When I reviewed Debra Prinzing's book Slow Flowers back in July, I wondered about Debra's use of the terms seasonal and sustainable. I wondered particularly about how seasonal and sustainable such flowers would be in climates much colder than Debra's moderate Pacific Northwest. Before I ever published that review, I gave Debra a chance to [...]
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Backyard Bouquet #8: Garden Clean-up in a Vase
September 3, 2013 – Posted in: Flowers on the BrainIt's true. You can neaten your garden and beautify your home at the same time. The peachy gladiolus had fallen face down in the dirt. Once rinsed off, the flower spike was still pretty. I surrounded it with stems of 'Dark Towers' penstemon. The seedheads from this plant are interesting maroon beads, but they are [...]
Backyard Bouquet #6
July 29, 2013 – Posted in: Flowers on the BrainHere's my bouquet of the week, picked on Saturday. For my "something wild" I have daisy fleabane and the inula, which just showed up in the chicken yard, though some people grow it as a garden plant. The "something weird" also counts as "something wild": the chartreuse seed bracts from a tree growing wild in [...]
Backyard Bouquet #5
July 23, 2013 – Posted in: Flowers on the BrainFor this week's backyard bouquet I kept it simple. No more one-of-everything-in-the-garden. I just went with what I had a lot of. The white Incrediball hydrangea is really putting out blossoms, although they are not as big as they have been in the past. Since this shrub was dug up this spring, thrown in the [...]
Backyard Bouquet Tips From Debra Prinzing of Slow Flowers
July 20, 2013 – Posted in: Flowers on the BrainFlower arranging, I've discovered, is one of those things that can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. Before reading Slow Flowers by Debra Prinzing (read my review), I had read other books and articles on flower arranging in the past, and I always got hung up on the details. [...]
DIY Backyard Bouquets and the Garden Appreciation Society
July 14, 2013 – Posted in: Flowers on the BrainMany gardeners don't cut flowers from their own gardens. I know some feel it will ruin the look or design of their garden to have pieces missing from it, but I think a lot of gardeners just haven't given themselves permission. Or, like me, after they cut the stems they wonder, "Now what?" I have [...]
Slow Flowers: Book Review
July 12, 2013 – Posted in: Book reviewsDebra Prinzing's latest book, Slow Flowers: Four Seasons of Locally Grown Bouquets from the Garden, Meadow and Farm, started as a challenge to herself to use only seasonal, locally grown floral elements in her weekly bouquets. (From my perspective that's two challenges in one, because with the many demands on my time, putting together a [...]
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day February 2013
February 15, 2013 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingMy impulsively purchased orchid still looks fantastic, and while one forced hyacinth is past its prime, another is getting ready to take its place. This "Christmas" cactus was also an impulse purchase a couple of years ago. It blooms quite a while after my other two and thus extends the indoor winter bloom season.I also [...]
Ten Ways Cold Climate Gardeners Treat Cabin Fever
January 11, 2013 – Posted in: FAQA long winter is not for sissies. If you are a veteran of many northern winters, you probably already practice most of the tips I'm going to share below. But if you are new to the tribe of hardy plants and hardy souls, here are some ways to beat cabin fever. 1Light TherapyIn the land [...]
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day January 2011
January 15, 2011 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingThere is a nice blanket of snow on the ground and none on the roads. That's the way we like it in cold climate country. We know we are not going to see blooms when snow covers the ground so we plan for ways to have blooms in the house. I've got some hyacinths forcing [...]
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