What's Happening for 2015

Hey everyone.  I've been away from this blog for ages.  In the interim I had 2 other blogs dealing with gardening and quilting but since I got the new computer I can't get into it to post anything.
Therefore, I'm going to post everything current on this blog instead, which amazingly, was still operational for me.
It'll be nice, anyway, posting to just the one blog.
I've started my own seeds for tomatoes and peppers again this year and some herbs.  So far several have gone in, but not the peppers.  In Maine its a bit chilly for transplanting those outdoors quite yet.

I'm happy to say that the Irises are starting to bloom.  This one is Copyright and I love the brightness of the yellow.

This one above is a bright white, Immortality.  Its usually the first to bloom each season and this year that was May 30th.

My 3 young lilac bushes were blooming well in May but have now passed for the season.  I enjoyed their fragrance in my home during that time.

The broccoli are doing well in the Back 40, which are raised beds up a quite steep hill from my doorway.  As the years progress, it is getting harder and harder for me to handle that hill so I'm putting mostly perennial flowers in those raised beds.  I'll only continue to grow the veggies that are easiest to care for; needing less watering, less attention.  Things like these broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, sugar snap peas, kalettes, and also some tomatoes have been transplanted there.  The permanent asparagus berm is in the Back 40 and doing well for its 3rd year.

I've got a great recipe for asparagus.  And why do I know its good?  Because I never ate asparagus before nor did my son and a nephew, until I made fresh asparagus with the following very easy recipe.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS
Preheat your oven to 400*F
Cut off the tough bottom ends of fresh asparagus.
Lay out on a baking sheet.  ( I line mine with aluminum foil for easier cleanup later).
Sprinkle the asparagus with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Roll the asparagus back and forth to coat.
Place in oven and roast for ten minutes.
Remove from oven and place on dish.
Top with this Lemon Vinaigrette:
The juice of half a lemon in a small bowl.
Add 1 teaspoon mustard. 
Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil.
Whisk to combine.  Pour over the hot asparagus before serving.

Yup, even the naysayers loved this recipe.  The secret is having fresh asparagus from your garden.

 

Yesterday I added newspaper mulch around the tomato plants.  I wanted to do this when I transplanted the little guys but didn't have any newspaper.  Then we had 3 days of rain (got 3" of the wet stuff) but I finally found newspaper and did the task.  I hope this will keep soil-borne diseases from splashing up on the leaves when it rains in future.  I also hope I'm not too late with this mulch.

Its been a good year to date.  I've transplanted several perennials in the raised beds: English daisies, Silene, Dianthus, Columbines, Leopard's Bane, plus some Rudbeckia bulbs, and seeds of Echinacea, more Dianthus, Golden Eye, Malva, and Scabiosa.  I also sowed some annuals among the beds, like petunias, zinnias, alyssum, marigolds, and nasturtiums. 
In the meantime, there's the flower beds just outside my kitchen door which makes it handy for me to garden.  Here I have transplanted kale, Swiss chard, lettuce, rosemary, parsley, thyme, chives, oregano and several tomato plants, both indeterminates and determinates.  I'm sure I won't be short of fresh food to eat from the gardens even with the loss of the space in the Back 40.

As for my recent quilting experiences, they were put on the back burner for awhile as I started seeds for this years gardens and that meant using my layout tables for the seed starting equipment and lights until just the other day.
I'll be back to more quilting projects soon so be sure to watch for them..

I tried my hand at 'fractured qulting' in March.  This is a wallhanging I made with roses.  I found it intriguing and different, that's for sure.

This was a challenge project finished in March which has to do with things in flight.  For me its always butterflies, which I adore.  These are butterflies fluttering around coneflowers in the garden.  There are 3 beaded honey bees on the flowers and if you look closely, you'll see 3 fairies enjoying the beauty of the garden as well.  This hangs in my living room so I can look at it and enjoy.  It's made in Replique, which is an upside-down applique that you do from the back to front and use a dark satin-stitch to outline the features. 
I have another to finish for my June Challenge this month with flowers in vases.  That'll keep me busy as soon as the garden transplanting and sowing is finished.
That my friends is the latest for Quiltlady's Gardens.  Another season in the life of one woman who loves quilting, gardening, reading mysteries, and watching Britcoms as well as British mysteries, especially Miss Marple and Poirot.
I hope everyone finds something they really love to do and just does it.
I'll be checking back with more photos as my garden and quilts progress.
Thank you for visiting!