#spring bouquets

[ediblegardenspointloma]

In My San Diego Garden & Kitchen 4-1-19

It was a week of firsts and lasts in my garden. The first artichoke makes dinner a celebration. This one was extraordinarily tender and succulent.

The artichoke plants are very robust this year, likely due to the frequent winter rains. Hoping for many more artichokes like these. My favorite is yet to come—the Italian artichoke Violetta Di Chioggia.

The broccoli run is finished so I began removing the dozen plants last week. Thankfully, no aphids this year though they’ve been on my red cabbage, lettuce and roses. I salvaged some of the tender young broccoli leaves growing near the base of the plant.

Most of my plants look like this. A few of them had a singular offshoot that appeared to be a new plant. I’ve read about the perennial nature of broccoli in temperate climates. I’d love to experiment but my garden is too small.

A handful of the slightly larger leaves went to a friend who used them in a soup. Some of the larger leaves and stems went to a friend with rabbits.

A few last broccoli side shoots. We’ve been eating broccoli since early January.

The lettuce will finish in the next week or two depending on the weather. If it’s cool it will be less likely to bolt. In the meantime I’m doling lettuce out to all takers. 

And there are luscious salads everyday. 

Some kumquats remain on the tree but I hope to make marmalade this week. Calendula petals and kumquats brighten any salad.

Purple is the dominant color in the perennial garden at this time, featuring native lupine, Spanish bluebells, cerinthe, larkspur, perennial scabiosa, babiana and gilia tricolor. It is truly spring.

See what other garden bloggers harvested last week in their gardens at Harvest Monday hosted by Dave at Our Happy Acres.

[merrybrides]

ROSES AND ORCHID WEDDING BOUQUET

  Big, beautiful bouquets with a touch of vivid color are all the rage this season. White orchids and pink roses are a perfect balance of sweet and modern, with just a touch of romance. I love the way this bouquet cascades and works as an accessory for the bride

[joeruggieroblog]

Spring!

Container Garden!

[aceflowers-blog]

Spring it on! Whether it's delighting flower lovers and green thumbs everywhere with bright bouquets and budding plants, or delivering smiles for any Spring celebration, it's the perfect time of year to express yourself with our truly original flowers, plants and gifts.

[merrybrides]

Peony Wedding Bouquet

The soft and romantic spring florals of this Peony bouquet would pair perfectly with a lacey wedding gown and vintage-style decor … wouldn’t you agree? 

This lovely bouquet contains the following flowers: Garden Roses, Calla Lily, Dutch Tulip, Dusty Miller, Peonies, and Ranunculus.

* Photo Credits: Lane Dittoe Photography

[ediblegardenspointloma]

In My San Diego Garden & Kitchen 4-24-17

This garden gift basket for my son, Andy and his wife is a snapshot of the week’s harvests: Tuscan kale, French sorrel, oranges, broccoli, artichokes, carrots, celery, spring onions, strawberries and blueberries. 

Though the rest of the winter garden wanes, the beets are sizing up.

A row of spinach got lost in the bolted lettuce “forest.” Steamed, it was tender and full of flavor.

It was late in the season for the kohlrabi with a few overtaken by aphids. Another winter garden “ending.”

Though the winter garden winds down, there are plenty of spring flowers for bouquets. Here, enchanting burgundy alstroemerias and perennial scabiosa. 

To see what other garden bloggers are harvesting, head over to Harvest Monday hosted by Our Happy Acres.

[ediblegardenspointloma]

First Day of Spring

Flowers in the garden reminding us that spring is here—a mix of California natives, bulbs, shrubs, herbs and perennials: gilia ‘tricolor,’ greveillia ‘Moonlight,’ erigeron, heucera maxima, lupine, freesia, parsley.

[merrybrides]

Wedding Bouquet Inspiration

Even though it's the Christmas season it's never too early to think about Spring. (Yes I am dreaming of warm sunny days while I sit here freezing in Massachusetts.) While doing some online Christmas shopping I stumbled upon some beautiful Spring Bridal Bouquets from House of Stemms.

This vibrant Spring Bridal Bouquet is my favorite. I love the combination of the blues, pink, and lavender hues. The bouquet features a hand-tied bridal composition of pink tulips, luxury pink roses with blue and purple hyacinths, collared with cordyline leaves.

 Roses and Mini Callas Bouquet                        

This sweet Pink Rose and Mini Calla Bouquet is so romantic. It's a classic and never goes out of style. Perfect for a Spring or Summer wedding.

Earthy Bridal Bouquet

I love the uniqueness of this vibrant Earthy Bridal Bouquet. It features Ranunculus, Lisianthus, Anemones, Succulents, English Ivy and other greens, all hand-tied with Rafia.

 Blue Orchids                      

If you want your bridal bouquet to pop with color try this Blue Orchid Bouquet. This unique bouquet features purple Bombay Dendrobium Orchids dyed blue.

* A special thanks to the House of Stemms for the use of their beautiful photos.

If you are located in the San Diego area, you can contact The House of Stemms at  619-237-8842 or contact them here online to set up a complimentary wedding consultation to discuss the endless possibilities that they can offer.        

[merrybrides]

Romantic Peony Wedding Bouquets

Say "I do" to these remarkable arrangements. Peonies aren't just one of our favorite garden blooms—the lush flowers are also some of our all-time favorite fillers for beautiful wedding bouquets. Beloved for their sweet scent, bright color, and voluptuous blossoms, peonies are the picture-perfect addition to your bridal bouquet. Here are some of the prettiest peony bouquets, from bold and bright bridal flowers to subtle bridesmaid bouquets.

[ediblegardenspointloma]

In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

A late spring salad for a gathering of friends utilizing a glut of lettuce with additions of garden carrots, radishes and calendula petals.

Garden gifts as the mesclun lettuce and arugula finish their run.

The season of apricots begins slowly and later than usual this year. The crop appears to be significantly smaller than the 120 pound yield of 2022 but we’ll savor whatever comes.

Keeping the color theme going, I’ll insert a favorite bouquet from last week here.

The Italian purple artichokes come to an end and prepped to cook become a work of art by knife.

Small but treasured harvests.

Check the What I’m Planting Now page as I think spring in the garden. Then head to Harvest Monday, hosted by Dave at Happy Acres Blog and see what garden bloggers around the world harvested last week.

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[ediblegardenspointloma]

In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

It’s the season of garden gifts with much more in our vegetable garden than what we can use. Unfortunately, two nearby neighbors have relocated but I’m finding others to share the largesse with.

New friends on the next street over.

If someone swings by the house, it’s easy to make a bag of their preferred veggies.

Last week a friend from Nigeria requested chard.

My favorite harvest of the week was the Alkindus lettuce from Territorial Seeds.

Ingredients for a spring salad.

Sunday’s church entry bouquet from the spring garden—alstroemerias, Moonlight grevillea, Iceland poppies, Watsonia and peppermint willow.

Check the What I’m Planting Now page as I start seeds for the warm season garden. Then head to Harvest Monday, hosted by Dave at Happy Acres blog and see what garden bloggers around the world harvested last week.

To leave a comment, click on “Leave a comment/Show comments,” enter the comment, then insert your name. Finally, click on “Comment as Guest” to post comment.

[ediblegardenspointloma]

In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

A Whole Orange Olive Oil Cake crowned our Easter dinner. The oranges are finishing just as a neighbor’s olive tree is budding—a perfect coincidence. I’ve tried many whole orange cakes and definitely recommend this one from the Italian Food Forever blog. There’s a nice balance of orange and olive oil and it’s moist but not oily as some are. Four eggs keep it light and the method and ingredients are simple. I brushed on a glaze of powdered sugar and orange juice and topped each piece with an olive sprig.

Most of the harvests last week were in preparation for Easter dinner including several varieties of lettuce, baby chard, kale, kumquats and celery.

To accommodate varying salad preferences of guests, I offered a “choose your own adventure” option with lettuce and “specialty greens” and eight choices for mix-ins.

My grandson was amused by the carrot but at four, didn’t think it would “walk” to the kitchen. Salads are a daily delight.

The perennial garden provided a simple, low arrangement for the Easter dinner table with delphiniums, native lupine, cerinthe and westringa. Bountiful rains produced a splendid display this spring in California.

Check the What I’m Planting Now page as I think spring in the garden. Then head to Harvest Monday, hosted by Dave at Happy Acres Blog and see what garden bloggers around the world harvested last week.

To leave a comment, click on “Leave a comment/Show comments,” enter the comment, then insert your name. Finally, click on “Comment as Guest” to post comment.

[ediblegardenspointloma]

In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

It was an unremarkable week in the vegetable and fruit gardens. The apricots finished, the apples are nearly ready and there were small amounts of everything else—zucchini, lettuce, spring onions and arugula. If you didn’t read the post on June 12, In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen you might find that more interesting and the photos more alluring. But on to the most recent week.

It is the growing time in the garden. Pole beans climb the trellis and cucumbers are thinking about it. Some beans are flowering and the peppers adjust to being in the ground. Tomatoes finally begin to grow upwards with recent sunny days. I’m steeling myself for the next wave of fruit.

My thumbnail photo is a bouquet that somewhat startled me as I selected and arranged the flowers. I haven’t had lamb’s ears in the garden for many years. This variety bloomed and I was so taken by the textures and stature that I hurriedly looked for other flowers to complete the composition. I found a diminutive statice as filler,, scabiosa and a few lavender spikes. I was smitten and then delivered it to the church entry on Sunday morning.

The arugula got away from me and the quality had diminished. I slayed the small block for regrowth and stuffed it in a bag. When I made salads for lunch, I did a large chop, not wanting to examine the arugula too closely. Four days running I repeated the above salad for lunch. It was an amazing coincidence of flavors—arugula, snips of sweetened dried blood orange slices, toasted slivered almonds all doused with a lemon-olive oil dressing with more diced garlic than most would prefer.

‘Redina’ lettuce and an ordinary romaine keep us in lettuce with enough to share with my son over the weekend. That was before a opossum determined that bird netting was not a sufficient deterrent to rummaging around in the lettuce.

This week will begin the ‘Dorsett Golden’ apple harvest and processing. With the first five pounds I made applesauce and pureed with an equal amount of apricot compote for a incredibly flavorful thick puree.

There’s a compelling beauty to a red spring onion destined for a bulb. I select them as needed but often pause to take in the color and sheen.

See what I’ve planted in my summer vegetable garden recently in What I’m Planting Now. Then head over to see what other garden bloggers around the world harvested last week at Harvest Monday hosted by Dave at Happy Acres blog.

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[ediblegardenspointloma]

Mother's Day Gifts

I agree with Luther Burbank.

Eighteen little bouquets picked up by or for mothers today.

[ediblegardenspointloma]

Garden Gifts

The above photo is a sampling of the week’s harvests. The occasion for the arrangement on my mother’s Franciscan plate was the opportunity to meet up with my son, Tim who lives in Los Angeles. He would be about an hour north for the afternoon.

It makes me happy to share my garden produce with family. Tim is especially appreciative as he had a rooftop garden for several years in Downtown LA. When we moved to San Diego, my mom would send us off most every visit with my dad’s vegetables or fruit from their home orchard. The tradition continues.

I gathered a handful of ‘Dark Lollo Rossa’ lettuce for Tim along with the last of the ‘Pomegranate Crunch.’

Arugula is Tim’s favorite so I stuffed a bag full of the rain-washed greens and another full of spinach.

I pulled the carrots on a FaceTime call with my three-year-old grandson in Seattle. He would have had me continue to pull more. If he were visiting, that would be his job. The jar for Tim’s bouquet fits perfectly in a cup holder. Lupine, California poppies, feverfew, sweet peas and coral bells were the stars.

These oranges and a few more headed to LA along with a bag of Ruby Red grapefruit from Borrego Springs. Also tucked in were a half dozen jars of jam and marmalade, applesauce and frozen apricots. Oh, and my personal favorite, candied orange peels.

And returning home, a bouquet of sweet peas perfumes the kitchen.

You may enjoy seeing what other garden bloggers around the world harvested last week at Harvest Monday hosted by Dave at Happy Acres blog.

To leave a comment, click on “Leave a comment/Show comments,” enter the comment, then insert your name. Finally, click on “Comment as Guest” to post comment.

[ediblegardenspointloma]

Seattle Garden Share

I recently returned from three weeks in the Seattle area—Edmonds to be precise. Whenever I visit the Pacific Northwest (PNW), I spend many hours walking neighborhoods, parks and public gardens, studying and reveling in the diversity of plants and trees that grow in Washington and Oregon.

See some of the botanical wonders in my recent post, September in Seattle.

There is a garden ethos in the PNW that I find captivating. It is evident in the design of gardens and in the generosity of gardeners. Here are a few examples I saw on my recent trip.

The community herb box is on the daily walking route of my two-year-old grandson. Each time he passes by he pauses to sample one of the herbs. His mom might take some home to use with dinner.

In another neighborhood I saw this generous offer.

PNW gardens are winding down in the fall but I suspect that this little greenhouse offering free plants has regular garden gifts in the spring and summer.

And closer to home, a neighbor up the street offers produce from her garden.

Even closer to home, my offering to moms on Mother’s Day during the pandemic 2020.

Garden whimsy in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood.