy family. I really try to take one thing at a time and enjoy it all!

Anyway, out to the garden we go!!

Bye-bye Black-eyed Susan! These will need to be cut back soon. If anyone who lives nearby would like some please let me know. They need to be divided.

We are still enjoying the zinnias! and that poor window box needs some attention. It gets lots of sun so if we miss a watering it suffers  a lot. 

There are still some peppers coming along. Just a few every few days, but we enjoy them.

Mesclun! Love, love, love this!

And the tomatoes are still producing too. I’m watching the frost predictions, we should be okay for a few more weeks. I guess I could bring them in but I don’t really have room and I like when they ripen on the vine.

Hello chickens! This one is cute but she’s a little bit aggressive for a buff orphington.

They really love the dust bath?

I don’t get it, but it’s fun to watch.

I would prefer this nice soft nest if I were them.

Lupines for next year! My neighbors Becky and Mags brought these over and I plopped them in. I’m looking forward to blooms next June. They are gorgeous over in their yard.

And this whole area needs to be dug out and reconfigured. Michael and I keep talking about it. This side of the yard makes me edgy because every time I set foot in here I find a snake. I hate snakes. For some reason I think I won’t see them just across the yard in the fenced in “garden”.. That chrysanthemum really popped out when the tree that used to be to it’s left was taken out in the spring.  Good light means everything.

This Japanese Maple tree came from Mrs Landi’s yard. Mrs Landi is a very dear friend of my Mom’s. I’ve had it in this pot for several years because I can’t decide where to plant it. It’s looking a bit weather worn right now but it actually does very well like this. When it gets colder we’ll put it in the garage for the winter and just water it a little bit. Next spring it will be back and beautiful again. Someday I may plant it but I like to move it around and I enjoy it so much in the pot.

This is a stream of consciousness post if ever there was one!

Please leave me a comment so I know you were here. I keep seeing all the views and wondering who is actually reading this..

Off to clean, cook and take kids places!

Thanks for stopping by! Love,  Michele

Wow!! What squash can do!

Okay, maybe this is kind of a weird title, but it’s what came into my mind.  I have to show you these photos that Blaire sent me a week or so ago. Blaire always has her eye out for great gardens in the downtown and she sends me these interesting finds. This is in the courtyard of the House of Seven Gables Settlement house on Derby Street. I believe that the building, which was used as an after school program, camp and pre-school for many years, is kind of “in transition”.  It’s Caroline Emmerton‘s original settlement house and is owned by the Gables, as we Salemites refer to the House of Seven Gables.  Michael and I were out for dinner and a walk on Saturday night and of course I had to go see this. The vines are loaded with butternut squash. It looks to me like a few squash fruits might have been left on the ground last year with the plants emerging on their own and taking over the whole yard this year. Or maybe someone planted them purposely? No squash borers here! Isn’t nature amazing? 

Thanks for sharing these Blaire! Hope you all enjoy them and get off to a wonderful start to your week today!

Michele