Category Archives: happening in my life
happening in my life.
This week has been quieter at my house. I enjoy TLA (see the incredible bluebonnet bouquet I made from the little pins Sarah created for the event?) and speaking at schools, garden centers and events, mainly because it’s so much fun to make with new friends. It is nice to have a down week, though.
It was great to finally meet STEVE CHAMBLEE of CHANDOR GARDENS at Arbor Gate in Tomball, TX when I spoke there last weekend. Not sure how he did it, but Steve managed to put up two gorgeous pergolas in a 40 MPH wind! Then he actually “signed” his pieces of garden art….with a chainsaw! Maybe it’s a guy thing, huh?
Now it’s crunch time preparing my upcoming talk for the Herb Society of America conference in Austin May 3rd-5th. The research makes for an intimacy with rose history that’s competing with my OTHER love. When I was asked to lecture on “the herb of the year,” it seemed a fairly easy task to expound on our national flower’s past. The problem I’ve run across is knowing when to stop. Rose roots run deep, that’s for sure! Even though they are native only in the northern hemisphere, it seems everyONE, everyWHERE has an opinion on our past when looking through rose-colored glasses. I’m especially excited to hear fellow conference presenter SUSAN WITTIG ALBERT. Susan’s many best-selling mystery novels might already be familiar to you. Her newest book out is from the China Bayles series, which centers on ex-Houston lawyer/current herbal shop and tea room owner who helps uncover who-dunnits in tiny Pecan Springs. The stories are unique in perspective of plants and place. If you love the Hill Country, you’ll love this series from Susan, one of several series she manages to juggle. Also on the menu will be Lucinda Hutson whose cookbooks – THE HERB GARDEN COOKBOOK and COOKING WITH THE SPIRIT OF MEXICO – are a yummy feast to the eyes and tummy. She’ll be sharing photos of her beautiful gardens in Austin, which have been featured in magazines (Southern Living and Fine Gardening, to drop a couple of names) and on PBS’ CENTRAL TEXAS GARDENER.
At my house, the poppies are getting old and pruny, the seeds almost dried and ready to share, so remind me…..who wants some? I’ll miss their lively dance every time a breeze gets them going. It’s like DANCING WITH THE STARS, only they get a resounding 10 every time. Eat your heart out, Kirstie Alley! c:
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- Steve Chamblee
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- Steve Chamblee’s easy-to-build (for him!) pergola demo at Arbor Gate
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- bouquet of bluebonnets
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- last of the poppy blooms
outside my window.
One down and one to go……
The Texas Librarians are a fun bunch. I know. That’s hard to believe. Librarians FUN? I’ve decided it’s all in your perspective. When you are a 2nd grader who cannot keep her mouth shut (why are you all pointing at me???), the librarian seems awfully picky about solitude and silence. (Remember Mrs. Barton at South Athens Elementary? Boy, I do! She was so beautiful but the only thing I think she ever said directly to me was, “That is ENOUGH, Miss Foster!” and I couldn’t imagine why she was always picking on me….) Spending time with librarians in the classroom on my school visits has given me great admiration for Mrs. Barton (who passed away a few months ago I heard.) But hang out with them at their annual TLA convention and you get a whole NEW perspective. They know how to have fun! I appreciate they let me share some of that good time with the release of BLOOMIN’ TALES.
Tomorrow (Saturday) I get to visit one of my favorite nurseries, The Arbor Gate in Tomball, Texas. Owner Bev Welch asked if I’d come talk about wildflowers and how to use them in the landscape. Wildflowers are one of those enigmas: people drive miles to get a good look at them and have their babies/dogs/significant others photographed in the middle of them, but not too many people plant them in their own yard. Why? The comment I often get is “they look messy.” I’ll dispel that myth by introducing folks to some incredible wildflowers for landscapes and show them how to make them a part of ANY style landscape. After all, a wildflower is simply a blooming plant that doesn’t need any help to grow. Who wouldn’t want a whole YARD of that? Take a peek at a few wildflowers blooming at my house right now…..
Also, DON’T FORGET my photo caption contest is still happening on my Facebook Author Page!
happening in my life.
While gathering photos for upcoming presentations, I ran across this shot I took last spring. I was taking pictures of the beautiful blooms in my front yard and happened upon this conversation between a baby wren and its mom.
The scene’s all-too-familiar, isn’t it? Got several photos in the sequence of their discussion, but this one really spoke to me. Is it a mom thing? It obviously is NOT just a human thing! I decided to enter it into a photography contest. When I posted it to my Facebook author page with the caption I’d given it – “Can you hear me now?” – I started getting even BETTER captions from y’all, so I’ve decided to make it a contest (thanks for the suggestion, Gail!) to win a copy of my new book out in two weeks, BLOOMIN’ TALES. So head over to my FB author page and give it your own caption, or just comment on this post with one. I’ll have an unbiased judge…. or at least a LESS biased judge…. pick a winner.
Hope you’ll come see me if you are in the Little Rock area next Saturday. It looks like the Arkansas Literary Festival has a GREAT line-up of speakers and I’m hoping to catch up with some of the authors in town for the event. c:
outside my window.
More bulbs emerge daily now in my landscape (THANK YOU, BULB HUNTER!), but super excited that so many of my daddy’s poppies came up from seed. He always gives me tons of the tiny black seeds and although I put them out in the fall – as directed – either the birds or mulch make sure I never see a one. Not this spring! I was later getting mulch down than usual, and the warm winter (and my relatively squirrel-proof feeder-in-a-box) gave the chickadees and other songbirds more than enough to choose from without raiding the poppy seed stash.
This week my friend, photographer Kym Maier took new promo shots of me for my new book BLOOMIN’ TALES coming out in 3 three weeks. I was more than a little surprised to see a middle-aged relative looking back at me when I proofed the photos……. (Guess I’m only middle-aged if I live to be 102, right?)
The next couple of weeks I’m hard at work getting together my upcoming talks. Also hoping my two bales of straw get distributed evenly around the strawberries, tomatoes and peppers between rains this weekend. Maybe the skunks that call my yard “el bano” will earn their keep…..
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- daddy’s poppies
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- relatively squirrel-proof feeder-in-a-box
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- photo by Kym Maier
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- design by sarah stock.
texas in springtime.
A few weeks ago in my travels I visited my co-author on HEIRLOOM BULBS and his wife at their cabin in East Texas. When I commented on a healthy looking amaryllis in a pot on their deck, Rebecca and Chris insisted I hop over to their Southern Bulb Company farm and take a few bulbs for myself. What a joy to come out this morning to yet another bloom on this gorgeous plant! I cannot believe less than a month ago what I planted has now emerged as these gigantic blooms. It was merely a handful of energy, waiting for a little sunshine and rain to explode. On my gardening blog next week, I’ll tell you the simple ingredients needed to make this miracle of life occur and ANYONE can do it!
I want to thank my Aunt Sammie for accompanying me on a wonderful trip last weekend to the Texas Hill Country to speak about how to use roses in the landscape at the state’s annual Herbal Forum. Besides the fantastic sights, smells and loads of information, what a great bunch of folks! Great talks, too. Ethne Clark, editor at Organic Gardening Magazine (see photo below) showed us the gardens from her last few moves (England to Austin to Iowa, oh, my!). Mike Shoup, Rose Rustler and owner Antique Rose Emporium, showed us some of his favorite gals and Henry Flowers, the garden director at Festival Hill, gave us a mini-tour of history through a ROSEY lens. We spent the night at beautiful Festival Hill in Round Top, falling in love (again) with the gardens and historic buildings there. Here are a few photos, including the Washington County bluebonnets beginning to peak out from among the grasses and other wildflowers. If you’ve not gotten a chance to visit, I highly recommend a trip. If it is vacation from traffic you are desiring, you might make sure the annual antiques sale is not going on at Round Top when you make your plans. I’m telling you, people are SERIOUS about their bargains, aren’t they?
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- apple blossom amaryllis
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- texas bluebonnet
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- me in the bluebonnets of Washington County, Texas
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- gardens at Festival Hill in Round Top, Texas
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- climbing rose at Festival Hill
outside my window.
Heading to the Texas Hill Country to speak at the Herbal Forum about how to use roses in the landscape (and look at WILDFLOWERS) this Saturday in Round Top, but wanted to let you know I’m GIVING AWAY SEEDS on my gardening blog. And I’m enjoying seeds sewn earlier this year here in my garden right now! Herbs, wildflowers and trees all have a harvest of some sort, if you know where to look…..
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- bronze fennel
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- brussel sprout stalks
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- elephant garlic
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- texas bluebonnets
outside my window.
Spring is not only in the air, it’s in the pots, too. My camera is on stand-by constantly with extra batteries in the charger at all times, ready to shoot beautiful blooms like a dietes amongst the azure blue pansies at my local grocery store.
While I depend mainly on perennials in my yard for color – such as red dianthus or “pinks” as my Granny called them – I can’t help but add a few annuals. Pink snapdragons are one of my favorites. Yes, they’ll melt with summer’s heat, but for me they bloom their heads off during the cool season, our name for “winter” in Texas.
Bees are everywhere and although I’m quite allergic to them, I am thankful for all they do to keep the blooming plants doing their thing. Do you encourage bees in your yard? The only place I’d rather not find them is near the pool and patio. That area is relegated to blooms that are pollinated by hummingbirds, moths and butterflies. How do you know which prefers what? Look for an Audrey Hepburn neck…… More on that later.
I’m driving through East Texas this weekend to spend some time with family. I am thankful for the colors of spring as we celebrate the life of my late great uncle, Bob.
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- bees on nectar
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- dietes
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- pink snapdragon
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- red dianthus
in my life.
My uncle passed away yesterday….
At 81 years old, Uncle Bob played at least 9 holes of golf every day until three weeks ago. His energy and no-fear attitude was my inspiration. In fact, he and my aunt took on re-doing an old general store/post office/bank building she fell in love with five years ago in Golden, Texas. They made it into a magazine-cover home. This was their second complete home renovation since he turned 70. Who starts a project like that when most of their friends are relaxing? Uncle Bob did.
Uncle Bob encouraged me to write a book about their young neighbor in Golden, The Bulb Hunter.
I loved staying with he and my aunt, talking faith and flowers till the wee hours. Uncle Bob enjoyed describing a plant he’d seen playing golf that day so he could know its name the next time, his beautiful clear blue eyes shining like a child on Christmas morning, always ending with “isn’t God good to us?”
No matter what time I arose the next morning, I was met by Uncle Bob, handing me a cup of coffee, his open Bible near his favorite chair. Did the guy EVER sleep?
Uncle Bob will be missed by everyone since he never met a stranger. He’s already teeing off near the Streets Of Gold rather than ones in Golden, Texas. And I have a feeling he’ll be telling ME the names of all the plants he’s discovered when I get to be with him again.
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- sign on the side of bob’s house.
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- bob’s fence, photo by CherieColburn.com
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- pearl bush (Exochorda racemosa) in my dad’s yard
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- east texas daffodils.
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- east texas daffodils.
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- east texas daffodils.
outside my window.
My roses enjoyed the rain we got this week. So did some bulbs I got from my friend and co-author on HEIRLOOM BULBS, Chris Wiesinger. (Most people know Chris best as “The Bulb Hunter.”) Double Roman, a historic daffodil believed to be cultivated since the 1500′s in Europe, naturalize well in the Coastal South, too. They bloom early and have a divine fragrance.
Although not the fragrance, a divine bloom in MY book is the cherry blossom. My oldest daughter and her husband live in the D.C. area so we traveled up for the Cherry Blossom Festival a couple years ago. It was breathtaking! I tried to get the feel at my house with a dwarf Mexican cherry since ornamental cherry trees don’t get enough cold here to bloom properly, but there is no comparison. The blooms transform Arlington Cemetery into something ethereal. The most moving moment was seeing the change of the guard that time of year.
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- rose in my front yard
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- double roman from chris
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- dwarf mexican cherry
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- arlington national cemetery
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- cherry blossoms
outside my window.
I looked out my window the other day and found a squirrel eating the lettuce I use for lunch every day. He didn’t want to share! I’ve had to run him off several times so I’m considering giving him his own pot near the tree where I’ve seen his nest. At least he’s healthy!
Something Mr Squirrel hasn’t gotten into yet is my ‘Red Rhubarb’ swiss chard that I put olive oil and fresh ground pepper on for a snack.
Last year my friend Chris (who I authored HEIRLOOM BULBS FOR TODAY with) gave me a bulb that was featured in our book, a Leucojum – or white snowflake. It was like I received it anew when I noticed it had come back up the other day!
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- lettuce theif
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- swiss chard
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- leucojum (white snowflake)
