Winter

Winter
Showing posts with label Raven Ridge Gardens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Raven Ridge Gardens. Show all posts

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Cool Water, Cool Weather, and Garden Zucchini

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Cool, foggy days are the norm during summers on the far north coast of California.  Sometimes it's so foggy and the air is so wet, the forecasters call it drizzle.  Locals call it spitting.

I wish I could send some of our weather to my friends, family, and blogging friends who are dealing with record heat and drought this summer.  And maybe get just a bit of sun in return.  The zucchini would like that.

The best I can do is invite you to visit coastal Humboldt County to experience for yourselves what life is like in California's refrigerator; where the majestic redwoods meet the Pacific Ocean and outdoor fun includes camping, biking, hiking, fishing, surfing, boogie boarding, skateboarding, and beach walking.  All in coastal-cool summer temps.  Can you say "today's high, 62-degrees" in mid-July?  In the northern hemisphere?

And if you bring a bit of sun with you, you just might get zucchini for dinner, chez nous.







 A sunny and warm late spring had the zucchini growing like zucchini should: from itty bitty fruits to kitchen-size overnight.  Now that summer has settled in it's growing at a more sedate pace.  This is definitely not the Sacramento Valley!


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

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Bucolic

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Although April is not what you'd call warm yet, and rain is still on the horizon, here is what is true this morning:  my sweet old mare can be out in her corral having her breakfast instead of in her stall because the ground is too muddy; the lilacs are putting forth their apple-green leaves and buds; a small spider dared to spin a web fully exposed to the fickle elements; my backyard hens are now laying 6-8 eggs a day instead of 2 or none.

All sure signs that our hemisphere is turning toward the sun.

Just as it should.

Albeit
               so
                           very
                                          slowly.





© Copyright 2006-2011, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Monday, December 06, 2010

Late Autumn in my Garden - Spider Web

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 Can you see it, way out there up there in the branches?

Here's a closeup, taken from the same spot as the photo above.

Playing with my zoom lens ...

Zoom ...   Zoom ...







© Copyright 2006-2010, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Monday, August 09, 2010

Summer in my Garden - Double Pink Anemone

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The Japanese Anemones are blooming and that means summer soon will give way to autumn (are we really ready for this?) and before we know it another year will come to a close.

But before I get too maudlin about it, going through some old posts reminds me of all the wonderful treasures each season brings.

Here are just a few:
Muscari
Exbury Azalea
Pacific Giant Salamander
Garter Snake
Up Close with Iris
Forsythia
Post Storm Sunset
Full Moon Rising, Winter Sun Setting
Little Green Frog
Hydrangea in Shadow
Christmas
Christmas Orchid
Autumn Zinnia
First Leaves

Happy Gardening!




© Copyright 2006-2010, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Friday, January 01, 2010

Happy New Year 2010

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To me the turning of the year means that spring and summer are not far off; the sun will eventually shine, the ground will warm, new shoots will spring from where the old died, vegetables will be planted in the greenhouse and garden, snakes will come out of hibernation, honey bees will strip the red poppies of their pollen, the swallows will return, frogs will sing their joyous chorus to the heavens, the farmers market will open, people will come out of wood smoke-filled houses, lift their faces to the warming sun, and smile. Surely a cause for celebration.


I wish for whatever makes you smile in your new year.







Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Autumn in My Garden 2009 - Fog Laden Web

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Sometimes drippy, foggy mornings reveal delightful surprises that help me forget how woefully lacking is our usual warm and sunny late autumn weather.





Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Thursday, October 08, 2009

Autumn in My Garden 2009: Millipedes

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I found this millipede while weeding in the garden.
It curled up into a tight little ball about the size of a nickel
and wouldn't come out for the longest time.


When it finally unrolled itself,
I barely had time to take a few photos before

it slipped away out of sight.





Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Monday, October 05, 2009

Autumn in My Garden 2009: Chrysanthemums

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Nothing says autumn better than Mums




Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Saturday, October 03, 2009

Autumn in My Garden 2009: Golden Brown Caterpillar

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Gently munching away on a strawberry leaf, this is one

very small caterpillar.







Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Rowing on Humboldt Bay

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Going out



Coming in


My guess is that this is the HSU Rowing Team. Whoever they are, they cut a nice path through the waters of Humboldt Bay on a fine Autumn afternoon.






Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Autumn in My Garden 2009: Equinox

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Autumn equinox, September 22, 2009



Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Monday, August 31, 2009

Summer in The Garden - Leucanthemum vulgare or Ox-Eye Daisy

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Ox-eye daisies, botanically known as Leucanthemum vulgare, grow with wild abandon in my garden, punctuating the dry grasses with deep green foliage and bright white, yellow-eyed flowers.

I do have to pull some of them or they would take over everywhere. Not a bad-looking weed, is it?

If you'd like to see more, take a look at these photos.






Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Summer in The Garden: Lycoris squamigera

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Another sign that summer is waning . . .

Naked Ladies dancing in the breeze.


Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Summer in the Garden: Cosmos at Night

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Sometimes the photo speaks for itself.

That's when I should just sit back and shut up.




Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Summer in The Garden: Shadow of a Damselfly

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Sometimes I become so fixated on my photo subject that I fail to see what is right in front of my eyes, or lens.

Here, I was so intent on the damselfly I didn't see the perfect shadow it was casting on the rose leaf.

Serendipity takes center stage.

This is my entry for this weekend's Shadow Shot Sunday over at Hey Harriet's. Click on over and check out all the beautiful shadow photography.

Click on the photo above to see the detail. Use your back button to return to the post.



Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Summer in The Garden: Critters on Parsley

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How many critters can you find on this parsley umbel?

While you're figuring that out, here are a few links that you might find interesting.

Here on the north coast of California, we have many varieties of umbelliferous plants growing in the wild. It's a good idea to be able to tell the safe ones from the toxic.

Have you found all the critters yet?


Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Summer in The Garden - Eristea ecklonii

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Sometimes known as Blue Corn Lily, Eristea ecklonii is a shy plant in my garden that, at this moment, is putting out lots of blossoms, but just a few at a time each day.

Truly blue and rather special, I think.




Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Thursday, August 06, 2009

Summer in The Garden - Double Pink Japanese Anemone

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I know that summer is waning when the Japanese Anemones begin to bloom.





Copyright © 2006-2009, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Summer in The Garden - Soft Green Mystery Moth

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Firmly clinging to the back door this morning was a delicate, light green moth that I've not seen before. I'm trying to key it, but if any of you gardeners know its name, drop me a comment.






Copyright 2009 ravenridgegarden.blogspot.com All rights reserved

Monday, July 27, 2009

Today's Flowers: Shadow Play with Hydrangea

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Playing with light and shadow.
Of course, the subject matter makes the photo.


Please visit Today's Flowers for flower photos from all over the globe. It's sure to brighten your day!






Copyright 2009 ravenridgegarden.blogspot.com All rights reserved