Summer Succulents

 I have my mom to thank for my green thumb and love of nature. While at her house yesterday, I saw (one of my favorite plants in the whole world) this Gasteria (which is massive--probably over a foot wide and leaves 2 inches thick) with a gorgeous bloom stalk emerging!
I've been considering getting a tattoo on my ankle and I think this is it!

 This is so beautiful now--I hope I can photograph it when the flowers are actually open!

you can see how thick and meaty the leaves are--
and check out that gorgeous blue color!!

I am a proud plant parent to my Euphorbia which has a special story behind it. The center pictures are how it looks after almost four years.

Beautiful Blooming Cacti

 I am getting some major cactus flower action! My Echinopsis subdenudata produces enormous beautiful ethereally white (they almost look like they are glowing even in the daylight) flowers. They open at night, and by morning's end they are closed and wilted. As if they aren't stunning enough, they have the most wonderful sweet, citrus-y scent. 

As a colorful contrast my gymnocalycium shows off pink blossoms. I have another gymno. variety which will be ready to bloom in a week or so.

Jazz up that Hummus

Roasted red pepper hummus covered in parsley, pine nuts,
more red pepper, sumac and olive oil. 

Chances are you will be either hosting or attending at least one backyard bash this summer. So, you need ideas on what to make, right? Well take my advice and whip up a big batch of hummus--almost everyone loves it and there are endless flavor variations to get your taste buds a dancin'.

Basic Hummus Recipe: Combine 1-- 15oz. can drained CHICKPEAS in a food processor along with at least 1 clove of GARLIC, juice of 1 LEMON, big pinch of SALT, OLIVE OIL and 2 tablespoons TAHINI. Blend until really smooth and the thickness of peanut butter. Taste and add more salt and lemon juice if needed.

For the love of god do not stop here. Unless you want your guests to fall asleep, you had better add at least a few flavorful garnishes such as:

herb or lemon-infused olive oil
preserved lemon
lemon zest
roasted garlic
Fresh or dried oregano 
sundried tomatoes
roasted red peppers
Kalamata olives
chopped fresh parsley, chive and/or mint
pine nuts
walnuts
Chipolte in adobo (very spicy) 
ground Sumac berries
smoked paprika 
toasted and freshly ground cumin seed
feta cheese 
plain Greek yogurt 
Maldon, black Hawaiian, Himalayan pink or flaky sea salt

Ok, so now that we're clear on adding awesomeness, we also need to consider the dipping apparatuses involved with hummus. Pita chips are great, but they aren't the only ones that get to have fun.  Try tossing your pita or other flatbread with some flavorful oil, any dried herbs and spices, salt and pepper before toasting in the oven or slapping on the grill. Any Crudites would also be a welcome change--think sugar snap peas, fresh baby carrots with the greens still on, jicama sticks, mini bell peppers, or endive scoops.  

Rotary Gardens

I hope every one had a great Labor Day weekend. Sunday I visited the Janesville Rotary Gardens, which has been on my list of places to visit this summer. It was so beautiful!

The highlight for me was the Japanese gardens section. There are few things more beautiful than a Japanese garden.

This raked gravel zen/rock garden was so lovely.

There were several of these large metal and stone lanterns scattered about. I have to get my hands on one of these for my future garden.

That's my gorgeous sister in the background

More information on the facinating art of the Japanese garden

Happy Summer!

I love summer! Vacations, long days, barbecues and gardening--I wish it was summer all year long. But here in Wisconsin, it's not. So I have to enjoy it as much as I can while it lasts. And that means heading to the Farmer's Market bright and early on Saturday mornings.

By far my favorite stop to make at the market is Mark and Chris's stand from Creekside Farm. They drive all the way from Prairie du Chein to Madison and they bring with them all kinds of interesting and unusual succulents. Later in the season they harvest equally wonderful vegetables like purple tomatillos and, our favorite, mouse melons. Mark knows me by name, and by now, he likes me enough to give me a discount.


This stunning aloe caught my eye immediately. I love the color and the beautiful fine lines in the leaves. Don't worry--I didn't buy it, it seems too beautiful for even my collection. :)

I was admiring the red Gasteria at the top of this photo. Maybe next week...

But I did go home with a little gem. This is a Euphorbia Quadrangularus, named for its 4-sided stems. It is currently indoors, being babied. Speaking of babies, you can see our little girl, Birdie in the upper left corner. :)

Garden Tour

The leaves are already starting to fly, so I thought I should share photos of my garden before all the plants come inside. One of my most favorite things about our apartment is the large deck/balcony we have off the living room which allows me to put almost all my plants outside for the warm months of the year. It gets sun a good part of the day, and is just perfect for my cacti and succulents.

Above is a tall Aeonium I bought from a very interesting greenhouse near Milwaukee. Matt and I were visiting his friend for a weekend and while out, we drove by several large greenhouses and stopped at one. As soon as we walked in the door, there were cacti and succulents almost as far as the eye could see (well, maybe not that many). The plants looked a little neglected (some had outgrown their pots--including this Aeonium, and there was lots of dead fallen leaves all over) and none had prices on them. So after awhile of "ooh-ing" and "ahh-ing" at all the interesting and unusual varieties, I selected a few plants and this is one of them. To the right is a sedum "burrow's tail" that is growing like mad.

My cat, Adler (his full name is Adler Lloyd Bernard Frackleton) loves to sit on our Leopold bench Matt's dad built for us. I am growing herbs and tomatoes this year (first time ever) and they are all doing really well.

My two tomato plants--one is an heirloom "purple"-something. The fruit off this plant is incredible. The top half of the ripe tomato is dark green while the bottom half is a burgundy red. Inside the flesh is juicy blood red and has an amazing sweet, earthy taste. The other plant is less impressive--just your run-of-the-mill red tomatoes. I will most definitely be growing the heirlooms again next year.

Towards the left of this photo is my smart idea for fitting lots of cacti and succulents in a small area. I bought an inexpensive metal shelving kit at Home Depot (less than $20). It looks great and can be re-purposed during the winter to hold pots and soil in the garage, or whatever else you might need it for. One caveat is that it can be difficult to reach plants towards the back without moving others out of the way.

Last year I just had two small outdoor side-tables that I used for holding plants which looked ok, but I think now this year our deck really looks great.

Above, at the top of the photo, and below is one of my favorite plants. It is another of the lot I bought in Milwaukee. Crassula Rogersii. It has grown like crazy since I repotted it and put it outside.

I love scouring thrift stores and garage sales for vintage and hand-made pots and other decorative pieces, which you can see throughout my photos.

Wise Old Garden Owl watches over everything and brings Peace and Good Luck :)