Week of July 4th Humble Harvest

Finally! The first post-worthy grape harvest. Three years of patiently tending four young vines. 

June's Humble Harvest

Backyarden Glimmer of Hope

Three years ago a planting of Thompson, Red Seedless and Concords were installed in the backyarden. The first year yielded a cluster on each vine. Second year, about two more clusters. This year we have at least a dozen Concord..... Not sure what is happening to the others.  ???? 

What makes the experiment exciting is just the pure pleasure of watching it grow. 

Failure to Flourishing

Have you ever tried to make lemonade from lemons? That is how this *repurposed* hummingbird feeder collection ended up on Hummingbird Island.

I couldn't figure out why the hummers weren't enjoying the homemade nectar in the cute mosaic glass feeders hanging all over the garden? They provide easy access, are colorful and loaded with nectar. ?!? Come to find out they are toooo shiny. Oops. :-/

So, I removed the mold-covered nectar topped with floating dead ants and replaced it with a bit of cactus soil for succulent cuttings. And voila!

Spring is Sizzling Already

"And when your back stops aching and your hands begin to harden...You will find yourself a partner in the Glory of the Garden."
-Rudyard Kipling

This spring included two horticulture classes: Propagation and California Natives. Ooohh the possibilities are so much greater in the Bistro now! As I was musing about what I want it to look like in three years, I decided I would need to propagate my favorite plants and purchase the most desired over a period of time.

Plants being propagated include:
Hoya Pubea (nectar on Hummingbird Island)
Brugmansia (for fast growing standing eye-level fillers along fence and for nightime fragrance)
Geraniums (for color and knee-level fillers)

Purchased (over a 6 month period):
Hoya Pubea
Lonicera Japonica Purpurea (fragrance)
Jasminum Stephanese (fragrance and beneficals)
Ficus Pumila (wall cover)
Angel Vine (wall cover)
Bacopa, white (green color divider in raised planter)

First Fruits of the Season

Jake decided to water the plants once he scraped away the weeds from the base and discovered a couple green berries. Yep! A humble little crop from four strawberry plants that were completely neglected since the fall and watered through a dilapidated soaker hose network pieced and plugged together with screws/washers and electrical tape! Just one deep soak for three hours, great soil, sun and the weeds left intact. Hmmm, maybe I should do something about the last item on the list.

April Does A Yarden Good!

The bulbs are springing up in clusters of 6-10. Check these out!

Winter Blues-I Have No Plan

This weekend is the first time all winter I have been able to tend to the Bistro. There are so many areas to infuse my creativity I get overwhelmed on where to start!

In November I put in about 200 bulbs along the back fence. Peonies, tulips, allums and daffodils are beginning to surface.
Some other ornamental "experiments" include Brugmansia cuttings, succulent transplants and repots.

One thing I do know- since most of the soil is clay-based and needs a lot of ammendment for growing edibles, I did decide to make most of the backyard ornamental. Also, the wood along the north side fence is chemically treated so it isn't compatible for edibles anyways. With those two facts in mind, I will be doing most everything else in pots.

The photos include some transplants and new succulent cuttings in containers. I chose to convert the birdbath to a planter since all it collected was pine needles and algae over the years. Lol!

Check out the guide "How to make cork planters"

I thought you'd enjoy this guide on How to make cork planters.

You can view the guide here: http://snp.gd/ea64pg

---

Snapguide is the easiest way to create step-by-step guides that can be viewed everywhere.

Sent from my iPad

Now, For That Backyard Business

After establishing the summer front yard garden we decided to put a little creative energy into the backyard. Our little garden buddy, Deesel, passed away in July and I gotta say it was the saddest summer ever. However, the designated "dog area" became the new landscape canvas for my green thumb. Out of gratitude for all the joy he brought to our family over the past ten years I decide to transform "his space" into a living space for all to enjoy in the present.
That being said, we named it "The Backyard Bistro". On a very modest budget, my challenge was to design an open-air modular space with mostly container plants under three huge pine trees from neighbor's yard.
With Jake's incredibly handy, no, magical skills and a few helpful friends (Devin, Chris, Jason and Neil) we were able to move earth, remove privot, build vegetable and ornamentals bed along fence, install outdoor "room", with sails, carpet, lighting and fountain.
I am so inspired that I decided this is the process I have chosen to unleash my creative energy. Now I am an official believer in horticultural therapy: The process of connecting plants and people...building gratitude one seed at a time.

Watermelon Harvest!

It was such a pleasant surprise to walk out this morning and discover a few hidden mini melons! The last of the summer harvest has come.

I Spy....

With my little eye - three mini watermelons. Can you?

Late August Harvest

So there were a few casualties during mid-summer: the wyatt pumpkin (upper left corner), lemon cucumbers (center in pail) and strawberries (not pictured because they were consumed right off the plants). I say they are casualties because the root systems failed due to operator error :-/. One was uprooted accidentally and the other wasn't transplanted from pot to ground in time. Lessons learned- mark plants AND include dates they went into the ground!

August Color Rush

Beneficial flowers abound! Dahlias in full bloom. Ambrosia cantaloupe is growing. Loads of tomatoes, peppers, mini pumpkins, baby romaine, carrots, cucumbers, strawberries, mammoth sunflowers and fresh herbs cover the garden space.

Mid-Summer-At-A-Glance

A picture is worth a thousand words :-)

Mid-June Activity

Taking a visual walk around the front garden. Notice how everything is growing in! Straw was the last addition to the berries and tomatoes.

Next- the backyard!

Suddenly A Top Priority

Moving the mulch became a project that moved to the top of our "To Do List" this morning. Ian was my only assistant but we made it work. A few bell pepper and chile pepper plants had to be relocated due to the shade cast by the nearby mammoth sunflower plants.
The borders are almost complete! After one more installation of bottles and mulch then we will move to the backyard.

Free Mulch Delivered Today

Not only mulch, but a lot of it!!! Pine. It was so fragrant and still very moist. A HUGE "Thank You" to Tree's By Austin for their donation to our neighborhood project. They will be around Palo Alto on Embarcadero this week. They are happy to deliver to your location if you ask! Thanks Again Earnie & Ruby