(Via grow this)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2007-10-02, 12:50:00

"Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" The Bible, St. Matt. 7:19.

Be careful about what you try to cut down this month in your garden. Is that an asparagus fern, or a fuzzy chartreuse octopus, spilling out of its cave and reaching vainly for the purple plant? Vines wither, the seeds scatter. Where are the juicy tomatoes of yesteryear?

Colors soften and retreat into gray. I received a final blast of colors in my vegetable garden harvest this morning: slightly mad shades of gaiety, like the last guest to leave your party – a little odd and a bit too loud. But the green and purple peppers and eggplants harvested today, are gloriously alive in a cooler color range to match the chill morning mist. The same shades of chartreuse as the asparagus fern in my back yard.

Another unexpected harvest in the back yard. What vanished creature laid a fossilized egg amid my large succulent dish? Does the planter look like a dinosaur nest on a rock in my back yard? What prehistoric time traveler was here? We do not remember.

This is the season of forgetting. But, unlike the merciless advice in Matthew, I will cut down only what Nature decrees in my garden.

I removed gourd vines, planted some beet seed and rounded up the gaggle of gourds to be left in a cool dry place to dry for about 6 months.

I grilled the eggplant with garlic in toasted sesame oil and when it cools, I will process it into baba ganoush. Thanks to the visiting Master Gardener who stopped to chat and gave me the inspiration. He was paid in kind: several pomegranates, some limes and the ripest purple tomatillos.

In my yard and in the Veggie Garden, every tree is allowed to stand as long as it wants, regardless of the harvest it produces. Such trees pay us in their dying flash of beauty, rather than fruit. And they will remember to return next year, appearing perennially at harvest celebrations to come.

(Via EnjoyGardening)

Posted by admin to Floral Notes on 2007-10-02, 06:00:45

I remember a sweet, elderly customer from my flower-shop days back in Calgary who once brought me several white grocery bags full of rather utilitarian containers: typical urn-shaped glass vases, little green plastic dishes, white baskets with enormous plastic handles.

Her husband had just passed away, and she had been inundated with many kind gestures. She hated to throw out these little gems, didn’t have room to keep them and hoped I’d reuse them. My heart went out to her. It still does.

In an attempt to achieve some pseudo-sense of Zen in my own house, I try not to acquire things that lack lasting function or aesthetic value.

In our floral department at Hole’s, we promote flowers in vases and containers that have a function and/or aesthetic appeal that lasts long after the flowers fade. Our aim is to make our arrangements a gift that truly keeps on giving.

These days, we are using a lot of high-quality, Polish-made glassware in interesting shapes and clean, contemporary lines.

Many of them would work well afterward for candlescaping, displaying an interesting assortment of shells and pods, or could be changed up to evolve with your seasonal decor.

It’s not unheard of for us to take a traditionally non-floral vessel and give it a fresh floral twist. We’ve used double-walled mixing bowls, sectional glass serving dishes and martini glasses. We try to not limit ourselves to strictly obvious flower vases.

Investing in a great piece of glass or an interesting container can demand less money for future refills. We’ve had many customers bring our containers back to be reworked, and we love the challenge of reinventing the wheel. Often, all it takes is a few distinctive stems of flowers, an unusual tropical foliage and a few quick special touches.

Of course, those disposable containers have their place in some situations, but next time you need a great gift or a reward for yourself, try a new look with longevity.