I have a love-hate relationship with hummingbirds. They are brilliant and quick, tiny and bold. They are also territorial, dive-bombing murderers. Yes they have chased birds into windows. So it was with this new that I told my neighbor the cheery demons were all hers. Sho she great plants and feeders. But today I happened… Continue reading Hummingbird visits the Monarda
Month: July 2021
Natural barriers for keeping insects at bay
Below are alternatives to pulling out the bug spray when you encounter a garden pest. Below are ideas I’ve tested. Kaolin Clay Coats leaves and fruit to repel pests by creating an irritating barrier between insects and the plant. Spray the leaves, goes on wet and dries. Japanese beetles damage is lessened by using this… Continue reading Natural barriers for keeping insects at bay
Monarch nursery in my garden
A few years ago I received milkweed seed from a plant nursery giving it away for free. I spread some of the seed in various areas of my yard with no luck. But a year later – up pops one where none were spread in a place outside any garden bed. Nature is funny that… Continue reading Monarch nursery in my garden
Monarda fistulosa – Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa Wild Bergamot, Beebalm (Sf,DM,A,N) 2 – 4 ft H x 2 – 3 ft W. Spider-like lavender blooms in late summer on single flowering stocks. Great plant to bring in wildlife. Blooms: Late Summer to early fall (Sf) Moisture: Dry to Medium (DM) Soil Type: All soil types when local ecotype is available… Continue reading Monarda fistulosa – Wild Bergamot
Planning the pond.
I like how the dry pond and stream came out – it has the bones of a small mountain stream making its way down the valley to a river bottom. As grass peaks out here and there I will add a few flowering plants. I am currently scoping out the pond liner and what I… Continue reading Planning the pond.
Using bone meal based vegetable and tomato fertilizer.
This year I am testing a bone meal based vegetable and tomato fertilizer. This is a natural fertilizer that provides not only phosphorus but calcium. Calcium helps avoid blossom end rot that can ruin a tomato. I thought a novel way to keep the highly attractive smelling fertilizer from the pup was to encapsulate it… Continue reading Using bone meal based vegetable and tomato fertilizer.
A patio by the pond
Where better to sit than next to a pond? With the drum of spilling water drowning the drone of man’s machinery. The original plan for the patio included a dark gray breeze (small rock chip) base material next to a dry, white boulder pond. A contrast of dark and light, a modified Taijitu. ☯ Using… Continue reading A patio by the pond
Elymus trachycaulus -Slender wheatgrass
Elymus trachycaulus – Slender wheatgrass (Su,DM,A,N) 12-40″ Tall x 12″ Spread, light blue-green wide leaves. Slender wheatgrass is a perennial, cool-season, short-lived, coarse, tufted bunchgrass. Leaves are from 3 to 13 inches long and upto a half inch wide, with basal leaves longer than upper leaves. The culms are erect, ranging from 6 to 48… Continue reading Elymus trachycaulus -Slender wheatgrass
Claire Austin rose is planted
I probably shouldn’t have waited until July to plant. But better late than never. This rose and another Austin were purchased as bare root. While determining where they would go, I put them into a temporary pot in potting soil. They took off and the Claire had four bunches of rosebuds by this morning. The… Continue reading Claire Austin rose is planted