A Wordless Wednesday

Some of my favorite gardening blogs

Admittedly, since I am a new garden blogger, I focus too much time on my own blog and the number of hits and comments that come in each time. I'm sure it is typical of most bloggers, both old and new, but it is something I am now trying to limit.

As part of this attempt to "branch out more", I have been reading and following other blogs much more intensively the past week or so. And you know what? There are some seriously super fantastical gardening blogs out there; but of course you all know that already so I am truly preaching to the choir.

I have included below, ten blogs that I actively follow and a quick snippet about each. I'm sure many of you are already following these blogs, but hopefully I can introduce even a few of you to these blogger and bloggesses. Click on the blog titles to visit each of these blogs, and my apologies ahead of time for not making the links all that clear - I am still working on an overhaul of my own blog. Without further ado:           

"A Day in the Life"
Gary is a very laid back guy whose blog comes across with that same vibe. You can pick up on his numerous years of experience very quickly as you read each entry. His photos are tremendous, super educational and his musical taste ain't bad either. You'll feel good as you read it, trust me.

"Garden in Paradise"
Kim's blog just jumps out at you as soon as you enter. Wonderfully colorful, full of gorgeous tropical photos and a passion that is obvious right from the start. Have I mentioned the quality of the photos? Jump start your day and read this each morning.
   
"Antique ART Garden"
Simply inspirational. You feel that inspiration as soon as you open the page. Not to mention all of the photos of picturesque Charleston, SC (where I wouldn't mind living some day) and her collection of antiques. And since I am a nice guy, I'll excuse the fact that the family are Atlanta Braves fans - as tough as it is for a long suffering Mets fan to handle.       

"Crystal Coast Gardener"
All I can say is Kyna is one funny ass blogger. I am right in line with her sense of humor and she is so creative with how she uses it in each of her posts. Not to mention she knows her plants. And she is a Canadian relocated to the South - which just seems cool. GO READ NOW.    

"The Idiot Gardener" 
All you need to see is the name and you should be reading this already. I pulled this quote directly from his site "I am an idiot. It needs saying. I drink too much, exercise too little, and am unlikely to change." Need I say more?

"We Didn't Come Here for the Grass"
Another fantastic blog title that pulled me in. Byddi is from Ireland and is now a relocated Californian. She has a great sense of humor, unique writing style and some of the most interesting photos I've ever seen. Plus, like all of the other bloggers I read, she knows her shit.      

"The Rutgers Reuters"
Leslie runs THE nursery in my county here in NJ and her blog is chock full of educational material. I get my pen and paper out each time I read her entries. Seriously, the nursery is a spectacle and since I recently received a gift certificate there, I will be wandering the grounds again very soon - and maybe will add some photos if she allows me to.       

"Gardening Jones"
My blogger buddy. We have guest posted on each others' blogs and she is a definite "nut", in a fantastic way. Her specialty is in edibles and I am hoping to learn a lot from her so I can then enter that frightening world of actually eating what you grow. What a novel concept!       

"Allan Becker, Gardening Guru"
My personal favorite when it comes to design and plant education. The level of detail is extraordinaire and I've learned more from Allan's blog than I have researching the internet out on my own. Also love the book reviews which are a nice added touch. 

"The Dandelion Wrangler"
I find a common theme of the blogs I follow are that they are honest, passionate and very relatable. That describes Laura's site to a tee. It feels warm and inviting and makes you feel good about gardening in general. Plus she gets her kids involved which is awesome.    

A Nature-iffic weekend

Ocean or Lake? I'll take ocean every time

Camping or Hotel? Hotel please

Fishing? Not a huge fan

Canoeing? Eh



With that information in mind, you would never think that I would enjoy a long weekend at a small cottage on a lake with minimal amenities. But you, silly naive reader, would be so very wrong.

We just spent four days at "The Cottage" up in the Connecticut River Valley. The house has been in my wife's family for the past five decades and she spent a good portion of her childhood summers there. We make it a point to make it up there at least once each summer. Admittedly, we are not an "outdoorsy family". However, we do appreciate all that Mother Nature has provided and thoroughly enjoy not having a TV, not having video games, not having Internet access (OK I lied) and making our own fun.                

Here is a shot of the cottage from a neighbor's dock.

 

And a shot of the front of the house facing the lake.

A nice old big canoe used to wander the lake and venture into the dreaded swamp area.

We may not be avid fisherman and I may not to be able to tell you the difference between a small mouth or large mouth bass, but we had fun feeding the Sunnies and trying to catch them with a net.  

And having the morning coffee or ten, sitting out on the lake is pretty damn cleansing and therapeutic.

We will find a way to incorporate baseball no matter where we go.

The small "beach" is big enough to bring out the sand toys and set up home base for the day. 

Kicking it old school trying to catch fish. Who needs a friggin pole, try doing it like we did. 

Total fish caught = 0

More proof that neglect is some times the best thing you can do for your plants. These have been untouched for years.

Not sure what these flowers are, but we loved watching the bees and dragonflies pounce all over them.

The kids loved the lily pads but we weren't able to see them fully in bloom.

I love observing all the nature and shit going on and then hitting up Google to learn more. An educational moment for the children and I look all smart. These kick butt creatures are "Widow Skimmer" dragonflies.

Four straight days spent mostly outside in picture perfect 80 degree weather does the body and mind good.

I enjoy watching the kids explore, getting excited finding quartz in the lake or almost catching a minnow in their buckets.

I enjoy watching my wife relive her childhood, reading through old books that have been left behind or looking at the wall of measurements that has countless lines marking all of the children as they have grown throughout the years (quick note - I am still the tallest of all and damn proud).    

We all love The:

Knockout TKO

In the immortal words of philosopher James Todd Smith, also known as LL Cool J, "I'm gonna knock you out, momma said knock you out."

And like a true playa, I did just that today. I put a TKO on my Knockout roses once and for all.

First a word of silence as we mourn their passing. They look so peaceful and comfortable in that wheelbarrow.   

After mourning the roses for about three seconds I moved into action. We'll call it "Operation Ornamental Grass". These bodacious botanical beauties are simply fool proof, deer resistant and have sick multi-seasonal interest. I really need to admit to myself that I will eventually own every single cultivar. But let me slow down a bit, first some "before" photos.     

Not pretty and I knew today was the day to do something about it. Now the "after" photos. 

The grass of choice today is Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster'. They needed a more prominent location and they have received just that. These stars are "cool season" grasses so they start growing earlier in the season than most other types, like Miscanthus. They remain super upright and as you can see, they bloom much earlier as well. Check out a close up shot of those blooms. 

As I was laying out the grasses today, I also came to grips with my garden style. I try like hell to make it all look natural, sort of a "controlled chaos". But, it always come back to looking very "fake natural" no matter how hard I try. It's like that guy who works on his hair all morning to make it look like he spent no time on it.
  

But, I can take solace in the fact that I don't have a rigid, formal like style where everything looks too perfect. 

I have surely now freaked you out with my hair comparisons so I will end today's entry by bringing it back to the plants. I give you my fully blooming Russian Sage. Enjoy!   

Kickin it edibles style

 
If you have been reading my blog for a while now, you know I have a long way to go when it comes to growing, eating and understanding "edibles". I cannot even begin to tell you how much I've learned from other blogs, from Facebook and from lurking on Twitter conversations between some seriously educated peeps. But this is only the beginning - homey has a long way to go.

On a positive note, I did successfully grow greens in containers this year and have a few tomato and pepper plants that are thriving right now. I have even managed to keep a Meyer Lemon tree alive to date sitting on my deck. I have a feeling my gardening "off-season" will consist of a lot of research into fruit and vegetable growing (in fact I did get a book on landscaping with fruit for Father's Day so watch out!).

Where are you going with this you ask? Well, I recently became aware of an awesome new feature at The New York Botanical Garden that I wanted to share with you and also received a guest post from a fellow Tweep (Twitter dude) all about sustainability. So, prepare to become educated, something that sorely lacks in my typical blog posts.               
  
This summer and fall, The New York Botanical Garden has a special exhibition, The Edible Garden. The Edible Garden brings you locally grown, seasonal food with cooking demonstrations every day. Featuring four spectacular kitchen gardens, The Edible Garden teaches you how to grow the best food at home. All proceeds of The Edible Garden benefit the Children’s Gardening program. For more information on the Edible Garden, please Click here.

To see the full schedule of events, Click here

To see the photos from the opening weekend, like the one at the beginning of this post, Click Here

To follow the NYBG on Facebook, Click here

To follow the NYBG on Twitter, Click here

I am not too far from beautiful New York City, so I will be there in the very near future as should you!
 
"Sustainability Through the Consumption of Things Conserved"

"In other environmental issues we tell people to stop something, reduce their impact, reduce their damage," - US Ecologist Gary Nabham

Since the beginning of the green movement, there has been a rise in the number of organizations and businesses that are doing their part in the promotion of sustainability through conservation. As human beings, we're told to reduce our carbon footprint, consume less unhealthy foods, and spend less time in the shower! But let's take a minute to step back and look at this from a different perspective; one that Gary Nabham strongly suggests.

Gary Paul Nabham, phD., is a Arab-American writer/conservationist who's extensive farming work in the U.S./Mexico borderlands region has made him world renown. Specifically speaking, Nabham is known for his work in biodiversity as an ethnobotanist. His uplifting messages and attitude towards life and culture has granted us access to multiple beneficial theories including his latest of eat what you conserve.

According to The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization, about three quarters of the genetic diversity of crops been vanishing over the last century and that a dozen species now gives 90% of the animal protein eaten globally. In accordance, just 4 crop species supply half of plant based calories in the human diet.

Nabham claims that by eating the fruits and vegetables that we are attempting to conserve/save, we're promoting the granular dissemination of various plant species. But this goes beyond what we typically buy in supermarkets, particularly because of price and abundance. We must remember to try new things and immerse ourselves in the very concept of diversity. Keep in mind; the benefits of splurging for that costly fruit/vegetable supremely outweigh the cons. Not only are you promoting biodiversity and further eliminating the needs of farmers to remove rare, less purchased crops off their agenda, but you're also effectively encouraging healthier lifestyles.

Agriculturist Marco Contiero mentioned that "biodiversity is an essential characteristic of any sustainable agricultural system, especially in the context of climate change."[1] With sustainable crop efforts being lead by the CGI (Clinton Global Initiative) and the IRRI (International Rice Research Institute) the duo plans to provide a more sustainable crop, untouched by natural disasters, much like the ones experience in Haiti and neighboring areas. Contiero goes on to state "We need to ensure this is the basis for the future…" – This is exactly what Doug Band, the CGI, and the IRRI are doing by engaging in sustainability efforts.

So remember, next time you're in the supermarket picking out navel oranges or strawberries, turn your attention to something that's a bit more "out of season," or exotic in nature. The same goes for salads/salad ingredients; shop outside the norm, picking spices and vegetables that you wouldn't normally incorporate into your everyday diet. During such economic downtime it isn't always easy to maintain the same level of grocery shopping intrigue, but we must also not forget that in this sundry of foods we can find fun!

Dan Grifen – Supporter of all things green and progressive.

To follow Dan on Twitter, Click here

ONG

Father's Day surprise

Today was very eye opening.

As I was presented with my Father's Day gifts this morning (and after I downed a phenomenal home made breakfast made by my wife), there was a trend developing immediately. See below: 

Have you figured out the trend? My obsession has clearly been observed by my children. My son even told me he shared my blog with his 2nd grade teacher. But, the best gift was left for last. Take a look at the t-shirt below:  

Absolutely incredible! I love the design of the insignia and there is something about the ONG initials that have a sweet rhythm to it. Now before you think I've gone all sell-out on you, believe me when I say I see the humor in it and do not take myself seriously one bit. But, it really means I've got the full support of my wife in this new venture and that means the world to me. Oh and if you want one of these I'll be on QVC next week ... I kid.     

After the day's festivities, I completed my first full garden walkabout in a few days and here are a few observations.

The deer are coming, the deer are coming. I think the fresh mulch gave them a chance for better footing and they took full advantage. They got the Daylillies (I should have known better) and the Boltonia's (which helps control size in a way - how's that for optimism?).  

I recovered emotionally after spotting the first Daylilly 'Little Grapette' (in a non deer location):

And felt even better after seeing all of the Echinacea 'Fragrant Angel' blooms:

And finally, the bees are in full effect and the chorus of buzzing is music to the ears. I was finally able to capture one in action: 

That is all for today my friends, be on the look out for more bed makeovers this week.

ONG is one determined mo fo!