:: WHY GARDEN? ::

I enjoy my garden immensely, and everything that comes with it... birds & butterflies. I like planting, mulching, watering, weeding - you get the best results with hard work. But it is important to take time out to smell the roses :o) Can't wait to start digging in the dirt in May. For me, my garden is soothing, a retreat from the hustle & bustle of daily life. Even the young plants, I imagine in a few years how fabulous they'll look, and it makes everything worth the effort. Watching the swallowtail butterflies land on the purple butterfly bush flowers or a green tree frog nestled into a red rose is akin to a spiritual high for me!

:: EARLY DAYS ::

My love for gardening began as a little girl following my mother into the backyard to watch her weed and plant flowers. I amused myself by putting pill bugs in my mouth! :o) As I became a little older, I experimented poking popcorn kernals and pumpkin seeds into the soil of Mom's rose garden. I knew she watered it all the time! Up came cornstalks and creeping pumpkin vines that would eventually trail 40 ft. across our yard!

The first opportunity to put in a serious garden was when my 1st husband and I moved to 60 acres in Southern Humboldt's douglas fir forest. Here we cut 3 terraces into a mild slope and planted corn, melons, zucchini, pole beans, peas, lettuces, tomatoes, and just about every vegetable under the sun. We added a fruit tree orchard of 16 trees and several rows of grapes and berry vines. Everything was organically grown, and we were avid readers of Organic Gardening and the Mother Earth News. Never have I lived in such a wonderful gardening habitat! Of course, you had to keep the deer out! :o)

:: Gardening Today ::

Once I moved to Fortuna, I tried growing vegetables for a short time. However, my years of college and teaching demanded more and more time from me. What I did have time for was a rose garden and established flowering shrubs and biannuals. I fill hanging planters and ceramic pots with annuals and fuschias. We also have several blueberry bushes which we harvest every summer. Sadly, this year we had way too many days of freezing temperatures that killed off my jasmine and passion flower vines. :o(

:: GREAT GARDENING SITES ::

Wildlife Gardening with Jenny Steel
Dave's Garden
LetsGoGardening.co.uk
Gardening, Herbs, and Garden Birds
Bird Gardens
Butterfly Garden Website
How to Make a Butterfly Garden
Gardening with Children
Flower Gardening Made Easy
Organic Rose Gardening
Edmund Roses
The Garden Gate
Rainy Side Gardeners