The Garden at Crocker Croft

Welcome

2008-12-31T02:00:00.000+05:00

In case you missed it, my interest is ...GARDENINGTalking about gardening Reading about gardening Writing about gardening Thinking about gardening Planning more gardens Dreaming about gardens Looking at gardens of others' Sharing information and ideas about the same.

2008-12-31T01:30:00.002+05:00

"A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight,and his punishment isthat he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.”(Oscar Wilde)

2008-12-31T01:00:00.004+05:00

"Life may not be the party we hoped for,but while we're here we should dance!"Author Unknown

Shall We Dance?

2008-12-30T23:59:00.000+05:00

Tony Cochran, creator of the comic strip "Agnes", on the subject of literacy: "Reading is like a dance with minds. It is sometimes an artful ballet, sometimes a passionate clutching, and sometimes it is piloting your barrel shaped balding Aunt Francis through a spirited toe crunching hokey-pokey. Don't go home without dancing. Read." Shall we dance?

God's Garden

2008-12-30T23:15:00.000+05:00

THE Lord God planted a gardenIn the first white days of the world,And He set there an angel wardenIn a garment of light enfurled.So near to the peace of Heaven,That the hawk might nest with the wren,For there in the cool of the evenGod walked with the first of men.And I dream that these garden-closesWith their shade and their sun-flecked sodAnd their lilies and bowers of roses,Were laid by the

"Earth laughs in flowers."(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

2008-12-30T23:10:00.000+05:00

If you were to ask me what style is my garden, I would be very, very tempted to reply, "willy-nilly". To be honest I would need to say, no one style, but rather, an attempt for a mixture of 'cottage' and 'naturalized' - depending on which direction you are looking. And, further, it is primarily a spring garden. We are gradually adding more plants that flower in summer and autumn, but spring is

Beeeeee!

2008-12-30T23:00:00.000+05:00

Bis for ---BarbaraB...............BobbieB...............blossoms - - -butterfly - - - and bee.What about me! - Barbee'........I know where she hides the flowers!------ -------------Follow Me! -----------------------------------------------zz--zzz-----------(whisper!--------click bee!)

Garden Path

2007-12-30T00:00:00.000+05:00

"If you'd have a mind at peace A heart that cannot harden Go find a door that opens wide Upon a beautiful garden." Author UnknownHello There! How nice of you to drop by.Life is busy here, but there is always time to stop, and stroll in the garden with a friend. Be alert, there is a cheeky little bee around here someplace.---------------------------------------------zz--zzz---zzzz----zzzzz-------

History Of the Garden

2007-12-29T23:59:00.000+05:00

My friends thought I was crazy for buying this property in 1989. But you see, I grew up on a farm and I wanted a farm. Husband/Best Friend/Main Photographer mostly lived in towns – he wanted no part of a farm! Crocker Croft was a compromise.I named our newly acquired home-place “Crocker Croft”, because it is a smallish property enclosed by the fences, trees and shrubbery of five other properties,

Lilac Cottage

2007-12-29T10:00:00.000+05:00

Lilac Cottage at Crocker CroftI usually write about the garden; this time, I think I will write about Lilac Cottage - the Cottage at Crocker Croft which I am happy to say has a long, large attached garage which is the center of my gardening operation. There are no ancillary structures to store all the gardening tools and supplies, everything is right here in the large attached garage. What I

The pet mullein plant

2007-12-28T23:00:00.000+05:00

I had never met Mullein up close until we moved to Crocker Croft. I’d seen it from afar as we drove along highways; it was quite noticeable. I remember seeing many plants of it one December as we traveled in Arizona. Near Flagstaff the tall dead plants were topped with deep caps of fresh snow; as we drew nearer to Tucson there was no more snow and they stood sere in the wintertime landscape - a

Ice Storm Saga An adventure I could have done without.

2007-09-08T07:13:00.000+05:00

Part One:What is that strange sound?!… (Answer) SilenceWhen we moved here there was dense shade from numerous large trees. Over the years the winter storms took their toll, but the worst was yet to come.It is 93 degrees F outside so it seems incongruous to write about this. Let's hope remembering, writing and reading about the ice storm will have a cooling effect.It was Sunday, February 16, 2003

Ice Storm Saga An adventure I could have done without.

2007-09-08T07:00:00.000+05:00

Part Two of Three:What was happening…For a while people were dependent on battery-powered radios and the news was: Everyone please stay put. Don’t get out. Churches are canceled. Couldn’t get there anyway – don’t try! All public gatherings were canceled. News reporters were hoarse with the constant reading of long lists of cancellations. If you are not an emergency worker, stay home! I have

Ice Storm Saga An adventure I could have done without.

2007-09-08T06:45:00.000+05:00

Part Three of Three:The clean up…When we bought and moved to this property (October 1989) I knew it would be expensive to maintain, but I had no idea how expensive!Tree work for the thirteen years we had lived here already had cost me thousands of dollars, I have lost track of how many. That is not even counting the garden expenses and supplies - plus: tools, 2 chipper machines, four lawn mowers

Daffodils

2006-06-27T23:00:00.000+05:00

I wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high o'er vales and hills,When all at once I saw a crowd,A host, of golden daffodils;Beside the lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.Continuous as the stars that shineAnd twinkle on the milky way,They stretched in never- ending lineAlong the margin of a bay:Ten thousand saw I at a glance,Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.The

Feathered Friends------Index------

2006-06-26T10:35:00.006+05:00

**Journaling About Birds**Birding - How It BeganCardinalis cardinalisHouse SparrowsBreakfast With a HawkOwlsMourning DovesFeathers and FurSoft SoundsFunny FeederPeople Making a Difference, the San Francisco oil spill**Bird Sightings**Bird Sightings A - FBird Sightings G - RBird Sightings S - W, Plus: Hummer

Feathered FriendsCardinals

2006-06-26T10:30:00.000+05:00

Cardinalis cardinalisIn the U.S.A. the different states choose a state flower, a state bird, etc. to be representative of that state. For example: our Kentucky state flower is golden rod, state butterfly is the Viceroy, and state bird is the Northern Cardinal with the musical sounding scientific name Cardinalis cardinalis.More states have chosen the Cardinal for their own than any other bird

Feathered FriendsHouse Sparrows

2006-06-26T10:23:00.000+05:00

Journaling About Birds:November 9, 2005 - This morning I was in our local home-and-building-supply store, inside the store, not outdoors in the garden supply area. In the not too distant houseplants section, I could see a large flock of House Sparrows. Something was spilled on the floor and they were eating and flying about and perching up on the merchandise on the shelves, just chattering away

Feathered FriendsBreakfast With a Hawk

2006-06-26T10:22:00.000+05:00

Friday, September 01, 2006This morning during breakfast I sat at my usual place facing the window. Suddenly I realized the light tan blob I was staring at over my coffee cup was a hawk sitting on the utility wires strung across the meadow and the bank down in the dell. I was staring at a hawk and hadn't even realized it. I focused. I'd never seen one sitting there before. Husband/Best

Feathered FriendsMourning Doves

2006-06-26T10:21:00.000+05:00

When we lived in our previous house, I used to watch birds from my kitchen-sink-window, which was second level up. Utility lines ran through the pine trees at the foot of our back yard and mourning doves would line up along the wires as many as twenty at a time. Mourning doves are supposedly named for their “mournful sound”, but to me it is a soft, sweet, cooing sound. They are softly colored,

Feathered FriendsFeathers & Fur

2006-06-26T10:20:00.000+05:00

Feathers and FurWe enjoyed visiting in the home of relatives several months ago. Adding to the fun were their very entertaining pets: a parrot, a little lovebird, and a German Shorthaired Pointer named Harper.The lovebird is a sweet little thing. When it is ready to go to sleep, it gets on top of the parrot and they snuggle together as they sleep.Harper reminds me of a human child in a dog

Feathered Friends Another Oil Spill

2006-06-26T10:19:00.000+05:00

People Making a DifferenceThe San Francisco Oil Spill (November 2007)I am having difficulty reining in my thoughts and emotions and trying to stay off my soap box. I will just post a link to another blog about people who are doing what they can to save innocent victims and mop up other people's mess.http://intbirdrescue.blogspot.com/ ____________ Back to Feathered Friends Index ____________

Birding

2006-06-26T10:00:00.000+05:00

Birding Birding Birding Birding Birding Birding It all happened so quickly it took my breath! My resident flock of fat, well-fed mourning doves was minding its own business when suddenly out of nowhere, it seemed, struck a small hawk. Feathers flew.I never counted birds until that day - when I saw the very small hawk take a nice plump dove and strain to fly away with it. The hawk was so small and

Owls

2006-06-25T10:00:00.000+05:00

November 2006I didn't sleep well last night. The owls kept me awake. I am so attuned to the sounds of nature, I doubt if I could sleep in a screened sleeping porch for the sounds would excite me and keep me awake, but I surely would like a chance to try. Always wanted a sleeping porch. Once air-conditioning arrived for houses, sleeping porches went out of style, went the way of the horse and

Soft Sounds

2006-06-25T09:45:00.000+05:00

It is November 3, 2007. Last night owls kept me awake awhile - again. That soft cooing sound penetrated my dreams. I drifted in and out. Dreaming, I explained to someone that they were Great Horned Owls making that sound - calling. It went on and on, with me drifting back to sleep between calls. Then there it was again; I was hearing it again: who, who-who, who, who. It was the low

Funny Feeder

2006-06-25T09:40:00.007+05:00

We always wait until after the holidays to start feeding the birds. By then everyone is settled down to stay awhile and the birds have eaten what they could find in the natural landscape. Last year we had such a bad spring with yo-yoing temperatures and killing frosts there wasn't much food for wildlife. Then come summertime, we had weeks of drought which did further destruction; there is

Bird Sightings: S- W, Plus: Hummer

2006-06-24T10:45:00.000+05:00

Sparrows:38. Chipping sparrow39. Field sparrow - 4/24/07 near to Garden Door40. House sparrow<--41. Song sparrow42. White throat sparrow43. White crowned sparrow - 2/11/94 at squirrel feeder during an ice storm.44. Fox sparrow - 4/7/94 scratching in azalea's mulch outside bathroom window.45. Starling46. Swift: chimney swifts: A family with four young ones sat in a row on the utility service line

Bird Sightings G - R

2006-06-24T10:40:00.004+05:00

16. Geese: Jan. 22'90, 9 a.m.: Canada geese flew honking across the back yard past my bedroom window as I was waking. Noisy neighbors!17. Gnatcatcher- bluegray gnatcatcher 4/16/94, 6:30 p.m.: Going through the bushy branches of hackberry tree at kitchen window.18. Grackle <<--- 19. Grosbeak - Rose-breasted Grosbeak, male, 5/3/91: This morning as I first entered the kitchen I spied a male

Bird Sightings A - F

2006-06-24T10:30:00.000+05:00

(alphabetical, more or less)1. Blue jay Below2. Brown creeper3. Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis ... I love that name!) Cardinals: Male above Female to the Right4. Catbird 5/5/905. Cedar Waxwing, Below6. Chickadee (Carolina Chickadee)Above: Chickadee7. Cow bird: brown-headed cow bird 1/4/908. Crow9. Dove: mourning dove10. Ducks: Feb. 21,'90: Two mallards flew through trees over the dell.Apr. '92:

Yeats' Complete Poem

2006-06-24T10:20:00.000+05:00

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,Enwrought with golden and silver light,The blue and the dim and the dark clothsOf night and light and the half-light,I would spread the cloths under your feet:But I, being poor, have only my dreams;I have spread my dreams under your feet;Tread softly, because you tread on my dreams. William Butler Yeats

Grand-doggies

2005-07-01T06:45:00.000+05:00

First there was beautiful Lady.And, handsome Murphy. They are both in doggie heaven now after being much loved.Then along came Gracey the home protector and four legged alarm. And Jake, the fun guy.Guess who the newest member is.....Mia!Oh, yes, we also have six of thetwo legged type of grandchildren - all ages.Hello! My name is Sparkle!Feed me a treat.And look in my More box for my toy.Let's

Armonica, a Musical Instrument

2005-01-05T09:00:00.000+05:00

January 2007Armonica,a Musical InstrumentOne of our granddaughters sent me the following link to a delightful web site. I enjoyed learning about this historic musical instrument and playing with it on the interactive web page. Give it a look; you might enjoy it, too. Angelic sounds are created by Cecilia Gniewek Brauer on this instrument.Her home pagehttp://www.gigmasters.com/armonica/

Thoughts About Gifts

2005-01-05T08:45:00.000+05:00

January 2007THOUGHTS ABOUT GIFTSHow sweet the memory of a gift. Sweeter still the memory of the giver.Having just passed through a season of gift giving, my thoughts still linger on the subject. Whether it is fun and thoughtful gifts given and received among us, or another kind, they are all precious, and they are all blessings.What fun we all had in the spirit of Christmas with the planning, the

Celebration!!!

2005-01-05T08:30:00.000+05:00

January 2007Celebration!!!Thank you for all your recent sweet, thoughtful messages. And, Holiday Greetings to all of you who celebrate at this time of year! I have been away for a while enjoying our holidays, holiday travel, and a BIG Celebration! We celebrate Thanksgiving Day in November; Christmas in December; then right on its heels comes the New Year Celebration. Extra busy, this time of the

Phantom of the Opera

2005-01-05T08:15:00.000+05:00

January 2005Phantom of the OperaEveryone else has been back to work and school. What has Barbee' been doing? By the time we arrived home from all our Christmas travels, Younger Son and I were sick of flu-like viruses. (We're still coughing.) He soon continued to New York. I was glad I had reached the end of my trip for all I could do was sit with a box of tissues, sniff, sneeze, cough, blow, and

Off the Subject

2005-01-05T08:00:00.001+05:00

-----INDEX------Phantom of the OperaCelebration!!!Thoughts About GiftsArmonica, a Musical InstrumentDeep In Books

Trees

2005-01-05T07:30:00.000+05:00

By Joyce KilmerI think that I shall never seeA poem lovely as a tree.A tree whose hungry mouth is prestAgainst the sweet earth's flowing breast;A tree that looks at God all day,And lifts her leafy arms to pray;A tree that may in summer wearA nest of robins in her hair;Upon whose bosom snow has lain;Who intimately lives with rain.Poems are made by fools like me,But only God can make a tree.Alfred

Deep In Books

2005-01-04T17:00:00.001+05:00

Obviously I have been away awhile, physically part of the time, mentally most of the time.As usual we spent the holidays with our grandchildren - oh, and, yes, their parents, too. I am fortunate to have Younger Son and Husband/Best Friend/Chief Photographer who do all the driving when we travel. That way I get to read all the way.I travel with a book bag supplied with plenty of reading material

Books

2004-04-24T09:00:00.002+05:00

"All that mankind has done, thought, gained or been: it is lying as in magic preservation in the pages of books."Thomas Carlyle Journaling About BooksApril 9, 2007I am going to "fudge" (cheat) a little today; instead of writing about a book, I am writing about my favorite magazine:Those of you who know me well already know I treasure “Horticulture" magazine. Several years ago a friend gave me

Tulips Index

2004-04-23T02:05:00.002+05:00

Tulips Part One - Springs of YoreTulips Part Two - My InspirationTulips Part Three - Letters of Two GardenersTulips Part Four - We Have Tulips!

Tulips Part One - Springs of Yore

2004-04-23T02:00:00.010+05:00

Occasionally someone will ask me what is my favorite flower. I used to be uncomfortable with that and say I did not have a favorite. It was too much like asking me which was my favorite child – there is no such thing! Before my gardening days when our children were small and still sat with me in church, I remember the feeling, during those rare relatively quiet, relaxing minutes, that I was

Tulips Part Two - My Inspiration

2004-04-23T01:45:00.018+05:00

I would like to talk to you about tulips.In my hometown when I was young (the 1940’s and 50’s) there was a family of adult brothers and sisters named Freed who lived in a large, two-story, white, clapboard, late 19th-century Victorian home that was built after the Civil War by Julius Freed, a dry goods storeowner. The family store was still in business and run by the Freed family. The Freed

Tulips Part Three - Letters of Two Gardeners

2004-04-23T01:30:00.004+05:00

I write this in hopes that this information and my experiences with planting bulbs will be of some help to others.Summer, 2005, I decided I wanted - no needed - more tulips. I knew they needed to be planted in late summertime or in autumn before the fall rains began – late September or early October is usually best for me - but that is the driest period here. Besides, we had drought that summer,

Tulips Part Four - We Have Tulips!

2004-04-23T01:00:00.017+05:00

Spring 2006Our retired neighborhood curmudgeon, who lives across the street, is also the neighborhood watch person. He sits out in a comfortable spot where neighbors tend to gravitate to visit with him. He hears about what is going on. He drives through the neighborhood once a day and keeps an eye on everything.Sitting out-of-doors across the street he has a clear view of what is going on over

The Reading Mother

1987-09-26T20:37:00.000+05:00

by Strickland GillilanI HAD A MOTHER who read to meSagas of pirates who scoured the sea,Cutlasses clenched in their yellow teeth,"Blackbirds" stowed in the hold beneath.I had a Mother who read me laysOf ancient and gallant and golden days;Stories of Marmion and Ivanhoe,Which every boy has a right to know.I had a Mother who read me talesOf Gelert the hound of the hills of Wales,True to his trust

Terrace + Rockery

1987-09-25T03:47:00.002+05:00

Headed to the RockeryWe have to go around the curve and down.There used to be a downhill footpath into the dell. Abouthalf way down and on the right-hand side there is a stone outcrop, a reminder, this used to be a limestone quarry.On top of it is a flat area with a very thin layer of soil. Flat enough that we could put a bench there for anyone with time enough to sit and enjoy the view. (The

Horses

1987-09-24T12:00:00.001+05:00

If you have read my posts in “History of the Garden”, you know that when we moved here horses used to look at me over the fence. There were horses on one side, and on the other, up the street a few properties away there were, and still are, more horses. I occasionally hear them whinny. Several streets in Lexington are named for famous horses, right in there along with those named for

Blotanical

1987-09-23T22:33:00.001+05:00

Hello spring, the time for digging is finally here! Still too wet out there? Do as I do, plow through the Internet watching for blogs and web sites about gardens, gardening, and other gardeners. That is the greatest time evaporator I have ever seen.During my recent digging explorations I hit pay dirt: gold in the form of the web site Blotanical. I will never have to search for gardening

Legend of the Dogwood Tree

1987-09-23T03:45:00.008+05:00

Legend of the Dogwood TreeJesus was crucified on a cross of dogwood timbers.God said from that day forever the dogwood trees would never again grow large enough to make timbers that could be used for that purpose. The dogwoods became small trees growing in the understory.The flower of the dogwood has four petals in the shape of a cross.At the tip of each petal is a stain where the spike

Creepy Crawlies

1987-09-22T03:57:00.001+05:00

Just a short entry to document some critters that I had never seen before, and to share the names and addresses of two very good web sites about such things.These fellows are enjoying our wild goldenrod. I have seen black wasp looking things before, but what is that pretty insect on the left!Ailanthus Webworm Moth (Atteva punctella)I identified it by going to this great web site: Bug Guide.

What's New This Week

1986-04-24T08:00:00.040+05:00

JAPANESE TOMATO RING is a popular topic: click here to read instructions for how to build one.If you arrived here by search engine such as Google or Yahoo!, your topic may be farther down on this page. Scroll down and click on the link to your search topic.NEW POSTS...Most new posts will now be found on Barbee's Blog.Feel free to visit there:http://barbeeslog.blogspot.com-------------------------

The Garden at Crocker Croft

Welcome

Shall We Dance?

God's Garden

"Earth laughs in flowers."(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Beeeeee!

Garden Path

History Of the Garden

Lilac Cottage

The pet mullein plant

Ice Storm Saga An adventure I could have done without.

Ice Storm Saga An adventure I could have done without.

Ice Storm Saga An adventure I could have done without.

Daffodils

Feathered Friends------Index------

Feathered FriendsCardinals

Feathered FriendsHouse Sparrows

Feathered FriendsBreakfast With a Hawk

Feathered FriendsMourning Doves

Feathered FriendsFeathers & Fur

Feathered Friends Another Oil Spill

Birding

Owls

Soft Sounds

Funny Feeder

Bird Sightings: S- W, Plus: Hummer

Bird Sightings G - R

Bird Sightings A - F

Yeats' Complete Poem

Grand-doggies

Armonica, a Musical Instrument

Thoughts About Gifts

Celebration!!!

Phantom of the Opera

Off the Subject

Trees

Deep In Books

Books

Tulips Index

Tulips Part One - Springs of Yore

Tulips Part Two - My Inspiration

Tulips Part Three - Letters of Two Gardeners

Tulips Part Four - We Have Tulips!

More Links/Blog Roll

The Reading Mother

Terrace + Rockery

Horses

Blotanical

Legend of the Dogwood Tree

Creepy Crawlies

What's New This Week