Back in the Saddle
Last week Mr Chiots and I were in Ohio visiting family (and Mr Chiots had a work meeting). I had grand plans of writing blog posts and scheduling them to post while I was gone, but there was too much to finish up in the garden before we left. I’m also trying to spend a little less time working and a little more time doing the things that I love. I’m sure you’ve noticed that I no longer write daily blog posts, taking vacation times away is also something I’ve been doing. When we were in Ohio, we took a day trip to Kelleys Island, a place I’ve visited several times in my life.
We made sure to stop at the glacier grooves, a place I distinctly remember visiting as a kid. Then we had a picnic lunch and drove the golf cart around the island looking at gardens and houses. We hiked out to Sheele Preserve and were awed by its beauty (despite the terrically muddy trail to get there).
It was a wonderful day, perfect weather for a day outside on the islands. This was our first day trip of this kind, in the future we are thinking of planning vacations to other destinations (if you have any recommendations let me know).
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Friday Favorite: Homegrown Lettuce
The longer I garden, the better I get at succession planting. It can be difficult to keep on the correct schedule and to figure out what schedule works for your garden, soil, and climate. For example, I have found that seeding every two weeks it too often for me. The lettuce seems to all come ready at once. When I seed every four weeks, I can have beautiful butterheads for salad all summer long. If there’s a bit of a lull between the lettuce forming heads, I simply harvest the outer leaves.
For me, growing lettuce is one of the greatest joys of edible gardening. There’s nothing quite as beautiful as a row of perfectly formed butterheads, they look like giant roses. If I had to choose one thing to grow in my edible space, it would definitely be lettuce.
Do you grow lettuce? Do you have a favorite variety/type to grow?
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The Spring Garden
I’m sure you’re enjoying the photos from our trip to France, but I’m taking a break to show you what’s going on around the gardens here. The spring garden, as I’m calling it, under the old apple tree is starting to come together. Last year I transplanted lots of crocuses, snowdrops, and scillas from various areas about the garden into this area. The goal is to have this be the place where all the tiny spring bulbs live.
Since it’s right by the front door, it’s the perfect spot for a spring garden. The old apple tree doesn’t leaf out until the bulbs have bloomed and have absorbed enough sunlight to expand and increase their numbers.
Naturally, whenever I’m trying to take a photos I get cat bombed. Here, Littles thought her legs were much prettier than those snowdrops.
I plan on adding a few more bulbs to this area this coming fall. Perhaps a few different varieties of snowdrops and crocuses and maybe a few tiny daffodils. I may even look around for a few early primroses and other very early spring blooming plants to nestle into this garden.
What’s your favorite early blooming plant/bulb?
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Farmers Market in Paris
After spending a few days in the French countryside visiting gardens, we headed back to Paris for the rest of the week. Mr Chiots had a few meetings in the city, which was the reason we ended up in France. On Sunday morning, we decided to walk to the Eiffel tower and see the city as we walked. Our apartment was on the western side of the city, about a mile away. As we walked, we lucked out and ended up in a really great farmers market. If you’ve been reading here for a while, you know how much I love farmers markets, fresh vegetables, and good food.
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The Potager at Villandry
When we visited Villandry, we saved the ornamental potager for last. Even though we had seen it from the top of the tower (which is admittedly the best viewing angle for this particular garden), it was overwhelming! There are nine beds, each with an intricate design that is different from the others.
Even though I’ve seen this garden on TV and in books, nothing prepared me for the size, scale, and detail of it. It’s truly something to behold!
