Vintage Blossoms

I'm what I think most folks refer to as a Cottage Gardener. I love my flower beds overflowing with solid blocks of color. And I love heirloom flowers.

Some of the prettiest flower displays that I have seen have been from some of my country neighbors over the years. I remember going to Agnes' home and ohhing and ahhing over her flowers. They were everywhere. They were healthy. They were wild. Agnes is gone now, but the seeds and transplants that she gave me live on. Every spring and summer, I am reminded of her and her beautiful blooms.

Tasha Tudor is another favorite gardener of mine. I can get lost in her gardening book- staring at page after page of her brightly colored landscape. If you've never seen Tasha Tudor's gardens, you should treat your eyes to her visual feast. Here's her website: http://www.tashatudorandfamily.com/

The best catalog that I've seen in a long time is Select Seeds. It is full of heirloom flower seeds and plants. Check out the flowers from days past that can make an appearance in your garden at: http://www.selectseeds.com/

But my vintage blossoms don't stop in the garden. My studio is filled with vintage glass and metal flower beads. I've been collecting them for a good many years now. I can't seem to part with them, but on occasion I do make earrings with them. Some even make it into my Etsy shop, which can be found here: http://www.blackstar.etsy.com. Stop by, while you're on your vintage blossom shopping spree.

Until next time.....

In Search of the Perfect Cloche

At one time we had them- the perfect cover to put over young transplants to shade them from the sun and keep critters from eating them. They also helped in hardening the plants off.

They're made out of plastic, cone shaped, open on top, clear and green striped and about a foot tall.

Well , after 20 years, they are beginning to show their age and we don't have many left. I did a search to try to find them because when I looked in the stack of garden catalogs that we get, no one had anything close to these. I need a lot of them, so they need to be cost effective.

I don't want row covers or insect barriers. I have those for when the plants get older. I want these or something close to them.

They are called Sonnenhut and were made in Switzerland. Here's a picture of one. So, do any of you know of anywhere that I can buy these or any other affordable plant covers?

I'll heart you forever!

Until next time.....

Happy Spring!

It's finally officially here! Between the date on the calender and the look of the landscape 'round these parts, the Vernal Equinox is in full swing. So much to do and so much time to do it in. I love these longer days! I'm racing against the rain- trying to get more of the Spring garden planted; which is why this message is going to be a short one. Enjoy this new season! Until next time.....

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

May you always have a clean shirt, a clear conscience and enough coins in your pocket to buy a pint!

And here's to the last days of winter. Although I love you dearly, I am more than ready to welcome Spring. Until next time.....

Tillin' Up Oyster Shells

What can I say? I'm a land-locked Beach Bum living and gardening in rural Tennessee. There is nothing normal about my gardening practices. So it makes perfect sense for me to use the bucket of oyster shells that I brought back from St George Island, Florida to mark my garden rows and beds. They're perfect for the job. Bright white, with a splash of purple, against the dark chocolate soil. They make me so happy when I look at them and even happier when I till one up.

Today I turned the main garden for the first time this season. Troy tills through that dirt like butta. Shhh! He doesn't know that he'll be 25 years old this April. I love that machine. He's my #1 man. I've had him longer than I've had my husband! :)

Tonight we turn our clocks up. I'm ready to spring ahead and so is the world around me. The bluebirds are back and building their first nest of the season. I heard frogs singing in the creek out back. It's not only the song of the mockingbird that I hear now. All the birds are singing like crazy.

It was a bittersweet moment in the garden this afternoon. I watched as Troy tilled our winter wheat cover crop under. In the winter, the bright green of the wheat shines when the rest of the world lies dormant. It's always a pleasure to look out and see that splash of color. But, the first part of it's job is complete and now it's time to fertilize the garden. I'll miss the wheat, but every time I see the healthy plants growing in the garden, I will be reminded of it and smile. Goodbye old friend. Until next time.....

New Garden Group on Flickr

Man, when Spring starts to spring around here, there never is a dull moment! Our broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower seedlings look great! Tomorrow they get their first foliar feeding of fish emulsion and liquid seaweed. Yum! I actually love the smell. It must be the beach bum in me.

As soon as it dries out, I'm going to turn the gardens. I want to get as early a start as possible on our spring vegees. I'm craving fresh greens.

We started the daunting task of pruning our Bradford Pears. Three down, five to go. There are times when I wish that we didn't have green thumbs. This is one of those times!

I started a new Etsy-Related Flickr Group today. It's entitled 'Etsy Gardening 101'. I thought it would be a good source of information for gardeners and wanna be gardeners. The forums move so fast on Etsy, that threads get buried so quickly. That's what I'm working on today.

All Etsy sellers and buyers are welcome! If you're not a member of Etsy yet, it's easy to join. There are so many wonderful artisans on our site. We can be found at: http://www.etsy.com/

Come check out the gardening group at: http://www.flickr.com/groups/etsygardening101/

And finally, a sure sign of Spring- our Mockingbird is singing! I love to listen to the songs of the Mockingbirds that are on our property. This one is singing on top of the chimney. His song is floating throughout the house. Until next time.....