Memorial Weekend '07

Purple Columbine...

Bearded and Japanese Iris...

The last of the RED Tulips...Amazing...
Rose Reflections...
The Inner Secrets of the Bearded Iris...
Snowy Blossoms....Name This Shrub?!
Leek / Onion harvest...the onions didn't want to bulb (many were threatening to bloom) The leeks were beautiful and we took them all at about 2-3" each. At this stage they are sweet and tender, yet have lots of spring green 'leek' flavour. We made zesty cole-slaw, potato/ leek soup and leek omelets for a week - the rest (about 3 gallons) were diced, wrapped in a small Ziploc and frozen - perfect for single use.

POTATO LEEK SOUP 2-4 cups fresh leeks/green onion with greens included. Saute with 3-6 cloves of diced garlic, in a generous amount of olive oil or butter for 15-20 minutes on medium heat until browned and 'caramelized'. MEANWHILE: boil 9-15 potatoes that have been cut into 1"-2" chunks until soft, drain - save the liquid you pour off. Toss your potatoes onto your yummy caramelized leek/onion mixture, mash with a potato masher gently until they are just barely mushy, adding in potato cooking water, more butter? cream? soy milk? until your soup is thick but has some fluidity, add salt and pepper (red and black) to taste. This soup, when made with leeks, is green, and WOW! So good! This recipe is a family favorite, it can be revised to substitute 3 large yellow onions for the leeks and green onion.
Yellow Plum...I am so amazed at this tree! This is only its second summer in the ground and already it looks like a real stately tree and is absolutely loaded with plums! The yellow plum's fruit is smaller and perhaps the variety is a closer relation to the wild plums which might explain its vigor.

Bartlett Pear...and Danjou...
Pinot Noir...We strung about half of the wire in the vineyard yesterday...ZigZag Winery!


These are the last of the new moon images that made the cut ...Stay tuned: More sweet images on ice; the backlog of memories awaiting a tangible expression. It is difficult to make time for blogging in the long warm inviting days and evenings of early summer. Work now, for the season is a wasting. I am spending a lot of time irrigating, weeding, feeding and ultimately mulching (at least 6") all of the perennials. I planted 4 roses that had been living in pots. They were happy to get out of their soggy soil.

New Moon Colors Part Two

The yard in alive with color... So many columbine, snapdragon, carnation, iris, late blooming bulbs , wild flowers, daisies and roses. BELOW - another close up of the "4th of July" Rose...
The Fourth of July Rose...All the roses are in abundance right now. I am only beginning to explore the world of roses, there are so many colors and varieties one could really go 'wild'!

Some unknown blooming shrub from my friend Will. Any ideas? Is it a cork oak? It now has small roundish 'berries' on it.
Nectarine AWESOME variety like 'Stanwick'.This nectarine is very hardy and so far is quite prolific for being just 5 years old. As you can see it has the peach leaf curl, but just mildly. The other two nectarines trees that I have, have both been affected pretty badly this year, and the weaker of the two looks like it may even succumb to it. Peaches/nectarines (botanically they are identical) are overall fussy and problematic. Peach leaf curl, borers, and strange weeping viral trunk conditions all make for a hassle, and potential disappointment in the orchard. BUT-When you succeed in getting fruit, it makes it all worth it. This variety has super juicy green flesh with a smooth blushed skin - Delicious!
Trip to Shelter Cove for Mom's Day...Awesome, sunny and calm. Snoopy had to spend the bulk of his time in his kennel, as he chose to viciously attack any dog (of which there were many) that came near us! More on canine aggression/puppy socialization later....
Big Splash ...Pelicans Diving...The Cove was alive with seals and birds.
My Pet Garden Spider.... makes a second appearance ! With a friend!

Borage like you've never seen b-4.


More later. I hope you enjoy the colors of the New Moon, I sure have. Blessings. Jj

New Moon Colors - Part One

'Fourth of July' Rose...I am intrigued by the intricate colors and textures of flowers at close range...Part two of New Moon Colors to feature an awesome flower show...
Granny Smith Apple...When ripe, it is green with a slight blush. The baby applettes, as you can see, are a vivid red...
The Amazing Purple Crabapple...

"Wealthy" Apple...This tree is bearing for the first year...
Hummingbird...They have been having a great time competing for the fire poker...hummingbirds are very difficult to photograph...!...
Black Locust...This tree is one of three, that Will and I planted from seed many years ago. The largest is over 20' tall. They are a very sweet shade tree, with delicate pea like blossoms.
Danjou Pear....
Canines...Taking time to frolic in the clover...
Awesome Vista to the East...Sunset...
Geum...this is a wonderful homestead flower. A drought tolerant perennial that is easy to grow from seed and may reseed some on their own. They are an old variety of bloom, and I rarely see them in the nurseries.


Busy Bee...working on the blackberries...This is some non-native variety, I have no clue. They showed up with a shipment from back east and I have been cursing there prolific nature ever since. This is the first year I am allowing some to fruit. We'll see. It is a variety much different than the Himalayan blackberry (also non-native) that now threatens to take over this county.
This is a Cicada...The little buzzing bugs that sing when the weather is hot. It makes a sort of chirping sound.

I am amazed at the beauty around me right now. Such abundunt fertility and goodness. The diverse variety of native and introduced species are such a gift to me. The weekend was cool and cloudy. I began to string the wire for the vineyard and planted most of the annuals I will have this year; GIANT pumpkins (i love them) , sweetmeat winter squash, and of course summer squash and cucumbers. I have sunflowers to put out and some more butterfly/hummingbird flower seed to scatter. Everything is very dry. The grapes I put out this winter were all wilting! I did a lot of catch up irrigating today, and suckered in the vineyard. (This involves removing all shoots below your 'wire') This evening- a drizzle! (Doesn't count though -still watering!)

New Moon in May

Peace Rose...Long time favorite in our garden.

I have so many great pictures right now, but I needed to clean house and organize in the computer realms first. My c-drive was habitually getting clogged up, and I had a vacant drive on my computer with basically 100% free space. I finally figured out how to send my photos there, and now I think we are good to go! On to photoshoppe to "save for the web. " Stay tuned to this blog, for more new moon colors.

A Rose is a Rose ... So They Say...

A Rose is a Rose...
The Fire Poker...A dependable vigorous clumping perennial. The hummingbirds adore these flowers and they are extremely drought tolerant and unique. These are orange and yellow, though in this image, they appear as a silhouette against the afternoon sky...like two mammoth trees!
The Winter Greens ...
Last of the Lilacs...
Persimmon Tree...A persimmon can grow nearly 100' high in the ideal climate. My persimmon is about 8 years old and nearly 15' tall. It has been bearing fruit for a few years already. The persimmon has an interesting habit of sending out its new growth in a constricted, downward fashion, notice also, all the little baby sized persimmons! Its large waxy leaves make it an interesting and beautiful ornamental as well.
Persimmon budlets...
"Banksia" Rose...
Old Homestead Cherry...
Comfrey...

Afternoon Light...Streaming through the back 'forty'...


Many photos. Few words. I hope we all can enjoy these lengthening days, for in just 6 more weeks, again, they will begin to shorten!