October 27, 2012 by Born To Organize

Hummingbird Quandry

We’ve often wondered if the hummingbirds at our feeder are the same year round. It lead me to do a bit of research on the migratory habits of the hummers native to our area. Last week I saw this charmer at our feeder, unruffled by the cooler temps and the rain. Was this one passing through, staying for the winter or about to leave town?

Hummingbird October 22nd

According to World of Hummingbirds, Allen Hummingbirds like to winter in Northern California but spend the summer in Mexico. So who’s been visiting in the summer? I used to think we had Ruby-Throated Hummers at the feeders, with the flashy iridescent red chest, but I’ve since learned they migrate on the east coast of North America and Canada. Then there are Anna Hummingbirds. Anna’s are one of the few year-round residents of California. They can handle temperature extremes, so no need to winter in Mexico.

Following are the hummers we’ve seen in our garden this year. Descriptions from World of Hummingbirds are at the end. Who do you think we have visiting our feeders?

Hummingbird February 25th

Hummingbird August 4th

Hummingbird August 24th

Hummingbird October 22nd

North American Hummingbirds

Halloween Countdown

Lying pumpkin

October 26, 2012 by Born To Organize

Just Visiting

Jazzy

My personal motto is that homes should be lived in and gardens shared. Visitors are a welcome treat. We’re all social creatures, heart and soul, no matter where you land in the social equation. Extroverts like to live large, while introverts find solace in the quiet in between. I’m a little of both.

My friend Jazzy has a day care next door. In the late afternoon her young charges visit my garden and deck, running up and down the ramp, checking out the fairy garden and swinging from the Magnolia tree. Yesterday they were playing hide and seek. It makes my heart sing when I hear their squeals and the sound of running feet. Sometimes they’ll peer in the kitchen window to say hello. I love the open inquisitiveness of the under-five set.

Our neighbor’s cat likes to call our place home. He doesn’t get the attention he craves at his real address a few houses over, so he travels to find it. He sleeps in the garden, plays with one of my cats, and has mastered his way in and out of the yard through a hole I need to fix in the cat fencing. We love him like our own and would be heartbroken if they moved.

Mighty Mouse Neighborhood Cat

Squirrels, possums, raccoons, hummingbirds, snails and a myriad of other four to six-legged creatures also stop by. Though destructive at times, I’m still honored by the visit. It tells me they’ve found a bit of nature in my backyard, a place to have a drink from the fountain or to eat a grub under the lawn. I don’t garden for a living; I’m not selling crops. So I work through my disappointment when one of them snaps a sunflower or digs up my (sniffle, sniffle) newly planted Snowdrop bulbs. They’re busy living life to the fullest on a much-encroached planet.

Isn’t he cute?

A pair of snails heading home for the day

The welcome mat is forever unfurled. Won’t you please come in?

Halloween Countdown

The Ghost of Pumpkins Past

October 25, 2012 by Born To Organize

Blooming Thursday: Hidden Cyclamen

Many years ago, my friend, Leslie, gave me a gorgeous cyclamen for Valentine’s Day. I was between relationships and probably feeling sorry for myself. It was a sweet gesture and a stunning specimen of a plant.

Brilliant Fuchsia

The cyclamen sat on my coffee table for many weeks, producing bloom after bloom. Then, with little warning, the leaves began to drop. I’m not one to give up easily on plants, so I tried the usual things: more water, then less water, different light. Nothing. Eventually I was out of ideas. I upended the contents of the pot into the small strip of dirt near my apartment door. Imagine my surprise a year later when the cyclamen “came back to life.” Turns out cyclamens are tubers, also known as corms. The plant had simply gone dormant.

Cyclamen corm with emerging heart-shaped leaves

Cyclamens remain one of my favorite winter plants. I planted three in colorful pots on the deck last winter so I could watch them bloom from my kitchen window. When spring rolled around, I transplanted them to larger pots and paired them with spring annuals.

As my potted darlings closed up shop in the late spring, I scooped them out of the soil and moved them to the lower garden. I found a small patch of dirt under some tall grass next to the Magnolia tree. They would be in good company and would stay cool all summer long.

It was a sweet surprise to see them back in bloom this week, refreshed from the recent rains and ready to flourish.

Shaded by the grass

What’s blooming in your garden?

Cyclamen Care. I especially like the beautiful drawing at the end of this link.

Halloween Countdown

Collector Pumpkin

October 23, 2012 by Born To Organize

Drooping Flowers and the Hat-Pin Trick

Hat-Pin Trick

Hat-Pin Trick

I’m not sure where I picked up this handy piece of advice, but it works…most of the time. Cut flowers, especially those with hollowed stems will often droop after a short time in water. The reason: the stem is no longer siphoning water.

Simply insert a pin or needle all the way through the stem of the drooping flowers, about one-inch below the bloom, then carefully remove it. Within an hour or two, your flowers will be standing tall. I’ve used this trick successfully over the years with Gerbera daisies, roses and tulips.

Gerbera Daisies Revived: The yellow flowers perked up; but the orange ones did not.

Rubber-band Recovery

In the event the hat-pin trick fails, move on to plan B. Gather the flowers into a loose bunch and slide a rubber-band over the stems and up to the neck of the flowers. Wrap a second band around the bottom of the stems. Return to the vase, and enjoy your perky arrangement.

Rubber-band Recovery in Action

Lift and Separate

I don’t know about you, but I like to get as much “life” from my cut flowers as possible. Most mixed bouquet flowers have varying shelf-lives. Some of the blossoms are spent within a few days while others can last up to a week or more. Rather than dump the entire bouquet, I change the water and return the flowers that still have life. As those fade, I’ll cut the healthy flowers down to a few inches, and display them in a smaller vase. If I have nice greens, I’ll see what’s blooming in the garden and I’ll mix the two together. I make a game out of it to see how long the flowers will last.

Do you have any tips or tricks you’ve used to preserve the life of your cut flowers? Please share in the comments, below.

Halloween Countdown

Nautical Pumpkin

Eye Candy

Look who else has cut flowers this week:

Boomdeeada: Make Lemonade
Mini Manor Blog: Fall Dinner Party
Tea on the Terrace: Autumn Garden Bouquet

October 19, 2012 by Born To Organize

Visiting Renee’s Garden

I was in Felton, California yesterday, a small, mountain community about 45 minutes from here. It’s also home to Renee’s Garden. I mapped their address from the packet of seeds and went in search of their gardens. It was quite a letdown when the address turned out to be a small, nondescript office instead. Not a garden in sight anywhere.

Although I didn’t bring home a camera full of photos, I learned a bit more about the company. Renee gathers seeds from around the world, then grows them in her test garden at home for two years, before releasing them to the public. The seeds are not treated or genetically modified.

I’ve been growing Renee’s Cat Treats Gourmet Mixed Greens for several months for my sister’s cat, KT. He’s an indoor kitty who loves his greens, and is especially fond of this mix. I grow a weeks’ worth of nibbles in my kitchen window, then she takes a pot home for KT.

KT Enjoying his Gourmet Mixed Greens

Renee’s garden is a participant in the Great Sunflower Project, the brain child of Gretchen LeBuhn. It’s a data collection project that will eventually produce the first real map of the state of the bees. You can learn more about Renee’s participation and the Great Sunflower Project on their respective sites.

I purchased a variety of bee-attracting seeds last week. They include Renee’s Native Orange California Poppies, Dusky Rose, also California Poppies and Double Click Bouquet Cosmos, a summer favorite. I’m going to sow a few seeds now, then save the rest for early spring. Won’t those bees be happy?

Special thanks the Heidi Harris.

Renee’s Garden Flower Seeds

Halloween Countdown

Snail Hotel Pumpkin

A. Checking in
B. New VIP entrance
C. Underground parking
D. No Vacancies
E. Putting on weight
F. How it all began

October 18, 2012 by Born To Organize

Garden Tools: The Dirty Dozen

The Dirty Dozen

I made some progress towards the garden clean-up today, though not as much as I would have liked. I gathered the “dirty dozen” of garden tools and made a mental assessment of the work ahead. My husband, handyman extraordinaire, gave me some quick tips on removing rust using steel wool. If you’re wondering the difference between #000 and #0000, just ask!

I pounded the cushions together to loosen the dust, and brought them indoors for a quick wipe-down. I had to run outside to tether the inflatable spider before it broke loose from the yard and put the fear of arachnids in someone down the street. Then I was out the door for appointments for the rest of the day.

Costume Update

I’ve enjoyed dusting off the old sewing machine this week and putting it to use. This year I’m dressing up for a few Halloween parties as a Bella Pilar greeting card. Her designs are fun and whimsical.

I pieced together a crinoline using two “maternity panels” from a fabric store and adding tulle from an old costume. Today I finished sewing the skirt and made headway on the top. I’m making a pattern as I go along, so fitting it has been a challenge. I’ve been dreaming of my own dressmaker’s form, but it’s hard to justify that expense given the minimal use it would get.

Just a few finishing touches and the costume will be ready to wear.

Halloween Countdown

Princess Pumpkin

October 17, 2012 by Born To Organize

Garden Clean-up on Aisle Alys

It’s that time of year again. Garden clean-up. I’d rather decorate than clean, but I know how good I’ll feel when these chores are finally done.

Garden Tools

I’m a lazy gardener when it comes to tools, but I’ve promised myself I’ll be better this year. I expect the spades and forks to dig on demand, with very little TLC between seasons. When my hand shears are dull, my husband works his magic and returns them in sharp shape. The rest of the tools deserve the royal treatment as well.

Lounge Cushions

I can hardly wait to get them out of storage each spring, but putting them away feels like such a chore. I’m ready to move on to the next thing. Right now, they’re stacked in the garage in a not-so-convenient spot. I need to slap them together to loosen the dust. Then I’ll damp wipe the surfaces before storing them in the shed for the winter. I use extra-large Ziploc® bags to keep them clean between seasons.

Slipcovers

I made a slipcover for the garden swing in May with a few easy ties for quick removal I tossed it into the washing machine yesterday, then dried it on low. It’s ready to store for the winter. I want to come up with a teepee-styled cover for the entire swing to keep the original cover and frame clean and dry. One year I used an old vinyl tablecloth with flocking on the back. It worked fine until the squirrels moved in, shredding it into nesting material over the course of a few days.

Empty pots

I don’t have too many empty pots, thanks to our mild winters. I clean the pots that aren’t in use and store them upside down in the side yard. Some gardeners scrub with a mild solution of bleach to kill off any parasites, but I try to go the organic route. Using mild detergent and super hot water does the trick.

Stakes, trellises and supports

Saving the easy stuff for last, I just stack these in a corner near the shed and have them at the ready for next season.

Have you already tackled your garden-cleaning chores? Do you put it off like me? Check back tomorrow for a progress report. Once I click the “publish” key, the pressure is on!

Halloween Countdown

Hawaiian Vacation Pumpkin

Tips for cleaning and storing your garden tools.

October 16, 2012 by Born To Organize

Birdhouse Gourd: Free Fall Averted

I took a field trip with my husband to the side yard on Monday. He hadn’t seen our birdhouse gourd in a week so I was happy to show it off. The added girth was indeed impressive, but he was also concerned that the weight would snap the vine. His concerns were well founded. We lost a pumpkin this summer in the same way. One day it was hanging from the trellis; the next day the weight snapped the vine and dropped the pumpkin to the ground.

birdhouse gourd with tape measure

birdhouse gourd perspective with orange tree

Above: A bit of perspective. The raspberries and oranges look tiny next to the gourd.
Left: measuring up.

As if on cue, when I checked on Birdhouse Gorgeous today it hung nearly six inches lower on the trellis. Further, the vine was putting weight on the phone wires under the eaves. I had to leave for a meeting, but couldn’t face returning home to a smashed gourd. I needed a way to support it without hindering its growth. Did they sell gourd hammocks, and if so, where would I find one on short notice?

My quick fix? A few pieces of garden twine and a color-coordinating mesh shopping bag. It took less than five minutes to rig and it solved both problems. The bag supports the weight of the gourd while at the same time allowing air to circulate. The twine lifts the vine up and away from the phone lines. I can’t write my blog without an internet connection! Crisis averted. The vine is now free to grow about its business.

Mesh grocery bag

It’s in the bag

Halloween Countdown

Vampire Pumpkin

I raided my son’s dress-up box for this week’s Halloween countdown. In the meantime, snails continue to “carve” the Snail Hotel.

October 15, 2012 by Born To Organize

Wasp Nest Revisted

The garden headline in our local paper today read “Mystery of missing wasp nests.” How intriguing. Mary Ann K of Walnut creek wrote to the columnist, and had this to say:

“Wasps have been building a nest under the eaves just outside our sliding glass door to the patio They were not aggressive, and we were able to freely enter and exit, being careful to close the screen door. The nest grew to about the size of a tennis ball . The other morning when I checked, it was gone.

We searched the patio and garden and found nothing. Who stole the nest?”

Joan Morris, columnist for the Bay Area News Group, says that a number of creatures like to dine on wasp nests! I didn’t know that. Apparently birds will peck at the nest to retrieve the larva, eventually knocking it to the ground. Opossums also enjoy snacking on the nest itself, and can easily climb to retrieve it.

Wasp Nest

Wasp working the nest

I checked on our little hive this morning to be sure all was well. The wasps are quiet and passive, so it’s easy to forget they’re still there. When they built the nest this summer, it concerned me to see it so close to our back door. After educating myself on the nature of these creatures, I decided to leave the wasps alone. Now I feel like the protective mother, looking out for her babies in the nest. Are you as fascinated as I am, or a little creeped out (like my husband).? The more I understand them, the more interesting they become.

Halloween Countdown

The Literate Gourd

Resources

Mystery of missing wasp nests, by Joan Morris
Wasps Nest Under the Eaves
More about wasps from National Geographic.
Leaving the nest: a perspective from Purdue University Plant and Pest Diagnostic Lab.

October 13, 2012 by Born To Organize

Snail Hotel: Hole in One

Belly up to the bar

A clever and voracious garden snail found a soft spot in one of our pumpkins. He/she went on a pumpkin bender a few nights ago, slurping an impressive, though disappointing hole in one…pumpkin that is.

Now that they’ve breached the shell , decay will quickly set in. Add to that our spiking temperatures (yet again in the eighties!) and we’ll have a sloppy, slushy, pumpkin mess before week’s end. Taking inspiration from my friend Sheila, I converted the lost pumpkin into a snail hotel. I love my Sharpie’s! I love my pumpkins too, but the damage is done. In addition to counting down to Halloween, I’ll now be counting the days till the Snail Hotel is officially condemned.