Saturday Morning Garden Blogging, Vol. 16.39: A walk along the backyard trails ...

estreya

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Saturday September 26, 2020 · 6:00 AM PDT

2020/09/26 · 06:00

Good morning, gardeners, and welcome to the Saturday Morning Garden Blog!

"I stroll along serenely, with my eyes, my shoes, my rage, forgetting everything." ~ Pablo Neruda

For a variety of reasons, Summer, the little scamp, was a particularly difficult house guest this year. With one foot out the door, she spun on her heels, looked us straight in the eye, and tossed us a parting gift of back-to-back heat waves, followed by a series of wildfires that shook the Pacific Northwest to its core. For nearly two weeks, the smoke-filled air transformed the entire landscape into something resembling a storyboard for dystopian cinema. And we were among the lucky ones! At this point (knock wood), the worst of it is behind us. Air quality is out of the danger zone, temperatures have cooled, and we're finally getting a mixture of sunshine and rain, occasionally on the very same day.

Although the main garden areas on our property are fussy and demanding, the backyard trails have proven to be remarkably self-sustaining and resilient. With no rain at all during the summer drought, the back woods remained green and growing. Now, beneath the shaded canopy, ferns abound in seemingly pre-historic proportions, blackberry vines are still offering the last of their sun-ripened fruit, and the deciduous foliage is gradually transitioning to an autumn color pallet. Without further ado, let's grab a water bottle, slip into our comfiest Crocks, and take a little stroll along the backyard trails ...

estreya

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Saturday April 04, 2020 · 6:00 AM PDT

2020/04/04 · 06:00

Good morning, gardeners, and welcome to the Saturday Morning Garden Blog!

"You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep spring from coming ..." ~ Pablo Neruda

We did it, garden bloggers! We made it through another week; another week of strong bodies (knock wood), sane minds (for the most part), and safe practices (rinsing and scrubbing, rinsing and scrubbing, until our hands are raw). Despite the phantasm that dominates our news cycle, in my home and garden, Spring endures. My yard is at its best this time of year, as it sloughs off the scales of winter to expose brave, new life. Without further ado, let's put on a little music, grab a mug of something delicious, and have a look around at one of my favorite seasons ...

estreya

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Saturday December 14, 2019 · 6:00 AM PST

2019/12/14 · 06:00

Good morning, gardeners, and welcome to the Saturday Morning Garden Blog!

"So the freshness lives on in a lemon, in the sweet-smelling house of the rind, the proportions, arcane and acerb ..." ~ Pablo Neruda

Now that winter's upon us and our gardens are mostly asleep, i thought it might be a good time to introduce a new and hopefully recurring Saturday Morning Garden Blog feature called, "How To Use It." In one way or another, so many of us have embraced a "garden to table" philosophy, and at least some of what we grow in our yards eventually makes its way to our bellies. The SMGB "How To Use It" feature is a place where we can officially share our favorite recipes, or other ways we make use of the things we grow in our gardens.

Although i'm not among those lucky enough to have lemons ripening in the yard this time of year (i'm looking at you, nkgodfrey), i recently picked a bag of beautiful lemons from the produce section of my local grocery store (i know, but let's just pretend i grew them myself). So, without further ado, let's get this feature started with, "How To Use It - Lemons!"

estreya

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Saturday November 16, 2019 · 6:00 AM PST

2019/11/16 · 06:00

Good morning, gardeners, and welcome to the Saturday Morning Garden Blog!

"See how that one little cloud floats like a pink feather from some gigantic flamingo ..." ~ Arthur Conan Doyle

As many of you know, one of my main challenges as far as “landscape design” is concerned is the use of bold colors in my garden. Try as i might, Roy G. Biv is the Loch Ness Monster of my yard, and i struggle mightily to gather proof of Mr. Biv's existence. Now that autumn is in full swing here in the Pacific Northwest, this “problem” is amplified by poor weather and the ever-shortening days. But let's go on a little scouting mission, shall we? Let's take a look around to see how many of the rainbow's primary colors we can find in my yard this time of year ...

estreya

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Saturday July 20, 2019 · 6:00 AM PDT

2019/07/20 · 06:00

Good morning, gardeners, and welcome to the Saturday Morning Garden Blog!

"Who shall hear of us in the time to come? Let him say there was a burst of fragrance
from black branches." ~ William Carlos Williams

I recently attended my eldest nephew's wedding, which took place in a rustic little eatery at the corner of Commitment and Resolve. The groom was so dashing, the bride so ethereal, that the seemingly flawless cake-topper tried to tunnel through the tiramisu rather than face any unflattering comparisons. Since both bride and groom have impeccable taste, i wasn't the least bit surprised by the venue they chose - a witty pub/restaurant with the kind of character that only comes from serving the public for many years. Although i could easily wax lyrical about the entire celebration, their magnificent wedding flowers are the focus of the moment.

estreya

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Saturday February 16, 2019 · 6:00 AM PST

2019/02/16 · 06:00

Good morning, gardeners, and welcome to the Saturday Morning Garden Blog!

The view from the bedroom window, a week ago today ...

Winter finally arrived here in the Pacific Northwest, cracking her icy whip to remind us of her power. Since it's far more comfortable on the warm side of the window glass, i thought it might be fun to try something a little different this week. Allow me to introduce our first ever Saturday Morning Garden Blog Crossword Puzzle! As you might expect, all the answers in the puzzle are somehow garden related.

estreya

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Saturday December 01, 2018 · 6:00 AM PST

2018/12/01 · 06:00

Good morning, gardeners, and welcome to the Saturday Morning Garden Blog!

“Every leaf speaks bliss to me ... Fluttering from the autumn tree ..." ~ Emily Brontë

At this very moment, i'm typing from a chair that sits in a room of an entire house that's been swallowed by a cloud. We've officially entered our rainy season here in the Pacific Northwest, and it's amazing how quickly we go from rain-starved to rain-soaked. As deciduous trees slough off their colorful foliage, sound travels more easily, and i occasionally fall asleep to the bellow of a foghorn blowing along the river. Between the weather and the ever-shortening days, there's a distinct possibility we may not see a clear sun again until Spring. Eventually, the dreariness will wear on me, but at the moment, i find it oddly comforting. Granted, there's not much blooming in my garden right now, but i'm guessing if i grab the camera and take a closer look, something beautiful will reveal itself. Care to join me for a little stroll around the yard?

estreya

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Saturday August 11, 2018 · 6:00 AM PDT

2018/08/11 · 06:00

Good morning, gardeners, and welcome to the Saturday Morning Garden Blog!

“A something in a summer's noon - A depth - an Azure - a perfume ..." ~ Emily Dickenson

The dog days of summer are firmly underway here in the Pacific Northwest. Temps are soaring, grass is dead, and the patio pots must be watered daily or they pout like a baby trout. Although the usual focus of our SMGB is all-things-green-and-growing, at the moment, the only life forms that are actively thriving in my neck of the woods are two Siberian kittens. With your indulgence, i'll spare you the photographs of my sad, sun-charred landscape and focus almost exclusively on the pure delight of our fierce feline princesses.

estreya

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Saturday June 09, 2018 · 6:00 AM PDT

2018/06/09 · 06:00

Good morning, gardeners, and welcome to the Saturday Morning Garden Blog!

“O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up - for you the flag is flung - for you the bugle trills ..." ~ Walt Whitman

Not far from my front door, a rhododendron, a clematis and a ceanothus simultaneously bloomed over the Memorial Day weekend. It's always so much fun when something unexpected happens in a garden, and the patriotic display of red, white, and blue was surprisingly appropriate for the holiday. But once those blooms started to fade, the front entry looked a little anticlimactic. Planting anything new in the garden beds with the summer drought approaching isn't something i'm eager to sign myself up for. However, the month of May came and went and i still had empty planters sitting on my patio (oh, the horror!). Filling those empty pots with a little texture and color seemed like the perfect way to give my front door a refreshing, easy to maintain lift. Would you like to see how they all came out?

estreya

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Saturday December 30, 2017 · 6:00 AM PST

2017/12/30 · 06:00

Good morning, gardeners, and welcome to the Saturday Morning Garden Blog!

Year 2017? Good riddance. You're dismissed. Auf Wiedersehen. Pack you're knives and go. Although i tried so hard to be a good girl all year, Santa, that stingy scamp, didn't see fit to bring me the Impeachment i wanted for Christmas. Oh, well. Maybe it got stuck in a chimney somewhere. Although it's been a difficult year for all of us to one degree or another, the holiday season itself turned out to be even lovelier than anticipated. Hubby and i spent the week at my mother's home in Tucson, Arizona, and the clear, sunny skies couldn't have been more of a departure from the many shades of gray that dominate our Pacific Northwest winters. Would you care to refill your beverage of choice and join me for a little peek at Christmas in the desert?

estreya

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Saturday October 07, 2017 · 6:01 AM PDT

2017/10/07 · 06:01

“I have my honey ... Six jars of it ... Six cat's eyes in the wine cellar ...” ~ Sylvia Plath

Good morning, gardeners, and welcome to the Saturday Morning Garden Blog!

If you're a regular reader of the Saturday Morning Garden Blog, a few things are known to you: Kishik never takes a bad picture; Missy's Brother can make a rusty watering can look like fine art; and Jayden is (among other things) a dog's best friend (Hi, Jaxon!). You may also know that my husband and i are enthusiastic backyard beekeepers. I've written quite a bit about our honeybees in past diaries. While the overall health of our apiary has been our primary concern, in this, our fourth year of beekeeping, we decided it was high time to harvest some honey as well. What on earth were we waiting for? Would you like to see how it's done?

estreya

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday September 16, 2017 · 6:01 AM PDT

2017/09/16 · 06:01

Good morning, gardeners, and welcome to the Saturday Morning Garden Blog!

Knock knock!

Who's there?

Donja!

Donja Who?

Donja think you should at least water your grass once in a while?

I'll be honest with you, garden bloggers - this is not a great time of year for greenery and blooms in my Pacific Northwest garden. After a prolonged summer drought, the grounds are looking pretty stressed at the moment. The lawn is the color of Cheerios, and there are entire trees and bushes that have set their alarms for Spring and are calling it quits for the season. Finding something that looks healthy and supple at the moment is a bit of a scavenger hunt. But one thing's clear - nature can be full of surprises. Care to join me while i have a look around the yard?

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Saturday Morning Garden Blogging, Vol. 16.39: A walk along the backyard trails ...

Saturday Morning Garden Blogging, Vol. 16.14: The Enduring Spring

Saturday Morning Garden Blogging, Vol. 15.50: How To Use It - Lemons!

Saturday Morning Garden Blogging, Vol. 15.46: Autumn's Primary Colors

Saturday Morning Garden Blogging, Vol. 15.29: The Flowers of Love

Saturday Morning Garden Blogging, Vol. 15.07: Crossword Puzzle Edition

Saturday Morning Garden Blogging, Vol. 14.48: The Coming of Winter

Saturday Morning Garden Blogging, Vol. 14.32: The Dreaded Summer Drought

Saturday Morning Garden Blogging, Vol. 14.23: Colorful Container Gardens

Saturday Morning Garden Blogging, Vol. 13.52: Christmas in the Desert

Saturday Morning Garden Blogging, Vol. 13.40: A Backyard Honey Harvest

Saturday Morning Garden Blogging, Vol. 13.37: A Bloomin' Scavenger Hunt