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!

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.

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.

Cut Backs

The hard freezes the last couple of nights have taken a toll on my outdoor garden; plants that have withstood temperatures as low as the upper 20’s have frozen in this front’s icy grip of 18 degrees. So it’s time to cut away the things that can’t come back*.

How can you tell which leaves will revive as the weather warms? If it’s limp but still green there’s a strong possibility that it will spring back and grow again but limp and brown, black or gray has virtually no chance. However, if the dead parts are cut off some plants will put up new sprouts from the roots—this is where continuous watering benefits; the root ball is often protected from the cold by the soil and water keeps it from drying out i.e. freezing (freezing is essentially dehydration).

In case you’re thinking, “Oh the poor things!” realize that the sweet potato vines are usually gone with the first freeze; the various plants that froze have lived far beyond their normal range. Besides, I did take some cuttings that are still doing well. The Sweet Williams always hold up as they are biennials. Victoria Blue salvia also comes back (sometimes) for a second round but usually only after dying back but this time the leaves have bounced back. The plants that really amaze me though are the petunias! The ordinary white ones are still blooming and growing; I’ve never seen petunias survive this kind of weather! The orange Million Bells look straggly but they’re still blooming as well. Maybe I won’t give up on petunias after all (most of the ones I grew this year had some sort of plague and didn’t do well).

*Wearing garden gloves is a good idea when cutting frozen branches since they can be gooey.

In The Pink

The pink Christmas cactus has an opening bud! These are always a treat.

A red hibiscus flower bloomed yesterday and is still lovely today—a bonus of cold temperatures and a lack of sun. Though I am physiologically affected by a lack of sunlight (as everyone is, whether they admit it or not), the Lord has been changing my outlook regarding “gloomy” weather. As my family has a number of birthdays in a row, with one blessedly advanced, I’ve begun to realize that since God has given us each day, I need to make the most of it and be thankful, whether sunny or “gloomy.”

But it did feel really cold when I went out just now! When it warms up a bit (the sun is expected to visit later), I’m thinking that it will be a good time to cut the yellow green sweet potato vines way back, though I’m not expecting them to regrow since they’re annuals. It’s the end of the season for the now brown-spotted leaves but my indoor cuttings are still in good shape. Who knows, maybe I can keep them going all winter and not have to buy new plants in the late spring?

Meanwhile, it's a good day to play Christmas music and decorate. I’ve once again been impressed with how worshipful, meaningful and uplifting the words to the old Christmas carols are!

Morning Had Broken

It’s another rainy morning stirred by a cool breeze yet the first sunlight slides through a crack in the clouds. The growing light shimmers golden on rain puddles. The forecast says it will rain all day but the sun doesn’t seem to agree.

Alas, the clouds have won—for now, but the birds are still singing.

As I’ve chosen this morning to focus on the true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8)—rather than the radio’s bad news, I’m feeling better and singing. Like the sun vs. clouds struggle, it takes perseverance.

Indoors where it’s dry with plenty of light, the deep pink pentas are still in full bloom as are the Angelonias.

Outdoors, not only are the ‘Million Bells’ still blooming as I mentioned yesterday, but the UGO (unidentified growing object)—“the bronze-leafed plant”, is full of rosy new growth. Even the purple sweet potato vine sprouts miniature purple leaves. The purple sweet potato vine has held up to the cold better than the yellow green one; my guess is that the yellow green vine’s larger, softer leaves—perhaps even its lighter color make it more vulnerable. Darker colors absorb light and heat and don’t reflect it (as much), which is why we wear dark-colored clothing in the winter.

A New Home for Oskar

It’s time to put the pieces of the puzzle together and settle Oskar into a home so that it can grow properly.

The directions say to put the “planting disc” in the pot—what an improvement over the usual bag of light soil that easily goes airborne, and add approximately two cups of warm water. It’s bubbling and popping; this is fun.


“Fluff with fork.” Hmm…dig might be a better word. “Add more if needed.” Yes, more water is definitely needed unless I want a solid bottom layer. Another cup; more digging. It needs still more but how much more? A little more, more—stop. It takes three and three-quarter cups of water. The gold-colored pot is heavy and warm, with no drainage holes.

I’m to set the bulb in the soil with one or two inches of bulb showing above the soil. This will take newspaper on the floor and a trowel.

Now that Oskar is settled in, I’m to put it pot and all, in a warm place. I certainly have that in the morning windows.


We’ll have to see if Oskar will bloom by Christmas or not—the box says “8-10 weeks.” I may have started too late but then again, maybe not. I’ll keep you posted.

The weatherman’s thermometer read 29 degrees this morning when we got up. White frost covered everything but I covered nothing. And everything from the purple sweet potato vine to ‘Victoria Blue’ salvia to the peppermint is fine (though the yellow-green sweet potato vine is definitely waning). It’s time to put away the sheets.

Hardy Sorts—Sort of

My remaining outdoor garden plants have much more space around them now that I’ve brought many indoors for the winter. However, I have a little more room to arrange them; I enjoy decorating.

Where rearranging is less of an option, I’ve grouped some water globes in a vacant pot. I’ll watch to see how the sun shines through them in the afternoon to see if I need to move or spread them.

I love colored glass and got to see the Dale Chihuly exhibit twice when it came to town. The exhibit featured a walkway with a strong Plexiglas ceiling covered with a kaleidoscope of lighted colored glass. Walking through the color wonderland thrilled me! I’m excited to share a link to a picture of a similar installation! http://www.chihuly.com/ceilings-persian-pergola-ceiling-2002_detail.aspx

It was so cold last night that it was only 33 degrees at 9am! Yet these are plants that survived it, covered with a sheet: Tropicana Canna, Sweet Potato Vine, Hyacinth Bean Vine, Parrot Leaf, Daylily, Basil, Pineapple Sage, Peppermint, Victoria Blue Salvia, Mexican Petunia. Remember, watering is vital to plant survival in the cold; dehydration is what kills plants in the cold.

The sickening sound of three beautiful shade trees being chopped down to prevent future problems with the continually problematic community water pipes has begun.

Call & Response

A crow sits atop a pine sentinel. Instead of the usual cawing sound, its whole body jolts forward with each high “ack ack ack.” A call to a missing mate or will any crow do? A response comes from a distance—twice, but the crow continues for a few minutes, “Stay there; don’t move! I’ll be there in a minute!”, then flies in the direction of the response.

I can hear the breeze whooshing through the treetops before it stirs my hanging vines. It’s cool in the garden this morning but when I retrieved my sweater from the east window where I shed it, I found it toasty warm.

The nights are still cool but everything seems hardy to temperatures in the 40’s so I haven’t had to tuck the garden in lately.

Here in the Southern Piedmont, the maples and oaks are turning gorgeous reds and yellows. Sometimes my eyes believe that they’re back in New England, where we lived for two winters! Beautiful.

Reason to Smile

The return of the sun isn’t the only reason I’m smiling—even laughing today. I’m moving quickly through my gardening and other activities today because I want to spend the bulk of the day reading the Bible and praying about the next step or layer in the revival the Lord has sent me. The fire hasn’t gone out—the embers are still glowing and sparking back into flame. Now that I know deep down in my spirit how marvelous and complete Jesus’ payment of the penalty for my (and your) sins is, I want to get the same level of understanding of how God wants his people to live here on earth. Salvation absolutely affects life on earth but is more about getting to heaven. I need to fully grasp the here and now as a follower of Jesus. Since love is the major command of Jesus and the reason he came, the next step is to really learn about God’s love and have it overflow to others.

Today in my gardening, I replaced ragged-looking cuttings of sweet potato vines with fresh yellow green ones and purple ones, planting the worn ones in a pot where they can cascade over the front landing. In the process of transplanting the cuttings, a purple mum branch (not blooming) and a yellow, green and red coleus branch broke off; I’m not sure why the branches are so brittle. It was however, time to refresh my flower arrangement. I added the broken branches, trimmed the other stems and poured fresh water. Since mums have woody stems, I had to lightly pound the end of the stem with a hammer so it can take in water. I was pleased to find that the Parrot Leaf had rooted, though nothing else had; it now has a new home in a front planter where its roaming tendencies can be admired. I had been looking for something colorful in that spot—I love it when I can fill a “need” with something I already have. (I also have a site on stretching money: http://www.stretchednotbroken.blogspot.com ).

See you later, I have more “blooming again” (reviving) to do! (I’d love to hear from you at leafyjournal@yahoo.com if you’re starting to “bloom again!”)

Redirection

My trailing yellow green sweet potato vine has trailed so long that it blocks the plants below from the sun. I have all the cuttings I need,so instead of letting the branches grow down, I’m redirecting them along the railing to grow out.

Time for a Haircut

My yellow-green sweet potato vine is thriving—all over the place. I’ve taken cuttings before to root in clear vases of water indoors but it’s time for more. I’ve enjoyed the beauty of the cuttings indoors so much that I’ve been reluctant to pot them outdoors. Encouraged by new cuttings on the way, I finally moved one to a large pot out front. By the look of the long loop of roots, I waited longer than is ideal. (The roots are pink!) It takes a little while for a plant with water roots to adapt to soil but with care, a plant this vigorous has no problem. In fact they’re so vigorous that they need a big pot since they grow a good-sized tuber or sweet potato (non-edible) underground. The pot therefore gets heavier as the tuber and its vine grows.

The best time to see the hummingbird, I’ve discovered, is morning but today as the temperature climbed I came face to face with him or her over the geranium.

Last night our gullies were again washed—this time with a bang!

Another Visitor Whirred In

More rain came yesterday evening in a tremendous downpour with wind so strong that it blew the rain sideways! Though it doused the plants, I’ve learned to water a little anyway because the rain often only wets the leaves and the top inch or two of soil.

Today I had a treat while watering my hanging basket of white-scalloped fuchsia petunias and yellow-green sweet potato vines; a long absent hummingbird whirred in for some sips. Last year one, or sometimes he or she would bring a friend, hummingbird made frequent visits but not this year. Perhaps the intense heat has been too much but today the temperatures are cooler with the rain or maybe I don’t have enough flowers blooming to make it worth their while. At any rate, I have to be careful that the hummingbirds don’t think I’m a flower too since I wear bright colors! Seriously, more than once a hummingbird has flown close to me as though I was a flower! Yikes, that would be traumatic for both of us!

It’s also a Two Red Hibiscus Day!