Every autumn we do a monthly cottage feature, to share with you the wonderful local inspiration of other homeowners in the Prescott, Arizona area. #cottagesofprescott For October, we got to check out Vyne House, in downtown Prescott. ~ post continues, click Read More ~
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One of the fabulous things about gardening in the high country of Arizona (Prescott) is that, for the most part, it's a 9-month season. The shoulder seasons are most definitely a bit unpredictable. But it's really a gardener's paradise. This week our first frost is coming. Bit early - but if we can get our gardens through the odd frost here and there we will often be enjoying the fruits of our labor well into November. This year, because I invested so much in getting the new kitchen garden raised beds built and seeds started, I just couldn't let this cold snap claim the end of my growing season. So, I spent some time getting prepared ahead of time and have actually enjoyed the process (rather than feeling like it was the end of a glorious summer, it was thoroughly enjoyable). I wanted to share a few tidbits from the process here. ~ post continues, click "Read More" Simple and artful, nordic cottages are often so picturesque that they don't seem to look real. But real they are, and outside of the largest cities, predominantly what you will find. To be clear, simple doesn't translate to minimalist in any way. Although Nords tend to live lightly and not have much clutter or unnecessary possessions, what they do keep is treasured and often artful and beautiful. So, although The Whiskey Porch specializes in Nordic Bungalow Lifestyle & Design, I wanted to clarify that this does not refer to the modern likes of Scandinavian Designs Furniture or Ikea. Not that there is anything wrong with those ultra-clean and modern styles. What we are thinking of is the more traditional aesthetic. ~ post continues, click Read More ~ The American Dream has virtually always been: more + bigger = better. The fad and trend that's predominated the last many decades has been to stretch yourself to the limit in order to acquire the most impressive home possible. This home would prove that you were successful, and obviously make you comfortable and happy. Over many decades, that's turned into crazy-big homes which required large incomes to buy and maintain, along with massive consumption of resources to build and live in. Now-a-days, it's not surprising that the new trend is all about the teeniest tiniest home possible. The pendulum tends to swing, doesn't it? Like most things in life, we tend to learn from experience and then often run the other way. Now, the smaller, more minimal and more mobile a home, the better. Tiny is fine if that's what you really need or want, but it's pretty extreme and unsustainable by most standards. A more manageable and still meaningful downsize might mean reclaiming older, smaller homes and shifting to a less consumerism mentality, while still participating in a mainstream community and lifestyle. ~ blog post continued below ~
Every autumn we do a monthly cottage feature, to share with you the wonderful local inspiration of other homeowners in the Prescott, Arizona area. #cottagesofprescott For September, we are starting with a sweet downtown cottage. ~ post continues, click Read More ~ There are so many reasons that I think smaller homes are the answer to so many of the gaps in life. And when I say smaller, I definitely do not mean tiny. (I've got more on that below...) In this post I am focusing on artful details. The idea is that you might choose to purchase or stay and renovate a small home, rather than spread your resources and budget over a bigger but more typical (and boring) space. ~ post continues, click Read More ~ Technically speaking, a wildflower is defined as a native plant that grows naturally in the wild, and is not a cultivar that is different from what nature created. That's a pretty broad definition. Most of us would most likely imagine wildflowers in a meadow or wooded area with a large variety of random native flowers growing in conditions that each plant has adapted to over eons. When we decide we want to create some of that wild meadow feeling in our own home gardens, it often turns into a battle to contain the wanderings of these wild-flowers as well as attempting to provide the right conditions for our favorite varieties. It can require lots of water to keep the wildflowers looking fresh and not weedy or scrappy. It can be an ongoing challenge to weed the volunteers that appear where they aren't welcome, as well as the true weeds and grasses that often creep into the mix over time. But, it doesn't have to be that difficult to enjoy a little bit of the meadow look at home. The trick is to choose plants that are native to your area/climate (and therefore require less water and just less fussing) and are likely to grow in a way that's suited to the amount of space you have and the tidiness that you prefer. Don't get me wrong, any wildflower will always have a loose and unplanned look to it. But then that's part of the true charm that appeals to us in the first place. Over many years of experimenting in my Northern Arizona mountain garden, I've found a few superstars that strike that balance. One of them is the Evening Primrose (I recently did a blog post about Growing Mexican Evening Primrose) and the other that I wanted to explore today is commonly called Blanket Flower. ~ post continues below, click Read More ~ I love to have a garden that is relaxed and inviting - a cottage garden. But since we live in the high desert of Arizona I am careful to grow plants that don't require too much water and can take the dry early summer and four season climate here. Every early spring, of course, even the Arizona low-land deserts are covered with native wildflowers and the show is quite spectacular. But in a home garden on a small city sized lot, wildflowers can be challenging to incorporate without a scrappy or weedy look. And often they require quite a bit of water to regularly flourish and reseed on their own. Enter, the primrose (along with a few other plants I'll tell you about later). After much experimentation in my mountain garden here in Prescott, Arizona I have come to depend on this wildflower as a reliable and pretty plant to gives me that meadow feel I love without all the hassle. ~ post continues below, click Read More ~ Every summer we do a monthly garden feature, to share with you the success and inspiration of other local gardeners here in Prescott, Arizona. #gardensofprescott For August I'm featuring a garden in the Williamson Valley area, northwest of downtown. This garden is in a much newer part of town, than the July Garden, but it has a wonderful organic and lived-in feeling to it; like the garden has been here for a very long time. Because it is located in an area with many old Oak trees, and was designed with meandering walks and small pockets of plantings and garden room destinations, it is friendly and inviting space to relax and entertain in the dappled light of the trees. ~ post continues below, click Read More ~ When someone mentions cactus, I bet most of you would first think of Prickly Pear. It is one of the most distinctive desert plants, and grows in a wide range of locations, but is typically considered a hot desert dweller. And for those of us who garden in the high country of Northern Arizona, some of you may not think of incorporating prickly pear initially. While our climate is considered a high desert, it might be surprising to know that many prickly pear varieties will not only survive in our four season climate, but truly thrive. |
AuthorHey there. I'm Miriam ~ and I've been doing this my whole life. It's my passion. Categories
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