As you may or may not know, VintageGardenGal announced its premier "Chicken Coop Photo Contest" last month. I had some wonderful photos submitted, and thank those who participated. The number of photos submitted, however,  were not enough for a true contest. Stay tuned for next year's spring chicken coop photo contest with prizes.

I do have a treat for you. I want to share with you a "chicken coop to love" that I saw in Napa Valley. In a previous post, I wrote about The Farmstead Restaurant and the Hall's Long Meadow Ranch. LMR Rutherford Gardens is another historic property owned by the Hall family and an integral part of their sustainable organic vertically integrated family farm. At LMR Rutherford Gardens they grow their own organic produce, flowers, and fruit for many of the top Napa Valley restaurants, including their Farmstead Restaurant, and the Friday Farmer's Market in St. Helena. Please note, LMR Rutherford Gardens is private, and available for tours by appointment.

LMR Rutherford Gardens is 5.8 acres of rich farm land on the Napa Valley floor, and just south of The Farmstead Restaurant. This property  has been growing produce since the 1930's, and has never been planted in grapes. Besides the land there is a small house, vintage water tower, and wonderful mature trees. Thriving 100 year-old fig trees further add to the property's charm.

At LMR Rutherford Gardens there is a large chicken coop and beautiful flock of chickens producing lovely organic eggs.  In the above photo, you can see the wood door and entrance to their chicken coop. The plank wood door is beautiful, detailed with a chicken motif, and flanked by the romantic floribunda white iceberg roses. Isn't that enough to welcome you to the chicken coop.

Their chicken coop is made of corrugated metal, which is a reasonable building material, creates a wonderful rustic look, and ages gracefully. Framed windows on the side allow air circulation and the important ventilation needed in a chicken coop. Further more, the chicken coop is strategically situated under mature trees to provide shade and dappled light. I can only imagine inside, it is quiet, and filled with nesting boxes for the hens to lay their eggs.

A gigantic outside pen is attached to the chicken coop for their hens to enjoy fresh air, exercise, and produce treats. Landscaping along the chicken coop and outside pen adds color and appeal.

LMR Rutherford Gardens has a large flock of hens consisting of Ameracanas, Black Australorps, and Cuckoo Marans chicken breeds. Three of my favorite breeds.

I was smitten by LMR Rutherford Gardens chicken coop and chickens. Their chicken coop is safe, protecting, nurturing, beautifully adorned, and well-landscaped. Clearly, some thought and creativity went into creating their chicken coop, and caring for their chickens for the best organic eggs.

Please share creative ideas you use for your chicken coop. Please comment on your favorite chicken breeds.

This past year we have been so busy with our home remodel, I haven't written much about our backyard vineyard, now in its fifth year. With one's own vineyard, life does go on. The grapes need to be tended to, the grapevines do grow, the grapevines flower and tiny grape clusters begin to emerge. The vineyard has its own timetable throughout the year.

We did however, have time to enter three of our wines (and two wine labels) in the "Home-Made Wine Competition" at the San Diego County Fair 2010. This year it was held at the posh "Turf Club" at the Del Mar Race Track within the San Diego County Fair Grounds.

There were approximately 100 participants who entered around 300 wines to be judged in various divisions. It is always a great occasion as we see many wine-making friends, teachers, fellow students from our wine and vineyard classes, and really the who's who of San Diego County amateur and professional wine makers.

My husband, John, and I entered three of our home-made wines, our syrah (our first vintage from our backyard vineyard), a merlot (a wine we made from grapes we purchased from Dry Creek, Sonoma), and a "merrah" (a wine blend we made up of our own syrah and the merlot). We also entered our two new wine labels in the "wine label" contest. The wine labels were created by our friend and graphic artist Robin Dujanovic.

I was a little anxious, especially with our syrah wine, with all of the years of diligent effort that passed to create this bottle of wine. It now comes down to this pinnacle moment. Not to worry, unbelievably we got a silver for our own syrah. It didn't stop there, we had an incredible afternoon with a clean sweep of awards, and much more. It was a "trifecta" of bronze, silver, gold at the fair.

Merlot....Bronze Syrah.....Silver Merrah...Gold (Best of Class), and coveted Best of Division (includes all Red Blend Wines)

Chicken & Wine Glass Label, 1st Place Whimsical Label Garage Label, 2nd Place, Best Story In a Picture Label

Our friends, Steve and Amy joined us for the afternoon, and to cheer us on as the competition unfolded. We wish to thank all of our family and friends for helping us throughout the year, and their enthusiasm in our backyard vineyard and wine making efforts. Salut!

Please comment on your local summer fair? Please share if you enter your hobby at your local fair.

White iceberg rose is another of my favorite roses, and one that thrives in my Mediterranean Southern California climate. I planted an entire hedge of iceberg roses as an entrance to our syrah vineyard and nearby nestled sitting area. My intention was to create a pleasing color palette for one's eye from our home and surrounding our nearby cozy sitting area. White iceberg rose has an incredible elegance about it with prolific sprays of pure-white blooms with dark green foliage. It makes for a romantic and elegant entrance to our vineyard and the blue ocean horizon beyond. In the above photo, I have planted a climbing iceberg rose up a pillar, and added a vintage bracket ready to hold a lantern with the soft glow of a candle.

Iceberg rose is a popular floribunda rose, and it is now available in pink and burgundy. My favorite is the white. White iceberg roses are often available at retail stores and nurseries at very reasonable prices. The iceberg rose blooms non-stop all summer, is very disease-resistant, is very hardy, and has a subtle sweet rose fragrance. The iceberg rose is as beautiful as a cut flower as it is in your garden. It does best in zones 5-9, and reaches a mature height of 3-4 feet. It looks best in mass plantings, and can be a foundation for your garden.

The climbing white iceberg rose has the same wonderful attributes as the iceberg floribunda. Use it on arbors, fences, pillars, and where ever it can potentially climb. Plant white iceberg rose for romance in your garden.

Please share if you have iceberg rose in your garden. Please comment on how you use iceberg rose in your garden.

I was first introduced to climbing "America" rose in garden guru, Pat Welsh's garden years ago. I was drawn to its vibrant salmon-coral blooms, but it really is an ideal climbing rose for the home garden for many reasons. I now have a climbing "America" rose on the entrance gate to my kitchen garden.

First introduced in 1976, back in the year of our country's bicentennial, hence its name "America." It won the 1976 All-American Rose Selections award that year. Its parentage is Fragrant Cloud x Tradition.

"America" rose is considered a modern climber reaching 12-15' tall, and a repeat bloomer with a double bloom shape. It is well-adapted for climbing arbors, fences, and pillars. It has layers of petals to each bloom, and its bloom longevity is one of the things I love best about it. Climbing "America" rose has blooms that can range from deep coral to pink. It blooms on new wood, so prune early to promote new growth. Climbing "America" rose has a nice spicy fragrance. It is fairly disease-resistant to powdery mildew, black spot, and rust.  It does best in zones 4-9. Be aware that climbing "America" rose does have thorny stems.

Please share if you have climbing "America" rose in your garden. Please comment on your favorite climbing rose.

Last month I spoke about Charles B. Ledgerwood's "Southern California Vegetable Planting Calendar" for May. These are his suggestions for the month of June. For the best planting months, the names are capitalized.

BEANS, beets, carrots, CANTALOUPE, CORN, CUCUMBER, LIMA BEANS, OKRA, parsley, PEPPER, PUMPKIN, radish, NZ SPINACH, SQUASH, swiss chard, tomato, jicama, watermelon, eggplant, and sunflower.

It is hard to think about pumpkins and fall right now when we have the whole summer in front of us. Yet, this is the time to start your pumpkins from seed. One of my favorite pumpkins to grow is the Cinderella pumpkin, linked to the enchanting fairy-tale, Cinderella, with her beautiful pumpkin-shaped carriage.

The Cinderella pumpkin is a beautiful rich orange-hued color with deep ridges, and a slightly flattened shape.  Plant seeds in mounds 5-8' apart, mixed with ample compost material. Plant five seeds, 2" deep, to a mound, and thin to 1-3, if needed. Allow ample space for your pumpkin vines to stretch out and grow. Place straw or a thin piece of wood under each pumpkin as it grows. Each vine yields 5-8 pumpkins. Water the equivalent of 1" per week. Best to water deeply, rather than lightly at frequent intervals.

Harvest at about 95 days. Leave at least a 2" or more stem when harvesting the pumpkin from its vine. Mature pumpkins may be carved, used in a variety of fall recipes, and as romantic fairy-tale fall decorations. Please share if you grow pumpkins every year. Please comment on which pumpkins are your favorite.

VintageGardenGal Tidbit Thyme.... Weidner's Gardens is pouring a new cement path this June 12 & 19, and invites you to join in all of the fun and activities.

I want to share with you some of the exceptional places that I come across from time to time. These places are gems and not to be missed if you are in the area, or they could even be a destination. Most have a "garden thread" to them. "Places To Know" can be retail, restaurants, nurseries, and other. Whatever the place, expect the unusual. This is a first in a new category, "Places To Know"....

On a recent insider's trip to Napa with my garden gal's, The Farmstead Restaurant was a fabulous stop and restaurant on our itinerary. It is located at 738 Main Street in St. Helena, California 94574, (tel) 877-NAPA-OIL, or just south of St. Helena on the famous Highway 29 in Napa Valley.

The restaurant is in a former nursery barn, transformed into a 110-seat restaurant featuring a farm-to-table menu, comprised of seasonal local, sustainable, and organic ingredients. It is a lively and social atmosphere. It was packed with diners the night we were there. Entering the restaurant, an outside light fixture created with vintage chicken feeders luminously greets you. I often use chicken feeders in vintage container design, but I have never thought about turning them into hanging lights. More unusual chandelier lighting hangs in the center of the restaurant made from re-purposed vintage-salvaged hay hooks from the owner's family historic ranch.

If you come for lunch at the Farmstead Restaurant, you might enjoy  intimate outdoor dining lined with living espaliered fruit trees, and an inviting nursery and demonstrating gardens, literally steps from your dining table. There is also on the grounds a wine and olive oil tasting room, too.

The Farmstead Restaurant is one part of a shining example of a vertical integration of a modern, organic, sustainable family farm which comprises Long Meadow Ranch. Long Meadow Ranch is owned by the dedicated Hall family. Their motto is "Excellence Through Responsible Farming." Long Meadow is a 650 acre historic ranch nestled high above Napa Valley in the Mayacamas Mountains. This property has old olive groves and vineyards originally planted in the 1870's. Thorough their sustainable philosophy and organic practices, Long Meadow Ranch make their own extra-virgin oil oil, world-class wines, raise their own grass-fed beef, grow their own heirloom vegetables, produce organic eggs, and more.

Long Meadow Ranch also includes LMR Rutherford Gardens, another historic property on the Napa Valley floor, and not far from The Farmstead Restaurant. Organic seasonal produce is grown for the the restaurant and the Friday St. Helen Farmer's Market. Soon, a farm stand featuring LMR's own produce, flowers, and eggs will be available each morning at The Farmstead Restaurant.

If you are visiting Napa Valley, I highly recommend stopping in for lunch or dinner at The Farmstead Restaurant. The food is delicious, the wines are lovely, and the atmosphere is inviting. Please comment if you are familiar with The Farmstead Restaurant and Long Meadow Ranch.

If you have ever been through a home remodel, you may well know the pace picks up in a "fast and furious" way as the remodel end is in sight. Important decisions come faster. The layers of remodel continue to build on top of one another in a logical and methodical way. In the above photo, my husband John, and I, are "turning the corner" on our remodel, selecting our stucco color for our home, barn, and courtyard. We know we are on the home stretch towards completion and move-in day.

We eventually choose the bottom sample stucco color (after much "hemming and hawing") and are very happy with it. Now the tile roof can be laid. Our long ipe outside deck can begin. Our courtyard and sides can be graded. The list goes on.

Like an orchestra, whose pieces or ensemble sections make a whole. The conductor is our contractor, Robert McCarron. He keeps the time and rhythm of his different subcontractors in sync, and in seemingly effortlessly direction towards the grand finale. We have onsite paint contractors, stone contractors, concrete contractors, garage door contractors, tile contractors, plumbing contractor, and more. On a recent morning I counted fifteen cars and trucks parked on our easement and with permission, spilling over to my neighbor's drive way.

Our hands-on architect, Bill Bocken, William Bocken Architecture Interior Design, is never too far away from this gregarious ensemble, too. He has made sure we are in perfect pitch throughout this whole process. As homeowners we are there everyday involved with decisions, information, and our added two cents.

After eight months of this incredible transformation process, we are turning the corner, and coming down the home stretch of our remodel. Please comment on your own remodel experience.

VintageGardenGal Tidbit Thyme...

My good friend, Julie Mautner, from "The Provence Post" has written recently about Provence at the Chelsea Flower Show this year, Provence Prevails at Chelsea. It's fabulous.

One of my favorite shrubs is the  perennial garden beauty, Matilija Poppy, Romneya coulteri. It blooms in May and seems to "smile sunshine" with its huge whimsical "fried egg-like" flowers sitting atop gray-green lobed foliage. It is wise to have ample room for Matilija Poppy in your garden as it can reach 6-8' tall, and spread easily if unchecked by rhizomes over a large area. When it blooms in my garden, I'm reminded it is late spring and the onset of summer is fast approaching.

The Matilija Poppy is native to coastal ranges and valleys of Southern California and into Baja California. It likes full sun and survives on scant to moderate watering.  This shrub can tolerate many types of soils. The Matilija Poppy thrives in zones 4-12, 14-24. Matilija Poppies are simple maintenance, needing a pruning close to the ground in late summer to early fall, and restraint  from summer watering to keep its growth curbed. Slowly they begin to grow through the fall and winter, and suddenly in May, burst into bloom with their gigantic flowers.

Best places to plant your Matilija Poppy in your garden or property is as a structure and backdrop shrub, along a fence line, along roadsides, and when planting a large border or natural area. Ironically, it is a little tricky to start them initially in your garden, but once established they easily can take over. In fact, it took me three times, before I successfully established my Matilija Poppies. Start your Matilija Poppy from 1 gallon size plants from your local nursery, or from rooted suckers on spreading roots from a friend's garden. If you have Matilija Poppies growing in your garden, you will gladly want to share them with your friends.

Matilija Poppy's flowers are big, bold, and full of character in your garden. Matilija Poppies can be used as as a cut flower, too.  As a cut flower, be aware that it has a tendency to drop dust from its golden stamens and  an occasional white petal.

Please share if you are familiar with the Matilija Poppy.  If you grow them in your garden, please share how you curb their enthusiastic runners.

VintageGardenGal Tidbit Thyme....

Remember to send in a photo of your chicken coop this month to, bonnie@vintagegardengal.com. Submit your winning chicken coop photo this month, May 2010, and be a part of  VintageGardenGal's premier backyard "Chicken Coop Photo Contest." Winners will be announced in June 2010, and their photos shared on VintageGardenGal.