While snapping pictures of my yellow blooms, I found the song Mellow Yellow rattling around in my head. The Donovan tune is mellow, but the references uncovered on Wikipedia take it out of the realm of a G-rated post. You can read more about his inspiration on Wiki. I smiled!
I’m just mad about sunflowers…
Helianthus in profile
Helianthus closeup
Lilly
4 O’Clock Flower ready to bloom
Lemon yellow coleus
Dedicated to Mrs. Marion Bloom
Showing our colors, gardening style with blue Delphinium and red and white petunias
Tomorrow is Independence Day in the States, simply referred to as ‘the 4th.’ Many years ago one of my teachers presented us with a series of logic questions including ‘do other countries have the 4th of July?’ Of course the answer was, ‘yes’ referring to the date, not the occasion. I probably got it wrong too, but hey, I learned from my mistake.
On the subject of mistakes, here are a few to avoid altogether, as told from the perspective of a garden fairy:
Keep your animals indoors. More animals go missing on July 4th than on any other day of the year. The fairy garden critters are under wraps for the next 24 hours. Please keep your cats and dogs, deers and frogs safely indoors as well.
Safe and sane fireworks. Anything with the word ‘fire’ in it deserves our respect. I’ve set up extra chairs and few lichen-covered logs for fairy garden fireworks viewing at a safe distance from all the action. If you’re watching the works, be sure to keep your distance, too.
Safe celebrations in the fairy garden
If you reside in the US, happy Independence Day. Happy 4th of July to everyone else. ;-)
As temperatures heat up across the country this week, I marvel at the good common sense of our felines. I continue to plow through work and household chores, miserable in this 100 degree heat. They on the other hand seek the cooler ground.
Early in the day they stretch out on the damp concrete patio. As the sun rises, they come indoors and sleep away the hottest part of the day under a ceiling fan or in the cool recesses of a closet.
Lindy, made in the shade
Beijing, looking frail but still hanging in there
The garden, too, knows exactly what to do on these over-heated days. Sinewy roots reach down to capture the cool water below, letting blooms open wide for the sun. Then they pack up shop as the sun sets and store their energy for the following day.
Helianthus, Sunflower
Cosmos and Forget-me-nots, happy in the heat
Even our native ancestors had more sense than we do. I see posts on Facebook of people running in the mid-day heat. Several spectators arrived in Las Vegas area hospitals after suffering from heat stroke while sitting in an outdoor amphitheater in the mid-day sun! And who do you suppose was offering the tomatoes a mid-day drink in the blaring sun? Guilty!!!
So…today I’m taking a page from the common sense manual. I ate an early breakfast with my husband outdoors in the patio shade. I finished my garden chores before 9 and now I’m writing with my feet propped up on the paper shredder under my desk, ceiling fan whirring overhead. My afternoon client has A/C (hooray).
Once back home I’ll try avoiding my natural tendencies to go, go, go by referring once again to that common sense manual. If you need me I’ll be doing (almost) nothing, until the blaring sun recedes for another day.
Hey…nobodies perfect.
1. Drink plenty of cool water.
Slinky Malinki has a cool drink
2. Take a refreshing bath.
Mighty Mouse thinks a bath might cool me down
3. Enjoy an afternoon nap.
Special thanks to Tamara of Botanical Gardens for including me in her list of Shine On Awards. It’s so nice to be appreciated. Tamara writes:
I am passionate art and nature lover. As I work for the third age university I got the opportunity to develop a new field of education for our seniors-my idea was to start the senior garden volunteers program. I find it intriguing for this program is not only a bond between education and nature, but it mirrors connections between society, ecology, development, individuality. My wish is to start an inter generational project with our senior garden volunteers. So this blog is also about topics dealing with importance of botany education, senior learning,inter generational learning, ecology,garden volunteers, art. Because, as I have mentioned before-it is blog about My Botanical Garden.
Well…turns out it’s really a duck. Disneyland is known for its cast of characters: Mickey Mouse, his trusty companion, Pluto and larger than life Donald Duck. They’ve entertained children for over 50 years. Can you guess my personal favorite?
That’s actually a trick question. My favorite ‘character’ at the Magic Kingdom this week was, in fact, a duck. Isn’t he cute?
Male Mallard (or Drake)
Female Mallard (or Hen)
He put on a show for as well and *bonus* no line! He chased his female companions in a circle around the flowers, reminiscent of an old Laurel and Hardy movie. They quickly tired of his game and settled down with a weary eye. I wish I had video of the antics. We were in giggles.
According to my research, the Mallards are past mating season, so perhaps the chase was simply practice for next season.
We eventually glimpsed the official Disney characters along with a gaggle of five-year-old princesses. My 13-year-old male companions only had eyes for roller coasters, but even they slowed down for the Mallard show. Keeping it real at the Magic Kingdom is what makes this gardener smile.
Not much camouflage here
A pair of beauties
Quack-quack!
We’re waving goodbye to Mouse (the cat) today as we fly to Disneyland for a short holiday. Mickey Mouse, here we come!
My traveling companions are two active 13-year-old boys. There will be no moss growing under my toes this week! My son asked me to take photos of the garden today and then again on Friday to compare. Without further ado, here’s a snapshot of some of the faster-growing garden favorites.
June 24, 2013
Female pumpkin buds
June 24, 2013
Young pumpkin
June 24, 2013
This pumpkin is further along, but those two snails look suspicious to me. We may not have a pumpkin to photograph.
June 24, 2013
Basil in the rain. It’s looking fresh and tasty.
June 24, 2013
Three stages of hydrangeas
June 24, 2013
One of these things is not like the other
The sunflower on the left continues to grow up
Have a terrific week!
Sunflower Save
I guess the downside to planting a small garden is that ever single plant seems precious. Farmers, especially organic ones, expect to lose 20% of their crop. They simply take it in stride. Not me! So when I pulled into the driveway last week, greeted by heavy winds and leaning sunflowers, I knew I had to act.
Earlier this season, I planted several sunflowers from seed, for a near-perfect garden fail. One sunflower survived. To be fair, we do have a thriving squirrel population, so it’s important they don’t go without. ;-)
I hit the nursery for a second go and bought a cell pack of (6) six-inch plants instead. I planted the second batch of sunflowers during an early season heat-wave and they all survived. Thrived even! Within a month they had tripled in height with flowers everywhere. Ironically the one plant started from seed continues to grow in height. It’s the big sister to all the other plants.
I digress.
So…I’m driving up the road bemused at the crazy weather, only to see my precious plants bending in the wind. No one else was home to help, so I dragged the heavy wooden garden bench across the yard and the walkway so the plants could lean into the back for support. I grabbed some garden twine and laced up the stalks to the slats in the bench. I’m sure the neighbors thought I had lost it, placing a garden bench at the curb facing the driveway, but I’m past worrying about that.
Garden bench and a card table to the rescue
Relieved that my impromptu support was working, I turned to go inside, only to find the glass hummingbird feeder smashed to pieces. Again with the mighty wind. The wind snapped the tree branch holding the feeder, sending sticky glass crashing to the ground. I found parts of the feeder on the patio step, across the lawn and in the shrubs along the walkway.
Once there was a hummingbird feeder…
“Cleanup on aisle….” Oh right. I guess I’m on my own with this one, too. Ten minutes and one pair of worn out gloves later, the broken glass was up. While I tidied the sharp and sugary mess, hummers buzzed overhead. They couldn’t figure out why dinner had suddenly disappeared. They seemed to think I was responsible.
It was tempting to redirect them to the aforementioned sunflowers for a drink. “Hey…look over there!” Since we’re in the business of spoiling our local wildlife, however, I headed indoors to unearth our backup feeder. I mixed up a quart of sugar-water and we were back in business.
The mighty wind is fierce and strong; the resident gardener, resourceful.
Win or lose?
I think we’ll call this one a draw.
Both of my sons were born in June, so I affectionately call them my June Bugs. My youngest son turns 13 today, and will enjoy a new right of passage in our world of technology: his own YouTube account. He’s already at work on a logo, safety features in place and an awe-struck mom (that’s me) amazed at the things he can do. He loves all things Apple, so this month’s fairy garden theme is my low-tech tribute to a young man who is going places.
Happy birthday, M!
Fairy Garden Birthday
Table coverings, Apple motif
We’re serving birthday cake once again among the moss-covered stones. We hope you’ll stop by for an apple-sized bite.
My dad, center, in India, 1941
Mike Francini, awesome dad
I celebrate my dad whenever I garden, so in my world, most days are Father’s Day. My love of gardening is a gift from him.
My dad was a horticulturist by trade, loving all things gardening. He worked all week at a local nursery, then spent his weekends gardening at home. My sister and I took turns on the one-way wheelbarrow rides, while he hauled rocks to our London, Ontario back yard. He built a meandering brook through the center of the garden, then added flowers and trees. I savored my first cherry tomato from my dad’s summer garden. I remember walking through the kitchen door with a handful of tomatoes and giving them to my mom for our lunch. To this day, they remain a garden favorite. Dad died when I was just a girl of 9. How I missed him!
18 years ago I married a wonderful man. He’s father to our own two boys. Today we celebrate him as well. Not a gardener himself, he does everything in his power to make my garden look carefree. He installs and regularly repairs the irrigation to keep things watered evenly. This summer he built a new raised bed so I could add more flowers to the garden mix. He stains the deck, repairs the fences and helps research garden pests. We’re a good team.
Most of all, he nurtures our two boys, helping see to their ‘care and feeding’ as well.
A father lost and a father found. Happy father’s day to the men who stand up, show up and make the world a better place. Hallmark sentiments aside, this day is in honor of you.
Tower of Sedum
Earlier this season I created a ‘Flower Tower’ by stacking three clay pots in graduated widths, then securing them with a stake. The flowers were beautiful, but the narrow space for planting, meant they dried out quickly. Annuals are shallow rooters to begin. Couple that with the porous clay pots and you have a watering challenge on your hands.
I loved the tower, and had fun aging the pots with gold leaf. I wasn’t ready to give up. I shifted the annuals to larger pots, then replanted with drought-tolerant Sedum.
I’m really pleased with the results. The plants don’t mind drying out between watering (and in fact probably prefer it). The soft greens contrast nicely with the clay. As they grow, they’ll cascade down the sides of the pots, and once established will send out tiny flowers.
Power to the tower!
Sedum Guatemalense
Sedum layered in tower of pots
I’m a firm believer in one of the following two clichés:
Can you guess which one?
Emerging Sunflower, 2013
Sunflower, 2012
Sunflower going to seed, 2011
Hope blooms from a packet of seeds
Did you guess?
I love the variety a garden affords. When you live and play in California soil, variety abounds. That said, I have three garden favorites that appear year after year: pumpkins, tomatoes and sunflowers.
My top three favorites never breed contempt. For over a decade now, sunflowers make the list. One tiny seed leads to a magnificent flowering plant, growing a majestic 5 – 12 feet (1.5 to 4 meters) or more. As they grow, they attract beneficial insects. They’re a huge favorite with the bees. Sunflowers produce a mass of seeds which we generally ‘offer’ the squirrels at season’s end. The bright yellow flower is my favorite anyway, so I’m happy to share the remaining spoils.
How about you: variety, familiarity or a little of both?
Sunflowers, 2013
Gardening Nirvana 
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