in their glory

i do not know the name of this peony. it was given to me by ginny watson many years ago. it is a garden favorite, one of many...i love it's feathery leaves and it it blooms early along with the apple blossoms. the heavy rains damage the delicate petals.

another beauty this year, my white bleeding heart (dicentra). it is related to the wildflower called dutchman's breeches. i like the reflection in the window of the door. with some adjustments, it might make a nice painting.

a very old variety of lilac that was planted the year after we bought the house in 1965. every picture of our daughter in her costumes for dance recitals are in front of this shrub. it is unusual in that some of the blossoms are 2-3 feet long before there is any foliage. it has been cut back at least 3 times over the years. it is so wonderfully fragrant and it wafts my way every year as i am doing my pots for the summer.
                      

                                                                   ENJOY!

.

asparagus pizza

YAHOO! the asparagus season is here. our 43 year old, very weedy bed is still giving us an ample amount of asparagus every few days and will do so till july. one of our favorite recipes is asparagus pizza. it is very easy as i make it on a sheet of puff pastry.

Ingredients:
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
1 1/2-2 lbs asparagus
1 large vidalia or sweet onion,sliced thin
5 or 6 dried tomatoes, chopped
2-4 ounces of butter, i use the lesser amount
salt and pepper
1 cup jarlsberg cheese, shredded

preheat oven to 425 degrees
snap off ends of asparagus and cut off tips. cut the stalks into diagonal pieces.
melt butter in a frying pan and add onion. saute until soft over medium heat.

meanwhile:

on a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry to a rectangle. place it on an ungreased cookie sheet and prick it with a fork every inch or so. bake it for about 10 minutes.
while the pastry is baking, add the asparagus and dried tomatoes to the softened onions and saute till tender.

top pastry with the asparagus, onion mix and sprinkle with the cheese

return to oven and bake for another 8 minutes  or until the cheese is melted

slice and serve

ENJOY!

this and that

back from a a family vacation. it was wonderful but i could not plant my tomato seeds till i got back. so after the plants got watered and we got a few groceries in the house, it was planting time. maybe i will be lucky and we will not have a frost until october this year. today they are just poking their little heads out of the soil. i planted black krim, cherokee, jubilee, pink brandywine, yellow pear and black cherry, all heirloom. i will buy a few early bearing plants and a half dozen plum tomatoes.

they have a month to grow before they get planted outside in our growing area. tender plants such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers do better if planted in the beginning of june. they don't like their little roots to get cold and it takes the soil that long to warm up around here.

i am itching to plant the snap peas, arugula and a few other greens. it needs to dry out before we can work the soil. i don't have a big garden anymore...a square foot garden along the pool fence and the tomatoes, some squash and a little corn go out back.



do you think i will ever get a tomato?

next on the list was getting the paperwork done for displaying some paintings on mother's day. sounds simple but it was not. i needed to scan the art work , matt and frame it. actually i pick out the mat board and my dear husband cuts the mats and frames the picture. i think that choosing the paintings is the most difficult part and then deciding how to mat and frame comes next. so here they are....by the way, the paintings will be displayed and for sale on mother's day at sycamore hills garden. http://www.sycamorehillgardens.com/  they open their garden on mother's day  from 11-4 pm to benefit baltimore woods nature center www.baltimorewoods.org/   go and enjoy!

 


stargazing



mike's roses




crocus




tulips