Did you have the opportunity to get away for awhile this summer?
Our summer has been a bit tough this year. The reason is that my son, Kai, had hip surgery (his 5th) and was confined to a wheelchair this summer. He was in quite a lot of pain for the first few weeks, which thankfully subsided in July.
We were blessed to go on a family vacation toward the end of July before school started. Every year, we go on a trip with my mother, my siblings and their families. This year, we decided to go to Pinetop, Arizona.
We got on the road and started heading east from Phoenix. The mountains of the high desert were beautiful along Salt River Canyon and we could see swimmers below.
Believe it or not, I have never been to the Eastern part of our state even though I have lived here for over 27 years.
Parts of the highway wound back and forth.
As we neared our destination, I began to see the pine trees that promised cooler weather.
Pinetop, Arizona
We finally arrived at the cabin that my mother had rented for us all to stay in.
It was quite big – 7 bedrooms and plenty of bathrooms to go around for 5 individual families.
We stayed on the bottom floor so that Kai could get around easily.
Pinetop, Arizona
A few of our mornings were spent going for walks.
Pinetop, Arizona
We love to walk outdoors, but in the summer it is tough because of the heat. So this was a real treat for us.
If I were at home, I would be busy writing, gardening, managing the kids and/or consulting instead of taking a walk outdoors on a beautiful morning. Pure heaven!
There were some beautiful gardens in the surrounding neighborhood.
This was my favorite garden.
Did you know that you can grow these flowering perennials in the desert? It’s true. The only difference is that they will bloom in spring rather then in summer.
We didn’t see any wild animals, but did pet a friendly cat and saw a horse getting new shoes.
This kids favorite house had a model train track set up throughout the entire front yard.
The kids were interested in the model trains and small buildings while I like to observe the miniature landscape plants.
This is one vine that you probably will not find growing in the low desert. This is a lovely Clematis vine and I have grown one before years ago when we lived in Phoenix. The problem was – it never flowered because it was too hot.
I haven’t grown one since.
We passed this bountiful vegetable garden.
I love this terraced garden, don’t you?
You don’t have to rely solely on flowers for color in the landscape. I love the trailing ivy underneath these oak trees.
Besides our walks, there was fun to be had back at the cabin…
The kids had fun racing monster trucks down the driveway every evening after dinner.
It was nice for Kai to be able to participate in racing without having to run.
Gracie enjoyed sitting on the porch and reading her favorite book.
On rainy afternoons, grandma kept the kids busy with art projects.
During the week, each family was responsible for making dinner for everyone. It was nice only having to cook once the entire week.
After dinner, the big kids would carry Kai and his wheelchair upstairs to play.
They would ‘charge’ the bad guy armed with a plastic gun and a cushion for a shield.
They usually triumphed over the villain.
Of course, we made sure to spend time fishing.
My husband kept our fishing line untangled and our hooks baited.
We spent quite a bit of time enjoying the peace and quiet of fishing.
Unfortunately, there was a little too much peace and quiet since we didn’t catch any. Not even a nibble.
On our last day, we hiked around the lake enjoying the beauty of the woods.
We had a wonderful trip and 2 days after we returned home, it was time for the kids to start school.
**Thank you for letting me take you along on our summer vacation.**
Salt River Canyon
Family Vacation Getaway…
From Humble Beginnings To A Sweet Finish
desertLast year, my mother gave me a blackberry plant.
She had planned on using it herself, but then gave it to me instead.
To be honest, I hadn’t really thought seriously about growing berries in my garden. But, as a child, we had quite a few blackberry bushes in our backyard and I remember eating blackberries over vanilla ice cream.
So, I planted my single blackberry bush in my edible side garden where one of my vegetable gardens is located along with my fruit tree.
This spring, I was delighted to find the beginnings of little blackberry flowers…
Soon, I had tiny, green berries covering my blackberry bush…
Blackberry plant
I could hardly wait until they ripened.
Every few days, my son, Kai, would run outside to check on how they were ripening. He would always come in with a few ripe ones.
I froze the berries in batches since they did not all ripen at the same time.
Then I stored them away in the freezer until a special occasion in which to serve them.
BUT, you know what happened?
I forgot about them until the other day when I was rummaging about in my freezer.
So I brought them out and prepared to make a blackberry topping for my homemade angel food cake.
I added sugar to the berries, which helps them to release their delicious juices.
A couple of hours later, I mashed them and served them over cake…
They were so sweet and delicious.
It was fun to surprise my family with this truly homemade dessert.
**Last winter, I planted 6 additional blackberry bushes. I can’t wait to harvest berries next year!
What is your favorite type of berry to eat?
Do you grow any berries?
What kinds?
Getting Away From It All
ArizonaDid you have the opportunity to get away for awhile this summer?
Our summer has been a bit tough this year. The reason is that my son, Kai, had hip surgery (his 5th) and was confined to a wheelchair this summer. He was in quite a lot of pain for the first few weeks, which thankfully subsided in July.
We were blessed to go on a family vacation toward the end of July before school started. Every year, we go on a trip with my mother, my siblings and their families. This year, we decided to go to Pinetop, Arizona.
We got on the road and started heading east from Phoenix. The mountains of the high desert were beautiful along Salt River Canyon and we could see swimmers below.
Believe it or not, I have never been to the Eastern part of our state even though I have lived here for over 27 years.
Parts of the highway wound back and forth.
As we neared our destination, I began to see the pine trees that promised cooler weather.
Pinetop, Arizona
We finally arrived at the cabin that my mother had rented for us all to stay in.
It was quite big – 7 bedrooms and plenty of bathrooms to go around for 5 individual families.
We stayed on the bottom floor so that Kai could get around easily.
Pinetop, Arizona
A few of our mornings were spent going for walks.
Pinetop, Arizona
We love to walk outdoors, but in the summer it is tough because of the heat. So this was a real treat for us.
If I were at home, I would be busy writing, gardening, managing the kids and/or consulting instead of taking a walk outdoors on a beautiful morning. Pure heaven!
There were some beautiful gardens in the surrounding neighborhood.
This was my favorite garden.
Did you know that you can grow these flowering perennials in the desert? It’s true. The only difference is that they will bloom in spring rather then in summer.
We didn’t see any wild animals, but did pet a friendly cat and saw a horse getting new shoes.
This kids favorite house had a model train track set up throughout the entire front yard.
The kids were interested in the model trains and small buildings while I like to observe the miniature landscape plants.
This is one vine that you probably will not find growing in the low desert. This is a lovely Clematis vine and I have grown one before years ago when we lived in Phoenix. The problem was – it never flowered because it was too hot.
I haven’t grown one since.
We passed this bountiful vegetable garden.
I love this terraced garden, don’t you?
You don’t have to rely solely on flowers for color in the landscape. I love the trailing ivy underneath these oak trees.
Besides our walks, there was fun to be had back at the cabin…
The kids had fun racing monster trucks down the driveway every evening after dinner.
It was nice for Kai to be able to participate in racing without having to run.
Gracie enjoyed sitting on the porch and reading her favorite book.
On rainy afternoons, grandma kept the kids busy with art projects.
During the week, each family was responsible for making dinner for everyone. It was nice only having to cook once the entire week.
After dinner, the big kids would carry Kai and his wheelchair upstairs to play.
They would ‘charge’ the bad guy armed with a plastic gun and a cushion for a shield.
They usually triumphed over the villain.
Of course, we made sure to spend time fishing.
My husband kept our fishing line untangled and our hooks baited.
We spent quite a bit of time enjoying the peace and quiet of fishing.
Unfortunately, there was a little too much peace and quiet since we didn’t catch any. Not even a nibble.
On our last day, we hiked around the lake enjoying the beauty of the woods.
We had a wonderful trip and 2 days after we returned home, it was time for the kids to start school.
**Thank you for letting me take you along on our summer vacation.**
Salt River Canyon
Family Vacation Getaway…
What To Do In The Garden: August Edition
azplantladyAugust has arrived, which means that my kids have started school and peace has descended on my house 🙂
Soon fall will be here, which is a very busy time in the Southwest garden because it is the best time of year to add new plants to the garden.
But in the meantime, there are still tasks that need to be done this month in the garden.
Here is my latest Southwest To Do List from Houzz.com
Hire residential landscape architects to help with all aspects of landscape design, from selecting or designing patio furniture, to siting a detached garage or pergola.
Highlight your home”s architecture with the expert advice of interior design specialists and top home decorators.
hope your week is off to a good start.
There is still time to enter my giveaway for the newest book from Timber Press –
“Miniature Garden Giveaway – Create Your Own Living World”
Do You Prefer Pretty Flowers or Dead Stems?
AZ Plant Lady, WildflowersFor those of you who have read my blog for a while, you have probably heard me talk about the epidemic of over-pruning. But, that doesn’t mean that you should never prune. The other day, I was driving down a street in our neighborhood when I saw one of my favorite perennials, Angelita Daisies.
The problem was, that they didn’t look very attractive…
They looked like tufts of green grass with dead sticks.
This is what Angelita Daisies should look like…
So, what went wrong with my neighbor’s Angelitas?
They didn’t remove the dead flowers.
Dead-heading doesn’t have to be done to them all the time, but once every 4 – 8 weeks will make a huge difference in their appearance.
In general, dead-heading spent flowers stimulates the plant to produce more flowers. The reason for this is that the goal of flowers is to produce seed. So, if dead flowers are allowed to remain on your plants, they figure that they have done their job and will stop flowering.
Of course, if you want to collect seeds from some of your favorite plants, then allow the flowers to dry and then collect the seeds (this doesn’t work that well with hybrids).
But, if you want colorful flowers – then take a couple of minutes a month and clip off the dead flowers.
Would you like to know why Angelita Daisies are one of my favorite perennials? Check out my post about this wonderful plant…
“A Bright, Sunny, Lesser-Known Plant”
Miniature Gardens – Creating Your Own Little World
azplantlady*This blog post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). Thanks for your support in this way.*
Have you ever seen a miniature garden? They are becoming very popular and are sometimes called ‘fairy gardens’. I must admit that I’ve been quite intrigued by them and so I was very excited with the publishers of “Gardening in Miniature” sent me a book, free of charge, for my honest review.
If you aren’t familiar with miniature gardens, it is helpful to think of them as large gardens shrunk down in size into a tiny world that fits into a single container.
If you like to peruse Pinterest, you have undoubtedly seen some great examples of miniature or fairy gardens.
I came upon a collection of miniature gardens for sale at an antique shop in upstate New York a couple of years ago.
They were planted in old enamelware pots and bowls.
As you can see, there is a pathway delineated by the larger pebbles, small fiber optic grasses, and a yellow viola in this garden.
This garden has a tiny shovel and watering can in it.
For some people, the accessories are the most enjoyable part of creating a miniature garden. I would probably be stuck in my local Michael’s or Hobby Lobby trying to decide what small accessories to include in my little garden.
I must admit that I have been thinking of creating my own miniature garden. Imagine a tiny world neatly contained inside of a pot. For those of you who experience cold winters, you can enjoy having a little garden indoors all winter long.
Have you considered trying to create a miniature garden?
Well, if you have – then I have a great book for you to read…
Gardening in Miniature by Janit Calvo is a visual feast of beautiful and unique little gardens.
Of course, there is much more than miniature garden photos. The book has all the information you will need to create your own tiny garden. From container selection, a list of plants, soil type and how to care for your little garden – this book covers it all.
A beautiful garden is well-designed and small gardens are no different. Gardening in Miniature offers helpful advice on how to design your tiny garden using plants, pebbles, water features and adding small furniture or figurines. Have you ever created your own miniature garden?
*I was given this book, free of charge, for my honest review.
Preserve Fresh Herbs By Freezing Into Ice Cubes
AZ Plant Lady, herb gardeningI love growing herbs in my garden and one of the reasons is that they thrive in our hot, dry summers with minimal fuss.
I must admit that I sometimes forget to make use of my fresh herbs, or sometimes I have more than I need. Some frost-tender herbs like basil don’t grow in winter in my garden – so either I have too much in the summer and almost none at all in winter.
Well, no more! Did you know that you could freeze your fresh herbs so you could use them during the winter months?
I tried this with my chives earlier this summer and it was so easy to do.
Here is how to do it:
Choose your favorite herb…
Wash them.
Chop them into the desired size.
I just love chives.
Place your chopped herbs into an ice cube tray, filling up each one about 3/4 of the way full.
Fill up with water, taking care to allow a little room for expansion since water expands when it freezes.
Put in your freezer for a few hours.
Freezing herbs
Once frozen, pop out your ‘herb cubes’ and put them in a freezer container or plastic container and store in your freezer.
Freezing herbs
Now, whenever you need fresh herbs when you cook, add a few ice cubes to your favorite sauce.
**You can also freeze herbs into ice cubes using olive oil instead of water, if desired.
Another great way to preserve herbs is to dry them.I talked about how to do this in an earlier post – “How to Grow and Dry Herbs”
A Tale of a Street and Two Trees…
AZ Plant Lady, TreesLast month as I was leaving from a landscape consultation, I took some time to drive by a few of the landscapes in the neighborhood.
I immediately noticed that quite a few people had Olive trees growing in their front yards.
Olive tree
There was a large difference in how some of the homeowners pruned their Olive trees…
Believe it or not, both of the trees pictured above are the same type of Olive tree.
Some people like to formally prune their Olive trees while others like theirs to grow naturally.
Which one would you prefer?
OR
I know which look I prefer and it is much healthier for the tree and much less maintenance.
How about you?
Which style of pruning do you like – formal or natural?
A Lapful of Apples and Caramel Apple Jam
AZ Plant Lady, Fruit TreesLast week, I shared with you our latest apple harvest.
My kitchen was filled with bags and bags of delicious, crisp, apples from my mother’s apple trees.
(I don’t have any apples from my trees yet because they are too young).
admit that I didn’t get to my apples right away. So, they sat in my kitchen. My granddaughter, Lily, had other ideas for the apples.
She would pick out a couple of apples from the bags.
Lily then brought them over to me.
And, proceeded to put them in my lap.
By the time she was done, I got the message she was trying to tell me….
It was time to start making some treats with my apples.
In the past, I would make homemade applesauce. Once you have tasted homemade, the store-bought just doesn’t cut it.
This year, I was inspired to make something new.
How does Caramel Apple Jam sound?
I found this wonderful magazine at the checkout lane (after I had glanced over the tabloids to get my weekly update on celebrity happenings 😉
The magazine is a Better Homes & Gardens special publication devoted to preserving fruits and vegetables (I have seen it at Walmart and Barnes & Noble). It is filled with jams, jellies, sauces and so much more. I dog-eared half the magazine with recipes that I want to try.
Well, I decided the Caramel Apple Jam would be my first recipe to try.
The hardest part of making fruit jams is peeling and chopping fruit. So, I finally got smart and asked my 15-year old daughter to help me.
Chopping apples went so much more quickly with two people.
Like applesauce, we cooked the apples and then put them through a fruit mill, which removed the peels and ‘mushed’ up the apples to the consistency of applesauce.
At the same time the apples were cooking, I made the caramel from white sugar.
Then combined the two, put it in jars and processed them with my boiling water canner.
The Caramel Apple Jam tasted so good that I made two more batches that are now sitting in my pantry. It tastes great on toast or served warm over vanilla ice cream. My husband likes eating it plain out of the jar 😉
With my leftover apples, I sliced them up and added flour, sugar, cinnamon and lemon and froze them. I’ll use them later for apple pies, this fall.
How about you?
What are enjoying eating from your garden this summer?
An Apple Harvest in the Desert…
ArizonaWhen I moved to the desert Southwest 27 years ago as a young bride, all I saw was a brown landscape, spiky cacti, landscapes covered in little bits of rock and very few trees.
If you had told me that you could grow any kind of fruit tree besides citrus – I would not have believed you.
Apple harvest at the family farm
Fast forward 27 years and I not only appreciate the unique beauty of the desert, but I have enjoyed my 4th annual apple harvest at the family farm.
Certain apple tree varieties grow very well in our climate. (For information on what varieties do best, here is an earlier post I wrote about apple trees).
Summer is a busy time because of the different types of fruit there are to harvest. Peach trees ripen first in late May followed by plums. Early June is spent in the kitchen making peach and plum jams.
In mid-June, the apple trees are ready to be picked.
My daughter Gracie and I headed out to pick some apples.
When we got there, my mother was already busy picking apples and ‘Johnny’ my sister’s 3-legged dog was enjoying eating the fallen apples.
The trees had so many apples that the branches were hanging down under their weight.
Soda Pop, my sister other dog (and the daughter of my dog, Missy) was also enjoying a feast of apples.
Don’t they look delicious?
One of the apple trees had some trouble late last year with borers. But we caught it early and got rid of them.
We hauled 3 huge bags of apples back home and I got ready to make some delicious things with them, which I’ll share with you next time.
*Below, is some helpful information regarding borers:
Adult borer beetles lay eggs in the crevices of the bark of apple trees – generally in the bottom 2 feet of the trunk. The eggs hatch and the larvae tunnel their way into the trunk.
Signs of borers are small holes toward the bottom 2 feet of the trunk. Sometimes you can sawdust poking out of the hole or even a little sap running down the trunk.
Prevention is the best treatment, but if you have apple borers there are a few things you can do:
– Take a wire (I recommend a wire coat hanger) and poke into the hole that the borer made and try to puncture the larvae. Do this in the summer. You may have to work at this a little, but kids might have fun doing this 😉
– Paint the trunk with white latex pain. This not only protects the trunk from sunburn, it also prevents borers from laying new eggs AND suffocates the borers already present.
If you have apple trees and want to help prevent borers away – plant cloves of garlic around your tree and let them grow. Many apple growers report that the smell of garlic keeps the adult borer beetles away.
By using garlic and painting the trunk of your apple trees, borers are more likely to stay away.
Stuck in a Wheelchair All Summer…
az plant lady familyThis summer has found us staying close to home for the most part as my son, Kai, is recovering from hip surgery.
June 2013
This is Kai’s sixth hip surgery and he will be the first to tell you that it is not fun.
The first part is always the worst because of the pain.
Post surgery 2006. Kai was in a stryker cast that reached up to his chest.
The first 24 hours aren’t too bad because he is mostly sleeping.
Leaving from the hospital in 2008.
But afterward, it just plain hurts – especially during the first week.
2005
After a couple of weeks, the pain goes away, which is a good thing.
However, Kai still can’t walk for another 4 – 5 weeks, which is a bad thing. Especially if you are a little boy.
Kai doesn’t let it slow him down though…
2006
Bowling in 2008
Racing with his cousins while being pushed by ‘Super-Duper’, a local super hero (whose secret identity is that of Kai’s uncle 😉
Fishing
Fighting with light sabers.
As you can see, Kai keeps busy and doesn’t let his wheelchair get in the way.
This summer is no different…
Playing ping-pong
Kai can’t get in the pool, but he can have fun with squirt guns.
Another race. Don’t worry…Kai had his seat belt on 😉
Having surgery and spending countless summers stuck in wheelchair can be hard. But, Kai adapts so easily and doesn’t let it bother him.
I have blogged about Kai in the past including what is wrong with his hip and our adoption process. You can read about it if you like, “Sunshine in My Life”