And What a Wonderful World It Is

If you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for a moment.

Georgia O'Keeffe

*garlic chive blossom*

Of Bees and Oregano

Sometimes you think something is thriving but it really isn't.  And you don't know that until you try it someplace else.  This oregano has been growing in the back garden for years.  It seems happy enough but never gives more than a smattering of blooms. 

While cutting it back last year I scooped up some roots and buried them in the front garden.  Now I know what happy oregano really looks like.  There are blooms everywhere and most importantly and most happily, there are dozens of bees.  Now that just makes me smile. 

If you have a bunch of oregano try this recipe.  It's a keeper. 

What Hope and Yellow Have in Common

The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.

                                                                                                                 ~ Bern Williams

When Life Hands You Lemons

The harvest of 2012?  The best ever!  My little tree churned out forty five Meyer lemons; forty two for me and three mauled by shifty garden marauders.  Not bad. 

The entire kitchen smelled heavenly when harvested.  And since then the heavy, juicy lemons have been used in a slew of ways.

Sugar cookies with lemon zest and a little juice in lieu of vanilla extract.  Oh my.  They are just about the best sugar cookies anyway, but when fresh Meyer lemon juice and zest are added?  Lemon-cookie nirvana.

There was lemon risotto.  If you've never had lemon risotto you really need to try it.  It's amazingly delicious.  Smooth, creamy and just the perfect amount of lemony goodness.  It pairs beautifully with grilled salmon garnished with fresh dill plucked from the garden.  Or sauteed scallops, oh yes, those are good too.

The fresh juice also found its way into homemade salad dressings and sauces.   Roasted whole chicken stuffed with lemon, onion, garlic and garden rosemary has been a favorite around here lately too. 

But now my lemon stash is dwindling and I'm becoming much more choosy about how to use the remaining lemons.  I've seen several recipes for lemon curd but I don't think my people are going to be fans and I'd like to make something we would all enjoy. 

So I'm asking, what are your favorite ways to use Meyer lemons?

To start the conversation, I'll share my two favorite recipes:  lemon risotto and lemon sugar cookies.

Sugar Cookies
Adapted from Family Weekly - March 12, 1978

1/2 cup soft unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp lemon juice (more to taste)
1 tsp lemon zest (more to taste)
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

Cream the butter and sugar.  Add eggs, zest and juice and beat well.   Combine flour, salt and baking powder then add to creamed mixture.  Mix.  Chill dough until firm.  Drop by rounded spoonful or roll dough and cut into shapes.  Bake in preheated 375 oven 8-10 minutes.  Remove to rack to cool.

Lemon Risotto
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Christmas Entertaining

3 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 cups water
5 Tbs. unsalted butter
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbs. minced shallots
2 1/4 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup coarsely grated lemon zest
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus some shaved for garnish
Salt (to taste)
1/4 cup minced fresh chervil

In saucepan over high heat, combine the broth and water.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low and maintain a simmer.

In separate large saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 Tbs. of the butter with the olive oil.  Add the shallots and saute until translucent, 2-3 minutes.  Add the rice and stir until opaque, about 3 minutes.  Add 3/4 cup broth, adjust the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring, until most of the broth is absorbed.  Continue adding the broth, about 3/4 cup at a time and stirring constantly, until all but about 1/2 cup of the broth has been used, the rice is nearly tender and still slightly firm in the center, and the mixture is creamy, 20-25 minutes.

Add the lemon juice to the remaining 1/2 cup broth and add the mixture, little by little, to the rice along with the remaining 3 Tbs. butter, lemon zest and the grated cheese, always stirring constantly.  Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt.

Stir in chervil and garnish with cheese shavings. 

Enjoy!

Don't forget; let me know your favorite ways to use Meyer lemons.

A Rain Soaked Garden Bloggers Bloom Day!

Well it's just been too long since participating in Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.  While taking in the posts of my fellow gardeners, I became so inspired to join the fun that I grabbed my camera and ran out into the rain soaked garden to see what I had to share.

There are rain lilies...lots of them in the space beyond the fence.  They've been blooming for a week now in response to all the May showers.  You can see they look a little tattered from the .80" we received last night but they'll spring back.  Last night's shower was a slow, gentle, soaking rain with periodic rumbles of distant thunder...perfect to drift off to sleep to.

The dill sends up fireworks of yellow blooms to entice the swallowtail butterflies and hover flies.  As much as I enjoy cooking with the dill and parsley, I seriously look forward to photographing them more!

The dwarf oakleaf hydrangea, planted last spring, is coming into its own.  The foliage is gorgeous and the blooms are just beginning to fill in, brightening up the shade of the Japanese maple bed.

In the sunny bed along the back fence, verbena bonariensis floats above other perennials attracting near by butterflies.  This pass-a-long plant from Amy at Go Away, I'm Gardening, makes me smile and think of her every time I walk by.  Thanks, Amy!

And one last shot before the skies opened again with another soft, soaking rain!  Hallelujah!  Livin' Easy is on it's second round of blooms this season.  I counted 14 buds the other morning!  This spring has been so fabulous especially in contrast to the horrid drought of last summer.

I hope this GBBD finds you all soaking up the joy that spring has to offer!

Thanks, Carol, for hosting this meme on the 15th of every month.  Stop by the other bloggers' posts to see what they have going on in their gardens this May. 

A quick note about comments:  Unfortunately, I've tried unsuccessfully to leave comments on many Wordpress blogs.  There are a few I'm able to but many redirect me to a page requiring that I sign in to Wordpress.  Any information as to why this is happening would be much appreciated.  Also, I've made The Whimsical Gardener a word verification free blog.  It has been no problem with only one spam comment actually making it through Blogger's filter.  I would encourage y'all to give it a try; it sure makes it a lot easier on those wishing to leave a comment ;)

Before & After: Front Bed One Year Later

For several years I had dreamed of replanting the two beds at the front of the house. The shrubs had become overgrown and although they remained green and lush throughout the year, I longed for a more cottage style garden filled with flowering plants that would attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

Last April I had the overgrown shrubs pulled out, {I salvaged three by replanting them in new locations}, which opened up a lot of space to the approach of the house.  {This post will focus on the bed to the left of the front door}.

You only see one yaupon holly shrub {to the right} in this shot.  There were six total; three flanking each side of the walkway to the front door.

Here you see the rest of the bed as it curves to the left revealing a Japanese holly fern and a couple Indian hawthorn shrubs.  The swing wasn't as welcoming as I would have liked since the shrubs were so tall and dense.  The limestone wall to the left helps create a nice, private space that feels cozy.  I wanted to design a seating area that was welcoming and reminiscent of a time when neighbors felt compelled to stop and chat.

Oklahoma flagstone was my choice for the patio.  We used decomposed granite to fill in the negative space between the stones.   A weeping Japanese maple adds a little height and drama with soft, beautifully textured leaves.  Oh yes, and I painted the swing black to match the shutters and rocking chairs on the opposite side of the porch.

By this time in April last year, it was already dry and beginning to get hot.  I decided to hold off planting most of the perennials until fall, with the exception of silver pony-foot, purple heart and elephant ear {along the limestone wall}.   Annuals were used for seasonal color and to buy me some time until I could plant when the weather cooled.

Green and purple sweet potato vine spills from a terra cotta pot, zinnia adds as splash of color and Thai basil {mid-right} is grown for culinary purposes as well as for it's late summer/early fall show of purple flowers {below}. Silver pony-foot peaks from behind the green sweet potato vine on the left.

Bee enjoying Thai basil bloom late last summer.

This is the bed today.  Starting at the top left of the photo, elephant ear, purple heart and Mexican honeysuckle (orange bloom).  Behind the maple and out of sight, is mountain sage (orange), lyre leaf sage (purple) and a few violets (purple).  Firespike (red) is found behind the pot on the right.  In front of the pot is daisy (white), I'm not sure of the variety, it was a pass along from a friend.  Purple heart is planted in the pot. Under the tree and left is silver pony-foot and in front of that is pineapple sage (red). 

Cat's whiskers (white) is a new plant I'm trying.  This bed sits in a low, semi-shady spot and stays wetter than any other area in my yard.  Cat's whiskers likes it more wet than dry and is a tender perennial.  If we have a mild winter like last winter, it should be fine.  If not, then it will be an annual.  It's sweet flowers were worth the chance to me.  I love how the delicate leaves of the maple and the delicate flowers of the cat's whiskers play on the breeze together. 

Moving forward from the cat's whiskers, the bed becomes sunnier and heat loving plants were used.  Ruby crystals grass (pinkish purple), milkweed (orange/yellow/red), cosmos (orange), (reseeded from last summer), Thai basil (purple), globe mallow (orange) and black-eyed Susan (yellow), (from a near-by bed) finish the planting.   

The season's first cosmos bloom.

I'm eager for everything to start filling in so my dream of a butterfly/hummingbird attracting garden can become a reality.  My desire to have neighbors feel welcome has been achieved...my neighbor and new friend Leroy has stopped by a couple of times and that makes all the hard work worth it!

Where To Begin? Attracting Migrating Birds...

Spring 2012 is beyond spectacular and it's even sweeter after the long, hellish summer of 2011.

The last few days have been a gardening blur!  I'm feverishly trying to finish up my spring tasks before it gets too hot.  Soon the garden will be a place for relaxing but for now it's a frenzy of activity.

Cilantro

Gulf Coast Penstemon

The hummingbird feeders have been thoroughly cleaned and a sugar solution of one part sugar to 4 parts boiling water has been prepared.  There was a visitor to the front feeder this evening!  The first of many I hope.

Speaking of birds, while visiting Wild Birds Unlimited in early February, I learned that putting out fruit beginning April 1st would attract migrating orioles to your yard.

I didn't use anything fancy...just found some wire and poked holes through the center of an orange after slicing, threaded the fruit on to the wire and then twisted the wire closed around a branch.

It's like a little fruit ornament hanging from the persimmon tree.  It's also close to the disappearing fountain which the goldfinches love to use as a drinking and bathing source.

Another tip the salesperson gave me was to put out millet to attract painted buntings.  I saw a couple pass through my garden last fall...If they come by again, I'll be ready for them.

 Abutilon 'Patricks'

It seems not only the gardener has been busy...

 Female green anole...

Male anole in hot pursuit...

The work of spring has to be done.  I hope you're finding the time and energy to get your spring projects finished.  Now, would someone please pass the Advil.

When You Have Herbs Growing Out Your Ears

Rosemary.  Cilantro.  Italian oregano.  Mexican oregano.  Parsley.  Dill.  Pineapple sage.  Mint.  Spearmint.  Herbs are in crazy abundance in my spring garden.  The winter rains have made for some happy plants and I've been saving some serious coin by growing my own.

This week the parsley and Italian oregano were the key ingredients in basic chimichurri, a family favorite.

Steven Raichlen writes in The Barbecue Bible, "Chimichurri is the traditional accompaniment to South American grilled meats...No two chimichurri recipes are exactly alike, although the basic recipe contains just four ingredients:  parsley, garlic, olive oil, and salt."

I made a few changes to Raichlen's recipe...added sherry instead of vinegar, omitted the carrot and used fresh oregano in lieu of the dried.

Just grab a bunch of parsley and process with some garlic and salt until smooth. 

Then add some fresh oregano, red pepper flakes, sherry and olive oil, again processing until smooth.  That's it.  Easy peasy. 

Basic Chimichurri

The Barbecue Bible

1 bunch fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, stemmed

1 small head garlic, broken and peeled

1 medium carrot, peeled and grated

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup white wine vinegar (I used sherry)

1/4 cup water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1.  Combine the parsley and garlic in a food processor and pulse to chop as fine as possible.

2.  Add the carrot, oil, 1/2 cup vinegar, the water, 1 tsp salt, oregano, 1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes, and the black pepper.  Process to mix.  Taste for seasoning, adding vinegar, salt, or pepper flakes as necessary; the sauce should be highly seasoned.  The chimichurri will keep for several days in the refrigerator, but it tastes best served within a few hours of making.  

*I used half as a marinade for skirt steak and reserved the rest for serving along side the grilled meat.   

Yum.  Enjoy!

GBBD~From Baltic Avenue to Park Place

Have you ever given any thought to the similarity between your garden and Monopoly?

Never, you say?   Well, me either.   Until this week.

There are many varieties of property within my garden and some of them are desirable and some, unfortunately are not.  There are the really valuable Boardwalk-Park Avenue kind of beds.  Then there are the occasional mid-range Pacific Avenue-New York Avenue caliber properties.  And more often than not, there are the Baltic Avenue parcels.  You know the kind.  Shallow soil, poor drainage, too wet, too dry, rocky, weedy, over grown...

What does this have to do with Garden Blogger's Bloom Day?  Hang with me for a second...

My Baltic Avenue was really a Park Place in disguise.  It was hard to see the potential there because it was overgrown with shrubs and suffered from poor drainage.   This area in the front of the house gets morning sun and is the wettest part of my garden.  Why did it take me so long to realize that my best real estate was underutilized?

Early this spring the shrubs were removed and I built a small dry creek bed to encourage better drainage.  A small flagstone patio was also installed in front of the swing.  By the time the work was complete, the temperatures were steadily climbing into the 90's and planting perennials seemed a bad choice as they would just limp through the summer.

Instead, I loaded up on annuals and they are the stars of this October GBBD.  An added perk of delayed planting was time to consider what I really want this new bed to look like.  Here you see a cosmos being gently cradled in the leaf of a purple sweet potato vine.

A Japanese maple now stands where the Japanese holly was in the "before" photograph above.  Underneath two varieties of sweet potato vine mingle with silver ponyfoot (my new favorite ground cover).

The same view just pulled back a bit.  You can see the narrow leaf zinnia in the foreground with a few cosmos tucked in behind them, to the right is Thai basil, sweet potato vine spilling from the pot and the silver ponyfoot and Japanese maple to the left.

The Thai basil is used frequently in recipes but mostly I enjoy the richly hued stems and delicate blossoms.   The pollinators do too.

The area is bisected by a sidewalk leading to the front door.  This is the right side of the bed.  This area used to be consumed by Yaupon hollies.  I love the color that greets guests as they walk up to the house.  It is so much more welcoming and cheerful.

The narrow leaf zinnias have bloomed all summer and are now getting their second wind as a result of our recent showers and cooler temps.

The impatiens are having a revival too.  Honestly, the whole city is experiencing a jubilant revival.  The rain last weekend was so refreshing.

And not to be forgotten, the globe mallow is really beginning to put on a show in the back garden.  

The coneflowers have long since gone to seed but their understated, simple beauty can't be denied. 

Be sure to stop by and visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.  She hosts this meme giving gardeners an opportunity to see what is blooming around the world on the 15th of every month.

Happy GBBD!

There Is No Novelty in This.

Where is the novelty in 48 days of 100+F temperatures?  There is none.  A snow day in February is novel... 13.39 inches of rain from one storm is novel...a huge, gorgeous cloud in an otherwise clear blue sky is novel.  They say twenty one days makes a habit.  We are well into habitual here.

As I stood under an oak canopy with hose in hand trying to salvage my garden, I looked around trying to find bits and pieces of something worth blogging about.  My love of macro photography usually allows me to look past the undesirable and focus on the positive.  But as this blog is a photo-journal of my garden it really wouldn't be fair to gloss over the damage this drought is causing.

Earlier in the summer I was going to show you this striking combination of Texas Betony and Lambs Ear.  The silver, soft foliage combined with the stalks of brightly hued blooms has caught my eye several times.  I never had the right lens or just couldn't be bothered for some reason to stand back and get a good shot of the two  together.   This shot was taken today and although not as striking as when both plants were thriving...it's still pretty (as a close-up).  The reality of a pulled back shot is this:

The Betony is going strong but most of the Lambs Ear has given itself up to the drought.  The scary thing is Lambs Ear is relatively drought tolerant and usually dies when we have heavy periods of rain.   It hates wet feet.

The remains of a Gulf Coast Penstemon.  I planted five the day before we had the 13" rain event.  They were uprooted and washed 'down stream' from their original planting site but I replanted them and they thrived.  Until now.  Within the last two weeks four have died and the fifth looks to be on its way out the door.

What the drought hasn't claimed, the bunnies have.  This is a Fall Aster that has previously survived being uprooted by the 13 inch rain event, being thought a weed and pulled by the guys installing the mulch and now the bunnies.  They've also eaten the impatiens, creeping Jenny, portulaca, diamond frost euphorbia, 'Red Dragon' knotweed and purple oxalis.  They are hungry.  It's hard to be upset knowing how hard their struggle is right now for survival.

This butterfly weed attracted so many Monarch butterflies last year.  It was easily four feet tall and this year it is no more than 8 inches tall.  It wilts every afternoon but rebounds during the evening and morning hours.  I'm praying it will hang in there.  You can see the Black-Eyed Susan basking in the heat.  These flowers can take whatever is thrown at them and they are welcome in my garden any time.

This mosaic of the monarch caterpillar is from last season.  I haven't seen one this year.

Luckily, it's not all bad news.  These long, hot days are giving me opportunity to think about how I can make my garden even more drought tolerant.  When this heat breaks I will be moving the plants that are stressed to cooler spots and adding more of the plants that are doing remarkably well.

The Flame Acanthus was planted this spring and has become a welcome part of the part-sun bed near the back patio.  The hummingbirds love the flowers and visit throughout the day. 

The Firebush is one of my all time favorite plants for Central Texas.  It is drought tolerant but the foliage has a lush look and turns a beautiful bronze color in the fall.  The tubular flowers attract hummingbirds and are formed in tight clusters giving them a more eye-catching appearance than the Flame Acanthus. 

In the herb garden, the mint and oregano have started to bloom.  This mint blossom is so pretty and delicate that it hardly seems possible that it is withstanding our record breaking heat.  No worries, it's planted in a container so it doesn't take over.

We will get through this drought.  I just pray that it is sooner rather than later.  As I type, it is 106F and our city leaders expect Austin to break records for electricity demand today.  The rest of the week calls for more of the same.