garden

Monarch butterfly on butterfly bush (image by Denise Pierce).

There goes my daughter, Maya, helping her "papa" (grandpa) feed the birds again. It's a very important job for her when she goes over to visit – scooping the bird seed from the big plastic bins in his garage and carefully pouring it into one of the many bird feeders hanging from his front tree like so much ripe fruit.

Now 4 years old, Maya has been doing this as long as she's been able to walk. And her love of Papa's birds has only grown through the years, as we've made peanut butter-and-birdseed pinecone feeders every winter and later on in the season, watched the hummingbirds and other feathered friends visit plants like our Tropicanna cannas, Volcano phlox, Sun Parasol mandevillas and Blue Storm agapanthus.

(Back row, from left): purple-tinged, dark green-leaved plectranthus, Tropicanna Gold cannas, Tropicanna Black cannas, Sun Parasol mandevillas. (Front row, from left): ornamental peppers, thread-leaved croton, lime green heuchera.

Blue Storm agapanthus in a container on my deck

Volcano phlox (Red) near my deck 

Last year, Maya fell in love with butterflies, too, after a visit to the Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden at Rochester, NY's National Museum of Play. After that, we always noticed butterflies hovering around our Volcano phlox, black-eyed Susans, bee balm, Blue Storm agapanthus, coreopsis, stonecrop and chocolate eupatorium (Joe Pye weed).

Of course, we've never been able to get a shot of these winged friends in action – hence my borrowed pic of a butterfly (above) from one of Tesselaar's regional garden bloggers, Denise Pierce of Red Bay, Alabama. 

This year, Maya definitely wants more plants that will attract birds and butterflies in the garden, and of course I’m inclined to buy a full-grown plant from the garden center. But she seems to want to start everything from seed (sigh) –even these dying, leggy sunflowers she insisted on sowing in pots in the middle of winter, so the birds would have seeds to eat. (I told her sunflowers should be direct-sown into the ground later in the season, but she was so excited about gardening, I couldn't crush her spirits):

Leggy sunflower seeds sown indoors in pots

Now she wants to try this butterfly bush kit (lower right, $9.99 from Wegmans):

Butterfly bush garden kit for kids (Wegmans, $9.99)

I’ve never started a butterfly bush from seed, but I’m sure it’ll be interesting.

Speaking of butterflies, Maya also went bonkers over an Insect Lore Live Butterfly Garden butterfly hatching kit she saw at Lowe's ($13.95 through Amazon). I don't know about this – little kids and fragile, live creatures just don't seem to be a good mix. Plus, I found out that the kit basically just includes a netted cage and a coupon in you send in to get the live caterpillars and food. I guess that makes sense, because you can't keep caterpillars alive in a box, but still – one more step? Ugh).

Maybe when Maya's older, we'll try to grow some milkweed, since that's what the Monarch butterfly caterpillars eat (I understand the milky white sap is poisonous, so I think I'd like to wait a few years on that one).

Regardless, I've learned that gardening is a great way to keep kids active and connected to their environment, and as with everything else, there's a fine line to walk between ensuring success and fostering independence. So I've gotta roll with what my daughter likes – right now, it's birds and butterflies – and let her call some shots and pick out and sow some plants, so she sort of "owns" the experience. I've also learned to let her experiment, even if it means dead plants on the windowsill. I think I'm just not ready for dead butterflies yet!

Maya sowing her sunflower seeds for the birdies

So tell me – what are some of your favorite bird- and butterfly-friendly plants that can encourage kids to get out in the garden? Post a comment and lemme know!

So we were having our annual Cousins Christmas party yesterday - this year at the beautiful Rochester Civic Garden Center here in Rochester, NY. There, taking a break from the Cha-Cha Slide and Holiday Calorie Trough there in Warner Castle, built in 1854 to resemble a Scottish ancestral castle, I found myself wandering around and appreciating all the housplants adorning each room. And then I remembered: even though it's winter, we CAN still garden. Health and quality of life are huge right now — at least according to Trendwatching.

Inspired, I started remembering how much I love houseplants. Maybe it's the cold climate of Rochester, which I just found out is No. 2 in annual snowfall (right behind Syracuse, NY where I went to school!) Remember: houseplants not only purify and filter the air, removing allergens and impurities - they also pump out tons of mood-boosting oxygen!

So if you're not already into houseplants, pick up a few! You'd  be surprised how much a little green goes a long way indoors!

Here are a few from Warner Castle:

From left: beans growing up a trellis, rosemary and croton

A collection of succulents

Polkadot plant in a terrarium

And here are some great houseplants that have survived low-light consitions in my house:

Festival Burgundy cordyline (I just bring it in from the patio at the end of summer)

Bamboo palm

What houseplants are you crazy about? Post a comment, and tell me all about it!

In my previous post on Top Garden Trends for 2012, I mentioned how larger ponds are giving way to smaller water features (like this recirculating fountain featuring a hollowed-out boulder, designed by Sharon Coates and Bruce Zaretsky of Zaretsky and Associates design-build firm in Rochester, NY):

Sharon and Bruce also sent me other great images of the latest water features too - as did California garden designer and North Coast Gardening blogger Genevieve Schmidt. I fell so in love with all of them that I decided they needed a post of their own:

Water fountain globe (submitted by Genevieve Schmidt)

Scupper (designed by Zaretsky and Associates)

Rain chain with boulder base (designed by Zaretsky and Associates)

Time to start putting all those great veggies from your garden to work with some easy recipes gathered from family and friends! I got inspired to pull together a few of my own after traveling to Vermont this past week and sampling fresh-out-of-the-garden recipes from our friends Judie and Bob and our host at the Eddington House Inn, a bed-and-breakfast where we stayed in North Bennington.

At the Eddington House Inn, a beautiful Federal style home built in 1857, we woke up to eggs put under the broiler with fresh-grated parmesan cheese and green onions. The handled ramekin was set on a plate and curved along the outside were three slices of vine-ripe tomatoes from the nearby Grandma Moses Schoolhouse at the Bennington Museum. Very simple, but verrrrry delicious.

Then, at Bob and Judie's in Shaftsbury, we were treated to a lunch of chilled gazpacho and herbed chicken and tuna salads with slices of a low-acid, orange heirloom tomato grown from seed (from Harris Seeds). It got even better at dinner, with stacks of grilled eggplant with mozzarella-tomato-basil (marinated in balsamic dressing) and green beans with feta and slivered almonds (see recipes below). Yum!

Judie's gazpacho

Heriloom tomatoes from Harris Seeds

And wouldn't you know it? When I got home, I found myself in the kitchen of my Italian neighbor, Rosalia, who delighted in showing me some of her garden-fresh recipes. Here's a pic (left to right) of her homemade tomato sauce, pickled eggplants and caponata - recipes below).

Rosalia's tomato sauce, pickled eggplants and caponata

It all inspired me to use more of the veggies from my own garden, sneaking tomatoes and onions into my grilled cheese, trying to recreate the Eddington House eggs and even making my own salsa. Here's the "Tuscany Bread" I made with just plain 'ol slices of leftover white bread, grated mozzarella and Early Girl tomatoes out of my garden. After I took them out of the oven, I squeezed lemon juice on them (a trick I learned from my days of working at Pizzeria Uno, which once offered "Tuscany Bread" as an appetizer. They added basil on the top, too. Wish I had some, but the bread still went over big with my picky 3-year-old and meat-and-potatoes husband!

My fancy "Tuscany Bread" 

Judy's garden recipes

Gazpacho

4 – 5 tomatoes  (red, orange/yellow or a mix)

1 large cucumber

1 green pepper

¼ - ½ onion, depending on taste

2-4 cloves of garlic (more if you’d like)

Cilantro (fresh if possible) – at least ¼ cup

Lemon juice (to taste – at least 1 tablespoon)

Hot or chipotle sauce, salt & pepper to taste

Chop cucumbers, tomatoes and onion into large chunks and then place in food processor with other ingredients, pulsing until nicely chopped.   Add in more lemon, salt, pepper, hot sauce & cilantro to taste.

If your tomatoes and/or cucumbers are dry, add in some tomato juice or V8 juice for a soupier consistency.   You can also add more cucumbers if you’d like (or need to get rid of them!)

Grilled Eggplant with tomato-basil-mozzarella

1 good sized, firm eggplant

2-3 tomatoes (depending on size)

Fresh mozzarella cheese

Fresh basil and chives

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar dressing (Newman’s Own or just a mix of one-third balsamic vinegar and two-thirds olive oil.)

Heat grill and while it’s heating:

Slice eggplant into 1 ½ - 2   inch thick slices (rounds).   Brush with olive oil on both sides.

Slice tomatoes so that you have an equal amount of tomato slices to place on each eggplant round.

Slice mozzarella (if not already pre-sliced) – enough for one piece on each eggplant round.

Once grill is hot, place eggplant slices on the grill, making certain to turn as needed so that they don’t burn.  Generally they cook in a few minutes. 

Remove from grill and place in flat dish/platter. Immediately add slices of mozzarella on top of each eggplant piece.

Top with tomato, chopped basil and chives to taste and then pour a small amount of balsamic dressing over entire platter.   Can be stored at room temp for an hour or so; otherwise refrigerate and bring to room temp before serving.  

Making in advance:  If you don’t have time (or space on the grill) to do this just prior to your meal, you can prepare and grill the eggplant in advance, and then refrigerate until ready to prepare the entire dish.   To finish the dish,  heat your grill, place eggplant on the grill then turn it off. Place mozzarella on eggplant and close grill lid; leave on grill for about 3-5 minutes until the cheese gets soft but not melted.   Remove from grill, place on platter and add tomato slices and other ingredients.

Green beans with feta and slivered almonds

Fresh green beans  (approximately 2 -3  cups)

Feta cheese –crumbled  (approximately ¼ - ½ cup)

Slivered almonds  (approximately ¼ cup)

Place fresh, rinsed green beans in a microwave-safe glass dish and heat on High for 3-5 minutes, depending on amount of green beans and how well you like them cooked.  Remove from microwave, drain any remaining water, sprinkle with feta cheese to taste, and top with slivered almonds.  Add pepper (or garlic pepper) to taste.

Rosalia's garden recipes

Tomato sauce

Any kind of tomatoes (although many people prefer the meatier Romas)

Cook tomatoes with onions, garlic, celery and other herbs to taste. Pass through hand strainer (or put in blender or food processor). Put in pan and boil again. Add salt and black pepper if desired. Warm canning jars in oven for 15 minutes at 100 degrees and fill up with hot sauce. Put on thick lids and let jars rest upside down (to form a good vacuum seal) for a few days (put a towel underneath and on top of jars to protect table and help keep the heat in). Can be stored indefinitely.

Pickled eggplant

Slice eggplant (use the thin, long kind and pick when young and tender). Cut into thick slices, sprinkle with salt and let sit 4 to 6 hours. Squeeze solution out of egglant and discard solution. Put eggplant slices in jar, then add white vinegar (4 or 5 cups) and 2 cups water. Let sit for 24 hours in open jar and squeeze eggplant slices again. Put eggplant back in jar with oregano, garlic and olive oil to taste. Let stand for one hour. Can also be stored indefinitely. Great for antipasto, sandwiches or as a topping/side for broiled steak or chops.

Caponata

Slice up four eggplants (long and skinny ones, picked when young and tender). On stove in a saucepan, mix together 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup sugar. Let them melt together. Then add chopped eggplant, celery, onions, capers and Italian green olives to taste. Great as a main entree, brushchetta or pasta topping.

Woo-hoo! 84 degrees here in western New York last week! Warm enough for me to finally start gardening at the new house I moved into this past Thanksgiving and scouting the property for all the new plants coming up!

Bringing the "Plant Babies" out for the first time! Hardening off the veggie seedlings I started in the basement with my 2 1/2 year-old daughter, Maya (who calls them the "Plant Babies"). Drizzling some water on these poor babies before fertilizing … the plan is to transfer them to the Earth-Box self-watering patio container garden I bought for $50 at Wegmans (our supermarket). I know $50 is a little pricey, but I’m hoping to avoid more moments like this where I’m drizzling water over dried-out, half dead seedlings in peat pots because I got busy and forgot to water. Since then, I’ve also learned there are plenty of cheaper self-watering containers out there. But I admit, this was just an easy pick-up …

The "raised bed" I had been planning originally as an island within the lawn for the Flower Carpet^® roses, euphorbia, spring heath and Festival Grass^® cordyline I’m planning on getting. However, after I learned that an island the size I wanted to make would cost a thousand dollars or more in dirt (and after considering that my golden retriever, Buddy, rips up all my new plantings), I deweeded and cleaned up this pile of dirt (from the former owner’s pool excavation) behind the invisible dog fence in the back hedgerow and voila – a dog-proof, free raised bed! Maybe not the stuff of glossy magazines, but good enough for me …

Me amending the soil (I still have to do a soil test to find out the acidity) by working in a layer of organic compost … next comes the black pine bark mulch for moisture retention and weed suppression.

Maya takes a break from trying to climb up her slide to come help me …

Looks like we’re getting peonies … yay!

And irises …

And forsythia … here’s Maya with the very first bloom.

Can’t wait to see what this week brings! So tell me, did you get the same nice weather last week? How does your garden grow?