Sneak peek at India's flora

Just a couple of pics from the last trip to India. These are from the hill station in Munnar, Kerala, India in March of 2011. This trip is to Delhi, Amritsar and Agra. Stay tuned!

Can a gardener ever have a vacation?

Japanese maple early morning sun. Nikon D3200

Can a gardener ever have a vacation? What do we do with all of loved ones in the garden? I have to say, I am a bit worried. The last time we went away for any length of time was two years ago. We left in March for 3 weeks to India. March is a great time to go away, I found out. There is not much upkeep at that time of year. March is time to get ready for the growing season. Moving plants. Widening beds. Adding mulch. But not much upkeep. I came back to a yard that didn't look as to have missed me.

We are headed back to India. This is the busy time of year for the yard. Mowing. Sometimes twice a week. Weeding. Every day. Watering. Yes, watering. Oh boy. What are we going to do? A few years ago we had gone down south for just a week and came back to sweltering heat and drought conditions. I think it was 102 degrees for the last couple of days. We lost one of the Ginkgo trees we had planted earlier in the year. One survived and is doing well.

We have had lots of rain in the last 60 days. Of course, the rain stopped a few days ago and the temps went up into the upper 90s with a heat index of over 100 for the last few days. It is drying up. Not now! Why'd it have to be now? I've mowed for the last time and hope that it doesn't get too unruly.

So this is what we are doing. Hit or miss. We don't have a sprinkler system. It would never work for us since we are always moving stuff around and adding new beds every year. We water with the old fashion sprinkler at the end of the hose and soaker hoses. I'm not going to worry about the trees, shrubs or flowers. We will water them in the next couple of days before we leave and hope mother nature does her thing. The potted plants are another story. We will move them all to the backyard under the shade of the trees, water them well and once again, hope that MN comes to the rescue.

Some of the indoor plants on their summer vacation in the yard.

Some plants will do just fine with little water. The succulent bed is good and the Desert Rose (adenium) should not skip a beat.

Adenium, Desert Rose

I will be off and on for the next couple of weeks, not sure if I will get the chance to post from India. I will be posting about plants, trees and flowers I see in India, especially the Mughal gardens around the Taj Mahal and other famous gardens. So stay tuned and check back often!

New eye to see

bee on an echinacea early morning. Nikon D3200.

Just messing with my new eye to the world. Boy, this is gonna be fun! More to come!

Backyard ecosystems

a tree frog hunkers down on a ginger lily plant

 A garden is not whole without all of its parts. A garden needs sunlight, water, air, nutrients, and yes, all the little critters we should see in it. A healthy garden has birds, insects, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. Each plays an important role. It's a myriad of symbiotic relationships.

By creating an environment that is clean, pesticide-free and gives all of these creatures what they need to survive, we have created a mini ecosystem in an urban backyard. We have provided trees for nesting and shelter. Lower bushes for those who live lower down, to hide or to raise their young. We have planted dozens of species of flowering plants for food. We have introduced hardscapes, for plants and animals that need warmth. There are 3 water sources now, with more planned. For these reasons, we have been designated as a National Wildlife Habitat, of which I am very proud.

green grass snake looking for insects

 I understand the importance of almost all animals. I know that non-venomous snakes are great in a garden habitat, eating large quantities of insects. Even some venomous snakes are good to have around, eating rodents or other harmful animals. But there is a fine line to where safety of loved ones or pets can override that relationship. I have seen 3 different types of snakes over the years, Black Snakes, Garter Snakes and Green Grass Snakes. I know that Copperheads are prevalent in our area, but I have never seen one in 7 years in this yard.

Broad-headed Skink warming its self on the rocks looking for breakfast

 

 We have a few types of lizards or skinks here also. More so in the last few years. I've found that you need to create a habitat that is geared toward them. We have several areas with large rocks, rock walls and a large low deck that is perfect for warming their bodies in the morning. My wife hates them and the snakes, but they will not hurt anyone and they are paying their fair share of the rent by the amount of insects they are removing from the yard.

Eastern Box Turtle passing through

Pickerel Frog

 Sadly, I have noticed a decline in the number of box turtles, frogs and toads over the last few years. In fact, I have yet to see a toad in my yard here. I've seen a few frogs, which is a bit weird as we are not near any water sources. We have a wettish area in our yard that stays moist for most of the year. I have inadvertently killed a couple of frogs with the lawn mower as they hopped out right as I passed over. I hate it when it happens.

I will not be bought, Monsanto.

So I go to my blog today and what do I see? An advertisement for a monsanto product! Roundup. The devils brew.

I will not be bought. This is the day and age where ads are everywhere and sometimes a necessary evil. If you want your magazines, they will come with ads. If you want your web site free, there will be ads. I get it. But I DO have principles and I will not allow companies like monsanto and others to pollute my site with their poison. I don't use it, I don't tell others to use it and I certainly DO NOT want companies like monsanto in my food products. Period.

Dreary day. Bright colorful images.

Some days are grey. Grey days can zap the life out of you, make you depressed. Sometimes it is okay after a long bout with hot weather, a respite, if you will. But sometimes its blah. So here are some images I've taken that are bright and colorful!

Cosmos

Mexican sunflower

Gloriosa Lily

Poppies

Echinacea "Tomato Soup"

Canna

Summer blooms and blackberries

Gladiolus in bloom

Summer blooms are upon us now. The gladiolus are bursting forth and the Cannas are starting to pop. I wasn't sure if we would get an Canna blossoms this year as I moved them all in the spring. I had to make room for a new Acer Palmatum and wanted to get the Cannas in more sunlight. I dug them up and moved them in whole clumps, using my special planting mix, which you can find in the archives. Looks like they liked it! Some people refer to these as Canna Lilies, but it is not part of the lily family, but rather from the ginger and banana plant family. Late summer we will have a good crop of Ginger Lily blossoms to show you so stay tuned!

The Gladiolus seem to propagate themselves quite nicely. Even after removing them completely, or so I thought, from one bed into another a few years ago, they have been growing again in the old bed.

We have had a bumper crop of blackberries this year. Not sure why. Maybe my arch nemesis is paying it forward. These are just the ones in my raised bed. The ones across the street in the hedgerow aren't ready yet, but they will be bountiful as well. Mine get manure and water besides the natural stuff and sometimes even a little fertilizer.

yummy ripe blackberries

As for the Day Lilies, most are spent, but a few are still going. This beautiful double blossom variety is a sight to behold!

double blossom Day Lily