Archive | garden RSS feed for this section

Backyard wildlife buffet

26 Aug
Acorn 1

Acorn 1

Surprise!  Surprise!  Our pair of Swamp White Oak trees have their first crop of acorns this year.  Wild Birds Unlimited offered these trees for sale over 10 years ago to encourage development of back yard habitats that produce food for wildlife.  We already had wild cherry, cedar and holly which produce berries.  Chokeberry bushes did not thrive in our yard.

Holly berries

Holly berries

Favorite of finches

Favorite of finches

Cedar berries

Cedar berries

The Swamp White Oak was a great choice because it tolerates wet springs and dry summers.  We just did not think we would wait this long to bear acorns.  Oh, happy days!

Acorn 2

100_2451

Acorn 3

http://shade-trees.tripod.com/families/selections/swamp_white_oak.html

Tags: , , , , ,

They are back…17 years later

18 Aug

Seventeen years ago, I remember seeing them along what had been a fence row on the west property line.  All the rest of the property had been filled and grated during construction.

Today, Sunday morning puttering involved “harvesting” catnip.  Any suggestions on technique?  It is expensive in pet stores, that motivated me to try growing it in the kitchen garden.

Kitchen garden 2013

Kitchen garden 2013

Look what I found:

Cicada 1

Cicada 1

Cicada 2

Cicada 2

The exo-skeleton of cicadas were underneath the catnip foliage.  Thank you Wikipedia for the science lesson!  The common name is locust.  Cicada is Latin for “tree cricket”.  The documentation in Wikipedia is wonderful.  There is a video half way down on the left of the molting process.  On the right side of the webpage, there are four audio selections recorded in New Zealand, Japan, Greece and Texas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada

They are eaten in China, Latin America and Congo.  I would rather have my eggplant.

Tags: , ,

Five Fabulous Flowers

27 May
Virginia Dare

Virginia Dare

It is Memorial Day and prime time for glorious peony blooms.  From the editorial of the Des Moines Register (link below), the tradition of placing home-grown peonies on graves goes back to the Civil War and Decoration Day.

100_2348

Karl Rosenfield

The Karl Rosenfield variety is classic with large heavy blooms which are unfortunately doubled over after a heavy rain.  The blooms of Virginia Dare and Sword Dance are much lighter and put on a fabulous show.

100_2344

Garden Parfait

Many homeowners will mow the foliage back.  Peonies and their foliage is a great addition to perennial flower beds because it holds its own during the summer months.

100_2349

Foxtrot

These beautiful varieties were photographed today.

Sword Dance

Sword Dance

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20130527/OPINION03/305270036/?odyssey=nav%7Chead

Tags: ,

Puttering potter postponed plans for petunias

13 May

May 12th has come and gone.  It was too cold to prepare this year’s hanging baskets.

The baskets

The baskets

Notice, we repurposed door knobs to help organize the potting shed.

In the meantime, just a few images of Mother Nature’s glory on Mother’s Day….

Iris

Iris

100_2314

Lilly of the Valley

Lilac

Lilac

Last of the season's tulips

Last of the season’s tulips

100_2319

Iris, too

Tags: ,

A walk in the wildwood

29 Apr
Marsh marigolds

Marsh marigolds

Virginia Bluebells

Virginia Bluebells

Trillium

Trillium

Dutchman's britches

Dutchman’s britches

Dogtooth violet

Dogtooth violet

Flowering quince

Flowering quince

This is prime time for hunting Morel mushrooms in the woods of Indiana.  Alas, I have no photos of mushroom hunting in the wildwood.

Thanks to Dottie Miller for the adventure in her backyard and the wildlife education.  The opportunity to see these wildflowers in bloom is little more than a week in late April/early May depending upon weather.   These wild flower photos were taken in 2011 in the Eagle Creek watershed.

Tags: , , ,

Outdoor Rooms

22 Apr
Fly under

Dreamy

Kathleen Birmingham has an article in this month’s issue of Acreage Life about creating outdoor rooms.  She addresses site, furnishing, lighting, weather and privacy.  My favorite expert is Australian native Jamie Durie, designer of outdoor spaces and host of his own HGTV show. http://jamiedurie.com/

Elfcroft is blessed with several outdoor rooms….a west side arbor, east facing screened porch with a swing and south-facing golden quartz flagstone patio open for star-gazing surrounded by a moon garden.  The orientation makes a huge difference in the comfort level.  Screened, shaded and open sky….we have it covered.  What we don’t have….and it is probably the favorite outdoor room in Indiana….the basketball court/driveway.  Well, we have a driveway.  The basketball goal was worn out years ago.  They do wear out. 😦

Porch swing with great cushion

Porch swing with great cushion

Moon garden

Moon garden

 

 

Tags: , , ,

daf-fo-dil

16 Apr
Daffodils

Daffodils

Ahh spring, clumps of daffodils are blooming in lawns in every direction.  Like a song that plays in your mind, the Wordsworth poem “I wandered lonely as a cloud” has been in my head.  When I did a Google search for the poem, I discovered it filmed to rap music in 2007.  A human performs it in a squirrel costume….really.  It is available on YouTube.  For me, this poem is better the old-fashioned way…..a classic from 1804.

I WANDERED lonely as a cloud
  That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
  When all at once I saw a crowd,
  A host, of golden daffodils;
  Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
  Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

  Continuous as the stars that shine
  And twinkle on the milky way,
  They stretched in never-ending line
  Along the margin of a bay:                                  
  Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
  Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

  The waves beside them danced; but they
  Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
  A poet could not but be gay,
  In such a jocund company:
  I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
  What wealth the show to me had brought:

  For oft, when on my couch I lie
  In vacant or in pensive mood,                               
  They flash upon that inward eye
  Which is the bliss of solitude;
  And then my heart with pleasure fills,
  And dances with the daffodils.

Written by William Wordsworth
Spring mix

Spring mix

Tags: , , ,

Don’t mow the grass….that was last then

15 Apr

Not this grass!

Amber waves

Now that it is spring, I did not mow the grass…..but cut it back.

This 10-year-old clump of Miscanthus Maiden Grass has died out in the center.  As I cut it back I thought it would make a great nest for geese.  “And what to my wondering eyes appear!”

Duck eggs

Look at the bottom center of the photo.

10 Mallard Duck eggs

10 Mallard Duck eggs

Our ducks chose to nest beside the Maiden grass.

10 eggs!

I looked up the “Twelve Days of Christmas”…perhaps because I wanted to sing….the line is six geese a’laying (for the six days of creation)…it was seven swans a’swimming (for the seven Catholic sacraments).  

Looking forward to posting photos of 10 ducklings 🙂

Tags: , ,

Spring Equinox

20 Mar
Joys of Spring

Joys of Spring

http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-vernal-or-spring-equinox#.UUn-fR0yo_8.email

Together the beauty and science of spring.

Tags: ,

Frugal Fun

16 Feb

Or “The Best Ways to Spend $100” from this month’s issue of AARP Magazine.

http://pubs.aarp.org/aarptm/20130203_PR?folio=24#pg26

My personal favorite is “Just Call Me Herb”, which suggests the best return on investment as well as cash crop is fresh herbs.  Chef Robert Irvine of the Food Network goes on to specifically recommend basil, rosemary, mint and chives.

Elfcroft suggests that the better investments are perennial herbs like sage, oregano, horehound, lemon balm, catnip and lavender, which return value year after year.  Annual herbs like parsley, dill, cilantro and rue are great companions Chef Irvine’s ideas.

A herb garden is a two for one value.  Not only is it a treasure of fresh ingredients for cooking, but also delightful for the foliage and aromas in the garden.

Parsley

Parsley

Oregano

Oregano

Tags: , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →