Tag Archives: garden

Baby Kiwis

25 Jun

June 2019:  Woo! Hoo! In this photo…blurry, baby kiwis!

Baby kiwis

Apparently, I focused on the the one top-left of center.  Three in this photo!

It has taken two years for this perennial plant to mature and bear fruit.  Also, we have had significant rain fall this season.  The vines have grown over ten feet long.  Hopefully, the vines will meet the arbor between the house and garden shed…may not be this year.  (I would have planted if closer, if I had understood how it grew.)

May 2018:  Last year’s great expectations deflated.  Here we “grow” again!  Our perennial kiwi vine has a strong start for this season.  It is front and center in the photo below with four vines.  So far, the longest one is over three feet long.

May 2017:  Yesterday, we were pleasantly surprised to find potted “Hardy Kiwi” for $12 at Cox’s Plant Farm.  I thought kiwi grew on trees like apples or cherries.  It is a vine that prefers a trellis to support perhaps 100 fruit.  We’ll let you know how we did.

http://ediblelandscaping.com/careguide/Kiwi/

 

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Dirty job: composting

27 Jun
Yard compost bin

Yard

Kitchen compost bin

Kitchen

 

Compost bins

 

 

 

 

 

Composting is both a dirty job and “Black gold” to enrich vegetable garden….this season’s yield…200 pounds!

For eighteen years, I have used a three step process to mitigate the slime and smell of kitchen waste.  This year I added a fourth step.

  1. Compost kitchen and garden waste (very slimy and smelly)
  2. Compost yard waste (primarily trimmings of perennial flowers).
  3. Add kitchen compost to yard waste = black gold
  4. Top off with ashes from fire pit for enrichment

All gardening starts with dirt.  Yes, it is less expensive and messy to buy compost by the bag at garden centers.  Homemade is better.

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Fabulous Foliage

16 Jun

and thank you to 2,000 followers!

Hosta: Golden edge
Hosta: Guacamole
Hosta: Rainforest Sunrise

Our very cold late spring in central Indiana stunted blooms on our flowering trees.  However, the rains that followed supported the best season ever for our hostas.

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Kiwi for gardening

24 May

May 2018:  Last year’s great expectations deflated.  Here we “grow” again!  Our perennial kiwi vine has a strong start for this season.  It is front and center in the photo below with four vines.  So far, the longest one is over three feet long.

May 2017:  Yesterday, we were pleasantly surprised to find potted “Hardy Kiwi” for $12 at Cox’s Plant Farm.  I thought kiwi grew on trees like apples or cherries.  It is a vine that prefers a trellis to support perhaps 100 fruit.  We’ll let you know how we did.

http://ediblelandscaping.com/careguide/Kiwi/

 

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Friday photos: Autumn

6 Oct

Purple Dome Aster

Sedum

Plumbago

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From Houzz: Moon Gates in Garden

21 Aug

With all the interest in the sun and the total solar eclipse today…let’s balance the chatter with photos of what is blooming in Elfcroft’s Moon Garden.

I love the ideas in this Houzz article on Moongates.  Enjoy!

 

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What’s blooming in the Moon Garden?

6 Jun

Oak Leaf Hydrangea

http://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/flowers-and-plants/flowers/create-a-moon-garden

Campanula, EH Frost

http://www.perennials.com/plants/campanula-poscharskyana-eh-frost.html

Iris, tulip and peony blooms have come and gone.

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Friday Photos: IChing No. 59 Dispersion

26 May

The most beautiful examples of “dispersion” (I can think of) are the stunning Chihuly glass sculptures displayed through out public gardens.  These photos were taken in Dallas in 2012.

For more examples of “dispersion” of art in the garden:

http://www.chihuly.com

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Kiwi for gardening

16 May

Yesterday, we were pleasantly surprised to find potted “Hardy Kiwi” for $12 at Cox’s Plant Farm.  I thought kiwi grew on trees like apples or cherries.  It is a vine that prefers a trellis to support perhaps 100 fruit.  We’ll let you know how we did.

http://ediblelandscaping.com/careguide/Kiwi/

 

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Friday Photos: I Ching No. 3 Sprouting

21 Apr

Sprouting melon seeds

The potential energy is astonishing!  Each one of these melon sprouts can become a vine that produces a dozen melons which each have hundreds of seeds in their center!  These sprouts are from one of last year’s melons, which was from seed Dad saved from the previous year.  Tomatoes can be even more prolific!

Parts of seeds:  embryo, endosperm and coat(protective layer)  Notice in the lower left corner that several seed coats cling to the new leaves.

 

Looking forward to the fruit of these sprouts in mid and late summer!

“Sugar Kiss”, Sand Stone Melon Co. Inc.

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