June 18 , 2009
From the producer: 1 May 2025
We may be get at about the heat and depressed rainfall ( last week ’s precious event dried up so quickly , and today ’s was just mosquito fuel ) , but the wildlife is frantic . Somebody masticate up our birdbath fountain underground .
We had a spare , and like stupid - bear , put it on , only to have it deplete the next dark . Do n’t fuck who , or why they would chomp it , but they did . Must have been a teething raccoon .
Once again , the shed came to the rescue . I brought out the copper tubing left over from the moolah seam hoop . It ’s a little large to fit firmly on the pump , but Greg get out the mucilage gun , and bingo ! He clamped the top to produce a small-scale fountain . That was n’t enough for me , so he tweaked it with a screwdriver to get enough water to see and hear even from the terrace . So far , so good .
These days I do n’t get too aroused over animals / snort / insects exhaust or put down our hooey . When it ’s over100ºfor Day , and they ca n’t off the store or farmer ’ markets or turn on the spigot , I figure we can give back a small . It bestow to our challenge , that ’s for certain . But we ’re sharing the real landed estate with them , and as partners in the bountiful scheme of it all , must recognise life history in all its forms . Good and bad and ugly . That is not to say I do n’t take protective measures or squish thing or douse with them with water . Or yell at them . But I left this bad guy cable alone since he let me take his picture .
To counterpoint , here ’s a good guy , a Gulf checkered lily , at the patio zinnia . The hummingbirds have sucked on them , too .
All over the garden , butterfly , a few bees , and hummingbirds are meddling with many plants , including fire acanthus , lantana , Dicliptera suberecta , salvias , rock rose , and turks cap . To extend the welcome rug for the hummingbirds , I adjust up the feeder on the patio . 1 part lucre to four persona of water , heated in the microwave oven . Replace it every few days and clean the feeder .
Trees have taken a smash in drouth , too . Deep watering is essential . Many times , though , the problem set forth at planting time . On CTG this hebdomad , Tom meets with evidence arborist Guy LeBlanc fromArbor Vitae Tree Careabout the most common reasonableness that Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree come out to suddenly up and die .
If you ’re call back about adding a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , do n’t do it until you see this ! ( OnYouTubeif you miss the programme . ) If you have a tree diagram that ’s withering right before your eye , this might explain what ’s wrong . But if you have a valued tree with serious problems , I highly recommend consulting a licence arborist . I did it a few year ago , and it was worthful education , specially when the guy much pulled up the tree diagram with his hands . Its death after 7 year was due to the state of affairs that Guy illustrates this hebdomad .
Like with any living thing in our gardens , it all starts with website selection , plant survival of the fittest , and proper planting . One of the most common problems I ’ve hear from fellow gardener results from planting shady plant in sun and sunlight lovers in too much shade .
Yes , you say , that seems SO obvious , but plant tag can be puzzling , particularly when you ’re fresh at this . And sun / fond shade / part Sunday is not very clear . Or , we do n’t realize that a beam of Lord’s Day hits our shade lover for 15 minute at 4 p.m. , just enough to do it in .
That happened to me with my firespike ( Odentonema stricta ) . I love it did n’t want any sun , but I really thought it was in shady land . However , it pay off just enough drift of Dominicus through the trees to wilt it on wallop . I move it to the terrace cove where dribble morning Dominicus touch it ever so concisely . It has n’t bloomed yet , but it ’s nicely filling out with its neighboring powdered ginger . I will say that this guy wire is not xeric . Our relationship may not be permanent if pelting does n’t come .
When I moved it from the rental side bottom , I planted an abutilon to fill its piazza , because I thought , aha , there ’s a bit of sun there . So deplorable , not enough Dominicus . Too shady , too dense a filth , too everything wrong . Croaked plant before I could lay aside it .
Or we elongate our Leslie Townes Hope , and just perhaps , mayhap , our 5 - 6 hours of sunshine really is enough for the plants that want full Lord’s Day . But it depends on which 5 - 6 , and is it really that much ?
Morning sun and good afternoon Dominicus are two different ballgame in Central Texas . My newly planted bicolor sage ( Salvia sinaloensis ) in the French pancake seam get sunup shade and good afternoon Sunday . They do n’t look thrilled . Conversely , the one that get morning sun and good afternoon shade look smashing . However , the crape unity are new and catch their feet in , so this is not a fair test . I ’ll eff comfortably by autumn and give you a written report .
Constantly , I hear from viewers that their esperanzas ( Tecoma stans ) do n’t bloom . Ditto mine . They want as much sun as they can get , and the hotter the better . Every year , I admire this display in my neighborhood . These plants get whip sunlight and reflected heat many hour of the sidereal day . I get laid the deoxyephedrine mulch underneath .
I ’m glad I call for a chance and moved the atrophy . almost leafless Valentine rose a few weeks ago from its too - shady spot to a sunny place in a patio mess . Look at it now ! Even the hatful I hook out of the spate and replanted is thriving .
I figured that make unnecessary this one cancels some of my guiltiness over last yr ’s abutilon murder .
I get stop , too , for saving the Iceberg and Mrs. Oakley Fisher roses . In their gay pip in former photinia - ville , they keep sending give thanks you cards .
In the Arabian tea cove , I watched and waited for this import : my Modern plumeria and previous - time daylily flower side by side . Sometimes thing form out just right .
Until next week , Linda
tags :
