September 4, 2009 marks the one year anniversary of VintageGardenGal, a garden lifestyle blog. Many thanks to those who have visited in the past year, your wonderful comments, and enthusiasm. May those who are drawn to this blog, continue to find valuable information, creative ideas, musings, inspiration to dream, and most important, welcome more garden into your lives.

A garden is a sanctuary, it is reflective of the person that cares for it. Make sure your garden is "welcoming" to you, your family, your friends, and invited guests. You want your garden to convey a cheery happiness, and an underlying message that it is well taken care of. Here are a few simple suggestions to make a garden welcoming.

Explore color and plant combinations that are visually beautiful, and maybe a surprise to the eye. One of my favorite books for plant combinations, colors, and inspiration to buy for your home library is Shocking Beauty by Thomas Hobbs.

Create a special spot or garden room that is accessed by a meandering path to a bench under a shady tree. It can be a special spot to rest and gather one's thoughts, even meditate. It can be a spot to entertain and share a glass of lemonade.

Surprise those making footsteps in your garden with a weathered adorable vintage gnome peeking out from under your favorite shrub, or a beautiful garden ornament in a sun-laced clearing. These pieces can be subtle, yet yield a smile.

Scour flea markets and garage sales for time-worn wood buckets or wicker baskets to place in strategic places in the garden to toss a rogue weed or anything deemed for garbage. These pieces will blend in with your garden, and help you to keep your garden tidy.

Think of birds, butterflies, and wildlife in your garden. If your garden is full of songbirds, busy hummingbirds, fluttering butterflies, ladybugs, for instance, it enhances your garden and your time in the garden that much more. Design your garden with plants that attract wildlife. Place birdhouses in your garden. Keep fabulous bird baths, they are garden ornaments in themselves. Keep them clean and full of fresh water. If you have a lot of wildlife in your garden, chances are your garden is healthy and welcoming.

These are a few suggestions that I use in my garden. A welcome garden is a happy garden. What makes your garden welcoming?

How many of you have heard of Heirloom Roses? They are a year-round mail order rose grower, 25 miles outside of Portland, Oregon in the pristine Willamette Valley. Their roses are virus-free and grown on their own root. Not only do they have a thick "picture perfect" rose catalog available for sale, they showcase 1,500 rose varieties at their on site display gardens. Worth a visit if you are in the area. Last June on a "garden touring" trip to Portland, my friends and I had the opportunity to stop at Heirloom Roses for a visit and spontaneous tour by their "chief rose grower". Besides the lovely tour, she shared with us a few summer tips for roses.

One of the best tips she mentioned, and one I had never heard before was, feed alfalfa to your roses in the summer for a boost. Head over to your local feed store, rather than favorite garden center, and buy a 10lb or 25lb bag of rabbit pellet food, depending on how many rose bushes you have.

The main ingredient in rabbit food is alfalfa, and it is a lot cheaper to feed the base of your roses with 1-2 handfuls of rabbit food, than purchasing alfalfa meal supplement. As alfalfa breaks down it creates an organic fatty alcohol called triacontanol. Roses in particular, respond very favorably to triacontanol by forming new basal breaks and ensuing new growth.

Be sure and work in the rabbit food thoroughly around the base of your rose. You don't want to tempt the rabbits in your garden with your roses. Follow up by watering thoroughly, and observe how your roses respond. Alfalfa will give your roses a nice natural boost, and another mass flowering through the summer. I tried it, and it and my roses responded beautifully.

In my research to confirm the benefits of alfalfa for roses, I read where rabbit food is not recommended for roses because of its high sugar content. There is a pricing delta between "alfalfa for gardeners" and "alfalfa for rabbits". Returning to my bag of rabbit food for a closer look, I found alfalfa listed as the first ingredient, and amongst 33 other listed ingredients, cane molasses and corn syrup were listed last, so I wasn't convinced that sugar was present in a large amount. If you purchase rabbit pellet food, take a quick look at the list of ingredients. Alfalfa should be first, and some form of sugar if listed at all, towards the end.

Another tip to share with you, is look for "end of summer" rose discount specials. Nurseries and retailers are eager to pass savings on to consumers, and often have wonderful prices to move inventory. Keep your eye open for these specials. Plant your new roses at the end of summer, beginning of fall, and be one step ahead of the winter "bare root rose season" for one-half to two-thirds of normal pricing.

Do you have any summer rose tips to share? What are your favorite roses in your garden, and why?

This is a new category first called "Garden Economizing", which will offer you wonderful economic and often ecological tips to save you money in your garden, yet enhancing your garden.

Do you grow sunflowers in the summer for flower arrangements? For a dramatic look in the garden? To feed the birds? Yes, sunflowers can become a living bird feeder in your garden....and for a seed packet price.

Two summers ago, I bought the seed packet Drop Dead Red Sunflowers from the Botanical Interests seed company, out of Broomfield, Colorado. See "Meet A Magnificent Mustard", at VintageGardenGal for a previous mention of Botanical Interests seed company. It is a big seed packet for $5.49, net weight 4 grams. Normally, I don't spend that much on seed packets, but their illustration and description lured me in. These "Drop Dead Red Sunflowers" are a beautiful array of various reds, burgundy, and yellow 4'-5' tall sunflowers. Perfect for fall.

I planted my entire "Drop Dead Red Sunflower" seed packet last summer, and they were beautiful in bloom. I let them dry, and go to seed. This spring, some of last year's "Drop Dead Red Sunflowers", reseeded once again, and began another growing season. I was thrilled. After enjoying their long-lasting blooms, I again let these sunflowers dry, and go to seed. This summer, I was rewarded with numerous eye-catching goldfinch every morning feasting in their usual manner, upside down on the bobbing sunflowers.

So for my $5.95 seed packet investment, I have had two growing seasons of sunflowers, and counting, and enough free wonderful natural sunflower seed for my delightful goldfinches to enjoy for a couple of weeks. It is important to note, that In your zone, in your garden, you will attract native wildlife birds to your garden that might not necessarily be goldfinches.

I also hang a year-round goldfinch feeder in our plum tree, for the pure enjoyment of watching these fascinating birds. I regularly fill it up with nyjer seed, a favorite goldfinch seed. Keeping our goldfinch feeder filled can add up, so it helps to supplement their food source with goregous sunflowers grown in the garden.

Add your thoughts, do you grow something special for your wildlife birds to enjoy? Do you have bird feeders in your garden? Do you think letting some of your plants go to seed for the birds, attracts unusual birds to your garden?

This classic Italian summer panzanella salad oozes with fresh flavors of summer, and takes advantage of your ability to jump in the garden and harvest bell peppers, heirloom tomatoes, fresh assorted herbs, and the last of your summer squash. I usually see panzanella salad with tomatoes, crusty bread, and mozzarella cheese, but like the twist of these added grilled summer vegetables.

I do think this is a very special salad, and one that is a crowd pleaser. There is some preparation time involved with quite a bit of chopping, grilling, and assembling. All of it, well worth it in my opinion.

I found this recipe at Epicurious.com, from Bon Appetit Magazine, August 2005, Grilled Panzanella Salad With Bell Peppers, Summer Squash, and Tomatoes. Although this recipe includes recommended Italian white wine pairings. I think a nice Sangiovese wine would be enjoyable, as well.

What recipes do you make with your summer vegetables? Have you made Italian panzanella salad before?

Here at Domaine de Manion, our backyard syrah vineyard, it is late summer and our syrah grapes are showing their true color. Our syrah grapevines have a full vegetative leaf canopy, perfectly formed grape clusters dangle from their shoots, and now the veraison process begins. Veraison is the phenomenon of grapes transitioning in their development from hard to soft in touch, and their color transitions from green to their harvest color, depending on the grape varietal. Syrah, our vineyard grape varietal, is a very dark, inky black color when ripe and at harvest time. In the above photo you can see the color transition happening among the individual grapes.

In this process, the grape's sugar level will slowly begin to rise. Regular testing of your grape sugar content with a refractometer helps monitor your harvest time frame.

When grapes transition from green to their varietal harvest color of yellow, pink, red, or black, it is a signal to birds and wildlife, a food source is available and ripening. Netting your grapevines is invaluable in protecting your grapes from birds, raccoons, deer, and wildlife in general. Even our beloved chickens love the ripening grape clusters, jumping nearly a foot to reach the clusters, if they are not netted.

Our netting system is simple. Measure out netting the entire length of each of your grapevine row, and allow 3' on each end to secure the netting ends. Throw the entire netting over both sides of your grapevine row, and clip at bottom with wooden clothespins at spaced intervals. These nets can be used year after year, if rolled up and secured away in a safe place until needed the following year. Netting your backyard vineyard ensures your entire year's efforts and crop will not be lost. Netting is particularly important to the backyard vineyard, which is generally isolated, versus commercial vineyards where there are acres and acres of growing grapes.

It is an exciting time of year, harvest is in a matter of weeks. Do you have a backyard vineyard? Do you net your grapes from wildlife?

For me, the prize out of our kitchen garden each summer is always heirloom tomatoes. In the spring I plant as many different types as I can, and baby them along through August. I seek out tomato plants I have read about, tomato plants that have funny names, tomato plants that bear certain tomato colors, and even tomato plants with a story behind them.

Heirloom tomatoes have so much color and character. They have fun names like Mortgage Lifter, Green Zebra, Mr. Stripey, Purple Cherokee, Pineapple, and Abe Lincoln, to name a few. Heirloom tomato names rival in stature the gifted quirky race horses names we all love like Dolly Daggers, Platinum Stiletto, Wink and Nod, Bling Star Dream, and Six Pack Abs, (borrowing a few horse names running at the Del Mar Race Track this season).

Heirloom tomatoes have longevity, these seeds have been passed down from generation to another, and with their genetics intact. They come in a rainbow of colors, and at first glance, an heirloom tomato is usually never perfect, but characteristically funny with bumps, creases, and what some people might call blemishes. I call them perfect, and absolutely heaven to your taste buds.

Heirloom tomatoes are so perfect in taste, slicing and adding a pinch of sea salt is all you need. If you would like to go a step further, slice fresh heirloom tomatoes, place on top of sliced fresh mozzarella cheese, add a few leaves of your summer basil from your garden, and lightly drizzle fabulous fig vinegar on top. Delicious. Of course, heirloom tomatoes are a cook's bonus to summer pasta, pizza, salsas, sauces, as well

Some of my heirloom tomato plants do not always grow well for me. I am the first to admit, living close to the Pacific coast might make me tomato-challenged. But I have persevered, and now our heirloom tomato harvest is usually abundant.

The last two years I have tried growing the "Julia Child" heirloom tomato, and with no luck. The plant grows, but does not produce many tomatoes.  Yes, besides a rose, and probably many other unknown treasures to me, Julia Child has an heirloom tomato named after her. Wouldn't you know it, this tomato plant is unusually tall with potato-type leaves and with pink 4" fluted tomatoes at harvest. How appropriate for Julia. Guess I will try again next year, because I'm sure the tomatoes are "Bon Appetit" tasty.

I usually purchase my tomato seedlings locally, but I noticed on the web a nice heirloom tomato website, Tomato Fest, with a wonderful selection of heirloom tomato seeds, including "Julia Child".

What heirloom tomatoes do you grow and recommend? What do you think is the biggest difference between heirloom tomatoes and commercial hybrid tomatoes?

I know that nothing is a coincidence. Just last week I experienced my second honey bee swarming. The first one was in a friend's backyard a few years ago, and the second one was last week, close to our vineyard by the "Little Ollie" olive trees. At first I noticed a tiny dense dark cloud moving above our vineyard, with motion and fervor. Following this sight with my eyes for a while, it dawned on me that it was a swarm of honey bees. Upon further investigation and with the mission to water our "Little Ollie" olive trees, I spotted the swarm, quiet and resting under one of the branches. I wasn't afraid of them, and knew that they would be soon travelling on.

Swarming is an important part of the honey bee reproductive life cycle, and how they create new colonies for the new and old queen bees. Scouts from the swarm are sent out to find a new suitable spot for a permanent hive. In the mean time, the swarm rests, patiently protecting the queen bee, and is usually not aggressive. If you find a swarm, it is best to leave it alone. Do not spray the swarm with insecticide. Chances are the swarm will be there for only a day or two, and then move on. Contact a professional beekeeper, or your local Cooperative Extension office for questions and assistance.

We all have heard about the alarming diminishing honey bee populations in our country today. There is speculation that the bee populations might be experiencing repercussions from global warming, harmful effects from pesticides in our environment, and even experiencing some pest or fungus ravaging them. The truth is, we really don't know what is happening to our honey bee populations. This is devastating to our agricultural crops, especially almonds, and trickles down to our very own backyards, with our flower and vegetable gardens. We need bees for pollination, and of course for the golden nectar, honey.

Coincidentally last week, a special garden friend recently told me about Gretchen LeBuhn, and The Great Sunflower Project. Gretchen LeBuhn is a Bay Area biologist, who started this "grass roots" project in 2008, with little money and realistic expectations. She created a website where people could sign up, receive the specific "Lemon Queen" sunflower seeds, and then count the number of bees that visit these blooming sunflowers in their yards. This projected has blossomed to the point where she now has bee-data feedback from people in all 50 states, plus Canada. Tens of thousands of volunteers, and growing, are very concerned about the plight of the honey bee, and want to help her cause. As Gretchen LeBuhn states on her website at the bottom, "Bees: Responsible for Every Third Bite of Food".

For more coincidence, Sunset magazine's current August 2009 issue features Gretchen LeBuhn in a two page article, called "Hive Minds", page 54.

I have signed up, and you hope you will , too. Are you already part of The Great Sunflower Project? What are you finding in your own backyard with bees? All of these coincidences are a wake-up call, to help with the plight of our honey bees.

Imagine, it is August, and summer vegetables are at their peak. You are reaping all the benefits of your time invested, and steps taken to ensure a bountiful vegetable harvest. It gives me so much satisfaction to harvest these beautiful and flavorful vegetables.

If you have never had a vegetable garden before, or would like to review what it takes to have a successful vegetable garden, please follow these simple basic steps.

1) Make your plan first on paper, what you are going to plant, where your vegetables will be planted in your garden plot, and when to expect harvest for each. Read and follow seed packet directions or seedling instructions, for planting, spacing, and thinning.

2) Plant the vegetables that you and your loved ones like to eat the most. If you're not interested in a certain type of vegetable, than don't grow it. I always plant an assortment of heirloom tomatoes and squash each year. For fun, I always try and plant one or two new vegetables that I have never grown before. Don't be afraid to experiment with some of the exciting heirloom vegetable seeds available.

3) Pick a nice sunny, level, location away from trees and shrubs that might shade, and compete for water and nutrients. Make sure this location has a convenient water source. Starting out, don't make your garden too big. A 10' x 10" plot will feed a family easily, with lots of vegetables to share. Plant your tallest vegetables to the north, so they don't shade the shorter ones, and continue on down your plot with your shortest plants on your south side. Generally, it is wise to surround your vegetable plot with a fence to keep out critters like Peter Rabbit.

4) Work your soil first before planting. Ideally, you want loose, rich, well-drained soil for a vegetable garden. If you have finished compost, or the ability to add nutrient-rich amendments, add to your soil, turn over well, and mix in. Level your ready-soil before planting.

5) Mark off your vegetable plot in "one foot segments" using two stakes tied with string the width of your desired vegetable plot, to provide a straight line for planting. Some of your seeds might require rounded mounds, allow room for them. Adhere to the types of vegetables that are planted in the spring, summer, fall, and even winter.

6) Regular weeding and hoeing is a must. This keeps your soil loose for water penetration and air. Weeds if left unchecked, can rob nutrients from your growing vegetables. Water requirements vary according to your particular soil type and zone. Plants generally need 2" of water per week. Some plants have specific deep watering requirements, like tomatoes.  If possible, water your vegetable garden in the morning.

7) Know when and how to harvest your vegetables for optimum flavor and harvest. This will help your vegetables retain their maximum vitamin content and flavor. Mark it on your calendar beforehand, the approximate time frame your specific vegetables should be harvested, and observe your vegetables closely approaching this time.

Add your thoughts, do you have other tips you have used for successful vegetable gardening. Do you plan on continuing your vegetable gardening into the fall, and throughout the year. Do you have a favorite heirloom vegetable you planted this year to share.