Candles For Plant Wonks

Friday, July 27, 2012



Check out these gorgeous candles printed with the botanical names of their scents. What a perfect gift for a plant lover (hint, hint--I'm talking to you Santa Claus). I really want to smell that sage and pomegranate one, or shall I say Punica Granatum Salvia Officinalis?

Read more »

THE GARDEN MY GARDEN WANTS TO BE WHEN IT GROWS UP

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

My Mom and I joined the Hardy Plant Society this year and one of the funnest parts is getting to go to open garden days to view Portland-area gardens. A couple weeks ago we lucked into seeing the garden of Lucy Hardiman, aka my dream garden.

Located in inner S.E. Portland, this place has everything I love in a garden: lots of little nooks and crannies each with their own mood, a unified color palette, a touch of whimsy, a mix of tropicals balanced with English formalism, and loads of chartreuse.


As soon as we pulled up across the street, I knew we were in for the treat. The parking strips were bursting with colorful plantings and walking up to the house my eyes fell on these amazing magic carpets made of stones. I suspected that they were the work of local magician Jeffrey Bale, and a little subsequent research has confirmed that.




You could tell by the turn-out that this was a hotly anticipated event of the year for garden-oglers. Lucy was there, very graciously answering questions and chatting with people, but there were just SO MANY plants I wanted to know about that I am fantasizing about offering my weeding services just so I can go hang out in her garden and hopefully learn more about her plants.

I'm sorry for the lousy photos--I didn't bring my camera, not knowing what a treat I was in for and had to rely on my iphone. Another reason to go back to Lucy's!
Read more »

i love gardenhistorygirl

Monday, July 23, 2012

I'm always so excited to find a new post from Gardenhistorygirl in my inbox. They don't come around often--it wouldn't be possible as each post is so thorough and well-researched. Some of my favorite posts include Brancusi in the Garden...



For months I was fantasizing about an over-the-top vegetable Versailles after seeing walking stick kale in the Annie's Annuals catalog. I was able to learn a little bit about this Dr. Seuss-like veggie from Google but it was Gardenhistorygirl who came along and really satisfied my thirst for more information with her post The Cabbage that is King: Brassica oleracae longata





In the post Edward Steichen's Garden History I learned that photographer Edward Steichen was also a delphinium fanatic and president of the Delphinium Society of America. Really?! People are interesting...the plot thickens. 



And after I posted a very stingy post about the wonderful lantern slides of gardens taken by Frances Benjamin Johnston, Gardenhistory girl came along and brought the subject into full color with her post. I was so excited to read more AND I was excited to enter into the drawing she hosted for the recently published book on Johnston's work Gardens for a Beautiful America. I entered almost as a dare because I never, ever, win anything. But what can I say, the gods obviously want this gorgeous book sitting on my coffee table for years to come because look what arrived in the mail a short while later...




Thank you Gardenhistorygirl for the giveaway, but especially for your very special blog which satisfies my thirst for esoteric garden tid bits!


Read more »

Green Words

Wednesday, July 18, 2012


I have a somewhat conflicted relationship with sculpture and other displays of whimsy in the garden--I want my garden to have personality but have a hard time thinking of creative ideas that won't involve old boots planted with pansies.

This series called "Green Words" from environmental artist Nicole Dextras really inspires me and has me imagining all sorts of cool and unexpected ways to use plantings creatively. Each letter is made of a 6 foot high wooden form that is planted with grass seed. While Dextras draws our attention to the dualism of culture and nature, which is interesting, surprising, and humorous, I might like to try something less cerebral like a giant psychedelic paisley pattern erected on a fence. 

 

Read more »

Botanical Prints From Big Print Little

Friday, July 13, 2012


I just stumbled across the beautiful work of Australian illustrator Allison of Big Print Little. I've been wanting to try my hand at some plein air painting (though mine will inevitably look more muddy and shall we say "expressive") and Big Print Little has got me excited. I love how Allison photographs her work on her blog--it's like she creates mini mood boards giving you a glimpse of the artist at work and her inspiration.


Read more »

Cookbooks For Gardeners

Thursday, July 12, 2012

La Tartine Gourmande

I was very slow to come to any level of sophistication with vegetables. My first job was a Summer gig working in a small-town vegetarian restaurant where the workers were all "partners" (a legal structure that permitted paying us under the minimum wage) and the weekly staff meetings ended in a group hug. I remember a lot of soggy vegetable soups, raw broccoli florets, and copious amounts of hairy sprouts.

By and by, I started to catch wind of a new idea (thank you Italy) that vegetables should be respected, eaten in season, and when served at peak ripeness needed little to no intervention. Next came the Japanese, who I learned take vegetables (like most things) very, very seriously whether fried, pickled, or braised.

Four more things happened subsequently to turn me into a vegetable aesthete:

1. I moved to the foodie haven of Portland where I have lived for the last 12 years.
2. I became a food blog addict, learning from the glorious light-drenched photos of vegetable lovers such as Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks and La Tartine Gourmande.
3. I started growing vegetables.
4. I started buying beautiful cookbooks to help me learn how to best eat those vegetables.


Here are some of the glorious cookbooks that provide me with inspiration when I'm thinking from farm to table. I must say that Plenty by Ottolenghi in particular has been a revelation, introducing me to a whole new spectrum of Middle Eastern flavors. 

By Jamie Oliver

by Nigel Slater


by  Yotam Ottolenghi


by Matt Wilkinson

▼▼▼
For more inspiration follow my new Garden to Kitchen board on Pinterest where I collect my favorite vegetable recipes.
Read more »

Thicket Nursery In Portland

Monday, July 9, 2012

On Saturday we went to some yard sales around NE Portland (I got a Foxfire book, a bright orange planter pot, and a wooden necklace--so pretty much the motherload) and happened upon this new-to-me nursery just off of Alberta called Thicket. It's right up my alley, figuratively and almost literally, with an assortment of unusual plants, all beautifully arranged, and a covetable assortment for the veggie patch.

It just so happened that an old friend, landscape designer and artist Wesley Younie, was working and gave me a little tour around the place. He tells me that they will be offering classes and seasonal plants such as Christmas trees and pumpkins for Halloween.

There was so much attention to detail at Thicket--everything is arranged with an artist's eye and everywhere I turned there was something inspiring to see. I loved this little driftwood and air-plant vignette by the guest book.

Chartreuse, my favorite color! Isn't that pretty much the best looking strawberry pot you've ever seen?

I love that they had a little sitting area under shade with these cool, mint-green chairs. This is a nursery where you really do feel invited to take your time and linger. If they would put in a tea counter they would never get rid of me.

I was really inspired by the use of driftwood and rough-hewn wood surfaces--such a great foil for the plants and it really lends a nice wabi-sabi balance. I think I need more natural and aged elements in my garden.

My photo doesn't begin to do it justice but this display of silver plants was really a stunner.

They have a pretty little showroom at Thicket, also full of inspiration. Look at that shelf! What a great way to bring the outside inside.


▼▼▼
Thicket is at:
4933 NE 23rd Ave
Portland, OR
Read more »

Pink Elderflower Cordial + Pink Fizz Elderflower Cocktail

Monday, July 2, 2012


Today I'm going to show you how to make the quintessential summer drink, a non-alcoholic English elderflower cordial (think syrup) which is tart and sweet, with lovely floral notes. It doesn't get more refreshing than a splash of this cordial over a glass of iced soda water. 

At the end of the post I also have a cocktail recipe using the cordial.

I've been curious about making an elderflower cordial using the pretty pink flowers from my "Black Lace" elderberry  (Would it taste good? Would it leave everyone shuffling off with tummy aches like a bunch of Bar-ba-Loots?) and this year did some digging around to find this recipe. I modified it just a bit and it's been a big hit. Nobody has died. I thought I would be giving bottles of the cordial away for Christmas but it will be long gone by then.

Here are my step by step instructions...



Ingredient List:
  • 20 Elderflower heads
  • 3 Lbs sugar
  • 3 Pints water
  • 2 Ounces citric acid
  • 2 Lemons
Gather your materials and ingredients. You need a large stock pot and some bottles or jars to put your cordial in.


Pick your elderflower heads. I'm using the "Black Lace" variety but common elderflower with white flowers will also work perfectly. You just won't get the pink hue in the final product.
 

Remove as many flowers from their stems with a fork as you can. I've heard they can impart bitterness but I had a few stems remaining and didn't notice any ill effect, so I don't know how thorough you need to be.


Add your sugar and citric acid to the water, stirring over med heat until dissolved and clear. Add the zest of two lemons, then slice the lemons and throw those in the pot too.


Add your flowers to the pot, stir and leave to cool. Cover with a kitchen towel and leave to sit for 48 hours.


After a day or two (some recipes call for 24 hours, some for 48 hours) you will see that the lemons and flowers have broken down a bit. You are now ready to strain through cheesecloth and then bottle in sterilized bottles.


The cordial will keep in the fridge for a few months or in the freezer for longer. The cordial is very concentrated and you need just a dash to liven up sparkling water.

Pink Fizz Elderflower Cocktail

1 shot English gin 
1 shot St Germain
1 dash of pink elderflower cordial
Method: Shake ingredients with ice, strain into ice-filled glass, and top with soda water
Garnish: Lemon zest twist or sprig of elderflower
Read more »

Bell and Star © All rights reserved · Theme by Blog Milk · Blogger