Wednesday Vignette: Bird Feeder

Here's a vignette that I snapped through my dining room window. The bushtits, twenty to thirty at a time, gather on my Japanese Clethra and wait their turn to snack on the suet squares filled with insects. The Dictator, our resident male hummingbird, is coming in for a flyby. Dick, as I call him, prefers the garden to himself and tries to kick us all out except when his feeders need to be filled.  Then he cha-cha-chas back and forth in front of me.  A couple of days ago, he flew inside the den to get our attention, then resumed his cha-cha-cha on the patio. I'm his meal ticket and he knows it. 

Don't forget to stop by and visit our hostess, Anna at Flutter and Hum, to see her Wednesday Vignette and all the others.  

Summer Loving

It's that time again…Saxon Holt is hosting his Picture This photo competition at Gardening Gone Wild.  The theme is Summer. 

Summer Lovin'

Here is my submission titled Summer Lovin'. I don't know about you, but I'm always happy to see the ladybugs procreating among the aphid colonies in my garden.  If you look closely, you'll see an aphid peeking out from under the leaf. I wonder if they noshed on the aphid after their lovin'.

In a Vase on Monday: Hand Salad Fun

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Every Monday, I look forward to seeing my artistic friend, Rickii's, contribution to Rambling in the Garden's weekly meme. This week, I decided to join in on the fun.  

This bouquet is inspired by the hand salads that I've been sharing with pedestrians and neighbors out of My Victory Garden. We've been wrapping Sungold tomatoes in nasturtium leaves with a Sour Mexican Gherkin that look like miniature watermelons; a delicious combination. And it doesn't look too shabby stuffed in my old glass Listerine vase.     

Don't forget to visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see her lovely bouquet.  

P.S. Do you like the bouquet picture?  I took it with my iPhone and edited it on the free app Snapseed.  I'd be happy to teach you how to improve your smartphone photography at my class Smartphone Garden Photos class at Clark College on September 28th from 6 to 8 pm.  Here's the link to register. I'm also teaching courses on preparing your garden for winter and planning next year's veggie garden.  I'd love to see you in my class!

Wednesday Vignette: Tiny Harvest

This afternoon, I snacked on some Mexican Sour Gherkins that reseeded all over the front garden from last year.  They are adorable and perfect to snack on or smash into a cocktail.  Don't they look like tiny watermelons? I'm sure that they're a big hit with our garden party gnomes and neighborhood miscreants. 

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Don't forget to stop by Anna at Flutter and Hum to check out all the Wednesday Vignettes!

Garden Conservancy Tour Sneak Peak

You don't want to miss the HPSO and Garden Conservancy tour this Saturday, August 29th!  I tagged along with a small group of local garden bloggers to take a sneak peek of three of the five gardens that will be on the tour.  Half of the proceeds will go to the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon's grants and scholarships funds; a great cause.  The garden that I co-organize, The Hazel Dell School and Community Garden, received a much needed $1,000 grant from the HPSO to update our greenhouse and outdoor classroom this year.

Our first stop was Nancy and Gordon Prewitt's thirty-five year old garden.  I fell hard for their vibrant vegetable garden.  Just look at it!

My friend Linda, who blogs at WhatsitGarden, smiled at all the happy peppers and tomatoes.

Gordon showed us his well tended mason bee homes.  His garden produces food year round and he donates his excess to local charities.    

The Prewitt Garden was also filled with beautiful ornamental vignettes like this.  There was so much to see and explore.  

Next up, was Christine and James Mitchell's garden.  Pulling up to the curb, I was struck by Christine's plant combinations. 

Her use of conifers and bold plant combinations made her garden a treat to explore.

Christine carefully selects plant combinations and James builds all the hardscaping.  They make a great team.  They've built an oasis of raised beds and paths under Douglas Fir trees.

This is a pairing that I've been considering, and now I simply must add it to my garden.

Game of horse shoes anyone?  A great touch for their grandkids.

Our last stop at Zachary Baker and Leon Livengood's garden named Winchester Place Garden captured my imagination.  I felt like Alice in Wonderland exploring the classically restrained garden filled with bright joyful blasts of colorful annuals.

Here's a view from one sitting area towards the fountain.  I loved the thoughtful layout and playful contrast in this garden.  

                                                      Photo taken by My Pirate

If you live in the Portland area, I highly recommend checking this tour out.  Thank you so much to the garden owners for allowing our small merry tribe of garden bloggers in to explore their beautiful gardens.  The HPSO and Garden Conservancy Tour ticket information is here.