tiny prayer flags recently gifted to me by a new friend

Oh, my goodness, dear readers, this is One of Those Weeks. I bet it is for you as well. Am I right? It began with the news that a beloved aunt had very quickly turned herself toward heaven’s door and that event, like a rogue wave rushing to my shore was accompanied with news, events and responsibilities from such a wide and pressing variety of venues, all swirling about me, demanding good wise choices that I truly thought my head might explode. OK, slightly dramatic. But I told myself, get bigger, you can hold the space for all of this. Just take one thing at a time. And then one would have thought I’d have sat down at my desk and begun the process, one by one. Right? Wouldn’t you? But no. I went out and mowed the lawn. Yes, I did. And then I grabbed my camera and headed out back because I knew in my heart of hearts if I was going to make good sound heartful and wise decisions I needed to sustain myself first. And so I did. I am a bumblebee, and I gathered the nectar from my immediate environment and came back to my desk with a broader perspective, all perfumed up with spirit and I am going to share it first with you before I Get On With It, while my heart is full and tears are filling my clearer eyes (probably why I see better now). 🙂

I have these lavenders to comfort me, as I ponder why they are the most vibrant purple flowers I recall seeing on this plant. Could it be all the rain?

Close by is my trusty and much loved oregano, always at the ready to enhance something cooking in the kitchen. Hi, oregano. I love you.

First tomatoes finally in the ground! Hurray! Hurray! This makes me so happy. I love to grow tomatoes. They are so generous and I’m so grateful.

“What am I growing??” I tweeted recently! I thought these were lettuces, but my posse of tweeties helped me figure out these are actually curly endives. I have a dozen and have no recollection whatsoever of planting them and they have reseeded themselves into abundance, wherever they came from. Thank you.

A book I recently reviewed reminded me that marigolds are good companion plants so I have several now living among my veges. So cheerful and pretty!

Into the broader garden, who would not be uplifted by this wonderful basket of petunias I found recently and brought home? Happy, happy, happy!

And, sweet, sweet, sweet tiny precious orange buds about to open. The anticipation of the beauty of their scent is exciting and beyond that there will be oranges this year! How lovely!

Now these pretties are seldom seen as they are part of a long ago garden, do not even grow in the sun, but persist, hidden among too tall purple and white lilacs. They are rather a secret, but I show you today.

Close by is a large rambling bush of small red roses which I opted to keep rather than listen to a gardening consultant who opined that they were “just old stock” and that I should pull them up. No, thank you. 🙂

I am being filled up in this gathering process. Here the happy pansy.

I take great delight in the 4th of July roses I bought for myself and another for dear friend Conny last year for Mother’s Day!

And I breathe in the sublime and perfect and glorious old roses, one of my favorites in this garden. Yes, they are as big as they look! And their fragrance is as rich as one can imagine.

This morning I find the first blue geranium!

And, oh, this precious hosta. I love it!

Am I getting full? I am, indeed. Exiting the garden, I look back over my shoulder at the space I have prepared for Antonia’s Mother’s Day visit. I know my girl. I know she will come into the early morning garden and meditate among the California poppies cheerily threatening to overpopulate this part of the garden. We love that.

Counterintuitive as it might seem, entering the garden, taking a hike on the beach or in a forest can prepare us well for the gnarliest of tasks and responsibilities. I know as gardeners you know what peace and beauty there is in the garden upon which we can draw nurturance at any time. I feel better now.

And I send you love and warmest garden blessings,
Kathryn xoxo

Posted on May 5th, 2010 by Kathryn
Filed under: People at Life | 20 Comments »

Spring finally arriving I am particularly delighted to celebrate the end of a long wet winter with the blossoming of two of my favorite plants, which share the same large pot. At the lower end of this configuration spills the simple pink clematis, now charmingly entangling itself around the madonna who lives next to the pot, then wending its way into an adjacent metal grill glider, ever so happy to send its tendrils through and about and beneath the openings in the seat. And who cares, really? There’s still plenty of room to sit, and it makes very nice company.

My pink clematis lives with this large beautiful purple clematis and they live quite comfortably together. I so very much enjoy the combination.

As it happened putting the two clematis plants in one very deep, tall pot turned out to be a good thing, as apparently clematis likes to send its roots quite deep. It will not do well in a shallow situation. I had been told it liked to keep its roots cool and its above ground self warm. As the pot is on a patio, set back from the front, my clematis was afforded the best of both worlds. Each morning the leaves are bathed in morning sunlight, then as the sun heads west the patio becomes cooler and shadier, so the clematis plants are never baking in the hot California sunshine. As a result, happily, they have both thrived. Each year they return with abundance.

I set out to see what other clematis plants were taking the stage in my community. Here’s what I found. First, this simple white one which I found to be quite charming. I think there is always a place for a spray of white flowers in ones garden, don’t you?

My neighbor says she has white clematis (not yet in blossom) covering her back fence, and, apparently it grows in harmony with a pink honeysuckle. I love the idea of combining compatible vines in the garden, doubling the pleasure!

I trip to one of my favorite local nurseries yielded these two beauties. This purple one is regal and lush beyond words.

And this pink is lovely as ever, don’t you find?

I do believe clematis is one of my alltime favorite garden additions. I love the varieties available and the color spectrums are all in my favorite ranges. I have found it very easy to care for by simply keeping it moist, loving it, and cutting away the dead leaves and side branches after it has blossomed. I have used my intuition as a guide. I have read the pruning guidelines for clematis and they have only left me confused. There are three kinds, apparently, and each blossoms at a different time of year, and needs slightly different attention. Sigh. If only I were That Kind of Gardener. Alas, I am not. And I seem to be doing just fine with this plant. Plants I do not resonate with I refrain from growing. That simple.
Clematis and I are pals. How about you?

Love and springtime blessings,
Kathryn xoxo

Footnote: Correct pronunciation of this plant is CLEM-uh-tis. I think it varies from region to region.

Posted on April 17th, 2010 by Kathryn
Filed under: Plants | 12 Comments »