Gardener's Roost

Wordless Wednesday - Taken By Storm

2012-01-25T21:48:00.000-08:00

To view more Wordless Wednesday images from around the world,

please click here.

I hope you are all safe and sound, whatever your view!

~Aerie-el

Skywatch Friday - Sunrises near Seattle

2012-01-06T10:22:00.000-08:00

A beautiful, cool, serene sunrise on Dec 22, 2011

There is a sliver of the moon in the upper left corner.
Please click on any image to enlarge it.

One hour later, these crystal beauties came to light.

And then came 2012.

January 2, 2012

January 4, 2012

For more Skywatch Friday images from around the globe,

please click here.

Wishing all of you a happy and healthy 2012!

~Aerie-el

Skywatch Friday - From coast to coast

2011-12-02T08:53:00.000-08:00

Travel has been my middle name lately;

it gives me an opportunity to take more photos.

Here are some images of the November sun

setting on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Below are some from the west coast,

sunrise to sunset...

Please click here

to enjoy links to other images from across the globe

at Skywatch Friday.

~Aerie-el

October SAGBUTT at Soos Creek Botanical Gardens

2011-11-11T10:17:00.000-08:00

Seattle Area Garden Bloggers United To Talk (SAGBUTT)

met at Soos Creek Botanical Gardens

one chilly morning in October.

Some of the group couldn't make it because of illness,

some due to children's sports games, or scheduling conflicts,

but three of us did, and were treated to an intimate tour of the SCBG by the owner.

SAGBUTT signature pose

Please stroll with us on our tour;

documented below
with lots of pictures
and very few words.

Ever wonder what a snapshot of a fall in the forest would look like?

Wonder no more.

Hydrangea aspera leaves--HUGE!

The Acer Yvonne dubbed a VW Bug

Morris called this the Snake Bark tree.

Does anyone know the botanical name?

'Squid' rose hips

Trachelium blooms

Gunnera, orb, and SAGBUTT member

Next SAGBUTT gathering is scheduled for

November 20, 2011, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.,

at The Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle.

Come join us, won't you?

~Aerie-el

Egads, Ghosts?

2011-10-17T21:28:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year, and I'm getting into the spirit of things

by taking a departure from my 'normal' blog post by

participating in the Blog Carnival:

True Spooks 2011: True Ghost Stories

organized by Tui of Mental Mosaic.

My next post will be back to 'normal', and feature a tour of

Soos Creek Botanical Gardens in Auburn, Washington,

where some of the members of

Seattle Area Garden Bloggers United To Talk (SAGBUTT)

enjoyed a docent-led tour this past weekend.

Without further ado, let's get to some supernatural talk!

My story begins in
The House on Elm Street

I'd say I was between 8 and 10 years old, when this happened to me.
I wouldn't call it a 'ghost sighting' but more an encounter with the other side.
We had moved into a 100-year-old home on Elm Street in a small quaint town in Massachusetts.
The house was HUGE and had lots of nooks and crannies to explore,
especially as a curious young kid.
Spider webs, bugs, critters, mud, nothing deterred the inquisitive spirit.

Home alone with only my Mom one day, I was on the 3rd floor (attic) exploring and I spotted a thick book up on a high shelf in one of the closets in one of the bedrooms there. I grabbed a ladder, climbed up, and gingerly lifted the book from the shelf and carried it down the ladder. I rested it on one of the steps and examined the aging leather-bound cover. It was a Bible, with a print date of 1833.

The book today

As I flipped it open, I found an old photo, a Daguerrotype image, of a family--a man, woman, and 2 children. Since moving into the house, I had wondered about the people who had lived there before us, and thought that these were the people. I was so excited about this discovery and of course I wanted to share it with my Mom. However, I wanted her to see how I found the book and its contents, exactly.

Today

So I gingerly placed the book back where I originally found it. I ran downstairs and as I barely contained my excitement, I shouted, "Mom, come up here and see what I found!" She immediately joined me and we went back up to the attic together, proceeding to the closet where the newly found 'treasure' was located. I climbed up the ladder, carefully removed the book, and showed it to her. I told her about the photo as I opened the Bible to show it to her. To my surprise, it was no longer there. We then looked all around the closet, even lifting floorboards to see if the photo had slipped between the cracks. That day, and for years after, I continued to look for the photo, but it has never been found.

The attic window

That was the first of many unexplained occurrences
that I recall experiencing in The House on Elm Street.

And here is a sample of what we found at Soos Creek Botanical Gardens:

both an orb (maybe?) and a giant Gunnera next to Yvonne.

Wordless Wednesday - Autumn Orange Rhodie Blooms

2011-10-05T07:48:00.000-07:00

For more Wordless Wednesday images from around the world,

please click here.

~Aerie-el

Through the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh

2011-09-23T02:04:00.000-07:00

A few words and more images of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh,
taken August 31, 2011...

A welcoming path

Striking colors

Female monkey puzzle tree

Click here: Araucaria araucana

or here for more information.

Male monkey puzzle tree

(as identified by docent)

Pretty in purple-pink

Endangered plant bed

No snacking here

Poppy and ...I thought this pollinator looked different

from most of those I see in the US Pacific Northwest.

Pretty poppies against a lovely sky that day

Example of cover crops or green manures

Rather formal lines, no?

Bright, bold colors

More splashes of color coordinated

Glass house--look at the top right.
Do you see the palm that has almost outgrown its space?

The docent said it may be moving next year.

Where fish swim and gunnera grow

Eryngium giganteum
Click here to read more about how it came to be known as
Miss Willmott's Ghost.

Sea of Crocosmia 'lucifer', looking as if reaching towards something,
or just blowing in the wind.

First of the fall bulbs shining brightly.

And I wanted to throw in this image because

I thought it was a perfect example of perfect pruning cuts.

Beautiful!

Pruning...the perfect segue...

to explain that for this post
I've drastically pruned down the number of images displayed

compared with the number I took at the Gardens.
I know. You're shocked, right?

Okay, maybe not!

So, fair warning! Don't be surprised if more pop up in a future post.

Until next time!

Happy Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere
and Happy Spring to those in the Southern!

~Aerie-el

Wordless Wednesday - arriving at Oz

2011-09-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

Was it a dream?

Or was it really Oz?

For more Wordless Wednesday images from across the globe, click here.

~Aerie-el

Edinburgh Botanical Gardens - Garden Art

2011-09-17T12:11:00.000-07:00

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh was pure joy to visit.

There was a fundraiser exhibit going on when I was there,

and it included sculptures (one of which was in my previous post)
of endangered species.

The sculptures were designed, decorated, adorned with artistic flair and touches,

by various artists to help awareness about endangered species

and to raise money via high profile

charity auctions for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

100% of the net proceeds go directly to conservation programs.

Here are a few of those sculptures, which fascinated young and old alike.

Click on the images to see more detail.

Below are two sculptures done by another artist, whose work was on display.

These pieces were not part of the upcoming WWF auction events.

I looked online to see if they had the name of the artist, but I could not find the info on the website.

Update: A kind volunteer at the Gardens wrote me that the artist's name is Thomas Houseago.

'Legs'

In the Queen Mother's Memorial Garden, there is a stone Pavilion.

Inside, the walls are lined with shells and stones
that school children collected from the Scottish coast.

The ceiling is made up of cones from conifers

all over the world where the Queen Mother visited.

And there is a simply lovely dedication plaque.

Should you get tired from walking the nearly 70 acres of grounds, there are plenty of places to sit. Even the benches were tastefully, artistically designed.

The foyer of the main entry building was eco-friendly

and built with plants and people in mind.

The stairway was made of sustainable wood,

and the ceiling baffles (the green thing at the top of the image)

were designed based on the tissue appearance

of a cross-section of a dissected plant.

Here's a better view...

Thanks for sharing this walk through the garden art

at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Edinburgh.

Next time, instead of seeing plant cross-section-inspired designs,

we'll see plants in garden designs!

~Aerie-el

Wordless Wednesday - Walkers Shortbread

2011-09-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

Click here to see more Wordless Wednesday posts from around the world.

~Aerie-el

P.S. More about this sculpture display in my post on 9/17/2011.

Wordless Wednesday - Edinburgh Relaxing

2011-09-07T07:43:00.000-07:00

Click on the image to see more detail

Click here for more Wordless Wednesday around the globe.

~Aerie-el

EDI TRIP PIX 1

2011-09-05T15:34:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a fantastically fun trip to Edinburgh Scotland.

I took about a million images,
so I will whittle them down to a reasonable number to share with you.

Welcome to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

and to St Giles Cathedral

Inside St Giles Cathedral

Fringe street performer

outside St Giles Cathedral

Rapt crowd observing...

The grand finale!

Fringe act drumming up business

After walking the Fringe,

it was time to catch a 360-degree view of the city from Calton Hill.

Columns on Calton Hill

The Nelson Monument

Calton Hill from hotel roof

Plenty more to come, including the
incredible Edinburgh Botanical Gardens.
In the meantime, please enjoy this blend of bagpipes and rock and roll:

Until next time,

~Aerie-el

SAGBUTT prevents B-LOC

2011-08-27T08:15:00.000-07:00

Seattle Area Garden Bloggers United To Talk (SAGBUTT)

prevents Boredom-induced-Loss-of-Consciousness (B-LOC)

This unforgettable acronym for our garden blogging group
was coined in jest by Karen, whose blog is Greenwalks.

Much to her surprise, the group voted to adopt it and it stuck.

The inspiration and plan came together for us 'virtual friends'

to meet in person for the first time on Feb 7, 2009

to share ideas, tips, and recommendation on blogging, plants,

nurseries and just about anything and everything.

Thanks to Melanthia of Garden Muse,

this month we reconvened after a bit of a hiatus.

As with any group, some people couldn't attend~

~Karen, we missed you and the others!~

but many did gather: Melanthia, of course, hosted;

Alison of Bonney Lassie; Catherine of A Gardener in Progress;

Julia of Polka Dot Galoshes; Molly of Life on Tiger Mountain;

Paula of Petunia's Garden; and Yvonne

came together for the day to visit and share.

After touring Melanthia's wonderful gardens, visiting with each other,

the chickens, dogs, and family;

after supping (actually 'lunching'~I can make up words too, GW!)

and sipping while resting in the warm sun on her deck,

we ventured out for some 'official' garden tours.

This house and garden were on the drive to Ciscoe's garden

As mentioned in my previous post, we'll venture forward,

covering One Garden At a Time (OGAT),

today viewing Ciscoe Morris' gardens.

Some of my fellow SAGBUTTs have already posted about this,

so be sure to visit their blogs to read more and see their amazing images.

This little bat fascinated many of us.
Who wouldn't want one of these in their garden?

Cute flowering cacti were grouped together.

They looked so soft you wanted to touch,
but you knew if you did, you'd say OUCH!

This one reminded me of a bird with downy feathers,
or maybe a baby penguin slouching with a small crown on its head.
Do you see it? Okay, maybe it's just my wild imagination!

DUDE!

Eryngium

Pretty flower, no?

Can you see the fountain?

Physocarpus - Ninebark

Acer griseum - Paperbark maple

Tomato plant with companions

Click on the image to see the yellow jacket on the water's surface

Color explosion

Busy bee

I took all these images during a Northwest Horticultural Society (NHS)

members-only tour of the NHS Board Members' gardens.

Northwest Horticultural Society has a Facebook page here.

That's about it, so until the next OGAT -

Happy Gardening!

~Aerie-el

Wordless Wednesday - Tigridia Times

2011-08-24T09:14:00.000-07:00

Click here for more Wordless Wednesday

images from around the world.

~Aerie-el

B-LOC prevention = OGAT

2011-08-22T17:05:00.000-07:00

Oh, my, my, my, have I ever been away for a long time

from posting a proper blurb for the blog.

My excuse: it's finally, really, summer in Seattle and

gardens, nurseries, and plants beckon from all directions.

So for your own safety and to prevent any

B-LOC (Boredom-induced-Loss-Of-Consciousness)

I've decided to address this problem OGAT (One Garden At a Time).

So please, tighten your seat belt, sit back, relax,
and enjoy the journey, OGAT.

Let's begin in the south, venturing to the Seed Company and gardens surrounding it,

of a most gracious and knowledgeable host, Ed Hume.

One of the youngsters on the tour

was kind enough to model her red shoes;

the lettuce was proof that

home is where you're planted~intentionally or not!

A topiary canoe and paddler in the distance

seemed to follow the fish on their travels,

flanked by plants and containers along the way.

Primulus denticulata, aka drumstick primose

with begonias and hostas.

A Close Up of the Drumsticks

Primula vialii, aka Pagoda Primrose

After seeing these two primroses in Ed's garden,

they were added to my 'must have' list of plants.

I found the 'drumstick' pretty easily, but the Pagoda, nada.

McLendon's told me they may get some in during January or February.

The veggie garden is a beautiful productive place.

Much of the produce is donated to a program,
Plant a Row for the Hungry, or PAR for short.

The food goes to help feed people in the area
who might otherwise go to bed hungry.

You can read more about this here.

Above is a ginormous radish from the vegetable garden.

(That's a 16 oz cup next to it.)

Ed Hume's blog is here. Don't just read the blog posts,
check out some of the great links listed on the sidebar too.

Next up, SAGBUTT meeting and garden outing,
hopefully a sure bet to keep away B-LOC via OGAT!

~Aerie-el

Wordless Wednesday - Pretty Pink Poppies

2011-08-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

'Tah-dah!'

Click here for more Wordless Wednesday images from around the world.

~Aerie-el

Skywatch Friday - Moon Birds

2011-08-12T16:50:00.000-07:00

The moon has been for the birds these past few evenings.

Cedar waxwings

Click here to enjoy more Skywatch Friday images from around the world.

~Aerie-el

Wordless Wednesday - Sedum Scenes

2011-08-10T12:29:00.000-07:00

Click here for more Wordless Wednesday images from around the world.

~Aerie-el

Wordless Wednesday - When Flowers Attract

2011-08-03T08:13:00.000-07:00

Click here for more Wordless Wednesday.

~Aerie-el

Wordless Wednesday - Confused clucker?

2011-07-27T10:28:00.000-07:00

Click here for more Wordless Wednesday.

~Aerie-el

Skywatch Friday - Lavender and sedum skies

2011-07-22T23:10:00.000-07:00

Click here for more Skywatch Friday photos.

~Aerie-el

Wordless Wednesday - Crocosmia 'Lucifer'

2011-07-20T07:43:00.000-07:00

Click here for more Wordless Wednesday.

~Aerie-el

Wordless Wednesday - Lupine Lane 2011

2011-07-13T14:30:00.000-07:00

Too many aphids...

...for a lone lady beetle's diet.

Click here for more Wordless Wednesday.

~Aerie-el

Wordless Wednesday - Summer arrived on July 4th

2011-07-06T13:49:00.000-07:00

Click here for more Wordless Wednesday.

~Aerie-el

Garden Tour in Seattle neighborhood

2011-06-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

It's the Garden Tour time of year here in the Pacific Northwest--hooray!

I recently went on the Lake Forest Park Secret Garden tour.

I asked at each garden if it was okay to take photographs,

and they all graciously said yes, so I snapped away.

Please enter here:

What do you think of the pruning on this English laurel?

The use of various types of grasses was like artwork.

And then there was some beautiful garden art...

The birdhouses and containers were art,

beautifully enhancing each other and each area.

I wonder if I could make one like this above,

and not have it weigh a ton because I used too much concrete?

There were lovely little places to sit and reflect...

How clever is this (above)?

I may not be able to make the birdhouse,

but I bet I could make a chair like this!

I want this container.

Okay, not THIS container, but one like it.

Anyone know where one could find one?

Here are two pictures of a garden on the tour that reminded me

of Butchart Gardens in Vancouver, B.C.

Some gardens had small houses in their gardens.

This one was for the 'girls'.

I want chickens.

Maybe next year if I don't need to travel as much.

At one point we gathered to view...

Goats!

No, I don't want goats, even though they are good

at taking care of those pesky blackberry bushes.

Here's a closeup of that sweet bearded face.

Two final floral photos and we're done on this tour.

I wonder if this is how insects see these flowers?

Until next time,

Happy gardening and garden touring!

~Aerie-el