Showing posts with label Dames of the Needle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dames of the Needle. Show all posts

Friday, May 6, 2022

Will Some Stay?

Design - "Primitive Small 1"
Designer - Dames of the Needle
Fabric - 32 count Meadow Rue Lakeside linen
Fibers - GAST 1 strand over two threads
Started - 13 June 2011
Completed - 14 June 2011

Yet another peacock for my collection!

I had my first sighting of an Evening Grosbeak last week.

It made my heart sing. 

Just one solitary male.

Since then I've seen small flocks of grosbeaks flying overhead.

And I've heard them talking in the forest nearby.

Last year none stuck around.  Will this year be the same?
I hope not.


Thursday, May 5, 2022

Small Changes

 

Design "Primitive Smalls 3"
Designer - Dame of the Needle
Fabric - 32 count Meadow Rue Lakeside linen
Fibers - GAST
Started - 12 June 2011
Completed - 12 June 2011

Early May sees some changes.
 
Lots and lots more American Goldfinches. 

The Black-capped Chickadees are serious about nesting.

I got to watch one bringing nesting materials back to a nesting box.

I hope they continue to build their nest and take up residence there.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Flora and Fauna and Such

Design - "Primitive Small 1"
Designer - Dames of the Needle
Fabric - 32 count Meadow Rue Lakeside linen
Fibers - GAST 1 strand over two threads
Started - 13 June 2011
Completed - 14 June 2011

Yet another peacock for my collection!
There's something about a small design - the almost instant gratification of completing the work.    

And now it's time for another walk! 
In June the changes in plant life come fast and furious.

I was so pleased to find a native Red Columbine (Aquilegia formosa) on the property.  Usually the deer eat them as soon as they bloom.

With the cool mild weather the Cat's Ears are still in bloom.

I think this is our largest group yet.

It rained again Sunday afternoon/evening, so Dorothy's Creek is still burbling along.

Many folks consider Vine Maple a pest, but I enjoy its Spring color - and it is glorious in the Fall too. 

Score!  I've finally identified this small tree as a Western Chokecherry (P. virginiana var. demissa).  It likes part shade and semi-moist conditions.  In the fall it has edible fruit which Native Americans ate.  The fruit makes a good jam or jelly, but as the birds also love it - there would be a contest of wills to harvest enough to use. 
   
And this is Pale Flax (Linum bienne).  

It is native to western Europe, but has been introduced into North America, where it has naturalised on the Pacific coast from Oregon to the central coast of California.

Here's another "introduced" wildflower: Yellow Salsify (Tragopogon dubius).

And this fellow shared my walk.  This time of year the Garter Snakes like to absorb the heat of our gravel driveway. 
This guy is a Northwestern Garter Snake (Thamnophis ordinoides).
He eats mostly slugs and earthworms, occasionally snails and amphibians.  He is active from March to October.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Garden Party @ Xera Plants

Design - "Primitive Smalls 3"
Designer - Dame of the Needle
Fabric - 32 count Meadow Rue Lakeside linen
Fibers - GAST
Started - 12 June 2011
Completed - 12 June 2011

I was right - this was a perfect "Take Along" stitch.  I took it on a bus trip up to Portland, OR on Sunday.  Peacocks are one of my favorite motifs - this was an especially pretty one I think.

In honor of the Tuesday Garden Party over at An Oregon Cottage, I thought I take you on a tour of Xera Plants 

My mother, my sister, and I headed off to Portland on Sunday with a group of nineteen "like-minded" Avid Gardeners.  We left Eugene at 8:30am and headed north to Portland, OR.  Our first stop: Xera Plants. 

Xera is a wholesale nursery which serves some of the better retail nurseries in Oregon and Washington.  Paul Bonine's mission, as encapsulated by the nursery name, is to offer an alternative to water-intensive gardening.
Thus the the nursery has a great selection of sedums and sempervivums...
Hebes and conifers...

...and Agaves. 
My mom found two interesting Agaves to add to her small collection.
  
Since last year, the nursery has put together some nice displays of their plants.

Anything potted up, screamed to me, "Buy Me!"

But I endeavoured to show some restraint!

After exploring the 8-10 greenhouses, I ended up with several sedums and Escheviria.

I also got some interesting Penstemon, Agastache and Salvias. 
It was a great start to a Gardening Adventure Day!  

Monday, June 13, 2011

Teasers

I'm late, I'm late, I'm late...composing a post anyway.
I was gone all day yesterday, so today's post will be shorter than usual and an abridged version of posts-to-come.

First off, on the stitching front I kitted up a couple of "Smalls" by Dames of the Needle.  I figured they'd be good traveling companions, and I was right.

As I mentioned, I was out of town yesterday.  I traveled with a group from the Avid Gardeners to the Portland, OR area.  We visited two nurseries and a private garden.   

First up was the wholesale nursery Xera Plants.  What a rush to be able to shop wholesale - an amazing selection...

Then to the Germantown area of Portland to visit a remarkable garden.  one word - Wow!

And we finished up by visiting Morris at Joy Creek Nursery in Scappoose, OR.  We had decent weather (no rain!) and a wonderful time.  Nineteen gardeners managed to fill up the under carriage of the bus with their plant purchases.  
I will share the details, and many more pictures in further posts this week.