True Colors

On this last Friday in June, the garden photage slowly comes together for today’s post.

Despite that many of the flowers in our perennial borders appear past prime with such an early bloom this season, by planting diversity with foliage and varieties, I can still find true colors shining through.

So as this surprise morning rain gently waters the landscape, this seems, at least to me, when a flower’s true colors come shining through.

As you wander through today’s garden photage, here’s hoping it makes you hum or sing the most popular part of the lyrics from Cyndi Lauper’s tune.



“I see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow.”

P.S. We can’t forget some true colors from the produce garden!

All Images by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

The King of Bulbs

In your kitchen, what is the most used culinary ingredient? In this cooking establishment, garlic reigns as king! If you missed the posting when I mentioned garlic scapes, there's an easy recipe inside. http://blog.bilowzassociates.com/2012/06/no-escaping-monday.html What typically follows the scapes - harvesting the garlic planted last fall. Gather the heads before splitting occurs. Need additional tips for a few best practices on harvesting and drying your garlic? Here’s another archived post that could come in handy. http://blog.bilowzassociates.com/2011/07/gathering-garlic.html

One other tip to not overlook about the king of bulbs - just like a fine wine, it should not be relished before its time. Allowing the heads to dry properly gives you the best and freshest culinary ingredient. Don’t crack it open too soon!

But before it’s called a wrap, just one other reminder - folks heading out of town for vacation would do best to find a garden sitter. Summer weather conditions, predictable (hot and humid) or unpredictable (severe thunderstorms) can raise havoc with your garden. Even if you bug out for only a few days, make sure someone stays on top of the garden valuables.  Pay particular attention to your container plantings, sprouting produce or new/transplanted spring plantings.  Coming back to shriveled up plant material or ‘missed the harvest’ veggies (cabbage, spinach, lettuce are ready to enjoy) would be a major disappointment.

So while you’re sunning on the beach somewhere, remember your living plants back at the ranch. Even if irrigation is set to run on timers, you always want a reliable and knowledgeable individual to check on the overall garden situation. No instant swimming pools, either. Take it from H.F. Ellis. “An unwatched pot boils immediately.” Just when you’re not looking….Murphy’s law!

P.S. Time to consider placing all your bulb orders for the fall planting – make sure you get the best color and varieties by shopping early.

Image of garlic heads drying by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Until the Next Bloom

On this last wordless Wednesday in June, this image accompanies a quote by William Feather. “Some people are making such thorough plans for rainy days that they aren't enjoying today's sunshine.” Or as the movie character, Ferris Bueller simply puts it, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” This dazzling Daylily is enough to brighten any rainy day; until the next bloom.

Image by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Hot Cocoa Anyone?

On this cool summer morning, perhaps a cup of hot cocoa sounds tempting but last I checked the calendar it is summer, right? Shouldn’t we be thinking flowers and new additions to compliment our gardens? Here’s a Tuesday thought. Add this sensational Floribunda Rose for instant warmth. Named appropriately for its rich chocolate color, ‘Hot Cocoa’ is an absolute stunner for the ho-hum perennial border.

Are you a Rose lover or do you simply want an extravagant bloom that bowls you over with delight? Then this ‘Hot Cocoa’ Rose does wonders for lifting the flower spirit, just like that warm cup of cocoa on a chilly day. Sorry, no marshmallows included but you can always put a drift of white blossoms nearby for your summertime version of ‘Hot Cocoa’ and fluff!  

With that said, no garden worries today. Enjoy these initial moments of summer and as John Jay Chapman pointed out, “People get so in the habit of worry that if you save them from drowning and put them on a bank to dry in the sun with hot chocolate and muffins they wonder whether they are catching cold.” No time to ponder or worry about cold days; the summer garden magic awaits us. Take a peek at the blooming flowers and don’t forget to plant yourself some ‘Hot Cocoa’ Roses to warm up your summer days!

Image of a Floribunda Rose (Rosa) 'Hot Cocoa' by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

The Richness of Moss

The American biologist, Edward O. Wilson kicks off this Monday morning blog post. “In a purely technical sense, each species of higher organism—beetle, moss, and so forth, is richer in information than a Caravaggio painting, Mozart symphony, or any other great work of art.”

With that said, a follower asked this weekend about the best place to find bright green moss seeds *(correctly referred to as moss spores) to grow in between the cracks of a recently added stone patio. Many folks try to rid themselves of moss that grows naturally in between the nooks and crannies. I personally like it when moss finds a home in the terrace.

An old-fashion strategy for successfully growing moss is to collect moss growing in a nearby area and chop it up (some people will even put into a blender) and wash the moss puree into the joints. Your success rate is much higher than buying pots of moss from a nursery or moss spores that may not be conducive to growing in your location. If you have a sunny spot, there is less chance of moss spores taking off unless you find a moss that prefers these types of growing conditions. There are a few sun lovers but typically moss thrives in the damp and shady locations. There are literally thousands of species of moss and by far, the best way for growing moss is to let nature do the job itself. Here’s a tidbit of information from Wikipedia that can help in the spores’ success rate.

“Growing moss from spores is even less controlled. Moss spores fall in a constant rain on exposed surfaces; those surfaces which are hospitable to a certain species of moss will typically be colonized by that moss within a few years of exposure to wind and rain. Materials which are porous and moisture retentive, such as brick, wood, and certain coarse concrete mixtures are hospitable to moss. Surfaces can also be prepared with acidic substances, including buttermilk, yogurt, urine, and gently puréed mixtures of moss samples, water and ericaceous compost.”

Moss – it’s more than something green, soft and fuzzy. “In a purely technical sense, each species of higher organism—beetle, moss, and so forth, is richer in information than a Caravaggio painting, Mozart symphony, or any other great work of art.”

Image by Greg Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

It’s Friday Garden Photage

As we begin to enjoy the many moments of summer, the Friday photage is a great way to capture what’s blooming in the garden. So here’s a sneak peek of a few favorites from this week:



But to give you more than just photos, here’s a quick shopping tip for those followers that are growing fresh herbs in the garden or in containers.  Now is a perfect time to infuse your olive oil or to make your own salad dressings. Don’t let those wonderful aromas and scents go to flower. Bottle or enhance those herbs with some extra virgin olive oil.

Need some advice on where to find some awesome oil? There are many choices out there and the best by far have been the fresh pressed bottles we picked up in our travels to Italy or France. But on a recent trip to Trader Joe’s, we happened upon ‘Trader Giotto’s Sicilian Selezione Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It’s labeled as 'smooth and buttery – distinctive peppery finish.' And that it is. It’s been drizzled on just about everything excluding that summertime bowl of ice cream. A tad expensive, this oil is meant to be drizzled, not used for cooking – use your basic olive oil for that.

So on that note, let’s wrap it up with a quote from Mark Kurlansky, "Essential Oil," Bon Appétit, November 2008. "At times it seems that the search for good health has taken all the pleasure out of life. It has stripped us of butter, cream, marbled red meat, pork, and goose fat, not to mention alcohol and fine, hand-rolled cigars. And just when you settle on your favorite healthful fish, you're told it's laced with mercury. Sometimes it feels as though we would be better off being less healthy and enjoying life. But then, miraculously, there is olive oil. Olive oil, it seems, is the only really good food we are still allowed." And we are always allowed the essence of flowers. So enjoy your gardens and the first weekend of summer. Ciao!

All Images by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

What’s Cool in The Garden?

Beth Chatto, author of The Shade Garden said "In shade it is possible to create interest in every season - and such a feeling of peace and serenity that the area becomes a favorite part of the garden."

It certainly does become your primo spot on summer days like these. If fake air, the beach or swimming pools just aren’t available, shade gardens become a safe haven from the heat.  

The diverse plant palette that grows as an understory to your trees and shrubs in this category also offer some of the most spectacular foliage.

While many of us are sun seekers, including the plants we like to grow, nothing beats the heat of a shade garden!

All images by Greg Bilowz

P.S. This is only a tip of the iceberg for shade plants! Got a little carried away with the images.

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

A Sizzling Wordless Wednesday



On this beautiful (if you like it hot) first day of summer, enjoy the wonders of a garden. Any garden, just enjoy it! As Luther Burbank profoundly noted, "Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food, and medicine to the soul."

Top Image of Rose Canterbury Bells Campanula Medium by Ann Bilowz

Bottom Image of a Potato Plant Flower by Ann Bilowz

(This is the real McCoy potato – fresh for all those summer time dishes!)

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Butterflies At Home

Rabindranath Tagore points out, “The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.” In your garden space, butterflies should feel at home. Providing an enriched butterfly environment is simple – offer a wide variety of plants, grasses and wildflowers and you should see your summertime share of butterflies. Want to keep these critters flitting about the garden? Offer a bit of sun, shelter, water and of course, flowers rich in nectar. Although this Yellow Swallowtail may have but a short life, the beauty of this butterfly is simply spectacular. As R.H. Heinlein reminds us, “Butterflies are self propelled flowers.”

Image of a Yellow Swallowtail by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Lighting Up the Garden

A favorite perennial for so many reasons, a few of our Daylily varieties are lighting up the garden. Belonging to the genus Hemerocallis, this perennial does best in full sun but can handle some light shade. If you do happen to have Daylilies planted in complete shade, the foliage is still lovely but the beauty of this plant is its daily bloom.

The range in varieties is so vast; it is hard to keep up with any particular favorite. For a number of years, an assortment for the garden was collected. Easily divided and transplanted, it doesn’t take long to have a wonderful collection with a wide array of colors and blossoms. The best time to divide and transplant is in early spring or immediately after flowering. But of course, I’m one for breaking the rules! Always make sure you dig the entire plant and cut the fans back approximately 5 to 6 inches. Daylilies can handle drought but do best in moist but well-drained soils. So be certain to always keep moisture levels up during the heat and no question, when recently planted or transplanted.

So hopefully all the Dads had an excellent Father’s Day yesterday. I noticed there were quite a few enjoying some time out in the garden. Why not? It was perfect gardening weather. Here’s a quick pic just looking up at yesterday’s afternoon sky.

And with that, it’s a Monday wrap and a quote from Terri Guillemets. “Sometimes just looking up and seeing the light is enough.” And if you can’t find a brilliantly sunny sky, you can always find blossoms lighting up your garden.

Images by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

A Second Showing

It’s official. Here’s to making it a regular Friday thing – a second showing of ‘Friday's Garden Photage.’ With the weather being a perfect ten, capturing those beautiful moments in the garden is the darn best part to creating one.

And as Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. once said, “A mind that is stretched by new experiences can never go back to its old dimensions.”

All Images by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Every Ten Days to Sow

Want fresh greens daily in the summer garden? Remember to sow your lettuce seeds every ten days or so and you can have your greens growing in tandem. When one head is ready, there’s another batch starting to sprout. Unless of course you have an intensive bunny population and you can try the route of starting your lettuce seeds in a container.

As Jim Loehr reminds us, “We grow the aspects of our lives that we feed – with energy and engagement – and choke off those we deprive of fuel. Your life is what you agree to attend to.”  So attend to your calendar; mark those ten day intervals and keep lettuce greens growing daily in your summer garden.

P.S. Our favorite is Buttercrunch Bibb Lettuce – a very heat tolerant variety and tasty, too!  Don’t forget to send your questions, comments, or any garden/design topics you’d like to see/read. Otherwise, it's what comes to me!

Top Image of a budding Echinacea purpurea, Purple Cone Flower by Ann Bilowz (Just because flowers are a bit more cheery than lettuce sprouting)

Bottom Image of lettuce growing in the garden by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Reminders for Wordless and Rainy Wednesdays

An unknown quote and two images are today’s reminder for wordless and rainy Wednesdays. “Laugh as much as you breathe and love as long as you live.” 

Or in George Fisher's words, "When you aim for perfection, you discover it's a moving target."

Image of a favorite perennial combo in our garden by Greg Bilowz

Image of Cokie by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

No Escaping Monday

Monday morning glitches prevented yesterday’s blog posting but there’s no escaping the recipe I promised to share. For those of you lucky enough to have planted garlic last fall, it’s time to check for the seedpods starting to sprout. Known as ‘garlic scapes’, these pods are coming out a tad early this year; just like everything else in the garden. They usually form in July but in our garlic patch, we’ve already clipped and stored them in the fridge for recipes.

The trick is to remove these pods when they are young and tender. When clipping them, you also put energy into forming the garlic bulb. No fretting. If you didn’t plant garlic in the garden, you might be lucky enough to find these scapes at a farmers market.

So back to the pasta and garlic scape recipe; here’s what you will need:

4 Garlic Scapes (Finely Chopped)

1 small zucchini (Chopped)

2 broccoli florets (apprx. ½ lb. chopped into small pieces)

¼ cup of water

½ cup of freshly grated Romano Cheese (you can substitute Asiago or Parmesan cheese)

6 oz. of Penne

1 Tablespoon Capers

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Butter

Salt

Fresh ground pepper

Boil your water for the Penne. While cooking the Penne, stir fry your Broccoli florets in 2 tablespoons of cooking Olive oil. Throw a dash of salt on the broccoli to keep its green color. Once seared, throw in the chopped zucchini and garlic scapes. Add ¼ cup of water and cover to steam until tender. Reduce heat to low and toss in cooked Penne with a ¼ cup of pasta water, 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of good quality extra virgin Olive oil and 1 tablespoon of drained Capers. Stir in ½ cup of grated cheese. Toss and serve immediately. Add freshly ground pepper to taste. For those of you who prefer a zip of lemon, you could drizzle a ½ of a freshly squeezed lemon over the dish before serving. You could also dress with some finely chopped Italian Parsley or fresh basil from your kitchen garden, adding some additional zest.

So there you have it - a simple recipe with a part of the garlic that is often ignored. You can use these scapes for soups, salads, and many other culinary creations.

To end Tuesday’s post with a quote that absolutely fits this whole scape thing, Junot Diaz sums it up best. “But if these years have taught me anything it is this: you can never run away. Not ever. The only way out is in.”

Top image of a lonely Garlic Scape left in the garden by Ann Bilowz

Second image of cut garlic scapes from the garden by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Friday’s Garden Photage

With all the recent rains, when that sun finally pops out, so do those moments in the garden.

Today’s post is a garden photage – capturing a few botanical moments.

As the writer, Jerry Spinelli reminds us, “Today is calling to you, trying to get your attention, but you're stuck on tomorrow, and today trickles away like water down a drain. You wake up the next morning and that today that you wasted is gone forever. It's now yesterday. Some of those moments may have had wonderful things in store for you, but now you'll never know.” Gardens are just that – moments. And if you take the time to create a garden, make sure you enjoy its many moments.

Claude Debussy wraps up this photage while Cokie poses for the camera; “A beautiful sunset that was mistaken for a dawn.”

All images by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Art and Gardens Intertwined

Claude Debussy, the French composer pointed out that “Works of art make rules; rules do not make works of art.” Debussy’s words are a great lead-in for today’s blog thought:  some of the world’s most beautiful gardens are works of art rather than ones that follow all the rules.  Claude Monet, the famous French impressionist painter comes to mind as originating his own rules with his inspiring works of art. Monet was also a passionate gardener; flowers and nature an integral part of his pieces.

There must be Monet fans in the crowd. Maybe you live or work in New York or are possibly planning a trip there soon. To discover this concept of art and gardens intertwined, you may want to include a stop at the New York Botanical Garden where you can find Monet's horticultural work recreated. There is an exhibit running now until October 21st that includes photographs, videos, rare documents and two of the impressionist's paintings.  

Want to grasp the importance of how art and gardens intertwine? Take some French advice and include a visit to the New York Botanical Garden for what sounds to be an awesome exhibit!

Image of New Dawn Roses intertwined with Lupines by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/