Meet Jane!
Jane Krauter lives and gardens in Clovis in the Central Valley of California. Her husband is a pilot and she has two adult children, who are out on their own. She likes to garden, travel, visit with family and friends and ride her bike. She has only been on the computer for a few years but has taught herself a lot in that short time, especially about photography and Facebook social media.
“This is the view from my kitchen window last July.”
Jane says of her home, family and garden, “My husband, Kevin, was career USAF and we always rented our homes, moving every three years. When we were finally ready to settle down, he wanted to be in the country, so, we bought an old house with 2 1/2 acres in Clovis and completely bare gardens! I discovered perennials when I realized that I had way too much space to plant annuals every 6 months.” Jane and Kevin have fruit trees! Peach, nectarine, plum, apple, apricot, grapefruit and one hundred navel orange trees, Jane says.
Child’s rocking chair in a riot of color!
She says, “I found this white child’s rocking chair along the side of the road! Old chairs are my favorite! This is right outside of my kitchen window. I plant mostly annuals here, to have color all year round. In the pots are Begonias and Vinca, in the beds, ‘Indian Summer’ Rudbeckia, Victoria Blue Salvia, pink Impatiens and Profusion White Zinnia.”
Here’s Squirrelly, obviously finished with his job.
Some of my favorite photos of Jane’s are the ones that look like she has just stepped out of the picture for a moment while gardening, like this one above and the next two.
Me and My Shadow!
“Can you can see what Squirrelly & I were up to this morning! It’s been a busy day, planning a big party in my yard!” Jane asks.
It was a potting & deadheading kinda day!
For this profile, Jane says, “I looked up when I joined Flea Market Gardening and can’t remember when. But, why? Because I love seeing REAL peoples’ gardens and junk! …much better then a magazine, because a magazine doesn’t ‘talk’ (comment) back to you!”
Everything is ‘found’ Including Buddy
Jane says, “Everything is ‘found’ in this picture! Including Buddy the cat! The basket planter is from my sister’s garage sale. The chair was a roadside find. Watering can, found and spray painted!”
Blue wheelbarrow….see Buddy?
Jane brightens up a shady corner of her garden with her bright blue wheelbarrow filled to the rim with impatiens. She says, “Last April, I found the blue wheelbarrow & the old wooden chair on the side of the road! I planted right in the wheel barrow, it took lots of potting soil! It’s great for a shady, rooty area, where nothing grows.”
bicycle ‘garden’
Jane asked for help from the Flea Market Gardening gang concerning what to plant in her bicycle ‘garden’ posted in our “Pedals and Petals” album. “This bike is still sitting right here where it posed for this picture! I need your HELP! We live in California, it gets to 100′ most days in the Summer!” Her next picture showed it, overflowing with so many flowers that you could no longer see the bike!
My zinnias grew from seeds sent by friend, Todd! The morning glories reseed easily.
I saw all these photos of Jane’s wheelbarrow, her bicycle and her zinnias, before I met her. But we did meet! And we have visited each of our gardens! We discovered on Flea Market Gardening, that we live only 45 minutes away from each other so arranged last summer to get together at her place.
2011-6 June visit, Sue Langley with Jane in her garden
We took this photo and goofed around taking other photos of her garden. We discovered that we had lots in common,…kindred spirits!
Jane visits Sue
….then she visited me on the only rainy day ever in June!
Jane has another Facebook page she runs for her church and posts a new photo on her personal page every day, either of her garden, her cats, Squirrely and Buddy, …or her lunch!
Butterfly on the lily of the Nile
Jane is an excellent photographer and took part in compiling our Flea Market Gardening Note, How to Take GREAT Garden Photos. Just look at this one, above, included in our ‘Birds, Bees and Butterflies’ album.
Garden colors go wild!
Jane’s garden colors go wild in summer! She says, “Lots of odds & ends in this picture taken last Summer! The old wooden steps used to be for a Jacuzzi. The chair was a yard sale find which I spray-painted purple! Does anyone love spray-paint?!!”
Salvia, planted for hummingbirds, but, butterflies love it too!
My daughter, Lisa, made this salsa from my husband, Kevin’s homegrown tomatoes.
The purple chair and pale yellow watering can goes brilliantly with the Black-eyed Susans
Jane says, “I’ll be making the tipsy-pots soon with a friend. I’ll send a picture if it turns out good. I guess that means I’ll have to put bigger plants in the pots! We will be watching for more garden photos and projects from Jane!
Info on Fruit Trees
More about Jane:
Jane’s California garden in Fall
Meet Buddy, Jane’s gardening cat
In Which We Are Introduced to Jane’s cat, Squirrelly