My Grandfather's Garden

On this dreary winter day I had to close my eyes and think of something special.

My Grandfather's Garden

Just a sun tanned kid hanging out with her Pap clad in denim overalls,

Two smiles walking from the garage to the green patch sewn next to the huge pine trees,

Grandma is not going to turn the oven on in this heat so we are going picking,

Green then brown go the neatly hoed rows,

The tomatoes stalks are tall and staked with twine off a ball,

Red, heavy tomatoes hang off the vine and leathery, yellow green veins crack the tops of their skin,

Giant, lazy zucchini hide under large stems and leaves, 

Bushy delicate leaves clustered together have long beans dangling,

The corn is young yet still the stiff, sturdy vegetable standing erect,

I walk behind Pap as he inspects and I jump in delight as I see a flash of slithering green!

He quickly plants a foot forward in the dirt and grabs it. A garden snake wiggles at the end of his hand as if on a fishing hook, neat!

The lettuce determines dinner,

Pap says it's time to pick or they will get larger and acidic,

I have a wooden basket cuffed under my arm and I am ready,

So it's leafy lettuce and luscious tomatoes Pap drops in the basket,

BLT sandwiches and he picks more tomatoes for Grandma to marinate for tomorrow,

He picks a couple zucchini to take to his Mom and the basket starts to get heavy,

We keep going to the end and he points up at the pine trees and laughs,

Look we have gourd stalks climbing the trees! 

I give him my big grin, I just love being with him,

We walk back to the house and I ask him if I can water the garden tonight and of course he says, yes.

Lettuce us be friends!

Hey, what is going on in your yard? The heat is bringing out the blooms! I have some old flowering bushes like Rhododendron. Unfortunately, this massive bush with substantial branches blooms for a very short period in late Spring. We cut ours back significantly as it became as tall as our house! The bush with the flowering snowball heads is a Ninebark.

The pretty bush surrounded by Hostas is an old Victorian favorite, Weiglela.

I love Snapdragons!

On the other side of the tree I made a sign out of a giant piece of bark. Welcome Gnomes! I used Aleene's glue, Hobby Lobby wood chips and varnished.

Finally lettuce! You got this! Put in giant pots to keep bunnies out. I already cut two giant bowls from just this pot! It's not like the store. You actually taste earthy, green freshness! I buy already started from local nursery and every year successful! Put in the sun and keep watered.

DIY With Wood Chips

I got wood chips on clearance at Hobby Lobby in the Spring. I love little doodads and have a craft box full of spare parts. If you are a crafter then you have one of these glorious catch all boxes. Hey you never know where an idea may take you!
Anyways, I needed markers for my herbs. I did not want to buy one more thing for my flowers as I was already over budget. Upon rooting through my craft closet I got the idea to use wood chips and left over craft/jewelry wire.

The wood chips I purchased had holes which made this project easier. Some pieces looked like price tags. Neat! 
I painted my wood chips and let dry . I then took a metallic permanent marker and wrote my herbs. Once dry I sprayed with outdoor craft clear coat for outdoor protection. Let dry. I then cut a piece of heavier wire and put through tag hole. Knot or make a hook at the front of the tag so the wire does not slip through hole. Cut your remaining wire to desired length. 
Note; Green floral craft wire will not work as it is not heavy enough . You need something a little heavier and will flex into pot. You can also curl the flexible wire for a more creative look too.

I have a pot at the end of my sidewalk . So I put my house number on a tag for our UPS driver.