Patio Fun

." 

When the spring temperatures began to warm, I took a break from painting my kitchen cabinets and worked on my patio. Summers are short here in Colorado, and I want to enjoy as much time outdoors as possible. The kitchen can wait. Prettying up my outdoor spaces comes first. 

Outdoors, Indoors, and Doors That Aren't Yet Open

Hello Cottage Friends,

As of yesterday, I've been here in Colorado three weeks. I'm sure all of you are as ready as I am to be done with this shelter in place. Sure it's nice to be with family, but it would be a whole lot nicer if we could get out and enjoy the outdoors. Easter Sunday a snow storm rolled in and it's been cold ever since. I think today it reached 50. Oh, this cold is going to take some getting used to again. I did like the warmer winter in Texas. When I left I was wearing sandals and a short sleeved shirt. Not now. Nope. We're not in Texas anymore, Toto.

This was taken on Thursday, when we were visited by another snow storm. (sigh)

Okay, we got that out of the way. Now we can rejoice over the nice weather we enjoyed before the snow, and look forward to the coming week when it should warm up to the 60's. The snow is almost melted today. 

The week before Easter I spent a lot of time clearing the yard and flower beds of leaves and debris.

Temperatures were in the 70's, and we had lots of sunshine. My son was off work on Good Friday, so we got a lot done that day, and then on Saturday the whole family joined us for a work day. The big project for that day was clearing the slope below their patio of Virginia Creeper. This is how it looks now that we've finished ripping out tons of that stuff. I'm sorry I didn't take any "before" photos.(As you can see, my son is a serious griller.) 

Don't get me wrong, Virginia Creeper is a beautiful trailing plant, especially in the autumn.

Photo by Mick Stephenson mixpix 16:18, 19 March 2007 (UTC) - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1808428

But it's not something you want to plant around a patio railing, a deck or a porch, unless you don't mind the damage that it does to the wood. No, it's better to plant Virginia Creeper where it can have its own way. Because that plant is prolific. We worked a good part of the afternoon digging it up. Actually, we were surprised we got as much out as we did. One of the roots was so long that I held it up and my son took a photo. I called it my "Big Catch".

(Clearly I need to employ some upper arm toning exercises.)

The backyard is large and holds a lot of promise. We've got some big plans for it, and even when I move out and into my own place, I've promised to help implement our vision. It'll be fun, and I will certainly take plenty of photos and take you along on the journey. Planting time is still a month away, so patience is required.

The tulips had started to bloom before the cold front came in, so we covered them up with boxes and plastic containers. Most of them survived, I think.

I wish I could take better photos with my iphone. Does anyone have any suggestions? Maybe a certain camera app that you're familiar with that would improve the quality? I may have to bite the bullet and get myself a regular camera. I used to enjoy photography, but my camera died and I never replaced it. Now I'm stuck with photos I don't much care for.

But I digress.

During this past week when we were stuck inside the kids and I worked on getting the game shelves and the entertainment center cleaned and organized. I told them if they could finish the job without arguing about who was doing the most work, I'd bake brownies for them. They must have wanted them pretty badly, because they did a good job of controlling their squabbling.

One of the girls helped me with the brownies. We used this recipe from Love From The Oven: Easy Brownies Made with Cocoa Powder. We left out the optional walnuts, and chocolate chips. They were plenty chocolatey without the addition of chips. These flew out of the pan! Very moist and fudgey, and I would definitely use this recipe again.

Well, I think I've pretty much covered everything new.  I'm starting to check out job openings in the area. I will have to find work to be able to stay in Colorado. I'm not worried. Instead I trust in the Lord. This is a poem I came across this week that sums up how I feel about my current situation. . .

(From Streams In The Desert devotional)

Is there some problem in your life to solve,

Some passage seeming full of mystery?

God knows, who brings the hidden things to light.

He keeps the key.

Is there some door closed by the Father's hand

Which widely opened you had hoped to see?

Trust God and wait--for when He shuts the door

He keeps the key.

Is there some earnest prayer unanswered yet,

Or answered NOT as you had thought 'twould be?

God will make clear His purpose by-and-by.

He keeps the key.

Have patience with your God, your patient God,

All wise, all knowing, no long tarrier He,

And of the door of all thy future life

He keeps the key.

Unfailing comfort, sweet and blessed rest,

To know of EVERY door He keeps the key.

That He at last when just HE sees 'tis best,

Will give it THEE.

--Anonymous

Yes, He holds the key!

Hugs,

Cottage Living - How to Propagate Geraniums from Cuttings

For several years now I've been propagating geraniums from cuttings. 

It all began when a big wind storm in the middle of the night broke off a large stem from an outdoor potted geranium. I couldn't bear to throw away the damaged stem, so I did a quick search online and learned how to propagate geraniums from cuttings. What began as an urgent experiment to save part of a plant swiftly became a successful way for me to get a plethora of geraniums at almost no expense.

I grow them all year long. This photo of my pink geranium in our kitchen garden window was taken in February. It began as a small cutting.

These red geraniums are currently in the same garden window. They're all from cuttings.

Recently a reader named Betty commented on the Spring Fling Bazaar post where I showed some of the geraniums I took to sell at the bazaar:

Could I ask a favor of you? I've been trying for years

 to have success with growing geraniums from 

cuttings with no success. If you have the time 

in the future could you post how you do it 

from start to finish.....lighting the cuttings need etc. 

Thank you. 

I told Betty I would be happy to do so, and while starting some new cuttings this week I snapped step-by-steps photos to share with you. So, Betty, I hope you're tuning in today so you can see the entire process.

Before I continue, let me say that I am not a geranium expert. I'm not a Master Gardener nor anything close. There are differing opinions on how to start geraniums. This is only how I do it. You may do it differently. The how isn't important to me, it's the final outcome I care about. This way works for me.

1. Find a stem that has new growth on it.

2. Cut the stem just below the node.

This is what the cut piece looks like.

And here it is after I removed the lower leaves.

3. Dip the end of the stem in water.

4. Then dip the wet end in rooting powder and just swish it around until the end is fully covered. (Some people say this step -- dipping in rooting powder -- isn't necessary for geraniums, but this is how I do it and I've never lost a plant.)

There are different brands of rooting powder. These are two I have in my potting shed at the moment, and they both work fine. I'm sure any other brand would work as well.

5. Tap the end of the stem on the side of the bowl to get off the excess powder.

6. Push the cutting into a soil-filled pot with about a 1/4" of stem -- below the leaves -- exposed. I use Miracle-gro potting soil since that's what I always have on hand. 

Update: Apparently, I didn't explain this step very well because there's confusion over how deep the cutting is planted. There's close to 2" of stem buried. The 1/4" I refer to is above the soil, between the soil and the crown of the geranium.

7. Water.

8. Set near a sunny window. My potting shed doubles as a greenhouse with windows that face east, south and west. Any of those locations work. In the house I use east and south facing windows. The sunnier the better.

Water only when the soil starts to feel dry. 

That's it. Pretty simple.

Before I sign off I want to thank AnnMarie of the blog Musings of a Vintage Junkie for her A Sweet Gift to Myself post she did last week about my new online shop and her experience with purchasing one of my collages. It really was so very sweet of you, AnnMarie. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Cottage Living - Tuesday with Mary

"A bosom friend—an intimate friend, you know—a really kindred spirit 

to whom I can confide my innermost soul. 

I've dreamed of meeting her all my life." 

-- Anne of Green Gables

God has blessed me with wonderful friends through the years. I've lived in six different states, and have lost count of the number of moves I've made within each of those states. I know, though, that's all totaled it's pretty close to 30 times, give or take 5 moves. I always wondered as I said good-bye to one home and set out for another if I'd again find that one woman who would become my "bosom friend." I wondered who she would be, but I never doubted that she would come into my life. God always has been faithful to bring her.

After this last move, to a little mountain town in NE Oregon, God brought Mary. Mary with the crystal blue eyes and beautiful white hair. Mary with the deep throaty laugh that lights up her face. The woman of faith who has grieved the loss of two beloved husbands and has now come to a place in her life where she most likely will remain single. She's five years older than me. I call her "Big Sister". She is my bosom friend, my kindred spirit. We built our small cottages at the same time, we both love to garden and decorate, and we both love Jesus. It's a friendship made in Heaven, for sure.

Spending time with Mary is the best kind of therapy, and yesterday I had the pleasure of enjoying her company for most of the day. She picked me up at 10:30 in the morning and we headed east through the countryside to Enterprise -- a 30 minute drive. Just enough time to catch-up on the latest news.

I pulled out my smart phone and took a photo 

while she drove.

"Are you going to blog this?" Mary asked.

I laughed. "Why, of course." 

She knows me well.

I didn't take photos of everything we did. Just the really pretty parts. You'll see what I mean as the day unfolds.

We ate an early lunch at Cloud 9 Bakery and Cafe in Enterprise, then stopped in at our favorite thrift store Soroptomist where I scored --  a gardening hat, tote and some vintage dry goods.

After that we drove 5 minutes out of town to Alder Slope Nursery. In this photo I took at the entrance you can see a bit of the mountains rising up behind it.

Randy and Pam the owners of Alder Slope Nursery are really nice. We have two excellent nurseries in the county, both family-run businesses. In case you're wondering, this is not the nursery where I worked last summer. I'll have to do a post on that one another day.

Mary and I spent a lot of time exploring and managed to fill up her trunk with flowers and veggies.

By the time we finished it was time to drive 10 minutes to the town of Joseph for a kick-off meeting of The Garden Group. Here's where this post gets photo heavy, and you'll soon see why. 

The woman who hosted the meeting has a beautiful view of the mountains from her backyard.

But it was her garden shed that won my heart.

In addition to being an accomplished gardener, she's an artist. Can you tell from her door?

I really haven't seen a garden shed this charming in person.

It's a hard-working shed, you can see that by her tools and supplies.

At the same time she's created a sweet sanctuary.

Even her storage containers are a delight for the eyes.

Did you notice the broom?

Such a cute garden shed.

Speaking of cute, how darling are the bunnies peaking out of this flower box on the shed's exterior.

I'd like to add flower boxes to my garden shed.

Soon it was time to leave The Garden Group and accept the invitation of one of the members to drive over to her home. She's in the process of dividing her Grape Hyacinth and offered to give us some. How could we say "no" to that?

D's vintage home is delightful. I'm crazy about her brick walk.

I took a photo of her garden bed for you.

You can see she has a lot of Grape Hyacinth. GH pairs so well with Daffodils.

D dug up and gave each of us a bag of Grape Hyacinth. Then it was time to return home. But not before D took a photo of Mary and me with the spectacular mountain view in the background. 

I thank God for my friend Mary. The older I get, the more precious friendships mean to me. Thanks, Mary, for a fabulous day. Love you, Sis.

And now I'm off to clean up my garden shed, plant Grape Hyacinths and some Snapdragons and other things I picked up at the nursery, and dream some cottage garden dreams.

Have a great day wherever you are.

Brewster's Garden Tales - Introduction

Greetings Cottage Friends! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Brewster Cogburn Rabbit, G.B.I.T. (Garden Bunny In Training), but  you can call me Brewster. I'm the Cottage Lover's new garden assistant.

That woman has been crazy busy of late, so she's given me the task of journaling all the garden happenings at A Joyful Cottage. Which is fine with me, because writing is part of my DNA. My great grandfather Peter learned a lot about writing by observing Beatrix Potter at work, and everything he gleaned he passed on to my grandfather, who passed it on to my father, who passed it on to me.

Anyhoo, CL (short for Cottage Lover) found me hiding in a box The Artist (that's her husband, you know) had  packed for the community thrift store. She rescued me, and now I reside in the potting shed. Kind of a mascot, if you please.  

Sometimes I like to hide behind the pots and containers on the shelf,
hoping she won't see me. I mean, come on, a guy needs his rest.

Before I take you on a tour of the garden, I need to file a complaint about my lodging conditions. The potting shed has been pretty cramped lately thanks to all of CL's projects. Holy carrots that woman has a lot of those! Projects I mean. Do you remember this old dresser she showed you a couple of weeks ago?

That thing was a mess. She sanded down the top and stained it dark walnut, mixed up some chalk paint using leftover paint in a color called Natural Canvas and gave the base three coats. Distressed it a bit and rubbed on a clear wax over the whole dresser (two coats on the top).

CL's been smiling a lot since she finished it, so I guess she's pretty happy with the outcome. I'm just happy that she got it out of the shed!

But then (sigh), as soon as she finished the dresser, she started on this second hand white bathroom wall cabinet that she picked up in Pendleton, Oregon for $35. It came with pretty glass knobs that she had already removed when this photo was taken -- just before she started painting. I pinky promised not to tell what color she's painting it.

Painting Schmainting, let's move on to my favorite subject. . .the garden. After all, I am a G.B.I.T. Besides, I'm afraid if I hang around in the shed too long I may end up staring into the bristles of a paint brush. One never knows what CL's going to paint next!

The perennial beds survived the winter and the early bloomers are strutting their stuff. 

The Artist has made progress on the berm, reusing the rocks he digs up to create little walls and add to the dry creek bed. And he's digging holes for planting trees. Eventually all that black plastic will be covered up.

CL loves this stone path and wants to plant a low growing creeping perennial in the gaps. Anyone have a suggestion?

Back in the potting shed CL has some Vinca ready to plant for ground cover.

Thanks to the big windows The Artist installed in the potting shed, CL can get a head start on the growing  season. 

She had pretty good luck with growing tomatoes in 5-gal buckets last year, so she's trying that again.

Speaking of growing things in a container, CL wrote an article on container gardening for Yes! Communities' newsletter. She's partnering with them as a guest writer sharing tips and ideas for beautiful small home living on a budget. If you're interested, you can read Container Gardening 101 here.

Thanks for hopping along with me today. And remember, hare today, gone tomorrow (sorry, I couldn't resist).

The opinions expressed in this article are the bunny's own and may not necessarily reflect the views of A Joyful Cottage management.