Garden or a Yard ;An example of a “front garden”.
What word do you use for the area surrounding your home? Do you call it a ‘yard’ or a ‘garden’?
I looked up the definition of the word ‘yard’ regarding the land surrounding a house and here is what I found:
1. A tract of ground next to, surrounding or surrounded by a building or buildings.
3. An area where railroad trains are made up and cars are switched, stored, and serviced on tracks and sidings.
4. A winter pasture for deer or other grazing animals, or an enclosed tract of ground in which animals, such as chickens or pigs, are kept.
Now, I don’t have any trains in my yard or deer, chickens or pigs either. I do have animals in my yard, but my dogs spend most of their time indoors.
Of all these definitions, the first one best describes my ‘yard’. But it is so much more than a “tract of ground surrounding a building”.
My back ‘garden’ in the summer.
So, I looked up the definition of the word, ‘garden’. Here is what I found:
1. A plot of land used for the cultivation of flowers, vegetables, herbs, or fruit.
2. Grounds laid out with flowers, trees, and ornamental shrubs and used for recreation or display.
3. A yard or lawn.
Now some people may not feel comfortable referring to their ‘yard’ as a garden. They may feel that their landscape is inadequate.
Kilkenny Castle, Kilkenny Ireland
Well, I don’t see anything in the definitions of the word, ‘garden’ that means that you have to have beautiful, formal, extravagant landscaping around your home. You don’t see the word ‘castle’ mentioned in the definition, do you?
I think the definition(s) of the word, ‘garden,’ describe the landscape around my house much more accurately than the word ‘yard.’ I have flowers growing in containers, I have a vegetable garden, I have flowering plants, ornamental shrubs, and trees.
Winter Annuals
Okay, you may be asking, “What if I only have a single tree and a couple of shrubs in my landscape? Does that mean that I only have a ‘yard’, or can I call it a ‘garden.’ Well, if you look at the definitions from the dictionary, I think the word, ‘garden’ certainly applies. But, it certainly couldn’t hurt if you decide to add more trees and plants in my opinion 😉
A few years ago, I stopped referring to the area surrounding my home as a ‘yard’. I didn’t think that the term ‘yard’ described the landscape surrounding my house. (When I managed landscapes, we had a ‘maintenance yard’ where all of our equipment was kept and our offices were also located there as well. The term ‘yard’ did describe what we used that parcel of land for – a specific business or activity. But it certainly was not a term that I wanted for the area around my home.)
My side vegetable ‘garden’
Now, my landscape is not particularly fancy…it’s rather simple, filled with plants that I love. And so I decided that I did not have a ‘yard.’ To be more specific, I did not have a ‘front yard’, ‘backyard’ or even a ‘side yard’. I had a garden. Today, I refer to them as my ‘front garden’, ‘back garden’ and ‘side garden’.
Pink Beauty (Eremophila laanii)
When I meet with clients, I like to refer to their landscape areas as their front garden and back garden. My hope is that they will see their “yard” as what it really is…..a garden.
So, what do you have? A ‘garden’ or a ‘yard’?
Sodapop and the “Un” Forbidden Fruit
Double S FarmsThis is the conclusion to a story that I wrote back in January about a dog and her battle with ‘forbidden fruit’.
Sodapop, who belongs to my youngest sister, Chicken Farmer, and her family – is the main character of this story. Sodapop is the daughter of my dog, Missy (that really has nothing to do with the story, however).
The ‘forbidden fruit’ for Sodapop was an apple. However, it was not your ordinary apple….it was an old, shriveled up apple hanging on the top of an apple tree.
We weren’t sure what it is about this shriveled apple that made her want it so badly. But most likely, it probably because it was out of her reach and that is what drove her crazy….
She was sorely tempted by the sight of the dried up apple and she did her best to reach it, jumping as high as she could, breaking small branches in the process.
As if one forbidden fruit was not enough….there were more hanging in the tree, taunting her.
But try as she might, all she ended up with were small apple branches for all her troubles.
It was small compensation for a lot of work….
*FAST FORWARD TO SUMMERTIME*
Now it is summer and the apple trees are now laden with delicious apples. Now Sodapop has more apples then she knows what to do with. First, she enjoyed eating the apples hanging on the lower branches of the apple trees.
However, now that most of the lower apples have either been eaten by her or picked by the residents of Double S Farms, Sodapop has had to content herself with eating the apples that have fallen from the tree….
I wonder if ‘forbidden’ apples taste better then ‘unforbidden’ apples?
**UPDATE – We recently learned that eating too many apples can be dangerous for dogs because their seeds contain small amounts of cyanide. So, the apple trees will soon be fenced off to keep the dogs out.**
I hope you are all having a great week so far. We are hoping for a start to our summer rainy season later this week and are keeping our fingers crossed 🙂
What Is Wrong With This Picture?
az plant lady familyCan you figure out what is wrong with this picture?
I can see two things. First of all, my son is holding a pumpkin from our vegetable garden in July. Definitely not the normal time of year for seeing kids with pumpkins.
The second thing wrong with this photo is that my son is in a wheelchair. He needs the wheelchair as he recovers from hip surgery. We go back to the doctor this week and Kai will hopefully be able to stand up and start physical therapy and get out of that wheelchair. I don’t mean to complain about the wheelchair…it has made our lives much easier and Kai can really get around very well in it, but I yearn for the day when he will be able to run around again. You can read more about Kai’s story here if you like.
Once Kai can stand and walk, he no longer will rely on us to carry him – I actually threw my back out last week picking him up and still cannot pick him up. We are looking forward to his doctor saying that he can walk again 🙂
Okay, back to the pumpkin….a few weeks ago, I wrote about “An Escapee From The Garden” which featured our pumpkin plant that decided to grow outside of our garden.
Back in March, my daughter, Gracie planted the seeds….
They took about 7 days to germinate and then quickly began to grow. *Now, we realized that the time to plant pumpkins for the fall is in June, but the kids really wanted to plant pumpkins early, and so we did 🙂
Being rather new to vegetable gardening, we did not realize how large the pumpkin plants would spread. Pretty soon one of our plants decided to venture outside of the garden…
Shortly afterward, we noticed a little pumpkin forming – outside of the garden, of course.
It grew quite quickly…
This morning, I stepped out into the garden and this is what I found…
And so, we are probably the only people in Arizona who have a pumpkin gracing the top of their kitchen table in the month of July.
We planted new pumpkin seeds this month in hopes of getting pumpkins in time for fall.
On my way back inside from the garden, I noticed another escapee from the garden…
Our watermelon plant decided to copy the pumpkin plant. Next month may bring watermelons forming outside of the vegetable garden as well. Oh well, we have plans to expand our garden this fall 🙂
I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July celebration!
It’s Irrigation Day…
Double S FarmsToday’s post is from my sister (Chicken Farmer) and resident of Double S Farms.
As a California transplant living in the desert of Arizona, there are a few things that really trip me out and one of them is flood irrigation. Every two weeks in the summer and once a month in the fall, winter, and spring months, we irrigate our yard with a “flood.”
Very few homes in Arizona actually have this type of irrigation. It’s usually found in older neighborhoods and neighborhoods zoned for agricultural use. My sister, who is an expert on all things garden/desert/plants blogged about flood irrigation here and explained that the water sinks deeply into the soil which makes for deep roots for both grass and trees. It also helps to flush out salts that accumulate in the soil.
Best seat in the house on a hot summer day.
Snow melt and rain water is accumulated throughout the year in a system of reservoirs and canals. One of these canals runs right behind our backyard. We sign up to irrigate through our local utility company. We are allowed up to 3 hours of constant flood irrigation but we usually sign up for just an hour and a half to two hours. The utility company then sends out a schedule with our irrigation time (which lately has been in the middle of the night!). When it’s our time, I drive to the end of the street to open the flood gates and turn on the valve that you can see above to get the water flowing.
Although it looks wasteful, if done properly, flood irrigation is a very efficient way to water. Because of the heat where we leave, a lot of the water from daily sprinkler use evaporates before it has a chance to soak in. A once a month deep water is much better for plants in the desert than a daily, light sprinkle. The key is to figure out just how much water you need and order the right amount. It’s also important that your yard is nice and even or a little hill or slope will send that water right into the street. Sadly, I have seen some neighbors water their driveways on occasion.
Our first irrigation -we hadn’t figured out how much water we needed and obviously ordered too much.
My dog Sodapop goes crazy over the irrigation. As soon as she sees the water flowing, she runs up to the valve and lays right next to it. The boys love it too. They think it’s a blast to take a pair of my flip flops and have “boat” races. I love the irrigation because it brings a ton of fun critters to the backyard – ducks, snakes, toads, and all kinds of cool shore birds.
Yesterday was irrigation day and we are fortunate that it wasn’t scheduled for the middle of the night. It was scheduled for late afternoon which is the hottest time of day. The boys were stoked!
We’ve been irrigating this way for over a year now and I still think it’s kind of bizarre (although we have the happiest fruit trees ever). Almost as bizarre (but not as scary) as the scorpions out here – which I’ll never get used to. But that’s an entirely different post.
Noelle here again – UPDATE:
Guess what also came in with the water?
Yes, that is a fish. Actually the fact that it made it’s way into the backyard isn’t really all that strange. Fish are released into the canals to help to eat the algae that can build up along bottom and sides. This particular fish made it’s way from the larger canals to the smaller ones and into the backyard of Double S Farms.
The fish was released back into the canal by Farmer Dad. I wonder if it will wind up in someone else’s garden?
Please visit my sister’s blog FinleyandOliver to read more about her adventures in the desert southwest.
A Harvest of Apples….
AZ Plant LadyNothing can beat the taste of apples freshly picked from the tree. When I moved to the desert, I was surprised that apple trees could grow here. I came to find out that most fruit trees not only can grow in our climate, but thrive.
This summer, my mother (Pastor Farmer) of Double S Farms, undertook the daunting task of teaching me how to can fruits. We made peach jam together and I then made plum jam on my own. You know, nothing quite beats the feeling you get when you have a row of freshly canned fruit that you have made yourself. I am definitely getting hooked on canning.
Double S Farms has many different kinds of fruit trees, including two Anna’s apple trees. They are prolific producers of apples and I couldn’t wait to make applesauce.
Another reason that I was looking forward to spending the day with my mother was that I have been with my kids 24 hours a day since school has been out for the summer and to be honest, I needed a small break. Normally, I do go out on a few landscape consultations during the week, but when the summer heat arrives, people do not want to spend much time outside in the garden, so my business slows down and I am home much of the time. Please don’t misunderstand me – I have great kids and I love them, but it was so nice to have a few hours away.
There are many recipes for applesauce available online – sweetened, unsweetened, with cinnamon, chunky, etc. A good reference guide for canning any type of fruit can be found at this link.
In order to make the applesauce, we first cut the apples into chunks. You may notice that we did not peel the apples….we just removed the stem and end from each apple before we cut them up into chunks.
We added water and then cooked them until they were soft.
Then it was time to put them through the food mill. *I have always wanted a food mill and had so much fun using my mother’s. I really need to get one 🙂
Besides being very easy to use, the food mill kept all the apple peels and cores out of the pureed apples that fell into the bowl. Peeling apples is not a favorite activity of mine, so it was so nice to skip this part.
In the foreground, you can see an old fashioned device which also worked well. I am not sure what it is called, but it did work well.
While we were working, my two nephews came home from playing at the park. They are always so much fun to play with. Their new favorite books are my sister’s cupcake cookbooks. They spend lots of time looking at all of the pictures and deciding which ones they are going to make.
*I have actually have used the first cookbook and had some great results.
Okay, back to making applesauce….
Once the apples were pureed, we added sugar and lemon juice.
Now back onto the stove for a few minutes to heat up.
It already looked so good, it was hard not to dip my spoon in and try some.
Next it was time to put it into jars, making sure that there are not air bubbles and add the lids.
The last step…
Finished!
Now, I think it is time to make my Applesauce Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting 🙂
**If any of you would like the recipe, please send me an email and I would be happy to send you the recipe for the cake.
Can It Forward: Making Nectarine and Blueberry Jam
Evening In The Garden….
AZ Plant LadyDuring the summer months, I enjoy spending time in my garden in the evenings, just as dusk settles in. I love the warm dry heat, without the bright sun beating down on me. I like how the light from the setting sun brings a new dimension to the garden.
Garden in Evenings
One of my ‘Desert Museum’ Palo Verde trees is a late bloomer and is still in full flower, which this bee is taking full advantage of. I love how the sunlight shines through it’s delicate yellow petals.
My attention is drawn to another one of my favorite trees, my Palo Blanco (Acacia willardiana). The common name, translated into English means ‘white stick’, which refers to the white trunk. I have three of these trees and I walked over to see the delicate foliage and seed pods.
While I was standing there, my attention was captured by what was going on higher up in the tree. There were two hummingbirds enjoying the setting sun, just as I was.
Garden in Evenings
I couldn’t believe how close I was and they were aware of my presence, but I think that they were so focused on each other, they could care less about a human standing nearby.
Because of the lighting, I could not tell what color they were to identify what species they were. I would make a guess that they were Anna’s though. I am sure they are a mating pair. I wonder where they have built their nest? I will have to keep my eyes open.
I have never photographed two hummingbirds together and was so excited – I could hardly believe my luck in getting a picture of them. On my way back through the garden, my attention was captured by the last bloom of my English Rose, Abraham Darby. I say that it is the last bloom, because it will not produce more roses until late September, when the summer heat begins to abate.
The bloom was quite small, but lovely just the same. **The heat of summer causes the rose blooms to open too rapidly, before the petals have fully formed.
Before, I went back inside, I went to see how much larger our pumpkin has grown. We have had so much fun growing pumpkins, even though it will be ready far before October. But, my kids wanted to try growing them early, and they are having so much fun seeing how quickly it has grown. You can read more about our ‘escaped pumpkin’ here if you like.
Here is what our pumpkin looked like one week ago…
And here is what 7 days of growth looks like….
Isn’t it amazing? We are so proud of our little ‘escaped’ pumpkin.
As I prepared to go inside, I noticed that one of our sunflowers is beginning to open.
It’s face points east, ready to welcome the start of a new day.
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
Unrequited Love In The Garden….
AZ Plant LadyDo you have a plant that you would love to grow in your garden? You close your eyes and you can just imagine how beautiful it would look and exactly where you would plant it.
Then, you open your eyes and look out into your garden and sadly, that plant is no where to be seen. Okay, I don’t mean to get all melancholy on you. But, is there a plant that you just love, but cannot grow because you live in the wrong climate? A plant, which despite all the tweaking you try to do to the environment in the garden, your much loved plant will just not grow?
Well, I have a plant that I love that does not grow well in our desert climate. Sure, you can see it being sold from time to time at the local big box store…..but we all know that just because a plant is sold at one of these stores, does NOT mean that they will survive long once planted.
My much loved plant that I cannot grow is Hydrangea…
Hydrangea Shrub
These hydrangea were growing in the garden of noted author C.S. Lewis. We visited his home and garden in Oxford, England in 2003.
When my parents lived in Southern California, they had a huge hydrangea shrub. I remember visiting them and seeing it absolutely covered in pink blossoms. **Hydrangea blooms turn pink in alkaline soils and more bluish in acidic soils.
Now, I am generally not a complainer by nature. I am amazed at how many different plants that I can grow in our semi-tropical, desert climate; a myriad of fruit trees, pine trees, palms, tulips, daffodils, iris, vegetables, as well as dozens of tropical plants. And so, I will continue to be happy with the wide variety of what I can grow while I enjoy hydrangeas through pictures.
Now, I am wondering…..are there any plants that you wished you could grow, but cannot due to your climate? Even if you just love your garden as it is, is there one plant you would include if it would grow where you live?
California Nursery Visit
It’s Time For June’s Monthly Garden Bouquet (MGB)
Double S FarmsI hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I wish that I could say that I enjoyed mine, but unfortunately, I came down with the stomach flu. I am just now able to sit for a while without getting dizzy.
Oh well, enough about me. I am so excited to see your garden bouquets for the month of June. I would think that everyone has at least a few different plants in flower this month.
My entry this month is my favorite one that I have posted to date. And, it was not created by me. Earlier this month, my daughter’s high school graduation party was held at Double S Farms, the home of my mother, my sister and her family. It was a beautiful June evening and just before the guests were to arrive, my mother, (Pastor Farmer), went outside, cut some blooms from her flowering shrubs and made the prettiest country bouquets.
Prettiest Country Bouquets
They looked so pretty, on the old wooden table. I had forgotten my camera, so my sister let me borrow hers.
The flowers in this arrangement are from two shrubs that are found growing in many gardens in the southwest….Green Cloud Sage (Leucophyllum frutescens ‘Green Cloud’) and Orange Jubilee (Tecoma x Orange Jubilee). I love how great the colors of purple and orange look together. **Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel, contrast nicely when paired together.
Smaller bouquets also graced the table and were made up of Gold Lantana and Orange Jubilee.
We had a great time at the party and the weather in June is just perfect for evening gatherings outdoors.
I would love to see your June bouquets. The guidelines for MGB are very simple….
1. MGB is held the third week of each month and bouquets can be submitted during a 7 day period (or even later if you like).
2. Create your own bouquet as fancy or simple as you like.
3. I would appreciate it if you would provide a link back to my post inside of your MGB post, but it is not required 🙂
4. Add your link to Mr. Linky below and that’s it!
I cannot wait to see what bouquets you create from your summer gardens.
Have a great week!
Escapee From The Garden…
Vegetable GardeningSome of you may remember that we planted our first family vegetable garden this spring. The kids and I have had a great time planting the seeds, seeing the grow into full grown vegetables. We harvested corn a couple of weeks ago and are picking cherry tomatoes daily.
Now, because this is our first garden, we have encountered some surprises. In the spring, when we first planned on what we wanted to grow, we decided to plant some pumpkin seeds and even though it was too early to plant them (they would be ripe way before the fall). But, the kids were so excited to be able to grow them that we went ahead….we could always plant some later in time to harvest them in the fall.
Family Vegetable Garden
What we did not expect is how big the pumpkin plants have become. We only kept 3 plants, although all the seeds we planted germinated.
The problem is that one or two pumpkin plants have escaped the confines of our vegetable garden….
Now, I don’t think growing on the top of gravel is ideal, but the pumpkin plant(s) seems to like it….
Actually, they seem to love it better outside of the garden. About 1/3 is inside of the garden and the rest is growing outside.
A couple of weeks ago, they began to flower and I was thrilled to discover a baby pumpkin starting to form.
Guess where it is growing?
Yep….right outside of the vegetable garden, nestled in dropped Bougainvillea and Palo Verde petals.
It is growing daily and we are so excited to have a fully ripe pumpkin in July or August.
Did I mention that I always tell clients and friends to “Do as I say, not as I do in the garden?”
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Low Temps, June GBBD and Recovery
Flowering AnnualsI have been enjoying the weather very much this June. Now for those of you who do not live in the desert, this is not a ‘normal’ statement. June is a month that is spent indoors, hibernating with the air-conditioning and looking outside at the garden.
But, we have had a cooler then normal June so far. Saturday’s temperature was 17 degrees below normal. I was looking forward to this day because I had planned to spend time pruning and weeding. As I worked outside, the breeze felt cool…..again, NOT normal for this time of year.
Today, the temperatures are about normal for this time of year and I did venture outside to get some work done in my vegetable garden, but once the clock hits 10:00, I tend to go back inside.
Even though it is hot outside in June, there is a riot of color in the garden. This is normal for this time of year. So, many desert residents spend their time indoors, viewing the beauty of their gardens through the windows 🙂
Color in the Garden ;This is my first time growing sunflowers. They look so pretty in my vegetable garden.
Color in the Garden, My Bougainvillea is absolutely glorious this time of year.
Pink Bower Vine lines the front entry to my house. They thrive in the afternoon sun.
Gold Lantana also lines the walk up to my front entry. I love their bright blooms.
Warm summer temperatures are perfect for my Texas Sage shrubs.Their purple blooms will come and go through the fall months.
Orange Jubilee takes center stage in my side yard. I love the lush green foliage, but the flowers are my favorite part.
A relative of Orange Jubilee, is my Yellow Bells shrub. It is covered in yellow blossoms, which brighten an otherwise boring expanse of a brick wall.
My last submission, Radiation Lantana.Blooms appear March through November…..I am so blessed!
Please visit May Dream Gardens for more GBBD posts. I love seeing what is blooming around the world.
On another note, life since my son’s surgery has been busier then usual. Whereas I used to blog 6 times a week, I now feel accomplished if I write 3. But, I don’t feel too badly about it. I am enjoying my time with my son, who is wheelchair bound for at least 3 more weeks.
We play cards, watch movies, read books together. He also has fun playing with his army men, Wii, his Legos and reading books on his own. We suffered a little bit of a setback yesterday. Kai was signed up for our church’s Vacation Bible School this week and my husband went with him to help out. Unfortunately, there was too much physical activity that Kai could not participate in and he was often left on the sidelines. He hip was also bothering him with the extra activities that he could participate in, so we spoke to him and agreed to not continue with VBS this year.
The great news is that Kai will start physical therapy in 3 weeks, which means that he can start putting weight on his leg 🙂 Right now though, we are busy keeping him happy when all he can do is sit and lie down.
I am so thankful for the comments that I continue to receive. I apologize that I have not had the time to respond as much as I would like too. But, I am trying my best to carve out a little time each day to visit all of you and leave a little note 🙂
June Days….Dry Grass, Sprinklers and a Harvest
Do You Have a Garden or a Yard?
AZ Plant LadyGarden or a Yard ;An example of a “front garden”.
What word do you use for the area surrounding your home? Do you call it a ‘yard’ or a ‘garden’?
I looked up the definition of the word ‘yard’ regarding the land surrounding a house and here is what I found:
1. A tract of ground next to, surrounding or surrounded by a building or buildings.
3. An area where railroad trains are made up and cars are switched, stored, and serviced on tracks and sidings.
4. A winter pasture for deer or other grazing animals, or an enclosed tract of ground in which animals, such as chickens or pigs, are kept.
Now, I don’t have any trains in my yard or deer, chickens or pigs either. I do have animals in my yard, but my dogs spend most of their time indoors.
Of all these definitions, the first one best describes my ‘yard’. But it is so much more than a “tract of ground surrounding a building”.
My back ‘garden’ in the summer.
So, I looked up the definition of the word, ‘garden’. Here is what I found:
1. A plot of land used for the cultivation of flowers, vegetables, herbs, or fruit.
2. Grounds laid out with flowers, trees, and ornamental shrubs and used for recreation or display.
3. A yard or lawn.
Now some people may not feel comfortable referring to their ‘yard’ as a garden. They may feel that their landscape is inadequate.
Kilkenny Castle, Kilkenny Ireland
Well, I don’t see anything in the definitions of the word, ‘garden’ that means that you have to have beautiful, formal, extravagant landscaping around your home. You don’t see the word ‘castle’ mentioned in the definition, do you?
I think the definition(s) of the word, ‘garden,’ describe the landscape around my house much more accurately than the word ‘yard.’ I have flowers growing in containers, I have a vegetable garden, I have flowering plants, ornamental shrubs, and trees.
Winter Annuals
Okay, you may be asking, “What if I only have a single tree and a couple of shrubs in my landscape? Does that mean that I only have a ‘yard’, or can I call it a ‘garden.’ Well, if you look at the definitions from the dictionary, I think the word, ‘garden’ certainly applies. But, it certainly couldn’t hurt if you decide to add more trees and plants in my opinion 😉
A few years ago, I stopped referring to the area surrounding my home as a ‘yard’. I didn’t think that the term ‘yard’ described the landscape surrounding my house. (When I managed landscapes, we had a ‘maintenance yard’ where all of our equipment was kept and our offices were also located there as well. The term ‘yard’ did describe what we used that parcel of land for – a specific business or activity. But it certainly was not a term that I wanted for the area around my home.)
My side vegetable ‘garden’
Now, my landscape is not particularly fancy…it’s rather simple, filled with plants that I love. And so I decided that I did not have a ‘yard.’ To be more specific, I did not have a ‘front yard’, ‘backyard’ or even a ‘side yard’. I had a garden. Today, I refer to them as my ‘front garden’, ‘back garden’ and ‘side garden’.
Pink Beauty (Eremophila laanii)
When I meet with clients, I like to refer to their landscape areas as their front garden and back garden. My hope is that they will see their “yard” as what it really is…..a garden.
So, what do you have? A ‘garden’ or a ‘yard’?