Come to My Garden

Having guests out to our property is such a delight. Our place isn't fancy, but has some kind of magic which always seems to restore people whether they come for an afternoon or for a week. Countenances and shoulders just leave here visibly lifted. I could pretend that it's our charms that delight people right out of their stresses, but I know better. It's the place.

So will you join me for a glass of beautiful wine and a short visit? Maybe our Oregon countryside will offer you a little lift, too.

This wine? We picked it up at Anne Amie Vineyards on a recent trip to the Yamhill-Carlton District, one of the sub-appellations of the Willamette Valley AVA. The Anne Amie 2009 Cuvee A Amrita is a blended white that is bright, spicy and clean. Anne Amie's Amrita is so appropriate for today, as the word in sanskrit means nectar of life, ambrosia, or drink of the gods. I think you'll enjoy it as we walk the grounds.

Let's peek at the flowers first.

Long-legged orange day lilies are everywhere this year! They line the beds out front, and are sprinkled throughout the garden off our private deck. I love seeing them reach to greet the day when I first open my eyes in the morning.

It's hard to resist a man who loves calla lilies. My Baby ordered and planted dozens of white, mango, yellow and black callas last year, and a few are just beginning to bloom. The dramatic black ones are my favorite, but the mango blooms will be pretty to see again too.

The sweet young woman who married my son and whom I think of as my own planted these gorgeous pots. She has quite the eye, yes? And a very green thumb. The purple centered, chartreuse rimmed coleus in the upper left and lower right corners? Those are called "Wedding Train." I just couldn't resist those at the nursery, as there are two Oregon weddings in the family this year. August 14 is the special day for My Baby's son and his sweetheart. It's coming right up and we are delighted.
These volunteer onions growing right in a walkway bloomed before we even knew they were there. The lavender tennis ball flowers on long stalks make me smile, so they'll stay a while.

Before we stroll the orchard, would you like another glass of this refreshing wine?

The two fig trees are weighed down with enourmous fruits, and I'm determined to harvest them before the birds this year. We have a sharing policy with the fauna. I've relented each and every blueberry on 10 bushes in a deal I've made with the birds this year. This year the blueberries are theirs; the figs are mine. I've got plans for those figs.

One apple tree is burgeoning, while the one we heavily pruned has produced this lone lovely fruit. Since this is my favorite flavored apple, I think we'll savor it in a quiet little ceremony with a little brie in October. If it knows how much we love it's fruit, next year it's sure to give us a bushel. We can try, anyway.

Our Adam and Eve scarecrows just don't seem to keep the birds from eating the blueberries. I wonder why?

Yellow-fleshed plums here, and another plum tree has smaller red-fleshed fruits.

The nursery tagged these Oregon treats as Marionberries, but we call these five bushes Sara-Bearies. One daughter adores them and thinks the entire 3-acre pasture should be planted in them. There will be some special Sara-Beary jam for her when she visits next month.

This little bird fell from a tree, and has survived for several weeks hopping and running, and apparently eating the Sara-Bearies. He looks healthy, but can't fly. We've grown attached.

By day, a bird- and -bee bath...

...by night, our outdoor fireplace. Did you bring some marshmallows?

Baby Pinot Noir vines. These are experimental, but I have high hopes.


Ever-bearing strawberries line most of the vegetable and flower garden. Murray, our Golden Retriever, seems to find the ripe ones before we do, but occasionally some make it into the breakfast cereal.

Even if it wasn't edible, I'd still grow the gorgeous purple cabbage as a huge flower.

We planted so much kale this year we can't possibly eat it all fresh. Soon, we'll blanch it, chop it, and put it in freezer bags for soups and stews this winter. You're sure to hear more about in in the fall.
The Straight Eight cucumber is slow to get started, but like zucchini (no, we don't grow any), it will soon take over.

It's time to plant a second row of golden carrots next to the first for a staggered harvest.

The rest of the salad greens have just about seen their day, but the Romaine is still going strong.
One of several varieties of peppers.

My Baby indulged me by planting 14 tomato vines this year. What we can't eat fresh will get roasted, pureed or dried for the long-term. Nothing delights me more than to use one of our tomatoes in January.

To raise corn on this property, one must possess a sense of humor and a lot of faith. Knee high by the Fourth of July? I don't think so. It's more likely that our first harvest will be in September.

I often feel like her... Blessed, graced and humbled to be a part of this special place.Thank you so much for stopping by today to our little Oregon countryside refuge. Now, where would you like to sit for lunch?