Four O'clock Flowers

385.  This summer I have been extremely pleased with my garden.  The greatest surprise has been my  "Four O'clocks".  I have an abundance of seeds and have packaged them up to sell.

This flower is an heirloom flower and the name indicates the time of day when the plants trumpet-shaped flowers open.  The flowers open in late afternoon, in response to a temperature drop.  Nocturnal moths and other nighttime pollinators are attracted to their nectar.   The name of the plant also goes by "Marvel of Peru" due to its native South American habitat.

The flower is hardy and grown as a perennial in zones 7b-11, but gardeners in other zones often grow these beauties as annuals.  They will self-sow also.  They can grow to four feet tall and three feet wide.  They are heat and drought tolerant and are a favorite of hummingbirds, bees and butterflies.

And the scent is very fragrant and similar to lillies.  

"Just living is not enough...one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower."

~  Hans Christian Anderson

Pumpkin Floral Centerpiece

320.  This is a beautiful and easy centerpiece for fall.  It's fresh flowers, live pumpkin and a few additives that will be a stunning conversation piece. 

Start with a pumpkin, any size you would like, fresh flowers from your garden or the florist and a few floral pics or floral filler and an oasis block.

Cut a square in the top of the pumpkin then scoop out the seeds and discard.  Cut oasis block to fit the opening and soak the block in warm water till completely saturated.  Place wet block in the opening of the pumpkin.

 
I picked marigolds from my garden to use as filler and completely cover the oasis block.  Then begin to add flowers in three levels:  tall, medium and short.  Accent with floral picks such as berries, corn stalks or fall leaves.

 There is no need to add a bow or ribbon.  The arrangement will stun and delight as the focal point of your table, centerpiece or coffee table.

"Creativity is intelligence having fun."

-Albert Einstein

Spring at Terrain

265. What can be more beautiful than pots of flowers bursting with color? Or, fuzzy pussy willows trimmed and bunched together in a pot or bucket.

Terrain at Styers in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania is a must visit. We stopped in to see what is new for spring.

Pussy Willow Wreaths...

Potted containers of magenta colored Heather...

Mini floral arrangements in egg shells for a personal place setting...

Delightful chocolate bars and salted caramels for your Easter baskets...

Yummy bunny and flower cookies for your sweet tooth...

And fabulous spring bulb flowers blooming every where you turned.

Have you visited Terrain yet? What are you waiting for?

"Flowers... are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844"

A Day in Brooklyn, NY

230. Our "Stay"cation was enjoyable this year. We have had a list of places to visit and things to do locally, but never seem to have time. The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens has been on this list for some time now.

So, we headed to Brooklyn, New York.

The day was bright and sunny and the perfectly manicured garden beds and lawns were so welcoming.

This 39 acre garden has many diverse pathways, varieties of trees, flowers, artistic statues and fountains. It is a mix of modern and vintage.

This plaza called the Magnolia Plaza was first constructed in 1933 and is an enormous sun dial.

The rose garden, constructed in 1927, was in full bloom and so beautiful.

Around every corner there were architectural pieces or whimsical paths that added to the adventure.

There were water lilies and other water flora as well as a Bonsai collection and an awesome arboretum and green house filled with a variety of plants from around the world.




After our lovely trip, we drove to Greenpoint, that is the "Polish Town" of New York and treated ourselves to a delicious Polish inspired dinner at Christina's Restaurant. It is located on Manhattan Avenue in Brooklyn

We started with cabbage salad,

beet salad,

and enjoyed periogi, keilbassa, stuffed cabbage,

and a delicious pork cutlet with mushrooms and roasted potatoes.

We also stopped into one of the Polish Deli's to pick up meat, cheese and other items we enjoy.

Brooklyn is a world to itself. With so much to do, and so many places to visit.

"Night was a wonderful time in Brooklyn in the 1930's. Air conditioning was unknown except in movie houses, and so was television. There was nothing to keep one in the house. Furthermore, few people owned automobiles, so there was nothing to carry (you) away. That left the streets and the stoops. The very fullness served as an inhibition to crime."

~Isaac Asimov

Flower in Bloom

147. I just had to share the pictures of my Amaryllis bulb and how

beautifully it bloomed.

I received the bulb for Christmas and I waited to plant it at the end of January.

It took about 2 weeks for the plant to grow to full height.

It was thrilling to see 4 buds develop!

And the color of the flower was stunning!

So lovely...and we watched each bud bloom.

'Tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes!
~William Wordsworth

Old German Rose Water Cookies

85.  While visiting through "Blog-Land" I found a lovely site "A Southern Daydreamer".  Susan has a beautiful blog that is filled with a variety of ideas, places to visit and beautiful pictures to enjoy!  I especially enjoyed her post, "Pink Saturday".  She featured her beautiful rose bushes, which reminded me of my grandmothers roses.  Growing up next door to my paternal grandparents was a joy.  My grandmother loved to garden and had beautiful rose bushes of many colors.  The one I particularly loved the most was her pink cabbage rose bush.  It was the most beautiful color of pink and each flower was loaded with petals, so many petals that you could not see the yellow center.  And the scent was intoxicating. Years ago, most people did not prune roses in neat square or round bushes...they allowed them to grow naturally.  This particular rose bush was huge and was intertwined with another light, whitish-pink rose.  It grew to about 7 feet high and then cascaded down growing along the ground.  It was a natural wall separating our properties but it also created a tunnel...a tunnel that I loved to climb into!  I would spread a blanket under the roses and play with my dolls, hide, play "Rose Princess", or just escape into the beauty.  I would take a rose and pull every petal off making a silky pile of pink and then scoop them up and breath in the wonderful scent.  I have been hard pressed to find a rose similar to my grandmother's rose.  Susan's rose bush is the closest I have found.

To stay with the theme "Outdoor Wednesday" I took a few pictures of roses in my backyard and in theme, baked Old German Rose Water Cookies.

Old German Rose Water Cookies

1 cup sugar

½ sup butter

1 egg yolk

1 ½ tsp vanilla

1 ½ tsp lemon extract

½ tsp baking soda

½ cup sour cream

1 ½ tsp rose water

3 cups flour

pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 325º.  Cream together butter and sugar.  Add yolk and flavorings.  Add baking soda & sour cream blending together.  Add rose water, flour and salt and stir together till dough forms.  

You do not have to chill this dough but can use it immediately.  Roll onto a lightly floured surface and cut out desired shapes with cookie cutters.   
Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake 10 minutes or till lightly browned on the bottom. 

 It is your preference if you want the cookies crispy or soft.  I baked them at 330º for 8 minutes.  They turned out perfect.  I prepared a simple icing using Rose Water for the liquid and a few drops of red food coloring for a perfect pink color.  The cookies are so

 delicious...the lemon and rose water taste just blooms in your mouth.  They are soft, delectable! (Maggie's description!) and we can't stop eating them...

I found rose water in Chelsea Market, NY, in a fabulous Italian shoppe,

 "Zia Tonia".  

❦

"A profusion of pink roses

 bending ragged in the rain 

speaks to me of all gentleness and its enduring."  

 ~The Collected Later Poems of William Carlos Williams