for the love of rock, II

Tags

DIY project, edging, erosion, garden, home garden, Keto, rock, summer garden

Those who follow this blog know how much I love rock, boulders, stones, and pebbles. For nearly twenty years, I have resided on a half-acre in the foothills of of the Blue Ridge, USA.
Back in 2001, I only had one option when shopping for a home. I knew where I wanted to buy, but had no options. The house I bought was a badly neglected, twenty-eight YO fixer-upper. The gardens were non-existent, yet I had to relinquish my farmhouse rental in thirty days. This blog has recorded my ongoing projects, mostly DIY, requiring all of my coping and problem-solving skills.

As mentioned afore, this property is sloped on one end creating many challenges and solutions for erosion control. Over and over. Two steps forward, one step back…for nearly two decades.

Lower patio area prior to major storm erosion. Replaced mulch and rosemary with pea gravel, peonies and rock.

During summer when temps rise quickly, morning chores begin before the neighbor’s rooster calls. As heat and humidity rise, I default indoors for most of the day. YouTube provides hours of informative content regarding gardens, history, and fabulous inspiration. Standing stones are often discussed when visiting the UK, and I took them to heart when arranging found rock on my wee property.
For years, I gathered rock and stone and hauled it home. Concrete paths and stoops were jack-hammered out, replaced with purchased boulders for both front and rear access.

Front boulder at door. All beds in this photo are changed entirely.

Today’s view of house front. See my hanging chad bay window? So glad to have calm in that bed. What do you think of a large planter under the bay filled with ferns?

The front path today…rain runs through it smoothly, leaving the path in tact. My hands and knees are really getting a workout this summer to keep weeds at bay!

I even add pebbles to decorative planters around the property. Tending live container plants is too labor intensive, and I love the look of pebbles. “Rock is forever” is my mantra.

Even wee Carolina wrens love bathing in this shallow saucer, adorned with a stone I carried back from New Mexico.

This is a winter shot of the front bed where I divide the turf from the mulched bed with river pebbles. During the growing season, this divide requires some weeding, but is effective and slows down water during heavy rains.

This was also a wash area every time it rained. So gravel was the answer. One heavy rain since placement confirms its success. Gravel will continue to replace mulch where ever it is appropriate. What took me so long???

Anywhere there is mulch, I tend to stabilize with found rock. Up till now, I usually placed rock flat. NOW, thanks to standing stones inspiration, I am retracing my rock edging. By digging a small trench where the stones lay, I reset them standing. This gives more of an edge, slowing water and keeping mulch in place. Voila!

These beauties did not require much standing, yet do a great job.

Just trenched and upright as of this morning, water will slow down and mulch will remain where I placed it. All these hostas were removed in 2019. Too much sun and they burned. As a trade for digging, one area resident with a shady garden is in heaven. 

One upright stone in the peony bed does a splendid job (combined with others along this sloped bed edge) and slows down rushing water. My own standing stones here at Swallowtail Cottage. 

Along the back foundation bed, a wider swath of pea gravel combines nicely with smaller “standing stones” to slow water. Turf one side, mulch the other.

With an occasional blower sweep along the rocks and a strim from the Grass Hog, mulch remains mulch and turf remains at bay…all being very tidy. You like?

This garden plaque says it all.

As I now sit in my pleasant air conditioned cottage during the hot July afternoon, all aches vanish from the hand and knee weeding/toiling of early this morning. Sharing my garden success with readers and fellow gardeners brings endless pleasure. Are you inspired?

Gardens are for sharing and I hope you enjoyed being a vicarious visitor. Let me know what garden projects you are undertaking.

Keto followers: End of month three and my IF is going great and for longer time. In fact I now go out early AM without eating and do plenty of garden chores before retreating from summer heat. IF has raised the bar for energy levels. WaHooWa!

Have you learned anything today?

Copyright © 2019 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

give a gardener a cool summer day…

Tags

garden, heirloom daffodils, perennial plants, raised bed gardening, summer garden

and she will take full advantage! Following weeks of high temperatures and dew points, Monday finally delivered a 60F morning high that will remain in place all week. On my garden schedule I had a large project looming and now was the ideal time to toil outdoors. Cooler temps allowed me the stamina to complete today’s chores by 9 AM.

Gardening, I have learned, will make a habitual weather watcher out of us all. Although my favorite time of year to garden is November-March, summer months demand attention. Weeds from all directions attempt to reside on my little half-acre, forcing me to  regularly go on patrol and snuff out (read yank/dig) any unwanted greenery.

In recent years, I became enamoured with the history of heirloom daffodils and bought many bulbs for Swallowtail Cottage. I chose dozens from catalogues and planted them into five unused raised beds. Long ago, I gave up fighting insects and fungal issues when growing veggies in the mid-atlantic region of the eastern US. (Zone 7a)

Just a sampling of my heirloom daffodils. Such a delight after a long winter. Varieties date from 1600-1800. 

This says it all on a summer day at Swallowtail Cottage.

This raised bed hosts both daffodil bulbs and my Wow-zer! Catnip

Thanks to the barista at the local Whole Foods Market, often I collect spent tea and coffee grounds and add to my raised bed soil for the worms…after bulbs were dug. Worms LOVE coffee grounds and I learned that once used, the acidic grounds become neutral.

Neatly turned soil with amendment underneath. What shall I plant next? Perhaps fall lettuce.

Beginning of the 2019 heirloom daffodil harvest. These bulbs quickly multiplied, requiring digging. They will become a cash crop at market this September, and I will continue the tradition of spreading heirloom varieties. If you desire heirlooms in your gardens, contact Old House Gardens and they will mail a catalogue and help in any way.

The drying table in the shed is filled to capacity with daff bulbs. They will reside here for up to a week, then dry soil will be removed, then they will be hung in net bags and held in the cool, dry basement until weighed and sold.

Harvested nepeta waiting for a basement transfer. As I dug the bulbs, the nepeta had to be removed, leaves were hand picked, rinsed, and spun dried. Since the shed is filled with bulbs, the patio table and sweater dryer will be temporary alternative spots for drying.

As I toiled, I could not overlook the stunning bloomers in my gardens. Award Winner Little Lime Hydrangea (Panicle Hydrangea)…planted in March 2018, is already a star. Oakleaf blooms so much earlier that this specimen is eye candy during steamy, hot summer days. As a dwarf variety, this beauty will be welcome for years to come.

Another newbie to my gardens is Tickseed (Coreopsis v. ‘Moonbeam’). Planted in June 2018, this cheerful perennial with its daisy-like lemon yellow flowers, blooms throughout the summer. Fern-like foliage is light and airy. In 1992 this garden gem won Perennial Plant of the Year. And best of all, it attracts pollenators.

Another showstopper this time of year is Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum). As soon as the buds begin to open butterflies spend all day nectaring. Talk about a WOW! factor! This herbaceous, late-blooming perennial is native to much of the USA. It is a wildflower and an herb that was used as an herbal remedy to lower fevers and other maladies. It does like wet feet so every morning I empty the dehumidifier water onto its roots.

If readers recall the front path redo a few years back…this photo reveals the challenges I continue to face with this property. I often say if I could get my hands on the guy who graded this place, I would hang him from the utility pole. Alas, the path work stopped the previously mulched path from eroding, yet the pea gravel allows massive weed infestation, requiring hand and knees weed removal. As often as I think on this challenge, (don’t want steps) I will continue to add pea gravel. At least it is a forever stone. Any ideas from readers?

The top of the path joins the wider entrance path, and my happy Morris Buxus, which I continue to adore. The dwarf Nandina were removed (failed to thrive), so remain the Buxus for now. The “hanging chad” bay window continues to dangle, yet I have my eye on a Houzz Corten planter…filled with perennial ferns…I think may be a simple, elegant, easy solution.

Adore my wee Morris boxwood? The two tons of river rock installed in this bed requires even more, as ground settles. My nickname was formerly “Mulch Queen”… now it is “Rock Queen!”

Baby 5 was my perfect companion during this gravel project. She held steadfast, despite my concerns that I would break her.

Last year’s view of house front. See my “hanging chad” bay window? So glad to have calm in that bed now. What do you think of a large planter under the bay filled with ferns?

On another topic: The Eastern Bluebird box with three predator guards and Hardie Plank strips on roof helps protect the nest from four-leggers and heat. I rarely have summer nesting Bluebirds, yet this year this box is in high demand.

Tired of losing wee toads to the window well, I added screen until I can imagine a better solution.

Summer Daze!

So goes the month of July 2019.

May August be kind.

Disclaimer: This blog is intended for both educational and inspirational purposes. Author receives no compensation for mentioning brands or businesses.

Copyright © 2019 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

 

May’s DIY project ~ the big dig!

Tags

Albemarle County, back yard birds, Central Virginia, DIY project, garden, home, landscape design, life, nature, sustainable living

Uncanny, how vistas change in a wee season and projects present themselves abruptly.

This month, the wild bird bath waved its copper flag at me from across the turf…hey lady, this shrub is toast and I need a makeover. How about it, NOW!

Ok, I concurred. This winter was very hard on a few residents of my landscape, and this small feature became an eyesore overnight.

my little ugly duckling in full view from the rear terrace ~ winky-wonk copper bird bath…

the original circle was topped with pea gravel and river rock, and the holly was a volunteer, seeded by a fly over wild bird

I can do this! One small shrub cannot be that hard to remove…ha!

after the holly was sawed off, I raked the largest stones into the wheelbarrow and reused the pile in the lower garden

once the deck was clear of most stones, I pondered on the stump…it could not remain, as the bird bath needed centering, or so I thought…

on both knees, I began to chop, chop, chop with my little Swedish hatchet

as moments passed, I realized this “small” root was not. The bin began to fill and numerous trips were made to the shed for additional tools…as I hacked, forked, and picked at tough roots, thoughts of the great pyramids and the tedious excavation of Pompeii trickled through my brain, keeping me on task. I can do this!

This bugger took ages to excavate; close to an hour. I considered calling my digging man, yet this simple DIY lured me to finish in ONE morning!

I pushed on and somewhat leveled the rich soil. Paver sand was in the shed from another project, and I hope the effort makes a difference. The old aggregate step stone has served me well and once leveled, I discovered a 1994 quarter. Not a coveted arrowhead sometimes found in these parts…drat!

1994 quarter-dollar. When I carried it to the shed, it slipped from my gloved hand and is now lost again somewhere in the shed. Guess that coin enjoys being lost…

after a trip to town, twenty pavers completed the circle and mulch top dressed the project. I swear the bird bath is centered…hmm.

This is certainly an improved look, don’t you think? While I contemplate what plant material should go around the bird bath I will heal my wounded self. I admit my body ached from head to toe for two days following this DIY, and I am rapidly succumbing to future assistance from hired labor. No pain, no gain?

You go girl, cooed the garden ornaments…

The following week I added three plants around the stepping-stones…

those tiny plants are Munstead lavender, in honor of Gertrude Jekyll ~ an easy start to a great plant, if they are happy here. Time will tell.

this is the bed in May 2015. Munstead is doing very well, despite the very cold winter.

Check out my other DIY project at https://dianelasauce.wordpress.com/2011/09/08/the-thing-about-renewal/

Copyright © 2014 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

seasonal wild bird buffet recipes ~ LaSauce style

Tags

bird buffet recipe, easy recipes, feeding wild birds, how to make organic wild bird food, NON-GMO, spring, Virginia, wild bird food, wild bird food recipe, winter

Those of you who follow my blog realize how I adore hosting wild birds in my central Virginia gardens. With frequent coaching from a local naturalist and a bluebird guru, I confidently care for wild feathered visitors year round.

This handsome Red Bellied Woodpecker dines regularly at the Yankee Seed Saver feeder. It really enjoys the LaSauce Buffet Recipe.

Being a long-time foodie, I could not resist reinventing a wild bird banquet recipe found in The Bluebird Monitor’s Guide.

I confess, I am suspicious of any food that is genetically modified (GMO) and seek organic foods for both me and my food clients, so why not for the birds???
Also an avid label reader, I find most bird foods do not list country of origin, date of production, nor GMO ingredients. Therefore, I avoid all commercially produced mixes.

Suet (the hard fat surrounding the kidneys and loins of beef and mutton) is another concern, as I strongly suspect that its source comes from beef feedlots in the midwest US. Again, I do not condone industrial meat production. When I inspect suet block labels, nada, no information there. When asked, retailers do not know origins either. Call me a fanatic, yet until there is definitive, credible proof that GMO grains and feedlot suet are safe, I will avoid them like the plague.

nestling bluebirds day nine ~ Swallowtail Cottage. Would you feed them GMO food?

LaSauce Recipe for Winter Wild Bird Buffet ~ Swallowtail Cottage

In a medium saucepan set over low heat, melt:

•  1 cup freshly ground, unsalted peanut butter (I grind this fresh at my local market where they guarantee NO-GMO)
• 1 cup TJ’s non-GMO sunflower oil.
  When just melted remove from heat and add:
• 4 cups stone ground cornmeal (I use a local Indian corn heirloom variety)
• 1 cup raw rolled oats, ground to a fine powder in a food processor
• 2 cup raw, hulled sunflower seeds, roughly chopped in food processor
• 2 cup chopped currants
• 1 cup raw, unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped in processor
• 1/2 cup organic egg shells, finely ground in a spice or coffee grinder (save shells from hard-cooked eggs, never raw shells.) Extra ground shells keep well in a glass jar in the freezer indefinitely. (I dry the peeled shells overnight on the kitchen counter at room temperature before grinding.)
• Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold all ingredients together. Allow to cool before serving your feathered friends.This recipe yields a gracious plenty.
• For this gourmet food, I serve it up in a Yankee hanging feeder where even the Red Bellied Woodpeckers feast.
• Store unused portions in the refrigerator in a sealed tub.
• Furthermore, I source all ingredients from my local health-conscious store’s bulk department—where prices are competitive AND I know offerings are non-GMO, and often organic.
• After a few days, I often add additional chopped currants or sunflower seeds to the mix, depending what the birds consider most popular that batch.
• NOTE: this is a winter food  recipe for wild birds, as the oil will melt during summer months, and the birds can forage for live insects, which is their preferred food.

Why chop/grind ingredients, you may ask? Considering birds have only one tool (mandible) to process edibles, and a few toes, so I decided to make their dining experience in my gardens a wee bit less labor intensive.

Wild birds expend tremendous energy simply surviving single-digit temperatures and deep snow during winter months. One simple human step added to the bird banquet becomes a precious energy-saving step for the birds. Furthermore, serving large, whole seed with husks leads to overall food waste, as many wild birds fly in, grab a morsel, and fly off to a twig where they pound/peck seeds into manageable sizes, often losing bits of goodness during the process. Make sense?

Other favorite bird foods:

The attached recipe is gobbled up by at least eleven overwintering species of wild birds in my central Virginia gardens. Additionally, I put millet out in a separate saucer (in the bottom of a vintage parrot cage where wild birds fly in and out) for those birds who enjoy that seed.

Mealworms are another treat for many birds, yet NEVER feed those freeze-dried worms! They too are from CHINA, and we have no idea what standards apply there. I order insects year-round from reliable Nature’s Way (1.800.318.2611) in Hamilton, Ohio.  Live mealworms are essential food/protein for bluebird nestlings and they are simple and fun to care for.

add a small water heater to your bird bath during frozen winter days

NOTE: Please keep a source of fresh water available year round during daylight hours. This is critical during winter months when creeks and streams are frozen solid. Thirsty birds could easily drink from a salt-laden or antifreeze puddle that would cause an agonizing death.  I place a small water heater (designed for this purpose) in the bird bath on days when temps do not rise above freezing.

Virginia bluebirds dine at LaSauce buffet

So there you are fellow bird lovers…consider this winter recipe for your feathered friends. And if you want a refresher course on clean food, view the documentaries,
Food Inc. and King Korn. My case rests…

Disclaimer: thoughts published here and throughout this blog are mine and in no way do I benefit from businesses/publications mentioned within. 

Want my spring buffet recipe?

LaSauce Spring/Warm Weather Wild Bird Buffet Recipe is a combo of shelled sunflower seeds, dry currants, ground eggshells, and sunflower oil—plain and simple.
All ingredients are purchased in bulk at my local health food-minded market.
Simply whirl two cups of seeds and one-half cup of berries in a food processor until slightly chopped, about three seconds (remember this saves the birds labor and morsel loss).
Add ground organic/cooked egg shells (2 T), then toss with a tablespoon of sunflower oil to moisten. The oil helps the egg-shell powder stick to the seed, yet will not choke the birds. Portions are approximate and easy to make. Birds are not picky! If I notice one ingredient being consumed faster, I add more of that next batch.

a photo of the warm weather mix. Wild birds flock to the feeders for this nutritious food. Happy feeding!

Happy birding!

Any questions? Just post them to the comments link located in the top right of this page.

Copyright © 2014 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

the thing about renewal

Tags

DIY project, herb bed, Home Depot, home improvment, landscape design, renewal

Tired herb bed June 2011 in central Virginia, zone 7a. This bed began in 2001.

Over a decade ago, this small patch was claimed out of the lawn and provides yummy ingredients for many of my annual pestos, while supplying host food (dill and parsley) for black swallowtail larvae.

Herb bed May 2011. Berms and swales were the first attempt in this herb bed, yet constant surface water from across the turf forced the assorted mulches onto the gravel, making this design a total failure. I originally had parsley, dill, French Tarragon, and chives placed here, just outside the kitchen door.

When I paused at this place early one summer morning, gazing with an objective eye, this workhorse herb bed appeared to scream time for renewal!

At first, I envisioned a bubbly fountain in the center of the bed where perennial chives and French tarragon are primary residents. These two herbal varieties survived a decade of surface water and blazing western sun, yet this year both herbs looked exhausted following their initial spring harvest.

Originally I used berms and swales as a stopgap — successfully for years — yet this year my plants needed intervention. Therefore I began dreaming, drafting, plotting, and Internet research.

I envisioned round shapes within the pie shaped bed to hold the hardy herbs. Over a period of sweltering summer weeks, prices and material availability shaped my decisions. First, I removed the sundial from the center of the bed. Second, a beautiful urn, lost in the lower garden, took center stage as the spilling sedum suggests movement. A real fountain was not in my budget nor did I want the maintenance.

herb bed renewal in progress one hot August

Third, round raised beds were not available, therefore I opted for shaped pavers easily obtained from a local home improvement center. These babies are not for the faint of heart, as each weighs 20# and I needed 48 or 840#!

The patient and helpful guys at the garden center loaded a cart as I hand-picked each paver; since each block would be highly visible, I wanted no chipped blocks. Along with this purchase, I collected bagged topsoil, pea gravel, and heavy-duty landscape cloth. This assortment was transported in three separate trips, so as not to do in moi or my eleven-year-old MPV.

French tarragon bed complete and I like it! Once the ground was level (+OR-), I rolled out the landscape cloth, then placed the pavers. When the pavers were in a happy place, the cloth was cut out of the center of the circle to expose soil. Then amendments began. I transplanted herbs as I went.

Once the pavers were placed and the cloth removed from the inner circle, sod busting came next on the agenda. For this, I used a sturdy pitchfork that dug twelve inches deep — the slender tines eased the heavy clay out of its fist-like grip.

slim tines of the sturdy pitchfork ease clay out of the ground so new topsoil could be added

In order to clean up the outer edges of the main bed, I raked back the wandering gravel and reused the tumbled blue-stone pavers from the first bed then added found river rock to detail the opposite eleven foot side. The pre-existing outer curved rim of the bed is a mini French drain filled with river pebbles.

side view of herb bed in transition…so sad.

The soil was a hodge-podge of tough Virginia clay with years of amendments, yet digging strained every muscle/tendon in my upper body, so I took a few days off to admire my handiwork. Keep in mind this was a one-woman DIY project! Following rest and a few rain showers, I began the task of hauling and placing the pavers. Armed with both a rake, scissors, and one roll of landscape cloth — which helped create a blank canvas — I persevered.

this brand is super!

I liked the first circle, yet added additional pavers to the next two beds to enlarge. Over the course of one week, this bed was heaved and shifted into place, transplanting the herbs as I completed the next circle. Both the landscape cloth and pea gravel gave nice finishing touches, resembling icing on a cake.

project ongoing between rests! Adore that pea gravel! Such a nice finish.

Other than the heavy lifting, this project was highly enjoyable, budget-friendly, and the finished result pleasing to the eye…do you agree? Two years later, the herbs continue to thrive and the paver beds are as tidy as the day they were installed.

completed herb bed renewal August 2011. Pea gravel is nice touch!

The third and final circle (right) will grow annual herbs such as cilantro, dill, and curly parsley. They will look handsome planted in pie-shaped wedges within the circle. Perhaps rosemary will find this new environment habitable and continually remind me that  “Rosemary is for Remembrance”.

Oh how true

the herb bed in June 2015. A real success story. Since then, I removed the outer rock border and stones blend together. 

Here is a personal invitation for you to check out my recipes for chive/artichoke and kale pestos. Simply type the word pesto into the search bar on my blog site.

In closing, I assure you that having a healthy herb bed will provide both you and your family nutritious and simple food choices that are easy and fun to grow, even when space is limited. And if you have help and a F350, this project could be completed over a weekend! Plus, the French tarragon and chives featured here are now fifteen years old — lots of bang for the buck…Bon Appetit!

Copyright © 2011 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved