rhubarb

while digging out the old asparagus bed in preparation for adding the 20 new crowns, we found one of the two rhubarb plants that we put in last year. the other obviously was a drought victim. because of the amount of crowns to go in, we had to relocate it. we had purchased two new crowns thinking that all of last years had perished. now, all three are nestled in together and the flamingoes are keeping a vigilant watch over them.

garden update

this year's garden is moving right along. we have had plenty of rain and cooler night time temperatures and this is wonderful. we haven't had to do much watering, after last year, that's great! the greens are already picking size and some of the pak choy has already begun to bolt! next year, we will not plant it in the spring because it bolts so quickly, it does much better in fall and over winter. we are enjoying salads with arugala, spinach and many different lettuces such as lolla rosa, green deer tongue, tom thumb, red oak leaf and more. the green beans and wax beans are threatening to take over and they have many blossoms so it shouldn't be too much longer for picking. the new asparagus crowns have begun to send up spears, although they are too small to eat, we should be able to pick them next year. the tomatoes, eggplants and peppers are all adjusting to life outdoors. a lot of the seeds and plants we have came from two wonderful catalogs that i highly recommend territorial seeds and baker creek heirloom seeds. both carry wonderful selections of heirloom varieties and hard to find seeds, and territorial seeds has a great selection of plants for the spring only.

walking don

darry's mother linda is lucky to live in an area where wildlife abounds.  her stable is located in the golden gate national recreation area, just north of san francisco.  there is a photographer who frequents the park and he sends linda many photos of the wildlife and she always forwards them on to me.  this is an example of someone who is acutely aware of the wildlife around him!

these are a few photos from a series of 10 that show a pair of osprey caring for their young.

photos by Don Moseman, email him at walkindon@mac.com

good sense

the sense of smell can trigger lots of things both pleasant and unpleasant.  sometimes, just a quick sight of something can do the same and when we finally get a good look at it, we may also get a good laugh at ourselves for the misperception.  sounds can do many things to the senses, especially if you really aren't listening.  spending time in the garden, and being completely focused on a task, i often fine that my sense of hearing is acutely tuned to the wild life around me. part of that is the result of living in such close proximity to the zoo.  it is entirely normal to hear the siamangs and gibbons during the day.  the other main factor is that we live in an old and established neighborhood where there really is no room for new construction and the houses are spread out with plenty of old growth to provide room for the wildlife.  we also have lots of wild life to keep it interesting.

a few nights ago, we were woken from a deep sleep  to the sounds of what must have been two possums battling over a find in the compost heap.  the dog heard it too and she only added to the noise level.  quite often, while sitting in the dining room or working in the kitchen, i am seranaded by the hopeful little wren as he advertises for his future mate.  the little bird house is chock full of sticks and he flits around from the birdhouse to the fence to any number of places in and around the vegetable garden and all the while he is calling out repeatedly and waiting for a response.  cardinals, blue jays and goldfinches all stop by and make their presence known.  every so often, we spy a blue bird but we generally don't hear them.  we have hawks nesting in the old growth that forms boundary lines between various houses and i hear them frequently as they fly over head.  since we live at the bottom of the hill, it is not  uncommon for them to fly low up the driveway and thru the trees as they head uphill to their nest.  surely they are hoping to find the chipmunks that are suddenly no longer present, we suspect the snake skins we have recently found have something to do with that.  darry and i have also caught glimpses of a fox.  it has been in and around our yard and in other parts of the neighborhood.  i am thinking that it is a vixen, it is not very pretty, rather bland in color and markings and the tail is not especially fluffy.  whether these are signs of gender, immaturity or inbreeding, i am not educated enough to say but i hope this means that there are more to keep her company.

one thing i haven't experienced so far this year, cicadas.  we are supposedly expecting a bumper crop, a mass hatching if you will.  it has been all over the tv and newspapers.  so far, we have found a few shells on trees and in various plants, and with this neighborhood being so old, we should see or hear many soon if the predictions hold true.  look for photos to be posted if they are!

bumper crop of berries

last years late frost did a lot of damage. we had to replace vegetable plants that were damaged only to have them suffer from the drought that followed. one of the other casualties was a complete loss of all of the flowers on both of our holly bushes. as you know, without flowers there will not be any berries. needless to say, we had a bunch of hungry birds this past winter. when we saw the first signs of flowers, we were worried that we could lose them again and we had several cold nights that could have frosted them. luckily for the birds, the berries have survived the few false starts of spring and will be ripe and ready come fall!

the littlest herb garden in nashville

this years herb garden has filled out nicely.  the lemon balm and the sage (on the right) are attempting to take over!  the spanish lavender and monarda are also on their way as well as the rosemary and oregano.  on the left, you can see almost all of the 6 kinds of basil as well as the big beautiful bronze fennel that we planted specifically for the butterflies!  the thyme and marjoram have filled in nicely after the damage of last years drought.  this year i added flowers to the herb garden, violas and nasturtiums that are edible and some salvia that isn't  and it should be nice and colorful.  so fare, the skinks are doing a good job keeping watch, we have seen a large male broad head and a small blue tail of unknown sex.  hopefully they will stay outside this year, a few snuck into the house last year and josie was all over them!

broad headed skink

blue tail skink

what's new in the garden

the garden is showing signs of growth.  the greens are filling out and the new asparagus crowns are shooting up all over.  the tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are adjusting to life outside.

progress report-lasagna garden

it has been slow going due to cooler temperatures. 

but it is beginning to look as if it is taking root.  the plants are slowly filling out and hopefully, once the tempurature goes up a little, the plants will take off.  if this bed is successful, we will be adding more to this area of the yard.

monkey business

life is short so you might as well as have a little fun while you are working.  it was a beautiful sunny day today and with this in mind, i dressed accordingly before going out to weed the vegetable garden.  baggy light weight pants that are definitely a little too short, long sleeve shirt, a bandana around my neck to keep it covered and a big floppy hat and sunglasses.  the girls would have been  sufficiently horrified by my appearance.  but i was determined not to get a sun burn.  it was so nice out that i truly did not mind being out there digging up weeds.  as i settled into a rhythm and my mind began to wander, i found myself listening to the siamangs at the zoo.  they make a loud whooping call that we can hear in our yard.  it reminded me that earlier in the day, i found myself listening to the white handed gibbons.  being so close to the zoo is nice, we can watch elephants and giraffes when we walk the dog near the zoo property some times.

siamang information:  www.honoluluzoo.org/siamang.htm

white handed gibbon information:  www.honoluluzoo.org/whitehanded_gibbon.htm

www.nashvillezoo.org

send me photos!

we just put all of our vegetable plants out in the garden.  seeds are beginning to sprout and soon, i will have photos of our garden to share.  in the mean time, share some of your photos with me and i will put them up.  be sure to keep checking up on us and see what we have going on in the garden.  garden4groceries@bellsouth.net

the irises have it!

the iris is the tennessee state flower.  i have never been a huge fan of them because they just don't last that long.  this was until i really started looking at all of the irises out there.  we have an official state iris garden close by in the ellington agricultural center.  there are so many that are old varieties and a lot of new varieties as well.  it is a beautiful setting, raised beds surround a gazebo and there is a small stream with a bridge, a popular wedding site in the spring.  my mother in law, linda, is also an iris fan.  she has several varieties in her garden and she sent me these photos of her black iris.  

linda's garden

one of the things i love about gardening is the chance to share it with other people.  there is nothing better than walking out to the garden and picking a bowl of greens or a bouquet of flowers or herbs that will be given to someone.  so when i opened my email and found all of the photos that linda sent me, i had to post a few.  the raised beds are being guarded by the dogs and the irises are beautiful.  i can't wait to see the garden when we arrive in june.  linda recently added a new foal to the stable when her mare molly gave birth, zara princess of hearts, check out the livery website for photos and information.  miwokstables.com

darry to the rescue...

while at work one day, darry saw a large plant being hauled out to the trash.  he thought it looked nice and that it was a shame to see it going into the dumpster so he brought it home to me.  it was obvious that the plant had been neglected so we gave it a fresh pot of dirt and some water then we placed it near a window for some sunlight.  after a few weeks, we noticed that it had grown, all over were leaves and at the top, what we suspected were flowers.  then the other night, i could not get over the perfume that i was sure that the girls had been using.  it was so strong it was beginning to give me headache, the scent of lilies and jasmine and it was all over the upstairs of the house.  then i went over to the plant and discovered that the little flowers packed the most scent i have ever experienced in a plant.  it is a dracaena fragrans or a corn palm, and they are night bloomers, during the day the scent is not evident, but at night, watch out!

floridagardener.com/pom/Dracaenafragrans.htm