Two

Two Javana Ducks - part of the weekly Photo Hunters

credit to my sister

Phil Rizzuto 1917-2007

Not flower related...

A Giant Orange Golf Ball

Yay! It looks like something might actually turn into an edible tomato! Not a very big tomato (I thought Better Boy was normal size) but at least it is MY tomato...

Row

Trees planted in a row(s) to stem erosion in Bordeaux, France -

part of the weekly PhotoHunt

What Not to Grow in a Scorcher

Hot time, summer in the city... yet again, we've got another record-breaking heat wave. Alas, I tried to grow some more herbs this summer - dill and cilantro - both of which I love to cook with. Unfortunately these plants prefer cooler climates. Odd, considering cilantro is such a popular herb in Mexican cooking.

Dill

Cilantro

Funky

Hotel Room in Kiev, Ukraine - part of the weekly Photo Hunters

In case you're looking to book this funky room it's at the President Hotel in downtown Kiev. The lobby has been remodeled and looks quite sleek (and the bar serves a generous beer!). Alas, it appears that the rooms haven't been touched since the Soviet era. Good thing I had my eyes closed most of the time.

Gardening in Haiku

Okay, I'm hooked - had to enter the Haiku Buckaroo contest. And keeping with the theme of my blog here you go:

Water you daily
Ever faithful, vigilant
Give me tomatoes!

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Brilliant purple stars
You bloom for me so rarely
Lucy, stop chomping!

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Basil, sage and thyme
Growing more than I can use

Herbs make good neighbors

Creative

Dutch Apple Cake - part of the weekly Photo Hunters

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I found this in my grandmother’s recipe box after she died. I don’t ever recall her having made it. My grandfather said it was a recipe from the neighbor – something like Mrs. Hufnagel – and that anything that came from the neighbor was DELICIOUS. So I made it for him and every time he swore it was the best Dutch Apple Cake he’d ever eaten.

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Dutch Apple Cake

2 ½ cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 medium cooking apples (I use Granny Smith)

1 ½ cups sugar
2 ½ tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Sift flour, baking powder and sugar together. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly; add vanilla to egg, blend with flour mixture. Press evenly into bottom and sides of 15x10 pan. Arrange peeled slice apples in overlapping layers to cover dough. Combine remaining ingredients. Sprinkle over apples. Bake in moderate oven – 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown. Cut into squares. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or ice cream. MAKES 18 SERVINGS.

The Size of A Golf Ball

I read somewhere that you're supposed to fertilize a tomato plant at various stages - careful not to overdo it! One of these stages is "when the first tomatoes are the size of golf balls". Yes, every day I'm out there checking. And today was the day!



Apparently, the two are connected in ways I didn't imagine



thanks to Aparna for the video!

After...

It occurred to me today that I'd posted some "before" photos but no "after" ones. A few things didn't do too well so you won't see them again. However, with the help of a little Miracle-Gro (why does it feel so wrong?), I have some lovely flowers on my deck.

My sister asked for a larger view of the urban oasis - to the far right is a box with Nemesia and Mexican Evening Primrose which both aren't really flowering right now. Behind me are the herbs and Clematis.

It's a Tomato!

Wow! I can't believe it! After a horribly failed attempt last year, we may actually see tomatoes this year. There are lots of flowers on the plant just waiting for their turn to become full-fledged fruits. And now we have one little guy who has busted out. I couldn't be more proud!

Gardening for Dummies

Before you think I'm calling you a dummy, know that I count myself as pretty clueless - watering was a big lesson for me.

If you want something pretty and vibrant to grow, go with Wave Petunias. Buy some plants, put them in dirt, remember to water and then just watch them multiply. Easy.

Begonia

I got bored with geraniums (and had trouble growing them) so this year I got a begonia. I vaguely remember my mom having these in her garden when I was younger. Or maybe it was on the window sill in the kitchen? Either way, it seemed like a nice plant for the pot so I went with it. It's been doing very well on our deck - doubling in size in just a few weeks! Not sure what the brutal summer sun will do to it but for now it's blooming.

Holy Clematis!

Wow! It is in full bloom now! Just gorgeous!




Alas, shortly after I took this photo a certain cat ate the flower on the bottom. Everything else in the garden is doing well. A couple of petunias bloomed yesterday and the other flowers are slowly coming along - nothing quite as dramatic as the clematis but warmer days are just around the corner and I expect we'll have a very lush garden soon!

Bustin' Out!

Despite the rainy gray day the clematis is bursting with color! And there are still many more buds just waiting to pop. So pretty!

Clematis

I have a beautiful clematis that I got last year - and lucky for me, it survived the winter. There are bunch of buds on it just waiting to burst open. Today, one of them finally did! I'm not sure exactly which type of clematis I have but judging from pictures I think it might be Star of India.

It's GORGEOUS! I hope the others open soon. Alas, we're expecting rain and I'm afraid if they all bloom the rain will wash them away. Fingers crossed they make it through the rain...

Before...

Yeah! Finally, some warm weather! I spent the weekend getting the garden going. This year I opted for lots of flowing flowers that will spill over the edge of the boxes. Nothing too complicated.

(clockwise from top left: wave petunias, nemesia (and something else I can't remember), verbena, lobelia)






Still growing lots of herbs - the chives, tarragon, thyme, and oregano all came back. The basil survived indoors all winter but was a bit leggy - I pruned it which may hasten its demise - or I could be pleasantly surprised and eating more pesto than ever!

The clematis also survived and now has numerous buds on it - should be gorgeous!

Dormant for winter

It's been ages since my last entry. A lot has happened since then - the tomatoes died a sad and cruel - and mysterious death. Must have been the crazy weather we had last summer - periods of extreme heat and flooding. Not exactly conducive to healthy flowers. The self-watering containers worked great - when it wasn't pouring buckets. The succulents did okay but suffered an attack of aphids. And something killed the petunias. On the upside, the basil grew like crazy!



And we got married - as you can imagine, the flowers were gorgeous!

Flora and Fauna

Going through past blogs, I noticed that I have a strong connection between my pets and my plants. Nearly every entry makes mention of a cat, cat, and cat.

I also had a wonderful dog who is now resting in peace at my mother's house. I thought Mom would be a good caretaker - she has planted lots of flowers on my dog's plot and likes to send me pictures of the blooms.


I love all of my children - flora and fauna.

Big Boy.....

Once the tulips bit the dust (it was all very tragic) I tossed them and moved the tomatoes in. So many varieties to choose from but I finally settled on Big Boy, "one of the greatest tomatoes of all time".

Honestly, I chose it for the name.... since I hope they grow to the size of this "Big Boy". 20 lb. tomatoes! Woo hoo!

To liven things up a bit I also put a basil plant in the same pot. Should make for some tasty eating this summer!