Sunny Saturday

Smoke Bush buds looking promising

My goal for Saturday was to get a few more gardening task done, especially seed planting and weeding. Unfortunately, I did not get much sleep the night before thanks to the storm warning sirens that cried wolf! I did get up and out to the garden by 10am and pulled a few weeds but realized I needed more potting soil for seed starting. I was "tuckered" after an afternoon of visiting garden centers around Carrollton in windy weather so I decided to take a nap instead. By the time I got up, there were only 2 hours of daylight left. I re-potted some hydrangeas and conifers but the seeds would have to wait till some other time.

Hobbit's Foot Sage getting ready to bloom, I have been very happy with these $3 plants from Lowe's. They have grown into foot wide plants from 3 inch plants planted last fall.

The front yard got it's 1st mowing by Raleigh this week

I spent the evening catching up on laundry and baking a few goodies for the Birthday Tea Party I was doing on Sunday. I went with my usual suspects: Macaron's and Madeleines. This time a chocolate inspired round, dark chocolate ganache filled macarons and white chocolate madeleines

I am loving my new scale that does grams and ounces

 

My stash of San
Francisco Cocoa

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was pleased with my first attempt at White chocolate Madeleines. another winner from my Essential Baking book by Carol Bloome.

 

 

 

All in all a productive Saturday, got 4 loads of laundry done, 2 pastries baked and some napkins ironed. I was now ready for a good night's sleep before Church and Tea Party on Sunday. I also felt thankful for all the perennials that were coming back after a snowy winter.

Sensitive Fern making a comeback

The "New Look" for the front porch

Tacos and Tanks!

Double-File Viburnums and Variegated Solomon's Seal

I enjoyed a lovely morning entertaining visitors to the garden this morning, traded plants for pistachios and then headed out on a potting soil and taco lunch mission. On the way to lunch, we took a few detours and I ended up picking up a galvanized tank to house my "Sum & Substance" Hostas I got earlier in the week on the front porch. Lunch at La Vaquerita was delicious as usual.

$1.50 tacos: chicken and rice with mole, carnitas and pastor

delicious and fresh guacamole

house made horchata, a drink made with rice

On the way to lunch, I got acquainted with my new favorite plant, the "Cherokee" rose. 

A beautiful wild looking white native rose, the Cherokee rose, looking forward to adding some to my garden

After lunch, 2 hours of "tooling"around town resulted in lots accomplished. I stocked up on macaron ingredients, got 12 cubic feet of my favorite potting soil (3B Mix), a few additional plants to go with the hostas, some herb plants and a new pair of garden gloves. I got to planting immediately after getting home, hoping to get it all done before the storms arrived. 

Kitties like to watch me garden

My least favorite task was removing the not so attractive sticker on the galvanized tank!! It was ridiculous how much "goo gone" I had to use to get every last bit off. The tank company needs to rethink their ugly stickers. I was barely done cleaning the tank before the sky got darker and wind picked up. The storm was definitely rolling in as I could smell the moisture in the air. I was halfway done when the storm arrived, heralded by the city sirens. I continued to work on the porch as it thundered and poured and got all the planting done. I hosed off the mess on the front porch, including a weeks worth of pollen build up and inspected the flow on all the gutters while it rained and actually cleared one of them, a satisfying task for sure since I now know the gutters are flowing properly.

I planted the tank with "Sum and Substance hosta, "Citron" Heuchera(a couple of the plants I kept partially as houseplants in winter), double and white elfin Impatiens, a new Coleus called "alligator tears" and duck foot ivy(I thought very appropriate since we live on Mallard Ln.). The planting was actually a breeze, the big mess was filling the tank. I started with a layer of gravel for drainage and then a layer of potting soil and old root balls from last years dead annuals and then a layer of 3B mix potting soil. After getting showered and cleaned up from the storm, I tackled the task of supporting the Paphiopedilums. These hybrids with giant blooms need a little support.

 

 

After a quick supper of leftover "Mei Fun" , I sat down to a comforting cup of tea and flower cookies from Oriental Marketplace while listening to the pouring rain outside. I am glad the garden is getting a drink and hope the storms do not do too much damage, especially on all the wonderful local farms who will be open for tours tomorrow.

Sushi, "Sunpatiens" and Strawberries

I found my favorite variety of New Guinea Impatiens today, a new variety branded "Sunpatiens" at Pike's. They were a great success last year, blooming till the first frost.

Weather has been lovely these past two days, sunny, fresh cool air and the pollen count seems low.  I played a recital Wednesday morning and also taught a few piano lessons but also got to have lunch with friends two days in a row and visit a few garden centers.

My prized Pahiopedilum Maudiae, 2 blooms open, one more bud to go. Green Hedgehog by Seth Fitts

Earth day vignette, Blown Bantam eggs, porcelain edamame, support wind power button and Anthropologie invitation

For lunch on Wednesday, we had sushi at Tokyo express. A newly opened restaurant here in town I am rather excited about. Finally a place to have sushi in a cozy atmosphere with good service. And most importantly, the sushi is delicious!

Mind boggling variety of sushi rolls offered

yummy seaweed salad with a citrusy dressing

"Crazy" roll

Kanmpai Roll topped with seared & gingered tuna and Rainbow roll

Today, we had lunch at Thai Spice, seems to be a routine eating at Thai Spice on Thursdays lately:  Thai Spice Thursday http://greenmacaron.blogspot.com/search/label/Thai%20Spice

Bonfire Patio Peach, got them for a good deal at Pike's

Freshly set fruit, let's hope some make it and I get to eat homegrown peaches

I picked up a couple of extra madeleine pans at Williams Sonoma in anticipation of an upcoming wedding in May and had a "fruitful" trip to Pike's. I got a couple of "standard" form peach trees for my big brown planters on the patio and some white New Guinea "sunpatiens" with variegated leaves. We also got to stop at the Oriental Marketplace where I enjoyed some bubble tea, stocked up on miso soup supplies and picked up a case of honey mangoes and also Bahn Mih sandwiches for supper. I also got my favorite "flower cookies" for dessert.

 

 

 

 

We also stopped at the Barnes & Noble for the latest issue of GARDEN DESIGN and discovered the Ashley Park farmers market was open for business. There were many vendors selling homemade cookies, salsas and honey but the most exciting thing was locally grown strawberries. They were grown without pesticides, sweet, juicy and red through and through. The vendors were nice to offer free samples and I came home with a gallon of them. They are almost as delicious as the ones from Crager-Hager farm which I am eagerly awaiting.

 

Fruits of the day: strawberries from near and mangoes from afar

Found these interesting "made in Scotland" confections in the 50% sale basket at Williams Sonoma

I always pick up some used coffee grounds from STARBUCKS, They are great for the compost heap but I have been scattering them under our blueberry bushes.

I got the peaches planted but ran out of potting soil and daylight, so no more gardening till tomorrow. I was pleased to see my Lily of the Valley harvested from the backyard still looking fresh after a few days.

Cool Silhouette