Red Clover

New Blog Ready!!!

2010-03-26T14:32:00.001-07:00

Hey! Come on over to my New Place! At www.redclovergardens.com! It's Spring and time to get going again! I'll be happy to see you. Remember to save the new link. Smiles.

~ Red Clover

I'm Here...

2010-01-23T20:07:00.000-08:00

Hello!

Last night I was driving home with Kip at midnight. There had been a heavy snow storm all evening, and as we drove through the still night a silence wrapped itself around the snow encrusted trees, in perfect contemplation. We drove around for a few extra minutes before going home.

I appreciate winter when it makes you adore it, even though your soul is hankering for spring and spilling over seed magazines.

Red Clover is being re-worked just a bit...so I'm Here...but, re-configuring and re-figuring...and in the sweep of my final semester at University (yea), so...watch for a new template soon!

~ Red Clover

Ideal Gardener's Wardrobe Part II

2009-12-29T11:15:00.001-08:00

I do realize that for the past two months I've left you all wondering if the Ideal Gardener's Wardrobe only consists of trousers. That is not the case, it's just I've only had limited time to blog. Today, I would like to share with you my accidental, blissful, footwear discovery.

This last summer I wore my Chaco sandals every day while gardening at Rivendell! I don't know how many gardeners like to wear sandals, but I was traipsing through the woods just fine, and thoroughly enjoyed the funky tan lines. But, as fall approached I knew I would need an honest to goodness gardening shoe. The old tennis shoes in the back of my jeep were not going to cut it. I was simply looking for perfection. And the shoes had to be under $25 dollars, because that was all the budget allowed. Some might perceive that as impossible, but I was game for the challenge.

I hunted around outlet stores, this place, that place, all to no avail. Until, by whim, I stopped by Ross. I do realize that they mainly have dress shoes, high heels, etc, but the gardening vibe was telling me that was the place to go. After looking through all their shoes I found only one pair that even resembled the outdoors at all. They happened to be in my size, and they happened to be awesome!

Shoes by Teva

These shoes have become my new best friend. I have tested them in rain, snow, and mud. The great thing was that they happened to be on a fluke sale for $15. Wahoo! What is so great about them, you might ask? Let me tell you.

~ They are leather, and waterproof, so your socks don't get all wet as you are wrestling with the hose while trying to apply liquid fence.

~ No laces! They fit snug, but comfortably, and you can slip them on and off without having to take off your muddy gloves to tie them back up.

~ They are not too short; dirt, water, etc, can't easily get into your shoes.

~ They are not too tall! When you have a number of tasks to do, the up and down of gardening can make tall boots difficult in some circumstances. In these shoes you are just as comfortable spending three hours weeding as you are doing anything else.

~ The tread has enough definition to give you traction, but is sufficiently shallow so that they don't collect added clumps of mud that you end up dragging all over the porch.

Best Gardening Wishes!

~ Red Clover

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

2009-12-29T11:11:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. May all your paper whites bloom faster then most of mine!

~ Red Clover

Ideal Gardener's Wardrobe Part 1

2009-11-05T23:43:00.001-08:00

A gardener's wardrobe is a tricky affair. It needs to be versatile, comfortable, and durable. As this has been my first season as an employed gardener I've been discovering what makes up my ideal gardening wardrobe, or at least one that suits me just fine. I've made some wonderful discoveries! I wanted to cover this all in one post, but seeing as how I have been so busy these days I'll spread them out.

First off - I've discovered some great gardening trousers! These grey trousers are perfect for any kind of weather! They are by Prana.

The material is great because it is comfortable, flexible, but strong. They dry very quickly when wet and have six deep pockets, four of which have snaps which make it easy to get in and out of them. They also zip off at the knees giving me long shorts in the summer, or just great ventilation if I just zip them half way. During the colder days I just slip a pair of thermals underneath and am perfectly warm! If you haven't tried the Prana brand it's worth the investment! (My gardening capris are also Pranas.) I have worn them almost daily at work and the fabric wears wonderfully! No sign of holes, tears, splitting seams, nothing.

A Case For Aspen & Pine

2009-10-23T18:29:00.000-07:00

This fall up at Rivendell has been a refuge of sorts because of it's beauty. I've found it hard not smile as I watch my surroundings. The grounds have settled graciously into a new season, and given delight in abundance. Today was crisp and clear. The leaves on the tall Aspen trees have turned into circles of brilliant gold, and littered the ponds, flower beds, and lawns. Each time a breeze pushed through the woods golden rain would fall in dance-like movements. The pine trees were never more appreciated then when I saw them today. It appeared as if each tree was covered in golden baubles, or circles, which lit up as nature's own seasonal adornments. The bright yellow played off the green needles so well that I decided everyone should consider the combination.

Do you have a favorite fall combination?

~ Red Clover

2009-09-30T12:36:00.000-07:00

September's Offering

2009-09-28T20:57:00.000-07:00

After work a few days ago I walked the seven acre property and visited a few flowers, mostly cone flowers, to see how they were doing. I have been harvesting the seeds for the last few weeks, and will be sewing them around the wooded perimeter of the property. Let me introduce you.

Harvest Home

2009-09-22T17:10:00.000-07:00

The other night, the Sun Flower night, I opened my front door to an ominous and beautiful east.

Which inspired a walk along my old farm road, camera in hand, to see what I could find. The west was still bathed in golden light.

I have no idea why the gourd is sticking straight up. Perhaps a call to all neighbors? "Take what you want!"

I adore this view.

It's time to be deadheading all the flowers, and we must not forget to deadhead ourselves if need be. My best friend in D.C. told me that instead of doing homework she went and got a hair cut. I thought that was just what I needed, too. Here you go, Rose.

~ Red Clover

The Death of Phaethon

2009-09-17T19:10:00.001-07:00

Helios, the Sun God, guided the sun through the sky with his flaming chariot and winged horses. His mortal son Phaethon asked Helios to grant him a favor, to prove his parentage. After the promise was given the boy asked if he could steer his father's chariot the following day. Helios pleaded with his son to reconsider saying that not even Zeus would dare, but to no avail.

Helios anointed his son with oils, as a protection, and asked the boy to keep the winged steads on their path. "Phaethon, please change your mind!" He begged, but Phaethon would not, and guided the chariot into the sky. Recognizing that inexperienced hands were at the reigns the horses deviated from their course, the seas boiled, the land was scorched. The mighty horses pulled up, and a freeze covered the land with ice. The danger of the situation caused those on earth to tremble. Zeus, seeing no other way to prevent more havoc threw a thunderbolt down from Mt. Olympus and Phaethon's charred body fell from the heavens, into a river below.

Helios mourned greatly the death of his son, and only after much persuasion did he take the reigns of the sun chariot, bringing the world out of darkness. All day long his tears fell to the earth, and where each tear fell a sunflower grew that followed the sun chariot across the sky. Sunflowers still follow Helios across the sky, mourning with the father for the loss of his son.

These sunflowers looked so sad on this evening. It reminded me of Phaethon.

~ Red Clover

In Great Anticipation

2009-09-11T08:26:00.001-07:00

Last night as I was going to bed I knew that today would be a climax of sorts. I was right. My head feels completely penetrated now, and I believe I sound funny. All of this points towards me being saturated with cold. Blah. I hope it passes quickly, and is gone in a day and a half. I guess I need to go to bed early tonight, tomorrow night, and every night thereafter.

There is a cool freshness as the end of summer anticipates Autumn. Fall is my favorite season. I adore this time of year, and I want a beautiful, long, golden fall. My hope is to post gorgeous pictures of all things Autumn throughout the season.

Up at Rivendell there are three new roses to be planted today! The terrace garden has been beautiful, and the roses did quite well. I believe being a fall gardener will suite my tastes. The weeding will slow down a touch, and there will be many projects to work on. Someday when I have my own greenhouse...sigh.

Here are a few pictures I took yesterday of a few more flowers in my Red Clover garden.

Red Clover's August Garden

2009-09-07T08:20:00.000-07:00

This morning I looked out the eastern window to see my porch flooded with sunlight. Something caught my eye and I ran into the bedroom, dragged Kip out of bed, and made him follow me out the door! My Heavenly Blue morning glory had bloomed!

Here are some pictures I took throughout August up to this morning (Happy Labor Day!). I hope you enjoy, and I hope you will still be coming around even though I've been absent. I began my senior year @ "university", am still the gardener @ Rivendell, and am tutoring a few teenagers in Foster Care. Life is busy! It's such a beautiful morning, and the rocky mountains are conversing with a sky as blue as my morning glories. Wish you were all here! We would make you a fresh peach and strawberry smoothie.

Heavenly Blue Morning Glory

Black-Eyed Susan Vine

My landlords finished their deck, which really gives a great "outdoor room feel". I like it.

Scarlet O'hara morning glory

Black Dahlias!

My rose has experienced a rebirth!

Dried Allium stems for texture...

Chocolate cosmos! Deep burgundy and smells just like chocolate!

Echinacea!

2009-08-04T20:55:00.000-07:00

Image found @ http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/images/Echinacea-sunrise-sunset.jpg

One of the great things about life is rediscovering over and over again how much something delights you. That is the case with Echinacea! As the summer progresses, and coneflowers are appearing, I find myself so happy to see them. Up at "R" the water feature needed to be redone (leaking thousands of gallons a day!) and so today was my first view of the finished product. Because I was at Girls Camp all week I had not seen any of the replanting that had taken place. You can imagine how happy I was to see the hill covered in Echinacea and Daisies of all kinds. There are such beautiful shades now, and I dream of having a large garden area dedicated to tall, elegant, stands of these flowers. Do you have a favorite flower that enchants you each time it comes around?

~ Red Clover

New Blooms...

2009-08-03T20:31:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to say that I have very good reasons for being away from the computer. You might not agree, but here goes.

1. Another Family Reunion (Lots of Fun)

This is from the first reunion. Kip's in the red, I'm in the pink, & all my fam. up at my Grandmother's house.

2. 2nd Wedding Anniversary (Sigh, Wonderful Husband)

3. Working hard as a gardener (Great Tan)

4. Spent a Week At "Girls Camp"

(I was called to work with the Young Women 12-18 in my church.)

5. Well, here I am. (Working a little in my own garden!)

This pot held Creeping Jenny all spring, and looked beautiful with the yellow blooms! But, then it got knocked over. I had to glue it back together, but Jenny didn't make it, so I picked out a few succulents that caught my eye!

6. To Appease those who could have sworn I was back mid-July, then marveled at my disappearing act, here is a nice picture that I snapped at that Garden Tour, and that I really like.

It is fun to decide what flowers one likes, and which one can live without. Being a container gardener has it's advantages, because it's not to painful a process to mix things up, take things out, and easy to maintain those favorites you want forever. I've decided my family is like a garden, each year or so another perennial is added (by marriage or birth) and I couldn't be more pleased with the continual outcome. I really have a great family, and there is no other group of people I would rather spend time with. Here is a picture of the latest addition, born July 25th to my older brother and his wife. They named the baby Townsend. (I promise I won't try and pot him.)

Welcome to the Family!

~ Red Clover

Red Clover's July Garden

2009-07-12T23:00:00.000-07:00

We had a rainy June, followed by a heat filled July thusfar! "The result has been ruination and despair." (Name that Book/Movie!) Actually, the heat has made it hard to keep my pots hydrated sufficiently, and some grasshoppers have started eating my Dahlias! Arrggg! But, here are a few shots I took of the garden the other day.

Thanks for all your "Welcome Back" comments! It make me feel very happy, and it's great to have my garden friends! A few more blooms have come out that I need to take pictures of! I adore flowers.

Good news! Kip and I harvested our first tomato today. We split it in two and it was superb.

~ Red Clover

The Importance of Knowing What You're Smelling

2009-07-11T09:11:00.000-07:00

Hello dear friends!

It's been forever, I know. There has been a lot of work to do as the weeds just keep growing! I've been to a family reunion and went camping, celebrated the 4th, got sick, etc. I am still sick. And have hayfever to boot. Not a winning combination (esp for a gardener). I thought it would be all better this morning, but it came back with a vengence. (The theological discussion with siblings until one in the morning probably didn't help.)

On Thursday Kip came up to Rivendell* with me to help me get caught up. He had found some wild mint growing near the woods and had enjoyed the discovery.

A little while later he came across more mint, raised it to his nose to smell, and StInG! Got a surprise! It was his first encounter with Stinging Nettle. Needless to say I had a very good laugh. It was a great moment.

(* The large property I garden in the mountains is called Rivendell, and built around The Lord of the Rings. It's very beautiful, and I love going to middle earth every day to work.)

Here are a couple of pictures from the camping trip to prove at least a fraction of my absence.

Our campsite

Kip reviving the fire after it went out

My brother-in-law and sister (who is 5 months pregnant. It's a girl!)

Dinner! Let's be honest, hot dogs taste great when you're camping. The s'mores were wonderful too! (And we got Kevin to put away his iphone long enough to eat! Ha ha.)

I just had to finish the chapter I was reading in "The Agony and the Ecstasy", and then I did put it down the rest of the time! The serious face is my reaction to the sacking of the Medici palace. It was a painful part to read.

I adore white columbines! There was a field of them near our campsite!

I'll see you soon with pics of my garden!

~ Red Clover

Garden #5 - 2009

2009-06-22T07:08:00.000-07:00

The Vegetable Garden

This planter was amazing! (I have detailed pics for another post...) I heard it was from Italy, then I heard it was from France. Either way, I would love to try and create something similar.

This was a nice surprise, and looked awesome!

Hmmmm, delicious pots

This tree is an orange-lemon-lime hybrid. They bring it in during winter and leave it out in summer.

Ah! Yes, that is another Black Dahlia. Two on one blog. How lucky and we get!

~ Red Clover

To My Father, On Father's Day

2009-06-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

Generations are veiled in the flowers blooming outside my window,

There was always one before,

Another beyond that

Greenhouses, upon field, upon kitchen windowsill, the glass flung wide open,

The wind, a midwife of the world, carrying seeds safely

As they become echoes of Eden

~Red Clover

These thoughts came to mind as I have spent the day contemplating my father, and the evening staring at my garden. God gave Adam the earth to earn his bread by the sweat of his brow. Perhaps because He knew that Adam would learn the ways of eternity upon his scythe. And so I take a post on this gardening blog to honor the one who came before me.

My father is a good man. Truly good. Definitions for the word "good" that also accurately portray his character include morally excellent; virtuous; righteous; pious; of high quality; excellent; right; proper; honorable; worthy; in good standing; educated; refined; not counterfeit; reliable; dependable; responsible; in excellent condition.

I hope you don't mind Dad, as I share the many qualities in you I appreciate, and am so grateful for.

Morally Excellent, Virtuous, Righteous, Pious, Of High Quality

My father is a disciple of Jesus Christ. He has always sought to be a man of morals, a virtuous man. I have never known him to compromise his commitment to these divine standards. Virtue connotes strength, purity, higher thought and action. His integrity is to be admired. Dignity, in my mind, is synonymous with his name. A faithful husband, and diligent father, he has blessed his family as a stalwart example.

As a teenager I drove him to the bus stop in the morning so he could commute to work. One evening I picked him up in another city because the bus had broken down. He offered a fellow passenger a ride. While riding back toward home this passenger began to make derogatory comments about the bus driver, who was of another ethnic background. My father would not participate in the rude conversation, though did so without making the person feel bad. The man soon fell to silence. Not being a showboat, or a boaster, often my father's quiet dignity manifests the kind of person he is. He is not loud, or overbearing, yet stands on the path he endeavors to follow, and does not deviate.

Years earlier, after a softball game, myself, my father, and a few siblings were walking back to the car. Ahead of us walked a family where the father was getting after one of his children. Angered at something said or done by the child the man kicked his son in the back, yelling. My father asked us to go to the car and wait for him. We did. I don't know what was said to the man, when he entered the car there was no disclosure, but I felt much gratitude to have him as a father.

Excellent; Right; Proper; Honorable; Worthy

As a younger child I loved to see my Dad laugh. Occasionally, at the dinner table, we could get him to laugh so hard that he would begin to cry and leave the room. He would have to leave, gain his composure, and return straight-faced. We would all burst out laughing again, and the whole process would repeat itself. He played classical music during dinner. He played classical music on Saturday mornings. Brazilian music often greeted me on these mornings as well. We would go to the symphony, the art gallery.

Off color jokes were not even an option in our home. Humor was welcome, word play, poetry and good books. Cheap talk, low comments, or anything that hinted at the tawdry was something we all knew was not acceptable. He loves seeking the excellent things created by mankind in music, literature, and art. He does not follow fads, does not feel the need to be cool. Yet, he says "it's better to be overdressed then underdressed for an occasion." It's a matter of respect. He has a great tie collection. Very classy.

My father is respected a great deal by those who know him. I am told this often. He is wise. If you ever need counsel, he is a wonderful resource. As a writer he delights in words, in sounds, in the depth and sense of feeling a language can bring. He speaks Portuguese and, when assigned direct supervision over Central America and Mexico at work a number of years ago, he taught himself Spanish so he could speak directly to the people.

Whenever returning from a trip around the world, he gathers his family into the living room and relates his experiences. His appreciation of beauty (an inheritance from his artist mother) illustrates stories of the places and cultures. Because of his respect for the people he has visited I have felt a love kindled for the people of these many countries. From Beliz to Kenya, his experiences have made me smile, and tear up. We both served as missionaries in Brasil (decades apart), and share a love for the people and culture there.

I have never heard my Dad say anything negative about his boss. Ever. I wonder if he knows how rare that is.

One of my favorite memories was him coming up to my bed room the night I got engaged, with tears in his eyes, and giving me a hug.

(A hug on my wedding day)

In good standing; Educated; Refined; Not Counterfeit

One of the pleasures of growing older has been talking to my Dad about the literature I was studying at school. (I am a Literary Studies major:) Especially when I took the "American Renaissance" class. My Dad loves that time period; Thoreau, Emerson, Etc. He has a card came called "Authors" and I remember the pictures of Scott, Longfellow, Dickens, Alcott, asking my father which books he had read.

When I was about ten we would sit on his bed in the evenings and read Treasure Island together. Pew terrified me. Jim was superb. The Doctor always resembled Stevenson himself in my mind. I believe we read through it twice?

Every Monday night my parents would gather us around for Family Home Evening. We would sing hymns, study the scriptures, have activities (Steal the Flag was my favorite), and always end with a treat. I looked forward to Mondays. Dad was always a great teacher. (So are you, Mom. But it's father's day...smiles)

He uses educated, and refined speech.

Reliable; Dependable; Responsible; In excellent condition.

Dad is the best alarm clock. He never forgot to wake you up for that test you had to take early, or to finish that paper for class. When my Mom was on bed-rest my father began to do the grocery shopping. He's done it ever since (17 years). We all know it's because he saves more money that way. Ha ha.

I knew he was not pleased with something I did when he would adjust his glasses.

My Dad needed a new hat for a trip to Africa (I believe) and instead of taking the money out of the family budget, he saved his lunch money for a week. He is self-disciplined and does not like to waste his time on things of no value. I can't remember more then a handful of times him sitting down to watch a movie. Instead he would be cleaning out his papers, getting ready for work the next day and walk in and out, watching the occasional scene. (We knew the movie was really good if he continued to stand in the door frame for more then ten minutes, laughing occasionally.) Up to a couple of years ago he had only taken three sick days his entire working career. (I am not sure if he's had once since. Haven't asked lately.)

He loves being with the family, observing his children and grandchildren interacting, laughing and talking.

Yesterday I went and cheered him on at a triathlon he participated in, at 60 years old.

(That's him in the red cap, finishing the swim.)

He taught me how to pitch a softball, and would come home after meetings late at night, set the lights up in the backyard, and sit on a bucket in his white shirt and tie while I practiced. I appreciate this time, and value it.

I remember him coming upstairs and saying sorry to me as I cried on my bed. Misbehaving as I was, he felt he hadn't handled it right and apologized.

Above all he has never been hesitant to share his testimony of Jesus Christ, and the power the Atonement has in our lives as we seek to better ourselves, and to repent. (He once said that repentance is the most joyous word in the english language.) I have heard him testify of the love of our Father in Heaven, who sent his Son to atone for us, that we might return unto Him if we so desire. He has taught me to read the scriptures, to pray unto Heavenly Father, and to listen to the Holy Ghost, who Christ calls the Comforter, that I might do the things God would ask me to do.

As eloquent his speech, the real power has come through his example. He strives to be what he teachers. Once he said, "You cannot coast in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, because the only way to coast is downhill."

Thank You, Dad. I love you. I appreciate the father that you are, as well as the Christian you are.

~ Red Clover

(Dad visiting with a granddaughter at a family B-B-Q a few weeks ago.)

We Interrupt This Garden Tour!!! (Black Dahlia)

2009-06-18T21:51:00.001-07:00

Here she is. The Dahlia I've been waiting for. I could just die of happiness. Please meet 'mystic desire' (their name, not mine).

One of the petals fell off just as my "under-gardener" was asking a question about her. Coincidence?

The foliage is actually as dark as in the first picture, this second one lightens it up a bit. Isn't that shape fantastic?

Love. At first site.

Not to be redundant, but let's look at that pot again. Perfect. (She won't grow too big for this pot, will she Bob? I wouldn't think so.)

This was my very helpful under-gardener tonight! I was thrilled to have the help. He potted peppers for me, aided in re-placing all my pots which had to be moved, and watered everything. What a guy! (My landlord's son!) While you're here, this is what's new in Red Clover's Garden.

All my pots had to be moved out away from my door because they are building the deck (hence the metal poles). It's amazing how long that really takes. Here are the two views of my temporary, and a little less artistic arrangement of 48 pots! (Where have they all come from? Most of them have been free, Kip dear. Just so you know.)

The Lobelia was waiting several days to be planted, so it's pouting. Don't worry. Give it a day or so and it'll perk right up. This turtle is the only pot I have that's not really in the shape of a pot, or vase, or pitcher. He makes a point to remind me.

New to the family. Thank goodness for freecycle.

And last but not least, my first Nasturtium bud came out today. I just learned they were edible, too. Really, how does it get any better?

Feeling very amiable with the world,

~ Red Clover

Garden #4 - 2009

2009-06-18T21:37:00.001-07:00

Garden #4 just has a few pics. It was pouring rain. It was raining sheep and lions. Really.

This garden belongs to some california transplants. They loved roses. 20 of them were brought from their garden back home, and they have added thirty more. All of the roses were aromatic, and it did smell heavenly.

I LOVE ELFIN THYME.

This was the most wonderful smell in the garden. It had a clear, citric smell. Adored.

Told you it was quick.

~ Red Clover

Garden #3 - 2009

2009-06-15T21:36:00.000-07:00

This garden was actually the home of a friend of mine from high school! I was excited to see it on the list, and really enjoyed the sitting areas. Apparently, while the wife was out of town for a week soon after the family moved into the house the husband had a full blown sports court put into the entire backyard. So, once all the kids grew up and out the wife took that thing out and set up this garden! Hope you enjoy.

I loved, loved, loved these flowers.

Cool potting shed. Personality, and tucked away just enough.

I am not one for "propping" up the entire garden, but those tall window pains are really great. They give a mirror effect, yet aren't too obvious.

Knowing me, there would be more pots, and brighter colours here...

...like these!

The next few coming up in a different city, and have some very interesting things! I'll get those on so you can just cruise on through.

~ Red Clover

Garden Tour: #2 - 2009

2009-06-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

This house had quite a simple feel, with several layers of lawns, fruit trees, and roses. Here are the pictures I snapped of elements I liked. I realized that I didn't take on of the whole yard...whoops!

Enjoyed this walk way.

They had an entire shade garden underneath this tree, which was surrounded by three rooms of the house. It was a nice setting.

This was a very tall wall...the ivy was pretty cool.

All the steps from level to level were like so; a rectangle and a triangle. I liked the combination.

This was a view towards the daughter's home at the back of the property. (Constructed from an old barn!)

The raspberries.

Lots of roses adorned the fence in the very back. Here was a rather nice bloom.

#3 coming up!

~ Red Clover

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rose ~ You did miss out, and we missed you. That's what happens when you live on the other side of the country. Maybe you should come visit sometime!

EB ~ I prefer less "stuff" as well, but don't mind a few fun ideas. I'm much more of a plant/flower girl with a few interesting items.

Karagal ~ Yes, the red was delicious. It's a great colour in the garden. (There is a reason why that's the British spelling, you know...ha ha)

Sir. Bob ~ I'm planning on showing off all the Dahlias. I'm afraid there will be no where to escape! I can't wait to post my "Black Dahlia" later on...maybe tonight!

Jennifer ~ Yes, I am all for lots of time with my husband. There's nothing better. Well, lots of time with my husband in the garden might be...ha ha.

Hidden Garden Tour - 2009!

2009-06-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

Yea! Yesterday I went all over the valley with "Aunt Jan" (by best friend's Aunt) to the Hidden Garden Tour 2009! It's a benefit tour where about fifteen home owners all around the valley are chosen to present their gardens. They work hard, get it in perfect order, find sponsors occasionally, and enjoy two days of guests touring their gardens! You have smaller gardens around humble homes, and large, expansive gardens around quite expensive homes, and everything in between. It's a fun combination. I purchased my ticket at a local nursery, and all the money this year will go to a New Born Intensive Care Unit!

There was some great rain, and some nice sun. We had a wonderful day, and I took pictures at each house of things I liked, or shots that gave a sense of their garden. Hope you enjoy the pictures (I'll do a post on each one). Let me know what you like!

Aunt Jan, my delightful companion!

~ Red Clover

Garden Tour: #1 - 2009

2009-06-14T20:48:00.001-07:00

I loved the Irish and Scotch moss placed in a pot like so. Very cool. Nice touch.

That's a live wreath.

can't really see it, but it was a darling chair.

This grass has such great texture.

In each garden there was a "mystery plant". We got them all, and hopefully will win the drawing...sigh, ha ha. The tree above was this garden's mystery plant.

Sunflower was great.

Found this ground cover to be delightful.

In this garden I enjoyed the soft yellow/red colour scheme, and some of the props were nice, too. (The favorite accent being watering pots.) There were a number of sitting spaces (as there were in many gardens).

~ Red Clover

Evening After The Rain

2009-06-12T20:31:00.000-07:00

Last night I was feeling a pleasant touch of melancholy. I was missing Kip, who was again at work. The rain, which had been tumbling down all week left me behind, too. A quivering blue hung in the air, surrounded by the grey post-rain gloaming. Luckily I went outside just in time.

Sometimes I find myself seeing something so beautiful it's painful, a physical ache, and I want to stare at it all day, but don't know if I could take it. Is that strange? Well, last evening was something to revel in. My small garden looked very pleased, and it lifted my spirits as well.

Just out the front door.

The first Grandiflora Sunray Coreopsis to bloom.

The Irish Moss is wearing her fine little flowers now.

This will be the first bloom from my Dahlia tubers! "Strawberry Ice". I can't wait.

Some Roma Tomatoes from Kip's Salsa Garden, all dressed up, hats and all.

Our little digital just doesn't grasp colour and detail as well as I would like...but it does a pretty good job.

One of my ornamental morning glories falling into my trap! (I wanted them to climb my little plant stands. Should be gorgeous!)

The backdrop to my pots, so beautifully provided by my benevolent landlords.

Some Daffs I brought down from the mountains. (I was supposed to clip them, so I brought them home instead of throwing them away.)

Shame you can't see it in person.

A disorganized shot of part of the garden. (A new deck is being built above the porch by the Landlords. So, they have been moving my pots hither and thither while putting up various posts, etc. My garden is in a grand state of disarray.)

The end of my street! Look at those clouds. The valley I live in does have some remarkable clouds.

The street I live on, and the neighbor who keeps trying to recruit me for church choir :)

The evening ended by helping my little sister fulfill a Drivers Ed assignment. (Sit by an intersection for 30 minutes and write down everything you see that is illegal.) I was working on a garden space the whole time in a notebook, imagining a Red, Orange, & Blue colour scheme. Sigh. It was really nice in my mind.

Thanks for joining me!

~ Red Clover

A Tale of Two Gardens

2009-06-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

It was the Best of Gardens, it was the Worst of Gardens

...and somehow I was employed to take care of both. Let's call them G and R.

G surrounds a fairly large house in a pristine neighborhood that has been built in the last few years. The owners are young, yet have hired a gardener and a house keeper. I am the former. Thank goodness. Very nice, new street. (I prefer older streets with personality.) Three car garages. No mature trees. That's the kicker.

When I first arrived at G it was to interview for a position to mow the lawn and do some weeding here and there. When I left I'd been hired as the gardener, and someone else was employed to mow the lawn and use the week wacker. I couldn't be more thrilled.

The vegetable garden had weeds clear above my knees when I showed up for work the first day. (And I am almost 6 feet tall, so those were big weeds.) The sprinkler system had been broken for about a month. No watering had been going on! Ahhh! And the lawn was not aerated. There were flower beds in the front filled with flowers and strawberries, and more weeds then you can imagine. In the backyard there is nothing. It's just a big, yellow turning green, square. Big. There are plans for that. (I'm hoping they design an entire concept for the whole yard instead of just plunking a tree down here and there.)

The neighbors surrounding the G are all thrilled to see me. "No, I am not the wife, but the gardener" I explain. My clients moved in last year, and have not had time to do anything, so all the neighbors are happy to see weeds flying and the fertilizer fertilizing.

I've ripped out all the weeds in the Veggie Garden. Formed rows, worked in top soil, fertilizers, etc. Planted all the plants, trying to place them in the best spots possible. And now am working on the flower beds and lawn rehab. Thanks to the sprinkler man, who came and fixed them last week, it is looking better.

There is garden G. Total rehab situation. A lot of work to be done. And almost free reign to decide what flowers to plant once all the weeds are removed. (I'm not quite sure how I feel about it, actually, if it makes any sense. I know what I would do with my own garden, but this it is not, so...?)

Now for my second garden...

R is a piece of heaven. Really. It's up in the mountains, it's gorgeous property nestled in between two mountain rivers. It has ponds, waterfalls, lawn areas, trees, patios, trails, destination points by the river. Gorgeous perennials that have been carefully selected. Tall trees. A bridge across a "ravine". It's beautiful. (My talented sister designed it.)

There is an entire crew to do the lawn, laying down of top soil & mulching on a grand scale, planting huge trees, moving large rocks, etc. I get to be the detail gardener! I care for the landscaped beds, etc., clean out the ponds, remove dead anything, walk the woods looking for trash, make the place weedless...whew! (Working on that right now.) I have weeded the entrance by the gate, along past the bridge, down some paths, through the first pine forrest, up the river trail (as I call it) and all along the stream, past the waterfalls, and over to the left by some great stone patio spaces. Whew. Then I worked on the second pine forrest, weeded that, and (with the help of my little brother) lopped trees, removed dead daffodils, and laid down fresh pine needles sent from the other side of the country (today we put down 400 pounds worth, I think). The pond has also been cleaned a number of times. You should have seen me sprawled completely underneath a huge blue spruce trying to get every weed. I was absolutely covered in sap.

The home owners of R come into town next week. I only have one day of work to get the areas I want weeded, and de-uglified. Daunting, but enjoyable. Focus around the house, Red Clover.

It's so beautiful, and I love being a part of keeping it that way. I snapped a few pictures, so here you go. Enjoy! (There are a lot more flowers, I just didn't take pics of them today)

(Those are all sea shells)

Isn't that hosta elven?

~ Red Clover

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And now for delayed responses! I'm really trying to do better here, because I spend a lot of time responding to all of you in my head instead of on the blog. You've missed out on some great conversations, really. If you've posted on the last few posts, keep an eye out below!

Weaver ~ Yes, that is a nice thought, poppies running along...if flowers could move spots everyday, where would they go? p.s. The goat was not a handsome prince. Turned out he was a tax collector. Sigh.

EB ~ So glad to have found you/found me! It is a great poem. I'm enjoying your garden blog very much, and am inspired and awed by the simplicity of your labels. Ha ha.

Jeanette ~ I do love the fountain! I have yet to find the courage to bring it outside because my landlords already pay for more water then planned I'm sure, that I can't plug in a fountain yet. So, I just run it inside. ha ha.

KSR ~ Can't put up fencing, but my landlord marched that goat home fixed his pen sufficiently that no goat has been sighted, and all my jenny is still creeping.

Rosie Rose ~ You are so bizarre. Love you for it. Hamsters?

Sally ~ If I remove all your weeds then someone would have to start paying for therapy. It's a mercy that when I come over to your house I sit about in pure laziness, and dead head occasionally.

In Praise of Aged Women

2009-06-08T22:03:00.000-07:00

My Father is a Poet. He also has a green thumb. But, that's another post. A true craftsman, I have enjoyed reading his books, stories, and especially, his poetry. As much as he loves writing it seems to take a back seat to his wife & family (11 children), his many years of church callings (extensive, lay ministry), and his job (in which he has travelled to over 50 countries). We sometimes ask each other how our "writing is going". So, I count this as my reminder.

I suppose this poem is about my Great-Grandmother, Luella Jeppsen, in her flower garden that was nestled in that small valley, where the old house still stands.

In Praise of Aged Women

In the flower-ghosted gardens

Of the hill rimmed town

The quick, small hands of ancient women,

Like sparrow priestesses

In ritual of seeds and bulbs,

Perform again the preparatory rites of earth so well

That numinescent plants

Are soon seen rising greenly in the air.

At their touch

New leaves leap out and whorl,

Small buds uncurl from fingertips,

Attach themselves to stems

And then unravel lithely in the gentle pressure

Of the naked air.

The ancient fingers

Flick among the thorns and bees like rain;

Binding, healing bent and broken stems

With quickened love.

In gratitude the women lift

Their aged hands up to the sun

Revealing rainbow fingers,

The colored powder of the petals

Having dusted them with dye.

- Randall L. Hall

(from Mosaic)

Only a few days ago I was expressing to him my adoration for poppies.

"Grandma Jeppsen loved poppies," he remarked. "She had them running all along the front of the house."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

responses to your wonderful comments to come, tomorrow. smiles.

The Most Unexpected Thing To Ever Happen To Me In My Garden Thus Far

2009-06-06T14:17:00.000-07:00

I came home today excited. A small garden fountain that I've been eyeing for the last year was put on clearance and then put on 50% off! I hauled my treasures home, and then noticed that a few of my flowers were drooping. Grabbing my watering can I began to water this and that. I heard a strange noise behind me, but figured it to be from all the soccer games going on at the park on the other side of the back fence. But the noise didn't stop. I turned around to find myself face to face with a large, pure white, goat. And he was bleating.

My landlord was doing some welding at the other end of the yard; I called his name but couldn't be heard. Where in the world did this goat come from? I mean, really. It's not every day you find a goat in your back yard. I looked inside for the camera, but couldn't see it. Just then my landlord glanced over and I said, "Um, Help?" He seemed quite taken with me, and wanted to cuddle. It was really getting funny until he started poking about my plants and eating on of them. I picked up the jug and yelled, "That's my Creeping Jenny!" He then tried to move on to other things, Snapdragons, Hydrangea, my Poppy.

"Just hit him!" Sean yelled, walking over to me. I just forced him away until Sean tied him up with a rope.

"The neighbors are out of town and he keeps getting out. I can't figure out how." Our neighbors have a goat? Who knew.

Well, at least for now my plants are safe, but I am planning on keeping my eye out that window.

2009-06-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

When you enjoy gardening you begin to notice everyone's flowers.

When you're hired as a gardener you begin to notice everyone's weeds.

Sun & Moon

2009-05-27T20:56:00.000-07:00

When Kip and I were in New York, we found this great vase at a small 'yard sale' on the upper west side. It was only a handful of dollars and I was thrilled to bring it home. (It was Kip's official carry-on on the airplane.) It's in my garden, by the door, and serves as my outdoor flower vase! I have a couple inside, but it's nice to have one in the garden. It recently held small pink carnations and some fern leaves. It's reversible face provide the real charm.

Sun

And Moon

~ Red Clover

Love Affair

2009-05-26T22:06:00.001-07:00

There it is! My very own osteopernum. Sigh. I'm smitten.

This particular variety, with it's butter yellow petals and indigo center (called Lemon Symphony), is from Proven Winners. I have a white osteopernum which I will have to show you soon...they are marvelous. The plant boasts of several blooms at once, creating a satisfying presence of yellow flowers that open up wide during the day, then close up shop at night. They are also deer resistant! I've planted two below a purple Dahlia, with some forget me not down in front. When all three are blooming (waiting on the forget me not) it should be beautiful!

Anyway, totally enamored.

~ Red Clover

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for all the congratulations on the gardening jobs! I am sure to learn a lot...

I've already learned that sometimes people assume gardening is just a snap your fingers, get to it, and it should look like the cover on this magazine, right? Well, no. It takes time to build things up. I've decided I can't worry about if people think I have accomplished enough. I am working hard, and doing a good job. The devil is in the details in gardening, and unless you're putting several thousand dollars into it, that Better Homes & Gardens cover probably won't be happening next week, or the one after that. Smiles.

You Might Not Believe It, But...

2009-05-21T21:07:00.000-07:00

Due to decisions made by the State Legislature (who I don't think quite understand what they are doing) my job as a mentor for kids in foster care is eliminated as of the end of this month. You know, financial crisis and all....

Due to impending doom, aka, job disappearing act, I have been searching for a new one...or two, etc.

Due to answering an advertisement online, and interviewing, I, Red Clover, have become an official gardener. As in, I am being paid to be someone's gardner. ! Please don't panic yet, until I explain.

Due to answering a phone call from my sister (landscape designer of beautiful, and usually rather large homes) minutes after becoming a "gardener", I was offered a second gardening job. 20 hours a week. At a beautiful home in the mountains of Park City, with a gorgeous landscape design (rivers, trails tucked away, a bridge, ponds, beautiful dry stack stone walls).

AHHHHHHHH!!!!!

This is hilarious. I mean, It's exciting that I am getting paid for doing what I love. I am not a professional, mind you. I scheduled to take a Master Gardener course in the spring/summer of next year, and am learning...but I really am in heaven!

Luckily at my first job I am doing things I've done before. Weeding their garden, forming rows, fertilizing, planting...clearing out flower beds, etc. I've suggested some ideas for developing their yard (I am not devoid of an artistic sense) and they really like them. So, when I answered an advertisement to mow a lawn they ended up hiring me to do everything but. I told them I was still learning, but that I was a hard worker. I started this week doing some long morning stints getting their garden in working order, and they seem pleased with the progress. I've hauled out 12 giant garbage bags of weeds out of that garden, and it's not that big! And after I finished up work, I washed off the tools, because Bob, a "Real Gardner" does that everyday. Are you proud of me, Sir. Bob?

I'll start the second job week after next, once my mentoring for the year is wrapped up. (I am being hired to continue working with one of my kids too, so that will be nice!) I'll make the hour drive Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. My sister, who does know what she is doing, will spend several sessions showing me what she needs me to do. A crew will take care of the lawn, etc. I am more of a detail gardner. Beds, paths, around the ponds, deadheading, etc. Really, I'm not quite sure yet. I am excited to learn as much as I can, and have progressed significantly this last year, but...Baptism by fire, here I come.

One comfort as I begin this summer venture is that my mind is ablaze with ideas, and a particle of instinct, as to what needs to/could be done, and I am willing to ask a lot of questions for all the things I don't know. It's refreshing, pleasing work. And possibly the start of something great.

~ Red Clover

P.S. My hamstring on my right leg is as sore as can be. It's my shovel leg.

Tip Toe

2009-05-12T22:20:00.000-07:00

The last several days have found me out and about instead of inside creating blog posts. You may have noticed. Well, I have gone on some Red Clover field trips and taken hundreds (not exaggerating) of pictures! I went to the beautifully manicured gardens of Temple Square in Salt Lake City, to the mountain resort of Sundance (as in the film festival, Mr. Redford, etc.) and snapped some pictures of the spring flora of the red rock desert in Southern Utah! (Mother's Day expedition.) I am so excited to share with you the beautiful plants, combinations, and ideas I saw in all these places! Hang tight. Maybe tomorrow...

Until then, feel free to tip toe through my tulips. I planted four bulbs and had a wonderful time watching them come out, recording the dates if I remembered, and inspecting each one individually as I only planted one of each color to see what I liked.

Just wait until my next post! You have never seen such tulips! Except maybe in Holland.

~ Red Clover

Why I Love My Landlords

2009-05-04T22:42:00.000-07:00

As Kip and I got out of our car the other day Lindy, one of our landlords, was walking towards us.

"Just the person I wanted to see!"

At first I thought I was in trouble. She took me over to the side of the garage where two large flats of pansies were dying a slow death.

"They have been here for weeks! I have not had time to plant them and I threw away my big planters. Do you want to take them? I saw you have some pots to put them into. I've got potting soil already for you in the garage."

"Are you sure you don't want me to plant them for you?" I asked, not wanting to take $30 dollars worth of pansies and $8 worth of potting soil unless she was truly behind the idea.

"Yes. I won't buy pots in time and these flowers should have been in the ground weeks ago!"

Smiles. I just love these kinds of service projects! Bring your flowers that are tired and weary, and I will plant them!

The next morning I brought the flats down and watered them for a few days until they perked up enough to stand a repotting. There was one flat of the smaller varieties, and one of the normal, larger type. I prefer the smaller. I also prefer it when pansies are planted close together instead of spaced. I piled them into three long containers and they have really done well!

I ended up with almost a complete flat left over so I gave it to my parents, because that is one of my father's favorite flowers.

Yeah for Great Landlords!

It makes me feel happy that I've planted a beautiful perennial in their yard that they can enjoy long after we have moved! I'll have to add a few more.

Sweet Dreams!

2009-04-30T23:16:00.000-07:00

The other night Kip called me from work. "Hey, I've been thinking about something" He says.

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking we should double your Red Clover budget."

Silence. "Really?" I say cautiously.

You see, I know finances have been stressful, and that our budgeting has needed to get on track the last couple of months, and that spring has been a great temptation for me. Double Red Clover? But, shouldn't we save that money?

"With one stipulation," He continued, "that under no circumstances do we go over your budget."

I sheepishly smile to myself, recalling that earlier that afternoon we bought a Hydrangea bush for eight dollars. I only had three left in my account.

"That sounds good." I say, not wanting to be selfish at all in agreeing with this budget adjustment, yet already thinking of the wonderful things that could come of it!

This morning he said, "I thought you would be more excited."

I explained that I was, but was trying to be aware of what we needed to save, spend, etc., and not wanting to be selfish by using a little extra money for my garden.

"No, no, I like your gardening! I'm more interested in it now then when you started, and it's a useful skill."

Smiles. I think I married a saint.

Dear Begonia,

2009-04-28T20:21:00.001-07:00

Dear Begonia,

I've been so pleased that you decided to come and stay, and have enjoyed this time together, although you have been rather cross. I write you now in the spirit of apology, and promise that it won't happen again. You were so beautiful when I saw you at the nursery; I brought you home and set you in the windowsill until I could decide what to do. You were quite happy, blooms shimmering and all. Now, I didn't know that you like to have a tighter situation, that you prefer your roots to have a snug pot. In my ignorance I placed you, and two others, into a larger pot where you would have plenty of room to spread your leaves. I watered you as seemed fit, setting you out to sun in the warm afternoons. I have seen plenty of Begonias in larger pots, so do not fault me entirely.

I do appreciate you telling me something was wrong by falling apart, your petals turning brown, and a general bout of pouting. In an effort to improve your situation I looked online for whatever I could find, realizing that not only was I watering you too much, but you also needed smaller quarters. If you recall with any degree of fairness you would remember that I immediately repotted you and your two friends into smaller pots, and altered the watering schedule. You are pleased, I can tell by the way you are stretching yourself out and acting smug. Now, please, can we be friends? Let me be the congenial hostess and you the ever pleasant guest.

With respect,

Red Clover

Forget Me Not?

2009-04-25T18:06:00.000-07:00

After eyeing my plants that I had moved to the north window sill I queried out loud, "What do Forget-Me-Not(s) look like?"

Kip burst out laughing in the other room.

Thank goodness for google images...I just remembered.

Mystery Solved

2009-04-24T22:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I mentioned a desire to identify this beautiful blossoming plant, so this morning I went down to the nursery and there it was!

Super Red Flowering Quince. That's a nice name, Flowering Quince...don't you think?

It's nice to know the name. I'll have to add it to my Garden Book in the "Someday you want to plant this in your yard" section.

Then on the way home from a work appointment I saw this yard with four or five of them lined up.

~ Red Clover

P.S. When I was leaving the nursery I could hear a little voice calling, "Help, help!" I looked around, determined to rescue whoever was in such deep distress! When I finally located the poor damsel she was sitting in a crowded tray, surrounded by other plants that looked slightly hostile. Her butter yellow petals, and charming blue at the center, were too much; I brought here home with me.

Of All The Blossoms in All The World...

2009-04-23T21:33:00.001-07:00

... I had to fall in love with this bush! It's blooming all over town, and as much as I like the cool pink blossoms you find on so many of the trees these days, I love the warmth and freshness of these blooms. They are already in my future garden. I thought I saw some at the nursery the other day (in a bit of a hurry), so tomorrow morning I am going to head on over get all the info. I'll post what it is when I get home.

This particular bush was a bit unruly, but I'm sure you could prune it down just a touch.

Here are a few shots of the small miniature rose bushes we planted. One from the side where you can see how I ignorantly "staked" it up. (?) Let's hope these two beauties stick around!

I've spent a the last couple days wondering why I was bit so hard with this gardening bug, but I have and there's nothing to be done, but go with it. Smiles. I'm having to learn the balance of fantasizing/planning for grander, and taking simple pleasure in the smaller reality. And for now, that's just fine.

~ Red Clover

Trees

2009-04-22T18:47:00.000-07:00

I didn't take pictures of trees on purpose. They just happened without consideration, unlike my flowers. It's not that I don't love trees, but when you love a lot of things you are not always thinking about all of them. The tree photos just came out of nowhere so I decided to give them a fair shake.

What is this tree? I am completely in love.

Very pleasant, I thought.

Bridal pictures are frequently taken in Central Park, and when I saw this tree I christened it "The White Bride"; her dress flows behind her, as if walking in a slight breeze.

White blossoms were falling all along a path at the edge of this lawn. It was picturesque and nice.

~ Red Clover

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Apocalyptic Bob ~ Thanks for commenting on the roses. They do seem to like their space (granted the occasional dead head, etc.) despite the amount of books dedicated to them. Fickle lovers I suppose, need more freedom.

KSR ~ My columbine has dropped her blooms, and some of the side leaves are yellowing. I've removed both, and the stem and base leaves seem pretty healthy still. Guess we'll just see what happens. No pests though...at least I think.

Rose ~ What can I say, when we walk down the sidewalks people stop. Luckily we're mainly past the autograph stage. Ha ha.

Help!

2009-04-22T08:28:00.001-07:00

So, I bought two miniature roses that are quite charming, and planted them together in a pot. Apparently everyone has an opinion about roses, and how to take care of them, and what their favorite songs are, etc. You get my point. What I need is some sound advice on "The Basics of Rose Maintenance". I know that many of you actually know what you are talking about, and I am a blank page {except I did get a wooden dowel and stake the longest branch to grow up, instead of flopping down}.

Thanks,

Red Clover

Manhattan: Container Garden for Millions of People

2009-04-20T18:22:00.001-07:00

When I first started this foray into gardening people often asked me about my garden, "Well, I actually grow everything in pots right now." A few gardeners bothered to correct me. I was a "Container Gardener". Who knew? Though, I've never really liked the word "container" (compared to jar, bottle, or jug it's rather, shall we say, plastic?).

One thing I never noticed before was that NYC is one large container garden. There is room for nothing else. Yes there are parks (other post), but the city is flowered in pots, baskets, or a small bed around a tree bound in by concrete and brick. Here are a couple of the pictures I took.

Apparently 5th avenue caters to the daffodils. They run down, every ten feet or so, as if deciding what to buy. Or perhaps cheerfully smiling at all those people who think a Luis Vuitton bag is an important status symbol and saying, "It's spring, really. Don't buy a bag for $1,100 dollars! Get an ice cream instead, and sit in the park!"

Lexington Ave. was covered in Tupils! This was my favorite colour combination.

Aren't they nice?

Central Park was favored by blue Hydrandeas, white & yellow daffodils, snake grass, and those purple grape like flowers. (There were Hydrandeas all over the city!)

Above planters were on this bridge, the Bow bridge, and consequently my favorite. This is some of the detail.

The tiles of this Mediterranean restaurant looked nice with the flowers.

A fun idea for planters.

Were I to own a shop in Greenwich Village, I would hang a basket like this, too.

Not a fabulous picture, but I wanted you to notice the pussy willows popping out above it all. Quite charming in real life.

Someone on the Upper West End sets out a little garden. I told Kip that if that were me the whole sill would be covered by now.

Beautiful! And appropriate choice to be outside a very tall office building. The all white Tulips were perfect for that planter.

White Madonna Lilies were all over the city! These few were taken outside of Trinity Church.

Rockefeller Center (Below) also had hundreds.

This pink flower (tree) looked awfully like Astermaria, but I am not sure it grows in that climate, or in trees. Anyone know what it is?

Thank You, Kip, for stopping to look at more flower pots & containers then you were anticipating.

~ Red Clover

Spring in NYC

2009-04-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

We are home!

We are home ~

We are home...

That is how I feel about being home. New York was fantastic. We had the most wonderful time, and you'll have to check out my other blog if you want a few posts on "what we did". I've got so many flowers to post I feel giddy! Springtime in New York is a wonderful time to be there. The weather was so perfect that the entire city started spreading out into the parks Friday night and by Saturday each one was saturated with sun bathers and city dwellers stretching their winter muscles.

Kip was talking to his mom last night as he was sorting through all the pictures we took, and with a smile mentioned that we had taken "a lot of pictures of flowers." True. I'll post them here later...once I decide how to organize them.

Until later today...!

-Red Clover

Start spreading the news...

2009-04-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

I am taking off for New York in just a few minutes and am excited to see what spring in the big apple offers. Be back in a few days...with pictures!

-Red Clover

(I got my Dad to water my seedlings while I was gone...nice guy!)

Seedling's Progress

2009-04-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

I don't have space for a serious light system...nor the funds to get it set up. So I purchased a small lamp for $9.99, and found a 60 watt lightbulb that is meant for reptiles ($4.99) and ta da! I have a light system. I turn it on while I am home, moving it from one tupperware to the next, then to the small plants, every hour or so. And you know what? It's actually working!

My first round of seeds I didn't see much progress with my poppies, one or two bloomed, but there wasn't enough light to get them to stand up and grow. This time they are all starting to break open! and I anticipate I will be able to get a few kinds of each poppy (oriental, california, iceland) planted. Fingers crossed.

Here you can see my cosmos, dahlias, and forget-me-nots all beginning their second, if not third, leaf set. You can also see my first transfer (morning glories) totally dead. They were my first try and I man-handled them. I restarted the seeds and will replace them - very carefully.

Poppies! Beginning to come out

Here are my other morning glories and some nasturtium. The packet said that the nasturtium does not transplant well, so we will see. I also planted some outside just incase.

black-eyed susan and...

mexican sun flowers!

This is my garden book, where I keep a record of all my plants happenings.

I keep track of when the seeds were first started, then when they sprout, and when I move them to the next stage.

I also have a list where I keep track of all that is planted in the outside containers. I put the date planted, whether they were a 1,2, or 3 when planted (1= tuber, bulb, 2=plant growing, no blooms yet, 3=plant already has blooms). And then I write any notes I think are important, like when shoots begin to show, etc.

Not only am I learning more about each plant, but I am feeling tremendously organized and like I can do anything...like clean out the storage room or run for president. I am determined to stay at it.

- Red Clover

Upside - Downside

2009-04-13T22:15:00.000-07:00

Upside - for a few weeks my Columbine looked gorgeous!

Downside - it's starting to die, and I'm not sure why...

Upside - At least we had this view for a few months as we walked up towards our cars...

Downside - This is the view now.

Upside - New neighbors

Downside- There are always dishes to be done in this life.

Upside- This is where I get to do dishes!

Downside - I live in an apartment, and never dreamed of having a potting shed in the near future.

Upside - I turned our old wooden "kitchen block" into my very own potting shed! Smiles, it's great!

After Daffodils

2009-04-10T19:46:00.000-07:00

My father had a nice response to my Daffodil post...

Fairie Folk

2009-04-10T18:32:00.000-07:00

There is a certain road that I love to drive down on my way home, especially when the sun is setting. Usually, at the beginning of evening, I pass a tall brick home that is surrounded by shrubs and trees. I've spent a lot of time thinking about perennial ground covers this spring, {oh, so profound} and so when I noticed beautiful purple and white blossoms hovering under the trees in perfect spring colours I was in love. After enjoying them for several weeks I finally stopped to ask if I could take some pictures.

You can see in this picture how there is no distinct grass line, the grass and the flowers just fade into each other. It's perfect wildness {which is how I knew that fairies were involved}.

Here's a close up. Do you know what plant this is?

I need to figure it out.

One patch had even come up in the middle of the front lawn.

It added such an ethereal touch that I was delighted.

The Flowers

All the names I know from nurse:

Gardener's garters, Shepherd's purse,
Bachelor's buttons, Lady's smock,
And the Lady Hollyhock.

Fairy places, fairy things,
Fairy woods where the wild bee wings,
Tiny trees for tiny dames--
These must all be fairy names!

Tiny woods below whose boughs
Shady fairies weave a house;
Tiny tree-tops, rose or thyme,
Where the braver fairies climb!

Fair are grown-up people's trees,
But the fairest woods are these;
Where, if I were not so tall,
I should live for good and all

Robert Louis Stevenson

Daffodils

2009-04-09T22:01:00.000-07:00

The other day I was driving down this road. Yes, the one on which I seem to be acting silly.

As I was driving I saw a truly beautiful sight. Amidst all the winter trees and left over autumn strewn on the ground were several bunches of Daffodils!

So, this afternoon when I got home from work I asked Kip if he wanted to go on a Red Clover field trip? After a little persuasion he was game ( he was doing homework at the time, don't worry mom, he got it finished). I went through a phase a couple of years ago when I really didn't like Daffodils. ? But now I do, again. We hiked up, and took a number of pictures. Small adventures are always pleasant when something beautiful is the purpose. Here are some of the Daffodils.

Someone must have been up watering today, because the ground was wet around their bases. What a wonderful person! What a great thought! Every car I saw drive by slowed down and admired the scene.

He's a good sport to enjoy his slightly eccentric wife.

But...I guess you can only take so much.

Hope you had a good time, we had a nice afternoon.

~ Red Clover

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Weaver ~ I will have to look at Heaven Haven and Windhover to see if I know them. (Sometimes the name escapes, but I'm familiar with the text.) Isn't Pied Beauty wonderful? There are a couple of Hopkin's poems that I just adore. He strikes me as having been a good man, which I think does make a difference. Some people say that you have to separate the art and the artist, but I think it still seeps through somehow, and reflects. What do you think?

Rose - You know, I think that it can...? Have you thought any more about it? When are you coming to visit? It's not fair that you keep hiding away in D.C. all this time. Is it? We really need to talk.

Pied Beauty

2009-04-08T10:03:00.001-07:00

Glory be to God for dappled things -

For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;

For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;

Fresh fire-coal chestnut-falls; finches' wings;

Landscape plotted and pieced - fold, fallow, and plough;

And all trades, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;

Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)

With swift, slow; sweet sour; adazzle, dim;

He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:

Praise him.

- Gerard Manley Hopkins

I've always loved reading Hopkins, and felt pleased and happy to find out that his final words were, "I'm so happy, I'm so happy."

I just learned...

2009-04-07T17:38:00.000-07:00

My sister*, who is a landscape designer, just taught me something interesting last night. Apparently you never store a water source on bare cement because the chemicals, etc., from the cement can get into the water. The same thing happens to pots sitting on cement. "Your plants will still grow," she said "but your soil will not be as good for as long as it could be if the pot is sitting on the cement." Solution? Wood. By placing wood between the pot and cement it acts as an insulator. I am planning on buying a number of wooden blocks and placing each pot on three. That way you can't see the wooden blocks so it's still aesthetically pleasing, yet functioning at the same time! Good tip.

* This is my sister, Lorien. She ownes her own Landscape Design company called Copper Leaf and is quite amazing! This picture was taken at the Botanical Gardens in Rio de Janeiro. We took a tip there together in 2007 and since we both have lived in Brasil it was a blast!)

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Rose ~ The thought of starting seeds on a bed of white frosting does sound like a nice idea...you should try it...ha ha.

KSR ~ Yes, Morning Glories can be pests. I am planting them in pots and letting them climb up some metal pot stands I have ;) Should keep them out of the garden!

Grandfather's Preference

2009-04-03T18:04:00.000-07:00

I spend a few hours every week with my Grandpa. It allows my mom to do things otherwise impossible, like cleaning her carpets and preparing lessons. It's nice for me to spend time with him, even though he sometimes forgets who I am and asks my mom "where this nice lady" is taking him. Grandpa likes to go on rides, and so I usually devise errands for him to accompany me on. Carts that need to be pushed? Doors opened? Bags to be carried? My Grandpa will ask to do it, cane and all, and treat you like a lady.

As you can guess I often haul him off to garden centers, etc. A few times, while picking out seeds, he has stepped forward and pointed to a packet he likes. I told him I would sprout whatever he picked. (Please, sprout!) The first time he picked these... Scarlet O'Hara Morning Glories.

It made me smile. That was one of my Grandma's favorite colors. Not only did she like vivid colors, but she was a vivacious person, full of life, energy, and letters that needed to be sent to ignorant editors. When my Grandma died people at the grocery store where they shopped cried. The postal workers were saddened. The neighbors all called and shared stories. Many people mourned her passing, "Virginia" left her mark on this world, a bright streak, a flash of personality. She passed a few weeks before her ninety-third birthday. My last conversation with her was typical, and delightful. Her final words in this life were "Thank You."

One day I was driving with my Grandpa and he said how much he missed his wife. His intensity and the depth of his utterance made me cry. He looked over surprised, and gave me a smile. (I don't know if he knew I was his granddaughter at the time, or "that nice lady", but it was a nice moment.)

Yesterday, when we were looking at seed packets and agonizing over what to get (or not get) he stepped forward and picked these, Wave Pink Spreading Petunias. The color, was again, my Grandma. I hope she comes for him soon.

I love you, Grandpa. It's a privilege to be in your presence. You are truly a good man, pure in heart, meek, and your heart is set upon the things of eternity. I am excited to grow your flowers.

(Grandpa and Graham, his great grandson)

Seedlings...

2009-04-01T11:19:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago today I stopped by Kip's grandmother's house. She is a gardener, flower lover, and has this little light set up in her basement to grow seeds. It was a great visit, and I learned a lot, went to the dollar store, bought some tupperware, and decided to try and start some of the seed packets I've been gathering.

So far it's been great! This is my set up.

Now, according to "Grandmother instructions" I got some tupperware, cut out a paper towel to fit the bottom, and got it damp with water mixed with half the fertilizer recommended (I used miracle grow) Then I set it in the sill of my east window. I placed the first seedlings about 12 days ago. All have started to sprout (except the purple coneflowers)...

I bought these seeds last week and put them in Friday.

They burst out and will be ready to be transplanted to those little planting containers soon.

Bedfellows; ornamental morning glories and forget me nots. The forget me nots are going slowly, and the morning glories came with almost no invitation. I need to plant those today. (They were spaced out better, more organized, but Kip tipped them over. Smiles.)

Kip's grandmother remembered that I loved of Dahlias. So, after we left she put a few seeds in to grow, they sprouted, were transfered, and she sent them home with me when I stopped by to visit yesterday. Here they are! Don't they look nice?

Well, I am going to start some more seeds today, move some into my trays I purchased, and keep it going. I've decided that sprouting seeds is the salvation I needed to see me past all the frosts.

It also snowed today, and no I am not kidding.

Philosophy and Gardening

2009-03-27T12:56:00.000-07:00

For those of you who saw my post about the snowy morning, well, I am going to give it another day, let you know how my plants are, and NEVER DO THAT AGAIN! My Orion Dahlia (I know, stupid, stupid) went from promising green, to sickly brown. On the bright side...my Rock Foil is as nice as ever. I am going to buy another Orion Dahlia just incase it was terminal. Probably was. Trying to be brave.

- Red Clover, A-Shame-Ed

Forsythia

2009-03-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

I have always adored Forsythia. Early spring, before anything else has dared to open their front door, Forsythia comes bursting out like a million sunbursts undeterred by the world. It's also an inexpensive way to have all the flowers you want filling all the vases and jars you want. You just have to know someone with a Forsythia bush. The conversation will go something like this,

"Hi! I was wondering if I could cut some small branches off your Forsythia?"

"Do I have a Forsythia?"

"Yes. It's the bush in the corner of you lot, covered in yellow blossoms."

"Oh, of course. Take all you want!"

And I did...

Then I went back for some more...with permission.

I was driving around with my Grandpa the other day pointing out all the Forsythia bushes in bloom. It was nice, and I'm sure he grew rather tired of it seeing as there are a lot of them. One thing slightly distressed me. Some people, in an effort to be responsible gardeners, have trimmed their bushes into a perfect, hedge-like square. That makes me feel slightly appalled (sorry, if you have, remember this is ignorant opinion) because Forsythia blooms in such a way that it is magical, whimsical, enchanting and free. The plant itself pays no regard to containment, just reaches up in fancy. It creates a fairy bower, as it were. The hedge shape ruins the effect.

I also learned just a few days ago, while blog prowling around "over the moon with joy" that you can take some branches earlier in the year, while there is still snow on the ground, put them in a jar with water, and bloom them early. Isn't that nice thought! Next year I will certainly do that. Can you do that with Pussy Willows? What a great combination they would be.

-Red Clover

White Morning

2009-03-26T10:23:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning to this...

What this picture doesn't do is give you a sense of the fierce winds ripping around everything. The trees managed to look incredibly straight, but they are young trees, and strong. My first thought went to my plants. I have taken special care in checking the weather reports, and covering them all, very carefully, with any threat of frost. Last night I didn't. I forgot. It had been rainy, yes, but things were greening up, and I didn't.

I stood by the window with my blanket wrapped around my shoulders. There they were, right where I had left them, covered in icy, clinging snow. "Perhaps I should throw on some shoes," I thought "and run out there, scrape all the snow off, and then cover them, bring them inside, put them by the heater..." My mind circled around every possibility. And then I thought that I am not doing this for sheer ornament. I need to know. I need to know about these plants I have started. Can they handle a freak storm? What effects does it have? There is no way to create a perfect atmosphere for all of my gardens, so I've got to test the mettle, and see.

I've planted strong plants. Early Perennials. Most of whom can handle a little cold and as much as I don't want them to die, I can't take away the cold winds, and the snow always. They need to grow hardy and strong, anyway. A few of my plants thrive in this weather. That is what is best for them. My Columbine would not like to be set down by a heater set at eighty degrees.

So I didn't go outside. I watched, and waited, and hoped. The sun came out, the snow began to melt, the wind still blew, and just so you don't think I am heartless, I pushed some of my pots out into the sun. Maybe there will be a few negative repercussions with a plant or two, but I at least I will know, be a better gardner and remember to check the weather every day.

- Red Clover

Pots: Heaven Falling

2009-03-24T17:05:00.000-07:00

I mentioned that on Friday I absolutely fell in love...with a pot. Kip and I saw it at a nursery and I was captivated with the glaze job. I was thinking of an appropriate way to describe how vibrant it is in real life, and the description that came to mind was "heaven falling".

As you can see I planted some Irish Moss (Sagina subulata) which will bear a white flower, and in the center I planted a Glomerata Superba Campanula, which is a long name for a pretty, purple flower. I'm trying out both of them for the first time, I thought it would be fun. We will see how they come up, I guess.

The Potting Begins!

2009-03-21T16:29:00.000-07:00

We had beautiful week, the sun was shining, and it was warm enough to run around in sandals and short sleeves. We also welcomed the first day of spring. It was a big potting week for me. On Thursday I pulled out all the tubers, bulbs, and seeds that were packed away, and unpiled all of the pots that I'd been accumulating. I decided to spend my birthday money from Kip and my parents on Books, Red Clover, and our trip to New York next month. I bought two books. (The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society & Three Men In A Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) I have read the first, loved it, finally bought it...I have needed to buy the second, bought it, am loving it. Hilarious.) Then the rest of my book money went to Red Clover...and then my New York money went to Red Clover...and I basically went crazy this week buying dirt, flowers, & a gorgeous pot! ;)

This was the scene on Thursday Morning. My tubers and bulbs were anxious to be planted, a few of them even beginning to sprout, and so I selected what would go in which pot and dug in!

Friday I bought more perennials, that great pot, and decided where they would go, and later that afternoon bought more dirt. (I have two big pots)

Saturday (Today) I bought more dirt and really went to town organizing my space!

Here you can see outside my front door. Everything has been planted up, watered, moved, moved again, moved again, looked over, swept up, etc.

I tried, with all the mismatched pots I had, to organize them in a way that would look somewhat nice, without making my landlords feel regretful that they said I could garden in the first place. I should be able to keep it under control for a few months before I buy my annuals. Hopefully my perennials will be bold, disrespectful of personal space, and fall all over themselves!

My next few posts I will tell you what I planted, etc. Right now I really should be cleaning the apartment to get it ready for Sunday.

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KSR - I am hoping that all this dirt under my fingernails can cure me of the habit of biting them! I know, is that a horrid habit?

Becoming A Gardner...

2009-03-19T21:40:00.001-07:00

Becoming a gardner means doing laundry three times more than you would otherwise. You are simply always dirty.

Becoming a gardner means buying a stronger pumice stone, considering you wear sandals most of the time.

Becoming a gardener is reminiscent of my dating days, continually wondering if the roots are too shallow.

- Red Clover

My Nephew hones his raking skills, while helping "Nana" with yardwork. Gotta start them early!

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Weaver - Isn't it amazing what things stick with us? Colours, smells, flowers in the window...

Jennifer - Same wishes to you!

JoMama (Life As A Single) & KSR - Yes, all my flowers are girls. It's not meant to be a slight by any means, it just is. Smiles.

Vicki - Interesting Facts about Gerberas! Aren't they beautiful? I always thought they were nice, but I fell in love with them on a cobble stone street in Rio De Janeiro. A vendor had some Gigantic Gerberas and I was captivated! I purchased a large red one and it went with me everywhere the rest of the day. I gave it to a friend later that night. Thanks for the info, I loved learning a piece of the history.

Flowers For Your Hall

2009-03-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

The perfect flower garden, in my mind, could vary in any number of ways if it has one necessity; tall, elegant, flowers. All the kinds that are easily cut to grace the kitchen table, that nightstand beside your bed, or taken to a friend. I adore fresh cut flowers. In the novel A Tree Grows In Brooklyn there is a scene where young Francie Nolan takes a Saturday trip to the library. The chores are done, her hard-working mother has been helped, and she is free...

"After Fancie had come in and closed the door quietly behind her-the way you were supposed to do in the library-she looked quickly at the little golden-brown pottery jug which stood at the end of the librarian's desk. It was a season indicator. In the fall it held a few springs of bittersweet and at Christmas time it held holly. She knew spring was coming, even if there was snow on the ground, when she saw pussy willow in the bowl. And today, on this summer Saturday of 1912, what was the bowl holding? She moved her eyes slowly up the jug past the thin green stems and little round leaves and saw...Nasturtiums! Red, yellow, gold, and ivory white. A head pain caught her between the eyes at the taking in of such a wonderful sight. It was something to be remembered all her life.

"When I get big," she thought, "I will have such a brown bowl and in hot August there will be nasturtiums in it.""

When I get big, Francie, I think I will have such a garden, and such a brown bowl, and in hot August I hope to be planting my nasturtiums in it, as well.

These are the flowers I have been enjoying this week, though part of me still wonders if I should have bought the daisies...

The Whys, Wherefores, & What It's All About

2009-03-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

Red Clover began last October after a very satisfying summer of my Stairwell Garden. Summer 2008 was truly my first test in picking flowers, killing flowers, planting bulbs that (gasp, I know, but tight budget) were purchased at the dollar store, and embarking on my own gardening journey, not just the garden/yard work that abounded as I grew up. This was my own, and something in me needed it.

In my Stairwell Garden, during a rain storm.

I had a blast. I learned to love my Dahlia, to enjoy the scent of the Red Geranium that continually kept me company and made veiled remarks as I tried to repot the other flowers. I watered too much, I watered too little. But, hey, I watered. With fall approaching my interest was growing, and so after holding out for a few years from the blogosphere I decided it was finally time. Red Clover came into existence.

My motto was simple, "To start something new, gain wisdom from experienced green thumbs, and gather insights for beginners...like me".

Then I posted what would be the purpose of my blog, and what kind of posts to expect.

"Flowers & Plants

Herbs

Garden Tours (Which I will take and photograph in people's gardens... unsuspecting gardens)

Pots

Do You Know What This Plant Is?

Planting Seeds (Shout-outs for advice from fellow gardeners)

Vignettes - Garden Stories"

(I like those categories and have done a little with each, except herbs, I have pictures for that though! I think I will keep those categories, though maybe rename a few, and them add a few more...I am trying to be more organized.)

So, I posted on October 8th. I woke up the next morning, checked my blog, and there was a comment! And it was from Bob! A real life English Gardner who worked on an estate! I was elated. I must confess, Bob, that everyone who ran into me for that day and several following, heard that you had made a comment on my blog. Smiles. After that the whole garden world began to open up before me. I was badgering my new found friends with questions (I still have a lot) and picking up my mom's "Better Homes and Gardens" magazine, my camera became a staple as I clicked pictures of what caught my attention, the amount of plants inside my house quadrupled, I moved to a sunnier place with more space, and I have never ached so fiercely for spring all my life. It's finally here.

Since I am beginning a new year there are things I would like to change. For example, I like how Dreadnought, or Bob, will answer questions at the bottom of his post...hmmm, still thinking about that. Responding to comments has been something I've wanted to do, but I vacillate between methods. I fixed my USB ports, so more pictures are back on the docket! I want to try and use all original pictures to the extent I can, which means I've got to be out there on the hunt. And I am going to try and post more regularly;)

Thanks for coming around these few months, and I hope to not only improve my gardening skills, but also my blog.

Happy Spring Regards,

Red Clover

The Other Day...

2009-03-16T21:31:00.000-07:00

...She came home with me. Isn't she a beauty?

The Garden Book

2009-03-14T11:16:00.001-07:00

I am creating a Red Clover Garden Book. It's going to contain things. About Gardens. About my garden in particular. I know, a bit narcissistic, but I'm afraid I can't make a book about Your garden. I don't really know it.

This is part of my new year experience. I am going to have a spring planting section, one for early summer, and one for late summer. Pansies will fit in two of those categories, but I don't know if I am going to let them in. We'll see. There will be comments about care, preferences of my favorite flowers and plants, as well as planning sessions, and pot decidings, and garden plans. My landlord just told me I could use part of the flower beds that are by my front door. My heart is elated. Kip's heart is probably wondering how we are going to fill the pots, let along part of two flower beds. Seeds, Kip Dear. That's how. I just bought some fiery coloured Nasturtium.

Mr. Tuttle Goes On Tour: A Red Clover Birthday

2009-03-11T20:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was banned from the house by Kip, who had taken the day off work. "Do not even drive by the apartment until I tell you." I followed instructions. After work and a few errands I cat napped on my parent's sun spilled couch until he called and said the coast was clear, I could come home.

The first thing that greeted me when I walked into the door was a bouquet of six bright balloons what were anchored to a safari/garden hat, filled with blue confetti and a scrolled piece of paper. Kip was in the kitchen making dinner. He told me to go ahead and open it up, that it was my birthday present.

One important item of note: Mr. Tuttle is a brass toad who sits atop our blue bookshelf, right next to the cinnamon poinsettia. I purchased him a week or so before our wedding, and he is a dear family friend.

The Honorable Mr. Tuttle

I opened the scroll and this is what it said,

"I didn't know if you knew this; but Mr. Tuttle, when no one is here, takes the liberty of gallivanting about the apartment, exploring. When I came home early on Saturday I caught him in the act! He mentioned that he was experiencing the "flora and fauna" of the apartment. I asked him, rather dubiously, "Besides the obvious, what else have you found?" He then, in a matter-of-fact manner stated them:

1. A rare red version of Pedicus Oderiferus that thrives in darkness.

2. A variant of the Rabbitus Coelhinus in orange, that strives in the desert.

3. Tempus Palmus, a small plant that grows in shady places.

4. Discus Labyrinthum, a thorny plant that grows in shady places.

5. One he called Cremus Foil, and stated that it was found wherever peanuts are grown. I didn't buy this at all. I think he was just hungry.

6. A common thing he called Relaxius Monimentus. It sounded nice to me.

7. Lucem Globus, it apparently thrives in moist-to-tropical climates, and is always white.

8. Maitrecus Buddhus.

9. Familia Professo, a squar-ish sort of plant with cream and dark red foliage.

10. Arborum Paludosus, a tree that grows in clumps of three with red leaves, usually in swampy areas.

11. An interesting black and white variant of Sinus Tergus, or "Leather Pocket" that only buds in the winter, and for the rest of the year lies dormant, clung to a vine in dark places.

I asked him to show me these things, wondering what he was up to. He hesitantly showed me what they were, but begged me to not handle them as they need a more delicate hand to care for them (he doesn't think much of my dexterity, apparently). I mentioned that you have an increasing appreciation for plants. He nodded politely and them muttered something under this breath. Then he stated that you would appreciate his findings and his unique perspective. He's a sneaky one, if you ask me!

Happy Birthday!!

Love, Kip"

I was a little baffled as to what these 11 plants were. ? Had Kip gone wild at the local nursery and purchased a number of different plants for presents? No, they were all clues. All clues. To what? I couldn't stop laughing and then began with number one.

"1. A rare red version of Pedicus Oderiferus that thrives in darkness." Alright, it was something red, that was in a dark place...ped, latin for foot, odour...hmmm, I thought I knew what that it was referring to...

...my red shoes. I went to the closet and there was a dollar in each one. The Hunt was on!

Here are what the rest of the clues led me to find, all stuffed with dollar bills...

#2 Rabitus Coelhinus in orange, that strives in the desert was O Alquimista, a book by Paulo Coelho. Coelho means Rabbit in Portuguese. A few more dollars.

#3, Tempo Palmus, was my favorite clock.

#4, Discus Labyrinthym, plant from north of England, was my Sting CD "Songs from the Labyrinth." He plays Lute music by John Dowland on that Album.

#5, Cremus Foil, was a jar of Peanut Butter...I must have lost that picture

# 6, Relaxius Movimentus was the old rocking chair in the bedroom...

# 7, the Lucem Globus that thrives in moist-to-tropical climates, was the pile of light bulbs in the bathroom, which I turn into a tropical climate everyday with a warm bath.

#8, the Maitrecus Buddhus was the Maitrea Buddha that sits above our CD rack. (Several years ago Kip was in Seattle visiting his parents and he saw this happy Buddha at a shop and liked his smile so much he brought him home.)

#9, the Familia Professo, was a Family Proclamation we have hanging on our wall that talks about the vital importance of families.

#10, the Arborum Paludosus, was a big painting we have in our living room! Here is a snapshot of part of it.

And last, but not least...

#11, the Sinus Tergus or "Leather Pocket", was Kip's leather jacket in the coat closet. It was stuffed with about thirty additional one dollar bills.

All in all it was a very fun "plant & flower" hunt! Some clues I got quickly, others took me a while, though they are now very obvious. I ended up with a lot of birthday money that Kip said to spend on whatever I wanted, though he did mention Red Clover as an option of money well spent. He's learning...ha ha. I loved it and had such a great time! Thanks, Kip, for being such a wonderful husband! Dinner was great, so was the present (The plant theme was the way into my heart), and spending the evening with you was the sweetest part! I love you.

HAPPY RED CLOVER NEW YEAR!

2009-03-10T22:39:00.000-07:00

(This is a picture I snapped last summer. I thought it would be a good one to start out the new year with. It just seems to be bursting with promise!)

What Joy! It is a new year, yes folks, it is that. I mentioned a few weeks ago that Red Clover would begin it's new year on March 10th. Here we are, at the very end of March 10th, 2009! (Also, my birthday) I had a "New Year" post in the works intended for today, which totally was thrown off by a flower scavenger hunt that Kip (my wonderful husband) sent me on. That is tomorrow's post, because it's hilarious. I would do it tonight, but it's a quarter to mid-night, and Kip has to get up early for class, and I am so tired. Is that okay? Yeah, I think so. Alright. Come back tomorrow, you won't want to miss it. I thought it was just the best present in the world. All is well with the world tonight...except that I stress Kip out with my creative bending of the budget. Note to self: don't stress Kip out with creative bendings of the budget. Smiles.

The Poppy Field

2009-03-09T20:46:00.000-07:00

Once, when I was fifteen years old, my Grandmother and I took a drive up a small canyon by her home. It was an afternoon spackled in light, and as an artist my Grandmother was a great appreciator of beauty. We came upon a field where tall green grasses were highlighted by orange-red poppies. Perfection. She always had her camera with her so I was hustled out of the car and a picture was taken of me standing amid such radiant flowers. Poppies have been one of my favorites ever since. I still have that picture, perhaps I'll scan it in, but it reminds me of something I will miss. Yesterday was my Grandmother's birthday. She would have been 81. She passed away in August of last year. What a woman. I admire her more as I grow older, because so much of what she endured and over came happened in her adult years. She had a strength I didn't understand for a long time. I am sure I still don't.

Happy Birthday Grandmother. I love you. And I am planting poppy seeds this year.

Vineyard Garden Center

2009-03-04T10:17:00.000-08:00

Date 3/02/2009 Mon. Time 12:35

1 Dahlia Tubber (Orion)

1 Dahlia Tubber (Martha)

$7.98

3 Gladiolus Bulbs (Jessica*)

$1.47

1 Begonia Bulb (Apricot)

$3.99

2 Packs of Seeds (Black-Eyed Susan & California Poppy)

$3.18

1 Gerber Daisy (Orange!)

$4.99

1 4" saucer (clear plastic)

$0.20

Tax $1.42

Total $23.23

1 Red Clover needing to to expand her "Red Clover" budget**

$ Could Be Pricey

1 Kip who came home from class to find his wife gone, yet her car was still in the drive and she wasn't answering her phone. (I had walked to the garden center.)

$ A Little Worried and More Then Happy to Pick Me Up and Give Me a Ride Home

* Why name a tall orange flower "Jessica"? I almost didn't buy it because of that. It's not that I don't like the name...it's just, I don't know. Didn't work for me.

** I asked Kip about a monthly Red Clover budget, which he readily agreed too...and I already exceeded it in the above receipt. It might need an adjustment. (I think my father would tell me I just need a little more self-control. Both are probably true.) Smiles.

Red Clover's New Year

2009-02-27T13:37:00.001-08:00

The last few months I have been looking forward to what would be a new year at Red Clover. Instead of going along with the idea of Jan. 1st and all that, a gardening new year would need to come at the brink of spring burst. The point in time where "just a few more weeks and you will be there." I decided that the official new year of Red Clover would be March 10th. Not only does it fit the requirements, but it's also my birthday.

In preparation to begin a new year I have looked at the possibilities of a new template, of trying to organize my garden-self a little better, of actually fixing my usb ports so I would put on more pictures. (A must). I have been saving a few posts for the new year, and a lot of ideas. I guess we will all see what comes of it!

P.S. I went to a gardening class the other night and am bursting with interesting facts. More to come...

So It Would Seem

2009-02-23T21:28:00.001-08:00

The last few days there has been a distinctive change in the outside world. The death grip of winter has passed, and the earth is beginning to stretch once again. Spring's place is being prepared. I can't tell you how happy it has made me. Even the grey clouds that monopolized the world today couldn't erase that touch of warmth.

I also saw a small yellow crocus who had just come out to say "hello!".

Smiles.

Truth About Celosia

2009-02-19T16:11:00.000-08:00

Celosia.

Known as Celosia Argena in the scientific world.

Here is what I have discovered about Celosia. I don't really like it. It's not that there is anything wrong with it. It's not that Celosia doesn't have a certan charm and exotic beauty of it's own. Celosia, I found, is like on of those people that you meet somewhere and regardless of how wonderful they are you just don't click. In fact, in conversation you feel as if both of you are missing the point of the other person and that your words are floating into the oblivion above their head. No matter how many social functions you see them at they were never meant to be your best friend. Conversation is awkward, halting, and continually trips over itself. Alas, Celosia, we were not meant to be. Enjoy all of the other gardens who will shower you with praise and miracle grow.

Tchau.

Red Clover in Mourning

2009-02-18T21:57:00.000-08:00

I have not had "time" to mourn my Grandma these last few weeks. And I know a good cry is in there, about to come out. Memories have been sweet, and worries for my Grandpa have been sad and heavy. But the process is beginning; I can feel it working it's way through me. My mom found a card my Grandma wrote to me and never sent. Smiles.

I have spent the last several days investigating how to get rose clippings to take root. I've got a big long branch in water by my window, and now I have all the supplies I will need; root starter, a few glass bottles, some very good soil and perlite. I have read a fair amount, and talked to my best friend's mother (who grows beautiful roses) and am going to try a few different methods. Somehow, all the planning and preparations have been cathartic and important. I feel as if I am readying myself for a sacred ordinance, and like Aaron of old, am washing and cleansing in preparation for the thing to come. Because, somehow this is my Grandma. I want to take this thing she loved and help perpetuate it. Simple, but symbolic for me. I don't know why, but this project is my grief and my joy. My grief for her passing, and my Grandfather's sorrow, and my joy for her passing, her eternal life, and the promise of being reunited with her. What a great thing it has been to feel that she is happy.

Tomorrow is the day. I will prepare several sections of roses and eagerly watch their progress. Anticipation is high because I can't remember what colo(u)r the roses are. Should be a pleasant surprise. Thanks, Grandma.

Extra Extra! Dahlias Defeat Dismal Weather!

2009-02-16T09:36:00.000-08:00

I spent some time over the weekend perusing the internet for Dahlia Tubers. I looked everywhere from vendors who only specialize in Dahlias to samples from e-bay. I was pleased to learn that a Dahlia will actually create another couple of tubers while it's in bloom and growing, which is fantastic for someone who would love to scatter an entire yard with them. I still regret throwing my old Dahlia plant out, seeing as how she was so beautiful.

Now the technical question...when is to late to plant tubers and when is to early? I've read to wait until the last frost, which sounds reasonable, but I've also heard that if you get them started too late then "Ja Era". Have any of you every bought them online? I'm planning on ransacking the local garden centers, but there are a few unique blooms I wouldn't mind trying out.

Saving Abraham

2009-02-14T22:44:00.000-08:00

As many of you know I bought a plant a few months ago who is deep green with what appears to be yellow stars all over his leaves. He's been great, and soon became one of my favorites. (Don't tell the others.) I had Abraham right next to the window, but I noticed a couple of things were wrong. First, he wasn't growing very well at all. Second, a few of his leaves appeared to have been attacked by something, and were sporting very unsightly half circles on the sides. I decided to investigate.

I pulled up the blinds and a little tiny spider climbed away from hiding behind Abraham. Hmmm. Did he have anything to do with those half circles? Was this indeed one of the infamous spider mites? I am not sure, but I killed the poor fellow, and moved Abraham from the window, to a lamp table just a few feet away thinking maybe he needed to be a little warmer.

Not only have the mysterious circles stopped appearing, but Abraham has shot up at least two and and a half inches! If not more. I don't know if this is due to him being a little warmer, or what, but something is working. Bravo Red Clover. You might make it after all!

Now I just have to figure out of those brown spots on a few of his leaves are because of over watering...?

Red Clover Tip

2009-02-11T11:13:00.000-08:00

I read this somewhere recently. Everyone says that plants don't like to sit in water. So what can you do about it when they are indoor plants? Well, one idea is to sit the pot in a saucer (any form) that is full of stones, and so the water can run down into the stones and the plant doesn't rot at the roots. Sounds worth a try!

How To Steal A Rose

2009-02-08T22:00:00.000-08:00

My Grandma loved roses. I spent the last week in Denver helping out and getting ready for her funeral, and as I went about doing what there was to do I noticed how much she loved roses. They were everywhere! I always knew they were there, but this week I Knew they were there. I missed her for it. Everywhere roses.

In her backyard stood her rosebush. It was bare and spined and winter spickled (If Hopkins can take the liberties he does in his poetry, than I am going too as well) yet the center was beginning to grow of spring. So here is my question of you all, and it's time sensitive so I need a response within the next day. How would I take a start from my Grandma's rose bush and bring it home? The house will be sold and likely I'll not make it back before that happens.

My mother is still over there for a few more days so I could give her directions on how to do it if any of you know.

Thank You!

(Those were actually her last words)

This is a picture of my Grandma's china

2009-02-01T12:14:00.000-08:00

Picture found at http://www.google.com/imgresimgurl=http://franknotes.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/cyclamen.jpg&imgrefurl=http://franknotes.wordpress.com/2007/03/&h=303&w=400&sz=62&tbnid=dIbCVUSPFprlxM::&tbnh=94&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcyclamen&usg=__BFyUx7zcIMNcp0zVV5fYz_RMIo=&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=6&ct=image&cd=1

There is something of the soul in gardening.

I think it's because we are directly involved in the work of our Father. He who gave us all things through the offering of his Son. And so we plant, and re-plant, and prune and observe the miracles of life around us, understanding that there are seasons and cycles, and times for blooms and times for the supposed barren, which are really just preparations for the perpetual manifestation of life, and the sweet promise of immortality.

Our minds, as humans, are small. Although we like to believe they are more expansive in view, understanding and depth of feeling, there are days when we realize the importance of simple repetition in our eternal progress. Maybe this is why the work of a gardener is so good. It is a constant reminder of birth and death, of health and sickness, of understanding and learning new things, of being surprised or saddened when something happens you were not that you were not intending out of it's time. Over the years as we dig, fertilize, revitalize, we are understanding God a little more. And he is teaching his children.

Then there are moments when you suddenly take a step back from it all, hoe and shovel, seed and sprout, and you see this is the case. Moments like yesterday morning when my father called to tell me that my Grandma, my mother's mother, had passed on.

And all day I have been remarking on the ethereal beauty of the pedals on my cyclamen flower; their delicate glory hovering for a time in their mortal state, as we all do.

Ahoy there! Ye Scurvy Rat...

2009-01-28T22:26:00.000-08:00

In an effort to avoid the cold of my kitchen window the Ivy has commandeered a nearby pineapple. I am trying to decide if I should engage in hand to hand combat, or just find a 16er and blow her out of the water. I will probably go with the first option, and claim the fruit for myself, but her aggressive attitude is really brining out the pirate in me. Arrrggg. Winter gets to us all.

Cyclamen

2009-01-26T08:55:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we walked into the garden center to buy an indoor watering can. We walked out with a Cyclamen that was on sale. There were a few of them, which I have since learned are the "green house variety". Considering how beautiful Cyclamen is, it was hard to decide which colour to bring home. We ended up playing paper-rock-scissors, two out of three, and brought home a beautiful plant whose colouring I believe is described as Mini Libretto Pink.

I prefer to think of it as Ethereal Pink myself, for it really is. I'm besotted.

It seems that Cyclamen prefer bright, indirect light. (?) I have not really pinpointed all the "bright, indirect light" places in our apartment. I am supposed to keep her watered while she is blooming, and then I can expect her to go into a dormant period where I should let her dry out. Never fear, come September I begin watering again, and (da da da da!) she returns. (From what I understand, she too has tubers.) Anyway, that's what I have learned so far.

Any of you wise Cyclamen owners have some good tips for me?

I gave Kip the charge to name her. Though I did forbid him from picking Trixie. I mean, come on.