Rainforest Flowers and Book Winner

Thanks to everyone who left a comment on the Hothouse Flowers review post. After using a random number generator to select a winner, the book goes to Jennywenny of Foray into Food. Jenny, if you can forward your mailing info to me at freerangeliving@gmail.com, I will pass it along to the people at TLC Book Tours, and a copy will be mailed out to you shortly.

Since we’re talking flowers, I thought I’d share a few photos of flowers from our garden this year. Many of our newer flower beds struggled because the soil was freshly broken and hadn’t yet been amended enough to ensure vigorous growth, but the beds that I created last year did much better.

These Valentine sunflowers are thriving thanks to the excess nitrogen in the soil next to the chicken run. Situated on the south side of the run, they created a nice shady patch for the chickens during the heat of summer, and are now feeding the family of Stellar’s Jays that live on our property.

We’ve been letting the chickens have the run of the yard occasionally (while we keep a watchful eye out for eagles and bears, of course). This is Ruby, our beautiful (and very broody) Buff Orpington, chasing crickets on the lawn above our septic.

And here’s a final parting shot of the wildflower patch, which is looking pretty sad after this weekend’s rain. At it’s peak, the tallest flowers were over my head, and it positively buzzed with bees all summer long. Because of its ongoing beauty, low maintenance nature, and low water requirements, I will definitely be sowing this mix elsewhere in coming years.

Next up: a veggie garden update.