August 8, 2013 by Born To Organize

Theories on Thursday

What’s your theory?

I never sit still for long in the garden, as there is always something to do. When I do, however, I’m often rewarded. Such was the case with this bird.

‘Chillin on a branch

I heard ‘her’ singing from a tree nearby, before she flew into our yard where she sat preening on the low branch of a tree.

Preening

A second bird sat on the telephone wires, and chirped what seemed like a response. Chirp-chirp. Sing-song.

Secret code?

I took several pics of the bird resting in the Pittosporum, before she flew away. She soon returned, this time perched in the branches of a fruit tree.

Trying out the fruit tree

My husband was making repairs to the irrigation system (he doesn’t sit still for long either) so we gave up our perch on the garden swing and got to work.

The bird tracked my movements, then hopped along the fence toward the orange tree, and finally on to the neighboring fence. She continued the chatter with an ever-watchful eye.

bird on the fence

It seems late in the year for nesting, so I’m not sure what the charade was about. She definitely wanted to keep her eye on us, and with all the cats in the garden, I wanted to keep my eye safely on her as well.

Mighty Mouse lounging under the orange tree

What do you think? Was she protecting a nest nearby? Was she warning the cats to keep their distance? Was there some diabolical ruse going on with the bird on the wire and our friend on the fence? You know…’you distract them while I raid the worm bin.’ or ‘I dropped a seed and now I want to retrieve it.’

What’s your theory? I would love to hear what you think.

August 8, 2013 by Born To Organize

It’s a Bug’s Life

Confession time.

Are you ready?

I’ve got some mad skills but they have little to do with gardening. I excel at raising insects and bugs. Not to toot my own horn, but I think I might qualify for ‘Top Incubator of Garden Pests.’

Don’t believe me? Come take a look:

After chatting you up about my gorgeous coleus, and my plans to take cuttings for next year, I found this:

Spider Mites or Whitefly?

I’m not sure if I have whiteflies or spider mites or both, but boy are they prolific. While watering the plant this evening, I removed a large, partially eaten leaf. When I turned it over, I could see that a small family had moved in. In just a week’s time, they spread to half of the plant’s leaves and part of the soil. Damn I’m good!

Next up, aphids. Why settle for a hundred aphids when a gazillion will do? The more the merrier, I always say. I noticed a bit of ‘black soot’ on the stems of my soon to bloom Allium, but I just walked right on by. Might as well let the aphids settle in first.

Aphids

By the time I made it to the garden center for a batch of ladybugs, the party was well under way. The ladybugs arrive in a container saying pre-fed. Huh? I guess all that good aphid food will just go to waste.

Aphids, and the ladybugs that love them

Saving the best for last, will you take a look at that Scale? I diligently removed all traces of scale earlier in the year while the tree was dormant. I manually scraped the scale into a bucket, then went back over the young branches with warm soap and water. I run a tight ship here. I cleaned those branches top to bottom to get the tree ready for the new residents. They moved in early this summer, and show no signs of leaving. In fact, it looks like they’ve invited a few guests.

Scale

In case you’re interested:

All bugs are insects, but not all insects are bugs. Read on.
This makes two scales I like to avoid.
De-scaling the tree.

August 6, 2013 by Born To Organize

Tomato Envy

Amy’s bounty

You can’t rush the garden. Not even when you have a case of tomato envy.

You can encourage it, yes. Lots of support…of course. But rushed, never.

I planted several heirloom tomatoes this year, but they had a hard time making a go of it. I bought a few starter plants to fill in, just in case, which in the end was a good idea. I’m not sure any of the seeds were viable.

The plants from the nursery are green and healthy and starting to bend from the weight. I scooted the rolling tomato garden to the back of the patio so I can keep an eye on them. They’re drying out faster now that the plants have taken flight.

City Picker with tomato plants

Any day now…

Meanwhile, I received these lovely tomatoes from Amy’s garden. You’ll hear more about Amy in a future post. Mike paired the tomatoes with basil from our garden and made a delicious caprese salad. It’s one of my favorites and a sure sign that we’re in the heart of summer.

Caprese Salad

August 5, 2013 by Born To Organize

Kitty in Search of a Play Date

Our three kitties love the time we spend in the garden. One by one they join us outdoors. We installed a cat fence-in system over 16 years ago to keep them safe, so they have the run of the garden without the dangers of street-life. It’s been the best of both worlds.

Lindy in repose

When we first installed the system, we monitored carefully for possible escape routes. Our fab felines quickly settled in and we let out a collective sigh.

Beijing enjoying her solitude

Then…Mighty Mouse came along. Mouse belongs to a neighbor, but he prefers life at our place. He’s also the Harry Houdini of the cat world. He knows the ins and outs of our house and garden, and makes himself at home wherever his little paws carry him. Mouse navigates his way into our yard by crossing the neighbors gate along the top of the shared fence. From there he weaves through the Jasmin vine, over the netting and across one of the broken standards we keep meaning to fix.

This weekend he joined us in search of a play date.

Mouse looking up

bird on the fence

Our furry friend listened to the birds rustling in the orange tree for a while, but lost interest when Lindy came outside. He circled her for a game of patty-cake, but she was not amused. Her bent ears sent a clear message of annoyance. Mouse wised up and moved on.

Fun and games

Next up, he tried to engage Beijing. She was busy snoozing, pressed against the warm rock wall, when Mouse slyly meandered nearby. He inched closer and closer, sitting down each time in the dirt. Before he could dangle an inquisitive paw, Beijing stood up, braced her shoulders and vocalized her first warning. Unperturbed, he held the higher ground. ‘I have no time for this nonsense,’ she seemed to say, as she turned her back and returned inside in what I can only imagine was disgust. I found her sphinx like in the entry way, wondering when the intruder would be heading home.

Let’s play!!!

“I’ve had it!”

Slinky avoided Mouse altogether, staying hidden in the side yard till the coast was clear.

I think it might be time to place an ad in the personals: Handsome young kitty, in search of a play date.

Do they have eHarmony for cats?

August 2, 2013 by Born To Organize

Two Letters

Alys

Dear Reader,

We create a ‘contract’ of sorts when we publish a regular blog. My unwritten contract with you says that when you log on, you can expect to find a post about gardening, crafting, crafty gardening and cats, delivered with a mostly light heart. So, the following letter, written to my dad who died when I was 9 has a more somber tone and I wanted to let you know that upfront. If this is not your thing, please read no further. Stop by next week for the usual garden antics.

With love and gratitude for your readership and support.

Alys

Dear Daddy,

This is one of those letters you never actually send, though I would if I could. You left an unimaginable void in our hearts when you died on a day just like today. It was hot, strangely still and ultimately surreal. How could you have been here one minute, then gone the next? I walked in on mom the day you died and I knew. She was kneeling on the floor tearing up your letters though I never fully understood why. She had her reasons and in the end it doesn’t really matter.

You would be amazed what can happen to a letter these days. When I hit a button on an electronic box called a computer, this letter will travel through something called the internet. Once sent, you can’t tear it up, burn it, or control it in any way. Lovers and politicians learned this the hard way. It’s what they called a double-edged sword in your day.

I love you so much, and was really, really, really sad when you died. As you know, I was only 9 so I didn’t have the resources to understand what was going on. Mom did her best, but she struggled too. We all missed you terribly. I’m crying now as I write this, all these years later, as at times I remain stuck in the painful past.

Please know, that you would be proud of your legacy. Your girls grew up and got college degrees, something that was really important to you. It was your reason for moving the family to California in the first place. We all love and nurture animals as you did, and yours-truly is a gardener! Can you believe it?

I have special memories of our beautiful London garden. You hauled rocks in a wheelbarrow to build a small ‘creek’ down the middle of the yard. It gathered run-off from rain and melting snow and filled my imagination with happy moments. Your grew snapdragons near the back door, and tomatoes during the hot days of summer. Sometimes people would meet you at the nursery where you worked and ask to come by to see your garden. I was so proud of you.

When we left Canada for what you hoped would be a better life for your girls, the new homeowners weren’t interested in keeping up your garden. You were hugely disappointed. I certainly would be. Of course the plan was a new home and a new garden in sunny California. We arrived in November of 1966 to less than favorable circumstances. The man who hired you to run his nursery had since filed bankruptcy. You supported our family with your savings, then sold your beloved coin collection to make ends meet. It was a difficult time for all of us. I can’t imagine as a parent how hard that must have been for you.

By the end of 1967 things were finally turning around. Our family moved to Millbrae where you landed a job at a local garden nursery. We lived in a rental, but at last could put down roots. The following Christmas, what we thought was the flu turned out to be lung cancer. The holidays were never the same.

I turn 54 this October, the same age you were when a cruel and ravishing cancer stripped you of your life. Your physical suffering was finally at an end on that hot, August day, but my struggles had just begun. Life doesn’t come with guarantees.

I want to thank you for your gifts of life and affection. Each of your daughters carries you in her own way. I think you would be proud of us, as we are of you.

My wish today as I hit the ‘send button’ would be for you to know that we all grew up, lived productive lives and that we carry you in our hearts, always. When I reach toward the earth, to tumble a seed or pull out a weed, I think of you.

Your loving daughter,

Alys Ann

Mom and Dad on their wedding day

August 1, 2013 by Born To Organize

A Room with a View

Kitchen Window: Before and after

The best part of my kitchen is the view. Sure the counter tops are nice and who doesn’t like a dishwasher, but the view out my front window makes the room.

When we remodeled nine years ago, the contractor suggested lowering the window to the height of the counters. Who knew that dropping it just a few inches could make such a difference? The lowered window invites the outdoors in. I have a direct view of the Chinese Pistache, a lovely tree that sheds leaves each fall. It’s one of those trees that’s gorgeous year round, though particularly stunning in the early autumn months.

Pistache in the Fall

Improving on my view, I added a small, triangular flower garden in the corner of the lawn. I knew the flowers would lift my spirits, but didn’t realize the number of birds it would attract. What a treat to hear them singing in nearby trees, then watching them swoop down for seeds.

Flowers near the lawn

Rounding out my extraordinary view are the hummingbirds that visit throughout the day. I found a feeder that suction-cups to the window, and placed it high enough to keep them safe from predators, but low enough for maximum viewing. We worried they would stop coming when we hung the awning in the spring, but they were back within minutes, swooping under the awning for a quick meal. I’ve been known to swoop in for a sugary treat myself, so I should have had more faith.

Picture me on the other side of the glass smiling at this little hummingbird.

Do you have a favorite room with a view?

July 31, 2013 by Born To Organize

Coleus Splendiferous

Potted coleus

Our splashy coleus greets our guests as they cross the deck to our front door. Aren’t the colors amazing? This fast-growing plant seems to double in size, minutes after the summer heat descends. Small purple flowers appeared last week, but they almost seem beside the point. The true beauty of this plant is the leaves. I have three varieties growing on the deck, but this is my favorite.

Spikes of purple flowers

I grew two coleus last year, then tried, unsuccessfully, to keep them alive through the winter. I wrapped then in frost cloth, kept the watering going, but alas one hard frost and that’s all she wrote.

Apparently it’s tasty too.

This year I’m ready. I’ll take cuttings instead. I have rooting compound for the occasion, along with a lightweight planting medium. I even have my eye on a small, portable green house, so that I don’t have to use the always-busy kitchen for my growing pursuits. I’ll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, I’m enjoying my colorful deck.

Do you have a summer favorite?

Stunning colors

July 30, 2013 by Born To Organize

Garden Dahling: New Kid in Town

Dahlia Stella J

Isn’t she a dream?

I brought home my first set of Dahlia tubers in March from
the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show. Grown in Oakville Washington, Dan’s Dahlias boast “We Grow the Best.” I have to say, they’ve definitely lived up to the hype.

I’ve never grown Dahlias before (why I couldn’t tell you) but they’re a new garden favorite. You can order them online for shipping around the world, though I find it great fun buying them at the garden show.

Dahlias grow from tubers, so you can dig them up and divide them year to year. Your flower garden grows and grows. I bought three tubers this year to see how they would fair in my garden soil.

What do you think?

Dahlia joins the family

New This Week!

Dan’s clever logo was born from adversity. According to his site:

Besides their beauty, variety and heartiness, one of the reasons that many gardeners love dahlias is that they are deer-resistant but, an unfortunate incident back in June, 1994 proves they are not cow-resistant. My parents and I headed to California for the weekend as I was a groomsman in my cousin’s wedding. Sometime during the night, 28 of our neighbor’s Holstein heifers broke through their fence and came into the dahlia field; the cows went undetected until morning. I returned to a disaster. The cows ate three acres of dahlias to the ground, they broke the wooden stakes, and ate the plastic identification ribbons. The field looked like it had been rototilled. That year, Dan’s Dahlia’s was almost completely wiped out. Many years later, I could make light of the incident and created a unique business logo, “Cow Eating a Dahlia.” The logo is a symbol of the obstacles that Dan’s Dahlias has had to overcome. But with family support, hard work and determination, it’s a booming, blooming business.

His story certainly puts my sunflower-thieving squirrels in perspective.

July 29, 2013 by Born To Organize

Metaphorical Sunflower

Mouse *insisted* on being in the picture.

I planted an entire packet of sunflower seeds, but only one took hold. I’ve seen several fat and happy squirrels around the ‘hood, so I’ve little doubt where they went. That said, I’m more interested in the lone survivor.

Thinking that the surviving plant needed company, I headed back the to garden center and bought six sunflower starters. For awhile the plants were all the same height, but at the three-foot mark, the starter plants set dozens of blooms. The lone survivor continued to grow.

Metaphorically speaking, I can relate. One summer in my middle-school years, I grew from average to tall and stayed that way. Tall and skinny and very much in my own ‘shell’ I stood apart from the others. My pale English skin, tall carriage and bright hair were the antithesis of the California Girl. I was quiet, bookish, and painfully shy, and the occasional target of mean-spirited girls.

Today the surviving sunflower stands tall and straight. The proverbial late bloomer had her turn in the sun. Large leaves attract birds of all stripes. Blooms attracted bees. Now laden with heavy seeds, those mischievous squirrels will be back, but guess what? Times have changed.

This time, she’s ready.

alys and sunflower collage

July 26, 2013 by Born To Organize

What’s Luck Got To Do With It?

Heart-Shaped Clover

Some people believe in luck; others believe you make your own. Personally I like the idea put forth by Carl Jung that ‘luck’ is synchronicity, the idea that “the experience of two or more events as meaningfully related, whereas they are unlikely to be causally related.”

In other words, through blogging, I’ve discovered a world of interesting and articulate people who might not otherwise have crossed my path. Synchronicity! I look forward to logging on daily to see what fellow bloggers have to say; unique perspectives from around the globe.

Trying to spot a four-leaf clover on the forest floor, I had a paradigm shift. Why search for the elusive four-leaf clover, when there are pretty green hearts right under my nose?

In our not-always-pretty world, I’ve found bloggers with grace, poise, humor, advice, skill, and fascinating points of view. The hearts in the clover. At the risk of sounding pollyannaish, I believe the world is full of good people. My experience in the world of blogging validates that truth.

‘Lucky’ me!