Tips of Things Worth Knowing

Hi, How are you doing? I myself am really busy getting ready for the daughters birthday party this sunday. As I was cleaning I found a page from an old little booklet named 'THE HOUSE OF GURNEY' I thought I would share a tip or two from that page

" THINGS WORTH KNOWING"

--To keep ants moths and other insects out of closets or pantry,sprinkle the shelves and cornerswith Sassfrass oil, l and they will soon bid you goodbye.

--Blue Ointment and kerosene mixed in equal proportions and applied to the bedsteads is a unfailing remedy as, as a coat of white wash is for a log house.

--If you value your own and your family's digestion, don't serve tea with fish. The tannic acid hardens the fibre and makes it indigestible. It should not be offered with any form of fish including lobster and crabmeat. Iced tea and soft shell crabs for example, are a combination that should be avoided. [In those days of the past there was not such a thing as Instant Iced Tea]

I suppose the housewife back in the forties kept a little bottle of the oil in her cleaning pantry. Don't you wonder how she got the sassfrass oil and if she made up the oil herself. Maybe she would get it in a little jar from her druggist.

I find so many of the tips outdated. But they are fun to read anyway, so I'll share a few more soon.

Well, as the supermarket clerk says "Have a good day"!

Dreams Are Made From Gardens Like This

The Jan Harvey Garden

In the year 2004 Jan Harvey's garden was featured in the annual food Pantry Garden tour. Years later now, the Garden tour is sponsored by the same organization, but with the new name - Stepping Stones. I was unable to attend at that time. In the mean time I had driven by and saw the possibilities of this garden's realities / fantasies for my own home . I had seen similar gardens in the Better Homes and Gardens magazine, and had hopes of what could lay behind the gate. It was my nature to dream of having such a example dream of a garden in my own yard. If the opportunity came , I could do similar since I had a small side yard like this on the south of my house where it receives sun most of the time except in the front where the roses would be.

In the mean time I was dying to see inside this garden to see, if I had similar ideas/ fantasies as the reality of hers. I was almost sure it was so. There was no way, I would miss seeing what was beyond that gate.
{ No I never went to the fence and peeked in. Wish I had thought of that. But then there are limits. lol}

Those photos that I saw of similar gardens gave me something to desire. It was a soothing to my soul. I have always thought that surely this garden is like those photos and I was right.

The owner of the garden offered explanations of the plants with Numbered locations corresponding to the additional pamphlet they gave us at the registration entrance. I regret not checking the name tag of one of the hosts there, who was exceptionally accommodating to our questions.

Click the pictures for the enlarged images, otherwise you really miss out. The small photos do no justice to the garden's merits. Most of these are not edited. To do so I would have to darken. I am sorry the light colors do get washed out. It's my camera and my abilities, which you will see are not so good.




The beginning with anticipation

Seen and unseen the walk contains Malva, Talictrum, Allium, Penstemon, Lysimachia, Filipendula, Astilbe, Lupine, Anemone, Alematis [maybe Clematis] , Tanacetum.

Which will lead to this circular bed ..........

Looking back to the entrance I am now being followed by a couple, which limited my dalliance over each awesome find. The garden walk was as it should be, a narrow path and I couldn't side step to allow them to pass.

A gorgeous lavender Clematis, with Pink and white. The daisies are perfect. On the opposite side I see she has the coveted Josephine. [I welcomed the opportunity to see it up front.]


Ahh, Poppies, foxglove, campanula, Lobelia, Lilies, I was so glad to see them. Imagine the Lilies evening fragrance.

All the colors and romance of a greeting card. All that's missing are teacups and saucers. Possibilities of a few well done crystal totems I probably would have inserted here.


Just love that coral pink color with the blue. One can never have too many poppies as far as I am concerned.

In this case, one has to stick with thin plants, with the other combinations. This works out just fine. This was the year to see all versions of the Creeping jenny in nearly all the gardens.

I didn't get to ask if her foxgloves and some other plants reseed themselves. I love them in the summer time. I may just have to have that lily.

Isn't this to die for, it almost makes me get into the Victorian mode. I certainly would swing into a Jane Austin mood. It takes a little work to keep those Hydrangeas blue. Unless they are the Nicky variety. [ Hope I have the name right] There is a similar one near the exit area,

You have to click this one to go ' ahh' gaga over those blue Hydrangeas! In addition to the great blue of the Hydrangea, there are touches of the yellows in their greenish tints and a bit of coral tinted pinks. Here seen and unseen are alchemilla mollis, Cornus below the steps are yellow barberry shrub, two and species of Carex, two species of Thalictrum, two species of Aruncus [ goats beard], Astilboides, and Korean Angelica.

These were exactly the color and plant combinations I had hoped to see and those I love. It lived up to my expectations and more.

So here now, we have arrived to the circular bed, just where I said we would. In the tour I went past here through an arbor down to the Hostas and other more shaded plants. Some areas are a little romantic and worthy of my little tour here, but sorry, this where I end it today, since I was mainly showing what I liked of her examples for my side garden, if I ever were blessed with the opportunity of creating something of my dreams made from this garden.



Now I see having a little shade there in the front of my house is not so bad.

You might get a glimpse of a photo or two later, when I do a post on the fencing ideas that I liked about her garden.

If you didn't click, you missed out. Really.

just me jo

More on the Harvey property in the Garden tour

More about 2011 Stepping stones Garden tour.

This is the one special garden I have been waiting to see. Here it says she has some rare Hostas. She admits to collecting. I think there is a special breed of Hosta gardners who do that and even more so raise their hostas from seed. I would think you have to be a dedicated hosta gardner to do that. I can't wait to see the native flowers she said was there when they moved in.

Lets see if the street view embed. works.



View Larger Map

If not how about trying this link.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=514+oak+parks+circle&hl=en&ll=44.859211,-91.923026&spn=0.000622,0.001357&sll=44.858966,-91.923185&sspn=0.006295,0.006295&layer=c&cbp=13,198.11,,0,6.97&cbll=44.859232,-91.922953&t=h&z=19&iwloc=A&panoid=Tpc78imHG9fBxKBTLpPHJw

.................Harvey's rare Hosta plant, which she plans to name Milky Way, is believed to be an offshoot of the spilled milk hosta. Once it is registered, Harvey will name the hosta and also can choose to sell divisions of the plant or create a tissue culture from it and make it available to other hosta growers...............

...............In addition to the Milky Way hosta, another unique hosta in Harvey's garden is the Sadie Hybben Harvey, a plant Harvey named for her late dog and for Menomonie photographer Pete Hybben, who helps her in the garden.

Harvey tries to recycle as much as possible in her garden, using leaves and pine needles for mulch............

I am sure to enjoy it. I can't wait to see ponds and the use of rocks. It could rain. Which could be good news.

There has been curernt articles in the papers and an appearance on the local news.
Links about the tour:
http://chippewa.com/dunnconnect/variety/article_f34b429c-a424-11e0-bb65-001cc4c03286.html

http://steppingstonesdc.org/2011GardenTour.pdf

Last year and this years local Garden Tour

Click on my pics today to see some of last years garden tour - I don't get a chance to share them often enough

And later I will tell you just what kind of Flower Beds I will see this Saturday on the annual Garden tour that I just might share here?


I have been very excited about going to the annual garden tour this weekend. The money is money used for the local food pantry, so it's for a good cause as well as our enjoyment. I went last year and after that, I have posted a few pictures. I took many, and the little I have shown are merely a snow flake in a blizzard.
I have kept my pictures on the camera disk despite the little room I had remaining for this summer pictures of my own garden.

With the tour coming up,I have been worrying these last few days about lack of space on my card in my digital camera. I am going to have to hurry and figure out what I am going to do. I want to protect some of them. A few years ago my computer burned out, and I had no opportunity to save my pictures off the hard drive. So I was thinking of finding a program of some sort something like photo like photo bucket. Or even entering them all into Picasa where all those from our blogs are stored. But no matter, it's not your problem. I'll figure it out.

As I was glancing through the different garden photos the topic for this blog post came to me. The types of the various gardens seemed be running similar.

Last year there seemed to be a lot of gardens with raised planted spaces.
As you see here in her back yard it's raised due to a buried waste system. Their garden disguises it well. Her little hill curves around nearly half the back yard.



In this case she raised the bed next to the shady woods, which she also landscaped.
It's so much easier to see the detail. I wonder if the deer can reach them. Would they jump up there to reach them, probably not.

It's gorgeous anyway with the added rock and moss. In the photo above it is much lower than the previous raised bed we just saw. But still she couldn't resist more rocks and moss.


Another clever gardner made good use of space. What I like about this plan besides the arrangement of plants on the slope; is the fact that the door gives an exit under that Deck.

This is the same slope but further down. I love the Pink roses and surprise of unusual plants.

They may seem a little busy with so much but, If I remember right I think this was also a Memory garden.

Again instead of the box store type preformed rock like building material she has used real rocks which gives her a wall, and a ledge with lots of personality. I especially like those fuzzy white like plants. Kind of like angel feathers.

Well that was last year and it did include some pretty Hostas and falls and ponds.


Now this year I get to anticipate some thing other than raised beds. Okay flat ground, well not in Wisconsin. Not all through the garden. This year there will be some sunken garden spots and ponds and water falls and lots of Rockery.

So we will be looking down rather than up.
And Hostas galore, one can never have too many Hostas.



More tips,tricks and ideas are always nice. I am glad I saw this picture from last year, it reminds me to make some wire cages for my phlox.




So now, I had better leave you and get some disk clearing done. As well as a few other things, if I am going to be off playing garden lady Saturday.

Art in the Garden

Rusty Art in the Garden.
Your thinking, now I know Jo has gone nuts, that's just a part of a wheel thrown in among plants. That's not art. Maybe jo a rootdigger should stick to genealogy?
Yes your right, of course, would you believe me that it's not trash thrown there; but it's there because of its rusty color. I think it coloring blends in nicely with the plant selection in that area and it balances this other art object a short distance from the other two.

An Armadillo art piece.

Did you notice the burgundy or rust color plant in the above picture,I think it helps to keep the eye going from there to other spots of the color around the very large garden from the entrance to the end. To me her art and the color rust in the garden help tie the garden all together. This Midwestern Gardner creates some extra interest with her use of Rust color or that shade of brown. I'll just have to show you what I mean.

At this right side of the garden slightly below the wheel placement you can find more rust placement. See the line of poles with the little birdhouses and the rusty colored hen ornament in the foreground behind the yellow flowers on our right in the picture. I think Gray weathered wood and rope is another color and feature she uses to tie to the log building.

She has done the same at this other left side of the entrance to her garden. Naturally the rope has it's practical side, because the garden path is rather steep. The Line of the color leads us up the path. She leads us and gives us little perks as we spy each interesting piece of art all through the garden walk. Kind of like playing 'I spy'.
Did you notice that the building below, which is a house, that has the same hue of Rust.

I have never really had a desire before for the rust or burgundy plants for my garden, but seeing them in her Yellow combinations of plants, I now have had a yearning to try something like this on my own.



More of the same rust color with lights and yellows and in this photo with some lavenders and pink tones. Often she includes some gray tones with her accessories. I really love this color scheme, can you tell.

Go ahead and click on the photos, you'll enjoy the colors more.


Back to the right side of the garden, where she alternates between the rusty art with the rust or burgundy colored plants to set off her pallet scheme of the yellow. Now you can see why she ties in the gray hue.

This snaped shot location is not far from the old wheel. I hope it shows you that the selection of this creative art piece is intentional. Sometimes as in the case below, some pieces are hard to see, but not so in person.



Sorry, I did try to take decent pictures at the last minute of a tour, which was about five o'clock. I had no choice of time. And my camera is not that great. Nor my skill with it. lol.

This is one of my favorites. I think what makes it for me is the color of that carpet she uses through out the garden. Were looking from the left to the right and maybe south to north. [ Sorry roads in Wisconsin twist and turn, one quickly loses direction.] She said it helps to keep the shoes free from mud and dirt. It does look new for the tour. The color makes me think of a pond viewed from a certain angle.

I bet by now, your thinking that the garden is the same with the same colors through out - rust, yellow, pink, lavender, creams and whites. But your wrong!.

[Does that make me jo arootdigger right? Yahoo!]



See, I couldn't leave these out, I find the blue Delphiniums so beautiful. Do you see the art piece? What's so special in it's use? Want a better look. [ Sorry my camera just lacks the ability for the good detail the garden deserves. ]




Ahhaa you say, rust and gray in an old farm tool placed at the perfect spot.

And you find that she used a little gray here and there. I am not sure if the log chunks have a purpose, or why they are there, but I like them there. You know one just has to break up the view of just plants.

In other spots she has used all kind of weathered wood bird houses.

I just had to share my love for this garden. With its use of all the rust pieces, which are better appreciated close up, of course. I kind of wanted to emphasize that your garden art doesn't have to be shny and new. We can re purpose and be green at the same time.

I hoped you clicked on the pictures for a larger view. I find them so breath taking.
You saw side views, views looking up and part way down. There are more beautiful different colored flowers. Those will wait for another day.

I found it to be so much fun to see what old materials from old machinery and 'what nots' were used to make up the rust color art pieces that she used in her garden.

Thanks for stopping by today. Maybe you would take time to stop and comment and tell me what old pieces from the attic or elsewhere that you have used or seen in a garden. I'd love to know.

just me jo arootdigger at sunnyside slope

See you later, I have some more garden art the next post.

For more reading on garden art:
http://shabbygardencreations.blogspot.com/2011/02/flea-market-garden-magazine.html

http://fleamarketgardening.com/2011/05/22/win-a-free-copy-of-flea-market-gardens-magazine/

I AM NOT EMBRACING

No more AM I EMBRACING
one of gods creatures, the box elder bug here at sunnyside slope. Last night, two of the little red devils flew in and landed on my head, while I was sleeping. I am such a light sleeper, I was able to detect them each time and smacked the little devils. Before these last months it's been hard for me to kill anything so directly during the waking hours, but in semi unconscious state, they met their fate. Several months ago, I consciously declared war. and have been making some
attempts to get them out of my house or remove anything tempting them inside.
The dark red box elder bug can be a rather endearing curiosity in the daylight. That's why I am ashamed to say that they have made themselves too comfortable in between the kitchen windows s and a few have worked their way to the inside of my kitchen window on the south side of the house. Especially those who have seeked me out.
I think they must have built in heat sensor, because they definitely crawl around to where it is very warm. Despite the coldness of the outdoor temperature lately, I have kept my heat in the house to be cool, and have donned sweaters and blankets, as I am doing now. Earlier when they emerged it was warm enough at my house temperature, so they
wouldn't need to seek heat like they have. Occasionally, I hear them banging a light
bulb, which would be too hot to crawl on long. I have noticed them on my
coffee maker and my hot lap computer while I am using it.
My hot laptop is a magnet to them during the day, if they choose to wander away from the security of the window area. They used to crawl up my blanket even onto my hand pause, and look at me. There seems to be no fear in them at those times before my
declaration of war. I speak to them in such loud voice to remove themselves
from my presence, since I do not wish to tolerate them any longer , but it seems
my words and meaning fall on deaf ears. I merely flick them away and it crawls back
several times, dare I say with a limp. Yes, on that sight, I feel such distracting guilt.
Guilt
that evades me when they land on me during the night. The ones smacked at night
surely may be the ones who had the blind trust. Surely the others heard it at the time
of the smacked death.
Yet there were two last night.


Such tenacity and braveness of their nature has me wondering how this creature is out in the wild world of nature. Who is it's enemy in the higher level of the pyramidal food chain. Would the box elder bug seek out other large animals and sit on the animal for a time where it's tail can not reach them. It makes no attempt to bite, pinch like some ants or sting like the bee.

I have wondered after moments of reflection on Gods little creature that it is possible that they seek their fellow bug's dead body. Perhaps it is why they brave this giant to crawl around my blanket here at my chair to look for the deceased. Haven't you seen ants carrying the deceased somewhere. I have and I find that a curious nature of theirs.

What nourishment do they seek. I haven't notice if they come to you at the smell of food that your eating, such as dairy or fruit like a fruit fly or a house fly. [ Although house flies don't live long enough in my house to be observed] I do have spider plants at my window and I do see them perched on them. They are rather ratty looking anyway, so I don't know if some of it is from them or otherwise from my attempts of horticulture. I am not the most tidiest of the human race so there are tidbits here and there. I rarely see them on my stove. but I do see them by my fruit, which I intended to leave out in the open. I detest the thought of them crawling on them, or into them, so it's nothing I care to do often while they are around.

It's almost seems as there are two separate actions of the Box elder bugs so far in my house. The occasional Box Elder bugs at my side who show no fear, while I am busy blogging and browsing; and those who remain in the kitchen at the window and a few occasionally on the coffee maker. Earlier I mentioned that they seek us out anytime, but lately in my war on their presence they seem to have spread the word of my elimination attempts down my kitchen sink or in an awaiting glass of soapy water. Now when those at the lower areas of the window see me they hide behind my ornamental bottles on the window ledge, maneuver under the coffee maker or behind it. Some even seem to have enough intelligence to know they won't be bothered high where I do not bother to reach them. [ So far, they can't read minds] One of the techniques of those upon their site of my giant presence is to immediately drop down. They seem to know my grasp is meager at times. Then too that window [ which will be remedied of that error soon] needs caulking badly at the edge of glass, so maybe they hope to exit there, where they may have entered in the house in the first place.

Sometimes it seems as if they forget that they can fly. You will find that they crawl or walk rather than fly to their destination. Their obvious flight is noisy like a fly.

Once upon a time I was able to catch a fly in the air with my hands. I will say, it rarely can happen now nor do I catch the box elder bug on the window that easily. I usually drop them into soapy water. If my vacuum hose was longer or my vacuum lighter, I would try that method. I have used the soapy spray, but it leaves my window ugly to viewers. the spray residue on the window, doesn't seem to drive them away, either.

I have wondered how they would do with a venus fly catcher plant.

Maybe they have a time sensor based on the heat temperature from the sun, because it seems they disappear out of the window at night and only emerge to the window again during sunshine. Hopefully they can find their way out as it warms up outside. Would they? Which is more important to them, being in a luxurious life, which leads them to be a target for terrorism.



The first thing on my 'to do list' as the weather warms is to learn to caulk, fix air leaks, and other general methods to fix the windows so that the box elder bugs can no longer enter. Secondly, I may talk it over with the dh. about taking away the Box elder tree. We have several other kinds of trees and I see no need for it. However, there are power lines of many types in that very area, it may not be anything we want to tackle. So my efforts before Fall will involve cracks and crevices that they can enter.

Because, I am not embracing the Box Elder bug.

A flower dressing for the bed, just like a pillow

Browsing, and found a unique idea or two. : )
Here goes:

eclectic bedroom design by media and blogs Dreamy Whites

From this little gal at Houzz who practically begs you to put them in your idea file. She even offers a idea file subscription. Actually the picture is from Dreamy White who has the most wonderful blog.

Isn't that lovely. Maybe one wouldn't want to lay one's head on it, but I would certainly love looking at it, even on a white couch.

A gypsy soul

Get images at the Graphics Fairy and Magic Moonlight Free Images

What a delightful find. A shepherd's hut wagon. I have to say that I wondered if it were for real. You need to browse this a bit for yourself.
It is subject for a little fantasy and what a subject for art.


Just like the author of the link, I think I also have a gypsy soul. I would love something like a gypsy = GRV. To do up like the olden days. Just go wild with it. It surprises me that they had such a tiny stove and even a stool. Naturally it was a gentleman's shed, and way different than a ladies gypsy wagon. There probably was a special place for his pipe and his sheep dog too.

My everlasting love affair.??

Does any one remember this photo from and old issue of this magazine. I bought that magazine purely for that kitchen article.



I was a sucker for blue and white and a dash of pink more than a dash of yellow. It caught my fancy.I was in love with that room.

My love affair is still lasting after all these years.
I've wanted to do this in my dining area for years. I have the book cases in place. But how could one get it to the year 2011. Actually I would have to paint the book cases. Move the books. in order to get this look. around 1974 I started getting blue and white dishes. A few years ago I started picking up some pink flowered plates, and tea pots in the two colors.
I love blue transfer ware, but never got any. Which is perfect for this.

If one had no doors in the kitchen on the cupboards, I suppose it would be similar. But I have no room for a table and chair.

I know it was a country cottage feeling. But well I still live in a cottage. I just don't know what to do with all that oak that I have. You see that is what has kept me from doing this. [Also the fact that I love black looks too.] As for Oak, I like my Buffet as oak, though I have seen it painted a creamy dreamy white and it looks good. I couldn't paint the tall Hutch though. I could move it.
My adjoining kitchen is still white with dashes of blue and pink.The Pink preference
is coral pink.
The pink in my magazine shows a slight tendency to have some coral hints.

My love is pure, but my mind over heart has won so far.

What do you think of the room?

Have a Happy Valentines Day

Somehow I always know when I am lying to myself.

Oh my! I think from Monday to Thursday " On Friday I am going to work hard and get a lot of house work done, then on Friday what happens. I sit down here to finnish the work from the night before and do one more thing Then One more , and just one more won't hurt and then guess what it's afternoon. Then I think, I can't start something now.

Good Grief, Charlie Brown..... Start. Do something. Anything is an improvement.!

I used to reward myself, but how often I wonder should I do so.

If I reward myself with a piece of cake or a dish of ice cream, I have to sit down and eat it and I can't sit down with out the puter??

Lately, I have tried to only do puter reading or blogging only at meal times.

My goodness snack/ lunch breakfast sure can be a long time for some people around here.

Well I can motivate or discipline or threaten myself. I do better under pressure.

Okay, I am going to threaten myself.
" No puter till you get the kitchen floor scrubbed!"

Somehow I always know when I am lying to myself.

Oprah will leave, who will replace her in our lives?

Oprah hit our world so big. Her impact so large.

I ask you, who do you think will replace her in our lives?

I have recently found Nate Berkus show, but I doubt for spiritual speaking about life as Oprah did about life, he falls low.

At least he comes on tv early and then done. I would always foget to watch Oprah on my days off or late on evenings.