Celebrating Earth Day 2015

 

Happy Earth day! Thanks to a dear blogging friend, Lori Leigh, of LL Farm for reminding me today is Earth day! We've all heard that the Earth is suffering, and needs all of us to find ways to help make the world a better place for our children. It was about this same time last year, when our Sustainable cooking class, showed this video, The End of the Line (this is the trailer)! What shocked me most, was the simple fact, how unaware I was, and I thought how many of us are there that are still unaware! Almost ten years ago, I worked for a seafood restaurant, and it was unbelievable to me at the time, that we started taking seafood plates off the menu, because certain fish were endangered; like Atlantic Halibut, Grouper and the Bluefin Tuna! After watching this powerful and moving video, I began to understand, if we don't start taking care of our planet now, what will our children have to sustain themselves.

 

Growing up, I have fond memories, of skipping and playing around my mother's flower garden, and on the weekends, watch her toiling away at the earth, as she planted, weeded, fertilized, and watered her vegetable garden. I learned many things from my mother about gardening, but for some unknown reason, until recently, I seriously had a black thumb. Everything I planted died.

 

That is until I bought, my youngest daughter Lindsay her first tomato plant. Living here in Arizona, it is quite challenging to grow anything, especially in the Summer time, but I have been reading up and learning ways to tend to a garden. 

 

To celebrate Earth day this year, Lindsay and I planted

 

Lime Basil

Cosmos and

Salvia.

 

 

 

The Lime basil and the Salvia, I know do well in a hot weather climate.

We will see how the Cosmos grows. 

 



Lime Basil (O. americanum)

 

Zesty lime flavor and aroma. Delicious in salads, salsa, and fish and chicken dishes. Compact, mounding plants average 20" in height. More heat tolerant than sweet basil. Annual. What interested me, was that as it started getting really hot, when my sweet basil started to dye, this Lime Basil, started to grow, the hotter it got  outside; the more it grew! Of course, I did give it a little shade, but it did get full sun, most of the day!

 

 

Salvia 'Early Bonfire'

 

Annual.  Shows brilliant spikes of red, tubular flowers surrounded by lush green foliage. 'Early Bonfire' is tall, making it ideal for filling garden spaces and borders. A large planting creates a stunning impact that’s impossible to miss. Early Bonfire is a tender perennial usually grown as an annual that blooms up until frost. Perennial in USDA zones 10 and 11.

 

One late Spring, when I planted Salvia, it also thrived in the heat, well (here in Arizona, it does get cold for a couple weeks out of the year) into the middle of November, when temperatures started to drop.

 

 

Cosmos 'Sea Shells'

 

Annual. This charming cosmos with fluted seashell-shaped petals, will be a beautiful addition to your cosmos patch! In shades of white, pink, rose and crimson, it makes an excellent cut flower. Easy to care for; once established they are drought tolerant, preferring neglect to T.L.C. (tender loving care), making them a perfect choice for wildflower or naturalized areas.

 

This is going to be interesting to find out just how drought tolerant they are, and if it really does prefer to be neglected. Won't be too hard to do here in the Summertime!

 

When I lived in California, there was a field of Comos, standing tall with their romantic display in the gardens of a resort I was working at. On my way to my car, I would stop for a moment or two and admire, the way they would sway in a breeze. How beautiful and sunny their pale petals, showed their softer side!

 

 

You can find more seed information at Botanical Interest!

 

Here are just a few things, I would want my children to learn about and how to do.

*Permaculture and Sustainability

*How to grow food

because *Potential food shortages, because of drought, soil depletion, and the plunge in wildlife population, example bees, bats and other birds; over fishing of life in our oceans.

*About GMOs

There is a longer list, but I thought this was a great place to start!

 

Until next time! Have a great rest of your week!

xo Christine

 

Shared with:

OMHG Wordless Wednesday 

Mom2Mom Mondays 

Shoestring Elegance
What's on the List!
City of Links