Got Tomatoes?

When Tom and the kids came home one by one last night, each one wanted to know how soon supper would be - the aroma of  roasted tomato sauce  roasting in the oven sent their hunger soaring. 

A little sauce goes a long way with this recipe, because the roasting concentrates the rich flavors of the tomatoes, onions, garlic and herbs.  It's the perfect way to use up tomatoes when you have limited freezer space like I do. 

String Garden?

I'm busy filling orders today, as well as preparing for a guest blog post this weekend.

But, I wanted to share this "String Garden" idea with you.  I'm not sure what to make of it, are you?  But isn't it interesting?  I would love to know how they do it...and why.

There's an app for that!

I've been accused of being addicted to my iphone.  Here's another reason to be - now there's a gardening app!  One can reap what they sow with help from Botanical Interests. There doesn't seem to be much on flowers, but there is detailed info on vegetable and herb gardening, tips and tricks, and even a coupon for 5% off your first seed purchase from the company who designed the app.

$5.99 at the itunes app Store.

No better place to be...

Beginning this Friday, most Friday mornings will find me here, at the very picturesque Northwind Perennial Farm, near Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

Well known Chicago garden designer J. Siegel describes Northwind as being:

"...exceptional on many levels. They sell & promote unusual plants with a nod to natives, their lovely staff knows a lot about their products, and the place is so well-conceived and arranged, that people visit just for the charming experience."

Northwind isn't just your average nursery; they sell over 400 different perennials, and feature a number of amazing showcase perennial gardens, not to mention a very tempting garden shop in a centuries old barn as well.

I will be participating in their Friday morning farmer's market (9:00 - 12 noon) , from now until the end of August, selling my pressed flower cards and botanical art. I can't imagine a better place to spend a few hours each week - I only hope I don't spend all my earnings there!

Planting Time

I planted my peas the two Saturdays ago, and this past Saturday night we were socked not with one inch, but 7 inches of snow! My poor peas. I imagine I won't be hearing from them, and will have to replant them again soon.

On a cheerier note, today is the day that I will be starting the first of my indoor seeds. First off will be a large tray of purple basil. Personally I don't think a person can ever have too much basil, but most of these basil seedlings are not for me - they will be sold at a rummage sale I will be hosting on behalf of my church to raise funds for Operation Christmas Child. I have sold purple basil for the past few years (except the year we had that freak hail storm) and have developed a small following of customers who come back yearly looking for my purple basil.

Other plants that I always seem to have an abundance of in my gardens that sell well at our rummage sale include ostrich ferns (shoots are always coming up where I don't want them), tarragon and oregano divisions, mint, sedums (so easy to root in soil) and cilantro seedlings that seems to come up everywhere in my garden.

Terra Garden has also recommended selling Christmas Cactus cuttings which is a great idea I hadn't thought of. I usually trim my Christmas Cactus right about now, so I'm hoping that the cuttings will have rooted by the time of our rummage sale in mid May.

A quick note:
For those of you who have been patiently waiting, the Microfleur Max microwave flower presses that have been on back order have finally been shipped from Australia. Because of the flooding they experienced earlier this year, they had to order all new boxes for the presses, but thankfully they are finally on their way.

Yellow Crocus Spring Greeting

12" X 12"
"Yellow Crocus Spring Greeting"
Pressed flowers, handmade paper
$95.00

Over the weekend spring was briefly here in southern Wisconsin, and in a happy frenzy I planted my super sugar snap peas as well as my snow peas. My neighbors said it was way to early, but Martha Stewart always says to get them in around St. Patrick's Day. She should know. And, while I was at it, I also planted a few kohlrabi, some beets, chard, and lettuce. It was probably too early for all of the latter, but it was so much fun for my soul.

Today we are back to that long "in between" time - not quite spring, not quite winter. It's a perfect day to post my yellow crocus creation, and try to think thoughts of spring coming, and staying.

My tour of the Vatican Gardens

Blogging has been sparse this week, due to an unexpected family medical situation. Right there's not much to do but wait, so we are all trying to get back to a sense of normalcy.

Several of my facebook friends have "tagged" me with the Twenty-Five Things meme, where I'm supposed to list 25 unique facts about myself. At the moment that seems like too much work. But, in thinking about things, I remembered my adventure in the Vatican Gardens.

My friend Annie and I went backpacking in Europe one summer after college. While in Rome I decided to tour the Vatican one day (Ann went to the Coliseum), and unfortunately they were closing down early and none of the usual tours were being offered.
As I was standing there a bit disappointed, an important looking priest came up to me, and said something in Italian. Because he seemed to want an answer, I smiled and nodded, and the next thing I knew, he was leading me by the arm, through a gate, through several doors, down a hallway, and eventually outside into a white van. I squeezed in and realized that I was the only shabby backpacker among lots of well dressed, academic looking Europeans.

Thankfully the ride was very short (I was feeling very self conscious) and soon large ornamental gates were swinging open to let our van through into a large, lush, peaceful greenness that seemed very out of place in the middle of chaotic Rome. Someone handed me a brochure, and from the pictures I was amazed to discover that I was in the Vatican Gardens.

We stayed all afternoon. The tour guide led us to various nooks and crannies, and the academic Europeans listened intently, scribbled notes, took pictures, and even examined leaves and flowers with magnifying glasses. I wasn't really into gardening back then, so I don't remember anything specific about the plants I saw. I just drank in the beauty, and tried to imagine what prayers might have been uttered in that beautiful, peaceful place. And, I eventually said a thankful prayer of my own.

Aerogarden update

For those of you who follow me on twitter, you may recall that I recently received an Aerogarden for my birthday. Basically it's an indoor hydroponics garden, and I inserted the "seed pods" and plugged it in two weeks ago.

So far, as you can see, the italian basil and purple basil are going strong. To the right of the green italian basil there is a thin frond of dill that's about 3" tall, but because it's so thin and delicate it barely shows up against the dark background.
To the left of the purple basil there is mint sprouting, and on the right you can see a sprig of thyme, which is about 2" tall.

There are two sluggards on either end of the back row, chives and parsley. The chives should have sprouted 4 days ago, and the parsley is 2 days late. I called aerogarden, and after being on hold for a long time I was assured that two new seed pods will soon be on their way to me. Unfortunately by the time I get the new pods and germination finally occurs, they will be well behind the other plants. It will be interesting to see what happens.

Stopping By

Yellow Gazania
Pressed Botanicals on Handmade Paper, Unframed
11" x 14"
Private Collection


I've been a hermit.
I’ve been working overtime trying to get reorganized for the year ahead in regards to both my home, as well as my art. And I’ve been spending too much time (I know!) pouring over seed catalogs, drinking in all of the beautiful pictures, dreaming of this year's gardens, and trying (in vain) not to order more seeds than I can plant.

Like last year, I will be ordering even more vegetables, since that worked out so well for us last summer. This poses a bit of a challenge, however, since I don't really have a dedicated space for them. I have so many perennials dotted through out my gardens, as well as lots of annuals that faithfully reseed themselves each year, so I will have to squeeze my vegetables in where I can. I'm ordering a number of attractive ornamental vegetables, and will also be "hiding" some of my not so good looking vegetables behind screens of cosmos and calendula.

As usual, I have given myself permission to buy one non pressable, non edible, non useful plant - just for fun. This year's fun plant is the medusa ornamental pepper. I plan on using it as an edging plant for my front yard garden, with a back drop of purple basil, which should really lend a riot of unexpected color by mid summer. Can't wait!

Gazania - pressed flower collage under construction

I've been getting a few grumblings about my lack of blogging, and yes, I apologize that things have been a bit sparse lately.

I've been feverishly expanding my main garden this year, and have planted many more vegetables, hoping that they will help make a dent in our grocery bills. Also, I'm determined to make my garden more attractive this year - in the past I've made my main garden utilitarian, separating the flowers from the vegetables, and this year I've chosen mainly "ornamental" and colorful vegetable plants, and have attempted to sprinkle them "artistically" among my flowers. We'll see...

However, today is stormy, so I am in the middle of putting together the above pressed flower collage, and hope to finish/frame it by my gallery opening at the Antioch Fine Arts Gallery this Sunday. I'll write more about that soon.

basil on ice

This is what happened to my basil last year.

By this time last May the purple and green basil I had started from seed was about 4 inches tall, and I had just pinched back the top four leaves of each plant so that they would branch out and get bushy.

Unfortunately, out of the blue, a freak hailstorm hit with out warning - very unusual in Wisconsin. By the time I realized what happened it was too late - my basil was pummeled! The only good thing that came out of this is that we were blessed with tortellini with fresh pesto butter for supper. This year, I'm watching the sky and the weather more intently.

Early morning impulse buy

My two sons missed the bus this morning. Again.

I don't enjoy having to drop everything and take them to school - it's not on my agenda, and I've been known to get a little crabby when this happens. I know I shouldn't - they try to get ready on time, but they get sidetracked.

At any rate, I too, got sidetracked on my way back home from taking them school - I spied real live flowers for sale at the Twin Lakes hardware store! I was stunned - I wasn't expecting to see plants for sale up here in Wisconsin for another week or so. I bought Delta Blue Pansies, Plum Velvet and Lemon Sorbet Violas as I usually do every spring, but I was really amazed to see Calendulas and English Daisies for sale already! Amazing!

If it warms up later, (it's only 36 degrees out now!) I'll plant them in containers, so that I can easily move them back into the garage at night. I have two old rustic-looking metal pails from my brother's farm that they would look great in.

Thanks for missing the bus boys, you made my day!

Container Gardening Tips

One of the seminars I went to at the Chicagoland Flower and Garden Show was about a huge interest of mine - container gardening! Here's a few of the highlights:

1. Pots are hot!
Classy ceramic containers are in this year, especially in cobalt blue, red, and chartreuse.

2. Bigger is better!
If your income is limited (and whose isn't these days!) invest in a large pot as opposed to several smaller pots. Larger pots make a more dramatic statement, allow for greater creativity, and are easier to care for.

3. Cram and jam!
Those of us that live in the north know that our container gardening season is all too short - so plant your containers generously from the beginning. You can always edit your container during the season if need be.

4. Have a lotta terra cotta!
Sorry, I think the bad humor of my pastor is rubbing off on me. While colorful ceramic pots are the latest trend this year, terra cotta is an enduring classic. Terra cotta goes with anything, and it's now available in many new shapes.

5. Thrillers, fillers, and spillers!
Your containers should include a plant with drama or height(thriller), plants of interest that are the main focus of your container(filler), and a plant that hangs down and softens the hard edges of your container (spiller).

6. Plant your veggies!
Ornamental vegetables are the new hot container plant trend this year. Try colorful veggies such as Lollo Rossa red lettuce, Bright Lights swiss chard, red cabbage, and Lavender Touch Eggplant. Edible nasturtium would add a nice dash of color as well, and of course herbs are a container gardening classic.

7. Pressed flowers are in!
I confess I made this one up. However, flowers that press well and look great in containers include pansies, osteospermum, lobelia, calendula, just to name a few. Add some colorful foliage plants to your pressed flower containers so that no one notices that you've snipped away a few of the flowers! Here's a comprehensive list of flowers that press well in case you're interested.

8. Have fun!

The Chicagoland Flower and Garden Show was wonderful! Not only was the convention center brimming with greenery, and thousands of bright flowers, but there was also many interesting displays brimming with my kind of eye candy.
Here's my top 5:

5. The Potting Party - For only $20.00 you could pot up your very own spring container, filled with ivy, mini daffodils, and other spring bulbs. For only $20.00!

4. The First Flower and Garden Art Show - Over 100 artist displayed their garden themed art (well it was mostly flower/garden related). There were no pressed flower artists. Hmm...

3. Garden Conifer's - There was an incredible display of the most unusual conifers I had ever seen. I never knew there was such diversity in color, texture, and shape. The dwarf conifers were amazing.

2. The Seminars - There are free seminars running almost nonstop through out the week, as well as "Garden Gourmet" cooking demonstrations. I went to two excellent seminars, one of which I'll share about later in the week.

1. My favorite thing about the show? The flowers! They were every where. Their spring like scent was heavenly, and they gladdened my winter weary heart.

If your anywhere near Chicago, try to get to the show - it runs through this weekend.

Odds and ends

Here's a quick scan of one of the pictures I made the other day on that particularly dreary, slushy day, when I was in need of a bit of color...

Thankfully today is a brilliantly sunny day, and despite the cold temperatures here in Wisconsin, I know spring is not far behind. I've been hearing sandhill cranes in the fields behind our house. I haven't seen them yet, but how great it is to know they're back!

I heard from Ryan Garrett Fine Art Consulting regarding my pictures yesterday. Apparently the presentation with the Montage Hotel went well but ultimately they decided to go with a different design concept. I'm disappointed, but what a blessing to have been asked. The fact that a major art consulting company even noticed my art is amazing to me. It seems to give my art a sense of legitimacy - which is something I struggle with from time to time, especially when I compare it to the art of other artists I know (I know I shouldn't!)

Saturday is the start of the Chicagoland Flower and Garden Show. I've never been there before, but my husband (bless his heart) is treating me this year. If you go, he'll be the one patiently trying to keep three kids occupied hour after hour, and I'll be the one drooling over absolutely everything. I'll be reporting my "Top 5" of the Chicagoland Flower and Garden Show on Monday.

A new blog and a bargain

My fellow art friend Bonnielyn recently started a new blog, called Oceancolors. She's an avid diver, and translates the wonders of what she sees during her dives into brilliant watercolor and oil paintings.

I think you'll like her blog - it captures her passion for both the beauty of the ocean and her love of expressing that beauty. And, if you're in the Chicago area you can check her out at booth # 1011 at the Rosemont during the "Our World Underwater" scuba diving trade show this weekend.

And, speaking of people of passion, Elisabeth Sheldon wrote a book called "Time and the Gardener" that I have had my eye on for quite some time. She wrote it at the age of 85, and basically it's a collection of 14 years worth of essays that gracefully reveal her vast knowledge and deep passion for plants of all kinds. The list price of this book is $25.00 (276 pages) but get this - it's on sale at PineTree Garden Seeds for only $5.98!!! Better get there fast.

Unusual plant

I'm sure you know by now that I have a passion for plants. I am especially fond of plants that I can press and use in my art, and I'm also partial to plants that taste wonderful - especially herbs.

But once in awhile, I am drawn to seemingly useless plants, plants that are unusual and special in their own right - the kind of plant that God might have created to show us that he has a sense of humor.

Here's such a plant, and it's called Tillandsia bulbosa. It's big (10" wide and tall) and it just sits in that glass cup and with it's wild arms scattering in every direction. If you look closely, you might see that it's beginning to turn red in the center - that means it's getting ready to bloom at some point. As an air plant, all it requires is regular watering (rain water is best) and light - no soil of any kind.
I'll take another picture for you when it's in bloom. Airplants tend to grow very slowly, so it might take awhile!

edelweiss

Isn't this a stunning edelweiss?

It was grown from seed, pressed in the microfleur, made into a card, and sold on Etsy. Now, looking back at the scan I took of it, I wish I would have made something more permanent out of it, like a framed picture, or even a journal!

They are a bit tricky to grow from seed, but I have found that the plants I grow from seed tend to last longer (2-3 years) than edelweiss plants I have purchased. The seeds can be hard to find, but I ordered mine from Pinetree Garden Seeds this year, and I've also seen them on ebay.

They like cool conditions, so here in Wisconsin I start them in my chilly basement, and eventually move them to our insulated garage under grow lights. Then, when it's time to move them outside, I place them in a planter filled with cactus potting soil (they need excellent drainage) and I am usually blessed with at least 2-3 dozen beautiful blooms from 4-5 plants. Give it a try!
copyright pressed-flowers dot blogspot dot com.

Gifts for Gardeners

I am thrilled and honored to be among the Botanical Art sites chosen in Kathy Purdy’s article on “Gifts for Gardeners”

Kathy writes the very informative “Cold weather Gardening Blog” as well as a new blog entitled “Blogging Art and Practice which contains good information for those of us still trying to get the hang of blogging.

Kathy is also an accomplished photographer and the beautiful flower pictures on her gardening blog transport me right back to my garden in July. That’s a great place to be this time of year in Wisconsin!

free organic reading material

A $23.94 value! Stonyfield organic yogurt is really good (I like the lowfat vanilla), and they are offering a free one year subscription to Organic Gardening magazine, when you collect 4 specially marked yogurt container lids. Bless their hearts! Hurry, you only have until the end of next month.