Saturday Gardening And Puttering Thread [KT]

Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas to all our gardeners, putterers and friends! Not much going on in some gardens this time of year, but some members of The Horde have things growing indoors. Don in Kansas had an orchid bloom this month. I think the bloom above is from the earlier orchid show, but the story of the one that bloomed at home is more interesting:

Oncidium Tsiku Marguerite arrived back in May in spike. June came, it got hot, and the plant went into shock. It just sat there, the spikes not developing, until October, when the weather finally cooled a little. This week it finally bloomed. The flowers are not quite an inch long, and have a light sweetish fragrance. They're a a bit pinker than I expected, but I'm not complaining.

Another bloom that I think is from the show. Really different:

The Edible Garden

Hogmartin sent in something fun this month, too:

Mom (occasional commentress "hogmartinsmom") set me up with a log inoculated with shiitake spores about two years ago. It's been lurking in a shady corner of the yard since then, showing either no activity, or a puddle of mush from where some mushrooms had been days earlier. Well, we've been having some warmish weather (40s) and now overnight freezes, and I finally managed to sneak up on it and snag a few shiitake.

Yay!

Recipes

Broccoli and Shiitake Mushrooms with or without soba noodles.

This one could probably be adapted for Ace.

Chicken Lo Mein - easy.

Winter Vegetable Hash - adaptable to veggies you may have in the garden.

Critters

The famous Pat* in Idaho sent in this dinner photo, which is, thankfully, missing a few gory details.

Spotted this across the street on Tuesday. This is the best shot my husband managed to get. We believe it was a redtail hawk, probably taking down a mourning dove. (The next day, the local magpies scavenged the area.)

And here is a photo of a pheasant in the snow that Jake Holenhead took while visiting his mother near Spokane:

Christmas in the Community

People think of some nice ways to use plants in public spaces. Some of them are adaptable to homes or yards, and some aren't.

Larro sent in some examples:

The other day we loaded up the 13-month-old grandson and headed out to find Santa at the local mall. (Shameless plug here, NorthPark Mall in Dallas)

Yes, I realize that there is a retail meltdown in progress all over the country, but this old mall represents all the old crusty money in Dallas, and it is doing quite well as far as I can tell. Plus, it has a traditional old Santa all nestled in his house; this annual show must be older than dirt. We got in line and got some great pictures of the child crying and scared out of his mind of some old fart in a furry red suit hanging onto him, but it was a hoot and will be for the rest of his life. (I have the pics!!!)

Afterwards, we rambled around the indoor mall and examined all the neat holiday displays spread out all over. One thing is very clear; they have an awesome greenhouse operation somewhere close, and they are turning out truckloads of nice flowers for their Christmas displays. Here are some of the sights we found. Enjoy!

I am guessing that the cacti stay in place all year. It would be a pain to move them. Probably literally:

And, the one thing that will bring joy and happiness to every little girl and boy (hopefully)

Merry Christmas, One and All!

And here is the 100th anniversary Christmas Tree Celebration in a town in our valley.

And the top of the tall tree, set in the middle of the street, showing the American flag on top at twillight.

Music

Von Trapp great grandkids sing Edelweiss

If you would like to send information and/or photos for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:

ktinthegarden
at g mail dot com

Include your nic unless you want to remain a lurker.

posted by Open Blogger at 12:54 PM

| Access Comments