Hydrangea in Everett's Hand

 

I love white hydrangeas, especially the Annabella pictured above. This picture is a favorite of mine with my dear Everett holding the bloom. I remember him coming outside and me wanted him to hold the bloom so I could capture a image. The shirt he happened to have on was so perfect as a background. My poem today celebrating National Poetry Month captures the images I love about this flower.

White Hydrangea

White Hydrangeas dance
We observe the clouds of fresh dopamine
Wisping ribbons of scarlet frequencies
That we sense with our mind, body, or soul?
For, we do not know
They swirl around the cord that connects us
Travelling through roots. Travelling up stems.
Tunnel systems for the heart’s perception?
For, we do not know
The voice of cotton is a lullaby
Soft to the touch, warm to the heart, and ears;
Children laugh, children love, children play in
Fields of cotton scented White Hydrangea

Corrina Mae

The Things We Leave Behind: Farewell Tour of Martin Creek.

I knew the time would come when I would say my last goodbyes to the home I have lived in for nineteen years. My home at Martin Creek was like a  gardening classroom. I learned from trial and error everything I know about working with the soil. I learned what to grow and what to get rid of. What to do, what not to do. I will use that wisdom as we plan our next gardens. A lesson to remember-always throw your fruit pits and seeds in the yard. We raised peach, cherry, plum, and apple trees from seeds.

Someone asked me recently what I would miss the most at Martin Creek. At first I thought the view and then I realized it will be the gazebo. We spent so many wonderful hours talking, dreaming, warming by the fire, and appreciating the beauty around us in that gazebo. I loved what JEJ created.

I hope to once again grow Oakleaf Hydrangeas. They were beautiful blooming shrubs that took on color and provided colorful foliage all through the year. The blooms were always a surprise, and when they dried, you never knew the color the may become.

If you are ever looking for a hardy vine, purchase a silver lace vine. We will certainly get another one at this house. The are green and hardy, and the white flowers add to the display through at least two seasons of the year.

 Autumn Joy Sedum are the hardiest flower you can grow that looks beautiful in September. They require little water and little care. Perfect for the sandy soil I just left. I will miss them, but did bring a few to start again in my new garden.

I will miss the maple trees.  Every season of the year they provide beauty, but autumn is when they really show their stuff.

There is nothing like apple trees to fill in a orchard. I was so tempted to pick the little apples that were on the branches, but decided to leave them for the next owners.

The experiences, the photos, the family memories, and the various images I have stuffed in my head will help me remember this place fondly. It was a learning place in so many ways. I hope to take that learning and use it for our next garden projects and life itself. I'm so glad we had this time together.

Lessons Learned While Weeding

Garden clean up is a bit like house clean up. Just about the time you get the piano dusted inside  more dust appears. Just about the time you put away the gardening tools another marigold needs deadheading or a weed appears. It is the ebb of flow of domestic life I guess.

 I have learned that weed barriers don't always work to keep weeds out forever. Rugs work great though. I take old rugs and put them down and made a path over the weeds. It works especially well in places that the weeds wouldn't budge. JEJ took old carpet from the church and put it around the raised beds in the vegetable garden. The weeds stay underneath it is a more comfortable walk!

The weeds that come up through those little holes in the bricks are very pesky.  Sometimes lots of water from the hose will either unearth them, or drown them. Just try to keep the walkway intact!

 Kittens can be a big help while you are working in the garden. They jump around in the flower bed, thena dog digs around behind them. Eventually a weed gets pulled or a dead flower comes off.

 Oakleaf hydrangeas are perfect for the bed in front of the house. Their blooms turn from white to a beautiful mauve color and don't have to be deadheaded!

The best motivation for working in the garden is to have a goal in mind for the end of the day. Yes, I will sit at that table when the sun is setting and look at a patch weed free! It worked. We even had fresh peach pie!

Top Ten Ways to Tell Autumn is Just Around the Corner

10. There are leaves around the yard that have started to turn.
9. It is time to start setting the alarm clock in preparation for a school schedule.8. The oak leaf hydrangea blooms are beginning to turn a deeper color.
7. The temperature is dropping in the evening.6. The beans have reached the top of the pole.
5. I am running out of canning jars.4. The leaves on the Virginia Creeper are up to the roof of the shed, which is Lily's favorite resting spot.
3. I feel this urge to wear fleece, heavy socks, and jumpers.2. The sunflower seeds are ready for the birds.
1. The number one way I can tell autumn is just around the corner... I have a zucchini that weighs 4 pounds!

Guarding the Neighborhood from The Top of the Berm

Even though it has warmed up a bit here and some of the snow has melted the dogs still had enough of a white berm to play King of the Mountain today. Where they are standing is usually a rose garden just off the deck. The berm is about a foot above the deck still.
JEJ figured out how Annie was able to run out front when he was getting ready to leave yesterday. This snow makes it easy to go over the gate.

I don't know what the dogs see when they are up so high, but whatever is on the hillside is sure catching Annie and Shelby's attention. I am sure they are ready to protect the whole neighborhood from Sasquatch!
I have always heard that snow provides a protective blanket for plants that winter over. If that is the case I should have monster hydrangeas next spring!

Annabella and Oakleaf : Hardy Hydrangeas on Lake Roosevelt

When I first saw a hedge of brilliant blue hydrangeas in a coastal town in Oregon I wanted those at my house. Alas, I have tried, but I just could never get the Nikko Blues to be successful in my dry climate and sandy soil. I read somewhere that Annabella and Oakleaf Hydrangeas grow well in those conditions. They surely do! I have fallen in love with both of these types of hydrangeas. They each have a long blooming season. The flowers dry nicely and the leaves create interest in the garden also.The Annabella creates that fresh combination of bright white and lush green in a shrub. The blooms often get over 10" in diameter. I love it when the white blooms dry and turn to a lovely pale green color. Whether freshly cut or dried on the plant, the blooms are perfect in bouquets.
I saw a picture in a gardening magazine a few years ago of a hedge of Oakleaf Hydrangeas after the leaves turned in the fall. The colors were remarkable. Mine are just beginning to turn.The Oakleaf is one of the few hydrangeas native to the United States.They bloom in single or double white flowers, then turn a beautiful mauve color that turns deeper with the fall colors.
As you begin your wish list for your next year's garden, you may want to consider either or both of these hydrangeas. I guess I will have to let other gardeners be successful with the brilliant blue, pink, and violet colored ones. If you want to see gorgeous hydrangeas grown in the area south of me, go visit my blog friend JBelle and take a garden tour. You can find her stunning photos here.