Terrain Horticulture in Dallas

Stonebridge goes Vertical, Special Thanks to CGreen Landscape, and Greenhouse Goings-On

Last week, we completed the landscape renovations for the front porte cochere planter and adjacent areas for Stonebridge Ranch Country Club in McKinney, Texas. While the original plan was ideally suited for the space and their wishes, it just wasn't ideal for the budget. Keeping with the goals of opening up the space and creating a low-maintenance, more water-wise landscape, we made significant adjustments that will grow in beautifully. Before, this large space was a bit of a jumble, and the large planting mound blocked both the view and the light from entering the porte cochere:

With the expert installation job by Ralph Edge and Bob Behling from CGreen Landscape however, the space is greatly improved, and while far less involved and much less of a financial investment from my original design, achieves the main goals:

The folks from CGreen were able to remove over 12 cubic yards of soil in keeping with our budget, and we preserved the mature live oak, which was initially slated for removal. I added one deciduous Magnolia, and highlighted the transplanted existing variegated Yucca with soft-leaf Yucca, dwarf Texas Sage, and Drift Roses. Instead of the originally designed flag walkway bisecting the space, we created a dry creekbed feature in keeping with the stone used elsewhere throughout the grounds.

A huge thanks is due to Ralph, Bob, and the guys from CGreen Landscape. I couldn't more highly recommend these two professionals and the company, too. They delivered above and beyond our expectations and did so ahead of schedule and while keeping their workspace neat and presentable for our members. It was a great opportunity for me to bring in a contractor that I know and trust, and they made me proud. If you're considering a residential or commercial landscape and/or irrigation project in the DFW metroplex, I suggest calling them first.

 As the front entry planter was drawing to a close, I got underway with some container plantings, the highlight of which was the installation of two Cavida^TM wall planters from Southwest Wholesale Nursery, which I posted about last week. These highlight a stone wall in the porte cochere adjacent to the club's front entry doors, where they will benefit from the light provided by a large sklight. Here they are, freshly mounted and still empty:

I chose two of the smaller boxes, pre-framed and stained, and we mounted them together so that they will grow in to look like one. I started with some bold, structural plants, including Echeveria 'Afterglow', variegated Acorus gramineus, and Kalanchoe to begin building a basic design structure:

I worked in a variety of odds and ends, from variegated Vinca minor to Dusty Miller Senecio, and spider Tradescantia. The basic inverted 'V' pattern came together nicely:

This was my first experience using these planters, and I have to say I love their ease of use, clean lines, and stain/finish options. The drip irrigation lines are pre-installed and make a simple, sustainable product for DIY vertical gardening. We're looking forward to seeing how these grow in, and experimenting with different seasonal combinations.

Lastly, as of this morning in the greenhouse, I have a few goodies to share. First of all, Verbascum thapsus x 'Southern Charm' is starting to bloom, and how lovely it is:

This is a nice Verbascum hybrid I got seed for from Swallowtail Garden Seeds and started last August. Verbascum in its native form is a tough, hardy perennial, and this hybrid boasts the same qualities. The plants grow to 3' in height with taller bloom stalks. The seedlings are thriving and will be perfect for our spring Charity Classic Plant Sale.

Also from Swallowtail Seeds comes Nicotiana x 'Tinkerbell' --a lovely Nicotiana that produces little spikes of tubular, green bell-like flowers with red throats:

Lastly, and perhaps most exciting, is this purely experimental seed I got from Swallowtail Garden Seeds, as well. It's Rhodochiton atrosanguineum, or 'Purple Bell Vine'--a perennial vine in frost-free climates but likely an annual here:

It forms an incredibly free-flowering vine to 10' producing a pinkish-purple bell-like pendulous calyx surrounding a black-purple tubular flower.

More to come--the first crops are moving out to protected shade holding space to harden off in the current mild temps while the next rounds of seed go in and start their journey.

New Vertical Projects and a Busy 2012 Ahead

First, a very Happy New Year to all--Robbie and I hope everyone had a warm and wonderful holiday season. We certainly did, but we're enjoying the settling-down period now and the feeling of clean simplicity as the decorations are packed away once again. We went with a living "tree" this year, as it was a good "green" way to add to our permanent landscape shrubs on the farm, too. Our Southern Cedar from Southwest performed beautifully for the two weeks it was decorated in the house, and now planted out, appears to be thriving.

It's a less-than-great quality photo, but it was a 30g tree about 8' tall and we lifted it on risers draped with white tablecloths. The thin, diffuse stems and branches made it so that only the lightest weight ornaments would stay, but fireplace garland and a composition hanging in a ceiling cluster provided a place for all those too heavy to work.

It was nice to eschew that clingy guilt I always get from trashing a cut tree--even when they're properly disposed of and used for compost, mulch or erosion control--I think we'll stick to the living guest each year.

We've got a busy calendar for 2012 lined up! We're currently booked into June for weddings, have a residential garden design project in the early stages, and several container/gift pieces in the works. I will be speaking so far this year for the YC Nursery Grower's Symposium on February 12th at Brookhaven Country Club (vertical plantings and succulents), May 12th for the City of Allen Water Department as part of their Sustainable Series (Hardscape Inspiration and Sustainable Design) and in August for the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association 2012 Landscape Expo Education Conference (vertical gardens and green roof inspiration).  On top of the many developments Robbie and I hope to acheive at the farm this spring and summer, we'll be very busy, indeed.

 My succulent wall pieces are in the greenhouse for the winter and are packed with growth and thriving--I just worked through a cut-back and refresh on some of them; we simply chop off anything longer than we wish it to be and re-insert it back amid the other plants.

 
The large, bluish rosette in the foreground (in the largest of the panels) is Echeveria x 'Afterglow'--a true favorite. It's a large, tough Echeveria that displays an impressive ray of color, from gray-green to rosy-purple and metallic blue. They thrive in these planters and create fantastic focal points in the composition.

In addition to the wall panels, I've also converted the old custom steel pyramids we used to use for annual flowers into succulent planters. Before:

And now, newly planted, in the growing-in phase overwintering in the greenhouse:

They're taken out of their tall pots, and currently free-standing, but will go back into these when they're grown in enough to bring out for display. They may not look like much yet, but I'm very excited for the end result.

 

 

I purchased my first Cavida^TM vertical garden panel from Southwest Wholesale Nursery on Tuesday, and I'm excited to play with various compositions in it, too:

I'll be installing these down a long breezeway wall formerly decked out with tiered wall baskets here at Brookhaven, and I have another smaller installation of them coming at one of our clubs in McKinney, at which we're also doing several specimen containers and a signficant landscape renovation.

Southwest Wholesale Nursery is a local business in Carollton founded in 1940. In addition to a vast, impressive stock of plant material they have year-round, they are always on the lookout for choice ceramics and interesting garden must-haves. They created the Cavida^TM vertical garden system in-house and have developed the line to include a variety of styles, sizes, and configurations. They have some impressive installations in and around their offices, and they're drawing significant attention from those who wish to have an effective vertical garden system with the convenience of purchasing a ready-t0-go panel. Note, however, that they don't sell directly to the public--you'll need to go through a reputable landscape professional who purchases with them.

In addition to this and our simpler approach, I plan to try some of the Woolly Pocket planters that have been around for several years, but not extensively used (yet) in our area. I know that North Haven Gardens now carries some of these, and I'm looking forward to getting some trial pockets there, as well. Woolly Pockets are made from a special felt-like material and allow for great flexibility in creating compositions. Here's a link to their 'Best of Woolly' Gallery, highlighting some fabulous creations.

Seedling annuals and perennials for the 4th annual ClubCorp Charity Classic Plant Sale at Brookhaven Country Club--scheduled this year for April 6th through 8th, are doing wonderfully in the greenhouse:

I've tried to select some old-time garden favorites (a wide array of Hollyhocks!) as well as a selection of hard-to-find goodies that the plant collectors will appreciate. More on this later--but mark your calendars to be here for the event, benefitting three local charities.

That's all for now--I'm back to the greenhouse to feed our seedlings, seed some new goodies (tomatoes on the way!) and plan some specimen plantings. Updates on the vertical projects to come, and hope to see you at the club on February 12th for YC's annual symposium!

Come Visit us tonight at the DUXIANA Wonderful Wrappings Holiday Event!

Seeding, Saving, and Erosion Control

We've been noses-to-the-grindstone since we moved in, and the progress is steady. Slow, but steady. The workshop is cleaned and re-organized, and we have a plan for new flooring using a fairly new product that bonds crushed stone together for a stable, but permeable pavement. We're thinking of using crushed recycled concrete, and with vibra-compacting and bonding, it should last for years and be an ideal workspace surface.

The weather since we arrived has been too hot and too dry to work with the soil effectively, so garden progress has been slow or, in some areas, postponed altogether. We did install one small dry garden of Opuntia, succulents, Datura, and others, in a narrow strip along the driveway and workshop west wall, which helped the space immensely, but other areas are on hold. Luckily, the season is finally showing signs of turning--we're so excited about cooler temps and a decent chance for rain this weekend, and next week--I'm already gathering materials to make a leap in garden development.

 Some areas of small progress are the dog yard west of the house, which will offer them a little over 2,000 square feet of natural, grassy area under large oaks to hang out and have a secure bathroom area. They're excited, and we are, too.

We worked extensively in the dry creekbed and on the pond banks last weekend, and together, we removed 30 x 50 gallon sacks of dry leaves, some partially decomposed. These, we hauled out to the future crop space to spread and grind up before tilling them in to enrich that soil:

 
Each crop bed will be 25' x 25', allowing us to enclose it with 6' welded wire utility fencing to both protect the crops and facilitate the use of bird netting, shade and frost cloth, as needed.

Once the banks were relatively clear, we began planting a network pattern of Iris pseudacorus rhizomes I harvested from behind the greenhouse, where I had a 10' patch of them growing vigorously. We started with about 100 lbs of rhizomes, and where they were planted more steeply, we secured them with sod staples and recycled concrete and bricks, as needed:

 
As these babies establish and grow in, their vigorous, mat-forming rhizomes will play a critical role in helping to retard erosion along the creek banks.

 

Above, some small clumps were broken into more manageable pieces; below, in key places, large clumps were left intact to create immediate dense plantings.

 

I. pseudacorus, Yellow Flag Iris, is listed as an invasive plant in some areas, but is still freely sold and used in our area. The primarily dry nature of this planting space, combined with it being disconnected from native creeks or streams, makes it highly unlikely that this will be an issue. Further, the vigorous growth habit is extremely valuable in this instance for erosion control, where storm water runoff from surrounding higher, paved areas is creating a significant concern.

Around the perimeter of the upper banks, native grasses like Inland Sea Oats, Chasmanthium latifolium, are being seeded with seeds harvested from our previous garden plants. This vigorous, clumping native grass is great in dry shade and will seed readily to provide a dense groundcover. The roots run deep, and they'll be added protection against soil loss.

I'm well underway in seeding for the late summer/fall season, and I love the process of choosing perennials and vegetables for our own trial. These plants, both annual, perennial, herb and otherwise, will be grown out over the winter in our greenhouse to offer for sale in next spring's Charity Classic Plant Sale at Brookhaven:

 
Proper labeling is something I'm really in to--although it can get very tedious with 100+ seed varieties!

50-count liner flats are used in the greenhouse, and I trialed a new germinating soil this year (which I'm not liking as much as my favorite, made by the Fafard company):

 

The seedlings are coming along beautifully, and some are already potted up to 1g size, others are currently going into qt pots and 4" for the winter.

Our veggie seedlings, begun in late July/early August, are thriving, and the thinning process was quite an adventure:

 
 Newly thinned 'De Cicco' Broccoli seedlings, as of three weeks ago. Today, they're nearly ready to go up to 4" before being transplanted out.

We're also building up a stockpile of assorted succulent cuttings, having just finished dressing up the succulent wall pieces at Brookhaven that will go back up for the rest of the season before danger of frost. Seed flats make a perfect place for multiple cuttings of lots of different specimens:

 

We did manage to remove what we've not-so-affectionately dubbed "The Little Fountain that Couldn't"--another work of landscape atrocity left behind by previous owners. The pre-fab liner was ringed with a painted concrete mixture to attempt a natural stone look, and the odd little faux-vertigris concrete boy was so calcified he could hardly trickle.

 
Really, it was just a scorpion hotel, so it's now gone (we kept the little concrete head, though, as it looks great mixed with river rock around our jar fountain). One silver lining: The hole left from the gross old pond liner is perfect for planting Betsy's deciduous Magnolia, and hopefully that will go in soon.

So much more to do! We're selecting our first fruit trees, and I'll update on that soon. In the meantime, enjoy the cooler weather, the fall/winter garden planning, and the fresh bursts of color that will come from our gardens as the plants rejoice in the seasonal change. We will be, too.

Great News!

Many thanks to Mariana Greene of the Dallas Morning News for her interest in our work, and for this great article. We're looking forward to developing these basic concepts through the expansion of our farm and greenhouses....definitely more to come!

 
 

All Good Things with a History

We're humbled by some very special items that have come to live in our "new" country house--and settled into the kitchen, our favorite room. These are heirloom treasures worth their weight in gold (more, really) bestowed upon us by the matriarchs of each side of my family, maternal and paternal. I had to share, and some who read this will recognize these old things and smile...

I'll start with one legendary great-grandmother on my father's side, Eva Jesse Mackey King:

 
Granny King, ca. 1940s (?) Feeding the hens at her Nacogdoches, TX home

Granny King was salt-of-the-Earth and tough-as-nails. She could grow anything, cook anything, and make anything; a self-sufficient country woman that treated wounds with Kerosene and tobacco juice. She drank beer, dipped snuff, dyed chickens (when she thought it might look neat) told stories, and raised 16 children, five of whom she had in World War II at the same time. Granny King spent the majority of her life using a wood burning stove in an un-airconditioned cabin on a farm where she worked from sun up to sun down, as did everyone else there. I never had the honor of knowing her, as I was born just shortly before she died. I know we would have gotten along very well, though. Alas, references above are the stuff of legend and there may be corrections that follow--we'll see.

Knowing my admiration of all things self-sufficient and live-off-the-land, and my deep appreciation for anthing old and with a history, my wonderful grandmother has bequeathed to me the two remaining early 20th-century Ball canning jars that belonged to her mother:

 
Ball Co.'s blue "2L" Canning Jar ca. 1920, with Rubber Shoulder Seal in Discontinued Size

I'm in love. With these beauties, and with another precious item, my grandmother's favorite meringue fork:

 
Foreground: The Famous "Meringue Fork" used in Many Legendary, Hand-Whipped Meringue Pies. Background: The great S&P Shakers, another Canton find.

This is a large serving fork, which is unclear in the picture. My Grandmother refuses (to this day) to consider whipping egg whites for her legendary meringue toppings with automated gadgetry--only the right fork and lots of elbow grease will do. I'll be making her lemon pie recipe this weekend, in honor of it.

Jumping to my mother's side, another priceless treasure from my Great-Grandmother Roller, passed to me via my Aunt Anne, who received it from her mother, my "Grandmama" not long before her death in 2006:

 

Just how old the unassuming little box is, no one's sure--but it's filled with original, hand-written recipes from both of my Great-Grandparents and Grandparents, as well as a few of their friends and other family members:

 
Inside, treasures abound.

 
The oldest items from my great-grandparents were tucked into a tiny pink envelope by my grandmother for safekeeping. I'll have to try that potato cake recipe...

   
A well-used page for 'No-Kneading Rolls'--another one to try

Thank you, Anne, for the great honor of guardianship over these items, so full of history and interest. As with all good things with a story, their ownership is never static--one day, they'll all pass from my hands to other family members. In the meantime, however, I love knowing they're nearby--and remembering the good folks who brought them through the years to me.

 

In Love (Again) with Datura

Brugmansia (Datura) inoxia, a.k.a. Thorn-apple, Angel's Trumpet, Devil's Trumpet, etc. (there are many) is a pretty old-school Texas native plant that most folks are familiar with, at least visually. It forms a multi-branched, rambling, semi-woody subshrub and is loaded with ethereal, pure-white to yellowish trumpet-like blossoms in the hottest parts of the year. Record heat and drought? No problemo--as evidenced by this volunteer specimen outside my greenhouse at Brookhaven:

 

Datura is in the Solanaceae, or Nightshade family--and yes, it's quite poisonous. All parts of this lovely gal are loaded with Atropine, Hyoscine and Hyoscamine, alkaloids that have caused poisoning, hallucinations and death in both humans and animals. It's closely related to Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium) as well as Mandrake and Belladonna.

Back in my college years, I took a fantastic native plants course that consisted of hikes through various hill country locations to find and identify various species. Our professor noted the old story of Italian women during the Rennaissance using Belladonna as a beauty aid--dilated pupils were considered a gorgeous trait, so Atropine-loaded Belladonna berries were used to create a solution that was dripped into the eyes to cause the dilation. That's a beauty secret you won't find in any magazine today--although it is still used for medical purposes.

Members of the nightshade family are known in herbalist circles as "Witches Weeds" and have been used in various manners for both suicide and murder. Colorful history, no doubt--but I digress. Although intolerant of frost and generally grown as an annual, the plant itself is a vigorous grower that can withstand extremely punishing conditions--reference those that we in north Texas are currently experiencing. They produce rounded, spiny seed pods that play a role in many of its most popular common names, such as "thorn-apple":

 

One word of caution, besides the whole toxicity thing: they re-seed themselves vigorously. I started a few seedlings a couple of years ago to fill parched, low-maintenance areas on the golf courses, and they've gone berserk--I could fill a nursery with the seedlings we pull out each season.

 

Okay, so they're toxic and can become a nuisance... isn't that true of some people we all know, but keep around anyway? Everyone has redeeming features, and the flowers will make you moon-eyed as they glow bluish in the early morning light, and this plant is as tough as nails, something any plant-nerd--amateur or professional--is valuing right now.

The flowers, up to 8" in length, have an intense nighttime fragrance and are great friends with nocturnal moth species. Hummingbirds visit them, but are said to be affected by the alkaloids and must limit their consumption. Honeybees are evidently unaffected, and come away with a generous dusting of fluffy white pollen.

On a related note, I'm delighted to report that my Brugmansia sanguinea seedlings are thriving in the greenhouse:

 
In the foreground, one of five B. sanquinea seedlings now up to a 1G pot, with Agave babies standing guard just behind it. In the background is what we call "Irma-land"--I've given up trying to organize her territory.

Poor photograph, but photography has never been my strong point...anyway, I'm pleased these five little guys are making it, as the seeds aren't exactly common--not RARE, but not run-of-the-mill, either. I've been nuts about Brugmansia species since I was a kid--and this red species is a collector's item--at least to me:

 
(Photograph from jungleseeds.com)

You can see the close relation to Datura--and in fact, the two have now been lumped together into the same Genus--it's all just Brugmansia now. There's an ongoing fuss about pendulous vs. erect flowers (Nikki will giggle) and so-on, but that's where we are.

These beauties aren't exactly what we would call "well-adapted"--or for that matter, even remotely adapted--to our area. This is just one of those delicate little jewels I'll be happy to get a bloom or two out of, and be happy if it lives with me for one season in a pot, in the Betsy garden. If it doesn't stick around longer and I don't get it back in the greenhouse before the frost, then hey--it's been a fun experiment anyway. That, and I'll still have my army of Datura--err, Brugmansia inoxia.

Week 1 on The Farm, Dallas Morning News, and Watch Where You Put Your Hands

We're on the path out of chaos now that we're completely moved in to "The Farm" and no longer subsisting from boxes and half-used rolls of packing tape. Movers were the best investment we've made, and we highly recommend Texas State Movers (www.texstate.com). George and his crew made the actual day quick and painless, and they're very accomodating in both price and changes to loads. Family and friends, no doubt pleased to be spared from the actual loading and unloading this time, rose to the occasion to help with the unpacking and setting up. Really, it was a textbook experience, and we're overwhelmed with gratitude to each of you who joined in.

The boxes, once they're stripped of any plastics/tape etc. and washed of inks, will be laid out and sod-stapled down to decompose over the winter and suppress weeds in the areas in which our spring gardens will be laid out. It's a simple recycling concept given to me during my talk a few weeks ago for the Blackland Prairie Master Naturalists--and with the quantity of recycled cardboard we have onhand, it's extremely useful!

Mariana Greene, Garden Editor for the Dallas Morning News, will be running her piece on Terrain HD and our succulent creations and wall boxes soon. We haven't yet seen the photos their photographer took, but she's pleased with them, and we're grateful for her interest in our work. More when her story is released!

Let's see...a few notes from our first week in the country and our many, and varied, discoveries:

First off, we inherited a farm kitty:

 
 We met him during the buying process, but assumed he would go with the sellers--evidently, he's a permanent fixture, and we're happy to have him join the family. Although the picture doesn't make it clear, he's a bobtail, so we, of course, have affectionately dubbed him "Bob". Robbie has taken up the effort to make friends with him, and Bob's happy to have regular meals served on the porch in the evenings. We're happy to have Bob on patrol for various critters, so everyone wins.

Next, WATCH WHERE YOU PUT YOUR HANDS! And where you step, and sit, and check your shoes too, for that matter: here's a picture of one of our (swiftly removed) houseguests, discovered on the second night:

 
(Photo from Charles & Clint from article at EarthSky.org, not one of our actual visitor)

It's a Striped Bark Scorpion, Centrurius vittatus, which is perhaps the most commonly seen scorpion species in Texas. Ours was discovered and removed from the house, but a couple of its friends have already been found in the pool...so take that advice above seriously. Yes, they can deliver a painful sting, but it's akin (by most reports) to a nasty wasp sting, and subsides quickly. They do serve an important biological role in controlling the populations of other critters, so we'll just have to agree to be neighbors. And we'll invest in improved weather stripping, too.

Here's another guest, luckily not (yet) found inside the house, but frequently outside:

 
(Photo from Jason Wilcox, McDavid, Florida, from Website www.wildflowers.jdcc.edu/Cow_Ant.html)

This striking lady goes by the names Cow Ant, Velvet Ant, Cow Killer, Velvet Wasp, etc.--she's actually a wingless wasp species, specifically, Dasymutilla occidentalis. These wasps are predators of ground hornets (of which we also have plenty) and are generally very shy unless stepped on or otherwise molested. If one were to make that mistake, however, they have a painful sting to offer in return--one that I hear is far worse than any scorpion...

So. Do pay attention to what and where you grab when you visit, and don't plan to go barefoot too often, either.

Moving announcements will be mailed this week, finally:

 
I found these great paper-airplane style cards at Peartree.com and ordered enough for the main part of our address book. Of course, I failed to correct the fact that I used Robbie's former sirname before the change to his family name of Macomber, and the return address on the envelopes may cause confusion (or those of you who receive them will see a cover-sticker)...just when you think you've perfected editing your own work.

It's always nice to know that although the to-do list might be longer than we ourselves are tall, we can always grab a cold beer and head for the pool. The gardens and meadows haven't even been touched (not in record heat, with today to top 108, I believe) but it's already been greatly appreciated. Here's Sugar getting some water kisses from Robbie during our first day:

 
 
The sailboat in the background is another project, and another story, for another day...

Lastly, week 1 was ended with a trip to Canton for First Monday Trade Days last Saturday, which turned out to be a fantastic experience. Various reviewers will tell you there's lots of tchotchky and yes, there is, but there are treasures to be found, as well, like the Duncan Phyfe dining table that now lives with us:

 

Recovering seats will be a tidy little project, but anything indoors this week is a good project, in my mind. Along with this find, we came home with some great coral pieces that will go into succulent creations, some incredible antique prints and photographs from a Taos, NM dealer, and a 1940s menu from the Hotel LaFonda there in Taos, our favorite getaway spot. In those days, according to the menu, a sirloin steak dinner was $1.75, and one could have dessert and coffee for an additional $0.20. Sounds good...very good.

 

Before-and-After, Lots of Tomatoes, and Boxes Everywhere...

We're underway on the 3-day workweek before a 14-day vacation (I'm tempted to use quotation marks for that term, as it will be LOTS of work, not so much leisure) as we move over to "The Farm". There...used them after all.

I'm trying to tie up an espalier design project for Las Colinas Country Club in Irving, and in going through my photos today in prep, came across some great "befores" of a space there I redesigned in May and was just able to get photos of as it's grown in:

 
Yeah, yuck. It was just a long-forgotten bed overgrown with variegated Vinca minor and sad Liriope. Not much of a first impression for pool guests.

And now:

 
Lots of color and texture, and a nice large jar to give it a central focal point. The planting is blended annual and perennial, so there will be room for seasonal adjustment and variety. It's been a well-recieved update to their pool complex.

Back at the old Alan Ave. house, the tomatoes are still going gangbusters. We planted mostly heirloom varieties that we and our garden volunteers started from seed for the Charity Classic Plant Sale at Brookhaven. In our garden, we had 'Dr. Wyche's Yellow', 'Cream Sausage', 'Beam's Yellow Pear', 'Black Krim', 'Cherokee Purple', 'Cupid', 'Italian Heirloom', 'Kolb', 'Sheboygan' and a few others. Oh, and a great 'Black Cherry' we got from North Haven Gardens. Some produced wonderfully, others, not so much. Some had great flavors, others, not so much. I've canned sweet tomato chutney, hot tomato chutney, and a curried salsa so far, but now that everything is in boxes, we just have piles of tomatoes laying about:

 
 
Everything in the house is in a loosely-organized state of bedlam, but the movers arrive Thursday and we've got plenty to do to keep us busy in the meantime. With our future 750 sq. ft. workshop, we were able to bid farewell to our business storage unit on Sunday...and were reminded that we need to do a serious glassware inventory! Boxes, boxes everywhere, and BIG ceramics that we've picked up here and there, along with bins and bins of wedding floral detritus. Needless to say, the little truck was well loaded down:

 
The back seat is also full-to-bursting. Oasis, Manzanita branches, tablecloths, and boxes, boxes, boxes. All the bubble wrap accumulated from three years' worth of wedding glassware sure has come in handy, though!

Last word for now: here's our gift to Kim Le-Henderson of Ebby Halliday (Lakewood Office) who has been our champion through this second real estate go-round. She may be petite and look delicate, but great things come in small packages, right? Leslie Halleck would certainly agree!

We knew Kim liked the succulent table piece collection sold through North Haven Gardens, so we thought she certainly deserved one, too:

 

Picture is from the greenhouse table, so not the lovliest staging...but the succulents speak for themselves.  Most importantly, she was delighted, and so are we. Thanks again, Kim!

Back to Espaliers for now...

Preparing for Fall at the Farm

Most of our family and friends are already aware that Robbie and I have been in the process of purchasing a 5-acre rural property that we hope to be moved into by the last part of July (or at least by the first week of August). We've gone through various versions of what to call it--'the Country House', 'the Quinlan House', by its postal address, 'Glen Macomber'--etc. and have settled on 'Farm.' Nice and tidy. Really, it's more of a "farmette" (actual term I've been seeing increasingly) but who's counting?

 

The farm will will give us a lot of new opportunities--the house more than doubles our current living space (ahhhh), it's made for entertaining (pool!), it has a workshop nearly as big as our current home, fantastic sandy loam soil, and of course the land to grow on. Most importantly, though, the shape and form of the acreage struck something in both of us--and in all of our driving and searching, we kept coming back to this specific place. It's a modest parcel of land, no doubt--but the harmony of the meadows and trees here is so special you can feel like you're in the middle of nowhere out there. To us, that's priceless.

 

There's loads of sunshine and prairie grasses and wildflowers, that deep sandy loam soil that has me so excited, a creek that runs through the property and will create a perfect pond garden just behind the house, and the perfect spaces for greenhouses, the chicken yard, composting, and a modest orchard.

 

While we'll be spending the fall and winter working on various projects to lay a strong foundation, we can't help but get a few  "Now we have the space to grow this" crops. Since early July is a great time to seed for a fall harvest, we've done just that. Yes, I'm aware that pumpkins, squash, and watermelon are best when direct-seeded into the garden (I had to confirm three times for Irma, my grounds crew forewoman, that I was aware of this basic gardening fact). However, since closing isn't until the 15th, I had to get a jump on things. So, among others, seeds are greenhouse-sown for:

'Cinderella' Pumpkin, or Rouge vif d'Etamps, a fantastic French heirloom variety first available in the U.S. in the 1880s. Known decoratively for it's fat, flat shape, rich ruddy red/orange color, and deep ribs; culinarily for being a richly-flavored variety excellent for baking and roasting. Behold:

 

'Connecticut Field' Pumpkin, a classic old staple that's the favorite for Halloween Jack-0-Lanterns, yielding heavy, 10-20 lb fruit:

 

'Jack-be-Little' Pumpkins, the favorite little teeny ones for decorating, votives, etc.

 

'Tigger' Melons, an old Armenian heirloom variety that produces 1-2 lb fruits with bright, jagged stripes on the husk and fragrant, white, cantaloupe-like flesh inside:

 

And several others. We won't have time to really build up a veg garden before these go in the ground; more than likely "till a quick row" will be the approach. They're just the beginning, though--more of a "we just can't wait" project. And then again, I have a thing for pumpkins.

Last but not least, as it's worth mentioning here: among our first marks to make will be the honoring of Betsy's Garden, the private courtyard garden off of the master bathroom. It's a cool space with lots of potential, but it's in need of some garden TLC. To mark the beginning of its transformation, it's been renamed for Betsy, the little one we lost in May. Here she is engaged in her favorite activity, back in 2010:

 

 

With some of her ashes, we'll plant a deciduous Magnolia, such as this one...

 

...and that will be the greatest start we could hope for.