Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel

The Bright Side of Gloomy Garden Days: Better Color Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Thu, 02 May 2013 14:59:00 +0000

Container hosta nestled between nepeta and Japanese painted ferns,
growing beneath a tree-form Encore® Azalea. May 2013

Gloomy. Misty. Chilly. Where do I live? Not Seattle. North Carolina is having a cool spring. To find a bright side to this weather, I walked in the garden with the camera.

Colors show true in photos when the skies are overcast. On a typical, bright sunny morning in my south-facing garden, it is difficult to catch the true bloom colors as the rays of the sun cast a yellow-orange glow. I compared the two conditions in this photo post in 2009.

So, I'll stop complaining about wearing a raincoat outside and running the heat inside and share today's garden highlights in the lowlight.

Perennial blue flax, grown from seeds originally sown in 2009, continues to return or self-sow. Flax is a favorite and I have two varieties that, when transplanted early in spring, are welcome fillers in bare spots. Otherwise, I let it go where it sows as the slender foliage takes up little space. Deer and rabbit resistant. For more photos of this companion, click here for 2011 and here for 2010.

Two views of perennial blue flax. May 2013

Spires of salvia nemorosa Bordeaux™ 'Steel Blue'. May 2013

Salvia 'May Night'. May 2013

Salvias rule. My best nemorosa varieties include Bordeaux™ 'Steel Blue', 'Caradonna' (not yet in bloom) and 'May Night'. Of the three, I can't choose a favorite, but 'Steel Blue' and 'Caradonna' are more unique than the popular 'May Night'.

The shades of red in my salvia greggii have a more accurate representation on cloudy days. I'm a fan of this drought-tolerant perennial that blooms heavily in spring and fall, and is loved by hummingbirds. Below are two of my favorites, but take a look at this post on April 26, 2012 and you can see the difference the cooler weather has made. Today's blooms are nowhere near the display of last year. Deer and rabbit resistant.

Salvia greggii 'Diane' is a lovely purple-red. May 2013.

I failed to capture the quick hummingbird feeding on
salvia greggii 'Navajo Bright Red'. May 2013.

Verbena 'Imagination' dangles over the cottage garden stream.
May 2013.

I'll wrap this up with dainty bloom clusters of verbena 'Imagination' that was sown from seeds and the native amsonia hubrichtii, two of my favorite frilly bloomers. Both self-sow freely and it is easier to keep the amsonia under control than it is the ground sprawling verbena. Deer and rabbit resistant.

I've been using my iPhone for many photos lately, but for today's post, all photos were taken with my Samsung HZ30W, purchased in 2011.

Until there are more blooms in my garden...enjoy yours.

Amsonia hubrichtii at the edge of the gravel garden. May 2013.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Weeded, Mulched and Waiting for Blooms in the Cottage Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:50:00 +0000

The cottage garden, bare compared to previous springs,
is ready and waiting for blooms. April 27, 2013.

Any complaints about the weather where you garden?

The cool temperatures, while delaying the blooms, provided the perfect weather for preparing the garden. I don't feel as rushed this year and gardening has been more enjoyable. It isn't ninety degrees already. Sixty and seventy degree weather could be worse as other parts of the country have been flooded and experienced late snows.

Looking at photos from 2006-2012, peak spring bloom in the cottage garden happened in the first week of April. Still waiting for blooms, but the plant foliage looks healthier and happier than ever.

The centaura varieties (in the photo below) were tiny new plants in 2012, and now, they're starting out huge! In a future post, I'll tell you more about centaurea gymnocarpa "Velvet Centaurea" as it blooms. It's one of my new favorites and hope it meets my expectations.

Silver lace foliage of centaurea gymnocarpa in back.
Green foliage of centaurea montana 'Amethyst in Snow' in front.

The rose bed along the fence received a make-over.

In February, the Knock-Out® Roses (dark foliage above) were cut back by two-thirds. I edited this rose bed, adding divisions of other perennials and tucking in a few annuals around the greyhound statue. I'm most excited about this area in the cottage garden to see the results of my rearrangement, having incorporated more white blooms (phlox, liatris, cosmos) for late evening enjoyment. Another future topic.

Few Dutch Iris remain after vole damage from previous winters.

The voles took a bite out of the cottage garden in the winter of 2011-2012. We added metal edging and used more gravel in areas surrounding the cottage garden. Doing so thwarted the varmints this winter, so I'm encouraged. I've made my wish list of bulbs and seeds to plant this fall for spring 2014.

While the blooms are sparse right now and we have another week of cool temperatures in the forecast, I'm envisioning a peak bloom like I've never seen before—when spring blooms merge with early summer blooms.

Perennial blue flax is being encroached upon by pink phlox subulata.

Encore® Azaleas typically bloom around April 5, but waited until April 27.

P.S. There's a new dog in the garden. Meet Brie, our six-month old miniature poodle puppy. She's a sweetheart.

Puppy look one day.

After her first professional spa day.
No longer a little ragamuffin.

Easy, Safe Way to Carry a Phone in the Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 00:20:00 +0000

Losing or breaking my iPhone while in the garden has been a concern when I carried it in my back pocket. Turns out, a travel accessory that I've had for ten years turned out to be the perfect way to carry my cell phone and seed packets in the garden.

My undercover travel pouch keeps my phone handy, dry and free from dirt. Mine is old enough to be made of nylon and has three compartments (intended for a passport, foreign currency, etc.). Newer styles are typically in silk and I have one of those, but decided the nylon is easer to wipe off.

Made to wear around the neck, I wear the pouch in a cross body style beneath my shirt so that when I'm weeding, it doesn't fall in my way. The neck strap is adjustable to the length that works best for an individual.

Undercover travel pouch can be used while gardening.

I discovered that the pouch is also the perfect size for stowing seed packets. Although I don't need to carry meds in the garden, it could also be used for something like an EpiPen® for those with insect sting allergies.

My pouch has a Velcro® closure, so it's easy to rip open while wearing gardening gloves.

Although my pouch is repurposed, new pouches from different manufacturers range in price from twenty to thirty dollars. A good investment considering the cost of replacing a cell phone.

Happy Gardening!

My iPhone in the front and seed packets in the larger pocket.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

The Orange Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 03:27:00 +0000

It's not a secret. I'm not embarrassed by it. I have an orange section in the deer resistant garden—seldom mentioned on the blog because it's so darn difficult to photograph the plantings together as one unified design. When one bloom looks great, another is declining.

Orientation:

To the left of the plants in the photo below, is the red and white garden seen here. The yellow St John's Wort divides the two color themed gardens. Not because I planned it that way, but because I didn't want to move this glorious shrub. Bees literally bathe in the pollen of the St John's blooms. It self-sows minimally and I'm always scouting for seedlings to use in other sections of the deer resistant garden.

The orange garden is on the east side of the house, receiving full sun until very late in the evening during the summer. This garden is watered only when I'm establishing new plants. All plants are drought tolerant.

The plants are shown in order of bloom.

The orange garden early in the season. May 12, 2012.

Blanket flower (gaillardia). May 2012.

Blanket flower (gaillardia) is allowed to self-sow and can easily take over a section of the garden, so I thin and transplant seedlings. These plants are attractive to pollinators, so all the named varieties in my garden have crossed to the point that I cannot give you a specific name. If it's an orange blanket flower, I plant it here. Deer and rabbit resistant. Drought tolerant with a long bloom season. Zones 3-9.

Orange milkweed (asclepias) is a host for Monarch butterflies. May 2012.

Milkweed (asclepias 'Gay Butterflies' mix) is a host plant for Monarch butterflies. This patch of milkweed has been here since 2005 and continues to return and bloom each year. Deer and rabbit resistant and drought tolerant. Zones 3-9.

Coneflowers (echinacea 'Sundown') may be nibbled by both deer and rabbits. I've had great luck with minimal damage until late summer. These orange coneflowers tend to fade to the pink-purple color as the blooms age. I've transplanted these at least four times and they continue to perform. Drought tolerant and suitable for zones 4-9.

Orange coneflowers (echinacea). June 2012.

Bronze fennel behind coneflowers.

Bronze fennel (foeniculum vulgare 'purpureum') is a great swallowtail butterfly host plant, although praying mantis also love it—and they eat butterflies. I grow it for the foliage, too. If the deer don't deadhead the yellow blooms for you, do it yourself! Otherwise, it will self-sow everywhere. Drought tolerant. Zones 4-9.

Crocosmia spreads quickly and needs to be divided every few years when the corms push the plants out of the ground. I love the foliage as much as the blooms. Occasionally, a deer may nibble the blooms. Rabbits don't seem to bother this plant. Drought tolerant. Zones 5-8.

Crocosmia in full bloom (looking uphill). June 2012.

Lantana 'Miss Huff'. July 2012.

Lantana 'Miss Huff' is still getting established and was late to bloom in 2012. It can grow into a huge shrub when it overwinters for several years. Butterflies love the flowers for nectar. Drought tolerant, deer and rabbit resistant. I'm in zone 7b and this plant is best for zones 7-10.

Marigolds are self-sown from seeds in the past, so I don't have named varieties. Also loved by butterflies, these short annuals are great in the front of the garden when the other plants are losing color. Deer and rabbit resistant as well as drought tolerant. Sow the seeds early in the summer.

Marigolds (in front of lantana). August 2012.

The kniphofia was planted in 2012, so it didn't bloom the first year. The orange agastache was also new and the blooms weren't yet large enough to adequately photograph.

I love to use blue around orange and yellow, so I'm throwing seeds of perennial ageratum all around this garden section.

So there. Showing my orange bloomers wasn't too painful.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

The Deer Resistant Garden 2012 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 15:59:00 +0000

Deer resistant garden. May 2012.

I've been gardening with my deer friends since September 2005 when we built our home. Deer resistance varies according to the availability of food in the wild and the population of both the deer and humans (new construction removes habitat).

My definition of deer resistance is this: If the deer nibble the plants, but the plants bounce back for my enjoyment in the bloom season, the plant passes the test.

See that pretty Yucca 'Color Guard' in the photo above? The deer nip the tips in January and February when food is scarce. But the leaves recover and the plant blooms on schedule in May. That's what I mean by deer resistant, even though the yucca looks a bit scruffy as I write this post on a cold January morning.

In the photo below, note the mounded Spirea 'Neon Flash' blooming in shades of pink. Once in awhile, the deer will pick a bloom, but overall, I don't miss a few flowers during peak bloom season. The spirea blooms for a long time, then I trim the blooms and the shrub repeats.

This is the key: If a flowering shrub will re-bloom after I trim it, then it will re-bloom after the deer eat it—UNLESS they devour every bloom and eat the plant down to sticks and stubs.

For example, the deer pick rose blooms through the cottage garden fence. If I planted roses outside the fence, the deer would destroy the shrubs and I'd have no blooms to enjoy.

Spirea 'Neon Flash' blooms in shades of pink. May 2012.

Japanese iris growing in the deer resistant gravel garden. May 2012.

The lovely Japanese iris is a favorite of mine. As you can see in the photo, this plant is in full bloom and untouched by deer. I get to enjoy the blooms until a doe has a fawn in the nearby woods. When mama's baby is first born, she won't forage far away from the fawn. During those first weeks, the doe will eat anything she can stomach and Japanese iris blooms are on her post-natal diet. This happens every year to this iris. I know it. I expect it. I'm willing to share.

Other Japanese irises that are planted in the larger garden are seldom touched because they are too far away from where the fawns are born. I don't use deer repellents, but if you never get to enjoy your irises, then consider using an organic spray.

Susans, coneflowers, shasta daisies and bee balm. June 2012.

In summer, my deer resistant garden is in full bloom with susans (rudbeckia), shasta daisies, coneflowers (echinacea) and bee balm (monarda). The susans bloom all summer long and by late August, when food is dwindling, the deer will nibble the susans, but not destroy the seedheads or entire plants. These are self-sowing flowers, so I don't sweat the loss of a few flowers because I'll have hundreds of blooms again the next year and will have to thin out the plants myself. Thank you, deer.

I've heard other gardeners complain of deer eating coneflowers, but I've not had a serious issue in the largest part of the garden. Once again, the side gardens that are closer to the woods (where the fawns live) tend to be picked more than the big "meadow" section of the deer resistant garden. That said, we count 20-30 deer sleeping in the grass meadow next to this section of the garden.

The following photos show how our home is oriented next to a meadow and backed by woods. As you can see, the deer have access from all sides.

While not all plants are deer proof, selecting plants that are resilient after occasional browsing is possible—with a bit of tolerance and a lot of planning.

For more information on my deer resistant gardening experience, check out these links on my blog:

Blooms in the Gravel Garden
Posts (Many) about Deer Resistant Plants
Deer Resistant Plant List

The deer sleep in the meadow out front, next to the deer resistant garden. June 2012.

The large south-facing front section of the deer resistant garden. June 2012.

East-facing deer resistant garden is browsed due to nearby woods. June 2012.

Path below front deer resistant garden. June 2012.

Path below east side deer garden. June 2012.

On the Waterfront in Charleston, South Carolina

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:11:00 +0000

Waterfront Park in Charleston, SC.
Nine A. M. (looking away from the sun) January 13, 2013

A forecast promising sunny days and temperatures in the seventies was enough of a temptation to put us on the road to Charleston, South Carolina. With a drive time under five hours from our home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, we spent little time debating our getaway destination.

We stayed in the historic district where it was convenient to walk through the streets (a few remain cobblestone) in the French Quarter and South of Broad, including the famous Battery. We got caught up in the game of "which house do you want to buy?" as we wandered along the shady streets and drooled over the architecture of homes from the 1700 and 1800s.

It was "Restaurant Week" in Charleston, but the crowds weren't bad. We enjoyed a great dinner with coordinating flights of wine at Social Wine Bar on East Bay Street. We stopped in during the early afternoon and made our reservations for evening.

I started with the arugula and fennel salad with an herbal white wine, Grüner Veltliner, and it was a perfect pairing. My husband started with their homemade chips (blue cheese fondue and scallions) and a sparkling white wine. For entrees, he chose the seared scallops and I went with the flat iron steak over root veggies and a braised shallot ragu. I paired my steak with a bold red La Follette Pinot Noir (North Coast, California). We shared an amaretto tart for dessert. My apologies for the lack of food photos, but I was hungry!

For Sunday morning brunch, we dined at Eli's Table on Meeting Street. We managed to snag a great table in the courtyard and the weather was perfect. Although we opted for the "Mary and Polly Classic Breakfast" of eggs, bacon, grits (topped with cheese) and an English muffin, we drank pots of coffee and toasted with five dollar mimosas. The folks at the next table bragged about their bacon bloody Mary's and sweet potato pancakes with pecan butter—next time!

Our favorite spot to sit and soak up the scenery is the Waterfront Park. There are benches for sitting (while sampling pecan pralines picked up from the market) and wide gravel paths for strolling or running (to work off the calories).

Everywhere in Charleston, the people smile and welcome you. It's true that the city upholds the definition of real Southern Hospitality. Just go!

Waterfront Park in Charleston, SC.
Nine A. M. (looking into the sun) January 13, 2013

Flower boxes in bloom in January--okay, I want to live there!

Chocolate Biscotti (A David Lebovitz Recipe)

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 14:38:00 +0000

Start out with good ingredients such as Valrhona Cocoa,
demerara sugar, slivered almonds and chocolate chips.

As a fan of food and bigger fan of Paris, I follow the blog of expat American +David Lebovitz, pastry chef, author of cookbooks and one of my favorite iPhone apps, Paris Pastry®. I made his Chocolate Biscotti Recipe for holiday gifts.

Is it possible for an amateur like me to turn out great biscotti?

I took David's advice and searched out the best cocoa as he proclaims it makes a big difference. At the new +Sur La Table® in Durham, I found +Valrhona® Cocoa Powder (made in France) and while a bit on the pricey side, I'm now a convert to this brand. Intense chocolate. I also picked up demerara sugar (for the glaze) and slivered almonds at the local +Southern Season in Chapel Hill.

Pause for technology tip: You'll note that there are now plus signs in front of some links. These are easy links provided by Google+ to profile pages so I don't have to go searching the web while I type and copy/paste in web addresses. I converted my blogger profile to Google+ for easier link-up. These links aren't paid or click ads.

I started with a fresh bag of flour (Trader Joe's®).
To keep flour from flying everywhere, I put the bag in a
big bowl to contain the mess while I scoop.

Toasting almonds on stovetop.

I've never succeeded at toasting almonds in the oven. I tend to look away at the wrong time and end up with a burned mess. Now, I use a Calphalon® nonstick crepe pan that is flat. No butter or oil. I gently shake the pan, or stir with a wooden spoon, over medium (gas) heat until the almonds are lightly toasted. They will continue to toast in the hot pan, so I immediately put the almonds in a bowl until ready to add to the biscotti batter.

The biscotti batter is very thick, so don't be alarmed. David doesn't use butter and this gives you a perfect, dense biscotti. The almond-cherry biscotti that I've made before, used butter. To me, the texture is better without.

Biscotti is "twice baked" and the only thing difficult about making it is patience. After the first baking, the two logs look good enough to eat, but don't do it!

After first baking. (I use parchment paper on a cookie sheet.)

Slice on cutting board, using a serrated bread knife.

Cool for fifteen minutes after first baking. Slide the biscotti off of the parchment (or silicone mat) onto a cutting board. Use a large serrated bread knife and cut the logs into half inch pieces.

Re-reading David's recipe, he says to "diagonally cut" and I didn't catch that, so I cut straight slices. It didn't seem to be an issue with my biscotti. I managed to cut forty-eight biscotti out of my two logs and David lists fifty to sixty.

Place the slices onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and return to oven for second baking. I rotated the pans halfway through the bake time. My range is duel-fuel, so the oven is electric.

Final verdict: this is the best biscotti recipe that I've made. So much better than store bought, so don't hesitate to try David's recipe if you've got the time for baking.

Biscotti slices are ready to go into the oven for second baking.

Ready to enjoy!
Notice the nice demerara sugar glaze on the edges.

For gifting, I purchased red fold-down food bags from The Kitchen Store® at University Mall in Chapel Hill. These cute bags were only fifty-nine cents each. I like the Christmas tree window that shows off the contents.

Store biscotti for two weeks in an airtight container. Trust me, these goodies will be eaten long before they expire—dip in espresso or other coffee.

Ready to gift.

Ready to keep for two weeks (eaten in two days).

PS technology tip: I used my iPhone 4s for all photos.

Capturing Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 15:21:00 +0000

1. La Tour Eiffel shot from Museé du Quai Branly. Paris, October 2012

2. Boucicaud Square, Sévres Babylon neighborhood. Paris, October 2012

3. "Jelly Baby Family" by artist Mario Perucchetti.
Photo by my husband. Paris, October 2012.

4. Parc Monceau. Paris, October 2012

5. Panorama of Parc Monceau. Paris, October 2012
(click to enlarge photo)

6. View of Louvre. Paris, October 2012
Special effects using CameraBag.

I packed a "real" camera, but it never left our Paris apartment. On this trip in October 2012, I used my iPhone 4s with OS 6 for all photos. That said, we've traveled to Paris many times, so I've accumulated hundreds of photos with Canon and Sony cameras that took advantage of powerful zoom capabilities and high resolution. I've used some of those photos to decorate our family room. If you travel to Paris for a once-in-a-lifetime trip, take your best camera.

Unless specified in the caption, none of these photos were edited (other than cropped or straightened). You may click any photo for a slideshow.

Where to take your own photos of these scenes:

La Tour Eiffel shot from Museé du Quai Branly: If you're walking along the Seine between the Eiffel Tower and Musée d'Orsay, stop off and wander through the walled garden of the Quai Branly Museum in the evening. Besides going inside the museum, there's a little coffee shop/snack bar if you want to wait for the Eiffel Tower lights.
Boucicaud Square, Sévres Babylon neighborhood: Get off at the métro at the Sévres Babylon stop. This little park with the marble statue of Mme. Boucicaud and Baronne de Rothschild and stroll the neighborhood to go to the Sorbonne or Cluny Museum.
"Jelly Baby Family" by artist Mario Perucchetti: See this work of art (and a few others by the same artist), in front of Église Saint-Eustache (a church) near the Louvre.
Parc Monceau: A beautiful, tranquil park filled with French families strolling, playing and picnicking. This park is in an upscale neighborhood, within a few blocks of the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs-Élysées.
Panorama of Parc Monceau: For more on how to do panoramic shots, see this story.
Louvre view: Walk through the arches from rue de Rivoli. I used CameraBag software for this special effect.

Favorite Flower Combinations in 2012 - Part Two

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 15:05:00 +0000

Rudbeckia (yellow blooms), loropetalum (shrub)
and monarda (raspberry blooms).

The burgundy foliage of loropetalum chinense rubrum anchors this color scheme and has been paired with monarda 'Raspberry Wine' for years. For 2012, I added a mass of rudbeckia (grown from seed) as the deep brown eye of the susans picks up the chocolate tones in the loropetalum. I was hesitant to add the gold-yellow color to the cottage garden, but the brightness of the blooms do brighten the heavy shades of burgundy.

All plants are growing in full sun, south-facing in zone 7b in the fenced cottage garden. When hungry, deer will nibble the loropetalum, especially in winter since it is an evergreen shrub. The rudbeckia are grown easily from seed, so I don't worry so much about the occasional deer nibbling and grow the susans outside the fence, too. Rabbits may also nibble rudbeckia foliage and blooms.

Monarda 'Raspberry Wine' is a great bee balm and you can click here to see what's growing on the other side of this combo. Yes, it will spread easily, but bee balm isn't difficult to remove if you have too much. This variety is suitable for zones 4-9 and has been good in drought without a mildew issue.

View the pink and purple combination in Part One.

Another view

Being in the Moment in Hawaii

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 14:39:00 +0000

Are all of your senses engaged in the here and now? Over five lovely days in Hawaii, I didn't spend hours attached to my cell phone or my computer. The Musician and I wanted to be outside—walking, seeing and being in the moment. As a writer, I pay attention to detail and mentally describe what I'm seeing and hearing. As a gardener, I pay attention to the landscape—trees, flowers, birds and the sky. As a traveler, I revel in the experience of "just being" in a place.

Artists painting by the ocean. Diamond Head. November 2012

We walked along Diamond Head Road in Honolulu and stopped to watch a group of artists. The billowing bronze grass is pressed down, creating a path that leads a tree-shaded spot on the cliff above the blue ocean. Umbrellas are poised, protecting the canvases from the glare of the morning sun while the artists wear broad-brimmed hats to shield their faces. What do I see? Seeking shade. An impressionist painting. I imagine an artist painting this scene. I think Renoir would have painted these painters as they painted their landscapes.

Diamond Head Lighthouse. November 2012.

Along the same road, we found the Diamond Head Lighthouse. The original was built in 1899 and the current structure uses the same Fresnel lens. My husband and I imagined being the keepers of the lighthouse, living at the base of Diamond Head, perched above the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean. Sunshine, blue sky and sea on a beautiful day. At night, a bright moon reflects off of the white caps of crashing waves while the rotating beam of the lighthouse signals the shoreline to the passing boats.

Sunset at Waikiki Beach. November 2012.

The sunset draws a crowd on Waikiki Beach. An evening ritual—to watch the ball of gold melt into the horizon and disappear. Look closely at the shadowy figures on the beach. They are in motion. Running. Playing. A biker pedals beneath the towering palms. Sailboats glide silently across the quiet water.

I'm home again. I'm writing this post in my garden room while drinking my morning coffee. The sunshine is streaming through the windows and outside on the sunny front porch, my husband, The Musician, is playing guitar. I'm going to join him there to listen. Being in the moment.

Free Your Oven and Grill the Turkey

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 13:33:00 +0000

Time for the annual turkey post!

It all started with Thanksgiving 2006. Expecting a crowd for the big meal, I couldn't work out a way to get everything in the oven since the turkey was so large.

We had to figure out how to get everything cooked on time. The microwave wouldn't do it. Ah ha! What about using the grill? Would that work? My husband placed the turkey (in the pan) on the grill to see if the lid would close. It did. Since it was already Thanksgiving morning, I frantically searched the Web for turkey grilling instructions. After finding several versions, my husband and I created our own variation.

All twelve of our guests showed up. We announced that the turkey was on the grill. Amazed, all the men went out onto the grilling deck to witness what they'd never seen before -- a turkey on the grill!

They didn't bother with the games on TV, they wanted to watch the turkey. There was a problem with that. The guys kept opening up the grill lid to see the turkey! Opening and closing the grill lid slows down the roasting with all that cold winter air. It took longer than expected due to the spectator interference and the meal was still late. However, the results were fabulous and we agreed to grill the holiday turkey in the future.

Fast forward to summer 2007. I was shopping for a new gas grill for my husband's birthday. After all, if he was going to grill the turkey from now on, he needed a better grill.

I asked the salesman if grills came with windows. No.

I asked if I could buy a "turkey cam." He laughed hysterically! No, they don't make cameras for the inside of a grill.

I bought the grill in spite of the lack of desired features.

A few days later, I went to my favorite kitchen gadget store. Telling the salesperson about the problems with the spectacle of turkey grilling, she had a brilliant idea...buy a remote digital thermometer!

When I enthusiastically presented that thermometer to my husband, he was skeptical. Very skeptical. I was tempted to return the thermometer with such a reaction, but we kept it. It was several months later before the debut of the remote thermometer at Thanksgiving 2007.

I prepared the fresh turkey by rubbing it with olive oil and Herbes de Provence--a mix of basil, savory, fennel and lavender. I placed the turkey in a standard roasting pan fitted with a roasting rack. I put chicken broth in the bottom of the roasting pan to create moisture during the roasting process. The culinary sage in the garden was still looking great, so I added fresh leaves to the chicken broth. I handed the turkey off to my husband. He programmed the remote thermometer and agreed to keep the grill lid closed.

I was free and my oven was free! I worked on the side dishes without having to worry about the turkey.

The remote radio control sat in the kitchen. Several hours later a voice said "your food will be ready in five minutes." The thermometer had worked! We double-checked the temperature with another thermometer and the two agreed...the turkey was done.

The Herbes de Provence and the fresh sage provided great flavor. The turkey was moist from the method of grilling. Our guests all agreed that it was the best turkey...even if they didn't have the fun of watching it grill!

Story by Freda Cameron, November 2009; Photo added Thanksgiving 2008;
My recipe (Your results may vary. I'm not a chef! No guarantees. Grill at your own risk.)

Love the Lemurs (Where We Volunteer)

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 01:35:00 +0000

Please take a look at the blog story, Programming for Prosimians, that I wrote for the Duke Lemur Center. My husband and I volunteer our computer programming skills at the DLC. We volunteered after my first visit to the center in the summer of 2011. On that day, I shot this video of a Coquerel's Sifaka in the free-range habitat as his handler enticed him into a feeding station. I fell in love with lemurs and hope you will, too!

Jardin des Plantes Is Better in Autumn

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 19:15:00 +0000

Jardin des Plantes, Paris in panorama mode. October 2012
(click to enlarge photos)

Jardin des Plantes in October exceeded my expectations with grand displays of color, especially through salvia, tropicals and grasses. This is my favorite garden in Paris, but all of my prior visits were in the spring when the tulips and forget-me-nots formed low carpets of color.

All of my photos were taken with an iPhone 4s with OS/6. Today, we went to a social hosted by realtor Adrian Leeds (you may have seen her on HGTV's House Hunters International). "Eye Phoned Paris" was presented by professional photographer Michael Honegger who introduced us to a few applications to edit and enhance photos taken with an iPhone. After I shot these photos, I played around with CameraBag and Iris Photo Suite, so some have been edited with filters. For true inspiration in photography, be sure to take a look at Michael's website.

We spent very little time in the gardens today as it began to sprinkle rain. Perhaps we'll return to the Jardins on this trip as I never made it through this one front garden, let alone the wooded paths or alpine garden. This is a true botanical garden with many (free) sections and I highly recommend visiting to stroll or admire the plantings.

Passiflora at Jardin des Plantes. Enhanced.
I used CameraBag "fish eye" and
Iris Photo Suite for the watermark.

Glorious red salvia greggii steals this scene (above).
Tall grasses and tropical foliage add height (below).

Beautiful mixed borders
fill Jardin des Plantes.

Salvia leucantha looking great.

Panoramic Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 19:04:00 +0000

Photo taken using iPhone with IOS 6, Panoramic mode. October 2012

Double trouble? That's my wonderful husband (aka "The Musician") on the left, then he walked behind me and stood on my right while I scanned the scene in the panoramic mode with my iPhone. (click the photos to enlarge) To take the panoramic photos, you'll need to upgrade your iPhone to IOS/6. Cool trick, huh?

The Musician then took my photo in the Tuileries, outside the Louvre Museum. We're celebrating our tenth wedding anniversary and having a great time catching up with expat friends and eating far too much. That said, we walked at least six hours today.

À bientôt!

That's me with the umbrella on the left and again on the right.
Who else wears sunglasses in the rain?

Louvre from the Tuileries.

View from terrace atop Galeries Lafayette.

View of Île de la Cité.

Favorite Flower Combinations in 2012 - Part One

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 13:52:00 +0000

Cottage garden. May 1, 2012

Shades of purple and pink tumble and intertwine along one of the paths in the cottage garden. In the correct zones, these perennials are reliably drought tolerant and will provide a long bloom season.

To recreate this combination in a hot, full sun location, use the following plants (Click the links for each plant to read previous in-depth articles):

Perennial heliotrope (heliotropium amplexicaule). Zones 7-11, deer resistant
Wine cups (callirhoe involucrata). Zones 3-9, NOT deer or rabbit resistant
Salvia greggii 'Diane'. Zones 7-9, deer resistant
Salvia nemorosa Bordeaux 'Steel Blue'. Zones 4-8, deer resistant

View Part Two.

Still Here. Writing.

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 22:23:00 +0000

The deer are here, too.

The garden grows and so does my book. I'm using up all my creative brain cells writing the words for a fiction novel. Writing eight to ten hours each day over the last eight weeks, I'm revising the novel that I wrote over the last year. I love writing fiction. The practice of weaving narration, action and dialog into each scene is rewarding.

My travel experience has provided me with locations for my novel. The first half of the book is based in Colorado. The second half is in France. It's fun to put my characters on the streets and inside the restaurants that I've visited.

My exercise is walking with running intervals. I come back inside and can't wait to fill novel pages with the scenes that I write in my head while I walk. I wake up in the morning and write before I read the news. I edit in the evenings.

Although revising sounds painful, it isn't. Each time I cut, I believe I'm improving my book. Today, I cut nearly two thousand words from the ninety-two thousand. Then, I wrote two thousand new words to drastically change three scenes in the book. I'm sure that I've written more than 300,000 words over the last year. Writing a novel isn't work to me, but blogging is—for now.

There are weeds in the garden. Perennials need trimming and spent annuals need to be pulled. Seeds should be collected. I'll get to it. Below are a few photos that I snapped with my cell phone.

I'll be back. I'll blog again.

Thanks for stopping by.
Freda

Castor bean is huge from the rain.

Moon vine bloom.

Buddleia from seed. A cross between? Like the color!

Marigolds from self-sown seeds in front of
lantana 'Miss Huff'.

Coreopsis (and Company) in the Cottage Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 23:43:00 +0000

Coreopsis 'Star Cluster' in bloom with companions
Eucomis 'Sparkling Burgundy' (foliage left)
echinacea (multiple varieties back)
and purple phlox 'Nicky'.

Three plants of Coreopsis 'Star Cluster' PPAF were added to my cottage garden in 2011. I was so impressed by the performance and beauty of this coreopsis, that I purchased five more plants this spring.

This 2010 introduction in the Big Bang ™ series is from Darrell Probst. For several years, I've happily grown his taller Coreopsis 'Red Shift' in the deer resistant meadow garden. 'Star Cluster' is shorter at 18-14 inches high and wide, making it more suitable for the scale of my cottage garden.

A few months ago, Darrell sent me an email about my experience with the color of the 'Star Cluster' here in the southeast. As expected, the coreopsis begins to bloom a creamy white and the deep purple eye spreads from the center during the cooler weather in the fall.

Deadheading isn't required for this long-blooming perennial, but I do a bit of shaping of the plants when I'm tidying up the garden.

Suitable for zones 5-9, this full sun plant is a great performer, being reliably rabbit and deer resistant. In the cottage garden, the coreopsis grows in rich soil, but is suitable for average soil such as in the drier meadow garden.

Given the long bloom season, I've surrounded the coreopsis with a number of blooming perennials to complement the plant. Those include garden phlox, coneflowers (multiple varieties), daylily 'Joan Senior' (similar bloom color) and salvia guaranitica 'Black & Blue'.

The dark foliage of eucomis 'Sparkling Burgundy' is especially pleasing to me in combination with 'Star Cluster' blooms. This is the first year for eucomis in the cottage garden, so the blooms are just beginning to form. I anticipate that this duo will be one of my favorite combinations!

Coneflowers and Aster Yellows Disease

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 23:30:00 +0000

These "green" disfigured coneflowers were removed and destroyed.

I didn't plant any new "green bloom" echinacea cultivars, so what's wrong with a few of my coneflowers? While most of the coneflowers in my garden are blooming and thriving, I watched three delinquent clumps and wondered:

Did voles eat the roots? No
Are they getting shaded out by the other plants? No
Is it aster yellows disease? Yes

As difficult as it is, there's nothing to be done except to remove and destroy infected coneflowers to keep the disease from spreading by leafhoppers feeding on the plants. Out with the bad to save the good.

Refreshing 'Little Lime' Hydrangea

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 20:47:00 +0000

First bloom of 'Little Lime' Hydrangea. June 28, 2012.

What's the most refreshing bloom color on a 100°+ summer day? My vote goes to the huge, cool snowballs of 'Little Lime'™ hardy hydrangea from Proven Winners®.

I know! I know! I'm obsessed with refreshing lime and refreshed light green garden benches to cool down my garden!

After seven years of waiting for shade, I finally have a spot for hydrangea, my favorite summer shrub. At previous homes, I grew so many different varieties, but here in my small cottage garden, the small sliver of all-day shade requires a small shrub. In late May, while on a plant shopping trip to Big Bloomers in Sanford, I asked for 'Little Lime' and they had it in stock! Fortunately, with deep watering, it is well-established in time for this run of triple-digit heat.

'Little Lime' is not that tiny—the height and spread will be between 36-60 inches. I'm totally okay with a bit of overlap onto my path and through the fence, but since it blooms on new wood, size won't be much of an issue. With a zone rating of 3a-9b, I'm also encouraged by the hardiness since I'm in 7b. My theory is that if a plant can handle at least two zones colder and two zones hotter, then it should be a stellar performer.

In my excitement to show you this hydrangea, I took photos before the shrub is in full bloom. None of the companions are in bloom, but my color scheme is simple—use lime-to-white with blue-lavender-purple flowers.

There's an existing clematis 'Jackmanii' on the right that blooms purple in late spring.

To the left (and not shown because the plants are newly planted and not blooming), I'm using white phlox 'David', white milkweed (asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet') to provide flower form similar to the hydrangea. The blue mist flowers of hardy ageratum 'Wayside' were transplanted to fill in around the perennials to provide some separation between the lime and white blooms.

In front of the tall phlox and milkweed, I've added purple/blue hardy geranium 'Rozanne' because this combination, with white phlox, is a favorite in another bed in the cottage garden. 'Rozanne' mounds and scrambles as well as provides another leaf shape.

For a bit of foliage filler in front of the blues, the green/white leaves of annual 'polka dot' plant echoe the white theme.

On the outside of the fence, the row of lavender blooming crepe myrtles (probably 'Muskogee') are assisting the weeping willow to provide shade.

What's your favorite color of cool?

Blue-purple geranium 'Rozanne' scrambles up the tall, white Phlox 'David'
in another location in my cottage garden. June 28, 2012.

Hardy ageratum (shown from another garden section)
is to provide filler between the white and blooms of phlox, milkweed
and the lime hydrangea.

A row of three lavender crepe myrtles outside the cottage garden
provide shade for the new hydrangea
(inside the fence and away from the deer). June 28, 2012

Garden Benches Refreshed

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 18:01:00 +0000

Many, many years ago at a property that I no longer own, a neighboring farmer teased me when I was painting my old, weathered barn. He said "A little bit of powder, a little bit of paint will make it look like what it ain't."

It was true that the old barn had warped boards and a rusty metal roof. It needed more help than a coat of paint. Fortunately, my metal garden benches were showing only a bit of rust and faded color—easily remedied by a good scrubbing and a coat of fresh paint. After seven years in the garden, I was ready to use some color.

I bought the spray paint, Valspar® Satin Leafy Rise, as my color of choice. It's a pale green that looks so much cooler than the dark bronze of the cottage garden bench or the black of the gravel garden bench. I also painted a rusty metal plant stand and a pot.

I'll have a solid color deck stain mixed to match the benches to use on our two wooden bridges. One wooden bridge is in the cottage garden over the flowing stream and the other is over the dry stream in the gravel garden.

For the last few days and the last cool temperatures of June, we've enjoyed sitting on both benches. With temperatures soaring to above 105°F today and tomorrow, we won't be sitting outside on the benches again soon!

Cottage garden bench was painted from bronze to green.
The willow tree has matured over seven years. I removed a jasmine
from the stone fence column as well as two large shrubs on either side of the bench.
I've been replanting the areas with perennials and will finish the make-over in the fall.

The gravel garden bench was black (and rusty) before being painted.
I'm still using containers that I had on hand, but continue to look
for upgrades that I like (or paint all containers to match).
The lavender plants in the urns have just been trimmed and a
few annuals were added around the juniper.

Meadow Flowers Shine in Late Evening

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 01:58:00 +0000

The last rays of the sun shine on the willow at the end of lower path.
There is order to the path edging plants, but there are"wild" flower
pairings mixed in the rest of the deer resistant meadow garden.

1. Around 8:00 pm on a June evening in the deer resistant meadow garden.

When the summer sun heats up and the temperatures rise, the best time to walk through the garden is late evening. The light is soft and the true colors are easier to capture with the camera.

1. The purple spikes of meadow blazing star (liatris ligulistylis) are backlit by gold/yellow black-eyed susans (rudbeckia hirta). White shasta daisies (leucanthemum x superbum 'Alaska') truly shine in the low light of the fading sun. Wisps of feather grass (stipa) provide a backdrop for the tufted blooms of deep raspberry bee balm (monarda 'Raspberry Wine').

2. Different views provide different combinations in the mix of meadow flowers in the deer resistant gadren. Shasta daisies and susans sandwich the bee balm. Susans are sometimes nibbled by the deer when food is scarce or a mother doe stays close to her fawns and forages in the garden instead of the wild fields and woodlands. The rudbeckia hirta grow so fast that the rabbit damage is minimal compared to what they do to the rudbeckia fulgida!

3. Grey-headed coneflower's (ratibida pinnata) delicate drooping rays begin on stems so thin and straight. This native flower grows quite tall and I place hoops in the spring and allow the plant to grow up through the support to prevent leaning. The deer will unfortunately munch this plant, so I try to "bury" it among plants that they don't like.

2. Daisies, bee balm and susans.

3. The forming blooms of grey-headed coneflower (ratibida pinnata).

4. Coneflowers (echinacea) are allowed to self-sow in my garden. Since all are grown from seeds, the cross-pollination makes it difficult for me to provide the names of each bloom. I started with 'Ruby Star', 'Prairie Splendor' and 'Pow Wow Wild Berry' as well as the native echinacea pallida. While the deer have been relatively kind about not eating the coneflower, the rabbits will go after the plants when young and within reach. Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) is just beginning to bloom and is reliably deer and rabbit resistant.

5. Hummingbird mint (agastache 'Salmon & Pink') is just beginning to bloom while the raspberry blooms of yarrow (achillea 'Pomegranate') fades. These two are reliably deer and rabbit resistant, but many agastache cultivars can be short-lived. This particular variety is the oldest and hardiest in my garden, having been divided and transplanted so that I have several clumps in the meadow garden.

6. Another native, Mexican hat (ratibida columinfera) continues to thrill me with the unusual blooms. The deer still haven't bothered this favorite, so I'm encouraged. The blooms form so slowly, but they are fascinating all the while.

With the unseasonably cool and rainy June, the meadow garden has peaked weeks earlier than usual. Everything is blooming at once, but how long will it last? A mass planting in bloom...could it be a mess of plantings later?

4. Coneflowers in bright pink with grey foliage and light purple spires of Russian sage.

5. Agastache, fading yarrow blooms and bright coneflowers.

6. Mexican hat (ratibida columinfera) works well with susans.

The top of the deer resistant meadow garden...a mass planting or a mess?

Garden View from Street and Above

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 20:44:00 +0000

Left of house is west and driveway with entry gravel garden.
Right is east with the red/white and orange/yellow flowers.
Front is south-facing with 2 acres of open meadow grass.
There is no garden in the back (north) as our woods (2.5 acres) come up to the back deck.

Paved driveway (west) ends in the gravel entry garden.

The gravel entry garden is the first thing a visitor sees when arriving. There is sufficient space for a car to park in front of the bench. In a few years, the dwarf Burford 'nana' hollies will create a hedge to separate the gravel garden from our concrete parking area for our garage. A large oakleaf holly and a crepe myrtle flank the bench area. A row of rosemary lines the opposite side of the gravel parking space.

The gravel entry garden along the front of the garage wall.

From the gravel parking area, a hedge of hollies line the garage wall. The arched bridge crosses the dry stream to the meadow grass. A crepe myrtle on the lower right is underplanted with dusty miller and sedum. A ground-level birdbath is not shown from this window shot. Crepe myrtle, nepeta, buddleia, monarda, amsonia and salvia greggii are planted in the gravel garden.

The flagstone path splits.
One goes into the cottage garden and to the front porch.
The other goes to the right along the front
deer resistant meadow garden.

Perennial scutellaria suffrutescens 'Texas Rose' and thyme are planted as ground cover at the base of the right stone column at the garden gate. Just inside the gate, along the fence, I'm redoing this narrow strip. My project is on hold due to ground bee nests! I pulled out nigella and was fortunate not to be stung. On the outside front of the fence, three more crepe myrtles and carissa hollies are growing in the gravel and that is why the flagstone is pushed to the right in the deer resistant garden. We are leaving space for the trees and shrubs to mature.

Larger round decorative rock is used on the horseshoe-shaped
cottage garden path (only half visible here).

In the cottage garden, the flagstone goes to the porch while rounded, small rock is used on the loop around the front and back of the running stream.

I recently planted a new narrow strip (right of bench) of phlox 'David', asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet', hydrangea 'Little Lime', geranium 'Rosanne', sweet alyssum, hardy ageratum and annual polka-dot plant. I removed two shrub roses that were no longer receiving sufficient sun as the trees are maturing.

I also removed a jasmine from the stone column behind the bench. It had begun to be nearly uncontrollable as the willow limbs provided a place to climb. I have plans to extend the narrow strip around the corner behind the bench to fill space where the jasmine was removed.

A few days ago, I spray painted the rusting bronze metal bench and a small iron table to a light green. There are false agave in the matching concrete urns (stained light green). I'd like to stain the bridge, but I'm having trouble finding a deck stain in light green and hesitate to use paint since we walk on this bridge so many times each day.

I'm redoing the corner, having painted the bench and changed out
the plantings on either side while removing a jasmine from behind the bench.

Cross the cottage garden bridge and open the gable gate
to the secret patio waterfall garden. A bistro table and chairs
aren't showing up in the photos, but this is the perfect spot for
morning coffee or evening wine.

The waterfall patio garden is now totally secluded since we built it in 2005. With all of my sunny gardens of blooms, the focus of this garden is foliage. There are three containers of heuchera, heucherella and tiarella and a planter of trailing tiarella and a pulmonaria. A hanging basket includes another heuchera and purple heart. Gold creeping jenny softens the rocks along the stream bank.

Variegated carex are still going on one side of the waterfall, while those planted on the other side are getting shaded out. This will require a re-do in the future. Calla lilies grow in the waterfall. The large green trees are cryptomeria and there are gold mops on the right side across the stream.

Not possible to photo from above is yet another patio, sunken lower to the left that has a large teak dining table. Just as well not to photo as we're redoing the gardens there as the curly willow and sweet bay magnolia are now mature. In other words, I'm not showing you the weeds! With a theme of fragrance from white blooms—other plants surrounding that patio include butterfly ginger, jasmine, gardenia and osmanthus fragrans.

The east deer resistant garden (couldn't be photographed from house) has been undergoing renovation this year with wider paths and a gravel section. Sun-loving plants have been moved from beneath the willow to open areas. There are two color scheme gardens here—a red/white garden and a yellow/orange garden. There is much yet to do beneath the willow and back to the dining patio. Those projects will be tackled in the fall or in spring 2013.

East side deer resistant garden of red/white and yellow/orange...and a lot of green.

A Staggering Japanese Iris Vignette

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 19:50:00 +0000

Iris ensata. June 2012

Although I always dread the fall chore of digging up big clumps of Japanese iris every three years, I must admit that doing so opens the opportunity to try different vignettes.

The purple Japanese iris (tag long gone and so it is unknown) is a great bloomer. With my last division of this iris, I planted it graduated—or staggered—up a slope rather than on the same level. My logic was that each clump grows quickly and by planting each divided piece up the slope instead of grouped on the same level, I could hopefully extend the number of years before needing to divide again.

Was the resulting design a "staggering" achievement or defeat?

Overhead view of the "staggered" planting.

Path view of the staggered planting on the slope.
Combination includes:
Foreground: spirea, Japanese blood grass, hardy ageratum.
Middle: echinacea foliage, shasta blooms.
Beside irises: monarda foliage, nigella seed pods, white iris blooms.

The staggered planting adds to the layers of foliage, flowers and even seed pods as the garden fluxes with different bloom times of the surrounding plants. In such a large garden, I have to rely upon foliage that looks good throughout the growing season.

I'm particularly fond of the deep purple striped seed pods of nigella damascena 'Miss Jekyll Blue' (love-in-a-mist) and lacy foliage with the purple iris blooms.

The monarda and echinacea foliage provide wider leaves, while the Japanese blood grass foliage is pointed and echoes the deeper red from the spirea. The frilly foliage of spirea and ageratum keeps the mass of from looking the same with the gold and bright green colors.

This is a large section of garden, so there are many more perennial players to the sides as well as up and down the slope. The month of June, everything changes so quickly. The blooms of Japanese iris last only a short time, but the long, pointed foliage can be easily blended into the garden.

If you want to grow iris ensata (Japanese iris), the perennials are suitable for zones 4-9 in mostly full sun with moist, acidic soil. Deer will occasionally pick the blooms, but not bother with the foliage. The rabbit will sometimes eat the points of the foliage when it first emerges in spring. Neither has damaged the plants enough to discourage me from using the irises in the deer resistant meadow garden or the gravel garden.

Stepping back from the nearest-companions from the left view.
Evening light casts a blue tone.

Looking at the iris another way (right side),
the wide green foliage of persicaria amplexicaulis 'Firetail'
and deep purple eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate'.
Narrow green foliage of asclepias incarnata is front left.

After the iris blooms are gone (right-side view), the foliage
blends into the deer resistant meadow garden. Full sun casts amber light.

The Red and White Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 21:32:00 +0000

OVERVIEW: Red and white garden, straight ahead, left.
Orange and yellow garden on the near left by a new path cut-through.
Green shrubbery (osmanthus fragrans and hollies) on the right. June 2012

The "red" in my "red and white garden" is delivered through monarda 'Jacob Cline' along with a mass planting of bright red salvia greggii, crocosmia 'Lucifer'. The red salvia blooms first, followed by the monarda, then the crocosmia.

The white daisies are planted uphill and for now, provide most of the "white" in this garden. Note: A yellow-blooming St. John's Wort shrub (left of the bench) provides the axis between the "red and white garden" and the "orange and yellow garden." The yellow centers of the daisies tie in with the yellow blooms of the shrub.

Up the hill: White shasta daisies sown from seeds provide
contrast to the red monarda 'Jacob Cline'. June 2012

View from lower path: The blade foliage of crocosmia 'Lucifer' is surrounded by
monarda 'Jacob Cline. June 2012

Monarda is a favorite hummingbird feeder! June 2012.

Salvia greggii 'Navajo Bright Red' in lower left corner
bloomed again on June 11. Post updated to add photo.

Not yet in bloom is a recently-planted persicaria polymorpha that will provide white blooms in future years. I'm very excited about the giant fleeceflower and hope the white blooms will be in synch with the monarda. I've coveted this plant, having seen it used in several vignettes on Nan Ondra's Hayefield blog. I tried this perennial in 2010, but it couldn't get established in our drought with 90 days over 90 degrees. This year, we've had plenty of rain and cool temperatures and the fleeceflower has quadrupled in size since being planted in early May.

A eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate' and asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet' are also in the mix for foliage and additional white blooms. The 'Chocolate' should mature between four and five feet in a few years, making more of an impact with the red monarda.

Gaillardia, nigella and perennial hardy ageratum 'Wayside' (eupatorium coelestinum name has likely changed) have been allowed to free-range as ground-cover at the feet of the monarda and I pull out these to adjust the vignette.

A few of my Japanese iris had to be divided last fall, so I stuck those in as well. The divided sections haven't bloomed this year, so I don't know if I was lucky enough to transplant white 'Mt. Fuji' or if I moved purple! Time will tell and I'll adjust accordingly as I've now marked my white bloomers in the deer resistant meadow garden!

Deer will occasionally nip the iris blooms during the birthing season. This typically happens when a doe wants to stay close to her fawn and rather than going out to forage with the herd, the mother forages in my garden. The damage is usually minimal and I must admit that after seeing the fawns up close, sometimes sleeping in my garden during the day, I tend to forgive the damage.

Even though this is a section of the deer resistant garden, I've created color vignettes here that set it apart from what I call my "deer resistant meadow garden" that is located after a left turn at the big willow.

Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate' was recently added
(primarily for the foliage), but will bloom white.
Gaillardia (in bloom), nigella (seed pod top left),
eupatorium colestrium 'Wayside' (will bloom blue),
are allowed to self-sow. June 2012.

Step back and imagine eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate' taller
and blooming white with the monarda 'Jacob Cline'. June 2012

Green/white striped Miscanthus 'Cosmopolitan'
needs another year to make a good show. June 2012

A green/white variegated miscanthus 'Cosmopolitan' and spring-blooming white itea 'Little Henry' are other white plants. The itea has finished blooming and the miscanthus, a division of my larger original, should be more noticeable when it grows up next year.

An osmanthus fragrans, another white-blooming shrub is on the right side of the bench. I keep this one pruned to a lower height than the "wall" of osmanthus on the right side of path. When the osmanthus blooms, usually three times a year, the fragrance is glorious!

Red and white—I like the contrast and look forward to the future to see if this design still pleases when all the players add their roles in the color scheme.

Native Wildflower Ratibida Columnifera Repels Deer?

noreply@blogger.com (Freda Cameron) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Ratibida columnifera
(Mexican hat, upright prairie coneflower, thimbleflower) with
Santolina pinnata (green Lavender cotton) in the background. June 2012

Debuting in my deer resistant meadow garden this year is the US native wildflower, ratibida columnifera, commonly called Mexican hat. According to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center database, the foliage of this native has a strong smell that repels deer. But wait—there's a catch! The same database says that deer will eat this flower. Hmm...

Currently growing beside my open meadow where the deer congregate each night for slumber parties, there's nary a nibble so far. I've not detected an offensive smell—but I'm not a deer!

The height at this point is just over two feet, but with the see-through quality of the airy foliage, it works well at the edge of the garden.

I'm sharing photos before the entire plant is at peak bloom because I'm so excited over the flowers—and in case the deer do decide to nibble the blooms! Slowly, the cones are fuzzing up and I anticipate that this native will bloom for months. Ratibida is a nectar source for bees and butterflies.

Being cautious with my experiment, I sowed the seeds in the driest part of my garden. According to the information on this plant, it can spread aggressively and crowd out other plants. This drought-tolerant plant can also handle moist locations.

I adore the rich chocolate-maroon drooping rays on the ratibida petals. My test plant is growing with rudbeckia hirta, gaillardia and santolina pinnata. I think the rudbeckia yellow complements the yellow scalloped edging on the ratibida the best, so I may go with those two in future meadow plantings—as long as the deer don't eat the blooms!

Ratibida columnifera in combination with other seed-sown flowers,
rudbeckia hirta (right) and gaillardia (left)