The Big Rock Garden

Up at dawn on this picture perfect mountain morning, blissfully working in the Big Rock Garden.

 Named as such for a boulder the size of a Jeep Wrangler ~ hidden amongst a field of waterwise perennials.

 Butterflies and Bumbles flit about the flowers. A tiny green Hummingbird dives in for a quick bite.. then jettisons off to the next diner, just a little ways down the road.

I like to work out there, very early, because my quiet street is now a busy thoroughfare and ~ once the rest of the world wakes up ~ it's too crowded for my comfort zone. I feel like one of those garden ornaments, pointing my big arse toward the passers by.

I was cutting a swath down the center of this huge perennial garden because the poor devils are besot with weeds. And, it's an overwhelming chore, so I like to chop it into manageable bits, with a definite beginning and end to the project.

There's nothing much to this garden. Filled with your basic 'workhorse' perennials like this Johnson's Blue Geranium that flowers all summer long.

All the while I was out there I kept thinking about how I need to return a half dozen phone calls to people who need to talk things over.

Are you a do-er? Or, a talker?

Most folks sit somewhere in the middle. I'm planted firmly in the do-er category. With a paper thin layer of patience for the other half who have cleverly figured out that talking things over is an ideal way to postpone pretty much anything that needs to get done.

Or, do they talk because they're hoping someone else will make the decision for them? I've perfected the art of shrugging my shoulders and saying: dang'd if I know.

Hummingbirds go ga-ga over the Honeysuckle vines.

Re-hashing old subject matter absolutely wears me out. I've always felt this lack of patience is one of my biggest faults. But, I have plenty more...

Running a close second? How I'm pretty much always on time to anywhere I'm supposed to be. Like right now, for instance, when I was all packed up & ready to go! At exactly high noon, for our much anticipated road trip to Yellowstone. Here it is 1:45 and I'm still waiting for my ride to show up.

Don't ya just hate that?

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day ~ July, 2012

Glads, happily blooming in an old whiskey barrel, on the deck.

As I peck away, on my computer keyboard, I hear the soothing sound of rain drops outside my open window.

Just a sprinkle. This, on the heels of 2 consecutive, afternoon rains has me hopeful the tide has turned.

Clematis drape across the other side of the deck.

By all outward appearances, it has not been a good summer.

Oppressive heat, our western landscape so deadly dry... We went for 37 days without a drop of rain.

And, then. A rash of scary wildfires. Too close for comfort.

The wind carried ash in the breezes and left a reminder of this danger, as a layer of dust in the garden.

Sky Blue Flax, a volunteer wildflower, makes her home in the raised veggie bed.

Been using that as an excuse not to work out there.

The smoke. The heat. The... oh, give me a second and I'll come up with another excuse..

Penstemon, Primrose, & Geraniums

Instead, we've been saddling up the horses and combing the trails in search of wildflowers. (Like that's a cooler past time than pulling weeds in the hot, hot sun? Oh heck no! But, infinitely more enjoyable.)

I've been calling this my non-gardening year.

And, it's all because of.... a brand, spankin' new drip irrigation system!

Every single summer day, schlepping hoses dominated my life. Moving sprinklers, to and fro, caring for my flowers.

This year, I threw in that proverbial towel and automated the joint.

Catmint & Valerian

Oh! Joy! Free Time???

Plentiful designer weeds

I had never tallied up the number of hours I spent watering the gardens until I no longer had to do so.

In fact, I never really minded, since I love putzing with my flowers. But, it's given me the freedom to experiment with all kinds of precious posies I shied away from in previous years.

So, there ya have it. I've been a lazy gardener. And, a lazy garden blogger. Heck, I've been such a slacker I forgot to celebrate my 6th blogoversary (May, 2012.)

But it's been a glorious summer.

Here's hoping you're having a wonderful growing season, too.

Happy Bloom Day, Everyone!

Pay a visit to Carol @ May Dream Gardens to visit more flower lovers for this Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day monthly meme.

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Orange Crush

My 'bottle rockets' are happily celebrating the 4th of July.

I've always had a mad crush on the color orange. Can't, for the life of me, figure out why it's considered the 'color of insanity.'

Whaddyathink? Do you love it? Hate it? However you feel about orange, I'm sure you'll agree on one thing. Orange simply cannot be ignored.

I purchased a gorgeous orange dress one time. Back when I was skinny so I could wear pretty much anything. Except, maybe, that.

Whenever I wore it, people would ask me if I was feeling okay. Hmmm...

So, clearly orange is not my color. At least not on the bod.

But, that hasn't stopped me from squeezing it into every nook and cranny.. in the garden:



Here's hoping you're having a wonderfully lazy time of it during this holiday week. Happy 4th!

Cowgirl Camp

Here's something fun to watch on this hot, hot Saturday afternoon. This video was produced by a friend of mine. And, I'm in it! Fulfilling a lifelong dream of attending Cowgirl Camp. Can you spot me in this video? :)

You are never too old to dream a new dream. ~ CS Lewis

Sizzlin'

Re-blooming Orchid and Super Summery Toenails!

 Would you like a flower on your big toe?

That would be lovely, I mumbled. As I slipped into a happy coma at the Tip & Toe. In their cushy leather massage chair while my tootsies were tubbed and scrubbed, polished and painted, brought back to life after a solid month of heavy duty landscaping. In sandals.

Hot Cha Cha Roses

 This is all new to me. Being pretty and stuff. On my May trip to New Mexico, my girlfriends were appalled at my broken, dirty fingernails. (Hey. I work garden for a living.) And, whisked me off to USA Nails for a complete overhaul. I loved the results. First time in years I wasn't embarrassed of my hands.

Perennial Snapdragons

 When I was back down in New Mexico last week, I tried to get a touch up but nobody had time to squeeze me in. Of course, I'll never go back there now that I've discovered the Tip & Toe. Because they've got these comfy leather chairs...

Lilies

 It is hot. Miserably hot. And, dry. Blustery winds batter the garden. There's a weird yellow tint to the sky, perhaps from the wildfires burning out of control a little bit south of me. The smell of smoke fills the air.

Plus, things keep going wrong.

Which is why I decided to escape for awhile. To the bliss of a nail salon where nobody speaks English. At least, not very well.

On Monday, I lost my camera. Which is never a good thing but a huge tragedy, this time, since it contained pictures of the most remarkable petroglyphs I'd ever encountered. While horseback riding in a remote back country area somewhere in the middle of New Mexico.

On Tuesday, a friend asked for a shockingly big favor. To borrow a whole bunch o' money. Has this ever happened to you? And, how do you handle it? I said no but I've felt sad and guilty ever since.

And, then! The coup de gras. Some dirty rotten scoundrel stole my scooter. Isn't that just rude? (Salt Lake City friends, please keep an eye out for my beloved Scooty. License # A54CM Honda Metro.)

But, there is an upside to every miserable situation. It's not like anything else could go wrong since everything already has. And, the temperatures are guaranteed to cool down. I mean, winter will show up at some point, won't it?

Plus, I have Tivo. And, central air. So, I could hide out, indoors, with the a/c blasting for weeks, if I wanted need to.

Here's hoping you're all having a joyfully uncomplicated week. :)

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C-C-C-Crazy for Columbines

* My favorite blooming time in the garden. :)

The Bee Team

We've heard a lot of talk about bees disappearing so I'm happy to report I have the answer to this worrisome mystery.

They're hangin' out at my place!

I've seen more bees in the garden this year than ever before. From big, hairy Bumbles to smaller wild bees, they're all earning their busy reputation among my flowers.

I'm scared of bees. 

Scared of sharks, too! 

Mostly because I'm a sucker for those chiller, thriller movies.

This year, the bees are so plentiful I've had to take a deep breath and put up with them buzzing around me in order to weed the garden.

Turns out, we have a lot in common. We both have a soft spot for flat-faced, daisy-type flowers. (They like to sit on 'em while I prefer to put them in a vase.)

They think blue, purple and yellow are about the only colors worth planting in a garden. (Me, too!)

And, we both think it's down right silly to be so manic about the Dandelions. They taste great.

The Buzz:
There are honey bees and lots of wild bees, including those hairy, scary 747s, the Bumblebees. They're all very mild-mannered, thinking that flowers taste much better than you do.

All bees are after the same stuff:
* Sweet nectar: works like a Red Bull on a road trip.
* Pollen: their version of a burger (protein) and fries (fat! yum!)

I haven't a clue why bees are disappearing and while I suppose they are pretty upset about their cell phone bills (who isn't?)
I highly doubt that cellphone signals are scaring them off.

Perhaps they're not getting enough of what they came looking for...? Most hybridized flower varieties sold in the US cannot provide a decent diet of nectar or protein. Native plants, on the other hand, are like a 5 star restaurant to bees.

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