This year’s Garden Party started off on an interesting note. I sent out one invitation for a Saturday Garden Party and my initial responses were “Regret that I can’t make it.” So I assumed it would be a more intimate gathering. But then I had to change the day to Sunday as I had a few kid related commitments I had forgotten about. Sunday seemed to work out much better for all the ladies, and as the RSVP date got closer, pretty much everyone who was invited said they could come!
But a few things happened that were putting a damper on my party preparations. The darn rabbits were eating all my flowers – just decimating them. Gladiola stalks chomped to the base. Stalks of roses with tons of buds mowed down, and huge dahlia stalks with buds cut at the base and just thrown aside. These rabbits were ruining my patch of flowers! Continue reading Prepping for our Garden Party 2016→
Okay, here I was prepping my garden on the Friday before of my upcoming garden party, which was on Sunday. I am potting up a gorgeous pale pink geranium cutting that I wanted to showcase indoors at the party. I tussle a pot that had some potting soil in it and I get ready to pot up my geranium and what do I see? A ton of yellow jacket bees! One bit me on my arm, another bit me on my foot, and one was stuck to my leg ready to bite. I ran like a mad woman. When I finally caught my breath inside my house, I made sure no bee followed me in or got stuck in my mane of rough curly black hair. Then I slowly ventured back out with a coat on this time, and from afar took a look at my potting bench. And I see a group of yellow jackets just hovering on the ground in that area. Continue reading A No Yellow Jacket Garden Party→
Every year the Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden, a historic home and garden in Palo Alto, California hosts a Spring Garden Tour where a few private homes in this exclusive neighborhood open their gardens for public viewing. The tour is open on one Friday and Saturday only in April, and all proceeds from ticket sales go towards the maintenance of the Gamble Garden. Continue reading Gamble Garden Spring Tour 2016→
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet.” From William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. This is so true! Whether it is called a rose or any other name, it wouldn’t make a difference – a rose is a rose and it is gorgeous! No matter what the color, the variety, fragrance or not, there is something about roses that is pure floral joy. Continue reading “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose…→
Our veggie patch with our raised beds are prepped and ready to be planted with new veggie seedlings. It’s mid April already and we need to get started soon. We have been eagerly waiting for the Master Gardener’s Plant Sale this year as we had such great success with the veggie plants we bought from them last year.
Have you heard of Ixia? It is a little flower bulb with flowers the size of a black bean, and it blooms in the spring just like freesias and daffodils.
Bouquets to Art. What a novel idea! Flower bouquets that mimic paintings and works of art in the permanent collection at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. Every year I plan on going to this talked about exhibition, but something always takes precedent, and I end up not making it. But this year I put it on my calendar 2 months in advance so as not to miss it, and I finally made it! Continue reading Bouquets to Art 2016→
It’s early spring and all the plants are leafing out with fresh, tender new leaves. The garden is looking green, healthy, and plump with lush juicy flower buds all ready to bloom in a matter of weeks. I’m ready for the spring flower show!
The easiest bulbs to grow, freesias are spectacular spring bulb flowers just like daffodils. These bulbs are small, but the flowers are stupendous. They come in a rainbow of colors and have the sweetest fragrance. Freesias epitomize the ultimate cottage style flower. Freesias grow freely under any conditions. They do well planted in shade, a sunny spot, and even in pots.
