Crazy Carrot

I wish I had grown this in my garden but I got the photo from an unnamed source and just had to share it. :-)

The Herb Test

You Are Chamomile

You are a peaceful, relaxed person. Nothing really gets under your skin. You appreciate coziness and comfort. There's nothing you like better than a good nap. You don't let yourself stress or worry. You believe all things work out in the end. You are able to remain serene in the middle of a storm. You believe it's important to be a gentle person.

What Herb Are You?

Photo of the Day - Roses

Beautiful Garden, originally uploaded by JewellsinSEA.

Taken in the garden of our hosts in Bellevue at a Westminster College wine tasting the weekend before last.

Photo of the Day - Beautiful Garden

Beautiful Garden, originally uploaded by JewellsinSEA.

Taken in the garden of our hosts in Bellevue at a Westminster College wine tasting last weekend.

Photo of the Day - FRUIT!

FRUIT!, originally uploaded by JewellsinSEA.

Several of the green tomatoes on my deck. They have been green for several weeks now, I'm beginning to wonder if they will ever ripen.

Urban Garden Update

It's been a cooler than usual summer in Seattle. I'm pretty sure the cooler weather is all my fault. Why? Well, two reasons. First, I wrote a post in May about planting my deck garden and at the end stated that I hoped for "plenty of sunny and beautiful days." Clearly the Goddess of Seattle weather chose to blatantly ignore my wishes and squash my hopes by dialing up the "cooler than usual" weather. Secondly, I bought a portable air conditioner.

Don't get me wrong, I actually LOVE the cooler weather. However, had I known it was going to be a cooler summer I may have made different plant choices.

Color Bowl, originally uploaded by JewellsinSEA.

My flowers are doing really well, both in the color bowls (see above) and the planters (see below). They have grown a ton (newly planted pics here) and continue to produce blossoms. I was disappointed by the Blue Forget-Me-Nots as they were done blooming by mid-June. I cut them back at the other flowers have filled in the space quite well. I've never planted Forget-Me-Nots and will "forget" them next year.

Planter, originally uploaded by JewellsinSEA.

I am really pleased with the Sundial Pink Portulaca. I've never planted Portulaca but will again, I LOVE it! The leaves give the pots great texture the the flowers are so petite and pretty. You can see a close up shot here.

Tomato Plant, originally uploaded by JewellsinSEA.

The big disappointment of the summer has been the herbs and tomatoes. The tomatoes have grown a ton (see above) compared to the beginning of the season. But with the cooler weather the fruit produced is not ripening. I remain optimistic that a few weeks of sunny days may do the trick, we shall see.

My herb garden has also suffered from the lack of warmth. I didn't realize how spoiled I was when I grew herbs in Utah, they would end up 2 feet tall by the end of the season. This years herb garden remains small, and isn't even worthy of being photographed. The oregano and thyme have died off. The basil, sage and rosemary are okay, just not really growing. I've always thought indoor herb gardens were silly and now I think they were invented for people who live in Seattle.

I'll keep you updated on the progress of the tomatoes. Think warm weather fellow Seattleites!

Photo of the Day - Karl's Granddaughter

Clematis, originally uploaded by JewellsinSEA.

It wasn't until after I planted this Clematis that my mother told me that my Grandpa Karl loved Clematis and planted it everywhere they lived (they moved around a bit). I've never grown Clematis before but it seems I'm doing okay, maybe its genetic.

Weekend Wrap-Up

It's really hard not to enjoy summer weekends in Seattle, especially 3-day weekends, when the weather is spectacular. The highlights:

• Slept in on Friday morning and enjoyed a leisurely morning at home.
• Cleaned out the drawers in my bathroom. I filled and entire trash bag with outdated hair products and stuff I'll never use again. I don't know how it all fit in there.
• Enjoyed the wonderful afternoon at Seward Park doing some people watching and catching up on my book club reading.
• Watched Dexter (Season 1, Disc 1 & 2) on DVD.
• Played cards and drank beer with Don at Redhook most of the afternoon on Saturday.
• Watched my Sunday morning regular programs and futzed around the house.
• Spent some time taking care of my outdoor pots including cutting back the Forget Me Nots and dead-heading the marigolds, geraniums and portulaca.
• Added another 600+ songs to my iTunes library.
• Watched Charlie Bartlett.

Have 3 days passed already? How was your weekend?

Urban Deck Gardening

As I mentioned previously, I planted flowers, herbs and tomatoes on my deck last weekend. As promised, I have taken photos to share.

I planted a total 6 "color bowls" (2 for me, 2 for Kat and 2 for my brother and sister-in-law) and 2 rectangular planters (for Don) with the same flower combinations. They each contained: Fuchsia Geranium, Bonanza Yellow Marigold, Blue Forget-Me-Not, Dazzler White Impatien, Sundial Pink Portulaca, Dreamland Scarlet Zinnia and Dazzler Cranberry Impatien. (Click on the photo for exact identification of the flowers.)

Deck Flowers, originally uploaded by JewellsinSEA.

I also planted 2 rectangular planters for myself. They each contained: Red Geranium, Orange Marigold, Blue Forget-Me-Not, Sundial Pink Portulaca. (Click on the photo for exact identification of the flowers.)

Deck Flowers, originally uploaded by JewellsinSEA.

I planted an herb garden for myself containing: Sweet Basil, Oregano, Golden Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. (Click on the photo for exact identification of the herbs.)

Deck Herb Garden, originally uploaded by JewellsinSEA.

I also planted 2 tomato plants, one is pictured below.

Deck Tomatoes, originally uploaded by JewellsinSEA.

I'm anxious to see how they do this summer. The weather was a little too cool for the tomatoes and herbs last year so I'm keeping my figures crossed that we have plenty of sunny and beautiful days.

Good Luck Paige!

My sister is once again exhibiting at the San Diego Spring Home/Garden Show this weekend. Her theme this year is Went to a Garden Party, which she describes as:

All the colorful flowers are invited to a festive shabby chic gala. The setting is white so the dress will be in brightest hues to show off floral finery at its best. Whimsy and sparkle are the words of the day and the most important thing is to have fun!

Her garden is finished and ready for the grand opening gala this evening. My brother, Mike, and our parents will be with her this evening to celebrate her achievement. I will be with her in spirit and I know that the show will be perfect.