The Valentine That Keeps on Giving

Every girls loves getting flowers on Valentine's Day, right? But it's always sad that they don't last very long, and then you have to throw them away. Well this year give your sweetheart a little hint... how about flowers that keep on living?
 

This little beauty is called "Parade Rose" or Rosa Hybrid. It's just a miniature rose plant potted up with a bow. It's like a living rose bouquet that can be enjoyed indoors, and then when it's warm enough to dig in the soil, it can be planted outside in the garden or in a pot on the patio. Roses are perennials, so it would die back every winter, but come alive again every spring!

The blooms are gorgeous and have the characteristic spicy sweet scent of roses.
 

I love giving plants as gifts for any occasion. Houseplants make a home more inviting and interesting, and they even improve air quality!  The Jade plant (Crassula orvata) pictured above is one of my favorites because it's so easy to care for. It's a succulent, meaning it stores water in its fleshy leaves and needs very little watering.  

For example, this is a jade plant I bought in 2006. For almost 6 years it has been on my husband's desk at work (my little contribution to his cubicle, with a picture of us in the newlywed days!). Believe me, if he can keep it alive that long, anyone can. He had to set a monthly alert on his phone to dump in a glass of water, but that's all it takes!

Find a pretty pot and give a plant as a birthday gift, a wedding gift, or even a housewarming gift. 

Ivory Cylinder

Ivory Pedestal

Ivory Urn

Black Rings

Green fiberglass

Blue Cake Cup Planter

Start with Valentine's Day and give a gift that keeps on living and giving.

Groundhogs Day and Deer Reprise

Even if Punxsutawney Phil did see his shadow today, I am feeling little tugs of spring in the back of my mind.

Like "Won't it be fun to see my bulbs bloom soon?!?" and

"I wonder if I have room for both corn and tall sunflowers in the back of my garden?" and

"I can't wait for fresh garden lettuce and tomatoes instead of these wannabe's..." and

"It's going to be interesting keeping dirt out of Tyler's mouth this year." and

"I wonder if my strawberries will survive being eaten by the deer?"

Speaking of deer, those naughty critters pulled a fast one on me. The snow cover had given me a (false) sense of security, and I thought they were gone since I hadn't seen them for about 3 weeks.

Then on Tuesday I saw my neighbor out the window, with her camera pointed into the fields behind our houses, and I followed her line of sight to see at least 18 head of deer lazing in the tall grass. It crossed my mind that they might look for food in my yard again, but there were also tractors, dump trucks, and a street sweeper swarming like ants all day, so I thought we'd be safe. They are starting to put in the roadway and utilities for more homes behind us. I will miss the pretty fields and views... 

Well I thought wrong. I was closing blinds at dusk and couldn't see the deer anymore... until I looked down in my own yard. ALL of them were grazing on my grass!!!!

I wish I had been more calm and collected and taken good pictures of 18 deer in my yard, but all I could do was run through the house yelling for everyone to follow me outside. Of course as soon as we opened the door they ran for the hills.

The yard was melted and soggy so now it's a muddy mess. Grrrrrr. Maybe I shouldn't mind the tractors waking me up at 6:30 every morning. A little more development might keep the deer out of my stuff!

Deer Damage

We have some deer taking up residence.

My neighbor sent us this picture while we were on vacation over New Year's. Another neighbor dropped by one evening before Christmas and said they thought we had some of those deer yard decorations that light up, but then they moved and blinked. We have had to make noise and chase them out of the yard multiple times.

I'm still baffled that deer found us here in the middle of a valley, miles away from the mountains where they typically live. I asked my brother-in-law (an avid deer hunter) about it and he said they love it down here in the valley because the have easy access to food and little competition. I guess it's time to get a yappy dog!

I took some pictures around Thanksgiving of what the deer were eating.  They have broken and stripped some branches of this limber pine.

I left some pumpkins in the garden late into the season, hoping they would turn all the way from green to orange. Learned my lesson there!

I knew deer liked pansies, but now I know deer like pansies.

The most aggravating part is the footprints in the grass. Our turf is still so new and thin that the deer hooves just puncture through it and leave deep holes. That will be fun to fix in the spring!

I've been researching deer repellents and there are some crazy ideas out there! My friend Doris told me to put a bar of soap in some nettting (like my nylon?) and hang it on the deer-desirable tree. We'll see if it's worth anything.

My same neighbor told me she saw a movie where they covered their yard with hair. Gross.

When in doubt, I always trust state Cooperative Extension services more than anyone. I found this helpful fact sheet from Colorado State. It can be saved and printed as a .pdf. Their ideas are weird too (hot sauce, a solution of raw eggs and water!?) but at least they are tried and tested.

Apparently the most effective repellents are a fence (novel idea) and deer resistant plants. Although I wouldn't mind distributing some lavender and Hawthorns around my landscape, I just don't think I can give up my dreams of roses, tulips, apple trees, and grapes! Guess we'll have to go with the fence.

White Wedding

I was so excited when my mom's friend asked me to do the flowers for her daughter's wedding! It has been a long time since I did a bridal bouquet and they are my very favorite.

This bride's vision was white and sea blue... lace and ruffles...elegant and a little vintage. She wanted her bouquet to be all white and include polo garden roses and ranunculus. She had also pinned some pictures with hydrangea, so I picked up a few stems to fill things out. I know it's unlikely any one reading this will go and make a bridal bouquet, but just in case you're interested, here's how I did it.

I don't have a wholesale account anymore and I wasn't quite sure how to get quality flowers without paying retail price. My favorite way to shop for anything these days is online, so I asked good ol' Google where to get wholesale garden roses. I ended up using this website for them and was very happy with them (especially since the price was only $89 for 50 stems, versus $110 for 10 stems at my local florist). They came really tight, but I had ordered them enough in advance that once I got them in warm water and let them sit for 4 days they opened up nicely. I know they were extremely fresh too because I kept a few that I broke and they lasted 2 weeks! I did get the ranunculus from my local florist because I only needed a small bunch, and wholesale bunches are huge.

The first thing to do when working with flowers is strip the stems and pull off any brown petals. This makes them all uniform and ready to go into your arrangement, and saves you from stopping and starting in the creative process!

Hand tied bouquets are so fun to make. I was a little nervous about it because it had been a long time since I had done it, but once I got going it was fun! I didn't cut anything off the hydrangea stems, but just started putting roses and ranunculus inside the hydrangea ball. I keep one hand tight around them stems and insert and arrange with the other, turning as I go to make it uniform.

Once I have a basic shape, I wrap the whole thing tight with floral tape. Then I can go back in and add things around the outside and tape them in again. This bride didn't want any greenery, but this is also when you would collar the bouquet with greenery. Last step is to wrap over the tape with ribbon, and voila!

I wasn't able to deliver the flowers myself, but my mom told me when she handed them to the bride, she exclaimed, "They look just like the picture!" I can't ask for a better reaction than that.

Note: I leave the stems long so I can keep the arrangement in water. Then when I deliver the bouquet I cut them down to size, usually 2-3 inches below the tape/ribbon.
  

 This is a smaller version of the bouquet for the bridesmaid.

The corsages and boutonnieres always take the bulk of your time. They are actually harder than the bridal bouquet because they require so much wiring and taping! Maybe I'll show how I make those another time...

Picking a Christmas Tree

Buying a real tree is a family tradition steeped in memories for me. Since I can remember, every December I have participated in choosing the "perfect" tree.

Back in the day sometimes they were flocked, sometimes they were firs, but most often they were noble pines. Nobles are my favorite because they are full and yet they still have places for ornaments to hang down. This year at Happy Valley Trees, we learned that our preferred style is called a "tweener" because it's in between the natural growth pattern of nobles (tall and spacy, more like a Charlie Brown tree), and the highly pruned growth pattern (thick and full, looking almost like a Douglas Fir).

In our new house with high ceilings, we went for 9 footer! It was really convenient to have the truck this time... usually we are roping it to the top of my old Altima! 

If you buy a real tree, make sure they give you a new cut and trim off enough branches to fit in the Christmas tree stand. Then keep the trimmings and take them home to make a wreath!

 

Lighting a real tree is always the test... "Is it really worth it?" I ask myself over and over.Without fail I always have to buy more lights halfway through the process. But once it's lit, decorated, and filling the house with it's fragrance, yes it's worth it.

To make a wreath with the extra boughs, simply trim them to size and wire them in a circle, or buy an inexpensive wreath form and wire them on. Add pinecones, bows, or homemade ornaments and enjoy your fresh decor!

Eggplant

One night dinner was simmering one the stove and we were killing time till Daddy got home watching the Food Network. Giada was making this Eggplant and Basil Pesto Pasta and we were all salivating over it. I say "we" because the girls were watching as closely as I was!


The next day Maddie and I were working on her homework for preschool (she has to cut out pictures that begin with the letter she is learning) and she asked, "Mom, is this eggplant?"

Well yes, my dear, indeed it is.

So although I cannot back up either idea with experience, the recipe and the fresh way to sprout seeds both seem delightful!

The World Is So Lovely

My heart is full of thanks at this time of year. The autumn sun is brighter and clearer, the sky is bluer, and the trees are vibrant. It makes me happy.

These are views out my back windows. One day I was blow drying my hair and looking out the window and a children's song came to my head:

"The world is so lovely, I'm glad as can be, for all that the Lord has created for me.
The sunshine, the flowers, the stars up above, A home where I live and a family I love."

I also love this hymn... (reminds me of Little Women)

"For the beauty of the earth
For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth,
Over and around us lies.
Lord of all to thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise."

I am so thankful for a kind Creator who made the world so beautiful.