Neglected Sorrel

Late last summer I planted some sorrel seeds (rumex acetosa). The lemony (some say green apple) flavor of the leaves would make a nice addition to our salads. I put the seeds in a planter box because somebody told me sorrel has a habit of taking over. Then I proceeded to forget all about this little planter and its contents. I hadn’t really paid attention to the fact that sorrel is a perennial.

Earlier this spring when I was cleaning up and feeding all the perennials on the patio, I noticed signs of life in the little planter box. And still I neglected it. Yesterday I finally decided it was time to tend to the sorrel.

Uhm, there seems to be a LOT more than just sorrel growing in there.

 

Ouch! Over on the right I found a sprig of blackberry. Guess I should say thank you to whatever birdie decided to fertilize my box. Oh, and the stuff that looks like sprouts, that’s moss. We grow awesome moss here in the Pacific Northwest. But wait, it gets better. That brownish grayish rock you see nestled in the moss, that’s NOT a rock.

Just chillin’ under the shade of a sorrel leaf.

 

All that relaxing is hard work. Time for a snack!

Despite my neglect, the various invaders and the overcrowded conditions, the sorrel seems to be hanging in there. In the end, I left the box just as I had found it. I couldn’t bring myself to disturb this happy little eco-system. Besides, Wing Nut was busy making dinner and there was no way I was going to touch that snail!

First Bloom of 2011

And the prize goes to…

Hellebore (details unknown)

It started out as a cutting from one of the SAGBUTT (Seattle Area Garden Bloggers United To Talk) gardeners, Karen of Gardenwalks if memory serves. During a 2009 gathering I received a cutting from her garden. Last year the plant showed marked growth but it gave no blooms. I first noticed it blooming about a week ago. But it wasn’t until yesterday that I was able to catch a break from the winds and rains to attempt some pictures. Glad I took the time since today the winds and rains are back.

Nearby, under the lilac bush, the snowdrops have pushed up and are in a holding pattern as are most of our other spring bulbs.

These snowdrops still have to wait a spell before they get to shine. But typically around here, February brings a couple weeks of warm, dry, sunny weather.  Come on February! Hurry up and get here already!

First Fig

A-N-T-I-C-I-P-A-T-I-O-N!

 

The Wenches have been anxiously awaiting the moment when we’ll be able to pick our first fig. We’ve been waiting almost TWO years for this! Last summer we had a few figs but we lost our meager crop to the birds because we weren’t smart enough to net our little tree. This year we made sure to put the net on early! That’s Mugsy keeping an eye on the ONE mature fig. But it’s not quite ready yet. And you shouldn’t pick figs until they are perfectly ripe as they won’t ripen any further after they’ve been picked.

How do you know when it’s time? In Spanish we say that the fig is ready when it has the neck of a hanged man, the clothes of a poor one, and the eye of a widow.

The neck of a hanged man means that the stem has begun to dry out and the fig begins to droop. We have drooping!

The clothes of a poor man means that the skin of the fig has begun to wrinkle. We have wrinkling!

And the eye of a widow means that when you open up the fig it “weeps” a drop of syrupy sweetness.  We have weeping!

Our first fig was absolutely worth the wait!

Who needs patio furniture anyway?

We realized last summer that we hardly ever sat on the patio because it was too hot and sunny. Also, our patio is right in line with our neighbor’s deck so we don’t have much privacy. So we moved the table and chairs to a relatively flat section of the lawn under the shade of the cherry tree. Then we filled the patio with pots of berries, herbs, vegetables and flowers.

Now we have a mixture of edibles and ornamentals as well as plants to attract pollinators and plants needing pollinators.

Between the herbs and flowers, we have lots of bees.

Here’s a close up. Look at all that pollen!

Last summer we had fabulous eggplants. So we tried again this year. Unfortunately, it’s been so cool this summer, I’m not sure we’re going to have any eggplants. The flowers only appeared last week.

On a whim (and after feeling giddy about our eggplant success last year), we decided to try melons in the Earthbox this year. Well they sure are vining out over the herbs and reaching for the garden bed!

Wait!  What’s that in Curmdugeon’s hand? A baby melon! Come on little one!  Grow! Grow!

We finally wised up and put bird netting over the fig tree, strawberries, and blueberries, which are all growing in pots on the patio. Now we are harvesting a bit of fruit for ourselves – not just losing it all to the birds and other varmints.  Here’s today’s harvest of ‘Sunshine Blue’ blueberries and ‘Seascape’ strawberries.

So we have flowers and fruit, herbs and vegetables, lots of bees, and even hummingbirds visiting the salvia and agastache. Why on earth would we want patio furniture here?

Thank goodness for perennials!

With the crazy fluctuating weather this spring, and the many diversions provided by Facebook, we have not spent very much time in the gardens so far this year. Fortunately, the shade garden is filled with perennials. So we have blooms and foliage -– all with little or no effort on our part!

The centerpiece of the shade garden is the old-fashioned bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis).  Previous gardeners planted it, but we have enjoyed it for years now.

Another beauty (and source of pride and joy) is our Hellebore ‘Mardi Gras Black.’

Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis) is blooming much earlier this year. I wonder if we will still have some for May 1st for Curmudgeon’s French class?

In another part of the shade garden, the dainty white flowered anemones  (Anemone nemorosa) continue to spread and bloom beautifully against a backdrop of Heuchera ‘Plum Pudding’ and an evergreen fern.

Here’s a little texture and form to go with the blooms in the shade garden.

Overhead in the shade garden, the lilacs are blooming. Sigh…

The sunny patio also has beautiful blooms now. The golden leopard’s bane (Doronicum) explodes from its pot.

The irises beside the house look so much healthier and happier since Curmudgeon divided them last fall.

 

Here is a new iris waiting to be planted. As soon as I unloaded it from the truck, I knew one would come home with me.

Since it’s purple, Curmudgeon approved of this new addition.  :-)

Believe it or not…

It is possible to have sunny days in Seattle, even in the winter!  You may be skeptical, but here’s the proof!  Ta Da!

This was the view of Seattle and Lake Union from Gas Works Park this afternoon.  People were out and about, enjoying the great weather. This hill is a favorite spot for kite flying.

 

For our friends who visited recently and missed ‘The Mountain’ –- Mount Rainier in all its majesty --  here it is!

These photos were taken in Kerry Park in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle. On the left, you can see the iconic Space Needle.

Here you can see the red cranes of Harbor Island where the cargo ships are unloaded.

Looking westward, we snapped this picture of the Olympic Mountains a few minutes before sunset.

It was a beautiful day!  Sigh… See why we love it here?

Valentine’s Day

Wing Nut, will you be my Valentine?

Breakfast at our house

Hey Diva Dog, what’s that you’re eating?  It smells good. Can I try some?

 

Hey, this stuff is good! You don’t mind if I have some, do you? There’s enough in that bowl to share, right?

 

Do you mind? I’m trying to eat here. Could you step back and give me some space?

 

Let me help you finish that off. I wouldn’t want you to get indigestion from eating all that by yourself. No need to thank me, Diva Dog. What are friends for, after all?

 

  Psst. Tomorrow, same time, same place?

Season’s Greetings from the Wenches & the critters

Mugsy

Charlie

Sierra

Dakota & her groupies

Santa Paws came early!

Two little 4 month old kittens joined our family last weekend. They are from different litters, but were raised by the same foster mom, and so they bonded like siblings.  Meet Charlie and Mugsy.

Charlie is a little orange & white  “creamsicle” female. Our vet said that only 10% of orange tabbies are females, so she’s pretty special. She’s also fearless –– she approached and sniffed Diva Dog on day 1 and curled up beside her for a nap on day 3!

Mugsy is a dapper young man in his spiffy tux and boots. His coat is glossy black and sparkling white. Curmudgeon noticed that he is quite the dandy -– he grooms after playing and before bed.

We haven’t had kittens in years, so watching them play and romp is really a joy! We’re not sure if Diva Dog is enjoying their playing as much as we are, but look how cute they are!

They’re even really cute and precious when sleeping.

We’re pretty smitten with these cute little faces!

Warning! Due to recent cold snap and the subsequently sad state of our garden, this blog may be filled with kitten pictures for a few weeks!