Musings from Rake & Rose
From the Garden
DIY Watercolor Travel Kit
I just uploaded my first DIY video to YouTube. I have a whole new respect for the editing process specifically but also for all those home video makers online. A two minute video has taken a full week to finish and there is still a major learning curve before the quality is where I would…
Pothos Training Wheels
If you can’t balance on a bicycle, add 2 smaller wheels to the back end while you learn. If you can’t keep plants alive, get yourself a Pothos to give you some confidence while you learn. It is only over the last year or two that my gardening experiments have started to show results. Early…
Spring is for Jasmine
Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) frequently takes the place of a classic hedge here in Southeast Texas. Our brilliant summer sun is often too much for the more traditional temperate hedges like boxwood. Fortunately, jasmine not only grows in any direction and bushes thickly but when the weather first begins to warm it blooms so profusely…
Say “Aloe” to rescue plants
As an accidental gardener, I rarely spend much time shopping for plants in the local big box garden center. So often the plants they carry don’t really do well in my area (Galveston, TX) and over the years I’ve determined that there are plenty of hardy plants in need of rescuing. These forlorn fellows can…
Hibiscus & Ginger Tea
Hibscus sabdariffa flower and calyx, img: Pradeepkannamkulath, 2015, wikimedia CCA-SA 4.0 Every fall for the last several years I’ve been making batches of this hibiscus tea based on a recipe given to me by a friend from Chile. He recommended this tonic as a cure-all for any seasonal illness as well as an excellent preventative…
Rose Sugar Cookies
Roses are a delight in the garden but also in the kitchen. All roses are edible but each has their own flavor and character. The “Katrina” rose from our yard has a wonderful subtle flavor that is perfect for sugar cookies. *Always remember to harvest from plants that you know haven’t been sprayed or otherwise…
A Hardy Rose
Roses are one of the great garden delights. Taking an evening walk through the historic neighborhoods of Galveston I can smell their scent drifting on a warm breeze blocks before I find the lucky home where they are blooming. Many people (myself included) begin with the assumption that roses are a challenge to be taken…
Welcome to Rake & Rose!
Welcome to the first post from Rake and Rose!
Follow My Blog
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
Rake & Rose 