From Garden to Mailbox

I started this letter with a photo of the flowers that I'd picked in the garden added to a few leaves I'd drawn on colored pencil.

When it came to envelopes I went back to the real flowers and watercolors.

Changes in the House and Garden

I'm continuing to work on the border at the end of the driveway. The soil is shallow here so I'm ending the floral border with gravel and these small stepping stones that one of my sister's gave to me.

The patio furniture and large planters are working well on this end of the driveway which I now refer to as "my patio garden".I thinned some lettuce and carrots while having coffee this morning and dreaming of the next changes that I want to make out here.

Meanwhile, indoors I continue to re-arrange things in this corner of my living room which also serves as an office and are studio. the main issue here is the best way to make everything wheelchair accessible.

Caterpillars and Chrysalides

I haven't had much luck getting good photos of all of the different steps as I raise this group of butterflies.

I took these photos just a few minutes ago and quite a change has taken place in the few days that the caterpillars have been here.. You can almost see them becoming butterflies in there. 

They will stay in this container for 3 days while the chrysalides dry and harden and then they will be ready to be moved into the habitat where the butterflies will emerge and remain for a few more days before they are released into the garden.

Here they are on the way into the net habitat where in about a week the butterflies will emerge. I took this picture because it's hard to see much of anything through the white netting on the habitat...or as I like to call it "the waiting room".

The Flowers Keep Coming

These Lemon Lilies grow on the same border that just a few months ago was covered with daffodils. It's nice to have an entire season of yellow flowers follow each other in the same space. I plan to add more crocus and tulips to this area next year.

This arrangement looks different on all sides so I never tire of looking at it. I can just turn it whenever I want something else to look at.

Grape Vines and Growing Wreaths

Grapevines are all over the yard and the garden here. The one trailing across the ground here will soon be wrapped around the arched bench I'm moving to my tea garden.

I'm not sure if you can tell in these photos but I'm weaving some of them around and around so that they will grow into a strong and well shaped wreath.I trim some of the leaves off as I go and let the tendrils bind one layer of vines on to the previous one.

Here's one that's found it's way to the arbor at the front of my garden. It's in the shade of large trees and didn't think any vines would grow here so it was a pleasant surprise.

Picking and Arranging Flowers

Running Wild in the Garden

Well, the season is moving quickly. The hosta along my path and around the garden is blooming already and even the ones we transplanted this year are doing well.

A few wildflowers planted from seed this spring are blooming and adding  welcome color to the mix here.

Here's a closer view of the hosta.

Things here are a shaggy mess but it's nice to see a return of the lemon lilies that my Mother had given me so many years ago.

 I'm not sure what these  are but the color is nice in this spot that not long ago was full of daffodils.

Here's a view up the driveway where the orange lilies multiplied soooo fast and are taking over in spite of the fact that I give them away to anyone who wants them all summer long.

 Can you see the peak of my neighbors house to the upper left of this photo? I'm so lucky that they don't complain about the wilderness that my yard has become since I've been in the wheelchair. There just aren't that many people that are willing to come in and help when you haven't got a budget for that sort of thing.

As you can see there's a lot of milkweed here for the butterflies. I'm raising another batch of caterpillars now and will be releasing them in the garden soon. Next summer I'll pot up a lot of the smaller plants to give away to anyone interested in having butterflies in their yard too.

Mules, Squirrels and other interesting things around the Garden

This guy was sitting right outside my living room window and using the deck railing to launch himself at the bird feeders.

We're in the process of taking this old, black arched bench and painting it white before mounting trellis panels on the back to use it as a privacy screen between our patio area and the neighbors back yard, I also plan to grow climbing roses on it which will make it a nice feature there and pleasant to look at from both the back and the front which should keep both I and my neighbor happy.

The yellow lilies keep coming in several places around the yard.

I'm able to ride the power wheelchair over to the lake from time to time and get fairly close to the water which should improve the detail and the look of my landscape paintings when I'm between projects in the garden.

My house is one of the staging areas for the 4th of July parade here in town so I'm always amused at the things and people that go past my garden. This year our favorite was this pair of Mules and their handler.

Today's Blooms

I had to laugh that one of the daffodils should bloom this long after all of the other ones had come and gone. Recent evidence suggests that the squirrels had dug some up and replanted others. They sure are busy making mischief...and other squirrels around here.

A lone stella de oro lily blooms in the border by my driveway. Not sure what happened to the other ones but I should be seeing some soon.

There are some other pink, purple and white blooms appearing around the earth ramp. I'm not sure just what they are yet but they are pleasant to look at.

Raspberries: Garden to kitchen

It's so nice to have black raspberries again. Today I made a jar of raspberry jam just to see if I remembered how to do it. We tried it on toasted english muffins and smiled that something this easy works. All it takes is equal parts of sugar and berries over medium heat until it sheets from a spoon.

The next thing we'll be doing is just tossing about a cup of berries into a Pannekouken (dutch oven pancake) which is a sort of an egg rich batter in a round bottomed pan that you bake in the oven. We used to love them years ago in a local restaurant where the waitresses dressed like little dutch girls and ran them out to your table before they fell (the pancake, not the girl...OK, you can stop laughing now). It was very dramatic, not only because of the way it was served to you but also because they raise up light and fluffy over the edge of the pan and just drop flat as soon as they hit the cool air. making them at home promises to be much duller but just as yummy.

I've only heard back from one of the people that I offered berries to and as you can see there are an awful lot of berries out there so I'll be trying many more things before I give up and just start freezing them.

Welcome to my Garden

Privacy is still an issue here so we're planning to add some lattice panels or trellises for climbing roses and grapevines.

The Nasturtiums nourish the body and soul as well as inspiring the drawings and paintings here.

Abundant Milkweed welcomes the butterflies.

I just grow these because they make me happy.

These are new to the garden this year.

Dessert from the garden, Black Raspberries

Well, it's the first day out in the raspberry patch. As you can see those bushes are totally out of control. Step one for me was to text, e-mail and phone family and friends that might like some berries.

OK, step one was actually just eating a few handfuls of fresh berries warmed gently in the sun. 

The remains of that birdhouse are atop a six foot tall post so that should give you some idea of the size of some of those bushes.

After I've given folks what they want of them I'll start making some pancake syrup and jam. Maybe even bake some up in a few recipes...maybe a crisp or some muffins...

We've also got birds nesting in all of this. I'm sure they like living next to the buffet line and the pool (bird baths)

 Hard to believe this is a residential lot in the middle of a city, isn't it? Future plans call for digging up a section of the yard and planting at least one row of berry bushes that are wheelchair accessible so I can go back to picking them myself.