Happy bees. Happy gardeners.

I adore bumblebees.  They remind me of dogs, as they happily roll around in the flowers around my garden.  Matt takes his adoration a step further and pets them lightly with his index finger when given the chance.  I'm not sure it's a mutually-enjoyed experience.

A bumble enjoys the Spirea douglasii (western spirea) in the front rain garden.

A few weeks ago we were lucky enough to have a representative from the Portland Audubon Backyard Habitat program visit our garden.  The program has four elements: removal of aggressive weeds, naturescaping with native plants, stormwater management, and wildlife stewardship.  After the rep toured the garden with us, noting the natives we've planted and other efforts we've made to create a more sustainable and wildlife-friendly outdoor space, she made some calculations and gave us the news.  We were immediately Gold Level certified!  And here's the proof.

We also took Metro's "Pesticide Free Pledge"

It's nice to be recognized for the work we've put in, but more importantly, we hope that by displaying the sign in our front garden, we'll promote the idea of creating sustainable habitat in urban spaces.  The Backyard Habitat program is pretty great.  Not only did the Audubon rep send us a report including planting and habitat enhancement suggestions, but we now get discounts on plant material from various nurseries and sales throughout the area.  You know this makes me happy!

Do you have similar programs in your home town?

No bees here.  I'm just loving the pops of sunflowers throughout our garden!

A laundromat in the garden

I don't think there are many that claim washing laundry is fun, but when you can go outside on a breezy, sunny day and hang your clean linens and clothes to dry in your garden, well- that's pretty nice.  Plus it saves money and makes for a happier planet, so you can feel pretty good about yourself too.

The Methley plum and bed sheet make friends.

I decided to install a 40-foot retractable clothesline along my plum orchard and I have to say, it has motivated me to wash laundry more frequently instead of letting it pile up until the hamper is overflowing.

Not in focus, you can see the clothesline attached to the soon-to-be office.

I recommend this type of clothesline, especially for urban spaces.  It's easy to install and definitely easy to set up/retract upon each use.   I also have a stretchable clothesline (similar to this one) with hooks on the end that I string between two posts on the deck when I'm motivated to wash a few loads in an afternoon.

Mr. Dufresne finds soothing the swaying of linens on the clothesline.

Bonus plum shot.  This is our staggering Methley plum harvest.  I don't think the tree liked being transplanted this spring.  We have several more plums coming in on the Brooks plum tree.  And absolutely none on the weeping Santa Rosa plum for the second season since we planted it.

Garden Quinoa Salad

A hearty salad to eat in the garden!

A few weeks ago I stopped by the home of my friend Kittee (of Cake Maker to the Stars), where my hungry tummy was generously fed a delightful bowl of quinoa salad.  Quinoa salads are so easy and healthful.  I asked myself, "Why don't I make these more often?"  So later that day I did just that.

Here's what my quinoa salad contained:
quinoa, cooked
walnuts, chopped
canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
an apple, chopped
dried and sweetened cranberries
the zest and juice of a lime (or two)
fresh-from-the-garden mint, chopped
onion stems, chopped (also from the garden)
cilantro, chopped
chipotle olive oil
salt and pepper

I topped it with garden collards, chopped and sauteed with tamari, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and red pepper flakes.

It was really good! What are you waiting for?  Go make a quinoa salad!

A growing garden= lots of changes

It's true.  It seems each time I step outside, something is noticeably different, whether it's plums, apples, or pears growing larger, something new blooming, or, as is often the case in our garden, a completely new plant (or two or twelve)!

Matt and I took advantage of a "20% off native plants" coupon this past weekend and purchased an oval-leaved viburnum, six checkermallows, one Washington lily, and a gooseberry.

I love the dense shrubby habit of viburnums. Viburnum ellipticum is deciduous with leaves that turn red in the fall.  Its white flowers appear in the late spring.  You can bet I'll be keeping my eye out for them.

Viburnum ellipticum

These Sidalcea hendersonii will likely end up in the front rain garden this weekend.  Their happy pink flowers are really something great.  I would love it if they spread throughout the rain garden and created a sea of pink.

The lily is hidden among the soon-to-bloom checkermallows.

A native with edible berries, Ribes divaricatum will grow six feet tall, and is sure to be a hit with birds.  We planted it along with the other, nonnative gooseberries, around the back rain garden.

Andy inspects the new gooseberry.

Other recent additions to our garden include a Brown Turkey fig tree (a gift from my dad and his girlfriend) and a Meyer lemon tree.

Emerson will be so excited when he gets to eat more figs.

Concerned our Meyer lemon might be lonely, we brought home a friend for him.  My plan is to buy two nice ceramic pots and flank the steps on the deck with the two trees in warm weather.  During the winter, we'll need to bring the citrus indoors.

The vegetable garden continues to grow really well, despite Andy trying to sneak tastes of everything.  The greens have been loving this cool, wet spring.

While the garden changes everyday, there are some things that never change: the doggles still enjoy their sun bathing on the deck.

DIY birdbath (and gnome habitat)

It gets hot and very dry in the Pacific Northwest during the summer.   Wanting to help out the local wildlife, I decided setting up a birdbath would be a good thing.   I saw one at a local nursery that I liked, but the $80 price tag motivated me to put something together with materials I had on hand.

The glass "bowl" was a former light fixture from the guest room.  I plugged the hole with a cork I bought from the hardware store, stacked some stone discards from our retaining wall project, and voila!  A birdbath.

 

Around the birdbath I installed native Maianthemum dilatatum (flase lily of the valley) and a log left over from when we had the invasive laurel removed, on which I plan to install a few little ferns.

 

 

 

Wildlife has already taken up residence in this shady spot.

 Now that's gardening on the cheap!

An afternoon of touring gardens

Matt and I participated in the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District (EMSWCD) "Naturscaping for Backyard Habitats Yard Tour" yesterday.  As stated by EMSWCD, this tour "...is a wonderful opportunity for you to talk with gardeners who have created landscapes that attract wildlife, are low-maintenance, use minimal water, and have helped them eliminate their use of synthetic fertilizer and pesticides."

Mostly, I just loove being nosy and taking a look at others' outdoor spaces!

Our first stop was located in southeast Portland.  My favorite of the tour, this garden reflects the natural retreat Matt and I aspire to create in our outdoor space.  This garden had about 20% native vegetation and a whole lotta edibles.  Most impressively, it offers a tranquil space to enjoy being outside.

The creative use of glass bottles as garden edging throughout the garden is both beautiful and functional.

We were told one of the homeowners is a carpenter.  Handiwork abounds throughout this garden including this trellis around the firepit, created from rebar.

The homeowners provided notebooks filled with "before and after" and seasonal photos of their garden, as well as a gardening journal, filled with plant tags and notes.  A great idea!

I love the unique sculptural components of this garden like the ceramic bird atop the berry trellis.

My favorite feature of this garden?  The collection of tree stumps-turned planters residing under the rhododendron.  Now I'm on the lookout for stumps!

Garden Number Two is also located in southeast Portland.  A newly constructed house, this garden is under two years old!

Note the newly-planted Douglas Meadowfoam above!

The homeowners carefully planned their sustainable garden, utilizing reclaimed materials, 85% native vegetation, and even leaving a strip of their driveway permeable.

Perhaps the sweetest part of this garden is the whimsy.  The homeowners have placed elements, like the crane in the lavender below, throughout the garden.

Stop Three on the tour also had quite a bit of creative flair, starting with this vibrant garden shed!

I'm a sucker for ferns growing in walls.  This garden hosts about 20% native vegetation.

Garden Number Four didn't disappoint our love for creative outdoor spaces.  Located in northeast Portland, this garden welcomes you with a lovely river rock mosaic under a grape vine trellis.

I just love this stacked rock planter!

The homeowners enjoy watching the wildlife in their back yard, especially birds, and have created a 50% native habitat.

Someday, it would be lovely to have one of these beauties in our outdoor space.

Matt and I didn't have time to stop at all eight gardens.  Our final tour took us through a garden in northeast Portland.  Walking around the side of the house and into the back yard, I immediately traveled from "busy city street" into "woodland habitat."  The homeowner's transformation of the space impressed me even more when  I looked at the provided "before" photos.

Perhaps the most impressive and time-involved feature of the garden is the man-made stream created by the homeowner, of which I haven't provided any photos!

Having created a diverse ecosystem ranging from mature cedars to native groundcovers in this small space, it's no wonder this homeowner has witnessed over 42 species of birds in his back yard.

This garden is composed of 80% native vegetation.

Again, I'm a sucker for ferns growing from rocks.

Well, I'm inspired to "keep at it"!  One day, maybe we'll even make it on the list of stops for the garden tour!

The return of the Meadowfoam

You may remember my love of Douglas Meadowfoam and how excited I was to realize it self-seeded in the pot in which I planted it last spring.

One month ago the Meadowfoam looked like this:

Now, it's blooming and lovely!

This week we're going to be doing some major sheet mulching.  In the background you can see the cardboard, which forms the base layer of mulch.  Got to get those weeds under control!

If last year is any indication, we'll have an ever-increasing cover of Meadowfoam.  This is good.  Now I just have to do some research to see if I can find a plant to install in the same spot to start growing as the Meadowfoam's season comes to an end.  Native or edible suggestions?

Update:  Just look at the meadowfoam now!