Tulips!

Firstly, I wanted to thank everyone who left a note of condolence or concern about the death of our chickens. It really meant a lot to me, and we had a nice, little chicken funeral beneath the 'Fairy' rose. We buried Penelope with some of her favourite things such as 5-grain scratch, various berries, some dandelion leaves and a few squash blossoms. The grave was decorated with several of hers and Drucilla's feathers, and we have plans to relocate our purple 'Jeanette' Passion Flower above the grave as a sort of marker.

Over the past weekend, I purchased some Tulip bulbs in anticipation for Spring gardening. I love all of the colour and beauty that appears in the garden in Autumn, but this can't always compare with the excitement I feel waiting for the Spring. I'm sure some of you can relate!

Here are the names and images (not taken by me) of some of the bulbs we have purchased. I have planted many of these in pots to overwinter, and have mulched them well with straw, fish emulsion and new soil. I can't wait to see what Spring brings!

'Holland Chic'

'Purissima'

'Purple Flag'

'Mount Tacoma'

'Don Quichotte'

'Negrita'

       ' Purple Prince'

'Ollioules'

Lastly, something called 'Purple Mix' which only vaguely resembles this, but features two varieties of solid purple tulip (probably 'Negrita' and 'Queen of Night'), one solid white tulip, and a mottled lavender and white variety. I wish there were the Parrot tulips included, alas!

Penelope Video

Our Barred Plymouth Rock Penelope, loves to help 'clean up' when we garden with her in the yard. I know I shouldn't have favourites, but it is hard to resist a hen as sweet and tame as she. Here is a cute video of her following The Husband around as he prepares our side yard for a fence installation!

Creatures of the Tiny Green Cottage

Rosemary

(Silver-Laced Wyandotte and Alpha-Hen)

Gwendolyn

(Barred Cochin and Brooder)

Valentina
(Australorp and Belle of the Cottage)

Penelope

(Barred Plymouth Rock and Rabble Rouser)

Drucilla
(Ameraucana and Adventurer)

Biscuit

(Domestic Short Hair and Flirt)

Siouxsie Mew

(Manx and Spoiled Princess)

Dirt.

Ah, dear friends-

I'm experimenting with the format of this blog, so please bear with me while I attempt to beautify the overall appearance. It may look ugly and out-of-sorts, but eventually I will get it up and running to satisfaction.

The weather has been fairly uncooperative as of late, so our newer raised garden beds are still without dirt. We have numerous seedlings ready to be planted in these plots, but we must be content for a week longer until our dirt delivery arrives.

The patient plants in waiting:

Brussel Sprouts
Globe Artichoke
Rhubarb
Celery
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Collard Greens

We also have Dahlias, Salvia and a Peony to plant!

As far as flowers blooming, we have a very small amount of tulips showing their faces, and the Pansies we received back in February are still going strong!

Yes, I would have never dreamt of being enthralled about spending $100 on dirt in my former life, but that was before I had become fully immersed into the ways of gardening.

Until next time,

tiny green cottager

Scenes From Home-2009

We've been busy getting the yard ready for the next round of Spring projects, which includes two additional raised beds in the backyard. You can see the lumber which was purchased for the project in the image second from the bottom. The creation of the beds ultimately means the relocation of our Double Weeping Cherry Tree, the pretty pink tree in these photos. We ended up giving the tree to our friends so we could have more room in the garden.

The Flock, the Lot, and the Fate of the 'Hood

The beginnings of our Victory Garden and little flock of hens was in stark contrast to the demolition going on next door. I had high hopes that the land would be converted into a community garden, so imagine my disappointment when I discovered not one, but two skinnies (or row-houses as they are often called) were to be built on the lot.

I hoped that the property owner would see all the effort we had taken to make our yard and neighborhood a nice place before he considered building these skinnies. As luck (?) would have it, the economy took an even worse nose-dive and all construction was called off. As of today (April 11, 2009) construction has yet to take place next door, and I hope it never begins.

Meanwhile, our little flock was growing, and the original three enjoyed their first Big Day Out.

Penelope was (and still is) the trouble-maker. But this gives her character!

People are always surprised to see how well our cats and chickens get along!

Moving Out

At this point, the Brips were so large it was becoming more and more difficult to contain them in the brooder. Their food, water and bedding was consistently dirty and I had to change the cage about three times a day.

They were insatiably curious and hungry at all times and began flying out of the brooder to explore the bathroom. Between cleaning their cage and the bathroom floor on a daily basis, I knew it was time for them to go outside.

Growing Up

Despite our best intentions, the coop building was postponed a week longer than we really wanted because of typical April weather in Portland: Rain.
And lots of it!

During this time the Brips (still housed in our bathroom), practiced roosting. This was an activity from which they derived great enjoyment. Here is a photo of my Barred Plymouth-Rock Penelope, practicing exactly that on my hand. When they were in this phase they were content to do this for hours!

Growing Urban Chickens

After two weeks of taking residency in our bathroom, the chicks (or the Brips as I began to call them) began to develop at an extremely rapid rate. Their adult feathers and patterning began to come in and they entered a gangly, not-so-pretty phase which I coined 'Gawkward'.

The Brips quickly learned that they had wings--and took every opportunity they could to use them. They often sat on the edge of the brooder and practiced flapping while in a stationary position. It was entertaining to watch, but my motherly instincts took hold and I knew that it was almost time to move them outside into the real world--they'd grown too large for our cottage bathroom!

Homecoming

In early March of 2008, I visited Growing Gardens in North Portland and came home with three chicks--all impossibly tiny, with blue eyes, tiny waxen combs, and shimmering jewel-toned feathers.

My husband had set up a brooder and heat-lamp in our bathroom in preparation for their home-coming.

I immediately fell in love.

They were all so alive, and so different in their personalities! I named them Rosemary, Valentina and Penelope and it was clear from the start Rosemary was the alpha-hen!

In this image (clockwise): Rosemary (Silver-Laced Wyandotte), Valentina (Australorp), and Penelope (Barred Plymouth-Rock).