A Day of Thanks!

Autumn Fun

My daughter and I had some autumn/halloween fun in the garden with these self-portrait pumpkins.

My WILD Inner Gardener Unleashed

Back in 2007, when we finished building our home and the front yard was landscaped, the area pictured below which is far back behind our home kept calling to me. When landscaping our properties today we feel a certain compulsion from within to keep everything that's in view of the public eye nice and tidy, and that feeling is reconfirmed by a society that expects a landscape to fit into a neat and organized model. So, it soon became clear that this area was the perfect place to let the "WILD" side of my gardener persona loose. 

I thought to myself, "Oh, this area will be just for me and my wildlife friends . . . and the more, the merrier! Only the perimeter will be kept somewhat neat, and the inner part of it will be exactly as it chooses to be . . . wild, unkempt, natural, messy, free! And, I will delight in its uniqueness . . . and not worry about how it may be perceived by others."

This area already had its garden spaces defined for me. All I did was follow its lead and fill in the empty spaces.

So, my "wild" gardening side emerged . . . free to create whatever delights me and the feathered and furred critters that I hoped would call this place home. Unabated, by the need to follow landscape design principles . . . the plants chosen had to meet only one criteria. 

Do they provide food or shelter for wildlife?

Six years later it has grown into a wonderful dense canopy that provides food and shelter for a number of  wildlife species. 

This space started out with some pretty good bones as you can see in the original photo above. Along with some already established trees, it also has a wonderful rotting stag tree . . . that is still there today . . . that the woodpeckers love. I've seen numerous species of woodpeckers enjoying a feast of bugs from this beautiful rotting tree trunk. How lucky to have this treasure already here!

Another positive for this "wild area" is that its location is perfect for connecting my backyard habitat with the wooded forest (as seen below) at the very back of our property. All I needed to do was expand it and plant more tree canopy. I brought young tree seedlings from my previous yard, and some that I found in my new yard . . . elms, maples, bald cypress, hackberries . . . all trees that are currently growing here. A Sabal palm planted itself in exactly the right spot next to a pathway, and was a welcome addition. Then I filled in with lots of good food sources: Florida privets, Simpson stoppers, coonties, beautyberries, hollies and wax myrtles.

Now, the area is entirely closed in as the trees and plants have grown large, and a number of native wildflowers . . . Spanish Needle being the most prevalent . . . have been left to grow where they want. You can barely see part of the fence in that bottom right photo.

Pathways were put into place so that I could venture throughout the area to enjoy it. The first few years I would go in and clean up the dead plant material following winter, but have subsequently weaned myself from this practice, reminding myself that this is a "wild" area . . . no clippers allowed! And, in the process I have determined that it does just fine on its own. 

More plants were added like bottle brush trees and lantana for nectar. And, even more beautiful wildflowers . . . like the yellow-spiked beauties below . . . showed up on their own, and were allowed to grow where they pleased.

On the left side of the wide walk-through area that runs through the middle of my secret paradise is an area specifically for butterflies. Here's how it looked when I first stuck that butterfly on the post in the ground. 

And, today it is a wild, tangled jungle of pentas, coral bean, candlestick cassia, porterweed, Mexican heather, native salvia, several varieties of shrimp plants, milkweed, firespike and more wildflowers that truly seem to enjoy spreading themselves around.

Here are a few more pics of the butterfly plants, along with something I discovered one day. I like to leave large tree branches that fall in the area for a natural look. One day when I was out walking through my "wild" area, much to my delight I noticed that some creature had made a home for himself right in the crux of this large piece of wood behind the milkweed, next to the Golden dewdrop shrub. The opening seemed somewhat hidden by the curve of the trunk. What an exciting discovery!

Here's a close up look at how cleverly this wild animal disguised the entrance to his home. This was a lesson to me to leave pieces of wood in the garden for wildlife. What I thought was decorative, was actually useful to a wild creature.

I was delighted to see that the wildlife was arriving. Along with plenty of squirrels I've seen rat snakes, black racers, bunnies, lizards, racoons, and there are now 2 underground homes that I believe armadillos are living in.

There are many species of feathered friends that visit this area and some that stay permanently.

There is a bluebird family that has taken up residence.

And, there are a few friendly tree men around to make sure that all who enter here appreciate the wild, natural beauty that abounds. NO naysayers, critics or hedge clippers allowed here!

 This "wild" garden turned out to be my favorite spot in the entire yard, and the one that you're most likely to find me in. In the center of this "wild" garden is my inner sanctuary . . . the spot where I love to sit on the bench, hidden away among the surrounding foliage, and watch the squirrels and birds that dart back and forth in search of food.

Here's the "wild" garden as it stands today.

Planning and planting for this area was one of the most fun garden projects I've ever done. And, I have to say that now that my "wild" inner gardener has been unleashed, I'm looking at the garden in a new and different way. This "wild" garden helped me heal following a dark period in my life, and brought forth not only a new perspective on life but on gardening, as well.  And, that's a good thing!

 There is a lot of  busy-ness that takes place in my wonderfully "wild" area. Not by me, but by all the wonderful creatures that call it home!

How the Garden Grows

The autumn vegetable garden is off and running, so to speak. It all started back in August when I planted tomato seeds - 4 different varieties: Sweet Baby Girl, Black cherry, Bella Rosa and Cherokee Chocolate - all from Tomato Growers, Inc.

All 4 tomatoes went into the ground around mid-September, and Sweet Baby Girl is the first to set flowers.

Planted at the end of August were Packman broccoli, Blue Lake bush beans, Green onions.  The green pepper plants from spring were resurrected with a dose of fertilizer - to which they responded well and have stepped up their production of peppers. The plants look a bit shabby but they keep chugging along, so I'll let them stay, as long as they keep pumping out their tasty little peppers.

The eggplants that were planted in June are still producing 3 to 4 a week

Mid-September seed plantings included another round of Packman broccoli and Blue Lake bush beans. I have to say that I really struggled with the Blue Lake bush beans - from Seeds of Change - having to replant them numerous times. My mother had the same experience. Has anybody else had the same experience with this brand?

Other new additions to the garden were Snow Peas (seeds), Winterbor kale (starts), True Siberian kale (seeds) and pictured below - Georgia collards (starts). 

The broccoli has not liked the hot mid-day sun, but other than having to dust them with an organic insecticide and give them a cooler spray of water, in the heat of the day, they look on track to begin producing by the middle to end of this month.

The end of September found me planting Red Core Chantenay carrots, Cherry Belle radishes, Early White bush Scallop squash, Swiss Chard and Bok Choy seeds, as well as French shallots which I read about on Daisy's Maple Hill 101 blog. I'm not sure if it's the right time of the year to plant them but since my green onions are doing well, I decided to give them a try. The bulbs were purchased at the super market.

The 3 rainy days we experienced last week were a big help in getting my little starts well on their way. I've been busy mulching the beds with straw to keep them from drying out. I've had more than normal pest problems - - - - caterpillars, stink bugs and some other little worm eating holes in the bean leaves, but a little organic dust seems to have remedied the problem.

How is your Autumn vegetable garden growing?

Stumbling Upon the Unexpected

Look what I discovered in the garden this week . . .

After escorting the trash can to the curb,  I was walking back towards the house . . . just minding my own business . . . when the morning light on the east side of the garden caught my eye. It's always a treat to see rays of sunbeams filtering through the trees, so I stopped to admire the soft autumn light for a minute. That's when the 2 blue orbs caught my attention.

As I walked closer, both of the blue orbs and the bird feeder appeared to be lit up like lamps. "How neat is that!" I thought. And, then there it was on the right side . . . another surprise . . . the overnight handy work of a busy spider. Whenever, I come across a spider's web, I'm reminded of the lyrics in The Eagle's song "Waiting in the Weeds"  - - "A small, gray spider spinning in the dark, in spite of all the times the web is torn apart."   Don't you just love the meaning behind those lyrics? Spiders are resilient and people need to be resilient, too, to weather life's storms.

 This is my version . . . or, at least the beginning of a "bottle tree."  In the past, Southerners created bottle trees to keep evil spirits (or 'haints' as they were called) at bay. The Southerners would hang bottles, while the Europeans hung round globes (known as "witch balls") with an opening in them The evil spirits (or haints) would be attracted to the sound made by the wind around the bottle openings, and would be sucked into the bottle or ball. Since I'm of European descent and a Southerner, I wanted to include a bit of this history in my garden. Click on this link if you want to read the history around the "bottle tree."

 And, a view from the other side of the tree gave a whole different perspective. There's always 2 sides to every story . . .isn't there? Not to bore you but to quote Don Henley in his song "Long Way Home" he says. . . "there's 3 sides to every story - your side, my side and the cold hard truth." Now, how true is that, even though we'd rarely admit it. From the back side, the sunlight is illuminating the cinnamon-colored bark of the Natchez crape myrtle, and the gazing balls are their natural deep blue color.

Wouldn't you agree that was a neat little discovery? That's been happening in my front yard every morning since I hung those orbs there, and I didn't even know it. Wonder what else is going on in my garden that I don't know about!

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Oh, and look what other unexpected, and not so wonderful, things I discovered when checking on my vegetable garden. I actually love seeing caterpillars in my garden but not on my eggplant leaves, so he was quickly relocated. Can anyone identify this little guy for me?

And, then there was this feisty green stinkbug hanging out on my tomato bush. He is definitely not a welcome visitor! I actually saw two of them fighting over a small Sungold tomato yesterday. He was quite agitated by my picture taking attempts, and finally flew away.

But before heading indoors to get some work done, my walk ended on an upbeat note when I came across this bright green Eastern Pondhawk dragonfly sunning himself on the tomato cage. Can't blame him, as it was quite a delightful morning following 3 days of rain and gray skies!

It should be a wonderful weekend . . . so enjoy!

Summer is Waning

 Now that summer is waning and I'm starting to venture back out into the garden, the result of many months of a tropical summer is staring me smack in the face. Like this chocolate cherry allamanda that is in definite competition with the elm tree.

 She's intent on using the tree branches for support as she extends her long branches high into the tree. Oh, but what gorgeous flowers all summer long. 

She's right outside the screened enclosure, so I can enjoy her blooms and super-sized buds all summer long while staying cool in the pool.

And, while we're on the topic of the pool . . . the poolside plantings are growing nicely in their 2nd year. They're all starting to meld together nicely and create that tangled jungle look.

Who in their right mind would leave the comfort of cool water in July and August to venture out in the heat to trim?

All of my tropical foliage LOVED the plentiful rain we had this summer, and I am very grateful for it, too!

Yes, there is some trimming that needs to be done all throughout the garden. But there's nothing like a large blooming hibiscus keeping company with a palm tree. They definitely scream "Florida!" It makes me want to plant more of them again, especially since those nasty old cold winters are now a distant memory. You know what I mean?

I did venture out in August long enough to give my roses a mini-trim so that I could enjoy some autumn blooms.

 And, now that I'm back in the garden tidying up, I'm reminded to cut some blossoms like this hydrangea and rose to enjoy inside. 

And, I'm even finding a little time to decorate for fall . . . or should I say I'm encouraging fall to arrive. My apologies for the fake autumn leaves, but after all, I do live in Florida . . . as the Spanish moss will attest to!

A long happy gardening season is soon to arrive . . . ENJOY!

Late Summer Surprises

Who doesn't love finding wonderful blooming surprises in their garden? I know I do, especially when it involves an orchid plant. My orchids are tucked so far back in my garden beneath the giant trees that I don't often see what they're up to. With all the steady rainfall this summer, I haven't had to venture back in that mosquito-laden area to water them. So, when I decided to walk back and see how they're doing, I was delighted to find these late summer surprises.

The vanda (yellow) and ascocenda (tangerine) orchids are so easy to grow and they bloom at least twice a year. They simply hang in a wood basket with no orchid medium whatsoever. I do believe the white and purple orchid is a Miltonia which is also a very easy orchid to grow and never fails to reward me with a generous amount of blossoms.

Are there any "late summer surprises" lurking in your garden?

Close to the Land

While traveling in China I noticed how simple the Chinese diet is compared to ours. In the large cities they do have Western fast-food places and also ready made noodles and vegetables. Just add water and microwave and it's ready to eat. Sound familiar?

But, overall they eat very simply from the land.  They eat what they grow and what's in season. During our summer visit, there was plenty of bok choy, carrots, spring onions, cherry tomatoes, peanuts, potatoes, eggplant, peppers (both red and green), and cucumbers (which by the way, are delicious cooked). And, there was of course staples such as rice (they grow 2 crops a year), bamboo shoots and ginger.

With a wok . . .

and your choice of chicken or pork, garlic, ginger and onion plus 2 to 3 vegetables and some delicious oyster sauce . . .

you can create a healthy one-dish meal in no time at all. It was surprising to see that they eat a pretty large quantity of food, but I guess when you're eating predominantly vegetables you can consume a lot without gaining weight.

They also garden very simply. The goal is to grow food and they plant as much as possible. No fancy raised beds or outlined beds with wood or stones. They simply maximize every inch of workable soil. To the western eye it may look messy and unplanned, but it soon becomes obvious that they are experts in healthy food production. A very necessary need in a country with a huge population.

Orchards of fruit trees dot the hillsides of the Li River, and as you can see in the photo (above and below) they put their abundance of bamboo to use by crafting supports for their vining plants.

Harvesting is not always easy in this country that still uses simple farming methods. After harvesting off the hillside these growers paddle-board (another clever use of bamboo) their fresh produce down the river. 

In the southern region of China you do not see large farm equipment. They use slow-moving Water Buffalo to pull their plows. These same buffalo provide milk to the farmer's family. These farmers still have a direct connection with the land they live on and the food they eat. 

There were farmers of many kind at work.

The local farmers can be found selling their bushel baskets full of produce beneath colorful umbrellas along city streets.

And, sometimes even more simply as this woman pictured below. 

Or, out along the highways that connect one city to another. It's definitely not an easy way to make a living.

Even folks who live in the city grow their own food even though they have a limited amount of land. We often saw vegetables growing from containers on balconies and on whatever little piece of land they may have.

In one of the old Hutong neighborhoods that we visited on rikshaws, four families grow fresh vegetables from a small plot of land outside their shared home.

Every inch of available space is put to good use. These vines also work to hide a bit of clutter and cool this side of the home.

Pots of herbs are a common sight outside of small business' that we passed.

This brief view of simplicity in rural China has opened my mind to the possibility of a slower and simpler more way of living. In the West we live stressed and hurried lives. We hastily prepare and eat highly processed food or restaurant meals. Progress and modern ways are not always better. I look forward to getting my hands in the dirt and growing even more of the food we eat from our backyard (and sometimes, frontyard) garden this fall.