Dirty Girl Gardening

Garden Noir

Jenn — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 23:41:22 +0000

A collection of fabulous garden lovelies….

Finger Puppet on Shrub

Jenn — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:57:30 +0000

I tried to think of a better, more clever title for this post. But couldn’t. This is a finger puppet on a shrub.

I was walking down Burlingame Avenue and saw this rare specimen of Finger Puppet Shrub – or ‘Finguarius puppettus shrubus’. Although I was in a food coma from the awesome Burmese restaurant down the street, I still managed to be an on the spot photographer and capture these amazing shots.

The humor of this sighting was not lost on me, and I’ve determined it’s from one of two things:

A) A child was playing with it, walked by the shrub, put it on said shrub, and walked away.

B) It’s the result of some weird sexual game.

You decide.

Silent Sunday Afternoon

Jenn — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:51:37 +0000

Butterfly watching/Fountain shopping

Jenn — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 23:42:35 +0000

I ended up not finding the fountain I needed for a project, but at least got some fun shots of this little guy…

Herb Usage.

Jenn — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:05:32 +0000

When I lived in Berkeley, CA for a couple years, I was in need of an acupuncturist to try to help me get over my fear of needles, and de-stress. Luckily, I came across Bronwyn Michaelis, who offers many different types of body work, as well as acupuncture and healing with herbs. Going to her I learned that she had an incredible love of using herbs in our everyday lives – not just for culinary purposes. She taught me about different Chinese healing herbs, how to cook with them and use them for any ailment.
Here is a small interview with Bronwyn regarding herbs:

1) How can herbs aid us in everyday life? (Physically, emotionally, mentally)

Bronwyn: Herbs exemplify how the physical, emotional and mental worlds are connected. For example, one can use yarrow tincture topically to physically stop bleeding if there is a cut. Yarrow helps to re-establish our boundaries which in this case is a damage to the skin; that which separates ourselves from our outside world. Our skin is that which holds us together in many respects. Likewise, yarrow can also be taken for emotional imbalances where we are having trouble setting appropriate boundaries in our lives. There are many herbs that help with mental clarity. Dis ease can come from many directions; emotions, physical injuries and imbalances, mental disharmony, and psychic phenomena. However, the effect of a disharmony from any of these directions usually reaches each level of our beings.

2) What are your favorite herbs/veggies to grow that you use often?

Bronwyn: It’s very difficult to pick only a few of some of my favorite things to grow; sage, mint, chamomile, and chrysanthemum are strong herb contenders. They are beautiful and easy to grow and make great teas and the sage I use for smudging. I also really like to have enough kale in the garden. I can eat kale three times a day. there are so many things to do with it. (kale chips in the dehydrator, kale salad, kale in soup, etc).

3) What is your favorite way to store herbs, and generally how long do you keep them for?

Bronwyn: I like to store my herbs in glass jars. And most herbs last a long time this way if they are kept out of the light. How long I keep them for really depends on the herb. Roots last longer than flowers and leaves.

4) Can you ever use herbs too much?

Bronwyn: Sure, everything has it’s correct dosage. Just as with cooking there is a balance in spicing foods, there is a balance when interacting with herbs and our bodies. When choosing herbs it is like choosing our friends. There are many different people out there, but who we enjoy spending time with depends on the stages we are in our lives, and the mood we are in. And certain people we only enjoy or learn from in the correct dosage. With herbs, the effect changes depending on the dosage we use. When using safflower, for example, we use 3-9 grams to move blood and stop pain for situations like amenorrhea, abdominal pain, or dark purplish skin rashes. However, if we use it to harmonize the blood we use only about 1 gram. This effect can be achieved when adding a pinch of saffron (it’s close sister) when cooking rice.

Bronwyn also grows lots of her own herbs onsite at her clinic in Berkeley. A small labyrinth with isotoma is just one of the cool little nooks in her vast garden. There are fabulous little veggies areas, terraced herbs on a giant cliff, fountains and amazing potted plants. For more info on Bronwyn or her treatments, please go here!

Another X-Rated Garden Video!!!

Jenn — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 22:39:28 +0000

Baby Birds

Jenn — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:56:31 +0000

I was doing a bit of gardening in the Tunitas Creek canyon, about to remove a large escalonia shrub – and found these little babes! Sorry for such raw footage – but I’m a dirt gardener, not a film maker people!

SATC 2… ehhh, better than poison oak, not better than a truck load of salvia.

Jenn — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:41:29 +0000

So. Ok. I’ve been there.

The cult-like agenda of having “the gurls” over to watch Sex and the City every time either :

A. an episode aired

B. someone got dumped by their rat-bastard boyfriend

C. someone was about to dump their rat-bastard boyfriend

So, of course I went to see the movie!

But I was a tad hesitant to go in the first place, since I has just finished a long day of salvia planting and wasn’t feeling my most glamorous, complete with dirt stained hands and arms. I had a bit of time to shop for my garden the day before, and decided the salvias were too good to pass up. So I loaded them in my already packed-with-plants truck and headed for home. I gardened just up until dinner and realized I needed to actually shower in order to be seen in public. Upon that realization, I was downtrodden, knowing what a feat it would be in my garden obsessed state.. But I went to the movie anyway and, in fact, was momentarily entertained… right up until they started in with the menopausal jokes and whore-endous karaoke jam. It just wasn’t my cup of champagne tea.

Ahhh, but there were:

These sweet ass Mykita & Bernhard gold aviator sunglasses! Ohhhhwee!

I’d garden in these. In fact… I will garden in these.

And hopefully by the time the salvias need dead-heading.

Stay Tuned!

The Latest…

Jenn — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 22:58:49 +0000

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

Jenn — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 17:31:01 +0000

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