Azalea Regalia

Spring has definitely sprung in South Carolina, and Todd and I have started eating out in the sun room so we can listen to the birds and enjoy the breeze.

Our early-blooming azaleas have all vividly come to life.

Azaleas, azaleas, everywhere.

It's got me asking the question:  how did I ever live without azaleas?

Sigh...they're so lovely.

They've definitely found a major place in my weekly bouquets.

The dogwoods are starting to bloom in long white drifts.  I bet they'll all be open by the weekend.

Remember this mystery bud?  It has progressed nicely.

They're leaves, not flowers!  It's so nice to see all the green.

 I've been taking advantage of every sunny place.  I've planted the window box:

I've filled the greenhouse window over the sink:

I've filled a small table behind our couch:

Our front steps are full of flowers, and we've got flowers in the sun room and on the patio.  How can I afford so many flowers?  Well, I can't.  Every single plant we have was in the clearance bin at some store, or propagated by me for pennies.  Clearance flowers are so easy to revive.  They're usually just in need of a little water and pruning and they snap back into shape.  I purchased two giant pots (10" across) of "Christmas pansies" at Lowe's for $2 each in January.  Both are STILL blooming beautifully. 

This giant fern was $40 - $50 at Walmart...dragged out of the clearance bin and mine for $9.  I'm repotting it in a bigger container today!

 These plants were all dragged out of the Lowe's clearance bin this weekend.

$6 hydrangeas (I bought 4)!  $3 columbines!  Dried-out succulents for $1!  These are perennials, which means that you can revive them now and they'll be with you as long as you can keep them alive.  I'm begging you:  raid those clearance bins!  Just not the ones around Anderson, South Carolina.  ;)

What I don't get from the clearance bin, I grow myself.  I planted a few inexpensive herbs a few weeks ago:

They needed some space, so I thinned them out and now they're growing happily on my patio.  I don't need so many herbs for cooking, so I'll use the extras in bouquets to add a little green.  Of course, they'll go to seed in the fall...I'll collect the seeds and do it all over again.

I've sowed seeds from last year - and a few new ones - on the patio.  A $10 seed investment, 220 perennial flowers planted, and hopefully all will grow.

I'm propagating all of my succulents in a sunny window.  They'll grow roots and make new plants...free!

It doesn't take any skill, much money, or much time.  The only thing you have to remember to do is water them!  I hope you'll give it a try!

I've been using my binoculars to watch birds down by the pond.  We've got lots of water birds:  geese, ducks, kingfishers, and herons.  What looks nice to the naked eye...

...doesn't hold up well under binocular scrutiny.

That's right...the current carries all sorts of trash to our edge of the pond and deposits it there.  It's pretty disgusting.

We've both been pretty busy, but this weekend I told Todd that we couldn't wait any longer to clean up that mess.  While I held the trash bag, Todd caught all of the trash up in the rake.

It took about 30 minutes to get it all cleaned up...I couldn't believe the trash filled an entire bag!

It looked so much better after we finished.

I was gratified to see a family of turtles moving in the very next day, hanging out on a log that had previously been bobbing in a sea of trash.  We'll keep up on it so that it doesn't become so messy again.

I hope you've got some flowers in your neck of the woods.  Have a great week!

Animal Farm

I went on a field trip yesterday for my Master Gardener class.  We toured Greenbrier Farm in Easley, South Carolina - an organic farm with grass-fed cattle and free range animals. 

To create a good, open environment for their pigs, they decided to fence off a forested part of their acreage and let them root in the dirt to their hearts' content.

 They reduced the forested area to dirt within 2 weeks...

...but they have plenty of space, plenty of good food and sunshine, and everyone knows how much pigs like to wallow in mud!

When not wallowing, the pigs concentrated their efforts on looking cute.

 Greenbrier Farm sells their pork to Whole Foods, which has pretty stringent quality control! 

 I was particularly impressed with their waste not, want not policy - no pun intended.  They pastured their cows this spring in a specific field called a "sacrifice pasture".  The cows consumed all the good spring grass in about three weeks.  Then the cows were moved to a different pasture and chickens were wheeled in.

Chickens ate the 'cow patties' and made plenty of messes of their own, which were scooped up and allowed to "cook" - i.e., allowed to sit until the nitrogen burned down a bit.  Then it was tilled into the soil as good organic fertilizer.

Baby chickens warmed themselves under heat lamps and drank out of bamboo troughs.  The bamboo came from the farm and is the perfect size for little chicks!

They have all sorts of cows...

...and sheep.

Wildflowers are starting to bloom and turned the area around their grape arbors a soft purple.

On another part of the farm, greenhouses provide a safe environment for growing.

Another ingenious idea...rye grass is grown on the right side of the greenhouse and then tilled into the ground to provide nutrients for the soil, and the perfect blend for later-season growing.

Of course, they've got flats and flats of seeds going now...

I saw three beehives on the property.  According to the farm owners, their vegetables are much larger and healthier since they started keeping bees.

Another greenhouse sits ready for use.  A great idea:  they housed some pigs in this space and let them do the labor of rooting up the soil.  Their waste was tilled into the soil for fertilizer.  You can't beat free!

One barn on the property has been turned into a conference hall, often used for weddings.

All in all, it was a great day on the farm!

Back home, increasingly warm temperatures means the end of some of my favorite spring plants.  The bulbs have bloomed and are dying.

I have a mix of purple and white hyacinths, plus lots of tulips, blooming around the house.  One more...

Yes, the purple hyacinths are definitely my favorite! 

A sad goodbye to the Helleborus, too.

However, I look forward to seeing what comes next!  Already the azaleas have burst into flower and are in bouquets everywhere...

...and the redbud trees are putting out some color.  I found these beautiful branches and couldn't resist a big bouquet!

It's been a little crafty around the house, but not as much as I would like.  I intended to make Easter eggs for all my friends and family (hollowed-out eggs, painted and dotted, with an Easter scroll inside).

Regretfully, I ran out of time...and eggs.  They were sent to some newly-discovered family members, and some crafty friends! 

Todd was able to build the rubber stamp shelf I've been dreaming about!  He used aluminum strips with stained and beveled wood 'shelves'...

...and mounted it to the wall.

It fits all my rubber stamps with room to grow.  Thanks, Todd!  :)

I've finally got a recipe to post, and it's a nice spring bread, if I do say so myself.  I took my favorite banana bread recipe and toyed with it, and this is the result.  YUM!!

Best Banana Bread
Modified from Bake or Break

For the bread:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup  granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 & 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3 - 4 medium bananas)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• a handful of coconut
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon cardamom

For the topping:

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
•  ½ cup old fashioned oatmeal
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 – 3 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour two loaf pans.  Mix your dry ingredients, minus the sugar, and set aside.  In your mixer, beat together the cream cheese and the butter, and gradually add in the sugars.  Beat for three minutes.  Add eggs, beating after each addition.  Beat in the bananas and the vanilla.  Gradually add flour mixture, mixing until just combined.

Spoon batter into prepared pans.  

Meanwhile, for the topping:  combine all topping ingredients except for the butter in a small bowl.  Cut in the butter and sprinkle over loaves.  

Bake for 45 - 60 minutes, until top is golden brown and center has cooked through. 

It's soft, sweet, and a delightful spring treat.  I hope you'll give it a try!