LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Red Oak House Garden Notes No. 75
Peak garden time
Unheralded
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — An Explosion Of Scoria Lilies In The Badlands: Rain Makes All The Difference
I’m home from the Badlands of North Dakota. Rain makes all the difference. In my lifetime, I’ve seen it this green, but not for a good long while. After these years of drought, the wildflowers are exploding. I don’t remember seeing so many scoria lilies (10-petal blazing star, aka Mentzelia Decapetala in the southern Badlands before). Oh and Lazuli Buntings everywhere.
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Red Oak House Garden Notes No. 72: The Perennials And Tomatoes Take Center Stage
A deluge of magical rain these past weeks has made all the difference. That and two loads of mulch from the dump and some clearance bags of mulch from Runnings. Busy now, packing for an expedition with a woman friend. Countless lessons about packing from my Mother are informing and inspiring me today. More smiles now than tears. Stay tuned for news …
MICHAEL BOGERT: Photo Gallery — July Jewels
Grand Forks photographer Michael Bogert has been on the road this month. Here are just a few of the amazing shots he’s taken on his travels.
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Red Oak House Garden Notes No. 71: What A Difference Rain Makes
What a difference rain makes. Dawn, July 10, 2022.
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Red Oak House Garden Notes No. 70: Here It Is July
Here It Is July at Red Oak House, and 2.75 inches of rain in two nights! And a few days ago, I dug up a shrub rose in an area that has to be re-worked and gifted it to my dear friend, Christine. She has planted it. Moved the clock and touched up the paint, and life goes on. Time …
DAVE BRUNER: Photo Gallery — ‘Badlands Beauty’
Grand Forks photographer Dave Bruner and his wife, Sheila, went out to the Badlands in western North Dakota this past week to hike around the area, take in the Medora Musical and do some photography. “The area was so nice and green due to the timely rains this year. The wildflowers were out in full bloom and gave the landscape …
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Red Oak House Garden Notes No. 66
Digging in the dirt is my therapy.
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — A Meditation On Yellow: Missouri River Watershed
Autumn in the Missouri River watershed is a yellow time. Goldenrods, Maximilian and other sunflowers, curlycup gumweed, green ash, rubber rabbitbrush and the plants of the willow family that includes aspen and the ubiquitous cottonwood — which to me is emblematic of the Little Missouri and Missouri landscape. The first hints of autumn yellow come from the late summer flowers. …
MICHAEL BOGERT: Photo Gallery — Flora And Fauna
Grand Forks photographer Michael Bogert recently has spent time capturing nature sights the past few weeks of summer, flora and fauna alike
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Red Oak House Garden Notes No. 66 : The Summer Of Smoke
Remember when I said, on June 13, “Guess I’ll just go camping”? Well, we did. We hitched up the travel trailer and headed west, straight into the cauldron, to the historic heatwave in the Pacific Northwest. But we got lucky, and cool weather returned by the time we made it to North Cascades National Park. Highlights were glorious Mount Rainier, where …
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Silent Scorched Spring
Dead perennials, spring 2021 Hosta: Autumn Glow Teenie Weenie Cracker Crumbs Hacksaw Judy Blue Eyes, most (healthy and spreading for ten years prior) Prairie Angel (one of two) Tokudama Sitting Pretty Peanut Praying Hands (most) Cherry Berry True Blue (a huge and beautiful plant) The miniatures, however established, took the biggest hit. Here’s Green Mouse Ears hosta this year: And …
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Red Oak House Garden Notes No. 65
I know, I know. It has been many months since I’ve written Red Oak House Garden Notes. How many times can one write about an exceptional drought? How many times can one whine about the long dry winter? I’ve also been busy with rewrites of a manuscript Jim and I have devoted much of the past years crafting. That, and …
MICHAEL BOGERT: Photo Gallery — Flora And Fauna
Grand Forks photographer Michael Bogert has been spending some quality time in the great outdoors lately, capturing images of wildlife and its surroundings.
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — A Hint of Autumn At Red Oak House: The Kitchen Redo Is DONE
Heim Granite, Goetz Electric, Rivers Edge Plumbing and Flecks Appliances get top marks!
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Red Oak House Garden Notes No. 61
Assorted Perennials now in bloom at Red Oak House.
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Red Oak House Garden Notes No. 60
Life has been hectic. We are harvesting vegetables and scrambling to adjust to life in a pandemic. When I get time, I will write some thank-you notes to the people who have helped us through these past months of lockdown and loss. When we get stamps or get to our nearby post office, we will mail those. “Notes” will feel …
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Red Oak House Garden Notes No. 59
One year ago, at the time of Summer Solstice, I took some photos of our gardens. Here are two views of the irises in bloom. Last year, I divided hostas and other perennials to increase my plants without buying more, a frugal gardener. I give away plants and friends give me plants. We grub raspberries and give the plants …
DAVE BRUNER: Photo Gallery — Apple Blossoms
Photographer Dave Bruner captured these beautiful spring images this past week in Grand Forks, where the flowering apple trees were in full bloom.
JEFF OLSON: Photo Gallery — Splendid Spring
Spring is a beautiful time of the year, a time of birth and renewal. Photographer Jeff Olson recently captured these Colorado images that bear that out.
ERIC BERGESON: Photo Gallery — Flora, Fauna And The Land
Arizona is much more than the Grand Canyon, as these images from photographer Eric Bergeson show. These picturesque photos taken along the Catalina Highway, Sabino Canyon and the area around Patagonia show off some of Arizona’s other beautiful sights that await travelers to the Southwest.
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Red Oak House Garden Notes No. 54: Time To Pay The Piper
You may have noticed that WildDakotaWoman has been quiet of late. I’ve been to England, Scotland and Wales for that time. Yup, a whole month. It was just as wonderful as I thought it would be and I’ll write about it when I have time. I don’t have time because I came home to at least a month worth of …
DAVE BRUNER: Photo Gallery — Flowers In Bloom
The flower garden at University Park in Grand Forks is in full splendor as these images from photographer Dave Bruner prove out.
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Red Oak House Garden Notes No. 53
I’m awake before dawn this morning at Red Oak House with a long task list that includes an overdue Garden Notes post. Between painting the house, ailing elderly parents, a trip to Yellowstone and preparations for my upcoming adventure, I have fallen behind in my writing. Yet, I write for pleasure and have no deadline, so it is “all good.” …
ERIC BERGESON: Photo Gallery — Summer Splendor
Photographer Eric Bergeson captured the beauty of summer this week at Bergeson Nursery near Fertile, Minn. The nursery’s gardens are always open during daylight hours in the summer and are the most beautiful from late July through early September, as these images prove out.
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Red Oak House Garden Notes No. 52 : I Paint The House
After all of that snow and good spring rains, the gardens are lush at Red Oak House. Jim finally got the rabbit-proof fence perfected so the vegetable beds are going to produce bountifully. We are eating lettuce and radishes and the peas are just around the corner. The weeds are flourishing, too, and we barely keep up with that chore. …
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Red Oak House Garden Notes No. 51: Digging In The Dirt Is My Therapy
Digging in the dirt is my therapy, and we have been doing plenty of digging these past few weeks at Red Oak House. Jim has planted 25 of his heirloom tomatoes he started by seed in March and given away his remaining seedlings. He reports that the peas and potatoes have sprouted with the long-awaited arrival of sunny weather, and …
ERIC BERGESON: Photo Gallery — A Summer To Remember
Photographer Eric Bergeson thought he would try to ease the dreariness of winter by sharing these 2018 summer images from Bergeson Nursery near Fertile, Minn. In comparing this year’s pictures to other years, he thinks this past summer was the best growing season in memory.
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Red Oak House Garden Notes No. 48: Wrapping Up The Summer Season
Although the growing season began with such promise, Jim is bemoaning that it has been a disappointing year in the vegetable gardens, as he harvests the meager take of vegetables. Last year at the same time, he was bringing in 30 or so tomatoes a day, and now he only finds about three or four ripe among the hundreds of …
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Red Oak House Garden Notes No. 47: The Daylilies Are Waning
Peak daylily bloom here at Red Oak House has passed, and I can’t help but feel a bit wistful about this. The focus of this past July has been daylilies of all kinds, and not just in my garden. Late in the month, I took in an exhibit of daylily art at Bismarck Art Gallery Associates, where it was delightful …
ERIC BERGESON: Photo Gallery — ‘Pollinators’
Photographer Eric Bergeson knows a bit about flowers and pollination.
TONY J BENDER: That’s Life — Robins
Mama Robin built a nest a scant 6 feet from the front door this year. Brave girl, that one, or perhaps just trusting. The azure eggs were visible just below eye level, and India and I watched the progression from broken shells to featherless, famished babies with gaping mouths, as their gaunt, overworked mother retrieved worms and bugs from the …
ERIC BERGESON: Photo Gallery — Bergeson Gardens
If you’ve never been to Bergeson Nursery during the summer, it’s probably something you should add to your bucket list. Located southeast of Fertile, Minn., the gardens are always open during daylight hours in the summer. They are the most beautiful from late July through early September, and during that time, printed garden guides are available then that allow you to …
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Red Oak House Garden Notes No. 46: Red, Red, Red
Red daylilies are stealing the show a wee bit these days in the garden. And then, there is the delicate beauty of the Leopard Lily. Happy days!
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Red Oak House Garden Notes No. 45: Life Is A Garden, Friends Are The Flowers
The riotous beauty of the daylilies has me feeling that I’m somewhat neglecting the glory of my hostas, so today I’m featuring the front yard. As I’ve written in the past, I’m no fan of lawns and mowing, thus we’ve converted nearly every foot of our yard to beds, including the front yard. The sight in the first few years …
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Red Oak House Garden Notes No. 44: Daylilies, Daylilies, Dayliles … And A Bunch Of Voles
The daylilies are coming fast and furious, accompanied by a fierce outbreak of mosquitoes. I have 189 varieties of daylilies. My sister, Beckie, and I collect these and together we have 225 varieties. We also belong to the Bismarck-Mandan Daylily Club and have great fun together at the annual auction. On Sunday, my absolute favorite of all of the 189 …
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Red Oak House Garden Notes No. 43: The Daylilies Enter The Stage With A Bang
Now is the time when all of our hard work in the gardens of Red Oak House pay us with the joy of abundant blossoms and fresh vegetables. We’ve eaten the first of our tomato crop ― all juicy and scrumptious, along with fresh peas and beans. Now are the days of meals we call “nothing from the store.” Meanwhile, …
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Red Oak House Garden Notes No. 42 — A Mostly Cool June
Although we had a few scorcher days in June, most days it was cool and the Red Oak House windows remained wide open. Late June also brought the blessings of rain, an inch and a quarter in the last days of this week. We can finally breathe a sigh of relief that the drought is over. The vegetable garden looks terrific, …
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Red Oak House Garden Notes No. 41 — Cutworms Get Broccoli, Grill Goes On Fritz
Every gardener experiences successes and failures and must learn to go with the flow. Here at Red Oak House, the cutworms killed the heretofore vigorous broccoli. Mr. Green Jeans has replanted broccoli and protected the plants this time with milk cartons. On the bright side, the tomatoes look terrific, as does the rest of the vegetable garden. And for now, …
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Red Oak House Garden Notes No. 40 — It Rains!
The days continue to grow longer here in the northern latitudes as the calendar progresses toward the summer solstice, and our garden is proof of that inescapable rhythm. It finally has rained, although not much. Yet, we are extremely grateful for the precipitation, in spite of the fact that some of it fell as we were conducting our book sale. …
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Walk On The Wild Side — In The Bad Lands
While life at Red Oak House here on Missouri River is filled with many blessings and much happiness, as frequently as possible we refresh our spirits with visits to the Bad Lands of North Dakota, which we did early this week, joined by our daughter, Chelsea, and Paul and Joe, our friends from Arizona. We met on the veranda of …
LILLIAN CROOK: WildDakotaWoman — Red Oak House Garden Notes No. 39
The air is fragrant here at Red Oak House because all of the crab apple trees and lilacs are blooming. Thus, it is exceptionally pleasant to work at our gardening chores. The juneberry bush is loaded with blossoms, and our resident house wrens have returned. Their cheerful call makes our back patio an even more pleasant haven. Jim has finished …