Garden Friends Visiting in Maine in the Garden

My mother, Jean, (that's her in the wheelchair) recently had a special visitor to her garden in coastal southern Maine; it was a special treat for both. Barbara (she is standing), a friend of mine and garden coach client who happens to live in Tennessee, traveled all the way to Maine for her vacation this summer and look who she looked up! My mother was delighted to meet someone from Tennessee and I must say isn't the world a small and mighty fine place? It is so nice to be able to go on vacation and meet a 'local' to sit down and talk and relax and reminisce. I sure wish we could visit in Maine this summer too but perhaps next year. Barbara and my mother had a great time visiting....

in the garden....

Mom, the two plants are: sedum and anise hyssop (blue flowered). Your garden is looking most full and beautiful!

Happy Birthday to you today!!

And to Heather!

A Few Flowers

Posted by Dawn

The North East is experimenting with several days of rain right now, in fact, it appears as though we will be having more rain this week, making it three weeks in a row. I can say, one or two overcast days brought me out to the veggie garden for the much needed thinning and weeding but not anything else, so with much ado about the weather, I've captured some flowers with my camera and decided I would share them, they are some of the blooms we've had over the last month. Wild oats.

Sensation lilac.

Lady slipper and bunch berry.

A holly berry, close-up.

I thought this one was cute.

and finally, a flower from my snowball bush although it looks more like a flake.

Lily of the valley, one of my favorite scents!

I'm not sure what this tree is, it gets loaded with these trailing flowers and it has a wonderful gray smooth bark. Any ideas would be appreciated, until then myself and my daughter call it the "kitty cat tail tree."

A lovely white lilac with an insect we first thought was a baby hummingbird because of it's long beak, no shown in the picture, but alas! Baby hummingbirds don't have antennae.

Goat's rue.

a close-up of goat's rue.

Pink geranium growing by my mailbox.

Pink peony, my poor pictures get dark from here on in, I was desperate to get some shots and took them on the only overcast, clear day we had recently.

Yellow lilies with purple iris.

Thanks to a heavy coating of horse manure, my iris are gorgeous this year. I know some call these Japanese iris but we have always referred to them as blue flag iris, they are native to this area and are found in swampy, low lands.

More yellow lilies.

My highly fragrant moss rose and after this rain, the whole bunch of these should be open filling my nose with their perfume.

A little tenuous bramble rose that last only a day, the white flower float it's one hundred (seems like) petals down to the ground if it is touched at all, a wild kind of rose.

And finally this photo that has a glimpse of sun and a small piece of mica, is a sedum growing on top one of my rock walls. Someday I will post on those too!

Until then, hope to see you on a bright sunny day....In the Garden.

The Tank Farm

The tank farm? What do they do? Farm tanks there? Ayup, once upon a time.

My mother and stepfather live directly across from what was once a tank farm. This pastoral scene looking down the entry road once contained massive fuel tanks full of fuel. The fuel was used at the Brunswick Naval Air Station in Brunswick Maine. Like most military things within the past 15 years, the Naval Station has been downsized and is slated to permanently close by the fall of 2011.

Where huge oil tankers once plied the waters of the bay, there are only sea birds and lobstermen gliding across the sea. The huge dock sits idle and is fenced off to prevent visitors to the park from accessing its sturdy platform in the sea. Perhaps the city will one day open it up so the public can enjoy some deep water fishing right from the pier. Perhaps not. Time will tell.

Turning from the water and pier, we find a remnant from the tank farm, a huge humming generator. I am not sure what it is powering now, or what it powered when the tank farm was in operation, but it must be powering something important to still be running! You can just see the boarded up buildings behind this generator. A ghost town for sure. I was reminded a bit of Iraq and its unused buildings while walking along this former tank farm. Note the connection? A military fuel depot now closed, yet we are at war in two countries. There has to be some irony here somewhere.

My mother and stepfather once worked at this tank farm. My stepfather performed maintenance, while my mother was a security guard here. She traveled around the farm on a golf cart making security checks at the tanks and all of the buildings. When the tank farm closed, her job went away. My stepfather's was lost when the tank farm was dismantled and the land turned over to the town. A result of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission I believe. The Brunswick Naval Air Station is slated to close in a few years too.

The Jimster thought this shell of a building was a pretty neat space. He had visions of skateboarding on its concrete floor. I could see it being used a big dance hall for a party. We obviously had two very different opinions on the matter. Either vision would work as this whole tank farm has been made into a park for the enjoyment of all, skateboarders and dancers alike. All along the paths and roads are simple entertainment enhancers, as I like to call them. Picnic tables, horseshoe and barbecue pits, port a johns, and nicely cut grass speak of family reunions, clam and lobster bakes, and good times.

On this day we contented ourselves with merely wading in the ocean with a dog who loves to swim and with enjoying the views of milkweed, goldenrod, cat tails, paper birch trees, berries, and roses. It is not hard to picture those tanks growing in the fields, but I so enjoy the new views of nature at her best.

Nature is doing the farming now, and what a farm it is! A farm of quiet, peace, wildlife, and plants. Once you look past the chain link fence topped with barbed wire, the old buildings, tall water tower, you can then see a farm of nothing but tranquility and nature. This farm is now a part of the town, and its people are the farmers. The crop raised from nature is happy citizens.

If you remember my "Berry Maine" post, you will remember I talked of the fence in some of the pictures. This Tank Farm, now a town park and jewel, is still surrounded by a tall chain link fence, topped with razor wire. A sign of the times gone by.

in the garden....

Berry Maine

Let's talk berries! As in Berry Maine (or VERY Maine-can it be confused?) because on my recent visit to Maine berries were everywhere! Everyone loves Maine blueberries, almost as much as they love the Maine lobster. But have you ever had chocolate covered blueberries from Maine's premiere gourmet candy making shop called Wilbur's of Maine? I have, thanks to a very good blogging friend in my home state of Maine, Sarah Laurence.Sarah, my mother Jean, Mr. Fix-it, the Jimster and I all met for a cup of coffee and pumpkin donuts on a sunny day in Maine. We met at a local establishment that has been around too many years to count. Frosty's is a local donut shop and has a down home feel that has not changed since I can remember (in at least 30 years). It was a perfect place to meet.

I met Sarah on an early spring GBBD post when she commented on a blog about living Maine. Since I am from Maine I was intriqued so I visited her blog and found links to my hometown. What a small world.

At the time Sarah was living in England as an expatriate and blogging and writing about her experiences. You see, Sarah is a professional writer and has two novels under her belt. She is currently working on the third. Do check her out for a very well written blog if you have not already visited her.

We took several pictures out front of Frosty's, including a few with my mother since she is such a big part of this blog and reads many blogs; including Sarah's. I love the location (Main Street small town New England), and I especially love the fact you can see the opposite side of the street reflected in the window of Frosty's. If you look closely by Sarah's left arm you will see her bike reflected in the window as well. She rode to Frosty's from her home and somehow I just knew from reading her blog that she would NOT come by car. Sarah, you are an inspiration! Thanks for the chocolate covered blueberries-they sure are good and were a special treat for the trip back from Maine. I hope to meet up with you again in the future as we all had a great time!
Now let's look at some other berries that were not quite as tasty as chocolate covered blueberries but not bad either. I enjoyed these red berries and they tasted pretty good. With the exception of seeds I could've eaten quite a few though I have no idea what they are. Maybe honeysuckle? Or maybe cranberry viburnum? Linda's blog at Garden Girl gave me an idea these are something other than honeysuckle. I truly have no idea what though, and my mother was not sure either.
This was a different type of tree though the berries were very similar to the ones pictured above. Not sure what it is either.
I just couldn't resist snapping the juniper berries. They are the silver ones and the red things are rose hips. These junipers and roses grow wild on the coast of Maine.
You all are seriously going to have to help us out with these berries. They were everywhere and so stunning! I think some kind of euonymous? I was surprised the birds were not all over them but they weren't. Or maybe they were somewhere in an area less traveled, not sure. Notice the chain link fence? A post will be coming up about this 'top security' farm where most of these berries, roses and junipers all grow that will explain the fence.

Anyone recognize these yellow berries with the red bursting through? Same berries as the close up, just a longer shot.

We all think the above pictured berries are some type of holly berry. I have no idea what type but I am fairly certain holly berries. The Jimster thought they were the same as the honeysuckle and took a bite. An unpleasant bite I might add.

Though technically a drupe, apples are included here because they were very plentiful and good! Mr. Fix-it is checking out bags of them for sale at a roadside stop; which is an "On your honor" system. There were also ripe raspberries (also technically a drupe) on the roadside. They were NOT very good though. A bit under ripe.

We really enjoyed all the berries and bounty Maine had to offer, and especially the opportunity to meet a new friend in Maine. Hope to meet up with you again sometime Sarah and voting is done for us. Yeah!

in the garden....

Many of you have asked about DP. I promised Dan I would email her and see what she is up to. She is fine but been busy. She tells me she hopes to be back in the garden and on the blog by the end of the week.

Gardening in Maine

How could I go to Maine and not talk of gardening? It seems everything grows bigger and better in Maine. Texas has it all wrong! For huge plants, New England and Maine are the place to go. I will share some of my favorites with you, though it is never the same as being there I hope you enjoy.



My non-gardening sister "I can't see why ANYONE would ever garden!" works in the town office of her and my mother's small town. I NEVER thought I would see the day our family was kind of involved in politics at its best-the small town type. She told us the garden in front of the town office and a historical building in town were maintained by the local garden club. We had to check it out and were delighted with the neatness and color of it all. Mr. Fix-it loved the cones of the above small tree. I am not sure what kind it is, but I bet it won't grow here in Tennessee. Isn't it textural?

Here is a larger view of the garden in front of the town hall. You can just see the pine cones in the left of the picture. These are from the same tree I posted above this picture. My sister tells me the town allots exactly $100 per year for the maintenance of this garden. It doesn't sound like much but evidently it does the job. There are a few perennials, but mostly annuals. The garden is changed to reflect the seasons and I hear the fall display is excellent.

The above daylily is probably an heirloom daylily. It is growing in my mother's garden and was planted by my grandmother. I thought it very neat and grabbed a bit of the huge clumps to bring back to Tennessee. Despite 22 hours in the back of a pick up, these daylilies are still blooming and finally planted in the ground. Does anyone recognize this type? Frances?

These hostas were at the local nursery. Our small little town is blessed to have a family run nursery right in town. I have visited this nursery since I was a teenager. I still love to go. I made quite a few purchases with the help of Mr. Fix-it. I wish you could see these hostas. They are all fully 4-5 feet across! I have NEVER seen hostas that big. I am sure they have not been growing in this position for more than one or two years. I do not remember them on my visit to this same nursery last year. Hostas seem to do better up north where it is colder and not as humid. They truly love Maine.

This is the lovely hip from a rugosa rose. I like these roses but have found they don't do well down here in the south. Some tell me they do, but I have never seen them growing anywhere. Has anyone seen a good stand of rugosas? These were growing on the beach in Maine and fit in well everywhere.

Lastly, let me share a few of the plants I purchased in Maine. On our way into our little town there was a sign on the side of the road that said, "PLANT SALE, SAT-SUN 9-12". That was a big deal to me. Sunday morning I was there. The woman who was selling the plants was scheduled to be on the Garden Tour the very next weekend. I was surprised she was selling plants, but she said she had to make room to plant some new things. She had a beautiful perennial border all around her backyard. It was filled with color. I enjoyed talking with her very much. I bought some perennials here and also at a local nursery in town. My mother also gave me several other plants in addition to the daylilies. And believe it or not, I got some Siberian irises from my non-gardening-"I can't see why ANYONE would ever garden!" sister. I love them all and feel like I got some great plants. Many of these plants are not plants you will find here in nurseries or big box stores, even though they will all grow in our zone. When I spoke to the nursery owner she said regional preferences and differences dictate what is sold where. What a shame. I once had a nursery person tell me that if you can't buy a plant here, then it doesn't grow here. Funny and not true! I have had great luck with all of the plants I purchased up north last year. I expect the same from this batch I will soon be adding to my garden this year.

One of our blogging friends here at In the Garden is Jillybean of The Post-it Place. Jillybean commented on here and answered a question about some DD's I asked of my readers. She got a surprise in the mail when I packed them up and sent them to her Georgia! The blogging relationship has progressed from there and Jillybean, I am still hoping for that special dinner one day! Well anyhow, Jillybean sponsors many contests. I actually won a $25 gift certificate to a nice restaurant on a contest she ran a while back. Dave at The Home Garden was a close second behind me. Remember Dave? Another tidbit is that Jillybean and Skeeter have met in person and both Skeeter and I love Jillybean's barbecue sauce. Thanks again to Jillybean for sending me a special jar of it via Skeeter! Jillybean is sponsoring a contest for a multi-slicer. All of us vegetable gardeners or just vegetable lovers need one don't we? So you all use the link and go visit Jillybean, you may just get lucky like I did a while back and win yourself a multi-slicer, though I am seriously hoping for it to grace my kitchen.

Tomorrow's post will cover my mother's vegetable garden in Maine. So tune....

in the garden....

Visiting Maine

While on leave with Mr. Fix-it recently, we were able to slip in a vacation in sunny, sunny Maine. Can you guess what we also had a chance to do? Hint: See the fishing pole in the foreground? Yes, that is my fishing pole and I so thoroughly enjoyed the pleasant day on the dock with the salty ocean breeze and sturdy lobster boats buzzing around. No, I did not catch anything on this day, but Mr. Fix-it did! He was about to give up but on his first cast he caught two pollack (we think)! The next catch saw him reeling in two mackerel. What fighters they were!

I am not sure part of the whole trip Mr. Fix-it enjoyed most, but those fish were right up there close to the top. He needed a break after working sixty plus hours each week trying to put young people in the Army. Recruiting is a rough job and takes it toll. The trip to Maine was relaxing and enabled us all to enjoy life's little pleasures-like fish and lobsters straight from the ocean! Do you notice the coat? We found the weather a bit chilly at times. What a relief and nice respite from all the heat of the south.

The Jimster got in some good recreation as well. One of his big sisters is a rock climber. The other one white water rafts on kayaks. On this trip the Jimster got to climb a tall rock wall at the local YMCA with is big sister Christine. You all have seen her on here before as she does check in frequently. We could tell just by watching Christine and the Jimster climb the wall that it was tough work! You need lots of upper body strength and strong fingers. The Jimster did find his groove after a few tries and managed to quickly climb to the top of the bunny climb. Is this what they call it? Not sure. Here is a picture of the Jimster climbing with Christine belaying him at the base. As a bonus, my grandson, Josh, was in attendance. That is him in the blue and white striped shirt. He had a great time playing with balls on the soft mat under the rock wall. We really enjoyed seeing him as we had not seen him since he was a mere six weeks old. It is hard when family lives so far away. Visits are rarely long enough and time passes quickly.

Joshua's daddy, my oldest son, was very enthusiastic when he showed us the factory where he works as a manager. We are all quite proud of him because he works very hard and has a lot responsibility at this food factory. Here he is showing Mr. Fix-it and the Jimster how the line runs. The factory where he works makes biscuits and sells them nationally. The company, Gagne Foods, is growing and my son is a key player in the growth of the business. He enjoys his work very much. Don't they all look funny with the fancy hair nets on their hair? I too had one but since I took the picture-you won't see me with one of the nets!

We all had a really good visit with my parents, sisters, multiple nieces and a nephew, two of my children, my grandson and the flora and fauna in Maine (much to the misfortune of a few ocean going school fish). I am going to do a few more posts on Maine having to do with gardening, but wanted to share this little vacation. Maine is known as the 'Vacationland', and it is a truly beautiful state-especially in the summer which is the only time I like to visit! Sorry Mom! Here are a few more pictures from our vacation.

The famous coast of Maine is known as the "Rocky Coast". Can you guess why? Here is the Jimster playing with a snail which bit him on the leg. What a surprise that was to him! The rocky outcropping he is sitting on is called a ledge. The tide was out at this particular beach. When the tide is in this ledge is the perfect jump off point to go swimming.

Mr. Fix-it was busy picking up sea glass from this beach. Sea glass is merely broken glass which has been washed up on the beach. It is usually very soft and worn from its time in the ocean. When I was a kid sea glass was a simple thing to find. Now a days it is rare. I think the recycling movement has cut down on the amount of glass that winds up in the ocean, plus, summer is the peak tourist season in Maine and many other beach combers were busy searching for sea glass as well. I am happy to say we did find enough to give to our special friend who watched our house and animals while we were gone.

I will leave you all with a picture of my only grandchild. He is the sweetest little boy you will every meet and rarely do you see him without a smile on his face. Here he is a bit befuddled by an acorn he found outside. His auburn curls are so cute and he was a joy to be around during our visit. We only wish we could've visited longer. Anonymous, remember this baby? One of my first posts?

in the garden....

Flowers and Owls in Maine!

My mother, faithful reader and commenter-and soon to be gardening again-is excited to see some flowers in Maine. She planted these crocuses many years ago, but then had a deck built over them. They disappeared for awhile but are now back in a big way! They are sure a beautiful way to welcome in spring Mom.

Also, faithful readers and commenters will remember my mother talking about an owl which visited my sister and mother up CLOSE. Here are the pictures that my youngest sister (Terri-Lynn) finally got around to sending. Thanks Terri-Lynn!

I am not sure what type of owl he or she is, but it sure is beautiful. This is one of those cases where I wish had some of Joe's vast knowledge of nature. I guess I could look it up, but was hoping some of my readers might help me out with identifying it?

It sure is a beautiful and welcomed sight in gardens. Owls eat lots of pests. I hear them all the time here in Woodlawn, though I have never seen any. When I was in Iraq I would also hear them. To this day, whenever I hear the owls here hoot, it takes me back to Mosul and 'camping' out close to the tower, not far from the river (can't remember now if it was the Tigris or Euphrates, but I think it was the Tigris).

in the garden....