Fairy Garden Experiment

I wanted to try my hand at a fairy garden.  I found the cutest little ceramic house at a thrift store.  I purchased baby's tears - Soleirolia and split the tiny plant into two sections. For a tiny little plant, it packs a powerful punch. I planted one half on each side of the house and it spread all across the pot.  The other plants include four that I found in other locations in my larger garden.  The spikes are a blazing star - liatris pycnostachya.   The broad leaf plant is a morning glory - convolvulaceae.  Situated next to the little house it reminded of me of Jack and the Bean Stalk. On the left side are a pine tree seedling and another conifer seedling - the species of both  are unknown to me, as I found them growing randomly in my gardens and simply transplanted them here.  The pot has received plenty of shade and the soil has kept its moisture all summer, so the plants have thrived.  After my initial success, I plan to expand next summer with paths, more houses and more plants!   

Museum Day Free

Well, the kids are back to school and the newspaper is offering some fun ideas.  In this week's Parade magazine  is an opportunity to get free museum tickets for Saturday, September 29th at a local museum.  Download tickets at www.smithsonian.com/museumday.   

This summer we had some new plant adventures in the woods.  I discovered this Jack in the Pulpit growing wild among the ferns.  I never did see it bloom.  Well, now I know where it is, so maybe next summer.  We also discovered poison sumac, and perhaps a little of poison ivy.  We were diligently clearing the buckthon in our local woods.  We've had poison ivy before but this was much worse.  I think I've identified which plants are poison sumac.  Right now the plant is quite easy to identify because it has white berries.

Weeds, invasive plants and gardening

Well, I'm learning.  I planted variegated bishop's weed thinking it would be the solution to my weeding problems.  And it is in some places.  What I didn't realize, what how invasive it would be and that I shouldn't put it in areas where I want other things to grow.  So, now I'm removing it and hoping to revamp by garden.  I've been a little rained out this week.  I've also been tackling the spreading lilacs.  I knew buckthorn was a problem but this year, burdock seems to be a problem too.  So hopefully, after all the weed pulling, I'll be able to do some planting. Ironically, I transplanted some Lily of the Valley a couple of years ago and I just found out they're on the invasive list also.  I might be sorry; we'll see.   And hopefully the deer will leave some of my hostas and tiger lilies alone!

The Artist a new oldy

In a film class I am teaching, we have watched Charlie Chaplin in The Gold Rush and Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain.  This new movie has elements of both of those and was a delight to watch after studying those two films.

Dreams for Summer

My daughter introduced me to Printerest.com.  Wow, another way to get lost in the cyber world.  Lots of fun projects to dream about doing.  If only I had spent the two hours I searched online on an actual project.   I look out on my back yard now and dream about my garden plans for next summer.   Linders Garden Center has a Fairy Garden.  I thought that would be really fun to introduce in my yard.  Then I found this gem; a children's toad stool table and chair set.  This can be purchased at Streamline and is made of resin.  Well, I was wondering if it would be possible to make something like this.  So then I found these cute directions for toad stool chairs using wooden salad bowls.     Well, I'm still without a table.  I found some directions that used an upturned tomato cage, chicken wire and cement.  That's a little more involved than I was hoping for, for it might have to do.

Wild River Geocaching

This fall has been full of firsts.  We went on our first geocaching outing.  We went toWild River State park along the St. Croix River, north of Taylor's Falls.  The park is full of logging history.  We borrowed two GPS units from the Park Ranger.  They have Caches all set up, many of them right off the main trails.  It added a great dimension to our Sunday outing.  The weather was incredible.  October 9, 2011 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.  The river valley is beautiful.  I found this prairie field beautiful as well.

Tastes like Fall

My first foray into making apple butter.  We had an abundant harvest this year from our Haralson apple tree.  We couldn't let all those apples go to waste.  I made one quart jar of apple sauce.  It was good, but too much work for the results.  Making apple butter, on the other hand, was a delight.  My son's comment summed it up perfectly, "it tastes like fall."  I used this apple butter recipe. I had no idea what a chinoise sieve was so I had to look it up. I remember my mom using something similar when she made crabapple jelly. Fortunately, my local thrift store Hidden Treasures had one.