Spring Fling

Ok, so I cheated on my garden with other gardens. I don't think that is as serious as it might sound. My wife would rather me visit a bamboo forest than plant one in our back yard.



We were really out to get some photos for her upcoming book on using botanicals to enhance everyday life which she will be selling on the cruise with Royal Caribbean sailing out of San Diego on the 23rd of April after her lectures aboard ship.
If you are interested in a copy please let me know. My email is easy enough to find on my contact page.

While we were out an adorable kitten began following us around, probably because I kept petting it and calling it to follow us. There were unfortunately no interesting plants blooming at the time.

Tea in the Garden

Now that spring is here it's a great time, as if there were a bad time, for tea!
Whereas there really is no bad time, spring provides an array of freah additions to tea that winter just doesn't.
For instance, the mint in my gardens has started with a lot of new growth and is very refreshing in hot or iced tea. Thyme is another commonly used herb that works straight from the garden.
Lambs ear can be used after it is dried, so as not to have a grassy taste, and has a crisp almost fruity flavor.
For a floral taste you can use rose petals or lavendar flowers.

Plumeria Bad Hair Day

As far as a plumeria can have a bad hair day I guess.
I brought it outside to get some real sunlight and fresh air after being inside all winter under a grow light. The wind was something it wasn't used to anymore and one of the leaves seems to be permanently turned over like a lock of hair out of place.
I've since had to bring it back in due to a cold snap and the leaf still doesn't want to return to it's proper place. Fortunately there are new leaves coming in and it should be falling off in the next couple months.

Spring Flurries

I know that the weather does just what it wants to and answers to nobody, not that it's sentient or anything, but I already have strawberries forming and the last thing I want is a cold snap telling my plants that it's time to sleep again.
Fortunately my plants ignored the 8 inches of snow and kept growing then too so hopefully I have nothing to worry about.
I just wish my beets would bloom so I can get some seeds for this year. The lettuce has already bolted in the back with really pretty flowers and seeds are on the way there but I like beets way more than salads.

Spring Growth

I keep taking pictures of the plants in my yard but haven't had the thought to post them.

Wild Onions

The wild onions are flowering again which means it's time to get gardening with earnest. The days are warming up and the weeds are the first to come out and claim a bit of land for themselves.
Fortunately for my beds I've already taken care of the strawberry patch and onion/garlic patch. I still need to thin out some of the front beds and clean up the side of the house for the replanting of sunflowers. they did so well last year that I can't wait to see if they can do even better.
I spread out some papaya seeds today in various places to see if they will sprout. I know they won't survive the winters here but it would be neat to see one grow.

Apples

My apple sprout is doing well. Currently it sits with yet another citrus sprout (don't know what kind) in front of the house.
My wife and I were sitting here wondering just how long people have been eating apples and, along with it, how long they have been using them in crafts. We have come up with the conclusion that we will NEVER know. Apples have been eaten for so long that the origins of most of what is done with them has been lost to antiquity.
I usually don't use all caps like above but it just seemed to fit.
Anyhow their uses have come to fit into many different cultures and with all of this global mixing about there are probably tons of new things to do. So I figure I'll plant the tree and eat. Unless I kill this one too...

Weeding the Cilantro

Bean soup is a wonderful way to wee the cilantro from the front walk way. Just pulled up the plant root and all and chopped it up sans root. A little lime and seasonings and good to go.
I dare not tell my neighbors to have at it since they could probably go throught the entre plant population in a couple days.

Spring Yet?

It sure is here. I weeded my strawberry patch and lo there are fifteen plants and alomst half of them already have flowers. The most promising one is about to fruit and has six flowers alone.
I put my plumeria out today to get some real sun and start to acclimate to the outside again.
Thoughts of a sunnier backyard are still making endroads into my imagination and may be a reality sooner than I would have thought. I really need some sun in the back for all of the veggies that I have growing and wish to grow.
The lettuce is blooming and will make some good seed soon. I intend to harvest the seed and replant in abundance at intervals for young greens.
I also seem to have more leeks than I thought I had planted. Some have come up near the garlic and are very happy with their location.
If I can keep the cats out of the boxes then all should be well this season.

Blooms and Bursts

There is a variety of color in the garden already since the snow and rain have kept things moist.
Among the flowers that I can remember there is grape hyacinth, strawberry and daffodil.
The cabbage has decided to explode with growth making three heads. The parsley has also taken off and I hope to have a lot to cook with in the coming months.