Saturday, April 13, 2013

Spring Kale

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What's growing in my garden:  beautiful kale.



© Copyright 2006-2013, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Easter 2013

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Just in time for Easter, my hellebores are making quite a show.
Aptly referred to as the Lenten Rose and Easter Rose, they are a beautiful reminder that
spring is springing and summer is not far behind.





© Copyright 2006-2013, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Felling Alders, Sawing Logs, Making Firewood

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True color of a just-cut Alder tree.


Assessing the fall path.

Notching and cutting.
 
There she goes!


Kaboom! As the dust rises ...


Firewood!!

Alders grow like weeds on our property. They also make decent fire wood. Many of our Alders are 20-plus years old and are prime for cutting. A few days ago, as a blissfully sunny morning began, three Alders were felled and are being cut to dry and season for the winter ahead; which seems like a long way off right now but really isn't all that far, given our short summers.

Ya gotta plan ahead around here.




© Copyright 2006-2013, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Winter's End; Spring's Beginning

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Pieris Japonica and Rhododendron 'Winter' have been blooming in my garden since January, and although they brighten an otherwise cold and gray time of year, what I really look forward to is ...









this.


Welcome Spring. You've been a long time coming.





© Copyright 2006-2013, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

"Morning ...

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... has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning ..."

- Cat Stevens, 1971;  - Songs of Praise, 1931




© Copyright 2006-2013, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Happy St. Patrick's Day

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I hope you're smilin', Irish!

Actually, what you see here is not clover, four-leaved or otherwise.  This is Redwood Sorrel which grows in the Redwood understory here in Humboldt county.
I'm thinkin' it makes a pretty good substitute.




© Copyright 2006-2013, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

First Blooms of Early Spring: White Violet

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I am happy to report that we've been enjoying beautiful sunshine for a several days and, along with it, a few  early spring flowers are beginning to bloom, bringing me out of my winter cave and lifting my spirits, which were in sore need of lifting. How can one scowl and frown when confronted with such sweet delicate beauty?

And if you walk slowly and stand just so, a fleeting-but-heady whiff of violet perfume can be yours.







© Copyright 2006-2013, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas from Raven Ridge Gardens

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Raven Ridge Garden's very own yule log; covered with moss and fungi.

Merry Christmas to all!




© Copyright 2006-2012, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Monday, December 24, 2012

A Bloom for the First Days of Winter

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Not many flowers are blooming in my winter garden, but this Joseph's Coat rose never stops.




© Copyright 2006-2012, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Another Beautiful December Sunset

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Walks on the beach have been fruitful lately.  We've had really low tides, exposing rocks often not seen, and sunsets that flash brilliant with gold just before setting beyond the horizon.





© Copyright 2006-2012, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.