Bring Some Spring Green Indoors

Bring some spring cheer indoors

Green is my favorite color! Green for the Earth, Green for growth and especially Green for spring! I love to watch the new foliage come out in shades of chartreuse and then harden out to emerald, evergreen and blue green.

I love to bring a little of that spring green indoors too! Today I'm gathering foliage with different shades of  green throughout the yard to make a nice little arrangement. I know most bouquets are full of brightly colored flowers with very little foliage, but it doesn't have to be flowers to be beautiful!  I don't have much in bloom right now, but I do have a lot of green going on in the garden.

To create a spring green bouquet, look for interesting textures, different glosses and shades of green.  Include some branches in bud and others with fully opened leaves and choose leaves of varying sizes and even some twiggy dead wood.

Grab a vase, jar or other interesting vessel and starting with the largest leaved branches begin filling.  These larger leaves will help form a sort of foundation from which to build. Then begin layer in your branches working from the largest leaves to the smallest.

A rule of thumb for floral arrangement is to work in odd numbers to create an appealing arrangement. However, this is a creative endeavor, so do what looks good to your own eye. You may want to clump 1 type of foliage together and use another type to spread throughout the arrangement. Also, think about creating different heights within the arrangement and step back from time to time to view it from a different perspective. 

I used Salaal as my base in this arrangement. The larger thick leaves of this native plant form a network of support to place my other leaves. Next I added the dead wood and then began layering in the other leaves from there to create a full lush arrangement.

The plants I used were Salaal, Oregon Grape, Sea Breeze branches,
Thimble Berry, Huckleberry, Butterfly Bush and Maple.
You can use whatever foliage catches your eye.

I did another arrangement using my houseplant cuttings.  It came out really beautiful and is a nice addition to the living room for color while these cuttings get new roots. 

A spring chore of taking new cuttings from my
houseplants became this pretty arrangement.

When the roots are developed, I will break this down and use these propagated starts to make new houseplants for myself, others for gifts and still others to maybe sell at the local farmers market this summer.

So as you can see, you don't have to have the bright colored flowers of summer to create beautiful bouquets. Use whatever is on hand and in season. The only limit is your own imagination.

Spring Work Out

It feels so good to be outside in the sunshine and I'm already feeling my muscles growing too!

My easiest compost ever bin last summer

Remember my post about the easiest compost ever?  I swear by this method!  Everything from fern fronds & grass clippings to egg shells & cilantro stems make it into my compost bin and magically with no mixing or moving, I get a tube full of black gold each spring! 

Now that my tube of compost is ready for use, I just pulled off the wire frame to harvest my black gold. Theres always a layer at the top that is only partially decomposed, but that's ok.  This layer along with all the worms inside of it is removed and placed in the bottom of the empty wire bin where it will jumpstart this years compost.  All the enzymes and microbes that aide in decomposition are already in that partially done layer.

I'm thrilled that I wound up with a lot of ready to use compost!  It was about 8 wheel barrows full of 100% free organic soil amendment! And with no backbreaking work or constant turning.  I just stack it in, water it when it's dry and let mother nature do her thing.  You just can't beat that! Composting is the epitome of the old saying "waste not, want not".

Beautiful black and rich.  Last years waste will

feed the plants that will feed us this year!

If you've been following my spring garden frenzy, then you know that I've run out of room in my garden beds for planting anything else.  Soon Ben will be building me some more recycled beds and bringing home a few yards of 4 way organic soil to fill them, but the sun is shining and I just can't wait.  So I took a look around the yard to see what I might repurpose for planting in some odd shaped areas of my garden where buiding beds would be difficult.

First I found the top half of an old plastic compost bin.  The bottom section had split open and was not really good for anything (that's why I'm not using plastic for my bins).  It seemed like a great candidate for a garden container.  I drug it down to the garden and found a spot for it, next to my ugly but useful recycled laundry bin planter.  I filled it with compost, leveled it out and planted another type of carrots inside.  It might not be pretty now, but it will be gorgeous when those carrots come up!

 

You never know what might make a good garden bed. 
This container lived it's first life as a compost bin,
now it will get a second life as a carrot planter!

I still had loads of compost, so I took the wire mesh tubes from last years failed potato tower experiment and carefully cut them in 1/2 to form 6 good sized containers.  These would fit perfect in the sloped corner of my garden.

 

This wire tube tower for potatoes was too tall last year.

 

That's more like it!  Now these shorter tubes I can work with. 

Each tube became 2 - 18" tall planters.  These are perfect for this spot because I can mold the shape a little bit before filling them.  Then I found some old plastic woven bird seed bags I've been saving for a project and cut those down to line the bottom of each of these new planters.  I cut drainage slashes in the lining and got to work filling each plant tube with compost.

8  loads full!  I highly recommend a 2

wheeled barrow like mine for ease of use.

Eight trips to the back yard with my wheelbarrow and I had created a whole new planting area from recycled and repurposed items I already had!  I love recycling in the garden!  

The mesh planters are full and ready
for seeding.  And now a wasted space in my
garden is going to be a productive.  Yay! 

I decided to go ahead and try potatoes in these again now that they are a bit smaller.  I have several different types of spuds that have sprouted in my cupboards that should work. I placed 3 little papita starts in each tube.  I don't know if they'll all grow, but at least some of them should.  I know potatoes grow in compost bins all the time.

Red, white & russet potatoes from the kitchen get

replanted here  along with an onion and some garlic

centers that need planting.

Oh I almost forgot, each day when the sun is out I'm opening up my boat/greenhouse to get some direct sun on the soil and the plants.  I've also placed my jugs of water strategically throughout to absorb the heat of the sun durring the day.  In the evening I'll recover the boat and those recycled containers of water will radiate the warmth back into the greenhouse. 

Those empty jugs from our ceasars and screwdrivers

become passive heaters in the greenhouse

I bumped into my neighbor Leslie as I was out enjoying the sun. She's also been hard at work cutting back her fern fronds and generously offered them to me for my garden mulch. Thank you Leslie! I think I may have enough fronds to fully line the non-growing areas of the garden now! It sure makes the garden area look nice too. A few hours of work in the sunshine and what a payoff!  I love it! 

Winter wonderland?!? It's more like spring has sprung

Ok I have to start with an apology.   If you are burried under a foot or more of snow this February, I am sorry to tease you with the joys of spring here in Washington.  If your in the other Washington (DC) you probably hate hearing about our early west coast spring weather, but think of it as a preview of days to come. 

The cherry trees down at Beach School

 are awash in pink blooms

For the last several days we've had daytime temps in the high 50's and low 60's here.  The sun has been shining and the plants around here are starting to burst with spring color. It's glorious to be able to pull on my boots and head out into the garden to tend to chores that normally wouldn't be done until Mid-March at a time of year is usually filled with longing looks through seed catalogs and garden magazines with anticipation of the garden season ahead.

Home made scalloped potatoes with

cheesy spring chive topping

Instead, this year I've already used fresh chives to cook with and we've even given the back lawn it's first mow and spring fertilizing!  I've been hard at work cutting back last years growth from my ferns.  It's not absolutely neccessary to cut back your ferns, but I like to do this each year (usually in March) so that as the new growth occurs I can watch the caterpillar like fronds climb up from the base and open into their beautiful chartreuse green glory.

Last years growth is here

Now it's gone but it'll be back!

In years past, I've always added my fern fronds to the compost pile.  They are a great early spring "green" addition to the pile and will heat up the pile as they break down.  This year I've decided to try a little something different.  This year I'll use the fronds as a mulch in my veggie garden.  

My vegetable patch is strategically placed in the front yard along side of our driveway.  This is the one spot in our yard that sees sunshine morning through afternoon.  Because we live on a rocky hillside, all of our soil has been imported into narrow raised planting beds that Ben made for me.  Each bed was made from off cuts from our friend Scott's sawmill, so nearly everything is reclaimed and recycled. 

1 of 3 loads I cut back so far. 

There's lots more to be done.

The only problem with the location of our beds has been that originally this was just a weedy parking area.  Each year new weeds are springing up between the beds.  To counter this, I've been laying down newspaper layers and cardboard between the beds and then covering those with straw that we have to purchase.  This is where the fern fronds come in.  This year I'm taking those old fern fronds and using them in place of the straw between the garden beds.

This is experimental as I've never done it with the fern fronds before, but my thought is that they will make a nice walking area between the beds and as the cardboard and fronds break down, they will amend the soil in this area.  Plus having all the area mulched helps to conserve water evaporation from the soil and will encourage worms and other good life in the soil too!  I'll let you know how it works out.

Symptoms of a very warm winter

In case you were wondering what might prompt me to plant my garden so early this year.  Here's some wonderful photos I've taken over the last few weeks as I've been watching the signs of spring or syptoms of a warm winter.  If you like the photos, feel free to repost them just please credit them back to me.  Thanks!

 
Little birds are singing sweet melodies 

 
Volunteer Johnnys have jumped up!

  
Fabulous February Forsythias

Primroses primping in the rain

Puffy Pussy Willows are popping out everywhere

Persistant Periwinkles poking up blooms!

What's growing on? 2/2/10

Take a walk with me won't you?  Let's see what's growing on in my organic gardens.  This year everything's making an early arrival due to our mild winter weather.

First let's stop and check in on my worm bin.  Looks like these red wrigglers are doing just fine.  They work non-stop for me turning my kitchen waste and junk mail into wonderful compost. 

 

How is the back bed doing?  It looks like the ground cover I planted last year is taking off! These little ajugas are so pretty with their red leaves and in another month or so we'll be seeing them show off their pretty purple/blue bloom stalks.  I can't wait!

 

I wonder how the green house is doing?  Looks great!  We've got lettuce that's nearly ready and carrots just sprouting up too.  They'll have a big head start on the spring plantings.

Seeing the Lemon balm up and growing got me thinking about my homemade salsas.  And suprise, there's a little cilantro that volunteered in last years salsa garden!

 

This brussels sprout plant has been growing since last spring.  I think I may have to read some hints about how to make them grow properly.  Still no sprouts, but at least the plant is starting to look better.

A couple of little pretties are coming up around the yard too.  I'm excited to watch this seedling Daphne develop into a small tree.  It's about 2 years old now.  I think in about 10 years it will be a real show piece. 

It's a nice enough day, I should be out pruning my many ferns in anticipation of this years new growth.  Normally I wait until March to do that, so I think I'll give it at least another week before I tackle that project.  Also don't want to till any of the soil yet even though it's a tempting day.  It's still much too wet and this would break down the natural enzymes in my healthy soil. 

Signs of Spring

I almost feel guilty writing this blog..... most of the country has been experiencing heavy snows this last month yet I'm out in my garden in a balmy 50 degree January heat wave finding signs of spring.

Usually I'm over joyed to see the end of winter heralded by the new growth around my yard, but this year I'm nervous. It's only January. There's a lot of winter left on the calendar, but don't tell my plants that. They're ready to grow!

Here's a sedum already popping up with new growth

My biggest concern is that all this tender new growth is going to get hit by a freeze later in the season.  Where I live March can be a deep freeze some years.  Will this be one of those years?  It's hard to say, but if that does happen I'll be kissing all my spring flowers on my shrubs goodbye.  Like this azalea, it's ready to pop right now! 

Azelea buds ready to bloom.  Apparently no one told them this is winter!

This salal may bloom before the bees get here :(

As I was strolling about the yard looking for these buds and signs of growth, I was overcome with a heavenly scent.  What is that?  Oh it's this mystery plant I have out there in the back garden.  It's fragrance is so sweet, like a hybiscus.  This little shrub always blooms first in my yard in the earliest spring.  Usually that's happened at the end of February to beginning of March.  Not this year!  This unassuming burst of sweetness is in full bloom right now! 

Can you identify my mystery shrub?

Well, even if it's too early, I am enjoying these glimpses of spring to come in my garden.  It may even be a good time to plant peas?