Smiling is good for you. It reduces tension, helps you relax and promotes overall good health. There is always something to smile about in the garden; sometimes I’m lucky enough to catch it with my camera.
I hope these photos put a smile on your face, too.
Sure, the pumpkin is nice, but will you look at that cat I grew!?
He’s a cheeky little fella
Look, Ma!!! I can fly with one wing!
I think there’s a pooch hiding in the tree. Dogwood???
Bottoms up!
Are you smiling yet?
A Happy and Helpful Crew
Summer Winds, a local nursery in the Almaden area of San Jose, burned to the ground a few weeks ago. Formerly the Woolworth Garden Center, the nursery has been in the same spot for 40 years. Since the fire, there has been such an outpouring of support from the community. We’re all very sad at the loss of this nursery, and look forward to its rebirth.
Last Friday they set up shop in front of the former store, a fire sale lasting through the weekend. Large pottery, trees and annuals located outside the garden center survived the flames and were on sale. In addition to selling what remained at a huge discount, 10% of the proceeds went to the San Jose Firefighters Burn Foundation. What an amazing community we have. From there press release:
SummerWinds hosted at our San Jose location a 3 day “Fire Sale” and donation drive for the San Jose Fire Department, Friday through Sunday, September 14 – 16, 2012. Ten percent of the net proceeds from the sale will be donated to the San Jose Firefighters Burn Foundation and the Los Bombers of Northern California Toy Program—resulting in more than $14,000 in donations.
“We truly have the best customers! Their loyalty to SummerWinds and our associates,
combined with their compassion to support the San Jose Fire Department was overwhelming during our Fire Sale,” stated Leo Goria, SummerWinds’ Vice President of Operations. San Jose’s Fire Department had a fire truck on site and fire fighters handed out fire hats to all the children. Customers were helping one another with their carts and purchases, and what could have been grid lock in the parking lot was handled with finesse by SummerWinds’ customers.Captain Mary Gutierrez of San Jose’s Fire Department expressed her appreciation in
saying, “In a world where so many are struggling, the community of San Jose can feel joy
in that children at the burn center will have some things they need to survive life-changing
injuries. The community can feel pride in that hundreds of families will benefit by receiving toys and food this coming Christmas. San Jose Fire Department can not express the gratitude felt towards the SummerWinds Nursery management and staff that supported two very important fire department community programs that benefit so many children and families in San Jose”.SummerWinds Nursery Fire Sale
I wasn’t able to shop till late Saturday afternoon, so most of the plants were gone. I did, however, buy a charming garden bench, which will make its debut shortly in a future post.
Additional Resources:
Sure, I made a big fuss yesterday about our great pumpkins, but we love all of them. How could you not delight in the uniqueness of each one?
The larger pumpkins have peach-colored shells with a flame orange skin just below the surface. The rest of the pumpkins took on a more traditional color and grew to about half the weight.
Trio of Pumpkins
The pumpkin, below, is smooth and typically formed on one side, but something went wrong somewhere along the way. It already looks like it has two eyes and a mouth. No carving necessary.
We won’t need to carve this one. It’s already wearing a mask.
One of the earliest pumpkins started in an acorn shape. As it grew in size, the small scar opened up, leaving the insides exposed. Although it continued to turn orange, the rotting process started the minute it was off the vine. Then an amazing thing happened. I left it in the corner of the deck, figuring one of the night critters would simple eat it. Instead, the pumpkin warmed in the sun, creating enough moisture for the seeds to sprout. I tore it open, thinking I would compost the rotting skin, only to find a handful of seedlings.
Self-seeding Pumpkin
Rounding out the eclectic group of pumpkins, this little fella survived the expanding girth of one of the greats. When I pulled away the 50-pound pumpkin, this was growing just below.
My guess? The weight of the growing pumpkin slowly split the sides of this one, giving it time to scar over as it continued to grow. Unlike the cousin above, it’s completely healed over.
We have about five pumpkins yet to harvest, still yellow or green. We’ll see what nature has in store.
Last night, while the sun was setting and the earth still warm, we harvested our big pumpkins. We ended up with four, one for each family member. I love how that worked out.
Harvesting Pumpkins is a Family Affair
We cut them from the vine and brought them indoors. The plan was to weigh each one on our Nintendo Wii Fit, the only reliable scale in the house.
Carrying the pumpkin to safety
As we made our way inside, my friend Betsy and her two lovely daughters dropped by bearing gifts: a beautiful white oleander. What timing! We invited them to join us for the great pumpkin weigh-in, a comical endeavor when you’re using the Wii. My son created a character called “Pumpkin,” then placed it on the scale. Everyone took turns guessing Pumpkin’s weight. We belly laughed for half an hour at all the silly assumptions the computer made. Our great Pumpkin had a BMI of 99.99! When we weighed a second pumpkin, it would suggest that “Pumpkin” needed to put on some weight…or lose weight, or get more exercise. Laughter is contagious. One person laughs and the room laughs with them. It was such good fun.
Wii Fit Weighs In
Every year, no matter what seeds we plant, our pumpkins surprise us. Last year we had an eclectic variety of pumpkins; one year we had several small ones. This year’s crop produced the largest we’ve grown. The fab four all grew from one vine, self-seeded by a bird or squirrel.
Our 4 Great Pumpkins
Here’s what we named them and how they stacked up:
That’s a combined total of over 200 pounds of pumpkin goodness.
“There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin.”
-Linus, from It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown by Charles Schultz
As I excitedly ordered my tumbling composter, I failed to read the inevitable fine print. You know…some assembly required. I kept a watchful eye for the UPS driver, ready to pounce on that box. My kitchen scraps were taking on an odoriferous scent and still the composter didn’t come.
I eventually dumped the scraps in a bucket in the garage, and covered them with potting soil. It’s funny but two weeks ago I would have tossed those scraps or ground them up in the garbage disposal. Now the scraps had a real purpose. My garden was counting on me.
The day my husband, and resident handyman left for a business trip, the box arrived. I came home that afternoon to a damaged box on the porch, with one of the parts sticking out of the side. Oh-oh. I was afraid to open it. The good news: no harm done. The bad news: so many parts. I was facing eight panels, two end pieces, six leg pieces and a bag with 56 washers and screws. I unpacked all the pieces, then left the room.
Lindy didn’t think she could help, either.
My son, in his sweet and gentle way, asked me if I would be moving it as it was blocking his path to the living room. Okay. I can do this. I fumbled around with my husbands various tools, found what I hoped would work and got down to the business of building a composter. It went together beautifully, and was over half done when I called it a day. I finished assembling it with my son’s help on Thursday. At last the fun could begin.
Some assembly required
Ta-da!
I had a bucket of “brown” from the pumpkin patch ready to go and a decent sized bucket of “green” to go with it. Into the bin they went. I closed the door, gave it a spin, and smiled. Who knew rotted apples and dead leaves could bring about such happiness?
Do you compost too?
I’ve seen several variations on the mix, but here are the suggestions from tumblingcomposters.com:
The composting process works best by mixing moist greens (nitrogen rich) with dry browns (carbon rich) in a ratio of approximately 2 parts greens to 1 part browns.
Greens are:
Browns are:
Do not compost:
Serves several plants.
In early June I planted a row of sunflower seeds along the front deck. Within a week they were gone, consumed by our neighborhood squirrels. I planted a second batch, this time indoors, but the transplants were leggy. Refusing to give up, I came up with a barrier, heretofore known as the screen saver, and planted one last time. They took! Within 90 days we had a beautiful row of six-foot sunflowers.
Last year the flowers went completely to seed on the plant. I saved a handful of seeds, then placed the flower heads along the garden wall for the squirrels. It was fun watching them nibble away. I love watching those cute little “hands” busy at work. They polished off the sunflower seeds in a matter of days.
This year the squirrels took matters into their own hands. Not known for their manners, they simply bent (or broke) the stems till they reached the deck and helped themselves.
I’m always amazed at their ingenuity. Wild bird centers are full of gadgets to deter squirrels from bird feeders, but those clever squirrels figure it out. When it involves nuts or seeds, squirrels are up for the challenge.
I finally caught two of them in the flower-bending act this week. Did I shoo them away? Of course not! I grabbed the camera instead.
Mmmm…not half bad.
Hey! I want some too.
This buffet line is taller than I remember it last year.
Shhhh! Pretend I’m not here.
Let me just…break off…this annoying stem.
That’s more like it!
I’m out of here. I’ll be back once you’ve cleaned up this mess.
California tree squirrels are either Gray or Fox. Here is a side by side comparison.
Prolific Anemones bloomed about six weeks ago, monopolizing the back garden fence. I’ve been gathering them into bouquets every few days, then bringing them indoors. Little did I know that atop those crisp white blooms and their buttercup yellow centers there was a party going on.
Anemones line the fence
It wasn’t your typical, garden-variety party. In fact, I wasn’t even invited. Apparently you needed four to six legs to attend, and the invites are on the QT. I don’t think my neighbors even knew!
The party host wasn’t available for comment, so instead I snapped a few pics of the guests. Our host has an eclectic group of friends, including elegant grasshoppers, busy-body ants and even the low-brow house fly. I didn’t recognize all of the party goers. A few of their identities remain a mystery.
Mystery Guest
I don’t want to name names, but things may have gotten a bit out of hand. I saw a small spider chatting with a grasshopper, and in the next shot…the spider was gone! Do you think I should say something to the host? One of the spotted guests spent most of his time at the food table, while the ant kept darting in and out of the petals. I think he had too much pollen to drink.
A grasshopper and a spider chatting it up
Ant running laps. Too much pollen?
The house fly enjoyed making the rounds, but the others seemed to be avoiding her. It might have been her over-powering perfume.
Flowers and Flies
I’m no party crasher, so I finished taking my pictures and left. Back on the patio steps once again, you would never know there was a party going on.
Have you heard of The Great Sunflower Project? It’s “The world’s largest citizen science project focused on pollinator conservation.” Simply put, ordinary citizens count bees in their yard and report it on the Sunflower Project site.
Gretchen LeBuhn, founder and director of the project, is a scientist in the biology department of San Francisco State University. She started the project to collect data on the effects of pollination in our own back yards. The site features several interesting articles and videos. You’ll also find reports on the collected data. Details and links to the site are at the end of this post.
Why count bees?Scientific studies show a decline in honey bee and native bee populations. Bees are critical to agricultural success and really to life itself. The goal of this project is to obtain consistent results from urban, suburban and rural gardens throughout North America.
People all over the country are collecting data on bee pollination in their yards, gardens, schools and parks. We take 15-minute counts of the number and types of bee visits to sunflowers (and other plants). We have been gathering information on pollinator service since 2008, and now have the largest single body of information about bee pollinator service in North America. Thanks to our thousands of observers, we can determine where pollinator service is strong or weak compared to averages. (Source: greatsunflower.org)
My sunflowers are going to seed, so it’s too late for me to participate this season. I’m going to tuck this away for next spring, and hope others in North America are inspired to join me as well.
Simplicity Rose
For reasons unclear to me, I’ve avoided more than a superficial look at the 9/11 Memorial. It seems we went from tragedy to fear to bickering about the sites, and then the politics came in to play. At some point, I shut it down.
I didn’t lose a loved one that day, but like millions of others I experienced the collective grief and loss as well as a paradigm shift into a different sense of the world.
As I explored the online guide to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, of particular interest to me were the unique arrangements of the names on the plaques, based on input from family and friends. They weren’t linear or alphabetical, but meaningfully grouped as friends or coworkers. The site helped me explore lingering grief within myself, an unexplored loss from that terrible day.
It’s hard not to be moved by the gaping holes where life once bustled, serene fountains eerily reflecting the sky and the engraved names, each one a loss so profound for their loved ones; for us all.
If you’ve been avoiding it, like me, I encourage you to take a look.
If you suffered a personal loss that day, my heart goes out to you as you travel that long and painful journey of sorrow and grief.
Remember and honor the thousands of innocent men, women, and children murdered by terrorists in the horrific attacks of February 26, 1993 and September 11, 2001.
Respect this place made sacred through tragic loss.
Recognize the endurance of those who survived, the courage of those who risked their lives to save others, and the compassion of all who supported us in our darkest hours.
May the lives remembered, the deeds recognized, and the spirit reawakened be eternal beacons, which reaffirm respect for life, strengthen our resolve to preserve freedom, and inspire an end to hatred, ignorance and intolerance.
National September 11 Memorial official site.
An electrical fire destroyed the Almaden Valley SummerWinds Nursery about a week ago. Although firefighters were quickly on the scene, they made the unusual decision to allow the building to burn, given the number of chemical fertilizers and pesticides inside. It was better from an environmental standpoint to avoid contaminated water runoff into a nearby creek.
Fire-Damaged SummerWinds Nursery
I drove by the site yesterday on my way to a fabric store, and noticed workers outside. Once I got over the ghastly sight of the burned structure, it surprised me to see so many of the outdoor plants and pottery unharmed. I stopped by and spoke to Joey, an employee of SummerWinds, who said they are planning to rebuild, and soon. In preparation for that, they are selling the surviving plants and pottery starting this Friday, September 14th.
Joey C. of SummerWinds
If you live in the area, and are so inclined, please stop by. You can find regular updates about the nursery, the sale and plans to rebuild by “liking” the SummerWinds San Jose Facebook Page.
Planted at the nursery entrance.I love the resiliency of plants.
September 10, 2012 We’re having a FIRE SALE! – Save the Date! It will start this Friday, September 14th at 9am. Special rules will apply. We’ll get you more details in the next few days.
September 07, 2012 Big News! We will be having a Fire Sale to liquidate all the remaining healthy plants and products. The logistics and permits are all still being worked out. It should happen in the next 2 weeks. We’ll keep you posted! As soon as we hear more… we’ll share.
SummerWinds Plants and Pottery
Fire Sale Starts Friday, 9/14
Gardening Nirvana 