Garden Reel

Right at this moment, I have a desire of my heart as I sit in the garden, cool morning breezes wafting, geese signaling, while I type and post. The air and view out here exceeds that of the indoor wall. Of course, other sounds punctuate the air—a car alarm, the muted flow of traffic and a jet soaring overhead; where is it bound? But these have their place just as the unseen noisy crow to my right has his. Changes are in the air too—a bit of upheaval though thankfully temporary. The apartment management has decided that since they are raising the rates exorbitantly they can say, “But look, we’re cleaning and painting the buildings.” Outside that is, and brown. Thankfully, it looks better when it’s dry since when it’s wet it’s dark brown with a hint of green…er…very organic looking. So, I have to bring indoors every last plant, pot, bag of potting soil and the garden furniture. That will be tight but thankfully temporary. According to a famous rabbi story one of my Jewish friends tells—we will be amazed at how much space we have indoors when we move everything back out to the garden again!

I’ve potted a couple plants into “real” pots that were still in their greenhouse plastic pots. They’ll grow better, stand taller and be less likely to tip over—and there will be fewer empty pots to corral. One long Italian-made pot that I’ve carried with me for over twenty-five years has split horizontally. It worked fairly well as long as it stayed in place but I didn’t want to risk trailing soil across the carpet so I pulled a not so decorative Italian pot (ribs rather than leaves) from the wings and replaced it. I guess some autumnal fixing up is good though I wish they cared as much about the inside. But then, that would be major upheaval and I have enough of that for now.

Painting Flowers

I’ve finally begun the process of painting my flower pots. I’ve kept my terra cottas in the natural for these many years, enjoying the slightly orange color but it’s time for a change to More Color!

The paint is an inexpensive craft paint that I got at “the world’s largest”. For those who are interested—its seals say “Made in the U.S.A.” The paint slides on, and on slick surfaces such as plastic, glass or ceramics, it can just as easily slide off or any which way. As with most paints, two coats make a fuller color. This one is formulated for outdoors as well as in. Occasionally when I’ve told people that I paint flowers, the troubled question emerges, “But won’t it hurt them?” Normally I’m talking about painting a picture of a flower though I did work for awhile for a company that preserved bridal bouquets, which did call for painting on the flowers. (If you feel your lip curling at the thought; be assured that we did it very tastefully). But oops! Somehow I did actually get purple paint on this red hibiscus. And no, it didn’t hurt it.

Making the Best of What’s Left

I was recently away for over three weeks to be by my dad’s hospital bedside and then say goodbye. It was a very difficult time but there were good things as well, like being with family I hadn’t seen in a long time. While I was away, my husband did as well as a non-gardener could—probably saturating the plants. However, when he joined me at my family home for a week, the garden had to fend for itself. That was sad but I really needed him to be with me; he was grieving as well. The culmination of a week without water in outlandishly hot days caused a lot of death in my garden. More death was hard to come home to but I cut away the dead stuff—three bags-full and found that a lot of life remained. My garden would normally be burgeoning this time of year but though it’s diminished there are still signs of hope. I had to strip all the leaves from one plant but I could tell it was still alive; now tiny new leaves are poking out up and down the stems.

The Persian Shield and one of the Parrot Leaf plants didn’t fare well at all but I was pleased to find replacement plants at a greatly reduced price at the local garden center. A big box garden center had fuchsia and white-trimmed petunias and a large pot of trailing purple verbena. Though the petunias and verbenas each looked like one large plant in their large pots, I found that they were instead, several smaller plants intertwined, which worked better for planting them in the decimated hanging baskets. I spent most of yesterday moving pots around and sweeping dead plant leaves; it looked like autumn there were so many. The physical exertion distracted me from my grieving and might even help keep me healthy. But I was sore. Now I have more space and comfort to sit in the garden and write to you.

I had been planning to paint my pots in bright hues of red violet, blue violet, yellow orange and yellow green. I think I’ll do that soon—more color is a good thing; it soothes my soul. Stay tuned.

Filled

Even after I added the colorful “designer” coleus to my hanging basket, it still had gaps. I wanted more petunias but they’ve been hard to find this time of the summer since they get too leggy to sell. I was pleased to find a small pot of fragrant deep purple petunias at a big box garden center (yes, I like to “shop local” but the workers at the chains are local too). I turns out that they’re “mounding” petunias so they’ll keep the middle ground filled. I’m pleased. I’m glad I got them transplanted before the rain poured. We and our thirsty ground thank you Lord!

Color-full

Though my petunias surprised me with a comeback this spring, there was still a gap between them and the yellow-green sweet potato vine; I like full and flowing hanging baskets and this one wasn’t there yet. I added a magenta Superbells petunia but that didn’t do it; it even stopped blooming shortly after I brought it home. I looked around the local greenhouse last Saturday for some beautiful full flower to complete my composition—coupons “in hand”. What I found was this cool “designer” coleus with feathery leaves in bright fuchsia edged with yellow-green. I want some branches to trail but I’m pinching back others to make it fuller. Another plus of this “designer” coleus is that it can take full sun as well as shade. These types can be expensive so I was glad to have my coupons!

Combo

When I saw that the local garden center still had some Parrot Leaf plants left, I bought another—after all, I had requested them a couple years ago. As it turns out, it brightens the too-sweet-pink Fuchsia. Though the Fuchsia isn’t as colorful as I had hoped (you may have noticed that color is a BIG deal to me) the differently shaped flowers add a new interest to the garden. It’s been too hot—so far the hottest summer EVER, to spend much time in the garden though I have actually enjoyed a little morning heat. Thankfully, I can enjoy my garden through a window.

Hot & Cool

Last weekend, we got up early to beat the heat and take my coupons to the local greenhouse; the garden had a couple of open spaces that needed filling. My intent was to buy some of their small, brilliantly colored pots but someone else apparently had the same idea first so I looked once again to the flowers and foliage for color. I found something I had never seen before, a fringed, magenta/orange (together as though pooled in watercolor) coneflower! It looks like a Gerbera Daisy but the petals bend down in coneflower style. It was so cool, I couldn’t pass up the Hot Papaya Echinacea! Today, I repotted it to give it room to grow; as a perennial it should be around for a long time. The colors and shape go perfectly with my purple Angel Face Angelonia, red, orange and yellow-green Tropicana Cana and purple-leaved Persian Shield. As for the plain terra cotta pots? I may just pull out my paint brushes and paint them myself. The more color, the merrier.

New Avenues for Growth

It’s 108 degrees outside and will likely get hotter. And to think that we had night-time temperatures in the 50’s earlier in the week! That’s the great thing about living in the Southern Piedmont region; June almost always holds a “cold snap” (except in last year’s brutal heat). My “rooster plant” is maturing nicely and is sprouting branches along its “trunk”. The red hibiscus not only survived the cut (pruning) but as hoped, is branching out in new directions. More branches equal more flowers!

Thirst

Today is such a beautiful day! In fact, the weather is perfect; I could stay outdoors all day but I just might fall asleep. The rudbeckias and alternanthera (parrot leaf) are much happier now in their larger containers that hold more water. When I leave plants in the plastic pots they came in they usually don’t fare too well. The mild weather will help them adapt more quickly; though the strong, dry breeze feels really good to me, I’ll probably have to water some of the new plants again this afternoon as it will dry them out more quickly.

Deeper Color

The fertilizer seems to be doing its work with the Angelonias; both are producing more buds and the flowers that have recently opened seem to be deeper purple though nothing else seems to have responded yet.

Elbow Room

My beautiful red-violet dahlia is blooming again. This time I did nip the additional buds on its stem since they were so small. So far, I don’t think the flower that did bloom is any larger than when I left the other buds intact. Will it grow larger yet? Maybe so, maybe not—we’ll just have to wait and see (a favorite line from the curriculum of the ESL class my husband and I taught).

Bad Air Day

With an ozone alert today I couldn’t spend much time gardening but I could bring in some cut flowers for a little bouquet. The purple asters that came in a bouquet I bought at a gourmet grocery had to leave their main stem behind when I changed their water today. Changing flower water daily extends the life of flowers and prevents “bad air” indoors. So to the relocated asters, I added one of my “Becky” rudbeckia flowers, a stem of magenta and white Sweet Williams and some swirling, trailing lettuce flowers. For “greenery” I added some ferny yarrow leaves, leaves from a deep magenta shade plant whose name I didn’t catch and flat-leaved parsley. Oh yes, I cut a peppermint bloom to add to the mix. Using all kinds of things from the garden makes a bouquet more interesting.

Basil My Way

When I couldn’t readily find organic basil plants, I planted my own organic seeds (that I happily came across at a big box store); now they’re up and growing well! I suppose I can move the “garden sculptures” back into their places throughout the garden since the seeds are now no longer potential bird food. I’m not yet seeing any bursts of growth from last week’s fertilizer application. Gardening requires—and builds patience. My computer is acting up so if you don’t see any posts—pray for it to work again. Don’t give up on me, Lord willing, I’ll be back soon.

A Change of Stripes?

The good news is that not all the rudbeckia flowers are half rust-colored but more of the yellow-orange that I prefer! But did the plant change its stripes? Hmm… I poked around a bit and saw two different shapes of leaves. Two plants for the price of one—two different plants? A little further investigation uncovered the tag that said, “Rudbeckia Becky mix”; ah, a seed mixture was sown and two were potted together. I get what I want plus another kind. From disappointment to bonus.

Doing Instead of Dreading

Ah, it feels good to sit down in the garden! I’ve just finally fertilized my balcony garden-instead of dreading it, I did it. Though the fertilizer is organic, it doesn’t smell as bad this time (a mixture of things I don’t even want to read). I didn’t get around to fertilizing the pots in front; I startled a bird—a mutual feeling, when I opened the front door a few minutes ago and discovered to my dismay that it was building a nest in my hanging basket. The purple sweet potato vine and mini sun coleus were already mashed down and suffering from Mr. & Mrs. Bird’s stash of skeletonized leaves. I hated to undo their hard work but dive-bombing us any time we open or close the door or water the plants won’t do. I’m glad I discovered the plan before it was too late. I carefully placed their building materials where they could find them and start again somewhere else. I also did the dreaded red hibiscus pruning today. Hibiscuses bloom mostly on new growth—the stem ends, so I needed to make more ends to make more blooms. It was getting lanky and the one long branch caught the wind the other night and caused the plant to fall over on several other plants. It was time.

The Last Lily?

Today the last pink daylily of two bud-laden stalks is blooming. It hasn’t bloomed in years but at last, the plant has given quite a show! Maybe it’s not over yet! Maybe fertilizer will boost some new bud stalks from its base. Daylilies are blooming all over town, even on the highway medians and hillsides, so why not? We must have some very clean gullies today since last night we got our gullies washed (“a real gully washer” colloquialism for a hard rain)! The rain was preceded by a wide stripe of deep red sunset light on the horizon. We sat in the garden and watched until the color faded but we didn’t start until 9pm! I love long days!

I Did It Again

I’ve long enjoyed the look of black-eyed susans or Rudbeckia mixed with orange, pink and purple flowers so I always add them to my garden. They typically show up in the garden center a little later than most flowers since they’re summer bloomers. In my excitement to bring one home this year, I forgot to note the variety (just as I did with the fuchsia). Hmmm…rudbeckia “Becky”, I’ve had it before; it’s a compact variety—that’s good, I need compact. Oops, when the flowers fully opened I realized that it wasn’t the yellow orange one I favor but one with half rust-colored petals. Oh well. Some newly opening flowers look like they could be solid-colored but then so did the just-opening one that led me astray at the garden center. Can I really know all about the many varieties of each flower before I shop? Maybe if I had a smart phone that could look them up for me on the spot; but I don’t have one and really don’t need one. The gray birds were quite vocal this morning. I didn’t even have to go online for a twitter session. Nice.

Birds & Buds

The clematis bud has fully opened! Some new little branches are emerging from the sides of the vine; hopefully more buds will come with them. A whole section of the garden covered with these large red-violet flowers would be gorgeous! A pair of handsome gray birds has paid a couple visits; I’m not sure what they are. They’re a smooth, solid, gray color and as I recall, have a spot of dark brown on their heads.

Double Pink

Another two pink daylily day! We’re coming to the end of the buds on the two flower stalks. I think next week would be a good time to fertilize or, if I’m in the mood for distributing the smelly stuff—tomorrow. Maybe then the daylily will produce more beautiful blooms. The cool morning seemed to make the birds’ notes brighter.

Free Water

The Lord is so gracious to again give us free plant water—rain! Rain just comes as a free gift “to the just and the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). Today I’m remembering that rain is about more than weather; it’s about provision. Some of my plants got watered but I had to add a good bit of my own “rescued” water, water I’ve rescued from going needlessly down the drain. Maybe I can “rescue” some of the rain on the balcony next time. While in today’s cool and rainy weather it’s less of an issue, last night when I found several bug bites around my ankles I resolved to spray my natural bug spray on my socks when I again venture out into my mini-jungle. This morning, I found the culprit that has “ventilated” my yellow-green sweet potato leaves and was intent upon my orange million bells in the same hanging basket—a black worm with a yellow stripe. Look out below! I sent it flying to a different cafeteria, hopefully in the wild growth. So I “throw like a girl” and landed it in the bush below—I am a girl. I suppose the worm could crawl back up but maybe it will enjoy the bush instead.

Dream Flower?

I dreamed one night that I had planted a beautiful red and purple fuchsia plant in my hanging basket with the fuchsia-colored petunias. Lovely! Of course, I needed to buy one since dreams can show you how things fit together… I was pretty sure that I had seen them at the local garden center and indeed they had a beautiful red and purple fuchsia in full bloom in the front of the group of plants. Not wanting to take their advertising example, I politely chose one further in. For some reason I assumed it was the same, not looking at the label or noticing that it was considerably taller. And that the buds were pink… Maybe the inside part of the flower would be a deeper pink. The day the buds began opening, it was clear that I had a non-cascading, monochromatic, sweet pink fuchsia—not the deep magenta that I had hoped for. Now what? Every time I went out I contemplated its fate; would I find another home for it or plant it in the hanging basket and hope that one day it would grow so tall it would bend down? The stems are pretty stiff so they would likely stay upright. How do I know who would know how to grow a fuchsia? It needed to go in the ground. At last, today was decision day. As I transplanted some other new plants I tried it in one of my long Italian pots. Hmmm…I thought,I have an open space there that’s just the right size and well, it could use something tall. Dug and done. I actually like the pink flowers next to the purple Persian Shield.

Orange Bounty

Today I have bounty of orange hibiscus! Orange flowers are harder to find than the prevalent pink ones so I’m always searching (marigolds don’t’ work well for me since the smell isn’t suited for the close quarters I have in my garden, and they tend to be aphid magnets) but these one-day-wonders are definitely filling the need for floral sunshine!

A Blooming Day!

What a blooming day! I looked out this morning and discovered that the red-violet clematis bloom had begun opening with two orange hibiscus and two pink daylilies joining it for a colorful parade!

Heavy storms are expected this afternoon but I’ve never had problems with wind even up to 85 mph, so I think things will be fine. “Large hail” on our car may be another story but we’ve never had a problem with that before either. I hope today is a beautiful, colorful day for you—wherever you live.

Outdoor Writing

Today is another Red Hibiscus Day. The weather was so mild, I was able to sit outside for awhile to write. Now, it’s not so mild. Lots of plants are blooming or on the verge of blooming and the birds are singing. It’s good.

One Way or Another

My search through the local garden centers for an organic basil plant was fruitless and we haven’t had time to make the trek to the distant multi-vendor farmers’ market so I bought a packet of organic basil seed. Though I’m getting a late start and the packet instructions say that it will be seventy days until harvest, I’ve decided that it’s better to grow organic (though I confess I gave in on the golden oregano and hope for the best). Perhaps with judicious fertilizing (too much and the flavor disappears), the seedlings will grow quickly. To keep the birds from breakfasting on the seed, I’ve temporarily clustered my mini garden sculptures (aka silly straws) to crowd them out. But then again, they may just use them as handy perches; if so, I’ll pull out my seed packet and plant again.

Prodigal?

This morning as I opened the blinds I saw a young bird (a birdling?) perched on the edge of my birdbath. It looked around furtively then, apparently assured that no one was watching, jumped into the water for a quick bath and flew out again as quickly. Then it caught sight of me watching through the slats and flew toward me, grasping the screen in its feet and clinging there—not very far from my face; I was glad for the window in between! What did it want? Was it trying to get in? The little wren looked frightened. I worried about it. Was it sick or injured? I didn’t know, but I prayed and was reminded that Jesus said that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without his Father knowing it. And you know, other than being hunted by cats or crashing into reflective skyscrapers, I’ve rarely seen a dead bird along my way. The Lord assured me that he takes care of little Carolina Wrens too. The bird was still clinging to the screen when I came back for the camera—a seemingly long time for the odd angle. After a bit, it flew under the eaves and hunched against the wall. That seemed like progress but it still looked like a fugitive. I finally went about my other business, being concerned that if I opened the door to go out to the garden, the bird would change places with me. The next time I looked, it hopped from plant to plant, hopefully eating unwelcome bugs—definitely a good sign! A little later, I heard a chiding sound much like that of a squirrel reprimanding a cat; it was a mother wren. She hopped about with her strained cry, looking all around for her runaway. Don’t ask me mama wren; I have no idea where your baby has gone so don’t fuss at me.

Long Awaited!

My pink daylily has bloomed again at last! It hasn’t bloomed in at least five years; though I had wanted to give up on the grassy-leaved plant I persevered. And now my patience has been rewarded! Isn’t it lovely? I’ll bring just the blossom (no stem) in this evening and put it in water to enjoy indoors since it will only last a day, hence its name—daylily.

Soaking Wet

Last night’s hard rain slanted in on my garden without harming it. The plants are wet—most of them, and the air is drenched. This morning the heavy moisture escaped the soil as a misty fog. The sun’s getting through the clouds a bit now but hasn’t made it very far into my home; it’s dark in here! It’s another Red Hibiscus Day and the garden is flowering.

Popping Up

Nasturtium seeds have often been slow to germinate in my garden but this year they’re popping up right away. I tucked them here and there among my herbs with plans to add the flowers to not only my flower arrangements but to my salads!

My new clematis stopped blooming almost as soon as I brought it home but here it is sporting a new bud. I hope the forecast storms this afternoon don’t trouble it. I’m being brief this week since I’m holding my own personal art camp to try new things and push old ones further. Today is a Red Hibiscus Day.

Their Own Space

The more I garden, the more interesting “new” things I see. I’ve grown “baby lettuce leaves” before but this is the first time they’ve flowered though I had heard of lettuce “bolting” or going to seed. Since seeding isn’t what I want from my lettuce, I cut the white flowers’ long stems and gathered them with a few other cut flowers from my garden in my favorite yellow-green glass vase. When I worked in flower shops I learned that each flower should have its own space-- “light and airy,” we called it. The wayward, curving stems certainly have found their own space!

In Its Place

Ever on the lookout for plants with colorful foliage, I spotted this pretty oyster plant at a local greenhouse. It seems to take little care and its leaves are attractive from either direction—pink and green-striped in front, and red-violet on the back, so I added it to my garden.

Also known as Moses in a Basket or Boatlily, Tradescantia, can be a good houseplant and can make a quick-growing groundcover but you can probably guess what’s coming—it’s invasive. I’ve read reports of its rhizomes and seeds taking over entire beds unbidden. Dogs love to lie in said beds because its smooth leaves feel cool—momentarily. Unfortunately, dogs are highly allergic to it. People can be too. So, as long as I keep mine in a pot by itself (which I was doing anyway by default) and don’t touch the lovely smooth leaves, everything will be colorfully fine. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/650/

Similar Yet Different

Today both my hibiscuses are blooming! Though the differences don’t show in the picture, the red hibiscus plant is tall and lanky, and the orange one is a small mound of dark green leaves. The red flower measures seven inches across while the orange is only four inches in diameter. And of course they sport different colors and petal structure. The red petals are long and curl back gracefully while the orange petals are shorter and curve only slightly. Yet they’re both hibiscuses. They’re both flowering plants. They’re both green, leafy plants. They’re both created by God to beautify his world. People also come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors but we’re all people. In fact, every person who has ever lived on the face of the earth can trace their lineage to the first people on earth—Adam and Eve, and more recently than that, to Noah and his three sons and daughters-in-law. We’re all kin. We’re all God’s creation (though not “all God’s children” see Romans 8:14). One person is really tall and another is really short—so what? One person is black, another brown or white—so what? There’s only one race—the human race. Though we’re all one people, God likes variety in his plants and animals and in his people—it’s the spice of life.

Say “Ah”

I’ve added something new to my garden-a dahlia. I once tried unsuccessfully to grow one from a tuber; maybe this time with that part done for me I can grow these beautiful flowers. My childhood ten-cent garden catalogs would proclaim, “Dahlias—flowers as big as dinner plates!” or a picture of a child standing near a dahlia plant was captioned, “Flowers as large as a child’s head!” Wow! Though labeled as large, my dahlias aren’t anywhere near as big, only three and one half inches in diameter. One of the keys to size, it seems, (besides the particular variety) is to clip the side buds before they open, leaving the main one of the set of three. The second one is opening. I can’t nip it in the bud; not yet--not this time. Most people I’ve encountered pronounce this lovely as, “dalya” as in dally (including myself) but one of my flower shop employers made a point, “Well of course it’s pronounced, ‘dah-lia’; just think of Arlene Dahl.” (U.S. Actress of 1940’s and ‘50s)

Oh Deer!

My miniature pomegranate is settling in and blooming well--but only on the less sunny side though its tag says that it needs full sun. The tag also says that it’s “deer resistant”. That’s a good thing I’m sure, but if a deer ever leaps up here to my second floor balcony, though technically it’s probably possible, it will be a strange day and I’ll be leaping somewhere else! Fortunately we don’t even have squirrels near us. The last place we lived was overrun with them; they ate my plants down to the nubs. They seemed to especially like purple flowers—my specialty. Though I tried really hard to think of them as cute, I couldn’t any longer. I prayed to be able to appreciate this creation of God’s. And I prayed some more. At last, I focused on their amazing acrobatic ability and praised God for his wonderful creation. But I was reminded of the time, in the movie Fiddler on the Roof, when the village rabbi was asked if there was a blessing for the Russian Tsar. The rabbi responded, “May the Lord bless and keep the Tsar…far away from us!” Ditto the squirrels. However, I’m the one who had to move.

Patiently Seeking

I finally got my magenta impatiens over the weekend for the shadier part of my garden and planted them this morning. For some reason, this year magenta ones have been harder to find with the nearly day-glo red ones and white ones dominating the garden centers. However, I’m finding that locally-owned garden centers are more likely to have what I’m looking for. Even this exotic plant from tropical Zanzibar! Impatiens don’t need much sun; keep them moist and they’ll bloom profusely when nearly everything else has given up for the summer. When I find the right color of coleus, I’ll add it for a colorful combination that lasts. As it turns out, the name impatiens, apparently does come from impatience because their seed pods will spring open with little prompting. http://landscaping.about.com/od/flowerseed/p/impatiens_plant.htm I like to leave a few spent flowers un-deadheaded so that I can have the fun of opening the little spring-loaded seed pods and watch the tiny seeds fly out to their new home in the soil—sometimes I don’t have to buy any new impatiens the following spring! With my last round of planting came a backache and stiff legs that didn’t loosen for two days so this time I brought out my folding art studio chair rather than my kneeling pad. Hopefully, I’ll survive this round better. I spent quite a bit of time gardening outdoors today. The rainy air felt good. The frogs and birds sang their pleasure and the plants basked in the humidity.

Outdated?

More years ago than I can remember, I decided to plant my old, outdated packet of wildflower seeds in an available pot. Maybe they’d come up—maybe not; I had nothing to lose. Surprise! This ferny-leaved white yarrow sprouted and grew. It’s fern-like leaves often stay green right through the winter; it has bloomed a couple of times every spring and summer for probably five or six years. Just when we thought that the cold weather was over, last night’s temperatures were forecast for the 40’s! It was so chilly this morning I had to bundle up in my afghan when I sat in the garden. Another beautiful day is ahead, Lord willing.