Plant geek: What do you do with an afternoon off?

 The weather for the past week has been spectacular in Kansas. It is so rare for us to have temperatures this cool in May.  We are also experiencing low humidity which is simply a miracle.

The spring weather also has me anxious to do some serious house cleaning and to work on the garden and flower beds.  We have a pretty good start on the garden and last Sunday was one of those all day cleaning days.  There is still so much to do!

I had been thinking through my schedule and discovered an afternoon with no appointments.  I went ahead and decided to take some vacation leave and see what I could accomplish.

It happened that the weather was super - sunshine and a cool breeze.  The blue sky and white clouds were stunning.

My first order of business was weeding in the garden.  Weeding isn't necessarily fun, but with a beautiful view and great weather, it's not so bad.

 I enjoyed seeing what was growing and loved thinking about the possibilities ahead.  Our potato plants have the tiniest of buds.  (I am a huge fan of these little flowers.)

 I was also glad to see that our rabbit prevention system worked for our broccoli.  Our broccoli plants were rabbit food until we put up this crazy contraption.

 My weeding continued to a couple of flower beds around the yard.  The clematis was blooming!  And, I am sorry that I didn't give it some attention earlier because a lot of the growth was trailing on the ground instead of around the support of the old school bell.

 One of my favorite sights in both leaving the house in the morning and coming home at night is the violas by our cellar door and the pansies by the front door.

 This deep purple clematis is near our garage.  It's never had better blooms.

 The irises are blooming in this amazing rotation - first, the white flowers and then it's just this chorus to different colored blooms.

 And, the columbine is beautiful again.  This color is "old fashioned" to me.  It makes me think of my grandma and how much she would have liked these blooms.

So, on an afternoon off, a plant geek works a little and geeks out over whatever is blooming at the moment. I am also saying many prayers of thanks for the blessing of beautiful weather.

San Francisco adventures

 Our spring break vacation began in San Francisco.  Actually, it began kind of early on a Monday morning with a drive to the airport in Kansas City.

I never have trouble getting through airport security, but this time my bag got selected for additional screening.  No big deal - until the security officer said he needed to take items out of my bag and screen them separately because my bag was disorganized and crowded.  My husband got a big kick out of this and I got really irritated.

We always joke that our main goal when traveling is to avoid getting a permanent place on the "no fly list" by losing our cool with the general frustrations of travel.  As I stood at the x-ray machine watching my organized bag get disassembled, my husband stood five yards away mouthing the words, "no fly list."  (We have a good time, even when we are tired and annoyed.  Remember this...it was tested for our trip home.)

Regardless of how it started, we made it to San Francisco and navigated our rental car reservation disaster.  We opted for the $98 rental instead of the $498 rental.  This decision involved using an off-site rental car agency which was a train ride and shuttle bus ride away from the airport.  We finally made it and they were overbooked with a whole lobby full of angry people.  Luckily, we made it out with a car, but only after waiting in line for nearly two hours.

 The long wait meant that we missed the night tour of Alcatraz.  Even though we missed our Plan A - to land, get the rental car, check into the hotel and catch the last boat to Alcatraz - we still were fine.  Our Plan B was to walk around Fisherman's Warf and then to make the four mile round trip walking tour from our hotel to the Ferry Building.  More about the Ferry Building in a future post.

I think the photo above is the last boat of the night returning from Alcatraz.  Maybe next time.

 The next day was full of walking and wonderful sightseeing in San Francisco.  We rode a trolley from the beginning to the end of one of the lines and then hopped off to walk around. We had breakfast in a diner and then headed to Chinatown.

In Chinatown, we enjoyed some window shopping and taking in the history described in our guidebook.  Our guidebook told us about the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie factory.  It was described as being in an alley between two streets.  We found the two streets and we walked around the block at least two times.  It looked like there was a line for people seeking food assistance and a few other back entrances to restaurants and stores - not a public place. When I shared this story with a friend, he remarked that typically tourists are not advised to go down alleys.  He is right - this didn't seem right.  

My husband said that we should just walk down the alley and see.  We get halfway down the alley and a man steps out of a doorway and says, "Fortune cookie?"

We found it!  We stepped inside and watched two women making fortune cookies at this machine.  The workers would take a hot, freshly baked cookie that was still pliable, add a fortune, bend it just right, and drop it into a bin.  This went on and on and on.  I think the man leading the "tour" said that they make 1,000 in an hour.  We decided to buy some fortune cookies to take with us.  I grabbed a small bag and our tour guide suggested I buy the larger bag.  I agreed.  How could I not?  Our tour guide was the cutest little man.  My husband whispers, "You just got up sold!"

 We continued our walk and saw some amazing things - beautiful bay views from different high points in the city, lovely flowers, and so many beautiful homes and gardens...

 Gorgeous buildings with amazing architecture.

 The hills in San Francisco are amazing (and tough on tourists' legs).  Lombard Street is reportedly the windiest road in the United States.  Wow, right?

 

 Primroses were in so many flower beds and boxes.  I really enjoyed seeing the vibrant colors and it made me long to begin planting our own flowers for the spring.

 

And, the Golden Gate Bridge!  We made the goal to drive across the bridge and we did on our last full day.  On our drive back from Sonoma, we took a different route just to catch the bridge.  We learned later that we were some of the last people to pay our toll ($6) to a human toll collector, as electronic toll collection was implemented a few days after we left.

A beautiful Saturday

 Today was a beautiful day!  My mom and I started the morning by participating in a 5K race.  It was chilly, but lovely.  Everyone was really friendly and the race with my mom was a great way to not only start the day, but also her birthday weekend.

After finishing our run, I drove home to finish chores and get ready for a workshop in Manhattan.  Mom was kind enough to ride along for the day and we enjoyed some lunch before I met up with my group.

After the workshop, we took our cameras around campus to capture some of the spring foliage.

Then, we took off for Wamego to take in the Tulip Festival, an annual spring celebration with an arts and crafts fair, food vendors, music and more.

 One of the surest signs of spring is the forsythia in bloom.  I actually am able to see these blooms from my office window.

There are few tulips blooming, except for these white tulips near my parking lot at work.  It is always a little disappointing when the tulips are not in bloom for the Tulip Festival because they are pushed along too early or too late because of the weather.  These white blooms made it right on time and we hope the purples and reds follow soon.

A sure cure for spring fever

 This winter has been lingering on and on and on.  We got a bit of a reprieve from the cold and gloomy weather over spring break.  My husband decided that we needed a vacation and some time in San Fransisco and Napa would be a good adventure for us.

We really had a quick trip in mind - five days with two of them for travel. This was no problem for us because we usually jam as many activities into our vacations as possible.  We are incurable achievers - a to-do list even on vacation.

We had multiple travel adventures and even with all of the frustration and missteps, we kept our good humor and made good memories.

There were so many highlights - good food and wine, beautiful country and just time together.  One of my favorite aspects of the whole trip was getting an early view of signs of spring - spring flowers, trees in full bloom, and green plants!  We also got a little snowfall back in Kansas while we were away. We felt really fortunate to have warmer temperatures.

No matter where we went, there was something beautiful in our view.  This tree was one of many in downtown Napa.

These beauties were in the garden area near Chef Michael Chiarello's restaurant and store in Yountville.

I loved this drapey, romantic pergola - what a statement for an entrance.  This entryway was just off the main street in Yountville. 

My husband and I learned that our incurable achiever characteristics in combination with the time difference meant that we were awake and out and about early.  We were in Yountville before most things were open.  Ok, we were there before everything except the French bakery and a coffee caboose were open.  We even walked into a staff meeting in this cute antique store, mistaking the unlocked door and the light on for being open.  We apologized like fools and backed out of the shop.

More vacation adventures coming soon!

Spring inspired gift

A colleague and friend sent me a beautiful thank you gift a couple of weeks ago.  It was a lovely surprise and really unique.

I have blogged before about my love of spring flowers.  Tulips are that classic spring flower that always give me a lot of joy.  And since we are still a few weeks away from having spring flowers in the yard, and since we are still in winter with some cold temperatures, having a little spring on my desk helped brighten my mood.

Plus, you have to love the purple!

So, check out this great gift.  I love it because it was like a little science experiment on my desk, though I knew the outcome - the flowers would bloom if I kept a little water in the vase.

The flowers arrived in this vase with a little water in the bottom, the bulbs held above the water by a plastic frog, and the buds ready to bloom.  In just a day or so, the flowers blossomed and they showed off some flashy blooms.

 The tulips lasted a long time and were really fun to watch bloom. I am so thankful for the beautiful gift.

Plant geek: hollyhocks

The flowers continue to bloom in truly spectacular fashion this spring.

My husband and I took a really long walk yesterday.  This seems to be a tendency - we take off for a walk that turns out to be a much longer distance than we intended.  You might remember my post - When a walk becomes a hike.  This time, we thought our route was around six total miles and it turned out to be eight!

Despite the extra distance, the time was very enjoyable.  We had the chance to talk, enjoy the mild weather, and to enjoy nature.  I discovered an old limestone house that my husband swears I always knew was there.  We saw an old pickup rusting in a fence row that neither of us had seen before.  We both got the daylights scared out of us when a wild turkey flew up out of a ditch near us.  I also saw that a neighbor has hollyhocks blooming and that got me thinking.

We have hollyhocks on the south side of our garage.  I never walk on that side of the garage unless I am weeding this particular flower bed or we are working on a project and that is the shortest path to the garage for forgotten supplies.  What if our hollyhocks were blooming and I was missing the show?

Well...they are blooming!

I found this variety in a mail order seed catalog and loved the dramatic deep purple/black blossoms.  These plants have continued to go to seed and migrate around the flower bed.  I really love them, and so do the bees.

Plant geek: irises

Beth Botts in Organic Gardening magazine highlighted heritage irises in the April/May 2012 issue.  She reported that in Greek mythology, Iris was the goddess of the rainbow and she carried messages from the earth to the sky.

I held onto this factoid about one of my favorite flowers because I am a true plant geek.  I am fully aware that few people would find spring flowers and Greek goddesses interesting, yet I proudly waive my plant geek flag.

It is no secret that spring flowers in general are a favorite of mine.  The irises have been blooming like crazy as of late and while I haven't have much time to photograph them, I have been sneaking quick walks through the yard to catch them when they are at their best.

We were so excited when a new variety finally bloomed for us.  Thought you would enjoy seeing these beauties!

Fuchsia - who knew?

 Who knew I could fall in love with a plant that I have always known, but apparently never really considered?

Over the past week, I stopped at different garden centers to pick up a few plants each night after work.  This strategy was a new approach.  Usually, we go to town on a weekend and purchase a whole truck full of plants, drive home and then plant for hours on end.  Our old mode of operation usually meant we ended up with rash buying decisions, too many of one thing and not enough of another, and sunburns.

We thought that by buying a few plants each night, we might better plan for what we needed, save some money by buying just what we needed, and be a little more sane when it was all said and done.

The first night I stopped, I fell in love with these lovely plants with pink blossoms.  The few that had actually bloomed revealed this awesome purple center.  I thought this - when put with a spike for some height and some bright yellow zinnas for some contrast - would be beautiful in the large planters near our front door.

 The fuchsia will drape really nicely over the side of the pot.  And, I just can't get enough of these show stopping blooms.

I am still blown away that I have known about fuchsia for years, but never really paid attention.

Once everything begins to settle in and really take off, I think this might be a new favorite combination of plants.

What's blooming - columbine

 Earlier this spring, I posted about several plants blooming in the yard and highlighted some of the first blooms on the columbine plant on the east side of the house.

While we were getting ready to load alpacas I had a "whoa" moment when I saw the oodles of blooms on the columbine now.

Just for fun, look at the earlier post and then check out this beauty.  It is a showstopper this year!

What's blooming - spring flower overload

 One of my most recent photography practice sessions yielded more images of spring flowers.  What else, but more spring blooms!

I especially loved the look of these blooms as they are starting to open.  The contrast between the buds, partially open blooms and then the fully opened blooms is so very striking.

We are also a big fan of the purple clementis.  The pink version by our garden gets all of the attention in early spring, but the purple clementis plants near the front of the house have more longevity with blooms at different points in the growing season.  They also put on a really good show.

And, purple is my favorite color.

This particular plant provides a screen for our garbage cans.  I am so thankful for a pretty and practical solution for the necessary, but not attractive part of the yard.

Loads and loads of blooms

 We have been watching the progression of spring blooms in the yard.  The clementis started to bloom last week and today it was in rare form.

Get a load of all of those blooms!

You might remember that I posted about the first blooms on this point of pride in the yard.  We had an idea for a showy climbing vine on the post that holds the school bell.  The bell, a gift from my in-laws, is really special to us and has a featured place at the garden entrance.

Before we left for Topeka yesterday, I ran outside with my camera for a little photography practice and the chance to just enjoy some of the new blooms.

Love these blooms!

The impression of this gorgeous plant is the exclamation point on the garden this time of year.

Just can't get enough!

A bee was also enjoying the blooms this morning.  She put on quite a show while I was snapping photos.

What do you see?

This is a bleeding heart.

Scientific name:  Dicentra spectabilis

Usually, people talk about this as a romance plant.  The name speaks to the heart-shaped flower with the small "drop of blood" on the bottom.

Is this what you see?

I see a lady with a funky pink hair-do.

Garden dream realized

 We planted a clementis in our backyard near the garden several years ago.  It was all part of a larger plan.

My in laws bought us a school bell and my husband installed it on a post near the garden fence.  I had this vision for a clementis to climb the post and offer some showy blooms and greenery to camouflage the post.  The bell would be at the same time a nod to the fact that we live in an old school house and the focal point for this flower bed.

It took a couple of years, but we now have a consistent early spring show of these pink and white with yellow center blooms.  We watch this plant with great anticipation.  It is usually loaded with blooms and then we wait for them to bust open.

This year, we had some rain that kept us out of garden for any time beyond getting basic chores finished.

Once the rain cleared, I saw we had blooms and ran out with my camera.

 As you walk into the garden from the south facing gate, you get to see the most blooms.

 Love the coloring!

 Just a couple more pictures...

 Love these blooms!

The moon was on the rise on the night I snapped these pictures.  Loved the big moon rising over our favorite hill.

Plant geek: what's blooming

 We enjoyed another great weekend in the yard and garden!  I took advantage of the time outside to take note of what was blooming.

I am trying to be more mindful of the "seasons" in the garden and yard.  Too often, I rush through the days and time outside is about checking things off a list instead of really enjoying the results of our hard work.

Long ago I read about a woman who would take a glass of wine outside and conduct a nightly garden walk to take note of the beauty and to also make plans for future work.  It all seemed so much more relaxed and enjoyable than my running around!

So, this weekend, the beautiful light pink tulips bloomed.  These are near the front of the house and right in front of the clementis that grows on an old gate.

It's no secret that the lilacs are in full bloom in Kansas!  The old-fashioned variety we have on the east side of the house is slowly coming to life.  I love the blossoms - a few fully open and others on their way.

This is my surprise for the spring!  On Saturday, we took off for a quick errand and I looked right out of our driveway and was so excited to see the lilac in the front of the house near the road was actually blooming.

We bought this plant as a stick from a mail order catalog.  We have babied it along for years and around two years ago, we started the serious debate of whether we should leave it alone or dig it up.  It had stalled out - little growth and never any blooms.  We decided to leave it alone and see what happens.

This year, it won us over with these sweet smelling and lovely pure white blooms.  Love it!