Some of you might recall that awhile back I was invited to do a booksigning at Whispering Winds Nursery here in Mendocino County, and the generosity of spirit of the owners drew me back recently when the idea of securing live Christmas trees for our recent fire survivor families was suggested on a Facebook page I was following. This nursery is clearly a destination nursery, built under the canopies of various centuries-old redwoods and oak trees, one which sports a rambling ladybanks rose in summer. That’s co-owner Kristine Hill with me in the pic above. And she was delighted to help make that vision a reality by offering a 10% discount to those who wanted to supply fire survivor families with a live Christmas tree which they could later plant on their properties. I happily notified the editor of the local newspaper, thinking she might lend us a tweet, and boom, two days later this Christmas story ended up on the front page of said paper!

As fate would have it I had an unexpected visit from a longtime dear friend, Eta, an artist you would appreciate as she makes the most delightful succulent container gardens, which she sells throughout the Bay Area, who spent the night, and in the morning I was inspired to take to Whispering Winds. Both of us immediately brought out our cameras, well worth sharing with all of you here this Sunday morning. May the goodness and joy of this project and venture find its way to open hearts and kindle the spirit of Christmas in your lives.

Enjoy!

my favorite tree

St. Francis

kitties

angel

muse

Christmas trees

Maytag!

kitty!

loveliness

Eta and Kathryn, proving old friends are the best!

Love and Christmas blessings!
Kathryn xoxo

Book News: Anyone still pondering gifts for the thoughtful on your list, please do consider gifting a copy of Plant Whatever Brings You Joy: Blessed Wisdom from the Garden. You can find on Amazon (which has currently lowered price!) and GreenPrints and a few indie bookstores around the country, including Malaprop’s in Asheville; Gallery Bookshop in Mendocino; Three Sisters in Ukiah; various Copperfields in Marin and Sonoma; Book Depot in Mill Valley; Book People in Austin; Eureka Books in Humboldt County; Four Eyed Frog in Gualala; Sun Dance Bookstore in Reno. Ask your local store to order and I will send directly. ISBN is 978-0-9815570-0-7. If you want an autographed copy let me know and we can go through the PayPal door, and I will pay your postage! I even can giftwrap and send elsewhere in the country! Ebooks are available worldwide on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and through Kobo as well. There’s still time! Thank you! Merry Merry Christmas to you and your family! XOXO

Posted on December 10th, 2017 by Kathryn
Filed under: People at Life | 22 Comments »

For the last month an elderly neighbor and I keep initiating the same conversation, apparently. She’s one of those folks who has totally transformed her front lawn into dozens of perennial flowers, patchworked into loveliness that everyone who passes admires. There are always multiple flowers in bloom, and the landscape is always changing. And I have asked her more than once, “What about hollyhocks?” which I grow randomly and generously around my garden–primarily because they are self-seeding and abundant. And she always says the same thing, “I think they don’t like much water.” To which I respond, “I water my hollyhocks every day.” And we have had this dialogue several times with no resolve, really. So I finally took the time to get my facts straight and now I will share with you. And her.

Hollyhocks actually do like water, though they need to drain properly. And she most likely has this impression as they don’t like to get their leaves wet as they are prone to rusting and this means it’s much better to water them early in the morning when there’s plenty of time for water to evaporate by day’s end, lessening the likelihood of rust problems. So I’ve inadvertently been caring for them according to their needs and they have responded accordingly and most beautifully.

I knew, as you might also know, that once the seeds have fallen on the soil (or planted just below the surface if you are doing it yourself, which I’m imagining you most likely are) they will sprout, grow foliage lower to the ground the first year, and then the second year they will emerge tall and their flowers will blossom. So it takes some patience.

Bees love hollyhocks, and one of the most enchanting experiences is to find a bumblebee tucked inside fast asleep until morning, when it will awaken to the warmth of the sun and resume where it left off. Is anything more charming? I think not. And then one day this happened:

Hollyhocks that are happy in the sun, away from strong winds and watered properly can grow very tall. I love planting them along a side fence, which offers some support should they need it as the season progresses.

At season’s end, in fall, the petals will have fallen and the seeds become very apparent inside drying pods, all stacked next to each other in a circle.

I personally collect some seeds, which I share with other hollyhock lovers, and then I simply cut the dry stocks off and toss them along some patch of earth that I think might well benefit from their beauty. There is a community alley I’ve chosen to be the primary beneficiary of these stalks and each year there are more emerging, which is a secret delight.

Have you had success with hollyhocks in your garden? They are a nostalgic choice that seems to kindle fond memories of family.

Love and garden blessings,
Kathryn xoxo
Oops! Meant to mention! If you do spot any leaves with rust (usually ones near the bottom that get wet when you water them), remove them and conventional teaching is, get rid of them, so they don’t spread their rusty selves around! 😉

Book News: Watch for upcoming excerpt from Plant Whatever Brings You Joy in Western North Carolina Woman‘s November issue! Note that copies of Plant Whatever Brings You Joy can be purchased on Amazon. Ebook versions are available Amazon, on Barnes and Noble, and, most recently, Kobo, making it available in many new countries with Kobo sites! This includes Porrúa in Mexico. Also GreenPrints magazine features Plant Whatever Brings You Joy in their online bookstore!

Posted on September 27th, 2017 by Kathryn
Filed under: Plants | 10 Comments »