A Writer’s Garden–Sally Brandle’s Overgrown Oasis Garden

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A Writer's Garden, aggressive groundcovers, Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, overgrown oasis garden, Sally Brandle, The Hitman's Mistake

Welcome to A Writer’s Garden where writers who are gardeners or just love gardens will be sharing their garden and flower stories, as well as a bit about their writing gardens—aka their books.

Today’s guest is Sally Brandle. She’ll be talking about the overgrown oasis she calls her garden.

Welcome, Sally.

 

Sunrise comes to the bottom of Sally’s garden

The best garden plants are those with stories. Many of my flowers are tender reminders of loved ones who have passed—whether they gave me the starts, or enjoyed sitting beside them on a shady patio.

A flat half-acre provides a palette. A sloped half-acre provides complications, back aches, and an attitude adjustment of perfection. Eight years ago I toted seventy or eighty wheel barrow loads of plants, slate, and stones from a home we’d lived in for fourteen years, to the new abode five houses away. We gained lakefront, and downsized by half. I write with a view of the top terrace of flowers and vegetables, trees, and lake—an inspiring and calming landscape. Bees and hummingbirds flit during summertime. Year round we enjoy bald eagles, cormorants, osprey, and countless birds. Neighbors on either side prefer manicured grass, we enjoy watching our feathered friends feast on seeds from the overgrown oasis I call my garden.

 

 

 

 

 

The four photos above present ground covers which mind their manners. Top left is Oxalis redwood sorrel, top right low orange ground cover. Bottom left is creeping thyme, bottom right Lilly of the Valley.  I’ve waved a thankful farewell to homes with invasive plants: lemon balm, veronica, and the dreaded snow on the mountain. The aggressive battle continues on the below specimens. Left: Vinca minor, right two other aggressive plants.

 

 

 

 

 

This bush below blooms in time for Easter.

This plot of ground wore me out. At present, I hire a helper to do a big pruning/weeding session in the spring. None of my family picked up the gardening genes I received from my mom and grandfather. The next best thing was to create a character who provides plants to downtown Seattle skyscrapers for a living. Greenery became her ally in The Hitman’s Mistake.

I hope all your gardening projects provide joy and a sense of accomplishment. A master gardener visiting once told me, “A little bit of grass is okay, relax and enjoy the beautiful flowers.”

 

About the Writer/Gardener:

Multiple award-winning author Sally Brandle writes clean, contemporary, romantic suspense stories hoping to empower her readers to connect with their inner gifts.

Growing up in a tightly knit, multi-generational community, Sally’s core values reflect those of the village where she was raised.

When she gets time away from her functional engineer husband and spirited sons, Sally hunkers down in her office. Her trusty Aussie, Tallulah, waits patiently at her feet for belly rubs as adventures unfold. For a head-clearing ride in fresh air, Sally saddles her Quarter Horse, Lance, and trots along wooded trails in the Pacific Northwest.

Sally holds a BA in Special Education from MSU and a Fine Arts Minor. She left a career as an industrial baking instructor so she could bring to life her stories of courageous women supporting one another, while they discover men who deserve their love. A member of Romance Writers of America, Greater Seattle RWA, Eastside RWA, and She Writes, Sally’s current series, Love Thrives in Emma Springs, is set in rural Montana. The first story, The Hitman’s Revenge, will be released by Soul Mate Publishing. Her newest series is Double Vision, romance with a scientific twist.

Warning: While there are no intimate scenes, Sally’s stories do contain sensual elements, mild swear words.

The Hitman’s Mistake

By Sally Brandle

She needs his trust. After Miranda Whitley stops crooked cops from assassinating a prominent Seattle judge, she’s next on the hit list, and her survival depends on the man she’s had one awkward encounter with—buff FBI Agent, Grant Morley. But can she find him in time?

He needs the truth. The last person Grant expects to discover on his annual horseback trip delivering supplies to a Montana mountain hermit is alluring Miranda Whitley, nearly dead from a bullet wound in her side. An accidental witness or the cold-blooded accomplice to would-be assassins?

Miranda must convince Grant of her innocence, evade the killers intent on preventing her testimony, and fight her unwanted attraction for the agent…an attraction which seems to be mutual. Fortunately, love thrives in Emma Springs. If you love sizzling chemistry, determined assassins, and Montana scenery, then you’ll love Sally Brandle’s galloping thriller.

The Hitman’s Mistake, a clean romantic suspense novel, will release on June 27^th from Soul Mate Publishing. You can order the book at Amazon

Visit http://www.sallybrandle.com/ for a chance to receive the epilogue and a free novella

 

 

 

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A Writer’s Garden–The Mystery of the Broken Birdbaths by Kathy Bryson

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A Writer's Garden, Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, Bird Baths, garden mystery, Kathy Bryson

Welcome to A Writer’s Garden where writers who are gardeners or just love gardens will be sharing their garden and flower stories, as well as a bit about their writing gardens—aka their books.

Today’s guest is author Kathy Bryson and she has a garden mystery to share. Welcome, Kathy!

 

 

The Mystery of the Broken Birdbaths

By Kathy Bryson

Last year, I moved from Florida to Texas, giving up my garden for a new job and a cozy townhome in the Piney Woods. By the end of my first semester, I knew I’d make a mistake. Those stairs were killing me!

So after much house-hunting, I settled into a single story patio home and immediately returned to gardening. There’s just something about being able to dig in the dirt, even if it is with the excuse of ‘settling in.’ But one thing puzzled me. Who owned this house and why did she have so many broken birdbaths?

I know the owner was a woman and she had very nice taste. She had a lovely home, all cream carpets and walls, and she left behind a closet of high-end clothes from Dillard’s that the mother of a friend immediately claimed for church. She also left a number of landscapes on the walls and a shelf full of biographies, including ones on Hillary Clinton and Ann Richards. I imagine that she was an older woman with a love of travel, well-educated and refined, but the garden tells another tale.

The flower beds, both front and back, are lush with Mondo grass borders. This is a nicely contained decorative grass that isn’t an aggressive spreader and in the front, even manages to keep the St. Augustine grass at bay. But in the back, someone also added Monrovia or maiden grass that spread everywhere! Fortunately it comes up easily because I will be weeding it till kingdom come.

The grass had a lot to grow in which leads me to believe that the former owner was not a hands-on gardener. Mulch is piled 4 inches high on top of earth mounded to the top of the beds. A couple of bags were left lying unopened under some eucalyptus bushes that were starting to crowd the gutters. The myrtle trees were ringed with foot-high sprouts, and the flower beds to the side of the house have rocks on top of mulch on top of sand. Whoever worked that patio just followed directions.

There was also a profusion of broken bird baths – four of them, two without basins. And an abundance of statuary – painted rocks, owls, rabbits, St. Francis, a couple of tikis, and a stone garden bench – all different styles and none of them matching the elegant interior of the house.

Where did all this junk come from? Why would a lady of apparently cosmopolitan taste have such a mishmash of concrete? Did she have a secret liking for kitsch? Did she moonlight for the Mafia? Or is my imagination just running away with me again?

A coworker suggested that the birdbaths were probably gifts that multiplied after the lady happened to mention she’d like one. One basin became a gift to a student who used it to hold succulents at his wedding; another I kept. The rest are headed to Habitat for Humanity along with the bench. But as it turns out, one reason those bushes might not have been trimmed is there are cardinals nesting in them.

If anything, I’ll need to fill in the bare spots in the gardens. Can’t wait!

About the Gardener/Writer

When not speculating wildly about her neighbors, Kathy Bryson runs a college writing center in East Texas. She’d like to say she’s climbed tall mountains, rappelled off cliffs, and saved small children, but actually she tends to curl up and read, is a life-long advocate of Ben & Jerry’s, and caters to 2 spoiled cats.  She can claim several awards for a series of leprechaun romances and to have saved a few term papers.

You can find Kathy online at https://kathybrysonbooks.com/ and her books on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Kathy-Bryson/e/B00DHIJ922/

 

A Writer’s Garden–My “Rose Garden” by Bonnie Engstrom

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A Writer's Garden, Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, Bonnie Engstrom, Candy Cane Rose, Noelle's Christmas Wedding, Rose gardens

Welcome to A Writer’s Garden where writers who are gardeners or just love gardens will be sharing their garden and flower stories, as well as a bit about their writing gardens—aka their books.

Today’s guest is Bonnie Engstrom. Roses inspire her, especially the Candy Cane rose. I’ll let her tell you the story of how a rose inspired her. Welcome, Bonnie

Candy Cane Rose

My “Rose Garden.”

Yes, it’s in quotation marks because I can’t exactly call it a garden. It’s more of a fitting in with the community status quo. I’m not exactly trying to keep up with the neighbors with my roses – not a chance. But, they have inspired me.

When we moved from California twelve years ago, I left one small elegant rose bush in my back yard. The mother of one of my daughter’s high school friends gave it to me as a thank you for something I did for her daughter. It bloomed in spite of my neglect.

Our current home next to our neighbor Harriet’s is intimidating. Her roses are glorious. Judith across the way had beautiful ones, too. I was jealous. I learned later that Judith had a rose expert come weekly to pamper hers. Harriet did her own rose pampering. She agreed to accompany me to the most well-known nursery in Phoenix to help me choose some bushes. She gave excellent advice.

As part of my new infatuation I wrote a story based on Candy Cane roses. But, just writing about them wouldn’t do. I found a Candy Cane rose bush at our local Home Depot. Much smaller than the already planted and flourishing bushes, it does produce blooms striped with red, but not as large as the yellow, white, pink and my favorite magenta ones. I just googled magenta – what fun! It says, “Magenta is the color of the non-conformist, the free spirit. It pushes you to take responsibility for creating your own path in life and increases dream activity while assisting you in turning your ambitions and desires into reality.” Wow! I hope that’s me.

The idea of the Candy Cane roses inspired me. In the first book in my Candy Cane Girls Series, Noelle’s Christmas Wedding, the hero, Braydon, is a rose expert. He gives a presentation to her mother’s Newport Beach garden club and offers to plant a rose bush for her. Noelle gets to help while listening to Braydon whisper Scripture. She learns he is the rose expert for the famous Sherman Foundation Gardens in Corona del Mar, California. He takes her on a garden tour and proposes. Well, not there, but in a Santa suit. Can you guess where they marry?

Sadly, I am not much of a gardener. My only success was strawberries in one of those special pots where you can’t go wrong. Not even the easy to grow tomatoes survived, nor the basil. Although, it lasted long enough for me to use it in spaghetti sauce once. I depend on the weekly gardening service to prune and feed my rose bushes. I do have beautiful roses . . . occasionally. When I do, I often take one to my daughter at her work. But, I hate those thorns!

I wish Braydon was real and could jump right out of my story to tend to the roses, at least the Candy Cane ones.

 

About the Gardener/Writer

Bonnie is a long time member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a Pro member of Romance Writers of America.

Visit Bonnie’s website http://www.bonnieengstrom.com/ to see all the grandkids and sign up for her newsletter Life On The Lake.

She loves to hear from readers, so be sure to email her at bengstrom@hotmail.com with BOOK in the subject line.

You can see her books and the collections she is in at http://amzn.to/2CVT8Mc. All her books are available on Amazon.

 

Noelle’s Christmas Wedding

By Bonnie Engstrom

 

Noelle Day finally has the courage to break off her ill-fated engagement with her volatile fiancé and cancel their Christmas wedding. It’s embarrassing, and she has to share the humiliating reason with her friends The Candy Canes. The other five girls were to be her attendants in red taffeta gowns.

When she faints and falls into the arms of Braydon Lovejoy, the now former wedding florist, Braydon is confused by her abrupt manner. Who is this beautiful woman with the sepia hair and the huge brown eyes? Is she a damsel in distress as he suspects? He prays for an opportunity to find out.

Then he backs his delivery van into her precious red car, and he’s sure she would never go out with him, especially since he was hired to deliver a huge bouquet of roses to her from a secret admirer.

Noelle isn’t sure how to respond when Bruce, the school principal, physically forces himself on her. After all, he is her boss, and she’s just a first year English teacher.
She finally accepts a lunch date with Braydon, and he takes her to Sherman Gardens in Corona del Mar where she learns he is the local rose expert. But, Noelle worries their friendship is happening too fast and calls a respite.

One of the Candy Canes has a tragic accident, and the women bond together. But Braydon, who is not sure why he is involved, becomes their anchor.

Will Braydon’s prayers heal the hurts, physically and emotionally? Will the injured Candy Cane forgive the woman who caused her accident, the woman who is related to Bruce the principal?

Will Noelle ever have her California Candy Cane Christmas?

A Writer’s Garden with Lillian Duncan

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A Writer's Garden, Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, Deception, garden poetry, Lillian Duncan, Sisters by Choice series, tomatoes

 

Welcome to A Writer’s Garden where writers who are gardeners or just love gardens will be sharing their garden and flower stories, as well as a bit about their writing gardens—aka their books.

Today’s guest is Lillian Duncan. Welcome, Lillian.

 

I’m not much of a gardener. Actually, who am I kidding? I’m not a gardener at all. I do, however, love the products that come out of a vegetable garden, especially tomatoes. In my world, I have five seasons: spring, summer, fall, winter, and TOMATO season! I wait all year for tomato season.

Ronny Gardening

 

Lucky for me, I’m married to a man who loves to garden. Unlike me, he loves to play in the dirt and do what it takes to grow those wonderful tomatoes along with a variety of other veggies. And, yes, he plants flowers for us as well.

 

 

 

 

 

So I’m not a gardener but I am a writer. I wrote a poem about The Master Gardener that is in my novel, Deception. Without further ado, here’s my poem:

 

The Master Gardener

 

I want a garden of peace and joy

where it matters not

if the sun shines,

if the rain falls,

if the wind blows.

My life is a rocky patch of dirt and soil

filled with pebbles of pain and problems,

filled with weeds of worry and grief,

filled with rocks of rebellion and wrongdoing.

Nothing good can grow in this rocky patch of mine.

But God is the Master Gardener.

He can change this rocky patch to a garden of peace and joy.

 

Let God till the dirt and soil.

He can change the weeds of worry to wisdom.

He can change the pebbles of pain to compassion.

He can change the rocks of rebellion to a spirit of submission.

 

God is the Master Gardener.

He can change that rocky patch to a garden of peace and joy.

 

Let the Holy Spirit sow the seeds.

He can plant the seeds of forgiveness, mercy and grace.

He can plant the seeds of goodness, kindness, and faithfulness.

He can plant the seeds of patience, tolerance, and self-control.

 

God is the Master Gardener.

He can change that rocky patch to a garden of peace and joy.

 

Let Jesus share the fruits of His labor.

He will give you guidance.

He will give you love and fellowship.

He will give you a friend who never leaves.

 

God is the Master Gardener.

He can change that rocky patch to a garden of peace and joy.

 

I found a garden of peace and joy

where it matters not

if the sun shines, the rain falls

or the wind blows.

 

God is the Master Gardener.

© Lillian Duncan Do not reproduce without express written consent from the author

 

Deception is the first in my Sisters By Choice series and features a set of estranged twins that couldn’t be more different from each other or so it seems. Patti is a go-by-the-rulebook type of person while Jamie is a “free spirit” or at least that’s the persona she portrays to the world. But Deception is the title of the book and that means there are more than a few surprises waiting as the story unfolds.

Amazon Link for DECEPTION

 

About the Gardener/Writer:

Lillian Duncan: stories of faith mingled with murder & mayhem!

Lillian is a multi-published writer with several Amazon bestsellers. Lillian writes the types of books she loves to read—fast-paced suspense with a touch or two of sweet romance that demonstrates God’s love for all of us

Whether as an educator, a writer, or a speech pathologist, she believes in the power of words to transform lives, especially God’s Word. To learn more about Lillian and her books, visit: http://www.lillianduncan.net/ or at Tiaras & Tennis Shoes, her personal blog at www.lillian-duncan.com. She also has a devotional blog at www.powerupwithGod.com.

 

 

 

 

A Writer’s Garden Begins Today–Through the Garden Gate with author Catherine Castle

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A Writer's Garden, author Catherine Castle, Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, Bidding on the Bouquet, garden tools for bad backs, long-handled pruner, spring cleanup, sweet contemporary inspirational romance

 

Welcome back to A Writer’s Garden where writers who are gardeners or just love gardens will be sharing their garden and flower stories, as well as a bit about their writing gardens—aka their books.

I have a great lineup of authors this year, some who’ve been on the blog before, and some who are new to A Writer’s Garden, so I hope you’ll join us every Thursday between now and October to learn about their gardens, flowers, and even see some gardens they’ve visited. You never know what you might find on the blog, but whatever it is, it will be garden related.

I’m starting the garden ball going with a peek at some of the spring garden cleanup in my garden. Spring hasn’t quite sprung in my neck of the woods. The grass isn’t rize, but I am wondering where the warm weather is.

What you see in the photo above is only a small part of spring cleanup I’m facing—the back hill. All that beige stuff is ornamental grasses and dead iris and day lily clumps. And if it doesn’t quit raining, snowing, and get warm enough to get out and work soon, I’m going to go nuts!

If you take a closer look below you can see the tall, dead weed stems that never got cut down last year.

My plan to hire landscapers to do a monthly hill cleanup died after the second hill cleanup bill came and I was suddenly out of money. So, I’m back to a do-it yourself-a bit-at-a-time plan. About 30 minutes at a time, because I’m a year older and my poor knees and back feel five years older and bend even less than they did last year.

And to top it all off, the hubby and I have decided that we—I should say he—has to build a small retaining wall at the bottom of the hill because the gully that carries the rain water from the houses above us is filling up with mulch and dirt rolling down from our hill.

Have I mentioned getting older as a gardener sucks? Especially when the siren call of the garden lures your poor aching bones outside and you see all those weeds and spring work! One of my life goals has been to garden until the day I die, and since I don’t plan on dying anytime soon, I’ve got to figure out how to accomplish that with an aging body.

I spent a great deal of time surfing the internet this winter looking for gardening tools for gardeners with back backs, and I found a couple of handy-dandy tools I’m going to try this year. One is a long-handled pruner that I plan to use to dead head and clip tall weeds with from a standing position.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve already deadheaded the mums along the front pathway and clipped a few dead daisy stems on the opposite side of the path, reaching into the back of the bed, which is usually hard to get to. So far, I’m pleased with the results. The pruner is very lightweight and has a one-handed motion that isn’t too tight, so my hand doesn’t get tired. And with my raised beds I can stand in the garden paths and easily reach the flowers to deadhead them.

The other tool I bought is a push-pull hoe, also called a scuffle hoe. I saw a hoe like this at Disney World a couple of years ago and it looked like a dream to use. The Disney gardener was whacking off weeds in a mulched bed with a simple back and forward motion, which seemed to be much easier than hacking at the weed root with a traditional hoe. Yes, it doesn’t uproot the entire weed, but if I can hack them off below the mulch level, and do it standing without straining my back, I might be able to keep working in the garden all summer without injury. This particular hoe came with a long handle and a short handle, so I can work standing up or seating on the edges of my raised beds.

It’s been too wet to try the hoe, so I’m anxiously awaiting a dry spell when it’s not raining cats and dogs and hail, or it’s not snowing. Don’t laugh. It’s been doing all those in the span of a week–well, maybe not the cat and dog part, but it has been raining hard and flooding areas. We had 30 degrees Monday, 70 degrees Tuesday, a tornado watch that evening, freeze warning for Wednesday, 50 degrees today, and now they are predicting snow for Saturday. The only good thing about the temperature swings is when the snow does come, it’s a “Camelot” snow—it only stays on the grassy areas, leaving roadways and driveways clear.

Well, that’s all I have for today, but I’ll leave you with a quote from my garden calendar…

“You never saw anything so beautiful! It has come! I thought it had come that other morning, but it was only coming. It is here now! It has come, the Spring!”… Burnett

Hurry spring! Hurry!

Has spring come in your area yet?

 

About the Writer/Gardener:

Gardener/writer Catherine Castle has been gardening all her life in pots, plots, and wherever she can find dirt. Her favorite thing about gardening is the satisfaction she gets from a well-weeded flowerbed. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. When she’s not gardening she’s writing sweet and inspirational romance. You can find her books The Nun and the Narc, A Groom for Mama, Bidding on the Bouquet and Trying Out for Love boxed set on Amazon.

Her newest book, Bidding on the Bouquet, is a sweet, contemporary inspirational.

The chance to catch a bridal bouquet containing a solid gold rose makes underprivileged, down-on-her-luck grad student Marietta Wilson pawn everything she owns to come up with a bid to win a bridesmaid spot in the most prestigious wedding of the season.

When he discovers his sister is auctioning off bridesmaid spots in her wedding party, wealthy, elitist Chip Vandermere is appalled. Not only is it in poor taste, but no self-respecting lady would stoop so low as to bid. Convinced Marietta is a gold digger, Chip sets out to thwart her plans.

A social climber and a social misfit. Can a bridal bouquet unite them?

A Writer’s Garden with Gail Kittleson

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A Purpose True, A Writer's Garden, Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, Gail Kittleson, garden herbs, historical romance, WWII romance series

Today’s A Writer’s Garden guest is Gail Kittleson who is delighting us with pictures and uses for herbs. I can almost smell them now. Welcome, Gail.

Thanks, Catherine. This year, our garden produced an abundance of herbs…thyme, oregano, sage … well, you know the list.

Here it is, October already, and I’m still taking in some of the beauty through my sense of smell. Yes, peppermint still regales me, in the form of dried, crushed leaves for tea. I’ve been known to add some of the flowers, as well.

Recently, I discovered the pleasure of an evening cup of parsley tea. I’d heard that this garnish also served as a mouth deodorizer, but tea? Yes! Nothing better, imho, than a hot cup after dinner.

Here’s the plant (Italian parsley) in all its glory last summer. Now, I’ve brought it inside and keep making this mellow brew.

And then there’s rosemary. I love that it’s for healing … when the world’s harshness seems over the top, there’s rosemary to shave into your baked sweet potato. With butter—lots of it.

Our glorious summer gardens can accompany us into winter’s starkness, even if we live in the frozen hinterlands. Here’s to hot tea and curling up with a wonderful book on a wintry day.

 

About the Gardener /Writer:

Gardener/writer Gail Kittleson has been gardening just about everywhere she and her husband have lived, including Senegal, West Africa. Her favorite thing about gardening is the survival of plants over harsh Iowa winters, the anticipation of new growth, and eating fresh salads. When she’s not gardening she’s writing memoir and women’s historical fiction novels and teaching a creative writing class. Gail writes from northern Iowa, where she and her husband enjoy gardening and grandchildren. In winter, Arizona’s Ponderosa pine forests provide relief from Midwest weather and a whole raft of new people and stories. Gail’s memoir, Catching Up With Daylight, paved the way for fiction writing, and her debut women’s fiction novel, In This Together (Wild Rose Press/Vintage Line) was released on November 18, 2015.Since then she’s completed two more books in her WWII romance series. You can learn more about her at http://www.gailkittleson.com/.

A Purpose True, the sequel to With Each New Dawn, reveals Kate and Domingo risking life and limb in French Resistance efforts to stymie the Nazi advance to Normandy. But even their fierce devotion to liberty cannot preclude questions raised by the enemy’s cruelty. How is faith to survive in the midst of relentless Nazi atrocities toward innocent citizens? Can the power of love withstand the worst of evil and forge positive paths for the future?

 

 

 

A Writer’s Garden Welcomes Susan B. James

Tags

A Writer's Garden, Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, Children's books, Maybe This Time, steamly second chance romance, Susan B. James, Susan J. Berger, Time and Forever

I love gardens with a passion. But I am a terrible gardener. I love to see gardens. Not do the work. As a result most of the plantings around my house are the kind that don’t need a lot of work, but provide me with great joy in viewing them.

When I bought this home the back fence wall was partially covered in bougainvillea. Hot pink and orange. Zero maintenance and I loved it.

Behind the wall was an ugly shed. Well, that had to be disguised. I bought lattice work and planted morning glory. I wanted very blue morning glory so I was told to add iron nails to the dirt. It worked. I also planted hollyhocks because I wanted to show my child friends how to make dolls from the flowers. I also added two huge pots for tomatoes and rosemary and basil.

In the front we had a window which caught sun all day and turned the room into a sauna. We solved this problem by planning a wall of Jasmine in front of the window. On the far left of the wall are pink coneflowers. On the right, near the door is the most glorious climbing red rose. The scents in season are intoxicating.

In 2010 my sister, Kelly came to take care of me after I had open heart surgery. While she was here, she planted me a red hibiscus in memory of our Hawaii home. After six years it finally bloomed. I smile every time I see it.

I always wanted to have an artichoke plant. So I got two. Do you know what happens to an artichoke when you get involved in writing and forget to pick it? Huge Purple Thistles. Aren’t they gorgeous?

Three years ago a dear friend of mine made me a fairy garden. I put it on my front porch for everyone to admire. This may be my favorite garden of all. My new ambition is to make one myself. I have a pot and a fairy and some beautiful stones. Now I need the plants and the time to create something magical.

In the meantime I continue to write gardens in my books.

 

About the gardener author:

Susan writes mainstream steamy second chance romances with a touch of magic as Susan B. James and children’s books as Susan J. Berger.

In her debut romance, Time and Forever, two women in their sixties inadvertently travel back to London in 1969. Maybe This Time, also time travel, came out in July. Both books feature scenes in one of Susan’s favorite gardens –Kensington Garden in London.

Susan’s other career is acting.Last year, among other things, she killed Kathy Bates on American Horror Story. This she, among other things, she got stabbed by a pen on Future Man and played the victim on Major Crimes. Karma? Who knows what’s next. The joy is in the journey.

Visit Susan at her blog: http://www.susanbjames.blogspot.com/ because she hosts lots of authors and giveaways.

Warning to readers of sweet or inspirational romance: Susan’s book may contain open door love scenes.

 

A Writer’s Garden-Bird Watching in the Garden with Wendy L. MacDonald

Tags

A Writer's Garden, Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, author Wendy L MacDonald, Bird photos, Bird watching in the garden, Birds in the garden

Rufous Hummingbird

According to Dorothy Frances Gurney, we can’t get closer to God than when we are in a garden. I’ve noticed there’s something else you can come closer to while working or resting in one’s own garden—birds. Many times I’ve been blessed by visits from feathered friends who’ve landed in nearby branches as I sip afternoon coffee or give a sip of water to my flowers.

Flycatcher

When I first started taking pictures of my property, I focused on the flowers, trees, and bees. But as I spent more time photographing, I noticed the birds in my neighborhood became more comfortable with my presence. They started hanging out closer to me. And as long as I didn’t overstay my welcome in their space, I was blessed with birdwatching opportunities without having to drive to a nature park.

Bushtit

The key to taking advantage of wildlife in one’s own garden is to be prepared. Having your camera nearby and ready is worth the forethought it takes when a lovely creature shows up in one of your trees. Often, I leave my camera by the backdoor so I can quickly reach in and grab it when opportunities arrive. During peak birdwatching season, I usually keep it with me when I’m outside. Some birds are shy and don’t sit still long enough for you to click a shot. I’ve been trying to catch a clear picture of Cedar waxwings; so far, I’ve only managed to capture blurry shots. But I will keep trying.

Northern Flicker

Through birdwatching in my garden, I’ve gained an appreciation for how humans and birds can co-exist in harmony. I don’t use chemicals on my plants, and I rarely remove flowers that have gone to seed. This provides safe food for birds during winter and clean straw for their nesting material in spring.

Eurasian Collared Doves

As I admire the beauty and variety God has created in the bird world, I’m drawn closer to Him as I worship and praise the Creator of both gardens and creatures. Yes, Dorothy Frances Gurney said it right:

“The kiss of the sun for pardon

The song of the birds for mirth,

One is nearer God’s heart in a garden

Than anywhere else on earth.”

I hope you’re able to grow or visit a patch of garden where you can enjoy birds too.

Blessings from my garden to yours ~ Wendy

 

About the Gardener/Writer

Wendy L. Macdonald is a Canadian, inspirational writer/blogger/podcaster who also loves to photograph nature. When she’s not writing, drawing, gardening, or sewing, she enjoys hiking, with her husband, in the beautiful parks of the Comox Valley. Wendy invites you to visit her blog: www.wendylmacdonald.com, where you will find nature photography and links to her “Daily Bread” style Facebook page and other social media sites. Her passion is inspiring others to walk with faith, hope, and love. You can hear her podcasts at: www.hopestreamradio.com/program/walking-with-hope.

 

 

 

A Writer’s Garden with Ana Morgan

Tags

A Writer's Garden, Ana Morgan, Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, historical romance, vegetable garden, western romance

Today Ana Morgan is on A Writer’s Garden talking about the fruits of her labor. If I remember my emails correctly, Ana is an organic gardener. I’m soooo lusting after her vegetable gardens. Welcome, Ana.

 

Fruits of my Gardening Labor

Twin Cucumbers

I haven’t found the words to describe all the shades of green in a growing veggie garden. Or the satisfaction of turning on the light in my pantry on a snowy Sunday and seeing rows of multicolored quart jars on the shelves. For a writer, this is frustrating. Words are my tools, my stock in trade. I’m supposed to have them in abundance.

Brussel Sprouts

I have veggies in abundance, and in northern Minnesota, September is harvest game-on time. The stacks of pint packets of green beans, spinach, raspberries, and sweet corn in my freezer are swelling. The number of empty canning jars on my pantry shelves is going down.

Potatoes and onions

This weekend, I need to process a bushel of tomatoes into sauce. I like to separate the yellow tomatoes from the reds and simmer them separately. I arrange the sealed, cooled jars on the pantry shelves in rows of color. Red tomatoes, yellow sauce, green dill pickles with white garlic cloves at the top, orange peach jam, ivory pear wedges in clear light-sugar syrup, purple plum jam, rosy strawberry jam. Eye-candy.

Sweet corn and pea fence

Onions and garlic sleep in boxes off in a corner. Potatoes will hibernate in the root cellar along with the biggest carrots. I still need to dry and crush basil and parsley, and then pack into jars that fit in a kitchen drawer, safely away from heat and light that saps their essence. The eggplant didn’t do so well this season, but I have frozen ratatouille left over from last year.

We’ll make it through the winter just fine. I’ll keep searching for the word that describes the color of the first true leaves of an eggplant seedling.

 

About the Gardener/Writer:

Ana Morgan loves gardening so much, she raised vegetables for one hundred families.

Retired now, she’s still has trouble thinking ‘small’ –when ordering seed packets in the fall and starting seeds indoors in late winter.

Contact Ana at https://anamorgan.net

Stormy Hawkins

by Ana Morgan

Blade Masters has finally spotted his ideal Dakota Territory ranch, where he can live alone, forget his cheating ex-fiancée, and bury the shards of his shattered heart. All he needs to do is sweet-talk the ailing owner, and his spitfire daughter, into retiring.

If she weren’t desperate, Stormy would never hire a cowhand. She’s learned the hard way that she’s happier working her family’s ranch alone. But, the greedy banker who holds their mortgage just demanded payment in full—or her hand in marriage.

Will this handsome drifter protect her? Or does he have designs of his own?

Buy link http://amzn.to/2wXgykQ

Warning to readers of sweet romance: this book is a sensual romance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Writer’s Garden with Author Janis Lane

Tags

Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, Cut flowers, cutting garden, Janis Lane. Whispers of Danger and Love, romance

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Today Janis Lane is visiting talking about cutting gardens and cut flowers for all season. Welcome, Janis.

Thanks, Catherine.

It is possible to gather flowers for your vases without deliberately planting a cutting garden. Possible, but much more fun to set up a section of the garden for bringing the blossoms inside. Harvesting these blooms will not denude your carefully planned perennial landscape.

In Spring, Tulips, Daffodils, and Peonies are perennial friends who return year after year. One of the best cut flowers is Gladiola. Staggered planting of the bulbs (which are fairly inexpensive.) will prolong the harvest. In temperate climates, gladiola bulbs will renew, but pulling them up and storing will guarantee next year’s bloom. Other bulbs are simple and, again, fairly inexpensive.

Asiatic and Oriental Lilies and other in the same family are excellent mid-summer flowers. Day lilies may be used if you understand the stem must contain more than one bud as they open and close in one day. Sunflowers, Dahlias and members of the Rudbecia family are primo for late summer.

In the greenhouse we grow an exquisite plant, Lisianthus, for our commercial bouquets. Super valued for their longevity once harvested, they are not an easy plant to germinate. Grab a few if you find them at your florist or farmers market. They come in several colors: pink, rose, pastel yellow, and deep blue. I love the two-colored ones that are white trimmed with blue.

Last but certainly not least, Zinnias are an all-time favorite. Careful to choose the tall variety for your vases. Enjoy your flowers out and inside!

In Whispers of Danger and Love, the heroine, a landscaper, meets a challenge to create an instant cutting garden for a lady whose knowledge of gardening is next to nil. Cheryl chooses gladiolas and stakes them upright. The ruse works and her client is happily able to harvest her own bouquets. I admit I enjoyed working on this novel as it allowed the gardener in me to “play in the dirt” while I wrote the story.

About the Gardener/Writer:

Emma Janis Lane lives in Western New York where winter is snowy, spring arrives with rave reviews, summer days are long and velvet, and fall leaves are riotous color. She writes Regency Romance as Emma Lane, but also delights in dipping into a Cozy Romantic Mystery, pen name Janis Lane. Part owner of a plant nursery, she will answer gardening questions at her website. emmajlane.com   Connect with Emma on Twitter

When Cheryl realizes her new next-door neighbor is someone she loved as a young girl, she immediately puts the brakes on her emotions. Never again would she allow the gorgeous hunk of a man to break her heart.

Ruggedly handsome Detective David Larkin isn’t used to pretty ladies giving him a firm no. He persists, even as Cheryl fights her own temptations. The two struggle to appreciate each other as adults, even as they admit to deep feelings from their childhood.