Summer Garden: Flowers, Fruit and a Flying Fish!

Hello friends. It has been a very long time since I shared a peek into what's growing in my small backyard garden.

Have you ever tried to grow roses? They can be very challenging. I did not have very good luck with the bare root variety that I bought at a local discount box store so instead purchased two 'Easy Elegance' rose bushes from Grays Garden Centers. Neither have been a disappointment. Both are bushy, have lots of green leaves and an abundance of flowers. The 'Calypso', above, is one of them. It sprouts lovely dark pink buds that change to light pink blooms and as they age they turn a subtle blush pink.

The dahlia above was a surprise this year. I picked up one of those six packs of annuals last summer at The Kiva Grocery store. And out of the six one decided to come back for another visit this year. How lovely!

We have three mature blueberry bushes and a couple of younger ones also. They were just twigs when we first planted them so it feels very special to be able to gather up a good amount of berries for scones, pancakes and snacking.

Lilies are a must if you love having fragrant flowers in your garden. Their sweet smell is intoxicating and relaxing on a warm summer night.

The lilies shown here are the Van Zyverden brand which I have had a good amount of success with over the years.

This white lily is from a variety pack called 'Lily Oriental Mix'. Its yellow pollen has fallen from the stamens, creating stains on the petals. Watch out! If you dip your nose into the flower to smell it you might get pollen stains on your nose!

And isn't this 'Triumphator' with its white and pink color scheme delightful?

The 'Oriental Summer Wine' lily is quite the bright pink don't you agree? I've seen an orange variety of lily with the same spot pattern and they are called tiger lily.

So do you prefer pink or blue hydrangeas? I prefer blue however there is a bit of effort required to achieve this. Maybe you've heard of it already but the idea is to lower the soil pH by applying a blueing formula. I use the Growmore brand. The link provided is the best price I found at about $10.00 for a two pound container. Here's an example of my results.

I started the blueing process late this season yet the results might be the best I've ever had.

If you have seen dried hydrangeas, either stems or wreaths, in the florist shop or at an upscale grocery store you know how expensive they can be. But did you know you can dry your garden hydrangeas yourself?

If you're interested in this, I wrote two blog posts. In DIY: Drying Garden Hydrangeas for Wreath Making I explain what to look for when preparing to cut your flowers and tips about the preservation process. And in DIY: Autumn Hydrangea Wreath I give step-by-step instructions on how to make a dried hydrangea wreath using a grapevine wreath purchased at the craft store.

And at last here is our new flying fish!

It's silly but everyone in our family loves having a carp windsock in the backyard. The first one we had was green and flew for many summer seasons until it got wind-ripped and could fly no longer. I found this new one at Eugene Toy & Hobby.

May our new blue flying carp merrily dip, spin and twirl for many summers to come!

That's all for now. Thanks for reading and see you again soon.
 

Summer Bike Ride, Through The Lens

Last weekend's bike ride began slow and easy, coasting downhill from the house to a nearby park...

Where we laid out a blanket, napped, watched the wildflowers sway in the warm breeze...

Noticed the play of shadow and light:

Then the ride back uphill; blood flowing, hearts pounding. Fifteen minutes of pure hard exercise. Done!

All photos taken with an iPhone.

Owen Rose Garden

On a recent very overcast summer day, we spent some time at the Owen Rose Garden. This eight and a half acre park is located along a bike path which runs beside the Willamette River in Eugene.  The land was donated to the city by former city councilor George E. Owen in 1951, and at that time, the Eugene Rose Society donated the original 750 rose bushes. Today, the park boasts more than 4,500 roses of over 400 varieties.

Along with the brilliant red 'Fourth Of July' shown in the first photo above, here are a few other varieties of roses that I took note of:

Hot Cocoa:

Julia Child:

Cinco de Mayo:

Golden Holstein:

The park also takes pride in an Oregon Heritage Tree, a cherry which is about 150 years old. This tree is so large that its heavy gnarled branches are supported by several support beams, and there are signs posted advising against climbing the brittle old limbs.

There were some other roses along one border of the park that were not identified, however James became smitten with these pink beauties and took a few photos: 

And who can resist some fascinating friends from the insect world?  Here are a dragonfly taking a rest, a ladybug most likely looking for aphids, and a busy buzzing bee gathering pollen:

Thanks for coming along with me on this tour through a little gem of a park in my town.

From Garden To Table: Blueberry Pie

Summer fruit pie making season has arrived here in Oregon, and I have found myself daydreaming about blueberry pie.  Sweetened berries inside a buttery pastry crust...  Yum! 

When the blueberry bushes in our small backyard garden began to flower, I was already thinking about the various ways in which we could eat them - besides just picking them straight from the bush, which of course is a delight in itself.  But the amount of berries that are ripe and plump and ready to be picked is what determines what can be done with them. A few days ago I picked enough fruit to make a pie, thus turning my daydream into reality.

The berry yield I obtained was just over a quart - maybe 5 cups in all.  It was enough to make the 10 inch pie you see in the top photo, plus another, smaller 6 inch pie (not shown).  

I know that most pie crust recipes call for unsalted butter and white pastry flour, but I never have anything but salted butter and whole wheat pastry flour around my kitchen.  So when using salted butter I go easy on the amount of added salt, and just use the flour on hand.  Using this type of pastry flour produces a crust that is a bit thicker and heartier than one made with white flour, and I think it tastes every bit as good.

So, here's the recipe I came up with:

Whole Wheat Pie Crust

makes 1 double-crust or 2 single-crust pies

2-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 sticks salted butter

1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water (about 2 ice cubes in the water is sufficient)

Measure the flour into a large bowl and add the salt and sugar.  Mix together.  Cut the butter into small pieces, adding to the flour mixture.  Work the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender until it is pea size.  Add 4 T. of the ice water and use your hands to mix it together.  Mix thoroughly before adding any more water.  What you are looking for is the formation of a ball of dough that holds together well.  Once this is achieved, stop handling it and divide it in half.  Shape each half into a disk and place in plastic wrap.  Chill at least 1 hour, or overnight.  I prefer to prepare the dough the night before, then take it out of the refrigerator about 1 hour before 'pie time' in the morning.  (Coffee, anyone?)  

Sprinkle some flour on your work surface and rub some on your rolling pin. Shape, then roll 1 disk of dough into your desired circumference and place it into your pie plate.  The reason I like this recipe is that it makes a generous amount of crust.  Sometimes I like to make the 10 inch pie, then roll out the rest of the dough, place it on a baking sheet, sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over it and bake it for an extra treat.

Once you have your dough shaped and placed into the bottom of your pie plate, put it in the refrigerator to keep the butter from melting too much, and make the filling:

Blueberry Pie Filling

yield 1 pie

1/4 cup flour

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

1 quart blueberries, washed and stems removed

2 T. lemon juice

1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar

Have berries ready in a large bowl.  Add the flour, lemon juice, and your desired amount of sugar and mix until the flour is distributed evenly.  

Let sit while you shape, then roll out your second disk of pastry into a top crust.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Stir the berries one more time, then fill the prepared bottom pie shell.  Place the top pastry over it, trim the excess, and press and crimp the edges together. Prick the top crust with a fork.  At this point if you think you've overworked the dough or if it is too soft, you could place the whole pie into the refrigerator until the dough firms up a bit more. 

Mix the egg and milk together, and brush this mixture over the top crust - this step isn't necessary, but it does make the pie a nice color.  

Bake at 425 degrees for twenty minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 30 to 40 minutes.  Let cool completely before cutting.

Now, it's time to enjoy your freshly baked summer fruit pie.  And since it is summer, what better place to share it than a nice cool shady spot in your own back yard?

What is your favorite summer pie you enjoy baking?   

          

3 Summer Flowers To Plant In Your Garden Now

With summer in our part of the Northern Hemisphere not quite in full swing, I thought this would be the perfect time to tell you about three of my favorite summer flowers that are also very easy to grow - hydrangea (seen above), lily, and dahlia.  Any of these perennials might be available right now at your local nursery or grocery store in gallon pots, ready to plant.  This is a great way to add instant color to your yard and have beautiful flowers that grow back each season, producing more blooms in subsequent years.  

Hydrangeas come in several colors - white, blue, purple, and pink, and it truly is a flower for all seasons. In early summer they produce big beautiful showy blooms, with soft dreamy petals. Then in the autumn they can be cut and brought inside to display in your home. Once dried, they will last for a very long time.    

Lilies come in a range of colors as well; I think that the best lilies are the fragrant kind, such as this Oriental variety:

When there are several of these blooming all at once, a heavenly scent fills the air.  What a pleasure it is to sit in the backyard on a warm night and take in this perfume!  Plus, you might see a hummingbird or two flitting around looking for some nectar!

Dahlias come in what seems like an endless variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. My favorite type are these cactus, or spider-like ones shown below:

Not all dahlias are perennial, so reading the label is a good idea.  Although some of the first dahlia starts that I planted a few years ago were labeled as annuals, some of them have come up every year as if they were perennials.  So who knows?  It's all fun.

One thing I've learned about gardening in general, is that the seasonal potted flower starts you see available for purchase in stores are there because someone has already done the research, and figured out that those certain plants will grow in your particular zone.  So trust your local garden center or even your grocer, if they have plants for sale.  Chances are that once you've planted and watered and cared for your perennials, you'll see them again next season.

Late Spring, Early Summer Through The Lens

One Thousand Paper Cranes. 

A Three Quarter Moon.

Hydrangea In Two Colors.

All images taken with my iPhone.