patchouli, repotting projects, and front porch beers...

my mom got me a patchouli plant...i am super excited. it smells exactly like...well...patchouli. popped it in a pot near front porch chairs and everyone can enjoy the smell while they hang out and watch all the crazy germantown evening going-ons from my porch. 

potting project: 1) choose pot. it needs to be slightly larger than the current pot the plant is in. see how root-bound the plant (above) is? it is way overdue for a bigger home. (it was my mom's...don't blame me.)

 the pot to the left is the original pot. the one to the right is the new one. this is about the right proportion of upsizing, especially for plants that grow fast, or ones that you want to encourage to grow fast.

2) fluff out the roots before you repot it. this prevents it from just growing in the same shape as what the original pot has "trained" the roots to grow in.

window boxes, peely paint, and front porches = stephanie heaven. tried these new water-retaining gel granules that you add to containers of plants (or whatever it is you want to water less) and they WORK. i put them in my window boxes and they are getting huge and are require hardly any time for watering. ($7 at Secret Garden).

 

 one of my mom's beautiful hydrangeas. make a note: this lilac purple + the creamsicle orange behind it = a good plant color combination, in my humble opinion. (that degree has to be good for something, right?)

this to me is just an all-around beautiful photograph. it says to me: southern gardens, moss hanging from trees, wrought iron, still pools of water in hidden courtyards, and of course, armloads and armloads of hydrangeas. :)


i put a tiny bistro set on my front porch with candles and a few Blue Moons, and i was surprised at how heavenly and still such a small space can be. add plenty of potted plants, some tall and some short, and surround yourself with herbs and flowers that smell good...

a man is only as good as his...tools?

laid up in bed yet again for another glorious day that i wish i was outside planting, weeding, picking, snipping, mulching....okay, okay.

i am trying to get several blogs packed in now, in time for secret garden's website/facebook launch next month, in which there will be a link to my blog. my mom has asked me to kind of try to cover several broad subjects/categories, one of them being tools, especially tools for beginner gardeners or people who want to start gardening but aren't sure where to begin.

so. tools!


1) you need a good pair of gloves, something that won't make your hands soggy if the dirt is slightly damp, something that will deter at least some stickers and sharp things, and something that will keep irritants off your skin (can you say hello, poison ivy?). don't skimp on your gloves because they are the one thing you will (hopefully) use every time you are gardening. i like bionic gloves (about $32). they are designed by hand surgeons to support all the critical pressure points in your hands, made of soft and pliable lambskin, are semi waterproof, tough, and machine washable. they velcro tightly around your wrist so nothing can fall down in your glove while you are working. mine follow me all over my yard.

2) something to dig with, and something to weed with. ideally, you can combine this into one tool. get a tiger trowel (about $27). it has an orange handle so you'll never lose it among your weeds, ergonomic design so it is super simple to use, serrated blades to dig through clay or cut through taproots of weeds, and a sharp end to dig, scoop, plant, weed, etc.

3) sharp scissors (cutting, pruning, etc). i like joyce chen scissors, which are around $30 i think. also toss in twine, paper and pen (for making notes).

4) felco pruners. these are the sharpest, most amazing pruners ever. you can skip these if you dont have any shrubs or trees to prune back. however, if you have anything that you cannot cut with scissors these are the way to go. my pair was around $70 but they have a lifetime guarantee and all the parts are individually replaceable and sharpenable.

5) sunscreen, bug spray, and a big hat.  if you are anything like me, you like wearing a huge hat simply because it is fun. mosquitoes and sunburn are not. don't use anything with DEET in it; i prefer natural bugspray made with lemongrass and eucalyptus ($8). my hat is made by Tula hats and i think it was $33.

(everything i mentioned here is, of course, available at Secret Garden. 426-2216)

my Tula hat. (my excuse is that i dont want sun on my face. i really wear it because i feel like Beatrix Potter when i wear it in the yard.)

june photos

 making container gardens for Secret Garden...we made almost 50!

 eucalyptus and parsley in burlap-lined baskets

 radishes! too bad i don't eat radishes...

beautiful pink peonies in my vintage jar...heavenly smell.

tiny 'zephyr'  summer squash

fig tree...next year hopefully i will have actual figgies

pinching out tomato suckers...if it grows at a 45 degree angle to the main stalk, it's got to go!

first baby squashes...that i ate tonight!

swiss chard 'rainbow lights'

brightly colored cucumber supports

first strawberries of the year

arugula and mesclun lettuce mix in vintage whiskey barrel

and finally, the delicious fruits of my labor: sauteed chard with goat cheese and garlic, penne, and spanish olive oil! yummmm.

how is it already june?

dear JUNE,

it has been a long time since i've written anything. partially due to being busy outside, consumed by a jungle of plants; partially due to a broken foot and being laid up in bed pouting. what's new with things...?

1) SQUASH: i planted "zephyr" summer squash. GET SOME. delicious cooked with olive oil and a bit of garlic for a few minutes. i planted mine in a giant burlap bag filled with compost and it is already huge.

2) SUGAR SNAP PEAS: "cascadia". i'm getting enough peas every day for a bowl-full, cooked with butter and flaked sea salt on top. you can eat the pod and all. cut them every day for prolonged harvest!

3) SWISS CHARD: i've been eating it steamed, or sauteed in garlic and olive oil on top of penne pasta with goat cheese. try "neon lights" variety- super easy to grow straight from seeds. i tossed the seeds straight into big pots and have tons of beautiful rainbow chard now.

4) my black eyed susans and other PERENNIALS are humongous. this is the first year i've really started to appreciate plants that come back bigger and more beautiful every year with hardly any work from me. anywhere that i know i'll be for several years, i'd definitely plant a bunch of bright, blooming perennials. (try echinacea/coneflower, black-eyed susans, shasta daisies, lilies, hydrangeas, and for heaven's sake, even my pansies look awesome this year.)

eggplants, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers (first banana pepper tonight in my stir fry!) will be coming along soon.

i've been fertilizing everything-- flowers, veggies, houseplants-- with an organic fish-based concentrated fertilizer. it was about $7 at lowe's. don't fertilize herbs; it compromises their intense, concentrated flavor in a trade-off for more leafy growth.

sorry this is a boring one. taking lots of photos to post in the next few days.