Under a Red Roof

New Yard

June 13, 2016 in Eating, Gardening + Nature by Colleen | Permalink

All the best angles of our new yard! Our lot is huge, almost double the size of our Portland house and more than double that of our Pittsburgh place, though most of it was taken up by our ginormous house.

It is a shambles at the moment. After years and years of neglect, the back is mostly dandelions, a falling down fence, and the remains of dead trees and shrubs. That big dumpster I told you about? I filled about half of it with branches and the skeletons of six foot tall monster weeds. Fear not! There are a few gems – the snowball bush just above the bird bath, a spindly volunteer of a flowering cherry, a lilac, choke cherry, and three onion plants, smack dab in the middle of the yard. We’ve been using the greens in salads, and will, one fine day, move the plants to a proper garden bed. There, they will be joined by rhubarb and tomato (Sun gold! Cherokee purple!), cucumber, and maybe some ground cherries and boysenberries, if we are lucky enough that they can grow here.

In a wildly wonderful windfall from my friend Jennifer (holla!), we got two massive piles of beautiful stone that we plan to break our backs moving into some pretty configuration involving runoff from the roof, then add masses of flowers, currants, wild roses, and native grasses. Oh, and a patch for herbs and peonies (I already have an order in with Adelman Peony Gardens!), because, well, it wouldn’t be a Colleen Sohn garden without them. No, it would not.

That’s all dreaming, though, at least for now. The inside of the house still isn’t 100 percent hospitable. There’s no shower, but a dilapidated bathtub, no toilet on the main floor, but one in the basement, next to a sink that doesn’t work. BUT, the kitchen counter comes this week, and the guest room is looking pretty snazzy, with a fresh coat of paint, new bedside table, bed frame, box spring, and linens. Just in time, too! Our Pittsburgh friend Megan is joining us today for a visit. We are so excited to see her!

Oh, and the first picture, we’re enjoying a mighty pretty and delicious bulgogi and bibimbap at our new favorite Korean restaurant Shin Sa Dong. Yum…

Tags: Gardening + Nature

Encore

May 26, 2010 in Gardening + Nature by Colleen | 2 comments

Hello friends! Thanks for all of the well wishes. I am feeling better, though my head still hurts a bit, yuck. Soon it will be over. I just know it.

As I am generally a woman of my word, here are, as promised, more peony pictures! The first one is of the Coral Charm variety. It gets enormous and ever so pale. By the time the petals fall, it is a gorgeous peach champagne color. I love it!

Next is the lovely Buckeye Belle. She is the hubster’s favorite, but, sadly, didn’t make but two blooms this year. Everyone else is going like gangbusters, so I guess she is a bit shy. Hopefully she will break out of her shell next year.

I have no idea what this last variety is called, as I didn’t buy the plant from the Adelman Farm, so I am calling them Bubble Gum. They look the part, don’t they? I love them in that bright yellow vase, too, so happy!

Gilion – hopefully yours have started to bloom, though not all of mine have. I’m lucky to have a long succession of beautiful flowers. It is such a treat!

And Lori, your hubby is right, with peonies come ants. Without them, there would be no flowers. I am just very careful. Before I bring the peonies in, I shake them pretty vigorously, then blow off any hangers-on. It’s not generally a problem. Sometimes one will slip by me, but I just take the offender back outside and that’s that.

Now that I’ve got our heads full of beautiful flowers, has anyone ever visited Schreiner’s Iris Gardens? I just visited their website, and it seems they aren’t too far from Adelman’s. My friend Sarah and I saw the most exquisite orange colored iris while out walking the other day, and I would love to have one. Perhaps I will venture out this weekend, and see what I can find. Field trip!

Here’s hoping everyone’s day is full of flowers…

Practically Perfect in Every Way

June 3, 2008 in Eating, Gardening + Nature by Colleen | 1 comment

Mary Poppins?! No, peonies! I figured that after a post about rejection I’d better write something cheery. Nobody likes too much gloom, particularly moi. Eek! That just made me think of Miss Piggy and how she’d draw it out, moooiii?! I never liked her, a bit too selfish for my taste. Poor Kermie.

Anyway, I digress. This afternoon, after cancelling this morning because it was pouring buckets, then thinking I might go on Saturday, and calling my friend Bridget twice, I finally went to the peony farm. I made a little pit stop in Tualatin to pick up my bestest buddy Gregory, and we were on our way! The skies were grey and wind chilling, but it did not rain, thank goodness.

I was not disappointed, but I don’t need to tell you that. Look at these delightful blooms! Row upon row of beautiful flowers in many colors and hues – a veritable feast for the eyes! Had there not been such a breeze, I would have wandered around a bit more taking in their gorgeousness and a few more pictures. I know that I’m gushing, but I looove peonies (though the G-Man was pretty impressed too). They are neck and neck with Poppies in my favorite flower horse race. Still in the race, but a bit behind are dahlias, lilac, and lavender. Pur-dee.

For the locals, Adelman’s is about a 45-50 minute drive from my house, so it requires a little planning, but, if you like peonies, it is well worth it. The people are super nice and helpful and, as I’ve already said, the selection is fantastic, especially if you are particular in a Goldilocks or Sally Albright kind of way. Here’s what I want – a red, a true red, nothing pinky-red, but nothing too ‘bomb’ like either, or too frilly, and nothing that needs staking. Thankfully, I didn’t need to verbalize this to anyone except Gregory, because after fifteen years, he’s okay with my idiosynchrasies. We just wandered until I found one that was just right (and then two more). They even gave me a bouquet of Sunny Girl and some fertilizer to thank me for my purchase. How nice is that?

As an aside for all of you who might entertain the idea of taking along someone who might not be the greatest fan of the beloved peony – just across the overpass is a perfect roadside restaurant called the Chalet that is good for bribing. We noshed on a Philly French Dip and a Turkey sandwich with gravy and cranberry sauce before gilding the lily with a slice of coconut meringue and peach pie. That’ll do pig, that’ll do.

And what, you might ask, did I buy before all the eating? A Coral Charm, Buckeye Belle, and Bartzella, but, silly me, I neglected to take a single photo of them. I assure you, they are lovely, just lovely. I can’t wait to cut a bouquet next summer. Thank you Adelman Gardens Peony Farm!