Category Archives: green

Jan14

Colder Than Cold But With Style

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I have the craziest allergy that makes winter quite the challenge. I am allergic to the cold. Cold air, cold water … It makes the winter feel like colder than cold. I wear my “Ivana hat” (see my previous post “Winter’s Chill” about this), gloves, scarf, tights or pantyhose under my slacks or jeans, socks, boots, and layered coats. I need a ski mask to completely cover my face, just holes for my eyes and nostrils. I have been itching all day and puffy with hives this cold Monday. Construction is underway in my work building, so heat is limited. Space heaters have been provided, but the radiator heat is much more efficient. Benadryl makes me wiry and irritable, so I limit its usage to more severe swelling. And an epie pin is kept in an emergency bag in our 18-passenger van or with me when I go swimming or camping just in case. Yes, I have the angiodema as well as the hives, swelling from the inside out. The weather changed again on Saturday. I loved the sunshine and 60 degree temperatures all day Friday and Saturday morning, and then it turned on us late afternoon on Saturday. Ice and snow, and those wind chills! Yes, it is January in Missouri, but love those thawing days. Saturday morning Dean worked on the screen for the back side of the greenhouse and the back door header. And I put my seamstress skills into use by tacking nails in between Dean’s original nailing to make such a neat pattern like the brass studded french seam of a denim jacket or a pair of cowboy/cowgirl jeans. FrenchSeamStuddedJeans Have to make the plastic liner more secure, yet fashionable, don’t you think?! Only a woman’s touch! While we are preparing the outer wear for our plants, they are currently housed in two semi-heated, artificially lit 2-car garages. The warm comfort of their heated greenhouse is long gone, though spring is about 2 months away. The perennials are green, yet somewhat dormant. Trimming and propagating will take place in 4 weeks. Bed designs are being decided along with seeds being ordered this week for the herbs and veggies. In about 4 -6 weeks we will be sowing. Dormancy fools you. While we think nothing is going on; really, life is continuing and a blossom and fruit will appear soon enough.

Nov16

Green Greenhouse and Green Plants

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Green in so many ways … Green plants galore …

Also, Deanna Greens And Garden Art is using green building materials to build the greenhouse where we produce organically grown vegetables, herbs, and flowers at Boone Hollow Farm in Defiance, Missouri.  Being good to the earth!  Utilizes less electric, seeking alternative energy sources.  What ideas can you share about alternative energy sources?  Please refer to my previous blog written 2 days ago which includes recent photos of our green greenhouse.   

https://deannagreensandgardenart.wordpress.com/2012/11/14/deanna-greens-and-garden-art-greenhouse/

Oct30

Alternative Energy Sources

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Dean & I are waiting to hear word about our access to electric for the greenhouse.  According to the electric co-op, the barn down the hill may not have enough ampage to heat, circulate air, and provide light in the nightime for our 1300+ square foot greenhouse.  We have redesigned the greenhouse so half will be a greenhouse (so 650 square feet needs electricity), and the other half will be a lathe or hoop house for raised beds of vegetables to grow 9 months out of the year.  I wanted to have those beds made already, with a winter crop of organic spinach, garlic, and root vegetables, but family matters have taken priority.  Alternative energy sources will be sought, if need be.  In the meantime our plants are sheltered in two different garages with “plant lights” and space heaters to be installed this week to keep them green and alive during this transition.  I dislike this in-between time, but did not have the heart to let the hard freeze kill the green life we have cared for this past year.  Cannot believe, but it will be 1 year mid-November when we bought the greenhouse and adopted everything in it.    Do you have any ideas for alternative energy sources in Missouri?   Please share.

Sep12

Sharing Life

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Sharing life with those who surround me has helped me grow.  Like the 12-foot fig tree we pulled from the greenhouse in May.  It needed to be pulled out of the ground, taproot and all in order to move to our yard while the greenhouse is being rebuilt.  Apparently, it loves the companionship of our biggest,oldest maple tree as it has shot more fresh leaves in these 4 months than it had in past 4 years.  This maple tree has been struck by lightening and storm winds over the years.  It is bare in some places, missing branches and foliage.  Kind of “bald”, and showing its age.  But it provided shelter to another plant this record high-temp summer.   Sharing life.   So back to me.  I suppose there are days I ask “why do I care?” when a reward is not in sight such as a pay raise or guaranteed friendship.  Yet, I share my lfe, talents, and hard work for the betterment of my fellow man and woman.  As incomplete as I am, through Jesus I am complete.  The grace of God.  I want to see others grow, flourish, and bloom.  I want to encourage my employees to take care of themselves, and I find joy providing the tools to do so.  I want my children to love unconditionally; each other, their significant others, children, and those they are surrounded with.  I want my husband to know without a doubt he is loved just the way he is.  I want my grandfather, parents, and siblings to know I love them, and still need them in my life no matter how old I am.  Sharing life, no matter what your circumstances, condition, or age you are in, is worth it.  Watch how others grow … and yourself.

Sep6

Our Tropical Jungle

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I wanted to share some photos my daughter took of our tropical jungle.  Our front and back yards have been lovely, especially since the extreme heat has subsided.  The plants are lush green flourishing in the humidty.  We had a rainy Labor Day weekend bringing much needed rain to our area.  God’s provisions in the midst of the  longest drought in years …

Above:  Simply cuttings from our moses-in-the-cradle, swedish ivy, and sweet alyssum planted in a moss basket this spring … this planter loves our humid summer!  Below:  Patio plants are rearranged and changed up weekly, creating varied vignettes …

Above:  A cart full of gernaniums  sheltered under the shade of a huge maple tree. They need more sunlight to continue blooming.  Philodrenrons, ferns, and peace lilies are scattered about the front yard landscaping.  Below:  A bird of paradise blooms in full color.  Deanna Greens And Garden Art sold this beautiful plant at the Lake Saint Louis Farmers’ and Artist Market last Saturday during our Tropical Plant Sale.

Aug27

Jade Plants & Trees

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This past Saturday I prayed for good sales  as they have been petty the past couple of farmers’ markets.  No one is in the mood to see another plant die in this summer heat.   So we focused on indoor plants, and the people loved our jades!  Answered prayer.  We had littler jade plants in small terra cottas or vintage pots.

 And then we had trees …  have you ever had a jade plant bloom?  Please tell me about it!

Aug10

I Felt The Air Change Today

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I felt a whisper of refreshing air last night while in the screen house  repotting succulents into darling little vintage pots … maybe?  Early today I stood by the opened patio door to hear the morning greetings of our feathered friends, and I felt the air change.  Yes, autumn is around the corner!  Every year for over 40 years, I have said those words “I felt the air change today”.  I grew up watching the weather and hearing about it from my farmer father.  He would read the Farmer’s Almanac, have a weather ban radio playing in his office every morning, evening, and on occasions of severe weather threats. Mostly I remember the feeling when a shift in air direction and the front would roll in with clouds and sometimes rain with it.  And then the refreshing change.  Awe!  Autumn in 4 – 6 weeks, and saying goodbye to sizzling summer.  My oldest daughter remembers these words well, too.  Rachel wrote a poem about these words, her mother saying them, and autumn.  And we chatted today about those words …

The woods begin to vibrate with gathering and preparation. 

The sounds so crisp, electric.

Her words were “I felt the air change today.”

Red, orange, yellow, green, brown.

They dance while falling.

A choreographed waltz.

Every year she said “I felt the air change today.”

Beautiful, breathtaking, loyal.

The Canvas.

I think I felt the air change today.

Aug9

Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree

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This summer our fiddle leaf fig trees have shown much growth being outdoors under our shade trees with this Missouri humidity.  Their leaves are bright green and shiny when they first leaf out.   Our biggest one will not fit inside the greenhouse structure any longer.  Its tap-root was pulled from the grounds of the greenhouse’s original site in May, and has grown another 3 feet since.  It is the companion to one of our maple trees in the backyard.  We will repot the “jolly green giant” and look for a buyer with a cathedral ceiling as it will not survive Missouri’s winter.   I have grown to love our overabundance green foliage in the front and backyards.  Wishing I lived at Hilton Head Island, SC  or Savannah, GA where our plants would have a chance outdoors year round.  But then again, I love Missouri’s autumn colors and spring’s growth and renewal from the frozen earth.  Missouri has the four seasons, some shorter than others.   This year, it has been a long summer.  The day will come any time soon when I can say “I felt the air change today” in anticipation of autumn.  More on that in another post …

Aug6

Porch Meals and Hearts Mesh

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The rains came twice over the weekend!  It was like a miracle!  And with it came cooler air, more like normal summer temps, low 90’s.  We loaded our plants into the van in the wee hours Saturday morning, to make it to the Lake Saint Louis Farmer’s Market.  It was storming, but I kept at it in my rain poncho and Dean with his hat.  Our plants seemed happier, as well as their gardeners!   Later, I trimmed sun-scorched branches from some ferns, and moved them to more shade under the dogwood tree.  Sunday we repotted plants.  Our tropicals are gigantic, growing as long as they have water in their roots.  They thrive in this humidity. Dean & I met  at the front porch on several occasions this weekend. We  watched the storms come in and shared porch meals.  The green ambiance allows conversation to flow.  The electronic devices in the house don’t have that skill!  Our hearts mesh when surrounded with nature.  Whether camping, walking in the woods, and sitting on our porch bench with lovely greenery and birdhouses surround, life is simpler with plants and birds.  At least, most of the time!

 

Jun21

June Bugs

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This June the Japanese beetles made their way to our yard.  (They are not really June bugs, but they arrive in June in my world.)  And of course, we have much for them to munch on as our greenhouse is still in reconstruction.   These shiny metallic looking green bugs seem to love our basil, and tasted the hydrangeas,  geraniums, and hibiscus.   We are thankful as the plants’ temporary home, our green screen house seems to capture the little critters.  And while they mate on the screen, we capture them into jars that become their coffins.  Dean & I seem to have conquered this bug invasion, but are on guard everyday, morning and night for the next  couple of weeks.   Beware!