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May 17

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Hanging Basket of Berries and Herbs

Hello there, and a very happy Friday to all you flower lovers!

To celebrate the arrival of another wonderful weekend, I wanted to have a little more flower fun with you guys… or plant pleasure… or garden goodness. However you choose to look at it, there’s an always applicable alliteration! This dreary rain simply will not go away, so I wanted to get a few more gifts from the ever-so-generous garden gods transplanted. It’s not just herbs that are popping up everywhere, lots of other plants are quickly following suit. Daisies, poppies, pansies, and berries, just to name a few. The strawberry plants are in full bloom; I’ve even spotted the very first teeny, tiny berries beginning to grow. Each year, however, the plants seem to want to spread beyond their designated borders, to break loose from the confines of their corner in the garden. Previous years, I’ve been temped to let them stay, resulting in a strawberry patch that has slowly sprawled throughout the seasons. This has eventually allowed them to dominate about 1/4 of the vegetable garden. Not that I have anything wrong with strawberries, I love them almost as much as the slugs do. It’s just that I’d also like to grow a few other things too.

Since I’ve been bitten by the transplantation bug, I decided to have a go at something new. I figured I’d take advantage of Mother Nature’s generosity and make an edible hanging basket full of volunteer plants found growing in the garden. Mints, bee balm, strawberries, and nasturtiums. Okay, fine, I planted the nasturtiums… but doesn’t it at least count that they were seeds harvested from last year’s plants? All of the plants appeal just as much to the eye as they do to the tummy… with an added bonus that they have a natural tendency to hang loose!
I gathered up all of my supplies (a hanging basket complete with a chain, a square section of chicken wire, moss foraged from a moist and shady corner of the field, potting soil, sphagnum moss purchased at the local gardening store, bee balm plants, mint seedlings that magically appeared in the garden, strawberry suckers, and nasturtium seedlings) and got to work.

First things first, I flipped the dome-shaped basket upside-down and lined the cavity with my foraged moss. The sheets of greenery will keep any soil from escaping with an added bonus of making the basket look lush and lovely.
Next I added some potting soil.

To top it off, I secured the dirt in place with my square section of chicken wire. As an additional security, I squeezed a bit of sphagnum moss into each section of chicken wire… this will make sure that no soil falls out.

Now it’s time to get planting! Using your fingers, spread sections of the moss apart just enough to tuck the rootballs of your little plants safely within the soil. Don’t worry if all of your pushing and prying leaves you with bald patches of brown dirt. You can always add a blanket of fresh, green moss on top of your newly planted babies.

Once you’re happy with the aesthetic appeal of your edible goodies, you should place the basket (flat side down, dome side up) outside and water regularly. It should only be a matter of a couple weeks before your little plants become happy in their new home and generate a healthy new network of roots. Take comfort in knowing that as the plants mature and adapt to their new abode everything will slowly fill.

That being said, I couldn’t help hanging up this bad boy to snap a few photos. I’m planning on adding a few more plants (maybe even some colorful flowers?) on top once the basket is well-rooted and ready to hang. Imagine meandering over to your basket o’ plenty and snipping off a sprig of mint to stick in your ice-cold glass of lemonade or plucking a plump, red strawberry and popping it straight into your mouth. Yum!

Consider this a work in progress- I look forward to showing you guys the finished product over the course of the next few weeks!
Is this a project you guys would consider making yourselves? If so, what would you guys add to your little edible masterpiece?
Have a wonderful weekend everyone, and I’ll see you on Monday! :)

May 16

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Dahlia Delight

Hello there friends!

I know this might not mean all that much to you, but I just received a long-awaited package all the way from the UK. This surprisingly small, brown package contained a carefully selected, colorful combination of new goodies for the garden. Tucked safely between these cardboard walls, tiny little dahlia plants are waiting to say “bon jour!” to Belgium. As destiny would have it, these rooted cuttings arrived mere hours after my post on the home-grown herbs added to the garden. Funny, huh?
Since February I’ve been dreaming of dahlias… an explosion of non-stop color that breathes new life into the cutting garden from July until the first frost. For days, weeks even, I drooled over the dozens upon dozens of unique varieties offered up for sale through the National Dahlia Collection online store. After loading a handful of dreamy dahlias into my virtual shopping cart, I gasped at the price. I hurriedly stuck a few back on the shelf before proceeding to check out. Brandysnap, Inca Royale, Barbarry Drifter, Elma E Elizabeth, Cryfield Rosie, and Stella J were just a few of the fellows who made the final cut.
If you’ve perused through their endless collection, perhaps you can understand my excitement. Such beautiful blooms! I’ve been anxiously checking my order status on their website. It remained at “complete”, which worried me that they hadn’t been sent yet. And if they had been sent, had our dreaded mailman misplaced them? Had they been held up at customs? O, the worry that comes along with a long-distance plant purchase.

I’ve never experimented with rooted dahlia cuttings before, so this will be my first adventure into the world of tuber-free flowers. If all goes according to plan, these pretty little babies should already flower this year and produce a tuber that can be over-wintered and saved for the years to come. Perhaps, if this experiment turns out well, I can even try to root some cuttings of my own next year!

I set up my little potting bench with some potting soil, 9 cm pots, and lots of love. Each cutting came with its catalog number clearly written on a white popsicle stick. I haven’t quite memorized their database of dahlias, so I’ll have to take a peek on the website to figure out what’s what, or as my mom likes to say, who’s who in the zoo.

All of the small plants looked super healthy- the roots were well-formed and the leaves looked gloriously green.

The potted plants are sleeping soundly outside where they will hopefully slowly acclimatize to our wet and dreary weather. At least this way their tender new growth won’t get nibbled by hungry slugs!

I’m so excited about the new British blokes that have made the long journey to my garden in Belgium… and I can’t wait to see what they offer up this summer! I’ll be sure to keep you guys posted and show you any and all new varieties as they begin to bloom. Should any of you locals be in the market for rooted cuttings, starting on the 29th of May, the dahlia club in Maastricht is selling some nice varieties. They’re a steal of a price and great quality. I’ll definitely be there to check them out!

Have a wonderful day, and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow for a fun little garden project :)

May 15

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Plenty of Thyme

Hi there everyone!

Today I decided to continue with some more thrifty gardening. Remember those herbs that I rooted in water a couple months ago? Since the rain has decided to stick around for another few days (or more, sheesh), I figured that now was as good of a time as any to get those rooted herbs (which have since been potted up and growing in some soil) planted in the veggie garden. I was surprised at how simple it was to snip off a few select sprigs of mint and basil, stick them in a glass of water, and watch the roots grow. To my relief, I had no issues whatsoever transplanting them into small plastic pots. When I took a peek at the pots this morning, I was amazed to see exposed roots that were beginning to outgrow the pot!

Rainy weather, as unpleasant as it may be for gardeners around the globe, makes for perfect transplanting weather… the moisture in the air and on the ground helps the little plants acclimate to their new surroundings and minimize the overall shock that comes along with moving homes. I tucked several small Magic Mountain basil plants safely into the herb border and added another handful of chocolate mint plants to the neighborhood meant for mints.

I’m pretty pleased with how my little herb corner is shaping up. I’ve got lots of mints (woolly, chocolate, apple, peppermint, lemon balm), thyme, oregano, sage, cilantro, chamomile, growing in glorious green harmony. I can’t get over how wonderful all the various shades of green look together… soft sea greens, bright neon greens, purple greens, vivid greens.

I can’t wait for everything to completely fill in and make this corner of the veggie garden one big, flavorful and fragrant sea of green. In the meantime, I’ll continue taking little cuttings in order to help convert the bald patches of dirt into a paradise for plants! :)

Have you guys given rooting a go? Any favorite herbs that you have in the garden or use religiously in the kitchen?

May 14

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Lost Souls

Good evening everyone!

Over the last few days, I’ve learned to embrace our rainy weather… to welcome it with open arms. I know that the moisture will make the little seedlings happy and healthy, and a lengthy period of sunshine is sure to follow. As a matter of fact, I’ve been enjoying the slight sprinkle of raindrops on my face as I work in the garden. It’s difficult  at times to spread your energy over a variety of different flower borders and vegetable gardens. Just as I breathe a sigh of relief that the roses have been weeded, I find myself gasping at how quickly the weeds in the veggie garden have grown! Wasn’t it just the other week that I dug through all the dirt and pulled out all of the little buggers that I could find? You know how it is with weeds… one teeny, tiny piece of root left in the ground will surely sprout not one but several new plants. Come to think of it, they’re a bit like Medusa!
This time of year I often find myself facing the tedious task of weeding the back section of the vegetable garden. I’m faced with a dilemma … I know it’s time to get the herbs and veggie seeds for this year sown, but I also see so many friendly faces from last year already popping up in between the weeds. What’s a gardener to do? Do you simply shrug your shoulders and dig them under with the rest of the  sprouts? Do you carefully weed in between all of the tiny seedlings? Do you transplant all the seedlings you can before having a go at weeding?

This year, I’ve chosen to do the latter. I’m not so callous a gardener to sacrifice a bunch of plants packed with potential for the sole purpose of ridding my vegetable borders of weeds. Thus,  I spent the afternoon rounding up all of the little seedlings that I could find, hoping to transplant them to a better home. I found some spinach, dill, cilantro (coriander), calendula, chamomile, valerian, and, most near and dear to my heart, a whole scattering of Californian poppies. The vast majority of these seedlings came from one small package of “yellow flowers” that I sowed at random several years ago. Funny, huh? Little did I know that they would continue to send along future generations, their numbers steadily growing with each new season.
I set about transplanting each and every plant with potential to new, much more logical, locations throughout the vegetable garden. The dill, cilantro, and chamomile snuggled in nice and cozy among the other herbs, while the calendula and the poppies got scattered between the other flowering plants.

Oh, by the way, I had a guest gardener join me for this daunting adventure. Mr. Frodo spent the day sniffing the seedlings, chewing on sticks, and sleeping on the stones. Isn’t that one of the cutest little faces you’ve ever seen?

Okay, back to business. I used an old and rusty putty knife to wedge the small seedlings out of the ground. I tried to keep as much dirt around the root ball as I could, but it almost always fell away. I know that poppies aren’t very fond of relocation… their deep taproot makes them a bit finicky when it comes to finding a new home.

I tried to keep the root intact as I moved each seedling, one by one. I nestled them in between the hydrangeas… I placed a handful between the herbs… and I decided that they would look awfully nice lining the little brick pathway that dissects that vegetable garden.

Even though it was drizzling outside, I made sure to give them a good drink of water. A few looked a bit sullen and droopy, but I’m pretty sure they’ll perk up once they get settled into their new neighborhood and make some new friends. The majority looked nice and perky, which I’ll take as a good sign that they will brighten up every corner of the garden with their beautiful flowers as the summer progresses and the hot weather returns!

Have a great day guys, and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

May 13

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Companion Planting

Hi there gardening buddies, and happy Monday!

Despite the grey, windy, and unseasonably chilly weather, I’ve been busy taking care of lots of little tasks in the garden. Weeding, for one… blech. Transplanting, support-building, and vine-guiding. I’ve also been thinking a bit about companion planting. Have you heard of it? The basic idea is to create a combination of plants that can mutually benefit from one another (i.e. fennel and dill)… or sacrifice one plant for the betterment of your focal flower (i.e. roses and nasturtiums). Truth be told, I’m not quite organized or thorough enough of a gardener to think these things through… but when I mulled over the idea of underplanting my roses with nasturtiums, it made me think twice about the whole concept.

Placing friendly plants next to one-another isn’t all that tricky and it can often address any pest problems effecting your garden. I’ve heard that garlic bulbs can be help to repel rodents from flower beds filled with tubers. I had a vole or two pay my dahlia border a visit last year, so I was keen on giving this experiment a go. I also happened to have several bunches of last year’s garlic still hanging in the attic. Since they had already started to send up new green shoots, which negatively effects the flavor of the garlic cloves, I figured, hey, why not plant them along the rows of dahlias and see how it goes? I know it’s a bit late to plant out garlic cloves, but I figured there was no harm in trying.

For me, companion planting isn’t limited to just plants. Don’t you agree that gardening can be so much more fun when you get to enjoy the company of other busy bodies? Sure, one can easily enter a meditative state while performing repetitive tasks such as weeding or sowing seeds… but more often than not, a few companions hanging around can bring a little life to the party.

Meet my two loyal gardening companions, Dieter and Heidi.

They can sometimes be a bit annoying (sitting on freshly planted seedlings, digging in the borders, or chewing up branches of bushes), but I always welcome them their enthusiasm as I pull on my boots and head outside. These two pictures are a pretty accurate summary of my companions’ gardening habits… Dieter thinks that everything is a toy and I have ventured outside with the sole purpose of playing with him, and Heidi thinks that everything is food.

In a stroke of good luck, we timed today’s outdoor adventures perfectly between the sprinkles and showers that seem to have circled around and around over the last few days.  My companions joined me for a little stroll through the grass and a tip-toe through the buttercups before helping me get down to business.

Here are the small nasturtium seedlings that I planted between the rose shrubs. In my mind, I thought that the two plants would work out quite well together. Honestly, I was thinking less along the line of pest control and more along line of saving space. Ideally I’d like to use flowers from both plants in this year’s bouquets. Ironically, though, my research into companion plants has shown that the nasturtiums are supposed to work wonders at enticing the aphids and mites away from the roses. That’s great and all, but I don’t exactly want a bush-full of aphids instead of beautiful flowers. Then again, I didn’t necessarily notice an army of aphids attacking the roses last year… so I suppose that I’ll just have to wait and see how this little experiment goes.

I’ve also read that herbs of all kinds are particularly powerful at repelling lots of pesky pests. My mounds of mint don’t seem to do much against dogs… but, then again, I like my companions close by :)

I look forward to seeing how my little experiment works out. I hope that the garlic will still grow this late in the season! I’ll keep you guys posted and fill you in on all of the latest and greatest pest progress.

Have a wonderful day, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

May 10

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A True French Treat: Blueberry Clafoutis

Happy Friday, friends!

In honor of the rapid approach of another wonderful weekend, I thought that it would be fun if you and I cooked up a tasty traditional French treat… clafoutis! I’ve long admired and munched on many a clafoutis at our local fancy-shmancy boulangerie. They come in lots of varieties (cherry is apparently the most traditional, but I’ve seen everything from apple to pear, strawberry or rhubarb), but I’ve found none to be quite as tasty as the blueberry version. This morning, I realized that I’ve ogled over the pastries hidden behind their glass casing for long enough… it was time to give it a go myself! After all of the crazy recipes full of foraged goods from the garden, I hope you won’t be too disappointed to find that this simple and nonchalant recipe doesn’t contain anything of the weedy sort.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups blueberries
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • A sprinkling of powdered sugar for garnishing

 

Before rounding up all of your ingredients, go ahead and preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C).

I chose to use frozen blueberries, mostly due to the fact the fresh ones aren’t readily available yet. I’ve got a handful of flowers getting ready to blossom on the bushes in the garden, but it will be a while before I can enjoy them… if I can get them before the birds do, that is! My favorite little blueberry stand in Wahlwiller doesn’t even have any yet. So, I guess I’ll have to adapt the age-old saying to my current cooking situation and rest assured that a blueberry in the hand is worth a few on the bush!

Empty the two cups of blueberries (either fresh or frozen) into a medium sized bowl. Add two tablespoons of the granulated sugar and mix well. Let the berries soak up the sugar while you whip up the rest of the ingredients.
In another medium sized bowl (or food processor) add the remaining sugar, flour, eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Stir the mixture until you reach the consistency of a smooth batter.

In a blatantly obvious attempt to emulate the clafoutis sold at our local bakery, I decided to insert individual baking paper linings into a silicon muffin mold. To recreate this casually chic look I simply ripped off squares of baking paper and stuffed them into each separate mold.

Scoop a spoonful or two of your sugar-coated blueberries into each muffin mold. You can add more or less depending on how fruity you want your final product to be. Next you’re going to pour a couple spoonfuls of your batter over the blueberries, making sure to fill the molds nearly to the top (they will expand in the oven and then shrink back once they’ve cooled down).

Stick your muffin mold in the oven and let it bake for about 35 minutes. You’ll want to take the pastries out once they’ve fluffed up quite a bit and turned a nice golden brown.

The final texture should be something in between a pudding and a cake… not spongy but not gooey either. Nice and moist, yummy and delicious!

While I’m showing you the texture, I may as well take a bite and let you know how it tastes… or maybe two bites, since I don’t think I got quite enough blueberries in that first bite.

One word of warning when baking these tasty treats: Be careful digging in… before you know it, it’ll be gone!

I’m so happy to be able to recreate one of my favorite pastries here in my own home. I hope you can bring a bit of Europe into your kitchen and dine on these dreamy and delicious goodies! They also aren’t so horribly bad for you… no butter or fats, just a bit of sugar. And everyone needs their daily dose of sugar, right? ;)

Have  a wonderful weekend, and I look forward to seeing you on Monday!

May 9

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Small World

Good evening everyone!

As I was weeding in the rose border this afternoon, I found myself staring at a small fly fastidiously feasting on cow parsley. I stared, stuck in a stupor, for what felt like both forever and a split second at the same time… you know what I mean? The dagger fly’s movements were so methodical and calculated, it was like I was put under some kind of trance. Once I snapped back to reality, I began to ponder the importance of even the smallest, teeniest, tiniest creature… marveling at how the circle of life, a well-oiled and age-old machine, relies on each and every organism to make its wheels turn.

It’s amazing to me how each little insect seems to be custom-built for the specific duty it performs. The dagger fly, for instance, used its long, piercing mouthparts to extract the sweet nectar from the tiny cow parsley florets. While enjoying its afternoon snack, the dagger fly was also inadvertently assisting its host plant in pollination. Crazy how nature works its magic, right?

While walking around, stalking pretty flowers with my macro lens, I’ve come across some funny little critters. These two, a lacewing and small beetle, were enjoying the shade and sweet perfume provided by a scented narcissus.

These little yellow ladybugs, the 22-spotted ladybird if you want specifics, were up to no good! Generally, though, ladybugs are more than welcome in my garden. Although the red ladybugs prefer to prey on pesky aphids, these fancy fellows actually eat mildew instead. I suppose that’s alright by me as well!

Honey bees and bumble bees can be heard buzzing about now. The subdued sound always casts a calming effect over my mind and body, a reassuring sign that the fruit trees and flowers fields are busy “bee”-ing pollinated. So long as they don’t do a precariously close fly-by and catch me off guard, I’ve come to really love bees. I’ve even come to enjoy their company in the garden.

Snails and slugs, on the other hand… meh. My poor lupine seedlings have taken a real beating by these slimy suckers. A little nibble here, a tiny tidbit there and, before you know it, they’ve devoured the fragile seedling’s leaves. I just hope they don’t find out about the dahlias… *crosses fingers*

Beetles and bugs can be so fascinating… and sometimes a little creepy. Some little creatures can be a burden in the garden, but I suppose that they all have a purpose to fulfill. I have to hand it to Mother Nature that she did one heck of a job  assigning each and every living being its own individual task. As for my task, I’ll just keep planting lots of flowers and sowing lots of seeds!

May 8

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A Social Stroll

Good evening friends!

Although the recent rains were just enough to quench our dry and thirsty ground, to my happy surprise it didn’t do much messing around with our enjoyable temperatures. The air is still heavy with spring, warm and comforting to the touch. I hope this evening that you’ll join me for a gentle stroll around the neighborhood. I promise it won’t disappoint… as a matter of fact, I’m quite certain that a pleasant surprise is waiting for us just around the corner.

We can chit-chat a bit as we make our way down the slight slope twisting and turning its way toward the neighboring village. We’ll talk about our days, what’s growing in the garden, the weather… maybe even exchange a joke or two and a giggle. Our keen eyes will notice that we’re walking along a small and windy road, sandwiched between two banks of wildflowers. How beautiful.

As we round the corner, horses are grazing in the pastures. I’m pretty sure they’re on the older side… spending their golden years enjoying a bit of peace and quite. I’ll, in the nicest way possible, remind you to hold your breath as we walk past a home that boasts a small pig farm in the backyard. Speaking of stinky… it won’t be long before we see a sign that will make us native English speakers chuckle. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this to you yet, but I like to call our little neighborhood “the butt crack of Belgium”. Not because it’s ugly. Au contraire. The lush countryside, awash in blossoms and greenery, is actually quite magical. I’ve bestowed this loving nickname upon my neighborhood because we live right next-door to the Asse. Pardon my French.

But don’t worry, that’s not the reason I’ve chosen this particular route. If you’ll follow me a bit further down the hill there’s something that I’d love to show you…

It’s right there, between the hedges and trees. Past the “private property” sign. Can you see it?

It’s a clearing within the woods, a secret garden brimming with wildflowers. A sea of Cuckoo flowers and dandelions swaying in the breeze.

We’ll slip down a short, steep slope of stinging nettles and climb through a limp barbed wire fence. Wandering into the field to admire the wildflowers from close up. I won’t drag you along much further… I know how serious Belgians are about their private property rules. This is probably when I’ll start telling you about my spontaneous and slightly scary run-in with a Belgian hunter while I was meandering through (what I thought was) an open field!

As we laugh at my pidgin French and flustered response to the hunter, we’ll keep walking a bit further before looping around and heading back home. After all, the flower field had been our main destination, a marvelous discovery in the middle of nature.

 

Once we’re back home, we’ll enjoy a cup of coffee and a croissant… or a cookie… or some muffins… or cake? Anything with sugar sounds good to me! We’ll exchange the traditional three kisses, or a hug if you’re lucky, before waving good-bye and parting ways.

I’m so glad you could come along for a little social stroll, that you could make a few moments free to admire the beautiful spring scenery. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow… so, until then, bonne soirée! :)

May 7

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Lonely Bouquet Octuplets Up for Adoption in Maastricht

Good evening friends!

I hope you all had (or are having) a wonderful day! After spending the past few days planning and foraging for today’s Lonely Bouquet distribution, I was devastated to hear that the rain initially predicted for Wednesday was actually due to arrive ahead of schedule. Yikes! Today I got caught up in a race against the rain… beating the bad weather before it could spoil my flowery plans!

I got an early start arranging all of the foraged supplies (and the purchased petals too!) within my handy, dandy recycled glass jars. The perfume exhaled from the apple blossoms made my work all that much sweeter. I was able to eke out eight nicely-sized arrangements from the garden goodies and focal flowers. It’s funny… at first I was a bit disappointed that I couldn’t find any soft pink ranunculus, but, for whatever reason, my eyes settled on the bright yellow flowers. On the drive home, I kept my fingers crossed that the clash of colors wouldn’t be an eyesore. Once the flowers were nicely displayed for arranging, I was actually quite glad that I hadn’t settled for a monotonous combination of muted tones. As a matter of fact, the contrast between the pastels and brights turned out to be a lot of fun!

All-in-all, the jam jar arrangements included a colorful combination of hackberry (putting on an incredible show right now along the rural roads), ranunculus, double tulips, cow parsley, dead nettles, garlic root, ornithogalum, and apple blossoms.

I loaded all eight arrangements, octuplets if you will, into the car and headed off toward Maastricht. Once the car was parked and I had enough time in the meter, I got busy attaching the usual tags. With a jar of flowers in each hand, I ventured into the town center.

My first stop was actually close to the car. In the middle of a crosswalk sits a lonely, seldom-used bench. I figured that this would be the perfect spot for the first of our octuplets, Carolyn, to catch a little attention.

A few blocks further into town, Jocelyn decided that a storefront window was the perfect spot to do a little people watching.

Back to the car for more flowers. I grabbed Evelyn and Gwendolyn before heading in the opposite direction toward the train station. I left Evelyn by the bike parking lot. Yes, Dutch people demand more parking places for bikes than for cars. Evelyn enjoyed a bit of shelter within a bus stop… just in case any heavy rains should come. Gwendolyn snuggled in-between a few bystanders who were waiting outside of the train station. She was feeling a bit bashful and kindly asked me not to take any pictures of her.

Back to the crowds swarming up and down the Rechtstraat with another bouquet in my hands. The oh-so-chic Marilyn wanted to do a little window shopping before finding her new home.

So far, so good. Thus far I had managed to elude the imminent rain. Caitlyn decided to soak up some sun (whatever sun was left, that is) and relax by the Maas. She figured that a flower lover or two could surely be found strolling along the river.

I dropped Madelyn off on a bench by Onze-Lieve-Vrouwenplein, where the terraces and cafes were bustling with vacationers and locals. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) she demanded lots of attention before I could even snap a picture.

Last, but not least, it was time to say farewell to the last of our octuplets, Jacquelyn. She claimed a bench outside of the Bonnefantenmuseum as she remained on the lookout for a new flower family.

With my hands once again empty, I went back to the car for the last time and headed back home.

I hope that the flowers were able to make some new friends and wiggle their way into someone’s heart… and home! :)

May 6

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Foraging 101

Good evening everyone!

How are you doing? Relaxed and rested after a beautiful weekend? We enjoyed a bit of wonderful weather here in the Belgian countryside. Sunshine, warm temperatures, and blue skies. Perfect weather for a weekend of gardening, trips to the market, evening strolls… and even a peaceful picnic underneath the setting sun! :)

I’ve just returned from my first outdoor bike ride of the season, and it felt so wonderful to breathe in the warm evening air while cruising through countryside. The traffic was light, the lilacs and fruit trees perfumed the air, and I even caught a couple whiffs of barbecues  Yum! The rest of my day, however, was spent foraging for some greenery and flowers for tomorrow’s Lonely Bouquets. In preparation for the upcoming (inter)National Lonely Bouquet Day, I figured you guys might like to come along with me on one of my average, every-day foraging trips. A little introduction to sourcing your floral supplies… Foraging 101.

There are lots of options, many of which will change and shift throughout the seasons. Right now, my go-to greenery consists of vivid green beech branches (right), dead nettles (left), willow leaves, and wildflowers.

As I’ve come to find out this year, there are lots of varieties of dead nettles. You’ve got pink ones, purple ones, white ones, yellow ones… and oh-so-sneaky stinging ones, ouch. They hold up great in a vase, and they simultaneously add both a splash of color and a wild touch.

Wildflowers are also wonderful foraging fodder. They might not have a fantastic vase life, but, more often than not, they do just fine. Right now the cow parsley (left)  is kicking into full gear and the “look zonder look”  (right) is putting on a pretty, white show. That’s another one of those plants that I’ve gotten to know first in Dutch… so I’m not quite sure what the best English translation would be. Through wikipedia, I’ve seen it listed as Garlic Root, Hedge Garlic, Jack-by-the-Hedge, and Poor Man’s Mustard. So take your pick :)
I know that the wildflowers and tree branches don’t look like much on their own, but (I like to think) they come together quite nicely… especially when accented by a few focal flowers here and there.

And who could forget the fruit blossoms. While I’ve already concluded that pear blossoms stink, I’ve found the opposite to be true for apple blossoms. The trees that are in full bloom around the field at my in-laws are totally mind-blowing. Their soft pink blossoms fade to a cheerful white and their scent… oh my goodness. It’s so subtly sweet and gently intoxicating. They’ve become my new springtime favorite for flower arranging.

Since the garden is a couple weeks behind schedule this spring, I took a drastic step and purchased a few bunches of happy, yellow ranunculus and tulips from the local market. What a splurge! I gathered everything into buckets full of water, letting them soak in a cool place.

I’ll be busy arranging this beautiful combination of colors into soft yet spunky spring bouquets that will be distributed throughout the local towns tomorrow. Flower lovers of Gulpen, Maastricht, Aubel… be on the look-out! :)

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