Lessons Learned in Gardening: Color, Rhythm, and Letting Go

The snowball bush is for you Raymond Pert ... a childhood memory from Grandma's house.

When I started flower gardening I didn't have much of a plan for color schemes. At first I was just blessed if things came back the next year. All of a sudden a few years down the gardening road I observed what looked like an English cottage garden around my place with mostly pastel colors. It looked pretty, but needed some pizazz. Next I moved to a "hot color" phase. I planted lots of red, orange, hot pink and purple.

Now that the parennials are more etablished they guide the color throughout the gardening year. I also have containers that are filled with plants and put around for ongoing summer color. I also like to stick in annual flowers in beds or let some reseed so after early perennials are done blooming there is something colorful.

This year I wanted a calm, relaxed look. There are still other color combinations in the garden beds, but I knew I wanted a green, pale yellow, white combination to stand out. Green and white hostas were already established. Now we can enjoy the creamy blooms of the snowball bush and white irises. The snow in summer just began blooming and I added some white alyssum for fragrance. The bridal wreath spirea is in full bloom showing that fresh white and green combination. Even white pansies have been added to the mix.

Gardening is not a perfect science. When I first began this passion I wanted to have more control over what happened. Meltdowns would happen when a geranium labeled salmon was blooming pink later in the summer. Through gardening I have learned to let go. I have also let myself flow more with the rhythm of the plant cycles. If a dinner gathering is planned in early June I can't make the roses bloom then. I can't predict temperature, rainfall, or frost. I don't know when the dogs might dig up my favorite lily. Alas, the gardening life in the country!

Today I am suffering from a terrible cough and ache all over. I managed to take a walk this evening and felt that calm, relaxing rhythm as I moved through the gardens. I think the color scheme I was trying to achieve may be working.

During a low time in my life I had a wise person advise me to get my hands in the dirt. He suggested I needed to connect with the gardening women in my family that influenced me, work the soil , appreciate the beauty of gardening, and be still.

That was about fourteen years ago. I think he would say I am getting there.

Spring Bouquet #7: Shades of Purple With Iris and Columbine

"Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his

own nature into his pictures."

Henry Ward Beecher

Greek Watermelon Salad: From the Recipe Box

Here is the recipe for salad I made here for the Mother's Day Eve dinner.

Greek Watermelon Salad
“so different and so good” from Yoke’s ad in Spokesman-Review

¾ cup thinly sliced red onion, halved

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
6 cups cubed seedless watermelon
¾ cup crumbled or cubed feta cheese
½ cup black olives, pitted and halved
1 cup chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons olive oil

In a small bowl, cover the onion slices with the lime juice. The acid in the lime juice will help to mellow the strong, pungent ‘bite’ of the onion.
In a large salad bowl, combine the watermelon cubes, feta, olives and onions ( from the lime juice- reserve lime juice for dressing).
Add the olive oil to the small bowl of lime juice and stir until combined. Drizzle dressing over the salad, add the chopped mint and toss to coat. Let salad stand for a few minutes to allow the flavors to blend together… fresh, sweet, and salty flavor at the same time! Serves 6.

Not So Perfect Pesto Made Perfect: From the Recipe Box

The spring after JEJ and I had met I was thrilled to check out the herbs that were coming up. I had only lived at my place for a year and was still working on identifying shrubs, trees, and flowers the former owners had planted. I don’t even know where the idea for making pesto had come from since I had only had it in a restaurant. Knowing me I probably saw the recipe in a magazine and thought it would be fun to try. I gathered up the basil, followed the recipe, and served up a new, fresh dish that I was sure would be a hit. Somewhere between the chopping of the basil and the adding of the olive oil something didn’t seem right. The smell of the basil wasn’t what I had remembered. “Oh, well,” I thought to myself,” It just must be because the basil is older.”
(Now for all of you seasoned gardeners… I am sure you have figured that something is wrong. Basil is not a perennial herb. Why would it be there from the year before?)

I finished preparing the pesto, cooked the pasta, heated up bread, and tossed a salad. I took my first bite and thought the pesto had an odd taste, but didn’t say anything. After JEJ took a few bites he glanced over by the sink and inquired,” Why do you have catnip in here? I didn’t think you even had cats.”

The rest is a blur. I don’t know if a spit out my pesto first or grabbed my future husband and had him do a little herb identification by the back step. Fortunately JEJ has a good sense of humor. Even today when we tell this story he always ends it with, “The only problem I had was figuring out what to do next. I felt like jumping in her lap and purring or scratching on a tree.”

Here is a great recipe for pesto. Please make sure to use basil!
This uncooked seasoning can be made in advance. Use on pasta or mix equal portions with butter for baked potatoes.
In a food processor bowl place:
1 ½ cups fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
¼ cup pine nuts
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Pulse until the basil is chopped.
With the machine running , add ¾ cup olive oil.
Process until it is the consistency of creamed butter. Cover and refrigerate or freeze. Gardening tip: Basil is an annual herb with round, glossy leaves. Catnip has a narrower leaf, it comes up all over every year, the leaves have a faded green color and it smells like one of those catnip toys you buy for your feline friends. Lily and Sweet William are waiting to know for sure which is really the catnip.

Other Moms: Other Children

" A mother holds her children's hands for a while, their hearts forever." Author Unknown

For the last few days I have written joyfully about mothers. I wrote a tribute to my mother and recalled time spent with mothers in my life. It felt good to read other blogs about motherhood and I also enjoyed the comments I received from other mothers, daughters, and sons.

When we started school in the fall I met a new student in my class that was twelve years old named AR. Her mother was dying of breast cancer. Her mother was young, very ill, and only had a short time left. We all moved gingerly through those first weeks of school, not wanting to discuss it much because other friends and relatives of the woman were also in class. When she died the class tried to figure out things to do that would help. Students wrote poems, made cards, and went to the services. AR has been a brave child all year. She always wears her pink ribbon. She just did the Breast Cancer walk in Spokane in memory of her mother. She smiles a bit more now. She sits by me and asked me to tell her stories about my mother and what is was like when she had breast cancer.

Now, again, it is happening. BI is a year older and his mother went in for surgery a week ago. There were complications. She is in a coma. Family and friends are waiting by her bedside to talk to her. BI is shuttled back and forth between the hospital and home. An auntie came in today, her eyes swollen and red as she removed her sunglasses for a moment. " He needs a book to do this assignment", she said. Last week they wanted school work to try to keep life moving the same. How can you ask him to do a reading story and a packet on how to do a speech? Again, many family members and friends are part of our school family. People are hopeful, but cautious. It is hard to know what to do to help.
My prayers today are with AR as she continues to heal and with BI and his family as they circle around his mother's bedside.

Ten Mile Road Trip #3: Field Trip With Mom

My mom is visiting us here at Lake Roosevelt. I left my students in good hands today with their favorite sub and took a day off to spend with her. We started the day lounging and drinking coffee while catching up on news,weather,comments on the blog, and coupon cutting.

Later in the morning we departed for our ten mile (actually longer) road trip to Kettle Falls and Colville. We found some healthy plants at the Flour Mill feed store We were very tempted by the cute free kittens, but kept walking out with our plants.

JEJ and I discovered this restaurant in the fall in Colville. I wanted to take Mom here for lunch. The Courthouse Cafe is across from the Steven's County Courthouse and is a lovely place for espresso, baked goods, breakfast, and lunch. We enjoyed a hearty lunch and got some fresh baked cookies to go.

Next we were in search of a Rose of Sharon for Mom and a trumpet vine for me. Wynne Street Nursery has an incredible collection of perennials, blooming shrubs, and just about everything else these two gardeners would want. We both found exactly what we needed. We gathered our purchases together when we returned home for a picture.Our field trip was over. Between full tummies, the heat we weren't used to, and our search for the perfect plants we were worn out when we returned home. Rest time was in order before any thoughts of dinner. Annie was ready to join us!