Tuesday, August 22, 2023

Sunflowers Deux

 Ad-Free Blog

I love Sunflowers and a few years back I spent an entire month playing with watercolors and one of the prompts was sunflowers. 

With the mess this year, I'm behind with everything so I've been doing some Link Parties with some old posts. Our garden has been challenged, so how about some sharing some old sunflowers...from better gardening days.

These are some of my favorite sunflower posts!



oldnewgreenredo

I love this color!



This was a bird 'planted' sunflower.


oldnewgreenredo


We had some 12 footers by the flag pole in a raised bed. Crazy wind here also.


The weight of this one altered the shape.

oldnewgreenredo
I planted some 12 footers in the garden one year and they went TO the telephone wires.



oldnewgreenredo

Broken heads are great bird feeders.

Sun or shade we have luck with the bush ones. Goldfinches love these!!

oldnewgreenredo

A smaller variety of Autumn Sunset.

This year I planted 6 foot Scarlet Sunflowers, but they are lost next to the neigbor's bamboo...which must love the humidity and the heat....for it is so thick and large this year.


Sunflowers are critter attractors...who of course need no help bending the flowers.

oldnewgreenredo

Aftermath gigantic flower heads, the large one is sitting on a wood 16" bench and back.

oldnewgreenredo

My sunflower painting...

I'm not sure if I worked from memory or photos...

I was featured here:


I Was Featured at I Made it Monday Link Party



How does YOUR
Garden Grow???

If you enjoyed this post please follow this blog by blogger or FOLLOW IT which you will find in the upper right hand corner of this page. 


Thanks always for visiting. 
I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question.

I will be sharing at these fine Parties!






All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts or any products shown. Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle

Sandi








Wednesday, June 21, 2023

Danish Rhubarb Strawberry Torte/Pie

 AD-Free Blog


It's our favorite time of year---RHUBARB TIME.
This was a post from five years ago of our  Family's favorite pie/tart recipe and adapted from my Danish  grandmother's.

One of the first fresh fruits to ripen in the upper Midwest is Rhubarb. Tart and tangy it is one of our favorites.  This recipe includes some quick tips and variations.

oldnewgreenredo

We have two Rhubarb plants and they were huge, below is a photo from May12th I think, and they are 4 times as large now.

oldnewgreenredo

I always pick the biggest and reddest stalks for pie. The leaves immediately go to the compost pile.  A wonderful compliment to the Rhubarb are Strawberries, which are plentiful and reasonable right now. 

oldnewgreenredo

So, I just had to make some Strawberry/Rhubarb pie. At this point this recipe is mine or one learned long ago and from memory. 

Sandi’s Strawberry Rhubarb Pie or Tart  

Fills 2-8” pre-made pie crusts or one very large tart pan. (I allow thawing time for the pre-made pie crusts) A cookie crust adds some extra flavor in a tart. (I'll use a lemon/vanilla cookie recipe for tarts.)

Mix:
8 cups of diced rhubarb 
2 cups sugar or sweetner
½ tsp of salt

Stir in large microwaveable bowl. Cook on high for 4 min, and stir and then another 4 min on high. ( Pre-cooking the rhubarb gives a warm solution for the corn starch to dissolve and helps to shorten baking time).

Add:
4 cups of sliced cleaned strawberries
2 tsp of vanilla or more-this is what makes it Danish!
Stir together into rhubarb
Here you can add 2 tsp of vanilla if you wish, we always do.

Make a mixture of
2 TBSP of cornstarch or thickener of your choice
½ tsp nutmeg
1 TBSP of cinnamon (we love cinnamon)
Stir into warm fruit until well mixed-
Split into pie shells or tart pan.

Mix 2 cups of rolled oats (Not quick-cook) in bowl or chopper
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of flour
5 TBSP of cold oleo/butter
1 tsp cinnamon
(you could add chopped almonds to this also) 

Pulse in chopper or mix with a pastry cutter in bowl, until well mixed and crumbly.
Spread over fruit

Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 15 min at 350 degrees.

Serve with icecream/whip cream/ or cool whip.

Delicious warm or cold! 

As a girl when I stayed a summer in Denmark, we had rhubarb and strawberry treats all through the summer. Also, rhubarb pudding with fresh scraped vanilla bean was my favorite and of course drowned in rich cold cream. I will have to make that next!

I'll be sharing at these fine parties:
 














Thank you for your cooperation, 
Sandi 




Monday, May 29, 2023

What's Bloomin' in Midwest Gardening 2023

Ad-Free Blog

Good Morning, first hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend. We celebrated with family yesterday, and it was lovely in the low 70's and we even roasted marshmallows at dusk. 

But yesterday early, I ran around the yard and took some quick photos...of what is in bloom!


We are just budding out after a very late dreary Spring, and we are already in drought here, but everything is busting out with diligent watering. Portulaca or Moss Roses in a pot. A bit of this and that in the earn. The stars here are the Hosta bursting in this shade bed.


These I grew from rootings from Home depot 2 years ago...they are huge this year.


I had to support all my Iris, with the dry winds, so many tipped over and broke, they are in the house in vases. We will have a few more next week, I personally like the foliage as a great contrast against the brick.  Plant in lower left is a transplanted Phlox grown from a root start. Crossing my fingers. Newly purchased Shasta Daisy is just opening. I had a much lower budget this year, but we lost so many perennials with the freeze and thaw winter. So I moved a lot of things around, and did purchase a couple replacements.



This front bed has several types of Day Lilies, Boxwood and Iris in the back, and Sedums in the front row which are very drought tolerant.


Another gorgeous IRIS, this one soaked up the sun and no adjusting of the photo could bring out the details...so pretty and tall!


These are my favorite, classic Iris, I've long forgotten the varieties. 


Out on the mound near the street, nothing is blooming YET, except these little pom-pom perrennials I just planted. In two weeks there should be several plants flowering. I've given up planting annuals out here as it just bakes in the sun. Perennials have deeper root systems and seem to survive better. I did loose a Hydrangea, a Rose and something else, I have to look at notes here this year, sadly. 


Without our own greenhouse plants this year, I purchased only a few basics. I'm skipping the trailers this year. Hubby had to rebuild this box as another car backed into the structure and really did a number on it. 
No one ever stops, to say they are sorry or help with the damage. That's three times in two years!


I've planted here, but it will take awhile for any really photo worthy shots. I'm trying Dahlias I started in the house, but they were so spindly, I don't know what will come of them.


My big pot by the stairway holds a 4th year Hibiscus (branches) we wintered over in the garage which was kept at a 45 degrees and lights on. The first weekend we brought it out, it got frosted and all the leaves dropped off. I pruned it and watered it, and it's coming back with buds all along the branches...we will see what happens.

I had tried digging it out to pot and bring in the house, but the roots were so massive, we decided to try and keep it wintered in the garage. 


More Iris behind the pond. The rose had significant damage, and this creeping invasive vine...went bonkers this Spring. I have to get in there and hack this down and try some root poison.  (Not a green thing to do--but it clearly is way too happy now.)
It also climbed on our trellis and swallowed our already dying Clematis.


Here is the Rose damage here. It is coming back---I didn't trim it early so I could see what was really dead. Will get to this sometime this week. So much winter damage...the worst we've had--and a very mild winter, also. The yellow Barberry are very happy also...and will need to be thinned drastically--and they are very prickly! 


Happiest plant on our lot...this Viburnum, which we deeply  trimmed from the inside out last year...and it rewarded us with TONS of blooms. A new drain pipe is going into this boxed area and I think that accounts for everything looking better.


The porch is sparse for now---the planter on the table is for my D-inLaws Birthday.
We have two Manilla hanging in pots. I will have to remember to water them. If they don't grow much in a week,  I will move them into the sun.


My porch herbs are happy! All the usual suspects, Cilantro, Thyme, Basil, Rosemary, and Parsley. 


Not a flower...but definitely Bloomin' are our two  Rhubarb plants---I'm thinking Rhubarb jam, rhubarb pie, rhubarb bars, bread, muffins, pudding....etc. NUM!


Not much is blooming---except of course weeds, this of course is Dames Rocket or Silver Dollar plants. I don't mind a few and the flowers are quite pretty and even cut well for bouquets. 


Another plant, Baby Tears...which the mild winter has encouraged. I've been digging  up hunks of this and using in my pots. SO FREE PLANTS! YAY! 
This area had our rain barrel and a bush which was lost last year with all the construction on the roof. I usually have a huge pot of Impatiens and Coleus here,
 but not yet.
I"M SO, so, So, far behind!


I am slowly tying up all the daffodil greens to make room for other plants. Eventually they get cut. The greens need to help and store food to the corms. Of course Daffodils really don't need any help to thrive. Buy them once and you have a gazillion for life!


The Hollyhock bed is coming along. I planted new ones last year and some this year also that are supposed to bloom immediately. YES--that is still the tent full of contents of the basement disaster. 
We are still working on that!



Last place with anything flowering is this small shaded bed next to our storage shed.

I grow root perennials in here, usually. I moved everything out , but these two columbine which are so happy here, and put in lettuce seeds and lettuce plants. This area gets filtered light with some sun...perfect for tender plants and lettuce, oh I did plant some Wasabi Radishes in here, too. We will see, lol.
Oh and it is totally fenced...seems we have bunnies that like to eat everything!



I've totally forgotten what this blue is, but it's happy right here, lol. where nothing is. At one time I had copper leaf and lime Heuchera or Coral Bells here, only one of four have survived over the years.
Crappy soil and tree roots seem to be the blame. 


This Clematis got a new trellis last year, and seems to have survived, despite the new well pump put in a week ago and getting bent and pushed aside.  Honestly another almost 3K...I wish we had moved a couple of years ago, instead of having to replace everything AGAIN!


Yep---stay in your home---and eventually rebuild it. We've put more $$$$ into this house in the last year then we paid for it by almost 50K. Something comes to mind about pouring money into a never-ending hole...
a joke...
NOT REALLY!

Still plugging away here in the Midwest...

HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW!?


If you enjoyed
 this post please follow this blog by blogger or FOLLOW IT which you will find in the upper right hand corner of this page. 


Thanks always for visiting. 
I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question.

I will be sharing at these fine Parties!







All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts or any products shown. Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle

Sandi





 

Monday, May 15, 2023

Midwest Gardening 2023: Finally getting ready to plant!




oldnewgreenredo

Last Thursday I managed to get the front porch cleaned, all the 'started' plants outside, and the furniture and windows cleaned. 


oldnewgreenredo

I purchased a few plants that I normally start---like herbs and a few flowers.

oldnewgreenredo

Rosemary, Cilantro, Thyme...

oldnewgreenredo

The Liatris bulbs (55) I think all must have sprouted. I put 2-3 in a 4" pot and they certainly have outgrown their containers. With icky weather looming, I chose to harden off these plants on the front porch, back in the shade of the overhang. 
The evening temps have been in the high forties, so that's perfect. Here they are protected from the wind and blazing sun if we have any.


oldnewgreenredo

I did move this broccoli tray to the back porch to wait to go into the Vegetable Garden.

oldnewgreenredo

My Giant Dahlias are almost to big to transplant, I will have to trellis them.

oldnewgreenredo

The Elephant Ears are slowly turning their leaves---that is the last window I have to clean, when the plant gets moved. I really wish it wasn't raining today


oldnewgreenredo

My very limited source of purchased plants. Sadly not using the greenhouse this year, is definitely crimping the budget.

The yard is quickly catching up on the late Spring. 

oldnewgreenredo

Our Viburnum promises to explode as soon as the weather goes back to sun.

oldnewgreenredo

Our Yellow Barberry has exploded---I will have to prune this back. The mild winter has helped some things for sure.

oldnewgreenredo

The Iris are busy making leaves, not too many stalks yet though. 

oldnewgreenredo

I think this is the fourth year for these Hostas, so I may have to divide them this Fall.

oldnewgreenredo

This is our humongous Giant Hosta and it's so beautiful as it unfolds and grows so fast this time of year.

oldnewgreenredo

I love this later variety of tulip that grows in our planter along the steps.

oldnewgreenredo

On the back porch are my coleus which are so slow--planted in early February.


Peppers, Tomatoes and Liatris are ready to go---but the garden isn't tilled yet, 

WE ARE SO FAR BEHIND!

but, gorgeous weather forecasted for Monday planting!

If you enjoyed this post please follow this blog by blogger or FOLLOW IT which you will find in the upper right hand corner of this page. 


Thanks always for visiting. 
I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question.

I will be sharing at these fine Parties!










All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts or any products shown. Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle

Sandi