Fall Bloomers Part 2

The name of this plant escapes me at the moment ( when I look up the name I'll do an update), but it is one of my favorites because it draws in Zebra Longwing Butterflies.

UP DATE: The name of this plant is Firebush (Hamelia patens). Its related to Gardenia and Coffee. 

 

 

This plant dies back to the ground every winter, then grows back during the summer to a size of 8 feet high and 10 feet wide.

 

It has tubular blooms that also brings in Hummingbirds

 

 

 

Cannas are still blooming..... starting to look tattered at this time of year.

 

 

 

 

Here is a Knock-Out rose that needs to be cut back.....it makes long lasting Roses for a vase.

Then we have Milkweed which is a host plant for Monarch Butterflies. They lay eggs on them, then when the young hatch they eat all the leaves, but the plants always recover.

I found this bug on the Milkweed. I also found one laying eggs on my Collard Greens.

 

                                            Can anyone identify this bug?


And finally, this isn't a bloomer, but I'm happy with the way this turned out. I planted a few sprigs of Fern around an Oak tree in my front yard about 4 years ago. This is what it looks like now.

Soooo...... Until next time.......HAPPY GARDENING!

 

Fall Bloomers Part 1

While I'm on a non-gardening project, I would like to share some photos of plants and other things on my property. I don't have a manicured lawn or garden....just not my style. With my landscape plants I water and fertilize only during the first year after planting to help them develop strong root systems.    After that the plants are on their own. They have got to be tough to stay in my yard.

This is a Bleeding Heart Vine (Clerodendrum thomsoniae) growing on one of my fences.

 

It blooms profusely in the fall and draws in Hummingbirds, Butterflies and other pollinators.

 

Here is a Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly feeding on it.

 

 

 

Next is a shot of the first mutt that ever came up in my garden. I let it grow to see if it would bloom.

 

After some research I found that he was a Shi Tzu x Poodle hybrid.
 His name is Captain Jack Poodle! Or just Jack for short. He is rooted under the Bleeding Heart Vine, but up-roots himself sometimes to chase birds, butterflies, squirrels and lizards.

 This is a clump of Mexican Petunias (Ruellia spc.) I'm not sure if it is R. brittoniana or R. malacosperma. They are easily confused.....or at least I am.

These are volunteers that came up in the spot where I once had a compost pile. They draw in lots of Butterflies, too.

In my next post I will share some more photos.


Sooo...... Until next time.....HAPPY GARDENING!

 

 

Plant I.D.

I noticed a different plant/weed come up in my yard this year. I don't know what species it is. If any of you have an idea what it is , please leave a comment. Don't be shy, all comments are welcome.

For a larger picture, right click on the image.

Castor Forest

The project I'm working on now doesn't have to do with gardening, but I thought this was cool.

My next door neighbor has a tree service. In the past he dumped wood chips at the back of his property to fill in a low area. About 3 years ago a small group of plants popped up in the chips. I could see that they were Castor plants (Ricinus communius).This is how they look now.

These plants are 15 - 18 feet tall! They have spread across the width of his property. Its too bad they are toxic.

OOOH MY ACHING BACK (Revisited)

Over the last 2 days I have been able to finish digging everything out of this bed.

 

 

I have 20 hours invested in this project. That's 20 hours of digging, squatting, kneeling, tugging, pulling, standing up, squatting some more, tugging some more, lifting.

 

 Oh, and did I mention digging?

 

       I'll say it again.......OOOOOH MY ACHING BACK!

 

 I'm glad this part of the project is over!  From here on out it will get easier. I'm going to leave this bed like it is for a while and let any weeds that want to come up, do so, then I can hoe them down. When the leaves start dropping I'll put a thick layer on for mulch and they will decompose and enrich the soil some by spring.                                                                                                                                        

 

While digging this bed, I dug up some roots from some Maple trees that I had cut down 5 years ago. Some were about 1 1/2 inches thick.  One was very soft and when I gave it a squeeze, water poured out like squeezing out a saturated sponge. I was quite surprised. Evidently, there could really be an advantage to the hugelkultur method. I will be using this technique when I plant my fruit trees.

 

This Red Bud tree was planted right in the root zone of the old Maples.

 

That is probably the reason it has grown so well. I planted it 3 years ago as a bear root sapling.... now it is 12 feet tall. When I dug the hole for this tree I had to use an axe to chop thru a 6 inch layer of tangled roots, so I know there is lots of rotting wood in the ground.

That is all for now.

Soooo..... Until next time..... HAPPY GARDENING!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

  

Pallet Compost Bin

 

 

 

 I have a three sided bin like this, but I just used concrete blocks on the outside at the back corners to hold the sides up. Simple way to make a tall pile.
 I found my pallets in a dumpster at a construction site where a house was being built. Good scrap lumber can be found in these dumpsters, too. I just asked the guys working there if I could pick thru their scraps. I'm trying to salvage enough materials to build a chicken coop.

Winter Garden

This morning I did some weeding and mulched my bed of greens. I planted this bed about a month late this year. I double dug the bed and pulled a couple of inches of soil from the paths to create a raised bed. I usually don't make raised bed.... I think they dry out to fast in our sandy soil. We will see. I added wood chips to the paths at the advice of a friend that is a permaculture designer. He said this will make the paths hold water and the plants in the bed will put roots over below the path to use the reserve of water. There is also a 2 foot high fence around the bed to keep my little dog out. He could probably jump over, but he hasn't figured that out yet.

  I'm sure this bed will provide greens all winter then come on strong in the spring and I'll be putting lots of greens in the freezer.

Soooo......Until next time.......HAPPY GARDENING!