Category Archives: summer

Mar7

Dependents

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Spiral Herb GardenThe tax year of 2012 Dean and I both did not claim one of our six children as a tax dependent. It has been years for either of us since this has occurred. They are all grown up! According to our accountant, our tax deductions came from our greenhouse business this year, not our children. We took a loss this tax year, as last year. Greenhouse rebuilds are costly and timely. An expensive hobby rather than a business, maybe? I’d rather be playing in the dirt and planting green things for my eye palette or taste palette than gambling at the casino, perusing the neighborhood bars, or loafing on the couch. We have a hefty tax return coming which will in turn be reinvested into Deanna Greens And Garden Art. Electric for our structure is around the corner, with propane and solar heat as the next big investments.
I never viewed our Deanna Greens And Garden Art plants as dependents, but that is what they are. And they depend on us to thrive in this world. Water, food, and light on a regular basis, and Mother Nature does her part. I am so anxious for the weather to warm up enough to get our plants under the shelter of our unheated greenhouse. The plant lights in the garages have done good, but the natural sunlight is what the plants need to get greener, fuller, and growing with such vigor. Rain water (or snow in our case!) catching in the rain barrels will provide more minerals for our plants. After a few weeks in the greenhouse, the plants will be moved to the screenhouse to avoid scorching this summer. That scenario seems so far away. We are still under normal temperatures for March. Come on Spring, we need you!
Planning out the growing and market season, Dean and I will have some annual flowers such as marigolds, zinnias, and wildflower mixes. Marigolds are a great natural insect repellant for your vegetable garden and patio area. Zinnias and wildflowers make beautiful summer bouquets. Organic herbs such as basil, thyme, sage, chives, and nastrium will be sold live in pots of various sizes. We will make some potted herb gardens. Garden spoon signs and homemade lavendar soap will be brought to the farmers’ markets. I will design some relic stepping stones and have them ready for market on Mother’s Day weekend. And then there are houseplants, with succulents as our specialty plant. Currently, we are in search for unique pots to divide and transplant our huge succulents into. We hope to plant some vegetables for our consumption. Any leftovers will be frozen or stored for next winter’s pastas, stews, and soups. The circle of life … Parents provide and care for, grown children provide and care for …
Tune in for local farmers’ market information in my next post or two.

Feb19

Prune, Prepare, and Produce

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PruningOur fiddle leaf fig trees have been a matter of many global WordPress searches ever since I wrote about them last summer. I have an update. We repotted them in artsy ceramic pots before moving them to indoor winter shelter. Such a chore with the 14-foot one! Our 14-foot and 7-foot trees were moved to Dean’s parents’ weekend condo just about 1 mile from our home. We have cared for and watered them regularly, though they are going through a winter shedding of older brown leaves. New leaf growth started to bud out around the lower section earlier this winter, and more buds appearing in the middle section of the 14-foot trunk this past couple of weeks. Due to the lanky appearance and thinning foliage at the top, we decided to prune both of the trees. We took 2 feet off the 7-foot tree, and the 14-foot tree has been prune to be about 8-1/2 foot tall now. We hope this will aid the lower and middle buds to produce many shiny green leaves. Pruning is an act of kindness really, preparing the plant, forcing all its energy to the fresh green growth. At first it felt like we were killing the plants, but not the case at all. Holy scriptures tell us “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful… (John 15:1 & 2 New International Bible) We used organic fertilizer and watered the trees after the pruning. We expect big things from our fiddle leaf fig trees. Maybe a profitable sale of these showy trees this summer?! We are licensed to sell only in the state of Missouri. If interested, please contact me through this blog.

Jan27

All Four Seasons

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Donald E Flood
ALL FOUR SEASONS
I met you in the autumn years of our lives.
We walked together in sunshine, wind, and rain.
We embraced the autumn colors, felt the crisp air, heard the music in the leaves.
A canvas to be completed sooner rather than later, a life to cycle through all four seasons.
You entered the winter years, though I not yet ready.
I with another stroll along a golden yellow, pumpkin orange, and burnt red lane.
You with another to touch snowflakes, lick icicles before the quiet hush of snowfall.
A blanket gray sky with woody cedars and small stone silhouettes.
In a slow-motion moment I witnessed your spring and summer years.
A beautiful blossom, the home nest welcomes sweet springtime.
Summertime love brought forth fruit twice, then eight times.
Your early autumn years, leaves on a tree trunk, your graduation cap atop long thick hair.
New roads on the horizon, friendships and love many a time, then sickness.
A life to cycle through all four seasons too quickly.
But now you are at peace and free to live forever.
Anna Marie Gall
in memory of Donald E Flood

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!

Aug16

Sliver of Pink

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At dusk the sunset shown scattered slivers of pink while driving to St. Charles County from Pike County.  It reminded me of the sliver of  pink on my father’s cheeks Grandpa pointed out while he and I visited Dad last evening.  My 97-year old grandfather had not been able to make the 1-hour trip to see his son for 7 weeks due to the  summer heat wave and car engine malfunctions.   We made this trip possible especially this week.  Hospice care seems to think this may be my father’s last week.  The two, father and son greeted each other with gladness in their hearts and faces.  Something I will never forget. 

It seems wrong for a father to say “goodbye” to his son, no matter how old you are. 

Their last words “You take care, son.”  “See you later, Pops!”

Good bye is not forever … Thank You, Jesus for eternal life!

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!