A Walk Through The March Garden

Spring has arrived in the coastal south and the buds have emerged and the blooms begin!

Peach blossoms

"Florida King"

First cherry from my greenhouse cherry tree "Surinam Cherry"

Amaryllis bulbs

"Lady Banks Rose" covering my arbor

Garlic chives bed "Before" weeding

"After" weeding

Loropetalum

it wouldn't be the south without Azaleas

Spirea "bridals veil" beside dogwoods and crepe myrtles

Spirea

beautiful bloom on the "bridals veil"

Mahonia: beautiful blue berries after the yellow blooms of winter

Espaliered Red Delicious Apple

Apple blossom

leftover Brussel Sprouts

Camellia hedge

Crossvine

Crossvine

 

asparagus

Lastly, it wouldn't be Spring without my little ducks coming back to the house all in their beautiful mating colors. They only frequent the house in the Spring. I think they think there is female ducks here!

 Next blog: Potato Pot

Happy Gardening!

Nicki

The Lady Bug Love Story

  

This blog entry is more of a love story then a gardening story. A few weeks ago, I was contemplating my greenhouse struggles with aphids. I began considering the purchase of some lady bugs. Now, this is not my first rodeo with these hardy no nonsense insects. About 6 years ago, while trying to pass my "love of all things gardening" to my children, I purchased a lady bug habitat for my daughter as a gift.  I ordered the lady bugs for it, we (yes, used very loosely, really "me") loved feeding and watering them.  When the temps got within a reasonable degree to release them, we went out and like a scene out of a show on Animal Planet (of course with a deep Australian voice) .."We released the wild creatures at dusk with the cover of darkness".  "The vast army of insects were like predators seeking to kill with a relentless insatiable appetite for aphids"...and that was it.... I know such a let down. Well, over the years, I would find these creatures everywhere, hundreds of them winterizing in my attic, shed, etc. In the past few years, the population seemed to have decreased and proportionally I have noticed an increase in my aphid population.

Now for the love story, I pondered the purchase of the ladybugs for a few weeks. In secrecy, I deliberated, priced and wavered on whether I should buy them or not. Finally, I woke up one Saturday morning in the quiet of a sleeping household went straight to the computer and put them in the Amazon cart.  Done, right?  (Not so fast there is no LOVE in that!)  As I was about to click "Buy", little children began filing in... all with their sleepy eyes, mashed up hair and hungry bellies. The purchase will have to wait till after breakfast. Like all mothers, breakfast turned into helping with other things and other things turned into other things, till I found myself mid afternoon helping my husband tear off the siding on the garage.  While outside in the beautiful spring air thinking about my poor ladybugs sitting and waiting in my Amazon cart,  I said, "I think I have decided to purchase some ladybugs for the garden." He stopped...put down the nail gun and paused like he had heard something offensive. He turned to me and vehemently said, "Don't!"  Now, at this point, being a very strong willed, independent and slightly rebellious woman my hackles started going up. I didn't even get the words "what?!@#%$%" out of my mouth when he asked, "What time is it?" I thought, "time for a fight...that's what time it is!" ha ha.  He swiftly turned and headed down the driveway focused on the mailbox...He came back, with an envelope in his hand. He smiled so deviously like he planned the whole timing of it.  I said, "what is that?" He said, "A few weeks ago, I bought you something...I can't believe it came today!"  He veered down, professed his love for me and said, "Here, open it!"  I tore open that package with tears in my eyes... 1500 ladybugs. The same exact one I had in my cart from early that morning!

He said, "I buy your chairs!" Now, this is where you maybe getting lost. There are a few movies that I absolutely LOVE..."About Time", the "Notebook" and a lesser known film "Phenomenon" (1996). In the movie "Phenomenon", the lady character (Kyra Sedgwick) loves to make chairs. Kyra's character makes wooden rockers out of branches and twigs, and they aren’t at all comfortable. She tries to sell them at the local general store, but just can’t get them to move. In the meantime the two characters breakup.

The scene below is JohnTravolta's character (Banes) having a conversation with Robert Duvall's character (Doc) after the breakup between Banes and the girl. 

Doc: Banes...how's your lady love? 

Banes: We... um... we broke up.

Doc: Really? That's too bad, yeah. (shakes his head in sadness for Banes). Now George has a love at his side and she is sticking with him... You know why? Because he bought her chairs. (shakes his head at the pure brilliance of it)...That's pretty smart to me. You ever buy Lisa's chairs?

Doc: Every woman has her chair, something she needs to put herself into, Banes. You ever figure out what Lisa's chairs were and buy 'em?...

When John’s character starts to fall in love with her, he goes into the store about once a week and purchases her chairs. It’s his way of showing he supports her dream of being self-sufficient and supporting what she loves.

I love this quote because time and time again, my husband "buys my chairs"...my greenhouse, my sprinkler system, my raised beds...my lady bugs!  The list goes on and on. I found a man who loves me by loving my "chairs".  They maybe uncomfortable, not really pretty, at times a real mess needing lots of help...but he continues to show his support of all that I love.  

So this is not just pictures of the release of 1500 ladybugs in the greenhouse. They are pictures of a Love Story...

they came in this cup with food/water mixture on a cottonball

we just opened the lid and dumped them on the plants

I watered the greenhouse as the instructions required

they immediately starting mating like crazy. Apparently, they
mate anytime around Spring and can hold in eggs for up to
3 months until the find a good plant with lots of aphids

 

I was worried that I didn't have enough food for all of them
so I layed out raisins. 

They really liked the sweet basil, I think because little droplets
of water collected nicely on the big leaves

basil flowers

loved this picture of them drinking

 

 I hope they survived. A day after I released them a little cold snap hit. Now when I go to the greenhouse I see them in the corners and on the bubble wrap. I figure if just one lady bug mated and layed eggs or decided to stay that is just a few less aphids to fight come summertime.

Happy Gardening!

Nicki

Your Magnolia's Descendent

Most people in the south are very aware of the beautiful Southern Magnolia with its intoxicating aroma and large white leathery flower.  However, few people know about it's equally beautiful Asiatic descendent the "Jane" Magnolia.

orginal american Southern Magnolia

Jane Magnolia

I recently had a friend call me and ask, "what is that beautiful tree blooming everywhere with the bright pink flowers?"  It is technically not spring yet, so I knew exactly what she was talking about. In this area there is a tree that blooms before most others, in fact while all the other trees are not even budding, this tree opens up with massive pink blooms almost overnight with no leaves at all. To all those tired of the dreary winter days, the sight of this tree can awaken the "spring gardener" like a whiff of smelling salts (yes, I had to look that one up...you know the stuff bad guys give to wake up fainting people in the movies!)  It is the Magnolia...more specifically the Asiatic variety the "Jane" Magnolia. 

Even though the Southern Magnolia, the great great grandparent of the Asiatic Magnolia, with its large white flowers and movie heritage ( ie Steel Magnolias) was rumored to be native to the America's, it is actually one of the most primitive plants with fossilized records in Europe, Asia and America.  It has an evolutionary history of over 100 million years ago.  Not surprising, the earliest records focus on its medicinal properties. In Asia, the alluring smell was used to treat headaches and allergies.  More recently, a 1985 study reports the potential use of this drug in the treatment of cancer.   Another recent study found that tonics from the bark of Magnolia could lessen tremors in patients with Parkinsons disease. 

However, the most fascinating feature to me is how it is pollinated.  Most species are pollinated either naturally by wind or by a wingless beetle.  Beetle pollinated flowers are usually large, leathery blooms and are characterized by more pollen and little nectar.  In fact, even though it has the most amazing scent the magnolia has very little nectar.  This would explain how the Magnolia was found in primitive times before winged insects or specifically bees.

The "Jane" Magnolia, which I have growing, was bred in the 1950's by the US National Arboretum as part of the "Little Girls".  Each tree was names after a wife or daughter of the breeders.  There are 8 varieties. They are characterized by their tulip-shaped flowers that are slender when compared to most magnolia blooms. It is a deep rich pinkish purple with a white center. The flowers open in late spring. This magnolia has a bushy habit but can be the height of a small tree at 10 to 15 feet. Jane is a multi-stemmed plant with good cold hardiness.

So, next time you see this spectacular shrub/tree next to old houses and dormant trees you will think of its long heritage to the old favorite Southern Magnolia.

Up next...I will be blogging about the release of 1500 lady bugs in the greenhouse!

 

Happy Gardening!

Nicki

A "Fairweather" Gardener

 I have a problem. I admit it...every winter I come down with this winter split personality.  I call it my "Seasonal gardening disorder".  It has many symptoms that you may identify with like the inability to get yourself outdoors to do anything!  I find when the temperature goes below 50 degrees my love of being outdoors wanes. I can't seem to motivate myself to go outside at all!   No"walks through the garden", no weeding, cutting back, redoing beds or mulching. All those beautiful autumn day ambitions when I say, "This winter I am going to do ______"... Gone!

Another well known symptom is "gardeners guilt".  It presents with the notorious thoughts that have the word "should" in it. For example, you may have caught yourself saying,  "I should go out and prune those or I should finish that bed".  During these times and hours of self examination, I ask myself the hard questions...Have I lost my love of gardening?  This disorder takes over and I just stay inside and hope everything lives without my careful attention.

But then, like a fresh tender green sprout coming out of the cold dark ground,  I was awakened this weekend to a beautiful Saturday morning with temperatures soaring in the 70's.  I sprung out of bed and felt the warm sun through the window and felt a warm wave pass over me. All I wanted to do is go outside and stay there all day! There is hope...the disorder is seasonal and the spring gardener had returned! I was walking through the garden, redesigning beds in my head, taking pictures. I saw new blooms (oddly enough which must have been there last week? ha ha). Nevertheless, here are some things growing and blooming in the greenhouse.

tomatoes that overwintered

impatience that I tucked beneath the basil

a delicious ripe meyer lemon

key lime tree blooming

 

brussel sprouts that survived the temps in the teens

kale

The most fascinating thing I saw and learned, however, was about the newest bloom I spotted. There in the corner of my greenhouse out of a boring cactus was the most strange hint of color...it looked like it came right out of an alien movie.  This cactus which started out as one paddle stuck in the dirt was a pass-a-long plant from a beautiful cactus that was removed when my father-in-law who bought their house needed to remove the mother plant to renovate. This one paddle of the cactus had grown to about 4 ft and many paddles over the past few years. It has been so quiet sitting in the corner not saying much, never demanding anything from me. In fact, I would say I ignored it much like my entire garden with my seasonal gardening disorder.  However, it did not sulk, or wither, it greeted me today with this amazing little bloom. This is my kind of plant! Almost every plant in my garden has a name (at least a tag and I know the variety, etc) but this little guy, being a pass-a-long, was untagged with no knowledge of its variety, etc. I rushed in and looked it up and found out it is a spineless variety of prickly pear cactus or Opuntia cochenillifera. This cactus has quite a cold tolerance and has some interesting features.  Its paddle like leaves warm up in the sun and is sometimes called "warm hand cactus".  It is edible and is used medicinally in other countries. It is also used to make a liquor in the Caribbean.  So, I guess you do learn something new everyday! 

Another reason to love gardening. It is a ever changing and fascinating hobby that offers glimpses of the unusual and miraculous everytime you adventure into its environment.  It draws me out of my seasonal disorder and doesn't even hold a grudge!

Happy Gardening!

Nicki

Interesting Heating Method For Greenhouse Plants

So, I continue to look for cheap efficient ways to heat my greenhouse. I found this method by coincidence while researching how to make an indoor hydroponic garden. (more to come on that!) I actually altered it somewhat with the things I had around the house.

I was hoping to use a "slow release" heat where it can be heated by the sun during the day and at night I can set a timer with the heat and give my plants an extra little bit of protection.  I was shocked at the warmth a little garden hose can put off   I began to think about using radiant heat hoses (like the ones under fancy bathroom floors) and soft sided hoses...someday I will upgrade.  However, without spending any money, I wanted to just see if it would make a difference. So, I gathered a garden hose, rubbermaid container, old aquarium heater (you can get at Walmart for $20) and a sump pump (any pump will work if it fits a 3/4 inch opening to fit a hose. Fyi: for the DIY-er you can buy 3/4 inch plastic fittings that can convert any size hole to a 3/4 inch hose fitting in the sprinkler section at home improvement store)

 Here are the steps:

1) I wrapped a 50 foot garden hose around the trunks of my most sensitive plants and around the pots all the way around the greenhouse...50 feet goes a long long way!

around my peace lilly

bay leaf tree

pineapple

plants I am starting

2) fill up a Dark colored ( to prevent algae and also will absorb sunlight) Rubbermaid container or you could even use a rain barrel.  A good idea: would be to put gutters along the greenhouse and use the rainwater to fill the bucket which then circulates around the greenhouse...very efficient. I am putting that on my project "to do" list. So, fill the container with water 1/2 full.

 

3) drill 3 holes in the container: incoming hose, outgoing hose, thermometer wire.

 

4) place an aquarium heater and pump in the Tupperware and put the lid on, Ta-DA!!!!

How it works: the aquarium heater heats the water the sump pump (or pond pump) shoots the water out the hose all the way around the greenhouse and the end dumps back into the Rubbermaid. The water heats and circulates again. I was shocked at how much heat is released all around the plants. I noticed the temperatures in my greenhouse had less fluctuations.

Today I emptied the water via the sump pump. I just took the end of the hose and put it under the wall of my greenhouse.  I turned the pump on and it emptied the bucket. The water had been in there about 3 weeks and I had loss very little water and it wasn't even that dirty. The water was HOT. If you placed your hand on the hose you can definitely tell it was hot water running through.

It was nice to know I have a little extra heat around my tender favorite plants on those cold nights.  Hopefully, I will be able to sleep through the cold nights without turning every 10 minutes to see how low the temperature is getting in the greenhouse.

On a totally different note: I found this little guy in the pond next to my bird feeders. He jumps in every time I walk by making a huge splash. I alway turn to try to see how big he is thinking he is like dinner plate size...Ha Ha. He is soooo cute but only dessert plate size.

Happy Gardening!
Nicki