Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Hip, hip, hooray

Pretty much the same old stuff is blooming in the garden, but I did notice a haze of reddish-orange as I looked out my bedroom window this week. What do you know, rosehips. These are from an Alba semi-plena rose that blooms once a year in June. I think the hips look cool but I know you're supposed to do stuff with them like make herbal infusions and tea and what have you. I've never really done that and probably won't. I read on a website that rosehips are good for circulation, heart, and bones. Also fluctuating hormones. I thought the author of that article could probably use some herself, as she went on to say that rosehips also protects and enhances our ability to love ourselves and others fully. Oh my.

I do fully love this verbena bonariensis which I finally grew this year after wanting some for just ages. Sorry I waited so long. This stuff is great. Look how airy and tall it is and it enhances just about everything, including the Graham Thomas rose that seems to have quit blooming on this pillar.
Another great plant coming into its own this time of year is Northern Sea Oats, which I bought by accident a couple of years ago. I planted it near the little pond. Yeah, that's a battery-powered turtle that swims in the pond. My grandsons love it.
Look how pretty these sea oats tassels are. I think they're going to turn a bronze color judging by other gardeners' blogs. I think mine did last year but I can't remember.
Another look at Heavenly Blue morning glories on the arbor. I've said how much I dislike the purplish-colored ones that seem to be the mainstay color of the volunteer morning glories. Well, an interesting thing -- I didn't water these for a couple of days and I noticed when they opened for those two days they were definitely purplish. I was horrified and quickly watered them. The next day they were Heavenly Blue again. Some weird garden karma going on.
Well, I'm off to spend a week in Oregon where I'll have some Marionberry pie. These are some strange sort of blackberry that I never heard of till I went to Oregon for the first time. Marionberries are advertised everywhere there, and the farmers in Oregon grow 30 million pounds of these a year. Makes me wonder why I'd never heard of them. Google says they're becoming legend at Trader Joe's and Starbucks. That could explain it. I don't drink coffee so I don't frequent Starbucks, and since Colorado doesn't allow alcohol sales (except 3.2%) in grocery stores we don't have Trader Joe's.
I do like clam chowder too, and Oregon is a great place to taste-test it up and down the coast. I heard about a new place in a converted gas station that supposedly has the best chowder in the state. The Dubious Gardener and I will be trying that. It comes in this bread bowl.
Speaking of bread bowls, I have to go try on clothes and see if I can find anything that fits and is decent enough to take on vacation. I can't wear my normal garden attire, though I'd like to.

Happy gardening till I get back!




25 comments:

Carol Michel said...

One does one wonder how you managed to buy a plant "by accident". Great pictures!

Hope you have a great trip.

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

I love the look of those Northern Sea Oats. I'll be checking them out. Enjoy your vacation LostRoses. Mmmmm...soup in a bread bowl sounds delish.

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

Clam chowder, yummy! It's been a while since I tasted that.

My paternal grandmother used to make jam from rose hips. It is still my dads favorite jam.

Verbena bonariensis is great, I love this plant to bits. Have you tried verbena hastata yet? Also a wonderful plant. I grew it for the first time this year and I'm hooked.

Enjoy your week in Oregon!

Bev said...

LR, beautiful rose hips... I'd leave them for winter interest. I love the photo of morning glories on the trellis with the blue pot in the background. Gorgeous! I'll have to try the trellis thing for morning glories. Heaven knows, the grow everywhere else! Have a great trip, and I'm sure we will be reading some interesting and fun posts later.

Connie said...

I love the look of those Northern Sea Oats, and your heavenly Blue M.G. is beautiful! It is my favorite M.G., as well, though the other colors seem to have heartier vines for some reason.

Have a wonderful trip, and enjoy your Marionberry pie!

Jocelyn H. Chilvers said...

Your garden looks wonderful--very lush and full of interest!

I'm envious that you are off on a seaside vacation! Have a great time...and I bet that your garden will look completely new to you when you return (here comes the fall color!)

Diana LaMarre said...

Bon Voyage, lostroses!

Have a bowl of that chowder for me, too!

KC MO Garden Guy said...

Yummm pie!!! Sounds delicious. Hope you have a good time. Loved seeing the pictures in your post. I see why the morning glory is called Heavenly Blue. I will need to look for that next year. I bought sea oats this year and i think I planted it in too much shade. It doesn't look very good. Yours looks wonderful. Love the turtle.
I wouldn't know what to do with rose hips either and as far as fully loving others, well that would be a differnt blog I'm sure.
Have a safe and happy trip. Cliff

LostRoses said...

Well, Carol, it didn't have a tag so I didn't know what it was and since it was at the grocery store no one there knew either. But I was looking for something tall and was I happy when it got those cool "oats" on it.

Lynne, I really don't need any soup in a bread bowl, but since I'll be on vacation I can throw caution to the winds, right? Actually I think I do that everyday anyway. And the sea oats is really a great plant!

Yolanda, it's funny but I never eat clam chowder at home. But it just seems like the thing to do in a state where they do it so well! Hmm, jam from rosehips? Wish I had more initiative, that does sound good. I don't think I've seen any verbena hastata around here, I'll have to check that out for next spring, as it looks very interesting.

Bev, I'm ashamed to say I leave everything for winter interest! I'm not keen on cleaning up the garden in the fall so spring brings some onerous chores around here. As for the Heavenly Blues, I saw how your morning glories grow up your stop sign. If I had one, I'd grow them there too!

Connie, yes, heartier vines, as in "strangling" vines! I wish the Heavenly Blue was as tough but I guess I can't have it all. But I will get my share of pie!

Jocelyn, I'm glad to see the temps will be cooling down next week so my neighbor doesn't have to water too much while I'm gone. I was going to say no one can take care of them the way I do, but that's not saying much! I would like to come back to some red leaves on my maple, but that probably won't happen! I'm looking forward to seeing that wild and scenic coast of Oregon again.

Zoey, when I get down to that last spoonful that I'm too full to eat, I'll have it anyway just for you!

Cliff, you make me laugh! Yeah, that would be a different post probably for a different forum too! My sea oats is not in full sun but they're supposed to flourish in semi-shade and mine does pretty well. I think these can get quite big in a really sunny environment.

Thank you all for your good wishes for my trip!

MrBrownThumb said...

The Sea Oats look like an interesting plant to have in the garden. If anything just to photograph-I love the lines in the part you photographed. Reminds me origami a little bit.

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed Verbena bonariensis for years but it finally died out. I want to replace it and our local nurseries don't often carry it. Your Northern Sea Oats should be turning color any day now. Have a great trip. I've always wanted to see the Pacific Northwest. I think that I would enjoy living there. Take some photos!

LostRoses said...

mrbrownthumb, you're right, it does look rather like origami! Leaf-folding, anyone?

phillip, so it does die out enventually? I'm counting on it reseeding itself fairly well, at least I'm hoping. But now I know which nursery in town carries it in case things don't pan out that way.

I'll be sure to take lots of photos, and now I'd better go pack my suitcase!

Bob said...

Lost roses, the garden still has some wonderful things to see. I always love the rose hips. I don't do anything with them except cut some and bring them inside. You'll love marionberries. Living the northwest, they are very popular. Actually we have a lot of berries up here. I hope you have a great vacation.

chuck b. said...

Mmmm...soup in a bread bowl is one of my favorite things. I don't like clam chowder tho'. Make mine French onion. Follow it with a slice of marionberry pie and a cuppa coffee and I would definitely be ready love myself and others more fully.

Oregon is so beautiful; I love Oregon. Are you going to Portland? They have an unbelievable farmers market. I wanted to move to the farmers market and live there.

Anonymous said...

Can you make rose hip tea? The deer ate all the blooms off my roses, so no rose hips.

Mary said...

Lost Roses, thanks for the beautiful photos. I especially love the sea oats tassels!

Oh, gosh, do I love clam chowder in a bread bowl. Mmmmmmm.

Have a great vacation! I'll look forward to your return.

Anonymous said...

Oh a turtle in your pond! Cute.

I love those Sea Oats, so pretty and my mouth is watering for that bread bowl!

Becky

Andrea's Garden said...

Clam Chowder, mhhh! Haven't had that since I've moved back to Germany from the States and forgotten all about it until you wrote about it. :-) The verbena looks interesting, I have to see if I can get it over here, too. Have a great vacation! Andrea

Rusty in Miami said...

Everything is looking great I your garden. Have a great time in Oregon.

Dawn said...

You've taught me more about rosehips than I've ever known. Yours are so full and colorful! Now I want some. And your berries and bread bowl have reminded me that I forgot to eat lunch. Yum!

Catherine said...

Lovely blog, & very nice pic's, love the sea oats..& the rose hips~I posted some this week too, aren't they wonderful?!
Have a nice vacation!
Cat

Giddy said...

I;m just waiting for the rosehips to be touched by the first frost. I hear they are better then.

CountryGirl said...

My morning glories never look that good! I love soups in bread bowls. I hope you had a wonderful time!

MariaJ said...

Those Sea Oats are fantastic, never heard of it before. I have to write it on my wish list. Your arbor is soooo beautiful too! Have a nice time in Oregon.

LostRoses said...

Bob, the marionberry pie was excellent! Wish I had some now.

Chuck, the Farmer's Market was on my list but we ran out of time. Darn it. If it's anything like Astoria's market I can see why you'd want to live there. Me too.

Dianne, I think deer are about the only thing that doesn't graze in my garden! I'm pretty sure I'll never try making rose hip tea but it sounds good.

Hi Mary, yes that chowder was good! And when I got home the sea oats had turned color. They are very bronze-y now.

Becky, now that I've been home for a week, my mouth is watering too for that clam chowder. They do know how to make it there!

Andrea, I guess clam chowder is not big in Germany? LOL
The different varieties of verbena are increasingly easy to find here, hope you can get some.

Rusty, now that I'm home the garden has really turned into fall. I think I have a lot of work to do!

Dawn, all I know about rose hips I read on the Internet! You remind me I should bring some in for decorations.

Catherine, those sea oats are really wonderful for the garden, I love the seasonal changes in them. I get rose hips on some of my other roses too, but not as big or as many as on the Alba rose.

Giddy, we're still waiting for first frost but I'm sure it's not far away. Guess I'll hold off till then!

Countrygirl, those Heavenly Blues have a very short growing season here since they bloom so late but they're worth it!

Hi Maria, we had a lovely time! I wish you could find sea oats there, they're such a nice plant.