Great expectations

After getting off to a rather slow start, my garden is finally starting to live up to my expectations for it.



I've started harvesting the first stupice and sweet million cherry tomatoes. Yum. And I've already enjoyed this season's first platter of these tomatoes topped with fresh basil from the garden, mozzarella, and some Temecula Olive Oil Company olive oil. Did I say Yum?



You can probably hear their skin stretching as the ambrosia and lambkin melons get bigger each day. (Note to the husband if you're reading this: Those two ambrosia melons might not be there by the time you get home. I'm just sayin'...)





I'm looking forward to few things in life as much as eating this Honey Bear acorn squash. I seriously cannot wait to eat it. Thankfully, the three squash plants are doing outstanding this year, so I should have several squash to enjoy.



I'm also looking forward to trying this Bush Delicata squash. It's the first time I've tried growing it, and I'm anxious to see what it tastes like.



Even my first-year strawberries are on a roll this summer!



With the exception of the strawberries, which were purchased bare root, all of the plants were grown from seed from Territorial Seed Company. If you are looking for seed for outstanding vegetables, this should be your first stop!

Garden smut: Stone edge farm

Location: Stone Edge Farm, Sonoma Valley, California; 2009 ASLA Honor Award for Residential Design
Landscape Architect: Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture
Found via: American Society of Landscape Architects

Garden smut: Rock, plants, water

Location: San Luis Obispo, California
Landscape architect: Jeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture

Garden smut: Portland Japanese garden

Location: Portland Japanese Garden, Portland, Oregon
Photos 1-5: Michel Hersen
Photos 6-8: Matthew Tauzer

Garden smut: Blue green aspen

Location: three homes in Aspen, Colorado
Landscape architect: Blue Green

Garden smut: Garden of Infinite Compassion

Location: Sun Valley, Idaho (built in 8 weeks to honor the visit by His Holiness the Dalai Lama)
Designer: Marpa Design Studio

Garden smut

You already know one of my dirty little secrets: I'm obsessed with house design right now, which plays no small part in my decision to add a new feature here every Friday called House Smut. But it turns out that I have an even bigger obsession with gardens and landscaping right now! Thus, on Fridays you'll get a double dose of smut: House Smut in the morning and Garden Smut in the afternoon!

My friends and family know that I've always been slightly addicted to plants (the husband and my mom will argue with my use of the word "slightly").

Now that we're almost done remodeling our house, I really need to start focusing on the landscaping around here. I can't tell you how embarrassing it is that I still have plants sitting on my front porch that I bought a year and a half ago and haven't managed to plant yet. Sad, I know.

And, because I'm crazy, I took advantage of a recent "buy one, get one free" sale at High Country Gardens. I think I have about 450 or so bulbs--wild iris, wild tulips, and other spring blooming bulbs--coming my way. This is in addition to the roughly 100 pounds of daffodil bulbs, daylilies, and iris my mom just gave me from her garden. No, I'm not kidding.

Let's just say that I have a lot of work to do around here!

One thing I need to do immediately is come up with a plan. I've been scouring the internet looking for ideas, and, like my house design folder, my computer's garden folder is bursting at the seams! Thus, I have created the Friday afternoon Garden Smut feature.

Consider it pure, guilt-free pleasure for the green thumbers out there!

Because of my particular gardening needs and interests, most of the featured gardens will be xeriscape and likely incorporate rocks. But I'm a sucker for pretty cottage gardens, peaceful Japanese gardens, and lush water gardens, so you'll be seeing some of them featured from time to time, too.

I'll include occasional posts on specific garden themes, such as interesting water features, yard art, paths, patios, etc. Like House Smut, Garden Smut posts will focus on the gardens, with no text to distract you other than the important information such as the location and landscape designer (when I can find this information), as well as the original source where I found the images (if applicable).

I hope that you'll be able to find ideas and inspiration for your own garden in these Friday posts. Because before you know it, spring will be back upon us and it will be time to head back into the garden.