True Epicure Says

To Everything There is a Season

trueepicure — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 01:32:12 +0000

This is somewhat of a depressing time of year for me. My Echinacea and Rudbeckia are looking ragged and have gone to seed. The Blackberry Lily (Belamcanda chinensis) seedpods have split open, and while the berries are fascinating, there aren’t any more beautiful leopard-spotted flowers left. Part of me wants to attack the garden with the pruning shears and deadhead everything. BAM!

But, as the song says, to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose…

Finches are in LOVE with our Echinacea. We’ve had several American Goldfinch visitors in the last couple of weeks – two males and a female this afternoon. They seem to prefer the Echinacea seed heads over the feeder with the fancy seed.

I spotted a hummingbird in the Agastache ‘Apricot Sprite’ this afternoon. At first I only caught it out of the corner of my eye, but it kept coming back for more. I think they like the Zinnia too, which is great because the Zinnia just keep blooming their heads off. I imagine that’s why the butterflies keep hanging around.

Maybe instead of worrying about what the plants look like, I should accept what is, and revel in the beauty of the birds and other wildlife that have chosen to grace our yard. I can also think ahead to planting more plants for the birds next year, and to planting more fall-blooming plants. To everything, there is a season!

Here be Dragon(flie)s

trueepicure — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 02:26:28 +0000

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like there are a lot more dragonflies this year. I’m being dive bombed at home and at work. Fewer pesticides? Better breeding conditions this year versus last year? I suppose I don’t care, as long as they are beautiful.

Is anyone else noticing the same thing?

In Honor of All Things Good

trueepicure — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 03:24:56 +0000

Wordless Wednesday

trueepicure — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 22:41:28 +0000

Musing

trueepicure — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 03:35:30 +0000

I did not even look at the veg garden today. I feel like a bad mom, but I needed a day off.

That is all.

Home Sweet Home

trueepicure — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 00:01:13 +0000

My husband called me over to the front door this evening to show me a male and female Goldfinch family enjoying the evening perched in and on our Rudbeckia. The Goldfinches (in general) have been enjoying the Echinacea that has gone to seed, and I’m absolutely tickled pink that they feel comfortable enough to hang out in my bushes. Perhaps it’s time to get that wildlife habitat certification?

Not an Epitaph

trueepicure — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 02:17:53 +0000

You’ll remember my last post about the Nasties. They’re not dead yet, so I don’t have to write a death notice. They’re not dead, but they’re not flourishing either. They’re just hanging on.

Thanks to Mother Nature, we’ve had some cooler weather. Although tomorrow is only supposed to be 86 degrees, we’ll hit the upper 90s by Wednesday.

I hope that I’ll be able to write a happier post in a month or so. I’ve cut back the dead bits and I’ll probably plant a few more seeds towards the end of August. I’m hoping for a bumper crop of flowers and some seeds to try next year. Until then, I’ll eat ice cream and hope for cooler weather.

I’m growing Nasturtium “Spitfire” for the GROW project. Thanks, to Renee’s Garden for the seeds.

Thinking Ahead

trueepicure — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:36:06 +0000

While it’s so goddawful hot outside, I’m thinking ahead to fall plants and next year’s spring crops. I have to pull out my fall planting guide that I received at the WDC Gardener Magazine Seed Swap this past January. I’m sure I should have started a bunch of stuff already… I also have to think about what I’m going to start next spring. Now I have a cold frame, so I can start things even earlier. Who knows, I might even get organized enough to do some Winter Sowing.

I just ordered coconut pellets for the next batch of plant starts. No more peat pellets if I can possibly help it. Peat pellets have been the most reliable method of seed starting for me, but the environmental toll that harvesting peat causes, negates the benefit of my growing food for myself. Coconut fiber is supposedly more sustainable (until someone tells me otherwise) which makes me feel better about using these pellets.

In the meantime, I’ll be sitting in the house, enjoying the A/C, and looking at pictures of what is outside:

Wordless Wednesday: Look Ma, I’m Gonna Bloom!

trueepicure — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 01:05:58 +0000

Glad I Found You

trueepicure — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 00:44:22 +0000

I was at it again this weekend. Walking back to work from lunch at the DC Waterfront, I happened across some Gladiolus stuffed in a trash can. If I were a normal person, I would have kept walking. Being me, I felt the need to check to see what was going on. Somehow I knew they weren’t just cut flowers, and I was rewarded with at least 10 beautiful peach colored Gladiolus with bulbs attached.

My enabling co-worker helped me out by finding a garbage bag at work so I could carry them home. When I got back to my desk, I cut the stems down to about a foot tall, and put them back in the bag under my desk. Then I went to the bathroom and disinfected my hands and the scissors.

Just another day in the life of this crazy plant girl.