Spring asparagus has come to the market and I was feeling like the spring season should be underway in April. However, it has continued to feel more like winter in Michigan. I made this tart to encourage the weather to change and to bring out those hopeful feelings of the warmer season ahead. This is…
Category: spring
Flowers in the garden
Mid-Michigan is still experiencing chilly days even though our Spring flowers are blooming. Today it is only in the 40’s, and we are expecting rain. My garden is producing a spectacular display of flowers this year, perhaps because it is aging. We moved to this home ten years ago this coming Fall. Just saying that…
Seed Season
My mailbox is full of gardening catalogs and the excitement of spring and summer is almost here. So many new ideas every year are contained in these great publications. Yes, there is something to actually having a printed catalog in hand, when searching for my lettuce seeds for my summer kitchen garden. Most often, I…
Lenten Rose
Well worth the wait is the Lenten Rose or Helleborus. It has taken around three years for my plants to really take hold and offer up beautiful flowers. I love my three plants, and this Spring they have produced a lovely effect in my shade border. Michigan is a great location for these plantings, as…
Windmill Island Gardens: Holland MI
Imported from the Netherlands, a large authentic working Dutch windmill is located in Holland, Michigan. I toured the city and gardens last week for the annual tulip festival. The windmill is twelve stories tall, and is turned by wind power. The millstones within the mill grind grain into flour. With entrance to the gardens, visitors…
Baking Spring vegetables
Roasting vegetables can move beyond winter side dish favorites. By choosing spring vegetables, this dish can transform a meal presentation with color and style. The secret is finding a spring mix of colorful carrots. At Trader Joe’s, I was able to find a bag of “organic carrots of many colors”. Along with the other…
Spring Cara Cara and tangerine salad
A spring citrus salad can be so refreshing. The pastel color of the fruit helps to make the salad presentation bright, light and fresh. I chose to use Cara Cara navel oranges for my Easter salad this year. I found them at Whole Foods this past weekend, and their sweet taste is delightful. This variety…
My garden will be awake soon
I can’t wait until Spring. Today we had some sunshine and blue skies. Even though the outdoor temperature was only 22 F this afternoon, the sky looked spectacular. I gazed out my window at my snow-filled picket fence garden and continued to dream about warmer days. March is a good time of year to review…
purple iris in bloom today
within the past couple of days, my short purple iris have started to bloom. in my Michigan garden, spring seems to be delayed. i think these iris also happen to have a shorter time in the sunshine each day, which impacts their bloom time. i chose these iris as they are hardy herbaceous perennial flowers….
the beauty of spring
\ a garden is such a personal challenge. finding the right plant for the right space. finding the right color to coordinate with the neighboring plants. and, finally choosing a variety of textures and shapes to design a look that is both appealing and interesting to the eye. it takes years to grow a garden….
the green garden
i am still working on preparing my kitchen garden beds for the growing season–cleaning, cultivating, and composting. i even have an expansion plan for this season. we have worked on raking and blowing leaves that were used to protect my flowers, herbs and other edibles from the harsh winter the last few weeks. we…
daffodils in bloom
my daffodils are blooming this week in the sunshine. i planted them last fall, as i suspected that my daffodils from previous years were getting old and may not bloom. i correctly predicted, as only a few errant daffodils from earlier years came through this season. it is wonderful to have a full…
