Whitney's Garden (Part 2)

I had a little time today to spend doing nothing so I decided to transfer my drawing of Whitney's garden from paper to digital by playing in the Paint Program on my computer. Below the image is a key to correspond with the numbers to explain what specific things are.

Garden Key:
1.) Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Potatoes, Onions, Zucchini, Squash
2.) Sunflowers/Standing Cypress
3.) Melons, Lettuce, Broccoli
4.) Jalapeño, Peas, Garlic, Carrot
5.) Beans, Grapes
6.) Clovers
7.) Grass
8.) Climbing plant privacy wall
9.) Herb Wheel
10.) Moon Garden
11.) Flower bed
12.) Climbing Plant on support pole
13.) Climbing plant in the corner
14.) Ground cover plants
15.) Climbing plant on wall
16.) Tall plants- Standing Cypress (Pink circles)
17.) Archway with floral vine
18.) Table and Chair
19.) Fruit Trees (potted)

Too much fun!

~ Birdie

Whitney's Garden (Part 1)

I am so excited! My friend, Whitney, mentioned to me that she wanted to start a garden in her back yard. I'm even more excited because she asked me for some help and I cannot wait! Whitney has a medium sized back yard with great potential and a space already set aside for a good sized flower garden and another section for an herb garden. The soil just needs to be softened and mixed up and then it will be ready to plant! Being the planner that I am I went a little crazy the other night and drew up a floor plan of sorts for her back yard including her flower and herb gardens as well as a fire pit, veggie garden (or three) and a possible solution to her grass growing problem. I went through my catalogues and picked out the flowers and veggies that would likely compliment her back yard and style the most- although the real fun will be going through the catalogues with Whitney and letting her pick out her favorites!

Whitney's back yard:

• Full sun 90% of the day with some shade on the far end.
• Mostly grass, spotted- difficulty growing.
• Grapefruit tree.
• Medium sized Tree.
• Two Palms in the back right corner.
• Two cactus in front of the palms.
• Gravel under the living room window about 6 ft by 12 ft.
• Covered Porch the remaining length of the house. BBQ, Mister.
• Back left corner has an empty area of gravel.
• Cinder block walls around the yard.
• (Two med/large dogs)

Whitney's back yard's potential:

• Fire pit to the left, middle of yard with stepping stones from porch to pit.
• Herb garden and flowers in the back left corner in the wagon wheel design.
• Flower garden in the space below the living room window with nook for chair and table. brick or stone pathway walking down the middle of the garden to allow for access to side of house as well as access to the nook.
• Raised veggie gardens to line the three walls, about 2-3ft wide.
• Added ground cover flowers and one tall, climbing flower in the back right corner by the plams.
• Privacy wall half the length of the covered porch using a lattice and climbing plant.
• Climbing plant to hide the left pole supporting the covered porch.
• Pots of plants trailing onto the grass and porch to allow the garden to blend into the house and yard.
• Hanging/trailing plants on the beams.
• Climbing plant on the left wall in the flower garden.
• Sunflowers to add coverage of the back wall.
• Birdbath underneath the tree with bird feeder in tree.
• Flowers around the base of the tree.
• Plant clovers in the left side of the yard to add green cover in the grass area.
• Moon garden in pots near the fire pit.

Suggested Herbs:

• Basil
• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Oregano
• Sage

Suggested Veggies/Fruit:

• Cherry Tomato
• Husky Tomato
• Roma Tomato
• Baby Red Potato
• Potato
• Yellow and Red Onions
• Garlic
• Jalapeno Pepper
• Bell Peppers
• Broccoli
• Lettuce, Head and Romain
• Beans
• Peas
• Concord Grapes
• Apple Tree (Speciality)
• Pear Tree (Speciality)
• Cucumbers
• Celery

Suggested Flowers:
Climbers:

• Passion Flower
• Cup and Saucer Vine

Flowers:

• Amaranth "Oeschberg"
• Calendula "Art Shades"
• California Poppy "Orange"
• Flax "Charmer Mix"
• Nemophilia "Penny Black"
• Poppy "Black Swan"
• Poppy "Heirloom"
• Standing Cypress (In front of Living room window)
• Sunflower "Double Shine F1"
• Zinnia "Starbright Mix"
• Feverfew (relieves headaches)
• Geranium "Peppermint"
• Lavender "Provence"
• Pink- Clove "Mrs. Sinkins
• Sweet Assylum "Snow Princess"
• Wallflower "Fairlady"
• Creeping Thyme
• Sweet Pea "Black Knight"
• Lakespur

Moon Garden:

• Moonflower
• Night Jessamine
• Night Phlox "Midnight Candy"
• Petunia "Rainmaster"

Catalogues Used: Territorial Seeds (Veggies/Fruit) and Select Seeds (Flowers)
I can't wait to sit down with Whitney and hear what her ideas are for her garden and to share mine. This is going to be so much fun making her back yard into a sanctuary!
~Birdie

Treasure Hunting 3/25/2010-3/27/2010

I had been looking forward to Friday for multiple reasons, one: because I was going to go to a garage sale at the house I picked up the dragonfly table and room divider from (they had so many more treasures there than I had money to pay for them at the time!), two: because I was going to be able to pick up my birdbath from a gal off of Craigslist who said she would hold it for me until me day off, three: it was my day off, four: Pay Day! An added bonus to my Friday was that my new found friend, Whitney, was able to go treasure hunting with me which was a great excuse to get another chance to hang out with her.

We went to the house and caught the ladies holding the garage sale just in time before they were going to leave. We popped into their garage and starting sifting through boxes. I'll admit I got a little crazy and picked out some things that I do, now, have some buyer's remorse about- but still walked away with some great buys- all in all $20 spent and a car load of gardening items made for a good morning. I walked away with a bucket that had dragonflies stamped in the metal, a few small terracotta pots, a picture of boats, a milk bottle with a cow on it, a small side table (which I put my Faerie Garden on), a decorative watering can a book about herb gardening in pots, and a rustic styled wine rack. Whitney bought a few Paris items for a friend of her's, a mirror, and some pictures with frames she intends to reuse.

Earlier in the week, 3/25/2010, I had walked into Ross for some therapy shopping on my lunch break after a frustrating morning. I bought a few blouses to spice up my wardrobe (apparently I am channeling my inner pirate because everything I bought had stripes!) and I walked into the gardening section. I can't believe, of all the treasure hunting places, I had forgotten about Ross. I stood there in the back department looking at square tables, rectangle tables, corner tables, window boxes, wall art, and decorative pieces for your garden. I was in treasure hunting heaven! But I neither had the time nor the money to spend, so I picked up a small item ($1.99 clearance) that stated "Welcome to our home" with a bird. Perfect. I definitely planned to return... which I did, later that Friday.

After our garage sale, Whitney and I ventured to Half Price Books to see what we could find and walked straight to the gardening section. There are so many books there on gardening it's a little overwhelming, but if you take it slow and peek into the one's that catch your eye it really isn't that bad. I showed Whitney some books that might be useful to her garden, which she is in the process of starting, and we browsed the rest of the store before heading out and returning to Whitney's house.

Unfortunately, Whitney had to work that afternoon so I was left to venture out into the world (of Ross) solo- and perhaps I should have had a chaperon... Ross's inventory had been replenished and oh-my-sweet-planting-pots! I was amazed! Here I had been eBaying and Craigslisting desperately trying to find large pots to have in my garden and I couldn't find anything under $100 and all I had to do was walk into Ross and find it for $23! They are beautiful too! Different colors of blues and greens, I opted for the dark blue and teal with a matching smaller pot, but may have to go back for another big one. By big I mean at least 50+pounds! It is perfect!

I can't wait to start planting. I'm not sure if I want to fill them with new plants, or if I want to transplant some of my current veggies over- they are growing so fast! But that is for a different post to debate!

Saturday, 3/27/2010, made for an interesting day. I was in Tucson for work and had 4 hours to kill and figured there was no better a treat than to explore some local antique shops in a new city. I ended up on a street where there were a few stores in a refurbished warehouse. I walked in and immediately knew "Wow, this is WAY above my pay grade." I had never seen so many overpriced items in my life! It was depressing. $50 for a throw pillow you could find at Target for $10. $48 for a bowl. A BOWL. Not a serving bowl, or a dinner platter.... a SOUP BOWL. In fear of breaking something and having to sell my soul to pay for it, I quickly escaped the clutches of over prices "antiques" and ran across the street the the "Eccentric Flea"- now that is more my cup of tea. However, before turning tail and running to the Gypsy across the street I did manage to snap a picture or two of the most depressing looking Faeries I had ever seen. This is what happens when Faeries find themselves in Las Vegas. Please note the price tag of $49.99 for the 5 inch tall figurines.

*SIGH* Sad.

At the "Eccentric Flea" I managed to find items more to my needs and purchased three low based terracotta pots and a fourth terracotta pot that came with its own stand. Looks like I'll have some space to play with now! It was an interesting store, definitely played well to its name and the owner was pretty eccentric herself.

I would have to say it was a good week in the treasure department, although I am still on the hunt for some good garden decorations that really speak to me. In time.... all good things come in time... I just need to be patient!

Happy hunting,

~Birdie

PS- I never got my birdbath. The gal who had reserved it for me sold it instead. Oh well- something better will come along.

Garden Progress- 3/24/2010

As will be a trend, I will be adding updated photos of the plants I had planted in the past as well as any new additions I may have.



My snapdragons- So beautiful!



Still no Basil- shoot! My Purple Beauty is growing towards the sun. The original mint that I thought had died with the original Basil back in November proved to be more resilient than I thought and sprouted in spite of the soil in that pot being churned about. So it has its own space now. Grow little mint, grow!

My peas are starting to BLOOM!!! Not sure what's wrong with the little guy on the bottom right, but we will doctor him up in no time.

Hidden in there is my Golden California Wonder, Cherry Tomato and jalapeno plants. Continued are my husky tomato and Serrano pepper- they are all growing so fast! About 1.5 inches since planted on March 17th!

My beans are growing like crazy too! Soon I'll need to put up a stick or netting to help them grow upward! My green onions are floundering- you can barely see them, but I have faith they'll hit their stride soon.

My frog prince from Partylite guards my front door. At night I can light the candle in his belly and make his eyes glow.

I'm going to have to move that pot in the corner soon- the trailing plant is fighting with my tomato plants! The white ground cover plant (name to come soon) is growing new leaves everyday, I can hardly believe it! My arugula (right picture) is sprouting and will soon need it's own planter to let it grow to its full potential. I can't wait! I have an awesome arugula dip recipe I can't wait to bust out again!

The faeries are doing their job and growing their garden with haste. I had no idea that the plants I had put in there were blossoming plants, I was content on having a pot of lush green, but much to my surprise yellow and pink flowers are opening up everywhere! The moss is even spreading which excites me- I can't wait to plant some more and make another garden.

Have a great day!

~Birdie

Craigslist Finds

Craigslist, as for millions of others, is by far the most amazing website on the world wide web. I turned to the website recently in search for large pots and garden decor, because, after all, I am on a budget and can't afford the $600 bronze pots that I truly want. Having not found any pots to fit my needs I did find a birdbath (which I will be picking up on Friday, March 26), and a metal room divider. I picked up the divider on Sunday (March 21) and found in the same garage of this woman a small wrought iron table with a mosaic top and dragon flies (My favorite)- I purchased them both right away. Fortunately for me, the same woman is having a garage sale on Friday in which I will be picking up a few more items for my garden.



I intend to put a window box or two of ivy in front of the divider and allow the ivy to grow up the divider adding a nice, natural privacy screen in front of our living room window while still allowing a good amount of natural light into the house. I can't wait! That's Friday's project I think. I am still not sure where I will put the birdbath, but I am very excited to get it!



I am on the hunt, currently, on eBay for some faerie decor items that I could tuck away in my flowers. I am also looking for some decor items I can hang up on the walls to add some additional dimension to the garden. I asked my landlord about placing window boxes on the railing just beyond my door and she told me she would get back to me about that. I'll be crossing my fingers- I need all the space I can get!! :)

~Birdie

Barnheart

I did not create the term Barnheart, but after reading an article, or blog rather, on Mother Earth News I realized that the yearning in my heart was just that- Barnheart. I had fallen victim to the need and desire to be a farmer and possess my own land.

Eventually I will have 20+ acres, a 5 acre vegetable garden, a root cellar, goats, sheep, pigs, and chickens, canning and preserve materials, a small orchard of fruit trees, and a herb and flower garden surrounding my homestead. Eventually.

This eagerness had me stuck with my head in the clouds, constantly planning for my future and, as a side effect, neglecting to appreciate my present. It has gotten to the point where I order catalogues for farming materials such as green houses, fencing, tools, and equipment AND catalogues for heirloom seeds- all of which I have taken a highlighter to and circled my dream seeds for my garden. 5 acres may not be enough space.

Taking to my garden and using the space that I have at my fingertips now I have been able to bring myself down a notch or two and focus on the here and now. My garden is more than a refuge, it's therapy.

Hello. My name is Birdie, and I have Barnheart.

~Birdie

In the beginning...

I began my garden in November 2009 (although, at the time of my journal entry, I thought it was January) and did not think to journal my progress until now. Having since developed the garden and am continually adding more and more to it, I find it best to begin this journal now. With numerous blogs to come throughout this week and eventually to fizzle out as time progresses and I have little progress to denote- please bear with me as I update you these last 5 months. I did not think to create a blog until recently when I decided that the pictures I did think to take throughout the last few months should be included in my journal. My first entry from that journal is as follows:

March 22nd, 2010:

I began my garden some months ago, unfortunately I am not sure exactly when as I did not think to record it at the time. However, I am quite sure that I first broke ground in January. I may even venture to guess that I started on January 1st as a New Years Resolution which makes sense because I am prone to do something like that. I do know that I started with the basic herbs: basil, mint, and rosemary- all plants- all of which eventually died except for the rosemary. I planted asylum, snapdragons, and two different types of ferns- all of which have survived and thrived except for the asylum which quickly died.

I enjoyed this first experience greatly and was pleased to be joined by my neighbor's cats who found what I was doing more enjoyable than I- I think.

In February I had enough forethought to denote the day (February the 9th) in a day planner that I planted sees of Garden Bean, Green Onion, and Oregano which had been previously prepared some time ago in January. I also planted another pot with a trailing plant and some more ground cover plants, white, to add some texture to the garden. Somewhere in between these two gardening adventures I also had managed to plant seed for Peas and Arugula.

Another venture I tried and with immense satisfaction on the 9th I planted my very first Faerie Garden. In a shallow, low set terracotta pot I planted two trailing plants and two patches of moss with pathways between each plant allowing in the center a place for my garden faeries to meet and dance. I placed three quartz crystal stones in the center and a few other stones to add extra positive energy to my garden. Subsequently, I have continued the tradition with the stones to my other potted plants and have seen great results. I asked my garden to grown and acknowledge its beauty and in the same breath invited any faerie to take refuge in the garden I had made just for them. Since building my Faerie Garden I have seen a vast improvement in my snapdragon's health, for at the time they were seemingly on their last leg, or leaf for that matter. I asked the faeries to help my garden grow and I thank them every morning on my way out the door.

On the same day I had purchased three pots which said "Herb" (2) and "Basil" on them. I transferred my surviving rosemary to one "Herb" pot and planted a newly acquired sage plant in the other- having forgotten to buy any basil. Overall it was a good, relaxing, and fulfilling day. I was very proud.

Math 17th, St. Patrick's Day, I opted for a less traditional statement of green and dove into my garden. At this point my family and I had just moved from our previous apartment a week earlier due to a small electrical fire. Our new apartment was cramped, small, and somewhat clouded with negative energy. On the positive side we had a view of the pool- water, my favorite- and morning sun with afternoon shade.

After settling in and getting creative with storage inside an afternoon in the garden was the perfect getaway. I had gone to the store (Lowes) and bought more window boxes, potting soil, tomato (husky and cherry), jalapeno, Serrano pepper, purple beauty pepper, golden California wonder pepper, plants as well as some more asylum (let's try that one again) and a trailing plant. Still forgetting the basil! I returned home and started planting at once. I transferred my growing peas, green onion, and garden bean plats into a window box (and the oregano which, I am sad to report, is not growing yet- but I still hold out belief that it will). I planted the plants I purchased at the store and rearranged where I would put the boxes of plants to get the most sun. My arugula is sprouting, but I ran out of room to plant transplant them into a larger box- oh well... I guess that means another trip to the store!

Overall I can say that the last few months have been a learning process- must keep your plants watered!- and a growing experience. My garden is growing and my ideas for creating more space are flowing out of my head- eBay has become a good friend of mine as of late. I believe that is all for an update on how we got to where we are today. More to follow soon...

~Birdie