I've changed...

For most of my life I've been focused on growing edibles in my garden. This was the case even when I had only a patio to garden on, often growing several tomato plants and herbs in pots.

This is the first year that I have been drawn to do otherwise. Thanks to my daughter, I am much more fascinated by the birds, bugs and the flowers than I am about growing tomatoes.

It used to be that I'd spend my time searching for tomato horn worms, pulling weeds and starting seeds. Now, I kind of just want to sit and look at every bloom and every bug and ignore the bermuda grass that is slowly taking over my pathways. Thankfully I always have company.

"I think that is the bluest flower I've EVER SEEN", says my daughter about 'Blue Diadem' shown above. These bachelor button flowers return faithfully every year, so perhaps I've grown too accustomed to them to enjoy their beautiful color. We took a few minutes today to check them out, and pick a bouquet for her bedroom.

I used to be so rigid, I always worked from a "plan", and I planted my vegetables in rows in raised beds. Now the vegetables are directly in the planter beds, mixing with perennials and Dr. Suess-like oddities that my daughter has picked out from various nurseries.

Don't get me wrong, I still love my edibles- but my daughter has shown me there is so much more to gardening than to JUST plant edibles. At the same time she's taught me that I need to relax more and I don't need to grow everything myself from seed. My time with her and my family...and my garden.... are much more important. Buying plants from a local, reputable nursery can be soooo much easier than trying to grow the plant myself from seed.

So the lawn that I ripped out just two years ago in order to grow more edibles, has become heavily blurred by color. This is no longer "my" garden, it's just as much hers as it is mine. And as much as I always said I would never change my life when I had a child, I'm realizing that I have, and it's not a bad thing.

Last night I went to check on her after she had gone to sleep. Next to her pillow was a stash of honeywort seeds that we had harvested earlier in the day. At that moment I had to give myself a pat on the back, for teaching my child that seeds are magical. Growing life is magical.

I'm so glad that I have her to share that with.

Who's Afraid of a Little Color?

Garden Inspiration: IKEA

Yesterday was a rainy day in Sacramento. My husband had been out of town for a few days, and my preschooler had some energy to burn. I decided to take her to IKEA for their $1.99 breakfast (potatoes, eggs, bacon AND french toast- for $1.99! And free coffee until 10am!), and to look for a couple of cheap lighting options for the garden. Our first deal of the day were these lanterns pictured above. They are solar lights, available in several colors, and they aren't paper! Prices are $9.99 and $14.99 for the globes, and $19.99 for a strand.


These cute galvanized pots come in a variety of colors and range in price from $9.99 to $14.99, and would be a great way to add some color to a boring apartment balcony or fence. Tacky artificial flowers are not included.

If you're into modern looking containers, they have some really cute trash cans and hampers that would make great containers! As you can see, this Rundel trash can is $19.99 (approx 14" tall), and the Rundel laundry basket that is over 23 inches tall runs $39.99. These would be really easy to drill drainage holes in if you have a drill bit that can easily drill through metal.

Here's one item that went in my cart. This is part of the GRASET line of containers, available in the two colors shown above. I bought their largest one for $39.99, made of galvanized steel, and it weighed less than 10 pounds. I think it cost more to fill this container with soil than it did for me to buy the actual container. I was able to drill holes through the bottom for drainage very easily with a standard drill bit.

If you just want a couple of smaller containers and aren't afraid of color, for $1.99 you can pick up one of these.... but for $1.99 you should pick up several! These will be great for a kids painting project.

Also in the waste basket section, you have these adorable pails! At $14.99 they are a little more costly, but these colors will make a bold statement!

If you want to add color to a blank wall or fence, these SOLMYRA art pieces are mounted to fiberboard and are only $9.99. Since they are paper, I imagine they will continue to fade through summer. However, since they are fiberboard, you should easily be able to paint over them with your own creation (or have your kids do it) once you get bored with these.

For those of you who lack the ability to keep things alive, IKEA offers a nice assortment of artificial plants to help you spruce up your patio table. Just remember to dust them occasionally.

Need a watering can? How about twenty of them? At $4.99, these 88 oz SOCKER galvanized watering cans are not just functional, but they would look wicked cool hanging along the back fence in a row. Or maybe holding flowers on your dining room table?

I have arrived on a Tuesday before when they've had a large selection of potted plants delivered and I went hog wild, filling my cart with $7 gallon-sized succulents. I didn't see the selection yesterday that I have seen in the past, but they still had various orchids for $14.99, succulents for $2.99, and various house plants in a range of prices. Consider coming here the next time you need an inexpensive housewarming gift for a friend.

The galvanized containers pictured above range from 99 cents to maybe 3 dollars. Pop one of those two dollar succulents inside and you've got a simple inexpensive tabletop display .

Last but not least, check out these $3.99 lanterns. I recently bought a bunch of hooks from the Dollar Tree store like the ones used in this display, and I think they'll look super cute along our back fence with these lanterns. The pastel colored ones kind of made me gag, but even those can be cute for a baby shower or Easter decoration. Of course my daughter thought the pink ones were awesome.

I was pleasantly surprised by everything that IKEA had to offer this summer season. If you're like me and get bored easily with your decor, this is a great place to help you change things up a bit at a decent price. If anything, you have to go for the $1.99 breakfast.

Yay for May!

Ahhh...the sun is out, the ground is warming up, and I can finally start putting in this years vegetable garden.
As much as I'd rather sit back and enjoy the sunshine, there are a lot of garden chores to do.

The foxglove are starting to bloom. I got several seedlings from my friend Chuck last fall, these are all from a package of seeds from Botanical Interests.

This Centaurea gymnocarpa "Velvet Centaurea" is just starting to bloom. This plant started as a 4 inch pot about a year and a half ago, and is easily 4 feet wide right now. It's a great low water plant, and is doing fantastic on my dry slope.

I have a few random gaillardia blooms that are appearing a bit early. These will continue to bloom into fall, and are another low water plant perfect for slopes.

The Centranthus ruber "Jupiter's Beard" is a nice plant for filling in a difficult area. Low water, not picky about its soil, and boy do the butterflies love it!

And the last picture I'll leave you with today is of the artichokes! We're having another successful year for artichokes, and of course have already had some stolen. I hate it when people steal them because they are brutal to my plants when they do it. I would happily share with people who ask, so it really bugs me when people steal them. Grrrrr.....