The Joys of Gardening and Nature

Generally speaking, I am a beginning gardener. 35 years ago I planted a packet of flowers, 30 years ago I planted vegetables and a few six packs of flowers. 20 years ago I planted tomatoes and flowers in my back yard to make it pretty for a visit from my mother.

Then, when I took the Master Gardener classes five years ago, I began a gardener's education. I wish I had known decades ago how wonderful gardening could be.

Yesterday, reading the blogs and gardening columns, I found one written by an experienced gardener who said he had no luck growing eggplant. Even though I have to do battle with black beetles, I actually can grow too much eggplant.

Maybe I've learned something.
Or, maybe our soil and weather is better for eggplant than the gardener who wrote that article.

I have been complaining about raising dozens of Monarch butterfly caterpillars that don't seem to make chrysalis. This week, we have found 5 of them on the chain link fencing.

Monarch butterflies' life cycle fascinates me.

Monarch Pupa

This 4th generation is the one that flies to Mexico.
This butterfly just emerged from that chrysalis and is letting its wings dry so it can fly.

Eggplant and Flowers in August

EGGPLANT

Horticulture Magazine has an email newsletter that has an article on eggplant this week. It's probably too late to decide to plant it but I can tell you that we started Renee's Asian Trio from seed and it is doing pretty well other than relentless insect damage. What a beautiful plant with the purplish stems, lavender flowers and tipped new leaves. There are a couple of small eggplants forming.

In the Horticulture Magazine article, author Tovah Martin suggests planting eggplant to be part of an upcoming trend in gardening: Purple.

Martin has color coordinated the vegetable garden with 'Royalty Purple Pod' bush beans, 'Rouge d'Hiver' romaine and Black Beauty eggplant.

Not quite satisfied with the colors on the grill, 'Applegreen', 'Red Ruffled', 'Listada de Gandia', and 'Casper' were added.

Renee's has eggplant seeds packed with 3-kinds of Italian or 3-kinds of Asian in the same envelope. The seeds are color coated with the legend on the package. This is an easier and less expensive way to get several kinds unless you were planning to plant a field of it.

DISGUISING EYESORES

This is the shed in our back yard that is on the verge of falling down. We just keep planting things in front of it and on the sides. Birds have raised many babies in those houses nailed on it, too.

This photo was taken yesterday, proving the point that when you have something in the yard that is not up to your otherwise high visual standards, you can always mask them with plants.