The Latest…

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

Ok… hmmmmm, where to begin. Let’s start with…

I found a little blue egg, freshly laid on my lawn sunday afternoon… coincidentally right after I got home from visiting my sister who had just given birth to the most gorgeous baby girl ever! I thought it fitting for what the weekend had bought us, and placed it on my Echeveria plant my the back door. I love the icy blue with the veins of purplish-red.

Next, is a fabulous Nigella amongst the Nasturtium. I have never been a big fan of this plant, as the weedy looking foliage kind of annoys me, but I’m diggin’ this one. Love the dark stamens and pistil… very flower noir.

Ok.. onward in the garden we come to my pride and joy! A fabulous  Canterbury Bells cluster I have been babying growing for three years! Each year I will it to bloom, to no avail… well, except for this Spring. I am very proud to say they are gorgeous and super healthy. Lots more blooms to come, too. Oh, and my chipped up, dirty, street-walker nail polish was not planned to match…. I just got lucky!

This is a Van Gogh cultivated sunflower, just about in full bloom. Grows super easy from seed (what sunflower doesn’t?) (and if you have thought of one, believe me – it’s you, not the sunflower) and holds it bloom for quite some time. I meant to plant more, but with everything going on, didn’t get them in the ground. I may try this weekend for a fall bloom.. we’ll see. You can buy these…Here.

Lest I forget this little gem!

Poppies. I love poppies.

There’s not much else to say.

I should do an all poppy section of my new garden.. Hmm. Project!

Setting Up Roots

Saturday, June 12th, 2010

I’ve just moved into a fabulous new house in HMB.

My sister is giving birth… pretty much right now.

And work has exploded….. better posts to come shortly!

Kisses, Jenn

BFF with Honey Bees!

Saturday, May 29th, 2010

It’s been long standing that I am besties with honey bees. This is unlike my sister some people who freak the fuck out when ever honey bees buzz around. So, in an effort to over come any fear you may have with our flying farmers, here are a few tips on how to help save the bees:

1. Don’t freak the fuck out Embrace the Bees!

Bees truly don’t want to bother you, in fact, they don’t even want to be around you! If encountered by a bee, let it do it’s thing and they will fly away.

2. Plant More Flowers!

Well, duh! That’s an easy one! But really… if you have an unruly part of your garden that you have no clue what to do with, broadcast some wildflower seeds for the bees.

3. Leave More Flowers…

It’s hard for me not to dead-head right away, but it really does help to let your flowers fully bloom out before cutting them off. That way the bees get a few more days of pollen… which can lead to pounds and pounds of extra honey.

Forward Foliage

Saturday, May 29th, 2010

This could quite possibly be the most gorgeous cabbage in the world. I found her growing in my client, Janet’s garden, and fell in love immediately. It’s hard when you fall in love with things that are not people, since most of the time, you are the one having to pay for all the drinks and dinners. Sigh.

And now, for a little oriental poppy for your viewing pleasure!

This little gem sprouted up in an overly full pot of lineria and some how managed to grow into a huge, thorny, orange poppy. Not really my cup of tea, but pretty nonetheless. …Though the foliage was amazing.

Clipped to perfection! Loving this boxwood among the wild poppies, lavender and nepeta growing at Nancy’s house. There are few plants there that get really groomed, this boxwood being one of them. The juxtaposition between the few boxwood topiary’s and the messy, almost over blooming flowers that sprawl all over the landscape are fabulous.

I Heart Echeveria

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

This little picture is of my echeveria in full bloom. I love how the little flowers dangle into the perfect drop… and the color is incredible. My apologies for the picture… if it wasn’t so shitty small you would be able to see the fabulous coral coloring. As it is, I’m in the middle of moving, and as you can imagine my camera, books, notes on what to write, etc. are all floating around in the unknown.

Moving on… I Heart Echeveria. It’s so easy, gorgeous and interesting… and did I mention easy!? The blue ones are my favorite, but the dusty gray echeveria are nice too. In clusters the form the nicest ground cover under trees like crabapples, arbutus or even olive trees.

Looking for that perfect echeveria for your garden? Check out the resource page under annies annuals for some fun varieties…

2 wet 2 work

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

It’s too wet to work today. Plus, yesterday I picked up some wet burlap and my back decided to take a vacation from holding up the rest of my body. It’s works out ok, as it’s raining out and there is plenty of trashy tv to watch paper work to be done.

Including some designing…..

So, I’ll work on that until the wisteria drys off…

Earth Victory Day

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

Happy Earth Day everyone!

Earth Day, Halloween and Valentine’s Day are my favorite holidays. Well, those and any holiday that includes giving me lots of gifts, too. But today is Earth Day, and it’s cause for celebration! This month, I’ve noticed an out pour of interest in Victory gardens, from my client’s, friends, neighbors and even my sister – wanting to get a veggie garden going for the little sprout in her growing belly. I’m not sure if it’s this weather, the rise in vegetable prices or the fact that veggie gardening is in, but it seems to be the buzz right now. It’s so exciting to hear people not only interested in growing vegetables but actually going through the steps to learn how to do it.

During WW1 and WW2 the US Government initiated Victory Gardens as a way to provide for your family and help the war effort. Luckily, I have some of the relics from that era, a war ration book that was my grandmother’s and a Burgess garden catelogue from 1944. These are a few of my little treasures that show me of how intrinsic gardening is to our lives as a nation. Both relics are fabulous and full of American history, with simply wonderful phrases like, “If you don’t need it, DON’T BUY IT”.

I take them out from time to time and always find myself feeling nostalgic for a era I never experienced. Just something about simple, basic gardening, growing food for your family, and enjoying making a small difference – from the ground up. This to me is a wonderful reminder of how important Victory gardening is, and how we have the earth to thank.

Ingrates in the Garden

Friday, April 16th, 2010

Dear Lemon Verbena:

Why are you acting like such an as$hole? Last year I potted you in that new terra cotta pot, in the sunniest spot in the garden. You kind of grew, but nothing to blog about. Then this year I have fertilized the shit out of you AND given you lots of water. Now you put out these miserable little shoots that, quite frankly, don’t do a whole lot for me.

Please advise, Jenn

Dear Bean:

I understand it’s tough out there in the garden world. Coming out of your shell, so to speak, can be a rough one. But I’ll kindly ask you to perk up and show a little respect – or you’re compost, pal.

Regards, Jenn

Dear Tree Dahlia:

First off, I want to thank you for your profusion of growth last year. You managed to kill the cerinthe, yarrow and sweet peas that were planted with you. Bravo. And I thought nothing of your massacre since I was assuming it would follow with some amazing blooms – but you know what happens when you ASSuME.

xoxoxJenn

Frog Findings

Friday, April 9th, 2010

There is a small gated community in Half Moon Bay called Ocean Colony. There you will find a huge golf course, said to be nice – but nothing I would know about due to the fact I can’t stand golf. Namely, men in ill-fitting shorts. In Ocean Colony you will also find a plethora of frogs! When we garden there, I also ways have to do a little sweep of the working area, so as not to smush these little green companions.

Here is our latest findings.

(more…)

Fiddlehead Fern @ SF Ferry Building

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

Ummmm, LOVES IT!

How fabulous is this!?

The other weekend I was at the Ferry Building in SF, doing my normal troll of all things fabulous. Really, if you haven’t been there – go! It’s pretty much like Mecca for those of us whose God is food. Yes, you will have to go early to avoid the dreaded mom’s with their entourage of strollers – or those coffee lunatics who create a line with as much depth and length comparable to the great wall of China – but beyond that, it’s fabulous.

Once I got my peas from Louie, some flowers from Cypress Farms, and all the cheese I can get my hands on from Cowgirl Creamery, I drifted over to my fav part of the market. You see, vegetables are great and everything but chocolates are better, and they are located inside.  But it was the mushroom stand that had these fiddlehead ferns for sale. They are commonly used for cooking, but I’d love them just to keep in a bowl in my kitchen. Gorgeous.