Of tomato bondage and grass knuckles.......

Is this for when we are angry, in a green sort of way?


Do we really think we have to "improve" Mother Nature? Like this?



What does this say? What is it for? Why? Is one for a casual party, the other for evening events?




Please noooooo

The Health Benefits of Oregano - Is Oregano a Health Food?

So, you look forward to that oregano tang in your pizza sauce, and its little leaves make a nice addition to the herb patch. It gives an immediate kick to spaghetti, and it isn't a demanding resident in the garden, coming back year after year with just a little mulching and pruning. Is there more to oregano that might make it a super herb, the go-to herb for your health as well as your culinary

Beef Contest For the Heart

The Kansas Beef Council has stated May is Beef Month and in honor of that they are doing the Kansas City Heart Walk this morning. Now I cannot make it down there, however I will definitely do some walking this morning. But they would also like to reward one lucky reader by giving them a $20 Hy-Vee gift card. Here are a few beef facts you may not know:· There are 29 cuts of lean beef, each with

Join the Kansas City Start! Heart Walk

Have you heard of the Kansas City Start! Heart Walk? If you haven't you should head on down and check it out. It officially begins in a few minutes, however the walk doesn't start until 9 am Central time.Fee: Free event.Participants are encouraged to collect donations.Location: Theis Park 47th & Oak(3 blocks east of the Country ClubPlaza)Kansas City, MO 64111The 2009 Kansas City Start! Heart Walk

No More Invasive Shrubs

It happened so easily. Perhaps you can relate to how invasive shrubs end up in your gardens. Here in my area, the landscapers use variegated privet a lot. When we built our house in 2005, I was so overwhelmed with the building process that I didn't select the shrubs and trees.

For another year, I didn't pay attention to what had been planted. One day, I found out that we had the variegated privet that is on the invasive list - meaning that if it gets loose in the wild (which it will do), it can crowd out native species. We decided to keep the shrubs trimmed so that they wouldn't flower and set seeds.

Recently, Grumpy Gardener wrote about Five Awful Plants for the Front of Your House. There was the reminder again about invasive variegated privet. I showed the story to my husband. We knew that we really needed to go ahead and pull all of the privet from our gardens. My husband set about doing that immediately. The task was easier than he thought.


By pulling the invasive shrubs along the east foundation of our house, we had room for a garden bench by the waterfall. We widened the stepping stone pathway between the waterfall patio and the lower dining patio in the fragrance garden. I planted two urns and put on each end of the bench. We now have another nice place to sit by the waterfall.

In the garden bed along the east side of the house, we added a variety of salvia greggii, agastache, lavender and gaillardia. Since the fragrance garden already has an abundance of fragrant blooms, I focused on adding fragrant, touchable foliage plants and used the gaillardia for the shape of the blooms and long bloom time. The butterfly ginger remains in the original location.

I never realized how much sun this space received during the day until I focused on what to plant there. I took a few days to make sure of the conditions. In the summer, it has sunshine from sunrise until 2:00 pm in the afternoon. Right now, the planting is sparse as I bought small pots to save on cost. In another year, the perennials will fill in the space and it we'll have fragrant foliage along with the fragrant flowering shrubs and trees in our fragrance garden. We've had a lot of rain this week and the plants have already started growing!


After pulling the rest of the privet out of the garden beds in front, we planted more sun-loving perennials like salvia and sowed annual seeds to keep the cost down.

The project wasn't as expensive as we had thought if we don't think about the original cost of the fifteen privet located all around our property. We probably spent around $150 (we got a metal bench on sale locally for $50) to clear our conscious and create nice new garden areas.

It feels good to do the right thing.



Story and photos by Freda Cameron; Location: home garden; May 2009

Growing Rosemary in Cold Climates

Rosemary is a big favorite at my house. From keeping a dwarf rosemary Christmas tree to having creeping rosemary as a companion in my flowerbeds, this old gal is a friend who defines the herb keeping hobby for me. I made my first herb wreath using rosemary as a base.I got my stock from a local strip mall where the cobbler in residence in one of the storefronts had a big rosemary bush just

Larkspur Blooms from Seeds

To say that I love these annual larkspur flowers is an understatement! The range of colors, the height and width of the larkspur is easy to use in several garden locations.

I planted a mix of Larkspur 'Galilee Blue' and Giant Imperial 'Lilac Spire' in a random pattern in October 2008. The seeds sprouted up during winter and the seedlings really began to show some height in late March 2009.

Larkspur 'Carmine King' seeds were also sown in October, but those are just now beginning to bloom and are much shorter, about knee-high. I don't know if the height is associated with the variety or with the location in my garden. The color of deep pink blends harmonically with spirea 'Neon Flash', but I also sowed the seeds all along the outside of the cottage garden fence. The Knock Out® Roses 'Radrazz' are inside the cottage garden fence, so I attempted to work with the deep magenta color scheme. Since I'm not getting the height/bloom yet, I can't provide feedback on whether or not I'll use this color again.



I am using the larkspur in both the deer resistant garden and the cottage garden. In both locations, the larkspur is used for color until my peak summer bloom season. The narrow width of the larkspur makes it easy to use between the larger perennials and shrubs. I did get a bit close to some of the perennials as they have filled out, but it doesn't seem to matter how close the larkspur is to the other plants.

Larkspur is deer and rabbit resistant. Although a rabbit sampled a few of the seedlings (all parts are supposed to be poisonous), the plants bounced back and bloomed.

Sowing the seeds was simple. I just pressed them into good garden soil in October while I was planting fall bulbs. I am so pleased with the results that I will sow more seed again this autumn.

Story and photos by Freda Cameron; Location: home garden; May 2009

Birds in the Garden

Robin's NestMay 26, 2009It is very important to attract a wide variety of birds to your garden and I have written about attracting birds to our gardens before (here). Ideally at some point you should notice a bird of prey if you are going about attracting birds to your garden in the correct manner. At that point you should give yourself a bit of a pat on the back. What you have accomplished is

Cilantro Salsa Recipe

Pico de Gallo is the queen of fresh salsa, but this easy recipe runs a close second. Some cooks will tell you that the lime juice is optional, but I think it works perfectly with the cilantro to create a unique flavor combo. Cilantro Salsa Recipe5 *Roma (plum) tomatoes, peeled and seeded,3 Tbsp. Cilantro4 Tbsp. Scallions2 Garlic cloves2 Jalapeno peppers, chopped½ Tbsp. Lemon juice1 Tbsp. Lime

Wordless Wednesday: Graduation

SoccerBoy going up to get his Certificate of Completion of Elementary School. My little Graduate! So proud and not very happy that mom is making him get his pic. Happy WW!

Memorial Day Activities

Wow, I'm so behind in posting about my life. As always we did honor Memorial Day, I know ya'll didn't think we'd let that day slip right past. Of course we enjoyed a BBQ, but not before we (kids and I) stopped over at the cemetary and thanked all those that have served in the military. The hubby stopped off at the store before the kids and I went over and got us 3 dozen roses, which we would lay

SoccerBoy's 6th Grade Graduation

SoccerBoy graduated 6th grade last night (May 26,2009) which for those wondering, it means he has completed elementary school and is moving into Jr.High in the fall. Which also means momma's first born is now almost grown which is the weirdest feeling of all. Last night, as we drove up to the store before his graduation I was stuck in that time warp. I kept thinking of all those things in the

Herb Mayonnaise Recipes

This is a basic do-it-yourself mayonnaise recipe, and the results are better than anything you can get in the store. It's delicious. Really. Spice it up with the herb additions that follow the recipe.

Basic Mayonnaise Recipe

1 1/2 Cups Canola or olive oil (You can blend the two together)
2 Pasteurized Egg yolks
1/8 tsp. Powdered mustard
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Lemon juice

Blend eggs, salt and

Easy Cilantro Soup Recipe

Make a wholesome cilantro soup with you first herb patch harvest. This creamy soup is great with a classic BLT.After you start the roux (flour and butter mixture), stir constantly until all the liquid has been added to the pan. Add the broth slowly to avoid lumps.Fresh Cilantro Soup Recipe1 1/2 C Fresh cilantro3 12-oz. Cans beef broth2 Tbsp. Flour2 Tbsp. Butter2 Minced garlic cloves2 Tbsp.

The original Edward Scissorhands

England...........is beckoning.


Annually, I guide a small group through rural England visiting public and private gardens. This is my favorite, Bourton House, in the enchanting Cotswolds.


The first owner, Richard Palmers initials still bear witness in the dedication stone of 1570 on the Tithe barn. Today, this private home and garden, all designed by the current owner is open to pre-booked groups and on her website bourton house.



Everywhere are new areas to discover, formal, woodland, whimsical and tropical all giving homage to the throne.
Who else could have created such boxwood magic but the head gardener Paul, a descendant of Edward. My favorite is the boxwood sheared to resemble a rope. Thought this would be easy, sort of............let me know if you have noticed this at the shop gardens, you would be the first.




Lead cisterns make for excellent containers. Note the array of colored foliage which makes for a more interesting composition.


I have watched Paul at work, asked questions, studied..........to no avail. What a testament to a man, his string and his pruners.

ps, there is room on this years trip in September!

Rose Campion as a Companion Plant

Over the last few years, I've been trying different "filler" plants to grow between the perennials until they mature.

Rose campion (Lychnis coronaria) is now one of my favorites for this role.

I have several clumps spread throughout my deer resistant gardens where it keeps company with stachys, salvia, spirea, lavender, nepeta and agastache. Annual larkspur, sown from seed in the fall, has joined the rose campion as a filler plant.

The fuzzy, silver foliage of rose campion is tall enough (two to three feet) to send the flowering branches above other plants along the slopes in the gardens. The base is a rosette of fuzzy leaves and the spiking branches pop out above the base. In my zone 7b garden, the foliage is evergreen during the winter months.


Besides being deer and rabbit resistant, it is a drought tolerant, easy-keeper! After the blooms have finished, I cut back the spikes to the base foliage. It blooms again, but not as full as the first bloom.

Although it reseeds, but there hasn't been a population explosion in my garden due to my dead-heading. I need to leave a few more flowers for more seedlings this time. I have found a few tiny rosettes around the mother plants and have easily relocated those to fill in gaps while waiting for perennials to mature. In fact, the seedlings even sprouted among the rocks in the dry stream! This old-fashioned plant is short-lived and suitable for sunny locations in zones 3-9.

My original rose campion was purchased in pots from a garden nursery, but you can sow the seeds directly in the fall as the seeds like a little chill. This makes it a great seed to sow at the same time as annual larkspur and poppies.


Story and photos by Freda Cameron; Location: home garden; May 2009

Growing Cilantro In Containers

I've written an article about basic cilantro/coriander growing techniques, but didn't specifically address the option of growing cilantro in a pot. Cilantro has a taproot, which means that it roots deeply. This makes it a poor candidate for transplanting, and pretty much also means that it needs a very deep pot, 12 inches or more. The other option is to grow it in a soilless medium, like a

Table Gating Party Giveaway

Kim Burton, wife of Nascar Driver Jeff Burton, has teamed up with Libby's Vegetables and she is sharing her tips on how she eats dinner 3 nights a week with her family. For those that may not know or haven't read my post: Interview with Kim Burton, Jeff Burton is the CAT driver (#31). Libby's wrote me and asked if I would like to have a giveaway in honor of their very own contest "Table-Gating

A Few Scenes from Paris

We stayed in a perfect, petite studio apartment overlooking the Seine. View from our apartment window - that's the Hôtel de Ville (city hall) across the river:




Parisians take their dogs everywhere. This fellow was dining with owners at a cafe:



Saint-Sulpice was behind scaffolding, so I took a close-up of the lion in the fountain:



There are pedestrian-only streets throughout Paris. We walked through Rue Montorgueil on our way to Sacre Coeur in Montparnasse. We crossed through an indoor shopping area with interesting architecture. The patisserie windows are stocked full of colorful goodies:






The arch at the Louvre lines up with Place de la Concord and the Arche de Triomphe in the distance:





An entrance to the Paris Metro near the flower market:



During our visit to the Luxembourg Gardens, I asked a woman if I could photograph her little dog who she put into her tote bag to carry:



I enjoy taking photos of architecture, such as this bridge close-up. The light shining on the green paint highlighted the details:



A great restaurant in the Marais neighborhood. It has been reviewed in the NY Times and we can add to that recommendation for the best fallafel!



This was a unique approach for earning a little income:


Pont Neuf (a bridge) was our favorite evening spot for photographing sunsets and nightfall:

Stone as Art

When we think of adding stone to the garden it is usually in a utilitarian format;walls, steps, paths.
The mastery of stone building is an ancient craft of which I have great respect. As time goes on I will have many topics on stone, but in today's post I wish to share images of using stone solely in an artistic manner.

Creative pass-thru

For the kids.......

Love this! Slate patio squares cut bolted into a planter.

The 'old world' look, or the "I did it myself" ps; personally I prefer the 'tumble any minute' versus machine cut, stack by numbers look.

More of I did it myself! Perfect for alpine plants.

The blend of stone and architectural elements, an artistic marriage of form and function.

Skinny Cow Ice Creams...Delicious

Okay I'm not going to lie when MomCentral first emailed me to see if I'd like to review the Skinny Cow (low fat) ice creams I said yes, with all intentions to have the kids try them. Today though, I couldn't help but want one. You know they look just the same as the "fattening ice cream," just as delicious and smooth. After passing out the first two I couldn't resist and took one for myself. I

Interview with Kim Burton

Earlier today I got the privledge of interviewing Kim Burton, wife to Jeff Burton, Nascar Driver. Kim has teamed up with Libby's Back to the Table and help moms on the go or just pressed for time. She will do this by sharing with us her favorite recipes and tips on how to get the kids all to sit down at the same time and enjoy the meal, even when they don't like what's at the table.How many of

Herbal Treatment for a Bee Sting

So, you've planted all those herbs designed to attract butterflies and provide you with spicy food and wonderful fragrances all summer. Suddenly, you discover a small problem. The plants you're worrying over and nurturing - literally on bended knee, are also attracting bees and all manner of stinging pests.If you rile up a bee, wasp, or yellow jacket . . . sometimes they can be pretty

Quotes

I collect quotes, I know, I know, why not designer shoes, garden gnomes, famous autographs..............

Well............quotes are free and I seek out those that are meaningful. In later posts I will share examples of how quotes are used in my home.



Here is my favorite quote artist, Moso. The contemporary/folk art quality of her work combined with moving quotes makes for a stunning combination.
Today we received a new shipment of Moso's work, all thought provoking and moving. Can't come in? Let us know we can always send you photo's.

I will end today's post with a quote on a wedding invitation that I loved. I think I will ask Moso to put this on a board.

"There are things you do because they feel right and they make no sense
and they make no money and it may be the real reason we are here: To love each other and to eat each other's cooking and say it was good."
-brian andreas

Contest Alert: Table Gating Recipe Contest

First, I will be announcing my own giveaway in a few hours but I wanted to let ya'll know about the one that Libby's is doing. The Table Gating recipe contest is for any of ya'll that have a nutrious recipe that you are willing to share. Not only are their 5 really great prizes but you are helping other mothers/fathers out that can't think of any new meal ideas.Fill out the entry form here: (http

Paris: Marché aux Fleurs and Cathédrale Notre-Dame

Île de la Cité is an island in the River Seine in the middle of Paris. There is a Marché aux Fleurs (flower market) six days a week - Monday through Saturday. On Sunday, there is a pet bird market in the same location.

Our rental apartment was just a few blocks away from the flower market, so we often strolled past it as we went about the city. The flower market was overflowing with potted arrangements, cut flowers, shrubs, annuals, perennials and even large trees! Some of the vendors specialize. For all the others, it was difficult to determine where one stall ended and another began with the street, stalls and sidewalks so full of flowers. With the US customs restrictions as they are, I brought home photographs of the flowers and no flowers.





Cathédrale Notre-Dame is also located on Île de la Cité, so we often passed by the this famous sight as well.

On several evenings, we went up to Notre-Dame so that I could capture the light from the sunset as it turned the cathedral stone to a golden color. Using the 20x zoom lens on my Canon SX10 IS camera (no tripod), I made many attempts to photograph the gargoyles up on the roof and buttresses.

I couldn't zoom straight up the cathedral walls, so I had to move back a distance from Notre-Dame. I lowered the resolution on my camera in order to extend the capabilities of the zoom. On the Canon, the setting that I used was M3 to lower the resolution down to 2M (1600 x 1200) from 10M (3648 x 2736). Since I intend to use the cathedral zoom photos for web viewing, rather than printing enlargements, this lower resolution works fine.

We had both been to Notre-Dame on a previous trip, but I never realized the different faces on the gargoyles until I started taking photographs. At that point, I got a bit carried away with photographing different architectural elements on the cathedral!