tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138660562012-01-16T22:19:41.787-05:00GardenSpiritsmatterings about soil and soulLinda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-15801491918295184362010-08-07T15:17:00.002-04:002010-08-07T15:23:34.948-04:002010-08-07T15:23:34.948-04:00Raccoons love tomatesThey look so cute - little furry creatures with dark masks and ringed tails. But they are INFURIATING little critters!!!!!There is at least one raccoon hanging around my garden - you know, the one that is fenced 7 1/2 feet tall to keep the deer out - and he/she has wreaked havoc this year on (in order of disappearance) 1) strawberries 2) grapes 3) tomatoes 4)whatever is next on his/her dinner Linda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-55723298385309127092010-06-25T09:47:00.003-04:002010-06-25T09:52:58.218-04:002010-06-25T09:52:58.218-04:00Astilbe in bloomI know I need to keep a garden log so I know when things are blooming - then I could plan for planting next year, right? But I am usually surprised by blooms, with the exception of daffodils and crocus.So today, June 25, 2010, the wispy astilbe are starting to bloom. They last only a blink so I try to enjoy them every day. The pale pink spears almost don't qualify as blooms. No individual flowersLinda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-65995681937820739482010-06-13T07:59:00.004-04:002010-06-13T08:20:56.371-04:002010-06-13T08:20:56.371-04:00Planting in the darkI planted green beans in the dark last night.For fervent gardeners like me, it was a no-brainer.I had already uncovered one of my raised beds (yes, yes, I know I shouldn't use black plastic in my organic veggies but I hate weeds), started to turn over the dirt, got distracted and never quite made it back to the garden to plant that silly bed.Then, late in the day, it rained. Rained on my open bedLinda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-24888699792801047702009-05-10T08:18:00.003-04:002009-05-10T17:36:58.994-04:002009-05-10T17:36:58.994-04:00Rhodies are at it again...I can never remember the exact time my luscious pink rhododendron likes to bloom, but, apparently it's early May!Over the past few days, the tight buds have swollen, burst open and unfolded fat fluffy blossom that look good enough to eat!I took pictures of one bloom as it uncurled itself over two or three days and look at it now!No clue what the cultivar might be, but I think I'll name it: Pale Linda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-38372734684548125432009-03-21T07:10:00.004-04:002009-03-21T07:24:50.554-04:002009-03-21T07:24:50.554-04:00Obama's organic veggiesGrow veggies on the White house lawn?All I can say is: "It's about time."As an organic veggie gardener for more than 30 years, I'm delighted that the Obama family has decided to "eat the view." A wide expanse of the brilliant green lawn will be tore out, amended appropriately to enrich the soil and more than 55 varieties of vegetables will be planted.Michelle Obama promises that Sasha and Malia Linda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-49288915689664150662008-12-31T08:02:00.001-05:002008-12-31T08:02:44.877-05:002008-12-31T08:02:44.877-05:00Picking up Victor from Duke Hospital this morning - he needed IV antibiotics for his CF. He's a trooper.Linda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-23161161286111701712008-12-30T17:10:00.001-05:002008-12-30T17:10:51.817-05:002008-12-30T17:10:51.817-05:00Um...the battery was dead on the van today. Called AAA, got it charged, left it running to recharge. Forgot it for SIX HOURS. ADDiva moment!Linda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-87894765157567658162008-12-29T17:18:00.002-05:002008-12-29T17:23:47.888-05:002008-12-29T17:23:47.888-05:00Greenhouse in 2009!I can barely contain myself -- I ordered a greenhouse that will be delivered after the first of the year! A GREENHOUSE!I have yearned for a greenhouse since I was a sophomore at Michigan State taking "Horticulture for Non-majors" and fell in love with that loamy, fresh smell inside the glass houses. Even though I have had gardens and more gardens since then, I have always pooh-poohed the idea of Linda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-85770830669416802222008-12-29T15:07:00.001-05:002008-12-29T17:29:06.583-05:002008-12-29T17:29:06.583-05:00Worked in a.m. with my organizer Erica to clean GardenSpirit garage and voila! Started rearranging the INSIDE too. Ah, my distracted mind...Linda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-59199297998085524482008-11-13T10:27:00.003-05:002008-11-13T10:49:54.962-05:002008-11-13T10:49:54.962-05:00Autumn at GardenSpiritCamellias.Until I moved to North Carolina, I'd never really known much about them.Now they are my favorite fall bloom. And winter bloom. And early spring bloom.These gorgeous puffy flowers started blooming two weeks ago - Snowstorm, I believe is the name of the cultivar - with double white frothy flowers sprinkled in between the rich glossy green leaves. Ah.... it makes me want to to look at themLinda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-69245487334334560142008-05-10T00:23:00.001-04:002008-05-10T00:24:41.144-04:002008-05-10T00:24:41.144-04:00GardenSpirit video tour Linda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-82565864097962299832008-03-21T03:21:00.000-04:002008-03-21T03:22:59.720-04:002008-03-21T03:22:59.720-04:00Genesis of GardenSpirit revealedFinding me, finding youBy Linda Roggli ©2006I had everything a successful entrepreneur could ask for: a corner office with big windows that offered a view of the treetops, national awards on the wall, great employees and happy clients. So why did I cry every morning on the drive to work, dry my tears in the parking lot, paste on a smile and steel myself for another day? The “stuck-ness” of life Linda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-61873526195378703572007-07-02T11:48:00.001-04:002007-07-02T12:02:21.787-04:002007-07-02T12:02:21.787-04:00Baby birds and lots of guiltHow could I have done that?How could I not have known?How could I have drowned a helpless baby wren?It was an accident, that's for sure. But I still feel just awfu about it. I even hate to talk about it. But I will, if nothing more than to honor his or her short life. I want to cry.I was watering the newbie plants and flowers in the front yard at GardenSpirit this morning. I'd been there since Linda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-13097806987633212302007-06-11T12:44:00.001-04:002008-03-18T00:41:05.940-04:002008-03-18T00:41:05.940-04:00The blueberry warsI like birds, really I do.There are more than 25 bird feeders and birdhouse on the GardenSpirit Garden Retreat property.But when they start harvesting my blueberries, I tend to get a bit, well, defensive.All year, I tuck fertilizer around the roots of the bushes that line the fence at the front of my property - the sunniest place in the entire 7 acres. In the spring, tiny pink-white blooms peekLinda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-56651652377784121162007-05-20T09:52:00.000-04:002007-05-20T10:17:19.679-04:002007-05-20T10:17:19.679-04:00Memorial Day retreat for women"Coming into full bloom - renewing that wild, wonderful woman inside"May 26 - 28, 2007 (Saturday - Monday) Memorial Day weekendGardenSpirit GuesthouseDurham, North CarolinaLet yourself BLOOM into the amazing and magnificent woman you always thought you'd be. Live up to your own expectations - even better, change your expectations to live up to YOU! Join a group of women who are on the path to Linda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-4980955528613706232007-02-24T11:33:00.000-05:002008-12-08T22:15:32.869-05:002008-12-08T22:15:32.869-05:00Snoopy factorWhen people come to GardenSpirit Guesthouse for the first time, they usually "ooh" and "aah" about how the house is full of softness. There are soft pillows, fuzzy rugs that feel like blankets, blankets that feel like the softest fur imaginable (but no real fur, I swear), extra plush mattresses, fluffy towels. It's like living in a pillow - exactly as I intended. Cozy, safe, cocoon-like and....Linda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-60458294557711281572007-02-15T04:40:00.000-05:002007-05-07T20:00:40.448-04:002007-05-07T20:00:40.448-04:00Murder on the bridgeThe massive red-shouldered hawk was perched calmly on the broad rails of the wooden bridge that crosses the creek at GardenSpirit. I watched in fascination as a squirrel darted across the bridge and several small birds swooped in to land on the new bird feeders I had erected in the back yard.There was something wrong. Didn't those little creatures understand the danger posed by the hawk? Get outLinda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-45493518148528280052006-10-14T21:16:00.000-04:002006-10-23T05:50:03.425-04:002006-10-23T05:50:03.425-04:00DecadenceAhhhh...It is finally finished. The deck at GardenSpirt, I mean.And the hot tub that inspired it is also fnished -- finally moved into place, filled with water, heated to just the right temperature (101 degrees F. to be exact)and crystal clear.It was time for a test drive...er, swim...er, soak.And it was all about decadence.It started with my sugar craving last night. Not only did I buy a coconutLinda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-1158837410524637092006-09-21T06:38:00.000-04:002006-10-04T08:00:02.470-04:002006-10-04T08:00:02.470-04:00Hot concrete"Can your guy be there at noon?" The man on the phone from Chandler Concrete was as pleasant as he'd been the first four times I had re-scheduled the delivery of a yard – no, make that two yards – of concrete. By then, the square-ish box of pressure treated wood will be ready to accept the squishy grey mud. Randy Bledsoe. has been working on it since Monday, making sure that the dirt at the Linda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-1156513057685225842006-08-25T09:20:00.000-04:002006-08-27T08:07:11.616-04:002006-08-27T08:07:11.616-04:00Color my worldPaint chips litter my kitchen table, my mind, even my dreams. I'm trying to figure out the wall colors for the Guesthouse and I'm ready to, uh ... climb the walls.There is a tiny bit of urgency to make these decisions, since the painters are coming next week (or sooner, if they finish up their current job early). I know that the woodwork and kitchen cabinets will be painted white. But I'm not a Linda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-1156255735969903972006-08-22T09:54:00.000-04:002006-08-27T07:59:22.246-04:002006-08-27T07:59:22.246-04:00Birth announcement - GardenSpirit GuesthouseWell, I did it.I made my dream come true.I just kept walking towards it and I'll be darned if it didn't just open up like a little flower and invite me to take a whiff.OK, I will stop being oblique and get to it:I bought retreat property! Ta-da!My five-year dream has been to open a women's garden retreat center. The vision was really clear: Frank Lloyd Wright kind of simplicity, heart of pine Linda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-1158838047832660792006-08-21T07:20:00.000-04:002006-10-14T21:42:28.828-04:002006-10-14T21:42:28.828-04:00Reshaping GardenSpiritIt took only one, frustrating experience of mowing the steep slopes at GardenSpirit for me to call Keith Anderson, landscaper and Bobcat Operator Extraordinaire, and beg for help.We walked the grounds, talked about options. Then I disappeared for a week at my beach retreat at Emerald Isle. When I returned,the landscape had been altered dramatically.The hilly back yard with its two towering trees Linda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-1131204546141450422005-11-05T09:36:00.000-05:002007-06-11T12:46:44.254-04:002007-06-11T12:46:44.254-04:00October okraAn okra virginI’ve been a southern gardener for nearly 20 years now, but I’ve never grown okra. There’s an unspoken rule in my garden: I only grow veggies I like to eat. And though I’ve sampled fried okra and eaten it in gumbo, I’ve never developed a passion for it. So okra has never graced the hallowed beds of my organic garden. The odd-shaped vegetable has always intrigued me, though. I take Linda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-1123207703167845972005-08-04T21:09:00.000-04:002006-08-22T10:19:05.063-04:002006-08-22T10:19:05.063-04:00Homegrown 'matersMy tomato beds have taken on a subversive tone. Among the aromatic green leaves of the fat grape Juliets and sassy red Celebrities, there is a whisper of rebellion: I have planted not a single Better Boy tomato plant.Before you gasp and clutch your heart, know this: I have planted Better Boy tomatoes faithfully since my very first vegetable garden, somewhere back in the mid '70s. Better Boys wereLinda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13866056.post-1120906699571198712005-07-25T16:30:00.000-04:002005-08-30T09:26:46.623-04:002005-08-30T09:26:46.623-04:00Ah, the pressure of it all!After the white blossoms wither, the greens beans come in hard and fast. I go over the bean beds every day or two, always finding slim green seed pods ripe for picking.The first rush of beans are always the easiest to pick; they perch at the top of the plants, flaunting their little bean selves in the sun. "Look at me!" they shout. "I'm a full grown green bean!" And then I end their beany pride Linda Rogglihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03739319327604914911noreply@blogger.com1