Borage

When we first moved to our current home (almost 8 years ago, and we chose it for the yard!),
I was surprised to see these bright blue blooms. I hadn't seen borage before, and was glad to figure out what it was, eventually.

It came back for a few years, and then I didn't see any more borage plants. It is an annual, and somehow must not have successfully reseeded.

So, this spring I bought some seeds and planted some, thinking I'd like to have these pretty blue blooms - and they attract bees.
My 2nd child has a veggie garden this year, too, and so I gave her some borage for her garden. The pic above is from HER garden, my plants look like this:

Love those chewed up leaves, eh?
hard to tell if that is a result of snail snacking or hail damage, probably both.
Her borage plants are about a foot high, and lush looking, with buds and blooms.
Mine are still struggling along, as you can see.
This last pic is the other borage plant that I have.
It is looking a bit better, and even about to bloom!

Guess I shouldn't complain.
According to my Sunset Western Garden book (love this reference book!), borage leaves, although bristly, are edible, 'with a cucumberlike flavor.'
It also mentions that borage tolerates poor soil, as do many herbs.
The flowers are also edible, I remember seeing something about candying t
he flowers in another book, I think.

Nature and Photography

One of the blessings of my life is my family,

and today I want to let you know about two new blogs -

one is by my 10 year old grand daughter, who is learning about nature,

and the other is one of my sons-in-law, who has a great talent as a photographer.

So... take a minute and check out these new blogs:

Nature's Daughter

aaaand

My Corner

Go see nature from the perspective of the young,

and some awesome (and award winning!) photos.

You'll be glad you did :)

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day - June 15, 2009

It is hard to believe it is June 15th, already.

Here in Utah we've had very cool weather, 60's, mostly, which is forecast to end this week. My irises are almost done blooming, and the roses are just beginning to bloom, along with a coreopsis I'd forgotten I'd planted -

This is a new spiderwort, I have a nice pink and the 'fuchsia-pink' colors, too.
This bed is a battleground. you can't see the (white) yarrow that is marching in from the north, or the ajuga coming from the west. They will have a tough fight with this red valerian. It has spread into the gravel walk way , and I am going to try and exterminate that white yarrow. There is a yellow siberian iris I'd forgotten that I'd planted there, too, and you can see an iris in the upper left.
Some penstemon in a bed that has been overtaken by grass.
Lupine

Columbine

Foxglove

California poppies, just about to 'pop' their little hats off.

Nigella, or love-in-a-mist . This stuff spreads everywhere, but I like it anyway.

Sage - love the purple/blue combo

Caribbean crush verbascum! a new addition to my spring bed.

Those are my highlights for June.

Head over to Carol's May Dreams Gardens to enjoy everyone else's garden.

Thanks to Carol for hosting this fun event in the blogosphere!

Iris week, last day- Royal Ballet

The last day of iris week corresponds with my last 'new' iris in the yard to open -

Royal Ballet,

a Dykes Medal award winner (the Oscars for Irises).

(waiting, waiting, waiting for it to open!!!)

It is very much like another iris I have, a bicolor that is blue and white called 'Dover Beach' - it is very similar to Royal Ballet, except the latter is much rufflier.
The roses have begun to bloom, now, which almost makes up for the fact that 'iris season' is winding down. It is fair to say that roses are the queens of the plant kingdom, but I would say that iris are the grand duchesses, with their stately elegance.
Thanks for checking in for iris week!

Iris week - Periwinkle Iris

Today's iris was a find by my DH (and Craigslist!).

The lady he got the iris tubers from said they were 'periwinkle.'

I wasn't sure if periwinkle meant light blue (eh) or what, exactly.

This year they bloomed, and I have enjoyed the deep, rich periwinkle color immensely.

A keeper for sure!
Love the white w/ slight yellow tinged beard.

Even the middle is exquisite, don't you think?

Monday of Iris week - Space Ager ?

This iris is not a fave of mine, the light yellow and odd blue beard don't do much for me, but I'm sure there are those who do like this.

I am not sure where I got this particular iris from, or what it's name is :(

Probably the most notable thing about it is that it is a 'space-ager.'

Space agers " have horns that extend from the end of the beard. The horn is a spear like appendage that emerges from the fall at the end of the beard." (this description from Prevost gardens in San Jose, CA)

You can see it better on the first picture than on the closeup -

the end of the beard sticks out some. Odd.

It's not all bad. Pretty with a fresh coat of rain on it!

Happy Iris week!

IRIS WEEK - Saturday and Sunday - Titan's Glory?

I got a 'new' Iris at my county's annual master gardener sale- a Dykes medal winnner - Titan's Glory !

This pic is off of the internet. It is described as an intensely deep blue iris.

And mine even bloomed!!!! Here it is ....
uh. wait, that looks purpl-y.
Not intense blue (not that purple isn't desirable, just not what I was expecting) at all.

Here is my comparison -the 'Titan's Glory' is on the right, and on the left (I am holding the stem!)

is my deep purple unnamed beauty from the yard.

They are not identical, but my new purchase is definitely more purple than blue.

hmm. Time to move that iris... to the purple bed!

Have a great weekend, will post again on Monday.

Iris week continues - Role Model

Do you love irises? I surely do.

I have been accumulating them faster than I can throw them in the ground.

I love them because they are a 'low maintenance' perennial, with little fertilizer, trimming or other needs. Ignore them all year, and they will still reward you with beautiful blooms.

The color range for irises is enormous!

This one is called 'Role Model' - it is kind of a peach-rose-melon combo that is wonderful.

Here is a closeup of the beard.

cute, huh?
I keep thinking, 'this iris is my favorite'.. but then I think of another. I love red-purples, blue purples, blues, raspberries, whites, ruffles... there aren't too many that I don't care for.
Let me know in comments if you have a favorite variety or color of iris!

IRIS WEEK (finally) begins

So, I have been busy.. every morning there are new (to me) irises blooming in the yard,

and I have weeds that are out of control .

But I do want to share my love'o iris, so here goes....

This was a 'first time ever ' bloomer in my garden. It is labeled 'Beverly Sills'

(the most perfect pink iris ever, according to the hype)

huh.

doesn't look pink, does it?

Nice, though.

I like it.

Still need a Beverly Sills, though.

Will move this surprise to the purple leaning towards blue bed when I get a chance.

any guesses as to what iris it really is? let me know.

see you tomorrow!

Anticipation!

My mini-irises are still blooming, and I am

anticipating with great happiness my 'regular' irises,

which are preparing to bloom - soon!!!

I am anxious to see several new varieties, as well as the old favorites.

Next week will be Iris week, I think. I plan to post a new iris pic every day,

just 'cause they are sooo lovely. Please join me if you like, let me know in comments if you have some irises to show.

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day for May 2009

Well, I went back and looked at last year's May bloom day, and it looks like the yard is a bit ahead of last year's blooming times. For example, my lilacs are blooming now! Last year they had just begun to bud out. And the weeping cherry is all done, now.

Other bloomers include a few tulips (that the deer/bunnies missed), phlox, rock cress, and the wisteria. The alliums are just starting to pop, I've spread them to a lot of new places.

These burgundy/pink pansies have been a fave of mine, still looking spectacular from last fall.

The red bud tree is doing its thing -
And this year I have 4 (no, 5!) lilacs instead of just three. Yipin-etly! One of my favorite smells is lilacs in the springtime.
These star of Bethlehem are new to us this year, one of my DH's finds.. I think they are supposed to bloom earlier??

The regular vinca is blooming, this one jumped ship from a container to our rock wall, and this is the first year I've seen it bloom. The flower is more purpl-y than this photo indicates.

These mini irises were blooming last year at this time. I didn't remember that this is my second year for them. :)

Many thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for coming up with bloom day! Go see what else is blooming around the world!

Spring!

I am at that point in my spring gardening chores where I run from one thing to another, a bit overwhelmed by all that needs to be done. (plus this has been a VERY rainy spring, for Utah).. I feel 'behinder' than usual.

I did see something new, in all my hurry -

don't know why I've never seen the Japanese threadleaf maple leafing out before.

Incredible!

Happy spring to all!

Cake Wrecks

So, if you've already seen 'CakeWrecks', this won't be new to you. One of my daughters told me about it, and it really is funny. (or just another thing to waste time looking up on the 'net, depending on your POV)

But worth checking out. This is one of many cool/funny/hilarious cakes:



yee ha!

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day - April 2009

I haven't participated in GBBD for a while, but it is fun to be back in the groove.

Spring is slow to arrive at our zone 5 , 5,000 ft altitude garden in Utah, but we have daffodils blooming, crocuses, the ornamental cherry is almost ready to wow us.

Today I just want to show two new plants - a pink and a white violet that I got starts of from a kind neighbor .

I had no idea violets came in pink. And, yes, thanks for asking; I AM tickled pink

to have this little beauty in my garden!



Next is the white violet, just one bloom to show today.

Still, a special thrill. I've loved these white violets for a long time, and am so happy to have some!

These are the good old reliables, an impossible shade of blue/purple that I really never get tired of.

(Did you know it was also Irritate People w/ Prepositions Day????)

A church yard nearby has a hill with lots of the bluey-purpley ones.

Just a closeup here.

Happy Spring!

Happy GBBD!

Be sure to go to May Dreams Gardens, the home of GBBD.

April Rain

The wild sweet rain of April spills
On golden - throated daffodils,
On garden wall and new green bough,
On earth fresh - turned before the plough.
It scrubs the pansy's small shy face
And shines each blade of grass in place
To leave the springtime world aglow,
And lift my heart to walk tiptoe.

by VINEY WILDER

Okey-dokey! American Idol

American Idol is my 13 yr old's show to watch, not mine.
Being an endless fan of corny jokes, puns, etc... , I do have a fave this season:

DANNY GOKEY..............

If you've been watching, you may like this young man, too.

Let me tell you a few interesting details about him:

Do you know Danny's favorite dance?

-The HOKEY-POKEY, of course!

Did you know he has a twin sister?

-She is an agreeable sort, her name is ' Okey-dokey Gokey'.

Danny has another famous relative -

-His name is 'Smokey Dokey' , not 'Smokey the Bear' as you may have heard so many times.

So, stop groaning,

and let me know if you know any more 'facts' (or bad puns) to contribute. :).

Keep 'em clean, though.

Twilight

I read the Twilight series of books, and enjoyed them. I can understand the hype about the movie,

but grew increasingly irritated with the hype about **EDWARD**

Is there such a thing as 'too handsome'?

I think the hair, the lips (the guy is wearing some goofy shade of lipstick!),

plus the white skin/fakey face powder look, were just too much.

As if the director is saying 'see, he is SOOO handsome, don'cha know?'

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Although I saw the movie on Friday, and both my 13 yr old and I agree, we thought he was a lot cooler by the end of the movie! (thanks for the tickets, DH!!!)

Sorry these pics are so stinkin' small, my technical abilities are small, too.

One of the fun parts of the movie is that Bella, the heroine, looks

strikingly like a friend of ours!!!! I won't post her pic, but the resemblance is amazing. And she wore a boot on her leg on her wedding day, just like Bella at the prom. Coincidence??? hmmm....

Anyway, two thumbs up for the Twilight movie from our household!

Kreativ Blogger Award....... thanks to the Sass!

So, I've won an award! Those daughters of mine are so good to me!
(you don't s'pose this is a pity award, do you?)

As a winner, I will name 6 things I am grateful for:

1. my health

2. my thoughtful husband

3. my kids, g'kids, and kids in laws

4. friends

5. flowers and gardening

6. chocolate!

This is our thankful tree----

Each leaf is something we are thankful for. We add our leaves at dinner time.

So, now I'll name six other blogs that I enjoy reading to pass this award on to :

Lynne at Lynne's Somewhat Invented Life,

Kylee at Our Little Acre,

Carolyn at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago,

Carol at May Dreams Gardens,

TAMN at Seriously, so Blessed!,

and Barbara at Motherof 8.

Vote!

Here's a meme: vote, and then let us all know what your experience was - wait time, etc. Political ranting optional.

I voted at 8:30 a.m., no wait at

my polling station, although they said there had been a line earlier.

I was planning to go about 9, 9:30 a.m., because I calculated that voters on the way to work, and parents dropping kids off at school would be done by then, and it would be slow. (I have been hearing about hour long waits at early voting.)

Then I saw that the snow that wasn't supposed to come until tonight or this afternoon, was coming down, and I would rather not get stuck somewhere, so I ran out the door and voted.

So, come on, let me know what your experience was!

tagged by the Sass

My daughter tagged me---

So here is the meme:

Post your 4th picture from your 4th file. Say a little about it, then tag 4 other people.

Here is my pic......

It is one of about a million I took last winter when we had so much snow and winter seemed endless (winter seems endless to me every year, though).

This pic features my hill billy homemade bird feeder (yeah, it IS an old shoe box w/ aluminum foil on it, Holy Homemade Craziness, Batman!)

Don't you love the aesthetically pleasing evergreen branches on the side?

OK, it will be easy to top this dorky pic, so I am tagging:

PJ at Sleeping Late on Saturday

Barbara at Motherof8

Lynne at her Somewhat Invented Life

and anybody else who wants to do something random.