Anna’s hummingbird
with effortless charm and grace
nature’s perfection.
Iridescent Gorget
Iridescent gorget
visible in the dappled sun.
Handsome little bird.
A wisp of a tongue, a moment’s rest
I followed closely
as you flew from tree to tree
at last a small pause.
Satisfying an itch
Soft, quiet feathers
So glad you’ve stopped for a rest
and to ease that itch.
Always in style
Gorgeous hummingbird
your feathers are always in style
white tushy, dark eyes.
The End
“The first of all single colors is white … We shall set down white for the representative of light, without which no color can be seen; yellow for the earth; green for water; blue for air; red for fire; and black for total darkness.” — Leonardo Da Vinci
When I studied color theory, it surprised me to learn that white pigment is the absence of color whereas in light, white is the combination of all color. Scientifically speaking, white isn’t a color at all, but as ‘non-colors’ go it’s loaded with symbolism and meaning.
I also learned today that white or pale flowers are more strongly scented than their darker counterparts. Who knew!
Come join me for a walk through my mid-autumn garden. The ‘color’ of the day, isn’t a color at all.
Flowering basil
The rest of the vegetable garden went to sleep in October, but this pretty plant continues to thrive.
Bacopa: This survived the summer heat and very little water
I gave this potted Bacopa very little water this summer. Now that it’s cooler and we’ve had a bit of rain, the plant revived.
Camellia along the back fence
This gorgeous, Camellia is one of my favorite splashes of white this time of year.
A fading Cosmo, one of the lasts flowers in the curb garden
This Cosmo looks tired, but it is November. She’s been pumping out blooms for some time.
Hydrangea, grateful for some rain
Again, one of the last blooms on this plant.
Sweet Alyssum and Begonias on the patio
There are a few begonias in the back of this pot, but the summer belonged to my Sweet Alyssum. As it goes to sleep, a pretty white shower drifts below.
The last of the Anemone. They’ve been flowering since August
My sister’s beloved kitty died yesterday. He’s been a wonderful companion to her and will be sorely missed. He had the whitest coat, emerald-green eyes and the cutest little ears. He also had a sweet personality to match. Farewell KT.
KT Eating Kitty Greens
Sensational Color: All about the color white.
Wikipedia: White
Color Matters: Basic Color Theory
Curb garden in need of some TLC
It’s been a stressful week. When your heart is open, it acts a bit like a sponge. The sadness of others laps at my soul.
The news isn’t mine to share, and sharing it won’t change it anyway. Instead, I donned my garden gloves, picked up a pair of garden shears and got busy. In my world, pruning is therapeutic.
Cutting away at dead growth or removing crossed or brittle branches helps shape the plant and ready it for fall. I worked my way through the curb garden, the triangle garden, the side garden and one of the areas in front of our sickly tree.
As I reached into the soil to plant additional bulbs, I unearthed several narcissus from last year. I tucked them back in for the winter, and made new holes a few spaces over. I like imagining the bulbs resting under ground, storing energy till they make their early spring debut.
Chocolate mint taking a shortcut
Chocolate mint has been running amok, sending shoots out of the bottom of the planter box. I cut back what I could, then stretched the shoots over the top of the box and pruned them clear of the gravel. That incredible scent tickled my senses as I ran my hands through the leaves.
Two unidentified plants are now a meter tall. I don’t know what they are but they’ve made it this far so they get to stay. Novelty is good, even it they do look a bit out-of-place.
Two mystery plants, one meter tall
I pruned away the diseased branches of our Magnolia. It’s possible I went too far this time, but after hours spent trying to defeat Magnolia scale, drastic measures were due.I removed branches from the shrubs below the tree, taming them back to the walkway’s edge. The last of the summer annuals were next. Piles grew in corners here and there. I filled the wheelbarrow, made another pile on a small tarp and brought order to the garden. My back ached as it grew harder and harder to stand up. I worked some more.
A lovely garden surprise
By day’s end, I’d logged four hours in the garden. I pruned, pulled, chopped, raked, and swept. I planted spring bulbs and dressed the side yard with a thick layer of mulch. Exhausted, I finally called it a day. I packed up my tools, washed away the day’s dirt and took my boys out for a quiet dinner.
Some days you tend a garden; some days the garden tends you.
Smile! You’ll be appearing on my blog next week
Since I’m taking one season off from pumpkin farming, I had to do something with all those seeds. I prepared a feast for the squirrels. They’re not terribly fussy about table settings and I’ve never seen them use a napkin, so the work involved was minimal.
Squirrel Feast
After Mike finished his carving masterpieces, I scooped the pumpkin guts into a plastic bag and set them aside on the kitchen counter. My son’s friend asked why I was saving pretzels for the squirrels which made me laugh. I reused the bag the pretzels came in but labeled it ‘save for squirrels’ so that no one tossed it out.
We covered our outdoor table and chairs for the winter. I remain optimistic about rain. I plunked the squirrel feast in the center of the covered table so I would have optimum viewing.
The good seeds must be at the bottom
The squirrels came and went all week. At one point there were five squirrels playing tag and taking turns on the table. Many of the visitors were camera-shy. I did my best to hide below the edge of my window sill, but the slightest movement sent them scurrying.
At last, this female squirrel arrived and happily nibbled and gathered while I clicked the camera. Isn’t she pretty?
Look at those dainty ‘hands’
Over the weekend, Boomdee posted a clever YouTube video of a squirrel ‘carving’ a Jack ‘O Lantern. She suggested they might just put my husband out of business. You decide. :-) I’m pretty sure you’ll smile either way.
She’s keeping an eye on me
Thanks for stopping by. Our forecaster says rain by mid-week. Fingers crossed. What is your weather up to?
Something extraordinary happened. I’ve been searching all day for just the right words. My talented friend, Pauline, an artist and blogger living in New Zealand put her heart and soul into this piece . The mixed-media painting is currently traveling from New Zealand to California, a gift from dear Pauline. Did I mention that is was extraordinary? I’m counting the days till I can see it up close. I already know the love and care she poured into this piece.
In Pauline’s words: “I thought and then I stopped thinking and finally – finally, I made this with my hands and my heart, for Alys.”
Here is Pauline’s original post about the painting and the process. With thanks, from the bottom of my heart.
October was a make it or break it month for me creatively. I was way behind with so many projects – even my garden remained semi planted as I spent time doing things other than what I really wanted to do.
I started a painting way back in April. At the time it was to be the first in a series of ‘Soul Portraits’, gifts for friends featuring my take on the preciousness of them, their lives, their gifts, their creativity. Of course, I bit off more than I could chew and my first feeble attempts were unsatisfactory and I happily left the work sitting for days – then weeks – while I prevari wondered about what to do next…….
What happened next pretty much brought life as I knew it to a complete standstill – if you read my blog regularly you know what it was. Next I adopted a…
View original post 1,113 more words
California’s drought drags on. To that end, I’ve planned my seedy business judiciously. About two weeks ago, this sweet little box of seeds arrived in the mail, my modest order from Botanical Interests. They even included “thank you lettuce.” You don’t see that ever day.
Botanical Interests Box of Seeds
When I first starting buying seeds, I didn’t pay much attention to the source. Now that I’m better educated, I prefer buying organic where possible, while supporting small, independent companies.
Once the unidentified behemoth, aka the pumpkin/zucchini mystery plant, dies back, I’ll plant both vegetable boxes with a cover crop. Purchased online from Botanical Interests,
This hardworking combination of field peas and hulled oats is a legume and grass cover crop that quickly benefits the soil with nutrients and green matter, while helping suppress weeds. A great cover crop for established gardens, the mix is also perfect for improving areas being turned into gardens such as lawns and vacant lots.
Pea plants fix nitrogen and condition the topsoil while the pea flowers attract bees and other beneficial insects. As an added benefit the young pea shoots and tendrils are edible and can be used in salads or as a soup topping. Oats hold nitrogen, provide green matter and provide support for the pea vines.
Cover Crop Seeds
When planted in the fall, the oats and peas benefit from the cool weather but are killed by the cold temperatures of winter and won’t regrow in the spring. The dead plant material provides a wonderful winter mulch that helps prevent soil erosion and is ready to be tilled into the garden as soon as soil can be worked in the spring
Not bad for $2.99 a packet! I bought three.
This is my only cool-season crop. I’ve grown it before and it got by on very little watering. I’m hoping for the same success to keep my water usage low.
After reading earlier this year about the decline in butterfly populations, I learned that one of the problems is the reduction in Milkweed. I’ve never seen it offered in our nursery centers, but found the seeds online. It’s a perennial, and will replace the seasonal flowers I’ve grown for the past two years in the triangle near our front sidewalk. The plant prefers swampy conditions, but they say it will do okay with ‘regular’ garden watering.
Butterfly Flower and Broccoli
I’m trying not to get my hopes up, since San Jose is anything but swampy. I’ll be thrilled, though, if I can plant a healthy shrub that attracts Monarch’s and helps them on their way south.
My sister’s indoor kitty, KT loves his greens. He prefers home-grown to what’s available at the market and I can grow it for a song year round. Pretty cool, eh? So I plant a pot every few weeks and place it near the kitchen window. My sister brings me the empty pot, and I start a new batch so we always have them in rotation.
I tried to get Mr. Personality to pose for these pictures, but we wasn’t having any of it. He eventually nibbled on the corner of the envelope, before jumping down and moving on.
“Clever” Photo attempt Number One
“Clever” Photo attempt Number Two
Here is the lovely KT moving in for a nibble. Isn’t he the sweetest? KT started out as a foster cat, but she couldn’t let him go.
KT Loves his Greens
So, that’s my seedy business this fall. How about you? Are you dropping a seed or two into the earth, a greenhouse, or the time-honored pot in the windowsill?
This Year’s Bulb Lineup
Planting bulbs isn’t complicated. Keeping them under wraps till show-time is a whole different story.
Apparently most bulbs prove irresistible to squirrels. Three seasons later, I’ve learned a thing or two.
In the past, fall catalogs arrived brimming with the most beautiful bulbs imaginable. I let my imagination run amok, mentally placing an order for 500 flowering bulbs in every shape and color. After tucking them into the earth, effortlessly and without two days of neck pain to follow, I would put my feet up and smile. Rounding out the fantasy, the following spring would arrive with the garden awash in yellow, purple and pink fragrant bulbs.
Ha! I crack myself up.
So, back to reality, I’ve learned to temper my expectations. A little reading on the various bulbs and corms revealed this useful nugget: squirrels do not like the smell or taste of daffodil bulbs. I planted fifty daffodil bulbs last year and they all came up. Further, they kept the curb garden looking bright and cheery in February, often our coldest, grayest month.
Here’s the plan:
I’ll add 30 more daffodils to the curb garden in case a few of the bulbs from last year don’t recover. This year’s variety is ‘Ice Follies‘, a blend of softer yellows. They’ll provide a nice contrast to the bright yellow variety. I’ll also be able to determine what comes up from last season.
The Narcissus ‘Paperwhite Ziva‘ are for indoors. Two summers ago I bought a beautiful glass vase at a craft fair, but find it difficult to use for traditional flower arranging. It’s long and narrow. A friend suggested bulbs. It never occurred to me. The wall in our bedroom is a rich blue, the perfect accent for the bulbs.
Finally, the pink and purple hyacinth, the ‘William and Kate Blend‘ will go in a large planter just outside my back door. I don’t know why they’re named after royalty, but it made me smile.
Once planted, I’ll lay a screen over the pot to prevent digging. I’ll be able to keep my eye on it, so that when the time is right, I can remove the screen and allow them to grow into fragrant goodness. They remind me of my mom.
That’s the plan from here, folks. Fingers crossed, salt tossed over my shoulder, spin around three times in a circle and a graceful bow to our dear Mother Earth ought to do it. You know I’ll keep you posted.
One by one, the sunflowers faded. There are now two flowers standing.
Salvia flanked by two sunflowers
They look spent, but as long as the birds and squirrels keep coming, I don’t have the heart to pull them out. It’s been nice seeing the Salvia in all its glory after a summer spent in the sunflower’s shadow. The Salvia continues to bloom into late October. The bees and hummingbirds love the velvety purple flowers. Salvia thrives in dry conditions, making it the perfect drought tolerant plant.
Salvia leucantha (Mexican bush sage)
I wasn’t sure if the tiny finches were still coming to eat sunflower leaves, but then I spotted one from the kitchen window.
Goldfinch takes a bite
I’ve got my eye on you
Squirrels are still climbing the trellis, looking for what remains of the seeds. They aren’t staying as long, so I’m guessing what’s left are empty seed shells. I’ll give it one more week.
Checking out the seed supply
I love his perfectly aligned tail
There is a lot to do this time of year, but it’s work I enjoy.
Our Japanese Maple (Acer) is dropping a few leaves out back, but the Chinese pistache (Pistacia chinensis) is still green. When it does turn, its glorious and one of the reasons we planted it nearly twenty years ago.
Over the weekend I pulled out the last of the tomatoes. I left several tomatoes behind to go to seed in place. I hope to repeat my luck next year: an all-volunteer crop of delicious heirloom Roma tomatoes.
The last of the tomatoes for the season, emptied box with basil in the corner, the drooping plant as it ends the season, a wheelbarrow full of plants, some kind of infestation just started at the base of the tomato plants
The basil is hanging in there and still making into a few meals each week. It looks lonely in the otherwise bare planting bed.
Basil hanging in there, all alone in the box
Meanwhile, on the other side of the vegetable garden, the ‘pumpkin plant that ate New York’ is taking over. The leaves are as long as my arm now, with several small fruits at the soil line. Though the leaves, stems and flowers all looked like pumpkins, the fruit is a dark green. I’ve never seen anything like it.
Late-season, over-the-top, self-supporting pumpkin plant
Japanese anemones (hupehensis var. japonica) dominate the rock wall and frankly, grow like weeds. I’ve tried to thin them but they come back stronger than ever. They’re a lovely sea of white flowers and the last to bloom before winter.
Last week I picked up some flowering bulbs, a little wiser than I was in previous years. I’ll share more about that later in the week.
I hope your week is going well.
Japanese anemones (hupehensis var. japonica)
Japanese anemones up close
Fall? How much time do I have to scavenge nuts and seeds?
According to my Old Farmer’s Almanac calendar, today is the first day of fall in the northern hemisphere. It’s officially known as the autumnal (fall) equinox. It’s my favorite time of year. Of course I say that on the first day of spring too. I can never decide.
What’s fun when you blog, is you find yourself keeping up with people from around the world. Today I thought I was celebrating the first day of spring as well with Sarah the Gardener, The Contented Crafter, Teddy and Tottie, and the Road the Serendipity but further reading tells me that September 23rd is their official spring (vernal) equinox.
Our wedding day 19 years ago landed on the first day of fall, however it was September 23rd, not the 22nd. Now my head hurts. I checked out a couple of sites today and got differing answers:
An excerpt from Timeanddate.com says:
Fall is called autumn in many countries
Fall equinox, Northern Hemisphere:
September equinox 2014:
September 23, at 02:29 UTC(USA & Central America, Asia, Canada, Europe, Northern Africa)
Fall equinox, Southern Hemisphere
March equinox 2015:
March 20, at 22:45 UTC(Australia, New Zealand, South America, Southern Africa)
The Old Farmer’s Almanac website says:
In 2014, the autumnal equinox brings the fall season to the Northern Hemisphere on: September 22 at 10:29 P.M. EDT.
Math isn’t my strong point, so while trying to work this out in my head I discovered The World Clock – Time Zone Converter and now it all makes sense. Using UTC or Coordinated Universal Time, the first day of fall in California is technically September 23rd.
Happy Equinox, wherever you presently call home.
I’m going to rake a few leaves and then sit down with a hot cuppa. All these math calculations hurt my brain.
A summer combating nasty little squash bugs did not prepare me for this:
Garden humour: Bug free, late season plant
A peak under ‘the hood’ reveals an apple-sized pumpkin
…and a companion fruit
Yes, folks, my garden has a sense of humour.
It’s September 10th, just a few weeks shy of the first day of autumn, and here we have a happy-go-lucky, bug free, healthy pumpkin plant. This particular variety is out-shining all efforts to date. Further, it’s growing in the planting bed I’ve been preparing for the winter. I removed the drip irrigation lines, so the beds are dry. I covered most of the exposed dirt with cardboard to keep the cats out. I ran out of boxes before I had enough to cover the whole bed. That was all the invitation this plant needed to get started.
Just one week ago
Day time temps remain high, but once regular night-time lows hit the fifties, this plant will close up shop. Meanwhile, I’ll enjoy it while I can, marvel at my garden’s sense of humour, and be humbled yet again. I’ve been promoted from gardener to garden supervisor, just like that.
Safety net: a small tendril wrapped around the flower, catching it when it dropped from the plant
Is there something unexpected in your life this week putting a smile on your face?
Gardening Nirvana 