tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102319442008-05-08T20:16:16.627-05:00Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comBlogger158125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-29635762725358956062008-04-26T16:21:00.002-05:002008-04-26T16:25:26.810-05:00

A few more Louisiana irises to drool over. Black Gamecock (with Scabiosa) Easter Tide Hush Money Our Dorothy Sinfonietta

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-57074910751753935822008-04-25T18:01:00.005-05:002008-04-25T18:07:12.271-05:00

Yes my gardening friends, it's time for the annual Louisiana Iris parade! The first two shown here didn't bloom for me last year, so I'm doubly tickled by their presence. Byron Bay Red Echo Billy Festivals Acadian Fiesta Gal Frank Chowning More on the way..!

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-27756238139686217562008-04-21T21:57:00.004-05:002008-04-21T22:04:11.962-05:00

The mallards in our neighborhood have been pretty friendly lately. A trio of males seems to especially like our yard. Since we've been enjoying the HBO series of "John Adams" so much in our household, I was inspired to name them Adams, Jefferson and Franklin.

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-47448217629016917992008-04-16T20:17:00.008-05:002008-04-16T20:53:56.891-05:00

We had a REALLY late freeze a couple of nights ago. Four nights before that...tornadoes. Very scary, but we were lucky. Didn't even lose power at our house. Many people lost much more, although the tornadoes that hit Dallas didn't register any higher than F1s. Winds were clocked at around 90 mph in some areas. I can't imagine what an F5 would do. The storm made a great case for not planting

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-85902946852828218802008-03-16T13:23:00.012-05:002008-03-16T13:50:33.262-05:00

GBBD was yesterday, but I wanted to join in anyhow. The daffodil and saucer magnolia blooms have already peaked, so I won't embarass myself with pics of their sad appearance; however, other plants - like the ranunculus asiaticus, Spanish lavender and euphorbia shown above - are just gettin' started. Oh, and the dandelions are of course flowering like crazy. My tortoise can't eat all the

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-81946458166866926902008-03-16T12:23:00.006-05:002008-03-16T13:00:28.507-05:00

Next weekend, all of my little veggie seedlings will graduate to the garden. The varieties I had to restart have come along well. Even though I usually avoid annuals like the plague (I always think of the Plant Delights t-shirt: "Friends don't let friends buy annuals"), I did start some annual flower seeds, including Calendula 'Oktoberfest' and Gentian Sage 'Cambridge Blue'. The tomatoes are

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-23929839573754071012008-03-09T16:49:00.006-05:002008-03-16T13:00:41.297-05:00

I knew there were open pockets deep inside my compost bin, but I guess they were a little bigger and more cave-like than I thought... After opening one of the ground-level sidedoors of the bin and scraping out some finished compost, I noticed several odd, white shapes deep in the hole. Sticking my shovel inside and knocking it around produced several of these gorgeous, portbello-sized mushrooms

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-58482251673587997702008-03-04T19:07:00.004-06:002008-03-04T19:16:55.138-06:00

Ok, so, by Northern U.S. standards, it was a fairly pathetic dusting of snow that "crippled" the DFW metroplex last night. The snowfall was very pretty to watch as it came down, though. I was worried about my lettuce sprouts in a container on the patio, but they seem to have bounced right back after the snow melted today.

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-36182126507145042092008-03-02T11:07:00.000-06:002008-03-02T14:51:01.017-06:00

Okay, back on track after another extended lull. I must say, after a year of experiencing some personal stresses and tragedies, it's good to have the gardening bug back again. And man, I've got it back in a big way. I'm writing for Dave's Garden on a regular basis, have adopted a second plot in our local community garden and have been planting in, and starting seeds for, my own garden at a

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-14497115885097289232007-12-01T17:05:00.001-06:002007-12-01T17:33:37.898-06:00

Good gosh, has it really been over two months since I posted here? Apparently so. The Year of Weird Weather continues in North Central Texas. Flowers are still in bloom, and leaves remain on many of the trees. Some areas had a few snowflakes on Thanksgiving, but that's been it for the cold weather. To borrow the McDonald's tagline: I'm lovin' it. I did find a great (and organic) landscaper to

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-17770519603624150282007-09-24T20:19:00.000-05:002007-09-24T22:13:29.546-05:00

"I know an old lady who swallowed a fly; I don't know why she swallowed a fly! I guess she'll die!" A lot of children still read Rose Bonne's story "I Know An Old Lady" -- surely one of the grimmest children's poems in existance. It's been cutesy-fied and cleaned up, of course. But a couple of years ago, my brother presented me with a fabulous gift: the 1961 hardback version that we had in our

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-79222306737470447302007-09-16T19:12:00.000-05:002007-09-16T20:16:46.236-05:00

While I obviously haven't been doing much gardening blogging lately, (too busy fretting about whether a certain mortgage lending company I now work for is going to stay afloat), it doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about gardening. And having a regular paycheck means I can buy plants again...woohoo! Here's a look at some orders I've placed lately: Dutch Gardens - I know...I am a bigtime

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-51521809864734987122007-08-19T18:46:00.000-05:002007-08-19T19:02:15.921-05:00

Reading aloud the names of several common dragonflies sounds kind of like an Insect Santa calling his reindeer. All he needs is Rudolph, the Neon Skimmer to lead his pack... This little fella -- a Blue Dasher, I believe -- was perched in the backyard and let me get close enough for this great shot: I got this book as a gift a couple of years ago and really love it. Check it out, if you're a

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-89983519321058926732007-08-13T21:37:00.000-05:002007-08-19T19:00:39.828-05:00

Yeah, I'm in Texas. For awhile there, I was in doubt. Now...no. It's been 100° for a week, and we've got at least another week more to go. That's all right, though. Everybody was expecting the heat to come. Sure as Karl Rove's resignation, we knew it would happen eventually. Ok, here's a picture that begs a question similar to "do these pants make my butt look big?" I'm wondering: does my

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-29284103589592918722007-07-28T09:39:00.000-05:002007-08-19T19:00:51.995-05:00

Well, I might actually get some gardening in today...once the rain stops. Yes, more showers graced the Northern areas of the Dallas metroplex this morning. Temperatures had started creeping into the more August-like 90's lately, making for a bit of wilting among the smaller container plants, so a little drink from Mother Nature was welcome. Since I start my new bigtime high-paying job on Monday

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-8275552826068355282007-07-16T21:35:00.000-05:002007-08-19T19:00:39.828-05:00

Here's a nice shot of my sweet potato vines and my second best boy...Alf the collie.

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-50103032902792082972007-07-16T08:04:00.000-05:002007-07-16T15:07:35.154-05:00

Bumblebee Moth Hemaris diffinis The air is abuzz with life these days. I sit on our patio and watch the activity in rapt fascination...until the mosquitoes find me. Because of all the rain, the dragonflies are out in record numbers. So, it seems, are the butterflies and moths. The cicadas have started their chainsaw song, which brings the gigantic cicada killers out, swooping through the air

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-27381942788148640832007-07-15T09:37:00.000-05:002007-07-15T09:43:08.350-05:00

I am growing some cinnamon basil this year, but frankly, when it started thriving I wasn't sure what to do with it. Well, here's a recipe I found online. These muffins rock. Cinnamon Basil Muffins 1/4 cup fresh cinnamon basil leaves 1/3 cup canola oil 1/2 cup sugar 1 egg 1 cup flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 cup sour cream 1/4 cup milk 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans Puree cinnamon basil

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-18219072129823356332007-07-14T15:47:00.000-05:002007-07-15T07:48:25.769-05:00

I've been on an incredible Syd Barrett music binge lately...not sure why. The founding member of Pink Floyd died a little over a year ago at the age of 60. Before a combination of drugs, psychosis and other illnesses took their toll, Syd Barrett was an accomplished painter and innovative musician. He was also something of a babe. Syd still painted in his later, reclusive years. Turns out he

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-5051747630906684262007-07-13T08:28:00.000-05:002007-07-13T08:39:17.702-05:00

I'm sure this isn't the biggest tomato you've ever seen, but it's probably the biggest one I've ever grown. During my Master Gardener training a couple of years ago, our guest speaker on growing veggies suggested 'Kellogg's Breakfast' - a large, vigorous orange tomato. I tried them last year with little success, but this summer...wow! I'm sure our constant rainfall has helped. No cracking and

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-58753890614332482692007-07-07T10:25:00.000-05:002007-07-07T10:47:57.302-05:00

The mosquitoes are horrible around DFW at the moment. Heavy, continuous rains have saturated the ground, thus creating the perfect environment for the little beasts. I have been diligent in putting BT dunks in the birdbaths and emptying plant trays. I even sprinkled some BT crystals around the foundation of our house, where the skeeters really seem to congregate. But the BT takes awhile to work,

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-28754539790404568672007-07-07T09:56:00.001-05:002007-07-07T10:10:45.771-05:00

Your tomatoes are ripening faster than you can eat 'em, right? Here's a great recipe (recently printed in The Dallas Morning News) that will help deplete your rapidly expanding crop. Be sure to use fresh basil from the herb garden too. I increased the cheese recommendation because I seem to be part mouse. Tomato Gratin 9 or 10 tomatoes, any variety (red, green, etc.) 1/4 cup chicken-flavored

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-49452763640998051812007-06-21T08:15:00.000-05:002007-06-21T08:40:07.766-05:00

This is a great recipe I adapted just slightly from The Menopause Diet; it's also good for all you low-carb dieters out there. Very high in fiber and pretty high in lean protein. Substitute cubed chicken for pork, or leave the meat out entirely, and it's probably still really good. 3 cans of different beans (butter, black, kidney, etc.) 2 celery stalks, chopped 1 can 14-1/2 oz. chicken broth 1-1

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-51418233586587421422007-06-21T07:47:00.000-05:002007-06-21T08:12:14.170-05:00

This is just sad. And I think it's safe to assume there's a link between the facts in this story and the rising statistics of child obesity... Getting Lost in the Great Outdoors - Washington Post (may require registration)

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10231944.post-64787010585745855852007-06-18T15:35:00.000-05:002007-06-18T17:11:04.687-05:00

I am not a fan of cutting gardens. That is to say, I do not generally grow flowers for the sole purpose of cutting. Too lazy for that, you see; it's much easier to just let things bloom, watch them die on the stem and then say gosh, maybe it's time I dead-headed that thing... The scissors come out when the gladiolus start to emerge in late May, however. They flower, they flop over...and they're

Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845173449321024791noreply@blogger.com