photo by victorytalk.com

Dear Jenny:

Greetings from the North Pole! We are really getting busy now because Christmas is right around the corner! The elves have been making lots of toys for good girls and boys–today they are working on skateboards. You have to get the action just right or the wheels don’t turn as well. But in all the excitement making toys, we haven’t forgotten our grown-ups! We got your name from our Nice List 2010, with help from our friends at DigPlantGrow. Those folks there said you are a very nice grown-up, and that you like to write. So I am writing to you today to see if there is anything special you would like for Christmas this year. We can’t promise that you will get everything on your list, but if you promise to do good deeds every day  and keep writing nice garden-y things on your blog, we will see what we can do.

Love,

Santa

P.S. The cookies you made for me last year were extra-special yummy, and Mrs. Claus would like the recipe. She is sure you used real butter instead of oleo.

Dear Santa:

Wow, how nice to hear from you! I would’ve liked to get a letter from you when I was eight and really wanted the Sweet April doll with the swing, but whatever.  That is good to know that my friends at DigPlantGrow like me and think that I am a Nice Person. I have been giving your letter much thought, because I don’t think a request from Santa should be blown off. As you know, I am indeed a garden writer as well as a garden designer, and try very hard to write things that are useful, informative and entertaining. (Sometimes people just think it’s weird, but I think they just don’t get it.) So anyway, here’s what I would like. It’s not big or fancy, and it doesn’t require a lot of shiny parts, but it does require smart people. I would like a website  where I can go to get help when I am writing my useful, informative and entertaining blog posts. Specifically, this website should include things like items 1-5 below:

1. Lists of overly-used and very trite phrases to avoid because if you use them, you will look stupid: Like “I don’t know about you, but…” and “Here’s an event you won’t want to miss.” Like, why would I want to miss an event? If I don’t want to go, I just won’t go.
2. Ideas for photography: I know my writing is superlative and can usually stand on its own, but we are gardeners and as such, are visual people. So if Santa can provide tips on photography, that would be groovy.
3. A discussion forum with other writers: Writing can be a lonely gig, and having a place to go and talk about writerly things would be very helpful.
4. Ways to get your writing read: I’m not writing for my own entertainment (Ok, well, that post with pics on the beetles procreating was sort of for my own fun.); I want my posts to be read. Social media? Contests/giveaways? Interviews? Links to other sites?
5. Tips on creating a writing calendar: How to plan ahead for seasonal, timely posts. What resources to regularly check  to inspire to-the-minute, somewhat impulsive posts? Where do I go to get info on garden trends and ideas to write about?

So there you have it. If you can do it, that would be awesome. (Wait, is “awesome” one of those overly-used words that make me look stupid?)  The people at DigPlantGrow will help you.  If not, I expect the Sweet April doll in my stocking this Christmas. I’m not kidding.

Love,

Jenny

P.S. Tell Mrs. Claus that I will put the recipe under the cookie plate. Of course I used butter. Oh, and I substituted vanilla almond milk for the cream.

I promise I’ll eventually get to a post about the botanical life from my trip to Nicaragua, but today I thought I’d cater to my animal-loving friends! We saw so many animals on our adventure–some were pets, some were future dinners for a family, and some were strolling around minding their own business. I’m amazed that I didn’t get a picture of the many, many stray dogs we encountered–probably because I felt badly taking a pic of a creature that looked like it might be living its last days. The stray dog issue is a big one in Nicaragua–and they are starving, mangy and flea-ridden. OK, now that I’ve thoroughly bummed you out on the stray dog issue, let’s move on, shall we? I have pics here that will make you say, “Aw!” “Oh, how sweet!” “Yuck”  and lastly, “I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.” I will let you decide which is which.

How cute are these little guys? While on a 3 1/2 hour hike through the mountains near La Concha, we almost missed this mama chicken with her peeps right off the side of the path. Perhaps they belonged to a nearby family; we don’t know. Not a sight I’m used to seeing back home!

Now these guys were resident cluckers at the eco-hotel, La Mariposa, where we initially stayed. Paulette, the owner of the hotel, has many animals there–and these are the epitome of “free range.” These birds had the run of the place and went where they wanted to!

Little baby pig! Unfortunately, probably someone’s dinner at some point, but he sure is cute now! He definitely belonged to a family; he was roaming around the yard when we hiked by.

There’s something very different, to my mind, between a cute little baby pig and a huge hog on the side of the road. As we were trekking along, I suddenly heard this guttural snorting on my right. Imagine my surprise to find this hog rooting around for an afternoon snack about 4 feet away from me! Awesome! Awesome, but not exactly cute and cuddly.

Four of the seven hotel dogs at La Mariposa–they usually ventured around at least in pairs, and entertained us in the evenings with their dogly shenanigans. Two in particular loved to play fight every night while we ate dinner outside on the patio. The littler one usually won. Yes! Let’s hear it for the underdog! (Whoa, pun not even intended there.)

Paulette had an aviary at the hotel, filled with several different species of birds. She had two toucans–and we felt very fortunate to have gotten this shot of one of them. They were very shy and would quickly fly around the corner whenever we tried to see them.

We took a boat tour around the isletas off the coast of Granada and caught a view of some egrets. I kept waiting for it to turn around to get a good shot of its face, but no luck. Maybe he’s as shy as the toucans.

These little white-faced monkeys had been captured to sell as pets–and they should not be pets. Paulette saved them (not sure if she had to pay or what) and now they’re guests at the hotel, with their very own outdoor suite. They’re adorable but scampy– if you’re not careful while you’re feeding them bananas, they’ll try to get into your shorts pockets in hopes of making off with some additional goodies. Smart little buggers, but you can’t stay mad at these faces too long, can you?

How about sitting in an open-air cabana for dinner and having a lizard saunter over to you? Good thing Brett’s not squeamish! We work outdoors, after all.

Remember the 3 1/2 hour hike I told you about? We saw this up in the trees and were intrigued, but had no idea what we were looking at. Guess what we were looking at? A termite hive! Now, that’s really gross. Can’t you just imagine them all swarming around inside, just waiting for the right opportunity to escape and start chewing on your house?

This concludes my Nicaraguan Animal Tour for you–please do stop by again soon to view more pics from our trip. Who knows, some might even be of plants. This is a garden blog, after all.

So, many of you may know that I took off for 10 days at the end of July to trek down to Nicaragua. I’d been there before, back in ’07, so I was more prepared this trip to capture good times on camera! I have many posts planned to memorialize this vacation, but I want to start out with simply my favorite pics. They may or may not be related to gardening or plants, but I’m hoping you’ll be as drawn in as I was by the colors, sights and sumptuousness of this part of Central America!We visited during the rainy season, and everything was covered with moss. The soil, trees, rocks, even parts of buildings. It probably isn’t good on a large scale, but on a small scale, I was fascinated by it.  I love the fuzzy texture and the patina it lends to everything.

On one of our first full days there, we went sight-seeing around the countryside, and stopped by this cantina on the way home. We were the only people there, and they rolled out the red carpet for us. Ice-cold cerveza, tostones and good music. Dirty dancing here we have (from left to right): Bergman, our guide; Max, my older son; Kristin, a  teacher from CA; and Luke, my younger son. Kristin had the craziest dance moves we’ve ever seen, hence the blurry face.

This was a typical breakfast: eggs, gallo pinto (beans and rice) and for fun they threw in some bread. We were never carb-starved during our stay! Missing on this plate was our standard fresh fruit of local papaya, mango, banana and pineapple. Coffee was local and organic–yum!

Some of the architecture was incredible–old churches in particular. I don’t want to spoil a future post on churches and buildings, but it really was fascinating. I love how, on the top of this church, there was a statue of Jesus with a light-bulb halo around his head! Ancient architecture meets modern-day technology!

While we were in Leon for a day of sight-seeing, we spotted this mural of Augusto Cesar Sandino, a  Nicaraguan revolutionary and leader of a rebellion against the U.S. military occupation of Nicaragua between 1927 and 1933.  He became a hero and symbol of resistance to U.S. domination–so note how Sandino’s left foot is on top of Uncle Sam!

As you can imagine, we saw a lot of santos in niches in the churches. Here we were actually touring the ruins of a church in Leon. No santos present, so Max obliged and struck a pose. I was laughing so hard that the rest of the group came back to see what all the shenanigans were about.

This was the Iguana Bar on the beach at San Juan del Sur. Awesome that they’re giving away free ladies during happy hour!

Brett and I found a great little place to have lunch in San Juan del Sur. The guy at the next table turned out to be a college student from Austin! Lives a few miles away from Brett. Matt from Austin, what a small world.

Okay, apologies in advance for benefitting from someone else’s misfortune. The rainy season and narrow mountain roads lead to mishaps of all stripes–and here we have a construction truck that tried to get up the hill when the road gave out. Dude slipped down and his truck overturned, but don’t worry, he was just fine! Our truck drove by on the way to Playa Maderas to go surfing, and we all had our cameras out. Dorky tourists!

This looks like a fake picture, doesn’t it? Well, it’s not–we’re in the hills high above the beach at San Juan del Sur, ready to go zip-lining with Da Flying Frog Canopy Tour! Twelve platforms, eleven lines, really high above the treetops–and this is Nicaragua, so no signing a release form in case you fall to your death. Just pay-n-go, er, -zip!

I leave my most favorite pic for last–these fruit stands were all over the place. Local women would get on the microbus before dawn (like 4:30) with all of their fruit to go to work. I thought they were so beautifully and artfully displayed that I kept looking for the perfect shot. Think I’ll print this one out and frame it, I love it so much.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this first installment of my Nicaraguan adventure–kudos to those of you who don’t know me and waded through some of the family pics! You’re good sports, all–but these pics really represent a trip filled with fun, intrigue, amusement,  and the incredible sights of a beautiful and conplex country.

“I hope that you will go out and let stories happen to you

and that you will work them, water them with blood and tears and your laughter till they bloom,

till you yourself burst into bloom.”

Clarissa Pinkola Estes

I don’t always shop at Whole Foods–I go there about once every couple of months for some specialty foods or when a client sends me a big check. We’ve all heard the jokes about it really being named “Whole Paycheck” (same for HEB’s Central Market), but what I find is that when I want to buy good quality food, organically and locally grown, I’m going to pay more for it. I’ve had a growing need this past year to be more aware of what I’m putting in my body and those of my kids, and while I can’t always afford to do all my shopping there, I look forward to the trips I do make. Last month, I stopped off at the flagship Whole Foods at 6th and S. Lamar with my camera and notebook, and here’s what I found: Who could blame me for being enchanted by the outdoor display here? It totally drew me in, and I realized that the people at Whole Foods are geniuses: this store is in the heart of downtown Austin, and they created a very visible outdoor display that reminds you of a farmer’s market or a country roadside stand. You can’t help but feel all quaint and cozy. But, we’re smarter than that, right? Just because something looks good doesn’t mean they walk the walk. So I parked and walked up to take a look.Who doesn’t love cacti and succulents? This is probably my favorite plant group, and when you live in Austin, Texas, you on some level probably have wrapped your mind around these xeric plants. These particular ones are from a place called Desert to Tropics just outside Austin. Cindy Arredondo from Desert to Tropics has been on the Central Texas Gardener a number of times with great info about these plants, so I was really glad that our local Whole Foods carries their stock.Clay’s Greenhouse supplies many of the herbs that you’ll find at this store, and I was impressed.. These herbs looked really healthy and the varieties were numerous. I walked away with my favorite herb, lemon thyme, and a particularly beautiful trailing rosemary, which is difficult to find in a smaller size. These were all 4″ pots and I didn’t find the prices to be much higher than any other reputable place for fresh planting herbs.

Whole Foods in general seems committed to buying as much locally as possible. What does it mean to buy locally? You’ll find more information here, it basically means purchasing goods that travel less than a day (7 hours or less by truck or car) to reach the store. Many Whole Foods stores strive to tighten up that definition, so wherever “local” produce or goods is advertised, ask about what that particular store’s definition is. I don’t necessarily buy all my food from local suppliers–I”m focusing right now on buying more organic foods and cutting things like high fructose corn syrup out of my diet–but I can see that as a natural next step. To my mind, buying locally isn’t be provincial or isolating, it’s more about lessening the steps it takes for food to get from the field to our tables, thereby lessening the impact on our environment. I’m not an expert in any of this, but I’m probably like many of you in that regard–I’m becoming more aware and as I do, I will pass what I learn on to other people who want to hear it.

If this is your goal as well, there are so many ways to achieve it–ask your grocery store about their local vendors, shop at farmer’s markets, or better yet, grow your own if you have the room and adequate light requirements! As I encounter more places to report on, I certainly will, but I’d also appreciate any other Austinites to chime in with their favorite spots or vendors. Thanks in advance, and happy local shopping!

The Good just isn’t as fun to read, don’t you agree?  I have many friends who are really into plant names, both the botanical and common versions. I can’t say I’ve ever really gotten into these classifications like others do, but over the years I’ve run into a few that either make me laugh, cringe or gag. I’m sure you have your running list in your head, too, and I’m hoping you add yours to mine so we can all laugh together! But really, if you need to gag, please turn your head and do so in private.OK, let’s rip this bandaid off right now with the one that makes me cringe: “Wandering Jew” (Tradescantia zebrina) . Good God, really? If the botanical name weren’t so difficult and unrecognizable, I’d go with that, but literally everyone knows this plant by this awful name. So it’s what I use, too, but I always drop my voice to a barely audible whisper and then look around to see if anyone nearby heard me. My boyfriend happened to have grown up Jewish, and he kind of thinks it’s funny, but I say we give other faiths a turn in the hot seat. From today on, it shall hereby be known as “Wandering Episcopalian.”Golden Barrel Cactus (Echinocactus grusonii) is also known as “Mother-in-Law’s Cushion.” Wow. That sounds pretty hostile. Guess someone didn’t like their mother-in-law. Not me; even though I’m no longer married to her son, my ex-MIL is super-fab. But you know what? We’re not done with the poor mothers-in-law:Yes, you know this one, too: Sansevieria or Mother-in-Law’s Tongue. Sharp words, anyone? Barbed comments? Snarky asides? Sheesh, get some family counseling and be done with it!

adamsnursery.net

Now this one’s common name is no problem–dwarf yaupon holly–but it’s the botanical latin name that grosses me out: Ilex vomitoria. Ewww. I’m guessing that ingesting copious amounts of this evergreen shrub will make you sick, but please, let’s not discuss those details. I haven’t eaten breakfast yet.

photo by wikipedia.com

Gorgeous plant, nasty smell leading to its common name of–hold on to your stomach here–CORPSE PLANT! So here you can take your pick–the smell of this flower is alternately described as rotting flesh, flatulence, stinking pumpkin, dead animal. Oh man, I’m grossing myself out here.  Let’s move on.

photo by plant-identification.co.uk

Now I have to take obvious offense at this one: common duckweed (Lemna minor) has another common name: Jenny Green Teeth. Excuse me?? I see that this aquatic plant is green, and one could make a case for the tiny leaves looking like little baby teeth. But why Jenny? I knew a girl in 7th grade named Cassie that didn’t brush her teeth too much, but all the Jennys I know (present company definitely included) have superlative oral hygiene.

photo by tristram.squarespace.com

Now we’ll end this post with another aquatic plant: Scrophularia aquatica or Stinking Christopher! Doesn’t this just make you laugh? I mean, really–you can only guess what poor Christopher did (or DIDN’T) do to get this name attached to him. Ate a lot of cabbage? Didn’t flush the toilet? Forgot to shower? I’m not kidding, I’m laughing out loud right now. This describes all the men in my family. All.

It’s your turn now! So many plants, so little time–add to this gross/funny/naughty list. And don’t worry, if it’s a really naughty one, feel free to comment under your sister’s name, or better yet, the boss you can’t stand!

In the next week or so, I’m taking a look at decorative items in the garden. Why? Because I think it’s important. A garden without any kind of decor is like….a little black dress without accessories. Sure, you can get away with it because the garden/black dress is awesome on its own, but I believe in a little somethin’-somethin’.  So, today we gaze at the gazing ball, which originated in 13th century Venice, but gained popularity in Victorian-era English gardens. I’ve always loved them–in formal gardens, in xeric gardens, cottage gardens, anywhere! Here are a few of my favorites:

Look how this blue gazing ball echoes the globe-y shape of the barrel cactus–nice, right? This is in the garden of my friends Leah and  Philip Leveridge, who have a cool Austin garden (in)famously called The East Side Patch.

Ah—one of my favorite gazing balls, but it’s not the typical sort. Instead of mirrored and reflective, it’s ceramic. Instead of 12″, it’s a giant beachball size. Instead of a solid color, it’s a Mexican tapestry. I totally love this, but I gave it to my friends Sherry and Jacque because I changed the concept of my balcony garden and it longer “fit.” But, also, Sherry and Jacque are fabulous friends with an even fabulous-er garden, and they let me take it over when we did a photo shoot for Moxie Magazine a few months ago, and I wanted to thank them by giving a gardeny gift. Don’t you wish you were my friend now?

My oldest gazing ball, a gorgeous mosaic one given to me as a gift years ago by someone very dear to me. This moves with me every time I move; I’ll always find a spot for this in any garden I have. I love how it nestles into the planter with those succulents spilling out around it, don’t you?

This combination is so breathtaking to me! Again, it’s from The East Side Patch.  Do you think it was a glorious, happy accident or do you think Philip and Leah meant to tuck this burgundy crackled-glass gazing ball into the burgundy foliage of the Tradescantia pallida? I think the latter. These people are brilliant.

Yep, I know you can’t gaze into these wooden spheres, but on account of how cool they are, I was compelled to add them. They were featured in the Sculpture Garden at the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show 2010. The Sculpture Garden was provided courtesy of the giant talent of Greenworks Design from Lafayette, California. These people got guts.

So, as you can see, all the cool kids have gazing balls, and you should, too. And by “cool kids,” I mostly mean Leah, Philip and me, but if you have a gazing ball or eleven, you can join our reflective club, too.

There are parts of every garden that are obviously, immediately noticeable–things that elicit an involuntary “ooh” or “ah.” The flower colors! The sweeping lines of that bed, the textures in that plant grouping! But stay in a garden a little longer and subtle details start to emerge…like light and the shadows it creates. I really love how you’re forced to slow down in order to appreciate these small details…and really, isn’t that what gardening is in part about? Not only creating but enjoying the simple beauty of what has been created–and shadows are those wonderful, elusive things that are created briefly at just the right time of day.An open work fence imposed on pavers and gravel. Agave americana and miscanthus sinensis backlit in a courtyard.The lacy design of a patio chair on rockwork.Sunlight on greens.Lit-up agave.Agave on a stucco wall.

Sometimes the most beautiful things are the simplest. Take a  moment to notice the beauty you’ve helped create in your space!

So today I was a whirlwind of activity and in between brewing kombucha and watering balcony plants, I threw in a load of laundry. Jeans, T-shirts, that kind of stuff. Upon pulling the clothes out of the washing machine, I noticed what appeared to be chunks of dirt. I’m a landscaper, and I have teenage boys, so dirt is a given in this household. But….wouldn’t dirt just dissolve in the washer? Ah! Perhaps it was mulch! Chunks of mulch wouldn’t dissolve. But….I don’t routinely place handfuls of mulch in my pockets. Hmmmm. This is odd.

But, I’m having a busy day. On to the next task. Clean the kitchen, write a post. Back to laundry. So I open the dryer door and what do I see in the lint screen? This:And now, it is Confession Time: My first thought was, “Those damn boys!”Grumble, grouse, complain. Max brought some crap back from Scout camp; Luke must have been goofing around in the woods with those Abbott boys. But….Max doesn’t wear jeans with silver sparklies on the pockets, and I don’t recall Luke ever donning my Half Marathon T-shirt. This is my load of laundry.  So I continue folding clothes, completely confused. Until I found this:What the….?? The mystery deepens. Now in full Nancy Drew mode, I go over the clues: My clothes. Chunky dirt-like substance. Doesn’t dissolve completely. Little drawstring muslin bag. It’s…it’s….oh, my GOSH!!! Suddenly, light bulbs go off! Alarms sound! My brain engages! It all comes flooding back!! A couple of days ago, that little muslin bag looked like this:Now I’m in full Scooby-Doo mode: Why, it’s Authentic Haven Brand compost tea bag! My friend, Annie Haven, had sent me some bags to make her awesome compost tea. She’d read my tweets about creating my new balcony garden and she wanted to help me have the most gorgeous garden ever, so she sent me some bags of, well, cow  crap! It was dried of course. My plants have loved this stuff! And the herbs–fantastic! But clothes? Holy cow crap, Batman! I have no idea how this bag fell into my washing machine.

Maybe I’m a hopeless garden girl, but my clothes looked and smelled clean and fresh! No stains, no grossness, nothing. Of course, I come from a family that closes our eyes and offers prayers of gratitude upwards when we see a pile of soil or compost. We think it’s manna. I’m not sure this is how Annie Haven thought her product would be used, but hey! Garden goodness is garden goodness, doncha think? The only thing is, I love how Haven Brand compost tea makes my plants grow bigger, but I’d like my clothing to stay the same size. Except for maybe right after Thanksgiving dinner. But that’s a different story.

So in closing, I would like to say the following: Thank you, Annie Haven, for supplying me with your fabulous compost tea bags! My garden looks superb! In fact, pictures of it have been on TV and there are plans for it to be in a garden book. My foliage is full and vibrant green, and the flowers are consistently gorgeous!

And also, my apologies to my sons. I silently blamed them for cow poo in the laundry when, in fact, it was my doing. But honestly, who could blame me with with scoundrels like these on hand?

I might be a lot like many of you–in recent years I have become much more aware of where my food comes from and what happens to it before it hits my plate. And I don’t tend to be either a trend-setter or a bandwagon-hopper; I like to take some time to consider new information and roll it around in my head before making sweeping changes, whether it has to do with social, health or political issues. I try not to substitute other people’s opinions for my own, and wouldn’t suggest you do that either–but I do rely on some people who I trust and whose work I know to be full of integrity and substance. Mike Lieberman is one of those people.

Mike not only writes about food issues,green living and sustainability, he lives it–making him one of the most authentic and trusted voices today on these issues.  I first became introduced to Mike last fall, when I was a fledgling blogger on twitter. I can’t remember what lead me to him–probably a random re-tweet (social media is great that way)–but much of the information I have now about food and health issues, I’ve gotten from or through Mike.

Today I read a great interview with Mike on on cdeis.com — if you are interested in becoming more aware of food and sustainability issues, have questions, don’t know what voice to trust, I encourage you to start here. There is a seemingly unending cacophony of information on food issues right now–is agave nectar good or not? Can I grow my own food? How do I add more raw food to my diet?  Are cleanses safe? –and Mike not only has information on these issues, he will speak his mind about them. Mike is the epitome of “tell it like it is,” so I know his is a voice I can trust.

That and the fact that, although I’m a Texas girl, my family and Mike’s are from neighboring Brooklyn ‘hoods. If you can’t trust a good Brooklyn boy…well, now, that’s a thought I choose to ignore.

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