This is such a wonderful color combo! I love the texture and light! Today is my birthday which I am very excited to spend winding down after a busy week and relaxing..
images via pinterest and here
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Sudden snow
The covered bridge in Woodstock.Last night brought us a surprise: Fresh snow! And a wonderful day, walking the town and the small hills around into a snowy land, covered with a fresh sheet of white! The snowflakes were dancing around us and we delighted in the beauty of it!This was yesterday:And this is today:And a few more impressions from this lovely place!See the bride through the window? A
Sudden snow
The covered bridge in Woodstock.Last night brought us a surprise: Fresh snow! And a wonderful day, walking the town and the small hills around into a snowy land, covered with a fresh sheet of white! The snowflakes were dancing around us and we delighted in the beauty of it!This was yesterday:And this is today:And a few more impressions from this lovely place!See the bride through the window? A
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Driving by
I love taking pictures from the car. Of course not when I am driving... always safe in the passenger seat...I love the blurry images, the passing light, the unexpected views.As an artist I see them as graphic images.I feel I collect realities.Slivers of existence.The reality turns into a new dimension. Timeless.There is such beauty in the simple colors of the approaching night sky!When now turns
Driving by
I love taking pictures from the car. Of course not when I am driving... always safe in the passenger seat...I love the blurry images, the passing light, the unexpected views.As an artist I see them as graphic images.I feel I collect realities.Slivers of existence.The reality turns into a new dimension. Timeless.There is such beauty in the simple colors of the approaching night sky!When now turns
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Loving Vermont
There is simply nothing sweeter then to arrive at a beloved place, familiar surroundings and finding everything as before and at a first glance improved and more beautiful then ever!A few days of skiing, walking and exploring the winter paths...and enjoying time together!Greetings from this winter wonder land!XXVictoriaPictures by V.Zlotkowski
Loving Vermont
There is simply nothing sweeter then to arrive at a beloved place, familiar surroundings and finding everything as before and at a first glance improved and more beautiful then ever!A few days of skiing, walking and exploring the winter paths...and enjoying time together!Greetings from this winter wonder land!XXVictoriaPictures by V.Zlotkowski
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Little messengers
There's close to two feet of snow in my front garden. Just two days ago there were snow drops pushing up out of the ice. I wonder what causes them to bloom in February. I wonder if it's their genetic coding, or their biological purpose. Or perhaps, it's just because we need them?Happy weekend!Victoria
Little messengers
There's close to two feet of snow in my front garden. Just two days ago there were snow drops pushing up out of the ice. I wonder what causes them to bloom in February. I wonder if it's their genetic coding, or their biological purpose. Or perhaps, it's just because we need them?Happy weekend!Victoria
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Sheets of ice
The magical look of the ice glazed trees in the garden...Reminds me of laces and dresses, glittering and sparkling...Frills on white sheets and chandeliers dripping with crystals...The fringes of ice are crowns turned up side down...Borrowed from the ice queen!XXVictoriaAll landscape images by V.Zlotkowski, all others via google image
Sheets of ice
The magical look of the ice glazed trees in the garden...Reminds me of laces and dresses, glittering and sparkling...Frills on white sheets and chandeliers dripping with crystals...The fringes of ice are crowns turned up side down...Borrowed from the ice queen!XXVictoriaAll landscape images by V.Zlotkowski, all others via google image
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
I Was Wrong....
Yep, I thought we were done with the freeze danger. My wife was adamant we weren't quite in the clear yet. Since I don't watch much news, I'm not always current on what the 'meteorologists' are talking about. As I scrambled around the garden in the unrelenting wind, my wife came out to capture me at my most graceful moment. So cover up, leave 'em on, and harvest your goodies!
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| (Surrender Dorothy!) |
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| (Sample of the forced early harvest) |
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
What To Do Wednesday - Start Your Seedlings!!!
With winter pretty much done (yes, Phoenix style - rain, chill, frost, warm...) it's now time to start thinking, plotting, and planning for spring. Before you know it, spring weekend will appear and then it's...you-know-what. So, as winter begins to warm and hover in the 60's and 70's, conditions will be ripe for sowing seeds.
I generally start seeds on a monthly cycle, that way I've always got something going (or trying to get going). Using recycled nursery planting cells, I fill them up with fine, sifted compost soil. I set 1-2 seeds in each cell, top with soil, then pack gently. For simple record (since I've given up on maintaining a garden journal), I lay out my seed packets, make a date marker, and take a picture. I can later print this out and just tape it into my garden journal (so there).
So far from my december tinkerings, I have a beavy of lettuce, kale, chard and choi. I'll later thin them out (and attempt to transplant) once they're about 1"-2" inches tall, at approximately 30 days growth. I use a pump sprayer and water these guys 2-3 times a day when it's sunny.
I'm even doing some daring stuff with warm season crops like cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes. Hopefully, the early start will give me some breathing room when spring season really warms up and EVERYTHING has to be done.
In addition to my edible seeds, I'm also working on perennial and wildflower seeds such as cosmos, echenacea, rudebekia, delphenium, hollyhock, salvia, and penstemon. I even managed to start some camomile (whoo-hooo! Finally after years of trying!)
The great thing about starting seeds is the cost payoff - if I get at least 50% yeild from a seed packet, that could easily result in $50-$100 of savings. Granted, I do have to invest time and labor, but what kind of a gardener would I be if I didn't? (Now, where am I going to plant all this stuff???)
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| (starter cells with broccoli, pak choi, kale, and chard) |
I generally start seeds on a monthly cycle, that way I've always got something going (or trying to get going). Using recycled nursery planting cells, I fill them up with fine, sifted compost soil. I set 1-2 seeds in each cell, top with soil, then pack gently. For simple record (since I've given up on maintaining a garden journal), I lay out my seed packets, make a date marker, and take a picture. I can later print this out and just tape it into my garden journal (so there).
 |
| (Loads of baby veggies soaking up some sun after the rain) |
So far from my december tinkerings, I have a beavy of lettuce, kale, chard and choi. I'll later thin them out (and attempt to transplant) once they're about 1"-2" inches tall, at approximately 30 days growth. I use a pump sprayer and water these guys 2-3 times a day when it's sunny.
I'm even doing some daring stuff with warm season crops like cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes. Hopefully, the early start will give me some breathing room when spring season really warms up and EVERYTHING has to be done.
 |
| (Heirloom and organic tomatoes, peppers, and tomatillos) |
In addition to my edible seeds, I'm also working on perennial and wildflower seeds such as cosmos, echenacea, rudebekia, delphenium, hollyhock, salvia, and penstemon. I even managed to start some camomile (whoo-hooo! Finally after years of trying!)
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| (Here comes camomile!) |
Monday, January 3, 2011
Happy New Winter!
Happy New Year to all!
Here in Phoenix we didn't expect a white Christmas, but I certainly experienced a 'white' New Year's eve.
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| (snow - Xericopia style) |
The garden beds here at Xericopia were blanketed with...well, blankets. It got cold here! I know, it sounds wussy just being a mere low of 33* degrees. But for our heat loving gardens, that can really ruin the festive spirit. Especially the edibles!
I covered a few garden beds but some areas I left open. Partly, because I know certain plants can withstand major cold (and some things I just wanted to test). I also had a lot of plants I just had to move onto the patio or indoors for assured safety.
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| (cucumber seedlings and hibiscus hiding from the cold!) |
I'm aware of which areas of the garden trap cold air, and which areas prevent the frost from settling in. How do I know this?
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| (thermometer on ground next to garden bed) |
Every year I place a few thermometers in spots to check just how cold it gets. I set them on the ground too, that way I know what the plants are experiencing (ground level and eye level can vary 3-5* degrees). My garden - ground level - got down to 28* degrees (five straight days below 30*) and all of the birdbaths and rain buckets froze over solid.
The frost covers trap in soil warmth from the day, which slowly releases through the night. It also prevents tiny frost particles from collecting on top of plants. You can even leave the frost covers on through the day creating a greenhouse effect for plants. Some plants may still experience minor leaf damage but the plant won't die.
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| (twinkle twinkle happy plants!) |
Some plants may still experience minor leaf damage but the plant won't die. For super protection, I some of my extra christmas lights and dress them around my specialty plants, then cover them up. It also makes for a charming garden display at night.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Icy gradient
I'm into sponging lately! I really like the gradient effect. There were many things I could do to take this design to the next level (painting snowflakes, adding rhinestones, etc.), but I couldn't decide and just left it like this. It actually doesn't need more!I used two blue colours for making a perfect gradient (OK, nearly perfect). The lightest blue, in the middle, is Essence Choose Me! (a
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Snowflakes 2.0
So here's the second version of the snowflake manicure, I used different colours but also added a silver gradient (using a sponge) on the background. I made this one on my sisters nails.MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Snowflakes
This is another design I made a few years ago. Posting it now seemed very appropriate to me, cause it's snowing very much in Holland. This is one of my favourite designs so far! Sadly it wasn't my own idea, it's a remake from this video tutorial on YouTube.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
What I am reading now
I had written this post only a few days ago and send out on my House and Living part of the blog. I realize more and more that this blog part has become the "forgotten garden"... Since I feel this is such a wonderful book I decided to re-post it today. Now I can report that I have finished it and it held me captive until the very last minute!I wish somebody would take on the task to make a movie
What I am reading now
I had written this post only a few days ago and send out on my House and Living part of the blog. I realize more and more that this blog part has become the "forgotten garden"... Since I feel this is such a wonderful book I decided to re-post it today. Now I can report that I have finished it and it held me captive until the very last minute!I wish somebody would take on the task to make a movie
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Sayonara Winter!
Top 10 Signs that I know Winter is over:
#8 - My stray cats are 'singing' (yikes).#7 - Baker Nursery has orange justicia now!
#6 - I stopped turning on my electric blanket.
#5 - Flowering pear tree has flowered.
#4 - Fungal gnats keep finding my glass of wine.
#3 - Maggie dog is shedding.
#2 - Tomatoes are ripening.
#1 - The bermuda grass is on the move!
