Category: Our Favorite Plants
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Meyer Lemon Ginger Tea
On this first day of January, I decided to use one of our ripe Meyer lemons to make a pot of soothing, infection-fighting tea. The health benefits of lemon are many, ranging from balancing the body’s ph to improving digestion, to helping to cure the common cold. I was after the cold-curing benefit this morning. We…
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Catching Up ; Our Little Veggie Garden
Sometimes you get so behind on a project, you just don’t know where to begin. That’s what happened here. I’ve been waiting for the time to write about our new garden and chicken pen extension. Time for detailed posts never came. Change of plan. That’s what gardeners do best, we change things. Right? Below is the long-story-short, told…
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Garden Planter Combination ~Joy, Gladness, & Spendor
Our entire garden space is visible from our kitchen, office, and family room. It is a living, moving, breathing, singing addition to our daily lives. As such, we keep it groomed, fed, and full of color. This planter has spent over a dozen years on our patio. It contains my favorite combination of flowers: geranium,…
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May Basket Delivery
This morning greeted me with newness. Springness. May. The month when flowers take the leading role in our garden. And the sky’s expansive canvas fills with color. And the air’s soft presence thrills with scent. As the calendar turns to May 1st, people all over the northern hemisphere celebrate the awakening of Spring’s fresh start.…
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Wreath of Berries
Nandina domestica, AKA, Heavenly Bamboo, is one of our favorite plants. A hardy, waterwise evergreen, Nandina grows in part to full sun, zones 5-10, offering year-round beauty, moderate growth, low maintenance, and deer resistance. I use Nandina leaves in flower arrangements, but I never clip its springtime blooms, because by autumn they develop into sturdy…
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Welcome Autumn with an Apple Wreath
The front door of a home is more than just the focal point. It is where the outside and the inside worlds touch, the portal, where homeowner and visitor each linger for a moment before entering the private spaces. Here is the perfect location for a personal statement… a sign, striking color, or a wreath. Jim…
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Pick a Pepper, Beck
After a few months of Arizona sunshine and daily water, our veggies are ready to eat. For the past several mornings Jim has been treating us to his special scrambled egg concoctions, and…well…every day has been different.Yesterday’s entree was my favorite, so far. ( I say, so far because today’s breakfast is still in production.)…
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A New Cast of Characters
When our backyard weather station registered 101, I knew I would have to say goodbye to some of my favorite garden characters. The happy face pansies, sweet alyssum and snapdragons that have brightened the garden stage with color since last October, will take their last bow in a few weeks. Our leading actor –winter lawn…
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Growing Spaces in New Places
I’ve been seeking ways to add edibles to our landscape. Last year we added a pot garden to an unused space at the back of our patio where we grew herbs, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, spinach and peppers. Jim linked the pots into our garden drip irrigation line to help with the watering chore, because in the…