Erysimum Bowles’ Mauve – My flower of the Moment.

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Mominthegarden

Erysimum Bowles’ Mauve late on a November day.

I had to write about this plant, Erysimum Bowles’ Mauve, as it has been flowering all summer. Even now in November it is still showing off. Apparently, it likes to do that! It is an evergreen perennial. I think that it just brings a lovely bit of color to the garden. I’d have a hard time picking a favorite flower, but this one is really up at the top.

Erysimum Bowles’ Mauve.

I was in the yard today with my littlest one. She was in such a happy and playful mood, just wanting to be with me in the garden. I had to capture that!

Our littlest one.

While we were outside (taking pictures of the Erysimum), a flock of birds flew overhead. With camera in hand, I snapped away.

There they go!

Just a few of the flock that were flying overhead!

I thought it was a little funny to get to photograph them this afternoon. You see, this morning was a gorgeous sunny morning. So I headed outside with my camera completely intent on capturing birds! That is just what was in my head, so I was going with it. I waited. And waited. And waited. And then I saw that Lucy was waiting with me…

Lucy waiting with me … for birds!

O.K., that explained a lot. Although I am thankful to say she is a much better mouser than a bird catcher. Here is a picture of the only bird I captured:

Yellowhammer bird, found mainly in the east and south of Ireland.

It is beautiful! But this leads me to confessing that I had no idea what this bird was. I know about 5 Irish birds and this one didn’t look like any of them! It is mainly yellow with some brown markings. So I turned to an Irish gardening forum which I had just joined, called Garden.ie. First off, the warm welcome I received upon joining last week was wonderful! What a great group of gardening enthusiasts. So today I put up this picture and asked for help identifying it, and within minutes I had my answer of a Yellowhammer. How cool is that? And what a pretty bird! I wish I didn’t have to compress the pictures to upload them, because it was much easier to see before … (note to self: add better zoom lens to wish list.)

Erysimum Bowles’ Mauve (with my pumpkins in the background!).

As the sun was setting I took some more pictures to compare to the morning ones from today. I love seeing how the light changes. I’m still seeking that perfect angle in the yard, too.

Cherry trees in the morning.

Cherry tree in the evening.

Lucy keeping me company in the yard.

What a lovely day it was. I even managed some time trimming the hedges. :-).

For my American friends and family, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy this very special holiday. We are looking forward to celebrating on Sunday with another American family living in Ireland!

For my non-American friends and family, Thank you for visiting!
Dana

Small Goals for Big Jobs.

Posted on November 18, 2012 by Mominthegarden

Cherry Tree leaves November ’12

You wouldn’t think that November would be a busy time in the garden, would you? At least I didn’t used to think so. I’m learning though, that I can get a great bit of work done in the winter months. The Big Jobs for me include keeping the hedges neat and tidy, and laying out new garden beds. My title is how I tackle a lot in life. I have to take it a little at a time. I think what helps me is that I’m a list person. Before I go to bed I make a list of things I want to get done for the next day. It helps to keep me focused. With my garden, I add little goals to my list; things like “spend 30 minutes in the garden trimming hedges”. A really good day is when I can squeeze in more time than I had on my list! Trimming the hedges is easy enough when done over a number of days. I’ve also done marathon trimming sessions, but the result is very sore arms from using the shears! Much better to do smaller sessions. 🙂

Raking up some Cherry Tree leaves.

This past weekend, my goal was to work on my center garden. It is a mess! I’ve been killing the grass with newspapers and cardboard since the summer time. The center area has been cleared of grass and had manure added to it in September. But the outside edges had more sod added to them late in the summer. All of the sod hasn’t broken down yet, but I was able to work on one section by breaking up the soil with my hoe. My plan is to have three circles – but I don’t have the entire area marked out yet.

The good, the bad, and the ugly… Center Garden as a work in progress.

The center garden was originally going to be an all white garden. I planted a white lilac, a white tree peony, and a white Annabelle hydrangea. The Annabelle promptly died on me! (I should have prepared the soil first – lesson learned!) The other two plants are thankfully doing well. The color scheme has already been altered, though. My father-in-law gave us two plants which were squished in his garden. The first one is bush-like and has yellow flowers in the summer. I’m not really a fan of this one. I haven’t even learned it’s name, but it is acting as a wind barrier for my tree peony!

Father-in-law plant (Per Flower expert friend Susan: a Potentilla) … Yeah, ok, it looks pretty here – but look at the photo above: it is a mass of brown dead looking branches!

The other Father-in-law plant, an evergreen called Pieris “Forest Flame”, I really like. In the spring it’s new foliage is bright red, which gradually changes to pink, then cream, and ends in green. I had my doubts about the chances of its survival when we planted it, but despite it’s odd shape, it did have lovely red foliage last spring, and is showing signs of life!

Forest Flame in the Spring.

Forest Flame as a spring beauty.

Forest Flame looking healthy in November ’12.

I have a long list of flowers and plants I want in these three circles, so I really do need to finish the layout and get things going.

Center Garden after I broke up another section.

Center Garden after I worked the soil in another section.

I had a few more pieces of cardboard and some more newspapers, so I covered up another section. My goal is to have the three circles completed by the end of the winter.

Back to being ugly again. Covering up with newspapers and cardboard.

I managed to get some sunny photos of the center garden. But the sun was very hard to find earlier in the week. I have to say that I think my photos are very sad looking with a dark gray sky. But that’s all I have to show for my hard work! I’m going to start by showing you all of the cuttings from the beech hedges. (It’s a lot by the way!) I’ll save these cuttings, and then chip them up to add into my compost. That worked brilliantly this past summer. I’m usually short of brown material while I have so much grass to add in the summer months.

My pile of trimmings from the beech hedges.

There was weeding underneath and cutting of the tops of the hedges this week.

Do you see what I mean about the dark sky? This was at 2 in the afternoon! I’m keeping the hedges level with the fence. They still need to fill in quite a bit in sections. My plan this winter is to buy a few more hedge plants to fill in the big gaps. But otherwise I’m perfectly happy to wait and watch as they slowly develop and fill in.

There are still a few more leaves left on the Cherry trees.

I have to add one more picture. This is another gift plant from Susan: Sedum Autumn Joy. The color has been so pretty all fall.

What are your goals this winter?
Dana

Sedum Autumn Joy.

Giving Thanks in November… and trimming Ivy!

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Mominthegarden

Thankful for my garden. It’s November look.

As an American, celebrating Thanksgiving in November is very important to me. I do appreciate all that I have, and give thanks to God every day. But November is a special time to really stop, and recognize those who are dear to us and those things which we are grateful for. O.K., now jump down the list of things to be thankful for; behind my being Christian, my husband, kids, family & friends, and you’ll find my garden! That’s right, my garden. It’s where I can breathe easy. Any time of day I can wander out to the garden and find something to smile about. I’m thankful that I have a “clean slate” of a yard to plant what I love, and through that I am able to learn so much about vegetable and flower gardening. 🙂

Hawthorne berries in September.

November is also a great time to cut down the ivy that is choking my Hawthorne trees! I have to say, though, that I think the ivy is rather pretty… just not on my trees. So I cut a small bunch and threw them in a vase. I think they bring a little life to my kitchen. The rest of the ivy that I cut down was thrown over the fence with all of my weeds. Ivy, brambles, nettles and weeds: you name it, my ditch wall is buried underneath it! I certainly won’t be short of work to do this winter.

Ivy, brambles, nettles, and weeds covering my ditch wall (and Hawthorne trees).

Hawthorne berries in November.

Ivy in the trees.

After I took the picture of the ivy I had brought inside, I realized I’d somewhat captured one of my favorite paintings. So I took another picture of just the painting! Here is my special painting story: I had it painted for me just before I moved from New York to Ireland. The artist, Audrey Decker, was in her 80s at the time. I’d seen some of her work 10 years earlier and I simply loved it. After reading an article in the newspaper about her I had cut it out and saved it for 10 years! Through some unusual circumstances I finally met her just months before my move, and she painted this painting for me. She is quite a special woman. I have the painting hanging in my favorite room in the house, my kitchen. Another thing to be thankful for!

Bringing some life into the house: a vase of ivy.

A special painting to me, by Audrey Decker.

Back in the garden, I was able to capture my “Alaska” Shasta daisies on a sunny afternoon. Another happy flower.

Shasta Daisy “Alaska” in November.

The sky was simply too beautiful to not photograph on this evening! My littlest one and I were captivated by the colors. Really, I have so much to be thankful for!

Blessings to you,
Dana

A beautiful end to a lovely day.

Pumpkin Soup & Potato Harvesting.

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Mominthegarden

Pumpkin soup cook book picture! (America Cooks: A Culinary Journey from Coast to Coast)

Just to be absolutely clear, this picture is from my cook book! I know, it’s terrible that I couldn’t put together something so lovely myself. I’m lucky, and happy, that my soup isn’t splattered all over the bowl which I present to you as my soup!

Pumpkin Soup!

Hmm, I need to work a bit on my presentation… As I mentioned in my last post, I was on a mission to make some pumpkin soup. It’s probably the easiest soup to make, with very basic ingredients. For me, it’s special to make because I use a cookbook which my mom gave to me years ago. I was living in Zurich at the time, and I think she just wanted to make sure I remembered my roots. It’s a beautiful book!

My cook book: America Cooks: A Culinary Journey from Coast to Coast

Here’s the recipe:

Cream of Pumpkin Soup

4 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 pumpkin, 4 – 5 lbs
nutmeg
salt & pepper
1 cup heavy cream

Method

Wash and peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds and cut the flesh into cubes with a sharp knife. Set aside. Melt the butter in a large pot and add the onion. Sweat the onion slowly until it is fairly tender. Add the pumpkin chunks and 1 quart of cold water. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Simmer for 20 minutes. Puree the pumpkin mixture in small batches, adding cream to each small batch. Return the soup to the rinsed out pot and reheat gently. Serve hot. From New England Culinary Institute, Montpelier, VT.

I confess that I cheat. I bake the pumpkin first. I don’t like cutting it into cubes so I just cut it in half, place it cut side down with 1/4 inch of water into a pan, and bake for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees F (176 degrees C) until soft. Then I scoop it out and give it a quick whirl with a hand held blender. I tend to use broth instead of water, too. 🙂

My pumpkins were more yellow than orange, but they tasted exactly like pumpkins should! Pumpkin soup is a love it or hate it flavor. I love it, especially with cream. Oh! and I used my own onions! Of course I forgot to take a picture of them. 5 million pictures of pumpkins and none of onions … go figure.

Fresh pumpkin puree.

My marbled colored cooking pumpkins.

That should really be the end of my pumpkin posts. (Should I promise that?) I have to add just a few more photos – not of pumpkins (phew, right?). The other day I was intrigued with the farmer harvesting his potatoes. What a production! I can just imagine what he thought of me hanging out of the upstairs bedroom window with my camera!

Harvesting potatoes.

Harvesting potatoes (two fields away from me).

A truck load of spuds!

I couldn’t have a post without a picture of a flower, so here’s the last photo:

Zephirine Drouhin (1868) Roses at the front gate in November.

Pumpkin soup, anyone?

Dana

The garden in November.

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Mominthegarden

Orange Pumpkins!

November?! Really? I hope you won’t have forgotten me, as it’s been too long since I last posted! I’ve missed you. 🙂 Lately I’ve been wearing two of my many different hats; Mom of Swimmers hat, and Mom of Irish Dancers hat. We’ve all been working really hard! After two months into the full swimming schedule our girls improved all of their racing times at the first swim gala (meet) a couple of weeks ago. That’s a great way to start the season. Our three Irish dancers have been working since the summer towards the Ulster Championship Feis, which took place this past week in Donegal . It’s harder for the littlest one to keep that focus for so long, but she did well. (She’s finally making progress on keeping those feet turned out!) My kids also dance on teams, and it is just fantastic to watch as they keep their straight lines and perfect formations while dancing around the stage! We are so proud of them. They all danced their best, which is all we could ask for. It is rewarding to see the kids really putting their all into their activities and to watch them improve through their efforts. Sometimes it takes more work than other times, but thankfully we’re all going in the right direction!

As for my Mom in the Garden hat, I too, have been putting in some “hard work”. It’s called weeding! The fence line is pretty much in constant need of clearing. I really like how it looks after I get a section finished. It’s nothing glamorous, not really even picture worthy, but if it isn’t maintained it sure is noticeable! If you know me, you know that I’d rather spend a week weeding than even think about using chemicals. I just think it is better for the environment and better for us. The hard work is worth it, and it is great being outside.

Anyone curious about my pumpkins? I had very green pumpkins when I cut them off of their vines in early October. https://mominthegarden.wordpress.com/2012/10/09/the-race-is-on-green-or-orange-pumpkins-for-halloween/ I brought them inside, and placed them in sunny locations. I was completely skeptical that they’d ever turn orange, they were *really* green, but turn orange they did! Little by little, the jack-o-lantern pumpkins completely changed color. My cooking pumpkins were much slower to change, and have more of a marbled look. Doesn’t matter, I am looking forward to making some pumpkin soup!

Pumpkin soup, and lovely orange pumpkins to decorate with. Yes, that will be perfect for Thanksgiving in a few weeks. No rushing into things for me!!!

Happy November 🙂

Dana

Beech hedging changing color in October.

Weeding along the fence of beech hedging.

A bird party on our house! A little distraction while I was weeding.

Early morning mist on the apple tree and blueberry bushes.

My favorite fall picture (so far!).

Calendula (apricot twist) still going strong!

Burgundy Ice Floribunda Rose in October.

Hydrangea Selma’s new life.

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Mominthegarden

I would love to say that I get it right the first time with all of my gardening projects. (Wouldn’t that be great?) But as life would have it, that just isn’t the case. My husband was laughing at me just the other day, due to his having to move a plant from one location to another. He’d prefer that I had a more clear vision, one which didn’t involve changing my mind (or the locations of plants!). I’m still learning, and thankfully, my husband is still digging for me.

I probably have more than a few examples of our learning as we go along, but I’ll just focus on my Hydrangea Selma today. I figured it was about time for an update. Back in June, I posted about my Hydrangea Selma, and how it wasn’t doing well. https://mominthegarden.wordpress.com/2012/06/17/nursing-hydrangea-selma-back-to-health/ I bought this plant two years ago, and there were lovely pink and white blooms on burgundy leaves. It was gorgeous. As it turns out, the soil I planted it in was quite wet with not enough drainage or air, or peat. My husband dug it up for me, and we added a 60/40 mix of compost/peat to the soil. I could not believe the change in the plant! It was immediately happier, filling out over the past few months. It continued to improve despite the constant attack by slugs this summer. Nothing deterred those guys. Every night I’d be out in the garden picking them off. I won’t mention what I did with them. I’d prefer for you to think of me as a non-violent gardener. 🙂 So here are some pictures of Selma now. I think the foliage is lovely. I don’t have blooms yet, but I’m really hoping that next season we’ll finally get to enjoy some blooms.

So I’ve learned that all is not necessarily lost if your plant isn’t doing well. It’s worth investigating to find a solution!

Dana

P.S. On a topic unrelated to Selma, I want to show you some pictures of my front gate garden. The Asters given to me by my friend Susan are a pretty “wow” factor! I love seeing them every time I drive through our gates. I think the pink climbing roses are a nice backdrop, as I am partial to pink!

June 2012 Hydrangea Selma in a bad way.

October 2012 Hydrangea Selma filling out.

October 2012 Hydrangea Selma.

A close up of Hydrangea Selma 2012.

A healthy Hydrangea Selma in 2010.

Asters at the front gate.

Asters.

My Asters earlier in the season, after some rain.

The front gate at sunset.

The race is on: Green or Orange Pumpkins for Halloween?

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Mominthegarden

(still very green) Pumpkin.

It’s October 9th and our pumpkins are green. I think they are quite pretty, in their different shades of green. But maybe I’m just trying to make the best of the situation; the situation being that pumpkins are supposed to be orange! Starting to panic a bit, I checked on-line to see if I could help things along. I’m glad I did! Since their vines are fine, I’ve left them outside. I could have cut them and brought them in, though. What they really want now is sun. Some of the leaves were in the process of dying back, letting in some sun, but there were still too many for this late in the season. So I cut back all of their leaves. Perfect timing too, as it is a beautiful sunny morning. I also have to keep in mind that they should be covered at night if there is frost.

So the race is on … Will we have orange pumpkins for Halloween? I’ll be sure to let you know!

Dana

Pumpkin Patch mid-season.

Pumpkin patch October 9th. We have just 12 pumpkins in all of those vines!

Speckled Pumpkin.

A lighter shade of green (and some orange?) Pumpkin.

My upside down pumpkin.

Butternut Squash. This little guy, 4 inches long today, was a bit of a surprise! We thought those seeds hadn’t taken.

A butternut squash & flower.

Fall harvest time in Sheepwalk. Those are some very tall haystacks!

Taking time to smell the roses.

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Mominthegarden

Hybrid Tea Rose “Pink Peace”.

That post heading is really for me. Boy have we been a busy family the past month! Between school, Irish dancing, swimming, and my coaching we have been on the go non-stop! It’s a good thing we all love what we’re doing. Five o’clock wake up calls to swim before school do not come easy if your heart isn’t in it. It’s been an adjustment for my daughter, but she loves it. My son has been working really hard on his Irish dancing. It’s fantastic to watch him dance and see how far he’s come. As for my swim coaching, I have a super group of kids that really want to work hard and improve. It doesn’t get any better than that! In between all of those activities though, I think it’s important to have some down time. For me, that is time in the garden, especially taking pictures.

I hope your schedule isn’t too crazy! and that you have some beautiful roses to smell along the way.

Dana

Floribunda Rose “Iceberg”. These have given a beautiful show all summer! They are white in bloom, but they have a very light pink appearance in the bud stage.

Floribunda Rose “Iceberg”.

Floribunda Rose “Burgundy Ice”.

Rosa Jacques Cartier (1868). These are incredibly fragrant! You don’t even have to get up close to smell them, and it’s a beautiful smell!

Rosa Jacques Cartier (1868). I’ve put the fallen roses in a bowl and enjoyed their ever lasting scent in the house. 🙂

Beautiful Poppies from July through October!

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Mominthegarden

Late blooming poppy.

I planted poppies from seed this past spring. I had my doubts that they were going to take. It seemed that they took forever to bloom. But once they started blooming in July, they have kept at it for the entire summer and continue even now during the first week of October! I don’t really know the different varieties. I’d say these are pretty plain. I planted Poppy Flanders/Corn American Legion, Poppy Iceland Nudicaule Blend, and Poppy Oriental. None of them describe a white center, though, so I don’t know what kind the flower above might be. The deep red ones are the American Legions. Poppies are such a delicate flower. I’ll admit their stems can look a bit messy up close. These guys are at the back of my garden though, so I can really enjoy their color without seeing the mess! I’m so happy with them.

Right next to the poppies I’ve planted some Shasta Daisies. My father-in-law started them from seed for me in his greenhouse. I planted them as seedlings. I think they fit nicely next to the poppies.

Moving right along the ditch wall, I’ve planted Rudbeckia hirta, Black-eyed Susans. They were given to me from a friend’s garden. She is a very special friend!

Finally, you’ll see some horrible cardboard. I’m killing some more grass/weeds along the wall. I’ll have a big job ahead of me this winter, as I’d like to uncover a lot more of the hidden wall!

What is your favorite flower for prolonged blooming time? I hope you have lots of color in your garden!

Dana

Poppies.

Oriental Blend Poppies.

American Legion Poppy.

Poppies & Shasta Daisy flowers.

Wildlife 🙂

Poppies, Daisies, Black-eyed Susans & Cardboard.

Growing Shallots and Making Quiche.

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Mominthegarden

I’m thinking about changing my blog name … to “oh boy am I still learning about gardening!”. A bit too wordy though. It sure does convey how I feel at the moment! I love gardening, both vegetable and flower. I love learning new things, too. It’s the making mistakes part that I wouldn’t mind skipping over.

I planted shallots for the first time this year. They did really well, and grew at a nice pace and to a good size. You *should* pull them out of the ground once the greens start to die. I left them a while longer, hoping they would grow even bigger. They did grow bigger, but they also got wet. Very, Very wet. Have I mentioned (about a million times) the terrible weather we had this summer? So I’ve made a note to myself that in the future, I am to pull them as soon as the greens die. I guess I’m lucky that most of them are still usable. Some of them I had to use right away. I was sad to have to dump some, though. I hate waste.

A great way to use a lot of shallots? Caramelize them, and make a quiche! Everyone in our family likes quiche (yay!). I make my own crust – it doesn’t take long and I think it’s worth it. The time it takes to caramelize the shallots was also worth it to get the sweet flavor; lots of butter, on a low heat, for a long time. Even non onion eaters can’t resist the caramelized flavor!

The Gourmand Mom blog is one I follow and I love to use her recipes – even if it’s to give me ideas or guidelines. Quiche is a good example; I like how she puts the additions in first, then the cheese, and then the egg mixture. It’s simple and comes out great. http://thegourmandmom.com/2010/06/01/quiche-lorraine/#comments My crust recipe was given to me by a good friend years ago (thank you Leah!). It’s a keeper. I use a mixture of whole wheat & white flour, so it comes out darker, but the taste is still delicious.

Have you shared any recipes lately?

Happy baking!
Dana

American Pie Dough (that really is the name of it!)
for an 8 or 9 inch single pie shell
By Christopher Kimball with Eva Katz

My only adjustment is to use ¾ cup whole wheat flour & ½ cup white flour

1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting dough
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons (3 oz.) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ¼ inch pieces
4 tablespoons (2 oz.) chilled all-vegetable shortening (in Ireland I use Cookeen)
3-4 tablespoons ice water

Mix first 3 ingredients. Scatter butter pieces, then shortening and mix until cornmeal texture. I use my fingers. Really, it isn’t hard and doesn’t take long. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of water over mixture and fold in. Shape into ball, then flatten into 4 inch wide disk. Dust lightly with flour, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Caramelized Shallot Quiche
Based on The Gourmand Mom’s Quiche Lorraine

2 1/2 cups peeled & sliced shallots
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups Emmenthaler cheese, grated
1 1/4 cup whole milk
3 eggs
Salt & Pepper
Pinch of nutmeg

Caramelize the shallots in the butter. Cook low and slow. They shouldn’t brown like sauteing, but turn translucent first and then slowly turn darker in color. I usually cook 30 minutes to 45 minutes (while the crust is in the fridge).

Line the crust with foil and bake in 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 minutes, remove the foil and bake a further 5 minutes. While the crust is baking, whisk the eggs & milk, and add salt, pepper, and nutmeg. When the crust is finished, layer with the caramelized shallots, then the cheese, then the egg mixture. Bake for 35 – 45 minutes.