It's no secret that zinnias are my favorite summer flower. They're easy to grow, thrive in the summer heat, come in an endless array of colors, shapes, and sizes, make long-lasting bouquets, and are magnets for bees and butterflies. What's not to love?

Every winter I happily pore over seed catalogs, choosing my old favorites and a few new varieties to try. In late winter I start the seeds in the greenhouse and by early spring they're ready to be transplanted into the garden. You can skip the greenhouse part altogether and scatter the seeds directly in the soil--they don't require pampering in the least. Then comes the reward. By mid-summer, the border is absolutely bursting with cheerful blooms, and I can't imagine the garden without them.

This spring post that has a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

Welcome to my spring world!

Last year I made beautiful lavender chive flower vinegar and we loved it. This year I'm trying nasturtium flower vinegar too.  Nasturtiums have a peppery, almost radish-like bite, so they seem perfect for vinegar. 

Good morning from a slightly cool, beautiful California spring morning! This morning I went on my morning coffee stroll through the garden, and while I didn't think I had a blog post in me this morning, the garden sort of told me that I did. I took pictures of the veggie garden and then I remembered we'd had a dinner party and some cute pictures of our new pup, and then my weekly blog post began to take shape!

First important update: doggie is doing fine and settling in so well.  He has his issues as all rescue dogs surely do, but he is a gem of a dog and is doing better with each day. He is very much feeling at home in the house and garden. At first he didn't really care to go in the back yard, but now that he understands that he can be inside or outside as he chooses, he is spending more and more time outdoors. I think next week we'll introduce him to the doggie door.

We have named him Biscuit as one reader suggested. It fits him so well and was approved by all, most importantly approved by our grandson. We read and loved the Biscuit books when he was little so that was a factor, but also that his coloring is that of a tasty biscuit sealed it!

My Field Sweater by Camilla Vad has been knitted, worn and finally washed and I'm here to report all good things, AND to show you some gorgeous amaryllises I spied in my friend's home, and why I think you should be in a knitting group!

This hat! This little project took barely two evenings to make and each stitch made me smile. The yarn, Barrett Wool Co. Home Worsted Weight, is 100% wool and lovely and soft with a great plumpy, cottony feel while knitting. I'm certain it will be next-to-skin soft as a kitten. The pattern is fun to make and completely adorable. It's perfect for scraps but I've always wanted to try this particular yarn and they had little kits on sale (as of this posting, they are still on sale). The kit has enough yarn to make two hats, probably three depending on the size you make and if you decide to add any of your stash. I added some orange and white from my stash to add some punch and bright contrast. This is going to be my new go-to baby hat pattern. It's a snap to make and the only fiddley part is the very end when you make the point and have just a few stitches on 4 needles. Torture for a few rounds but you soon get to the end and the funny i cord tip. A very nice knit! Please come on in for the links and for more pictures of my pretty flower garden.