Adventures In Gardening: Looking Back While Moving Forward

A year ago, on December 30th, 2011, Brenda Haas asked me to write for The#gardenchatBlog and on December 31st, I sat down to post my first Adventures In Gardening column.

In fact, it was a Saturday, like today (though thanks to leap year this year, the date/day is a bit off). This was completely 'uncharted territory' for me. I was super excited and scared at the same time! A little overwhelmed, filled with self-doubt and even a little queasy, but for once, I wasn't going to let fear, or anything else, stop me from doing this.  I spent over two hours writing and revising my first column, Getting To Know You.

(Some of my favorite photos from this first year of Adventures In Gardening)

Now here we are, my first anniversary of writing Adventures In Gardening and I honestly haven't the foggiest idea of how to commemorate such an occasion!  So I'd like to take this time to share my deep appreciation with all of you. Thank you for sticking with me as I felt my way along this new path, during beautiful times in my home & garden, and through heartbreaking bumps in the road like my mothers stroke, my beloved father.in.law's illnesses & passing, Hurricane Sandy and my unpredictable health.

I also couldn't have made it this far without Brenda's continued support, encouragement, friendship and faith in me, nor can I thank her enough for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this blog!

As gardeners, like our gardens, we continue to grow with each passing season & year.  I hope you'll continue to grow with me here as we begin life's journey anew in 2013.

Best wishes and peaceful blessings for the New Year!

I'll see you next time in January.
~Jo

aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a) & avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.  I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.   

Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!

Adventures In Gardening: Winters Arrival & Amaryllis Season

Happy Winter friends!

The Solstice has come & gone once again and despite cold temps settling in for the long haul, our daylight hours now begin to lengthen bit by bit as we slowly turn back towards the sun.

I tell y'all what, Autumn didn't leave us here without a fight!  A wind-swept rain storm brought down more trees & branches, knocking out power again for many, as well as flooding.  I'm usually so sad to see Autumn go, but this year I'm glad to move forward!  Now, Old Man Winter is making sure any trace of Autumn is blown away before Christmas arrives.  Wind is roaring around us here, as we're down in a bit of a valley here on the coast, bringing down more branches and keeping temps in the 30s.  We've had bouts of flurries & snow showers throughout the day and even though it's not enough to stick, I'm delighted!  It's beginning to look (and feel) a lot like Christmas!

Indoors, the Amaryllis have begun to bloom and what I fondly call 'Amaryllis Season' is under way!  The first to bloom, a new one I'm trying this year (but I've misplaced the name of), had been open since the beginning of December. Today, one of my many 'Apple Blossom' has started to open.

I adore Amaryllis!

In fact, I can't remember a time when I didn't grow them, but I've only been doing so for several years. In my Zones (coastal NJ 7b & mountain NJ Zone 6a), Amaryllis aren't usually able to grow outside like in warmer climates, especially when we have a normal Northeast Winter!  (There were a couple of 'Winters that weren't' where I did get them to grow outside, in pots, but the results were lackluster despite lush foliage).  I love growing them around our home while my garden outside is at rest.  As with most blooms, they're quite addictive!  You can never have too many - no matter what my Hubby says!  I've grown many shades of red & pink, solids & striped, one that was nearly orange and one that was white, but 'Apple Blossom' is my favorite.  

These bulbs combine a couple of aspects of growing I love most: Low maintenance with beautiful blooms.  Plop an Amaryllis bulb into just about any container (I prefer one with some kind of drainage holes) filled with your favorite potting soil or pebbles, water sparingly (to avoid mold & rot which happen all too often here), place around your home (in direct sun or indirect) and voila!  Stunning blooms.

I usually begin forcing the bulbs around Halloween and stagger them from that point on by a week or two in between so I have Amaryllis blooming from Thanksgiving through Valentines, but, this year I got a later than usual start because Hurricane Sandy drove me to complete distraction.

I'm fascinated by how they change, not just daily, but throughout any give day once they open, which usually compels me to take many (many!) photos of them every day.  This year, I created a photo slideshow on picasa called The Daily Amaryllis for my blog, Diggin' Around, which I'll be adding new photos to throughout the weeks to come, so I can share all of this season's Amaryllis photos in one spot.  I wanted to share it with you here too:


After today, you can drop by my blog to see new photos!  (Scroll down, the slideshow appears in the right hand column).

I'll see you here next Saturday, December 29th, my 1st anniversary of writing for The#gardenchatBlog!

I leave you with best wishes & blessings for this Winter and a Merry Christmas to all who are celebrating next week!

~Jo

aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a) & avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.  I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.   

Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!

#GardenWalk Thursday On Friday: @gardeninbetween & @SassyNancy

I'm breaking with tradition for our first #GardenWalk Thursday on Friday for December here on #gardenchat by picking two Featured Tweeters for this week!  Both of their photos were so pretty, I didn't want to pick just one!

@gardeninbetween 
Imperfect gardener.  Love roses, animals, books, flowers.
Speech/Language Pathologist by day (acute care, outpatient dysphagia).
Greater Vancouver, BC.
http://thegardeninbetween.com

One of my fav. photos from my garden.
Love the small buds of Gourmet Popcorn rose next to large poppy buds.

@SassyNancy
Garden Design, Container Gardens, D.I.R.T. girl.
D.esign + I.nstall + R.evitilize = T.rasnformation
Suwanee, Atlanta
http://wallacegardens.com

First buds of the season Amaryllis 'Merry Christmas'

Thank you Louise and Nancy for sharing on Twitter via #gardenwalk!

To find out all about #gardenwalk Thursdays, click here.

~Jo

aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a) & avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.  I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.   

Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!

Adventures In Gardening: Catching Up

Hello friends!

Let me start off by asking for your forgiveness for not having photos with this post!  I'm having upload issues, but I have linked to the photos which have appeared here on #gardenchat and my blog as well.

Let's see now, where are we?!  December is well under way already and there is so much to catch up with you about. The last time I wrote, I was spending the week before Halloween with Hubbs at our Northwestern NJ home in Zone 6a. (Click here).  Autumn in the NJ Skylands and in near by Northeastern PA is spectacular and it’s our favorite time of year to be up there, even when it’s cloudy & dim like it was 7 of the 9 days we were up there this October.

Our great week was cut short by a Hurricane named Sandy. We spent that Friday prepping our Northwestern home and headed back to the Coast early Saturday to make final preparations here at the complex and for ourselves. Our 2nd hurricane in 14 months. It was unthinkable. The waiting for her arrival, which began sometime on Sunday and gradually built through Monday, only added to the fear. We lost power at 3:30pm on Monday the 29th. To a degree, that’s the worst; when you can no longer see what’s going on beyond your own windows. Monday night was awful. Overnight the winds were forecasted to diminish, yet they increased, gusting over 90mph again & again... You could feel everything shift, shake. The windows rattled. I felt the floor vibrating under my feet. I prayed we would still have a roof above us by daylight.

Thank God we didn’t have the rain with Sandy that we did with Irene. We didn’t flood this time after losing power (and therefore, the sump pumps). No structural damage either, aside from a few missing shingles on one of the buildings and some siding blew off another. I lost one of my arbors in the back yard, the one at the red gate with all of the morning glories & beans still growing on it. But that was it and we are so deeply grateful. We, literally right here, are so very lucky.

The destruction, locally and widespread, along the NJ coast, throughout NJ (and in areas on NY and CT) has been unlike anything we have ever experienced first hand and hope we don’t witness again. Utterly heartbreaking, though I’m still not sure that does it justice. Life changing. For a few brief photos, click here. (I recently made a decision about sharing my Hurricane Sandy photos publicly: I’ll wait. It’s too soon, especially for those who’ve lost so much.  Some I will begin sharing after the holidays, others, I haven't decided when yet).  By the following week, I still felt stunned, dazed, numb. It was all so hard to comprehend, process and explain. I attempted to try here.

Most of my garden was pretty twisted up and shocked into silence by Hurricane Sandy’s winds. And the snowy Nor’easter we had a week after the hurricane didn’t help matters much. I had beautiful Autumn colors in the garden, along with roses up through Thanksgiving after the storms.  (Click here and here).  I discovered a couple of Knock Out rose blooms this week that some how escaped the grasp of the off & on frosts. My pink Wax Begonia’s made it until yesterday. And the Snapdragons are still going strong! Snapdragons in December in the Northeast, who knew?! I’ve never been able to keep them going past Spring much less into December! (Click here).

We’ve surrounded my containers with fallen leaves and topped them off with fresh soil & mulched leaves as we do every late Autumn. One of the ‘Apple Blossom’ Amaryllis is about to bloom in the living room (click here) while other Amaryllis are just beginning to return. (I love to have them blooming off & on through Valentines).

I’m so glad to be back here with you!  Were you affected by Hurricane Sandy?  Is your garden now at rest?  Have you started (forced) any blubs indoors?  Share with me in the comments below!

Until next time…

~Jo

aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a) & avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.  I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.   

Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!

#GardenWalk Thursday on Friday: @GrowingSpaces

@GrowingSpaces
Producing Geodesic Growing Dome Greenhouse kits for over 20 yrs in CO.
Promoting self sustaining, healthy living through education.
(Moderator: Stacey Couch)Pagosa Springs COhttp://www.geodesic-greenhouse-kits.com/LandingPgs/twitterlanding.php 

@GrowingSpaces is our final #GardenWalk Thursday Celebrates Being Thankful In Our Gardens "Featured Tweeter" of November!

To find out all about #gardenwalk Thursdays, click here.

~Jo

aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a) & avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.  I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.   

Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!

#GardenWalk Thursday On Friday: @BloominChick

@BloominChick
Writer/gardener/reader/photog.
Happily married 30+mom of angel in heaven who happens to be
disabled with Sero-negative Arthritis & Fibro.
Also tweet from @OfclGardenWalk
Coastal & Northwestern NJ.
http://digginaround.blogspot.com
http://newjerseythroughmyeyes.blogspot.com 

Yesterday for #GardenWalk Thursday, in keeping with our "...Celebrates Being Thankful In Our Gardens This Month," I shared this photo along with that yesterday and after the last 10 days (because of Hurricane Sandy), I am thankful & appreciative of so much, I didn't know where to start!

(And that's truly not an exaggeration!)

It's not the best photo and things are on the messy side since the Hurricane last week and the Nor'Easter this week, but I am just so thankful...

What are you thankful for in your garden this month? This season? This year? 

Share with us on #GardenWalk Thursdays in November!

On #GardenWalk Thursdays in November, tweet a photo of what you're thankful for in your garden, include the #gardenwalk hashtag in your photo tweet and You may be our #GardenWalk Thursday on Friday "Featured Tweeter" of the week here on the #gardenchat blog!

To find out all about #gardenwalk Thursdays, click here.

See you next week for our next #GardenWalk Thursday Celebrates Being Thankful In Our Gardens "Featured Tweeter"!

~Jo

aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a) & avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.  I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.   

Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!

PS: I'm the only one who shared a #GardenWalk Thursday Celebrates Being Thankful In Our Garden photo tweet via twitter yesterday which is the only reason I ended up featuring myself here today!  

#GardenWalk Thursdays Celebrates Being Thankful In Our Gardens!

Let me start off by saying that I hope all of our fellow gardeners, along with your families & friends, affected by Sandy (and now a Nor'easter) are safe!!!

Apologies for not being able to post sooner and get us started last Thursday, but, a Hurricane named Sandy had other plans for those of us in NJ (and NY) last week and as a Nor'easter now starts to move in, I feel an urgency to get this post up & running Now!

#GardenWalk Thursdays Celebrates Being Thankful In Our Gardens for the month of November!

What are you thankful for in your garden this month? This season? This year? 

Share with us on #GardenWalk Thursdays!

On #GardenWalk Thursdays in November, tweet a photo of what you're thankful for in your garden, include the #gardenwalk hashtag in your photo tweet and You may be our #GardenWalk Thursday on Friday "Featured Tweeter" of the week here on the #gardenchat blog!

To find out all about #gardenwalk Thursdays, click here.

See you next week for our first #GardenWalk Thursday Celebrates Being Thankful In Our Gardens "Featured Tweeter"!

~Jo

aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a) & avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.  I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.   

Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!

Belated #GardenWalk Thursday on Friday: @susanhemann

@susanhemann is our final #GardenWalk Thursday Celebrates Autumn In Our Gardens "Featured Tweeter" of October!

@susanhemann
I'm a multi-media artist.
I love to make art dolls, paint and photography.
My other blog: http://gardening-enabled-style.blogspot.com
Love to garden and read.
Cleveland. http://susanhemann.blogspot.com

#GardenWalk Thursdays will have a new theme for November!  More details coming asap.

For everyone in Sandy's path, best wishes & stay safe!!!

~Jo

aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a) & avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.  I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.   

Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!

Adventures In Gardening: Is On Autumn Vaca!

(Taken this morning on our way into town).

Hello friends! I'm writing to you from Northwestern NJ Zone 6a this morning, our Skylands home, on my Blackberry, to let you know Adventures In Gardening is on Autumn vacation, but I'll be back soon to hopefully share photos of an amazing area garden in Autumn!

Be sure to stay tuned to Diggin' Around & New Jersey Through My Eyes for more Autumn photos from yours truly!

Catch up with my prior posts: http://gardenchatblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Adventures%20In%20Gardening
 or click on the Adventures In Gardening label at the end of this post.

Until next time...
-Jo
aka @BloominChick
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

#GardenWalk Thursday on Friday: @RedneckRosarian

@RedneckRosarian is our third #GardenWalk Thursday Celebrates Autumn In Our Gardens "Featured Tweeter" of October!

Chris inspired me to start sharing my daily garden walks in my garden a couple of years ago & as a result, I (unwittingly?! accidentally?!) created the #gardenwalk hastag!
 

@RedneckRosarian
Growing roses has become a passion.
I blog my gardening adventures at RedneckRosarian.com
Host of Rose Chat Radio on Blog Talk Radio.
Helena, Alabama. http://RedneckRosarian.com 

To find out all about #gardenwalk Thursdays, click here.  To get in on all of the #GardenWalk Thursdays Celebrates Autumn In Our Gardens In October, click here.

See you next week for our last #GardenWalk Thursday Celebrates Autumn In Our Gardens "Featured Tweeter"!

~Jo

aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a) & avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.  I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.   

Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!

#GardenWalk Thursday on Friday: @modernmiagarden

@modernmiagarden is our second #GardenWalk Thursday Celebrates Autumn In Our Gardens "Featured Tweeter" of October!

@modernmiagarden
Wanna-be vegetable gardener, suburban homesteader, home school teacher, and superhero in disguise.
http://modernmia.com   

To find out all about #gardenwalk Thursdays, click here.  To get in on all of the #GardenWalk Thursdays Celebrates Autumn In Our Gardens In October, click here.

See you next week for another #GardenWalk Thursday Celebrates Autumn In Our Gardens "Featured Tweeter"!

~Jo

aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a) & avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.  I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.   

Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!

#GardenWalk Thursday on Friday: @BG_Garden

Bren aka @BG_Garden is our first #GardenWalk Thursday Celebrates Autumn featured Tweeter of October!

@BG_Garden
Growing, preparing and preserving from my home garden.  New Media Photography serving garden shows,  events & more. Admin of popular Twitter chat forum #gardenchat.  Ohio: Midwest USA. www.bggarden.com

For #GardenWalk Thursday, she shared this beautiful photo from her garden along with a great video of her garden in Ohio that she made yesterday morning!  

 

To find out all about #gardenwalk Thursdays, click here.  To get in on all of the #GardenWalk Thursdays Celebrates Autumn In Our Gardens In October, click here.

See you next week for another #GardenWalk Thursday Celebrates Autumn In Our Gardens featured Tweeter!

~Jo

aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a) & avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.  I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.   

Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!

Adventures In Gardening: A New Spin on #GardenWalk Thursdays!

Happy Saturday from a damp & cool coastal NJ Zone 7b!

Since I last wrote, Autumn has been fickle weather-wise: teasing us with beautiful, quintessential Fall days then slamming us with unbearable humidity other days & sometimes drenching us with rain.

But, while the garden is starting to slow down & thin out a bit, it’s still going strong with nearly everything in bloom!

 Is there anything more delightful than roses in Autumn, I ask you?!

And that’s when it hit me! Changing up #GardenWalk Thursdays  - seasonally that is! (Lots of things are hitting me at random as of late; Autumn is my most creative time of year).  Even monthly themes, throughout the year. Why this hadn’t dawned on me before, I’ll never know!

Beginning Thursday, October 4th, #GardenWalk Thursday celebrates Autumn in our gardens for the month of October!

Tweet a photo of your favorite Autumn bloom, color or harvest from your garden on Thursdays, including the #gardenwalk hastag in your tweet & you may be featured here on our blog on Fridays!

I hope you'll join us for #GardenWalk Thursdays!

Until next time…

~Jo

aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a) & avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.  I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.   

Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!

Adventures In Gardening: Welcome September!

We had a stormy day yesterday, complete with tornado's in the area (NY) but thankfully we were spared the worst of it all here. A cold front came and now it feels more like September instead of July in September! Thankfully yesterday's rain wasn't like what we've had over the past couple of weeks; it came down so hard & fast, it wasn't good for much more than causing flooding & running off to the lowest point (and did more harm than good in the garden - no pumpkins this year).

So far today we've gotten a break from the oppressive tropical humidity we've been stuck with for well over a week now. It was truly a beautiful day in the neighborhood! The calm after the storm.

 (From our back yard, clouds were doing crazy things!)

So far today we've gotten a break from the oppressive tropical humidity we've been stuck with for well over a week now. It was truly a beautiful day in the neighborhood! The calm after the storm.

 (Our neck of the (coastal) woods)

At the end of August, I made the last round of deadheading the roses and doubled checked on Friday to make sure I hadn't missed any.  Both days were disgustingly humid but it will be worth it to have roses blooming through Thanksgiving! The Knock Outs have produced quite a few clusters of large hips so I've left them be for now.  It's a great time of year for the roses in my garden!

Stroll with me through the roses...

'Love' is new to my garden this year, a stunning rose for sure!

('Love' grandiflora)  

I'm so glad I was able to find another 'Easy Does It' to replace the one I had last year which didn't make it to this year. It wasn't in the best condition but the nursery gave it to me for a deep discount so I was willing to see what I could do with it. Now it's 3ft wide by 3 ft tall! A little different than my original one but still a favorite.

('Easy Does It' floribunda) 

   

This rose (pictured right below) was labeled 'Queen Elizabeth' & only $9 so I scooped it up.  I love my QE.   But, this one is definitely not QE! My 1st QE is a strawberry ice cream pink, light to no scent, quite tall (4-6ft+) & has deep wine colored new growth that turns a fairly dark green. This rose is a stunning fushia, heavily scented, short/bushy (3ft) with bright red new growth that turns a light green. From what I've gathered from online research, this is no QE!

(Mystery grandiflora rose) 

'Mardi Gras' has had a stellar year! The best since I bought it back in 2007 from the clearance table!

('Mardi Gras' floribunda with 'Black Knight' Buddleja)

Will the real 'Queen Elizabeth' please stand?

('Queen Elizabeth' grandiflora)

I'm up to my eye balls & other things in (green) beans this year so I've started freezing my daily harvests!  (Stay tuned, how-to with photo's coming soon!)

(One of many bowls full of beans!)

It's been a Slow season for my Early Girls but I finally got a nice sized tomato right before Labor Day weekend! With no longer having the full sun garden, I didn't go crazy with toms as I have before, seeing what will work & not in the back yard.  It's been nice though having the toms coming in dribs & drabs though.  It's doubtful I would've been able to keep up with the usual hectic 'use or preserve' pace this year.   

('Early Girl' tomato) 

Another round of Roma's is ripening and I'm pretty sure these will be the last of the season. I was able to keep the 2 containers of Roma's on the front porch where they get full sun.

('Roma' tomatoes from Bonnie Plants)  

Late Summer peaches!  Could have knocked me over with a feather.  I took this photo while we were up at our Skylands (Northwest NJ) home for the holiday weekend. Quite a few late Summer peaches are ripening on one of the 3 trees. Not sure they'll be edible, but we'll see!

(Peaches)  

I bought these, many, many moons ago at a friends shop, now long ago closed, back when I had my first garden. They still make me smile every time I see them and I hope they'll bring a smile to yours now.

(Old, longtime friends)  

Of course there's so much blooming in addition to what's pictured above!  (Like the dark purple (not blue!) morning glories now blooming with the beans on the red gate arbor).  Many I shared with you in my last post, An August Garden Walk.  If you missed it, click here.

And yes, I grow all that you see here in containers!  (Except the peach trees, those are along side of our place up north).  I do have one raised bed which is overflowing with coneflowers, hosta, lemon balm and some other autumn blooming wildflowers I can't recall the name of!  

What's blooming in your garden so far this September?  Share with me in the comments below! 

The unofficial end of Summer has come & gone and with it most of the tourists here in our neck of coastal NJ Zone 7b.  The sun rises later & sets earlier, its' rays more golden.  Leaves are already turning.  I am ready for Autumn!  Ready for cooler temps and less humidity.  Ready for Autumn in the garden.  It's my favorite time of year!  September's arrival has me breathing a sigh of relief as I know the heat of Summer is finally going to wane.

But, with September's arrival comes the anniversary of September 11th.  A day I will never forget.  Can never forget.  And I feel as though I'm holding my breath until September 12th.  If you'd like to read my September 11th story, please click here.  If you have a September 11th story, please share it with me below in the comments.

Until next time…

~Jo

aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a) & avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.  I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.   

Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!

Adventures In Gardening: An August Garden Walk

Hello friends! It's another sticky morning here in coastal NJ zone 7b, much different than last Saturday where it was damp & cool and only 68* at Noon!  I'm still 'weak in the knees' relieved that we've had something of a break from this awful Summer heat & humidity combo with cool early mornings & evenings bearing a hint of crispness that gently pats you on the shoulder and promises Autumn will be here soon.  I cannot wait!  I'm getting cabin feverish from having to hibernate indoors with the ac so much this year.  (Because of my health, humidity (plus heat) and I do not get along).

The cooler temps have also been welcomed by my garden and it's come back from Summer vacation to my delight & joy!  When I was a kid, I hate August, probably because it meant Summer camp would be ending & school would begin again soon.  I didn't notice the changing light, the resurgence of nature after a brutal Summer, the beginning of leaves turning (which is already happening here!!!) and that subtle hint of cool in the air I mentioned above.  And how could I not have remembered August meant Halloween was only 2 months away?!  Over the last two weeks, after noticing the beginnings of the change in seasons, I've come to love August.

With so much going on in the garden these days, I'm going to play 'show & tell' instead of writing more today!  I hope you enjoy my August Garden Walk slideshow and tell me afterwards in the comments below what's blooming in your garden this month!

Until next time…

~Jo

aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a) & avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.  I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.   

Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!

Join In The #gardewalk

Guest Post By Jo of @BloominChick

Thanks to our amazing & creative #gardenchat guru Brenda Haas, #gardenwalk has come to The #gardenchat Blog for #gardenwalk Thursdays!

All you have to do is include the #gardenwalk & #gardenchat hashtags in with your tweets of the pictures you share on Twitter of your garden and on Thursdays each week and you may be the highlight on the #gardenchat stream and be featured here on the blog on Fridays!

I want to extend my sincerest thanks to Brenda for this idea and for inviting #gardenwalk to be a part of The #gardenchat Blog! To visit our #gardenwalk Thursdays page on The #gardenchat Blog, click here or visit the Blog and click on the #gardenwalk Thursdays page tab at the top right of the homepage. 

I'll see you on Twitter and in the bloggersphere! ~Jo aka @BloominChick .