Lisa Carter's Blog, page 41

10 Favorite Gardens to Visit

Landscape designer, Alison Monaghan—fictional heroine of Carolina Reckoning—lists her Top 10 Favorite Gardens to Visit.

Elizabethan Gardens

1411 National Park Dr, Manteo, NC

http://elizabethangardens.org/

Stourhead Gardens

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/stourhead/

Wiltshire, England

Enid A. Haupt Garden at Smithsonian

http://gardens.si.edu/our-gardens/haupt-garden.html

Washington, D.C.

Biltmore Gardens

http://www.biltmore.com/visit/house_gardens/gardens/default.asp

Asheville, NC

Bodnant Gardens

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/bodnant-garden/

Conwy, Wales

Denver Botanic Gardens

1007 York St, Denver, CO

http://www.botanicgardens.org/

Desert Botanical Garden

1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, Arizona

http://www.dbg.org/

Sarah P. Duke Gardens

420 Anderson St, Durham, NC

http://gardens.duke.edu/

Japanese Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park

75 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr, San Francisco, CA

http://www.japaneseteagardensf.com/

Bishop’s Garden National Cathedral

3101 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC

http://www.nationalcathedral.org/visit/gardenTours.shtml

See other garden pics from Carolina Reckoning on Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/lisacoxcarter/carolina-reckoning/.

Other than your own garden of course, what is one of your favorite gardens to tour?

What makes it so special to you?

National Flip-Flop Day — June 21

The Glass Slippers of the South

Alison Monaghan—fictional heroine of Carolina Reckoning—is part beach girl/part Cinderella. She has an extensive flip-flop collection. And “they’re all her favorites.”

Flip-flops are a thong sandal so named by Americans and Brits since the early 1970s. An example of an onomatopoeia, the word derives from the sound that is made by walking in them.

In other parts of the world, flip-flops go by different appellations. In India— the “air sandals” are known as Hawai chappal. In Japan, zori. Hawaiians call them slippers.

Flip-flops can be traced to the ancient Egyptians. One pair, discovered in Europe and composed of papyrus leaves, dates back 1500 years and was worn in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus Christ.

Can you say wow? Who knew?

Flip-flop Factoids

1. Masai flip-flops are made of rawhide.

2. The Japanese and Chinese use rice straw.

3. Made of wood in India. Ouch.

4. In Mexico, flip-flops are constructed using the yucca plant.

5. The strap hasn’t always been between the first and second toes.

6. Ancient Roman citizens wore the sandal strap between the 2nd and 3rd toes.

7. In ancient India, only a “toe knob” separated the 1st and 2nd toes.

8. The modern flip-flop emerged in the U.S. as soldiers returned from World War II bringing the Japanese zori.

The flip-flop became popular in the 1950s and was redesigned to fit in with the bright colors common to the postwar American culture. In the 1960s, Californians adopted the sandals as a necessary wardrobe element of their beach lifestyle. Since then, flip-flops have become an essential footwear not just for beach or casual occasions. Girls decorate their sandals with charms, beads and jewelry.

Barack Obama became the first U.S. President to be photographed wearing flip-flops while vacationing in his native Hawai’i. Sales of flip-flops exceeded sneakers for the first time in 2006, a remarkable feat considering the low cost nature of the sandals. As Americans embrace the less is more, casual lifestyle, flip-flops promise to be an enduring element of the American dream.

What are your favorite flip-flops?

Share a picture at lisa@lisacarterauthor.com.

See http://pinterest.com/lisacoxcarter/carolina-reckoning/ for more flip-flop photos featured in  Carolina Reckoning.

Groundcovers in the Southern Garden

Alison Monaghan—Master Gardener, landscape designer, garden docent at Weathersby Historic Park, fictional heroine of Carolina Reckoning—gives her top groundcover recommendations for the Southern garden.

Shade Garden Groundcover

Wild Ginger—Asarum europaeum—Zone 5-9

Glossy heart-shaped leaves, evergreen perennial, semi to deep shade, spread but not invasive, beautiful combination with lacy texture of ferns in woodland, naturalized garden.

Lily of the Valley—Convallaria majalis—Zone 3-9

Deciduous perennial, white bell-shaped flowers, fragrant, partial to full shade, plant where room to spread in colonies for beautiful woodland garden.

Sweet woodruff—Galium odoratum—Zone 4-8

Semi-evergreen to deciduous perennial. Best in part shade to deep shade. Will invade if not situated in naturalized setting. Starlike flowers.

English ivy—Hedera helix—Zone 5-10

You can’t kill this stuff. Very invasive. But beautiful in formal, Southern gardens. Partial to full shade. Great for slopes where hard to grow anything else. Evergreen.

Hosta—Zone 4-9

Southerners love this stuff. Deciduous perennial. Partial to full shade. Greens, gold, blues, variegated. One can never how too many in a garden. Grown for its foliage. Wonderful border plant.

Ferns—Zone 4-8

Deciduous, plant in woodland setting. Frothy frond foliage texture contrast beautiful against hosta. So many ferns, so little space. Pick your favorites—Maidenhair, Lady, Japanese Painted, Hay-scented, Wood fern, Cinnamon fern, Christmas fern

Sunny Garden Groundcover

Lamb’s ear—Stachys byzantina—Zone 5-10

Semi evergreen. Prolific. Leaves wondered feltlike silver gray fuzz. I love combining these against other blue/purple flowers and spring bulbs.

Periwinkle—Vinca minor—Zone 4-8

Evergreen perennial. May require some afternoon shade in hot Southern climate. Can trim with lawn mower to keep in check. Blooms same time as daffodils.

See http://pinterest.com/lisacoxcarter/carolina-reckoning/ for more photos concerning Carolina Reckoning.

What’s your favorite groundcover?

Send a jpg to lisa@lisacarterauthor.com and I’ll share your photo.

“Like Black Spot on Roses”

Sublime, romantic, fragrant and a whole lot of bother.

Roses are a Proceed-at-Your-Own-Risk gardening venture. Old-fashioned, heirloom roses tend to be more trouble-free. But roses, no matter the variety, are the divas of the plant kingdom.

As Alison Monaghan—fictional heroine of Carolina Reckoning—says of her best friend, Val Prescott, once Val seizes onto something she’s “like black spot on roses.” And believe Master Gardener Alison, black spot is not something you want in your Southern garden.

Black spot on roses is a plague that thrives in the humid environment of the Southern garden. And like the plague, black spot is highly infectious to your other rose bushes.

Either plant black spot resistant specimens or be prepared to battle this invader along the epic proportions of Braveheart.

Alison’s Garden Tips

Prevention

1. Never spray leaves or foliage when watering the plant. Water close to the ground around the base of the rose. Avoid watering in the late afternoon when the water droplets may fail to evaporate with the coming of the night.

2. During the rainy season, remove any infected leaves daily.

Treatment

1. Spray foliage once a week throughout growing season with commercial fungicides available at your local home improvement store or gardening center.

—If you prefer a more organic approach, try 2 tsp of baking soda to a gallon of water plus a drop of bleach free dish detergent. Spray both sides of the leaves.

2. Rake and destroy any fallen leaves.

3. Spray entire plant with lime-sulfur dormant spray in late winter.

4. Apply 1-2” of fresh mulch atop rose bed each spring.

And good luck.

Any tips for treating black spot?

I’d love to hear from you. Join in the discussion. Send me a photo of your beautiful roses to share with readers at lisa@lissacarterauthor.com.

Celebrating Red Rose Day—June 12

Old-fashioned/Heirloom Roses in the Southern Garden

Alison Monaghan—Master Gardener, landscape designer, garden docent at Weathersby Historic Park, fictional heroine of Carolina Reckoning—gives her top 10 picks for color, fragrance, bloom.

Zephirine Drouhin—my absolute favorite, thornless, spicy fragrance

Madame Isaac Pereire—raspberry color, star quality fragrance

Reine Des Violettes—purple rose with spicy fragrance

Souvenir de la Malmaison—tea fragrance

Honorine de Brabant—rare striped rose

La Reine Victoria—endearing cabbage shape

 

Lady Banks—yellow, thornless, explosive climber

Madame Alfred Carriere—pale pink/white, fragrant

Joseph’s Coat—warm blend of colors

 

 

Old Blush—fragrance like sweet peas

See http://pinterest.com/lisacoxcarter/carolina-reckoning/ for more photos concerning Carolina Reckoning.

What’s your favorite rose?

Send a jpg to lisa@lisacarterauthor.com and I’ll share your photo.

Summer Reading Picks

Ah, summertime when the living is easy. School is out. Routine is out the window. And I can pull up a lawn chair, prop up my feet, sip sweet tea and escape to faraway worlds.

So many books . . . so little time. . .

Quilts of Love series

Bonnie S. Calhoun Pieces of the Heart

S. Dionne Moore A Heartbeat Away

Loree Lough For Love of Eli

Just Because Kraus is that good a writer . . .



The Cat That God Sent—Jim Kraus

 

 

Beach Reads

Truffles by the Sea—Julie Carobini

 

 

 

International Intrigue

 

 

 

 

Angel Falls —Connie Mann

The Lazarus File—Donn Taylor

Betrayed—Jeanette Windle

Romantic Suspense

 

Fatal Judgment —Irene Hannon

Poison—Jordyn Redwood

Secrets—Kristen Heitzmann

Southern Fiction

 

 

 

 

The First Gardener—Denise Hildreth Jones

Travelers Rest —Ann Tatlock

Talk of the Town —Lisa Wingate

Romantic Comedy



If the Shoe Fits —Sandra Bricker

Historical



She Walks in Beauty—Siri Mitchell

Let the fun begin.

 

Follow my reviews at http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5821807.Lisa_Cox_Carter.

Let’s talk books.

Meet Romantic Suspense Author—Margaret Daley

Today I’d like to welcome Margaret Daley to the Suspense Blog Hop.

Margaret Daley is a multi-published author of romance and romantic suspense. Past president of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), her eighty-plus books to date have won numerous awards, including the American Christian Fiction Book of the Year for Hearts on the Line, the Golden Quill Contest, Holt Medallion, FHL’s Inspirational Readers’ Choice Contest, Winter Rose Contest, and the Barclay Gold Contest. A retired teacher after twenty-seven years of working with special needs children, Margaret has been married for over forty years and has one son and four granddaughters. She writes inspirational romance and romantic suspense for the Love Inspired lines, romantic suspense for Abingdon Press, and historical romance for Summerside Press.

What would surprise readers about Margaret Daley?

My first answer was nothing. I’m a pretty open book. But here are a couple of tidbits about me: I was about thirty minutes away from being caught up in a riot in London. I came up out of the tube as the demonstration started. The press of people was scary. I knew something violent would happen. I got out of there so fast, I was a blur. I was glad I did. The next day I saw the damage the rioter did to the streets—cars burned, bricks thrown, trash everywhere. Another is I was a cheerleader in high school. A third one is that my first book I wrote was in first person and I don’t even like to read first person stories. What was I thinking?!

Tell us about your latest novel.

My current book is Scorned Justice and for three days (May 15-17) the ebook format of it will be on sale at most online bookstores for $3.99. This is the link to the page on Amazon: Scorned Justice.

The blurb for Scorned Justice: Texas Ranger Brody Calhoun is with his parents in west Texas when an unexpected attack injures the brother of Rebecca Morgan, Brody’s high school sweetheart. The local sheriff, a good friend, asks for Brody’s help. At first, it seems like an open-and-shut case.

As Brody digs deeper, he realizes the attack may be related to an organized crime

trial Rebecca will be overseeing. With Rebecca’s help, he compiles evidence involving cattle rustling, bribery, and dirty payoffs that shatter the entire community and put Rebecca directly in the line of fire.

Brody expects to protect her. What he never expects is to fall for Rebecca all over again, or for a murder to throw the case wide open. Is Brody’s faith strong enough to withstand not only deep-rooted corruption and cattle rustling, but also love?

What inspired the Men of Texas Rangers series?

I have been fascinated with the Texas Rangers. They have a rich history and are the oldest state law enforcement agency. There are 150 rangers to cover the whole state of Texas. They do an amazing job.

What is the wackiest—or most fun—thing you’ve ever had to do to research your books?

Learning to scuba dive. The second dive I couldn’t get past the forty feet depth because I couldn’t clear my ears, therefore I could do any further down. For the next dive, I took something for my allergies and that made it much better. It was beautiful seeing the fish and coral up close and personal. I’d always snorkel but this was really a different experience.

What do you hope readers will take away from the Men of Texas Rangers series?

Each book has a different theme. Saving Hope is about human trafficking and about holding on to hope. Shattered Silence is about different kinds of bullying in our society. Scorned Justice is about how destructive revenge is to the person who wants it. And my last book in the series, Severed Trust, is about prescription drug abuse.

Describe your typical writing day.

I get up and have some quiet time with the Lord, then I answer my emails before I start writing for the day. I will take breaks throughout the day and end up in the evening doing emails and promotional activities.

What is your favorite and least favorite part of being a writer?

My favorite part of writing is coming up with the story and plotting it. My least favorite part of being a writer is the promotional part. I’m not a saleswoman.

What has surprised you the most about being a published novelist?

All the waiting on someone else to make a decision.

After a 30-year writing career, what do you wish you knew then that you know now?

How hard the business of writing really is—physically, emotionally and mentally.

Tell us about your current project.

I’m working on the sixth book in my Guardians, Inc. Series for Love Inspired Suspense about female bodyguards. In this story, my female bodyguard is working with a male bodyguard to protect a famous couple while on a speaking/book tour.

This book will be out in early 2014.

Scorned Justice and your Guardians, Inc. series sound fabulous. Thanks, Margaret. For information, see www.margaretdaley.com and www.abingdonpress.com/margaret_daley.

Next up on the Suspense Blog Hop—check out Margaret Daley’s interview of Heather James at www.margaretdaley.com/margarets-blog/.

A Southern Christmas—Spicy Cheese Straws

8 oz. Extra Sharp Cheese

1 ½ stick margarine—softened

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. cayenne red pepper

1. Grate cheese into large bowl.

2. Sift flour into another large bowl.

3. Measure flour again and sift once more with 1 tsp of cayenne.

4. Mix cheese and flour by hand.

5. Using a spatula, stir in softened margarine until of consistency to press out with cookie press.

6. Score before baking. My cookie press has an attachment that produces a “straw effect.”

7. Bake at 350 degrees until bottom is browned—about 20 minutes.

Hope you enjoy the recipe. Let me know how you like it.

My Aunt Grace’s Sausage Ball Recipe—By Popular Request on Facebook

Ingredients:

1 lb. Neese’s Country Sausage, Hot

1 lb. NY Sharp Cheddar—grated

3 cups Bisquick

Directions:

1. Grate cheese—I use one of those hand-cranked graters.

2. With your hands, mix sausage and shredded cheese.

3. Incorporate fully the 3 cups of Bisquick.

4. Roll into balls.

5. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

This is super easy. I don’t—can’t—won’t do hard. It involves a great deal of kneading—cheese and sausage, cheese/sausage and Bisquick. After you’re done, you have a tin full of sausage balls and much less tension in your body.

Enjoy. Let me know how you like it.

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving

When my children were small I would often hand them child scissors, construction paper, glue and a JC Penney catalog to make a Thanksgiving Book on that Wednesday before the holiday. I instructed them to cut out pictures of anything they were thankful for. A codicil—learned the hard way—prohibited them from including pictures of things they didn’t have—preventing this from turning into a Christmas wish list.  I was always immensely flattered at the beautiful, bone skinny models they chose to represent me. As if . . .

My children obviously have a flair for fiction, too.

This activity was designed mainly to keep them occupied while I tried to clean the house and cook for incoming guests. But this exercise also provided a wonderful way for us as a family to recount our blessings around the dinner table as we paged through their preschool- or elementary-sized thanksgvings. I believe it is important, no matter our age, to develop grateful hearts. Through the good and the bad circumstances of life.

An adult version of this might include creating a Thanksgiving board on Pinterest. What a wonderful way to stop, reflect, and give thanks to our Creator, our Sustainer and our Provider for all He has done this past year.

What’s on your heart this Thanksgiving?

I’d love to hear about your thanksgivings. Or feel free to share links to your Thanksgiving Pinterest boards. Mine is http://pinterest.com/lisacoxcarter/.

Here is one thing you’ll find on our Thanksgiving menu come Thursday. A corn pudding recipe handed down from my stepfather’s family.

1 can cream style corn

4 eggs

1 pint milk

1 cup sugar

1/4 stick margarine, melted

3 Tbsp flour

1 tsp vanilla

Beat eggs, sugar, and flour together.

Add milk, margarine, corn and vanilla.

Spray baking dish (9×13).

Bake 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees.

May require longer baking time to ensure the center is done.