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.

Mustard from Botanical Interests, Re-blooming daylily, Fritillary Butterflies

Fall is definitely the busiest season of the year for gardeners. In some ways, it is more pleasurable than spring because the summer flowers are still in bloom at the same time the fall garden is being planted.

In the past few days several dozen new daffodils have been planted. I bought from Daffodil Hunter this year again because everything I bought from her last year came up and wowed me.

The Peruvian daffodils from Touch of Nature gave a great show for two years and grew many new bulbs - the 6 bulbs from my original purchase became 20.

Photo: Seedlings of Mustard Red Giant from Botanical Interests
These are volunteers from a plant that went to seed early in the summer. Red mustard is good picked small for salads and also cooked as a green veggie when the leaves grow bigger.

Photo: This daylily is re-blooming in September!

Photo: The bird bath is the scene of caterpillars becoming butterflies. The Gulf Fritillary butterfly eggs were laid and hatched on plants and the caterpillars somehow made it across the driveway to the birdbath where they are making chrysalis. Look at the top left to see the caterpillar right next to a chrysalis, then 3 more bottom right.

It's almost time to plant garlic so buy a few heads at a farmer's market and start digging the rows.

Butterfly Chrysalis, Snow Peas, Flower Bed Design

BUTTERFLY CHRYSALIS
Photo: Butterfly Chrysalis
The butterfly caterpillars continue to make their chrysalis in unlikely places. These photos are chrysalis on the fence and gate. Several different butterflies are arriving to the gardens - kinds I have not noticed here before.
This year's unusual summer weather has provided more nectar food than ever for the adult butterflies.

Photo: Snow Peas
You might be able to see the cardboard circle around the snow pea seedling. Each seed was planted inside a slice of paper towel cardboard. It protects the seeds from drifting, helps me see where they are planted and keeps crawling insects off the plants when they are first coming up.

Photo: A front yard flower bed
On the right is the "lawn" - we mow whatever grows there. On the left is a row of Nepeta Walker's Low from Bluestone Perennials. They were trimmed before the heavy rains.

The bed was built to accommodate the fact that we live on a rock plate. The water between the lawn and flower bed is just a narrow ditch that helps with drainage when the rain is heavy as it has been recently.

It was the only way we could have had a flower bed on that part of our hill. The shallow soil on top of the rock plate was suitable for the brick factory down the road, so much of the soil in the bed was added with compost, bags of crushed oyster shell and amendments.

Old House Garden Bulbs, Parks Seed, Spicebush Caterpillar Update

The red lily on the left is one of the new additions to our garden from Old House Gardens. There were several additions and each one has seemed remarkable in bloom. The wonder of these bulbs is that they seem to take care of themselves after they are planted. The stems are strong and the flowers are breathtaking.

The Spicebush Butterfly Chrysalis was on the side of the container last night but gone this morning. A search of the immediate area yielded nothing so there are two possible outcomes. Either the butterfly emerged and flew away or another insect used the Chrysalis as a late night snack. The photo of the leaves folded over is where the next generation of tiny caterpillars hangs out during the daytime heat and the photo on the right is one of the youngsters.

It's easy to get into looking for new plants in new places. It may come as a surprise that the wonderful whirl of a succulent in the planter came from good, old, reliable Park Seeds and not one of the many new companies. The information on the plant predicts growth to a 12-inch wheel at full size.

A few other plants were in my shipment and I'll keep you posted on how they do as they adjust to their new surroundings.

If you use the link and click over to Park, look on the left side of their website for the web specials, new items, Park exclusives and their sales. Good stuff.

If you are local to Muskogee Oklahoma and are coming to the Garden Club Centennial Garden Tour this weekend you will find lots of treats for plant lovers. At the Community Garden near 435 North 14th Street the vendors will have plenty to look at if not buy. And, the home gardens you will see are wonderful. All the gardens were done by the home owners - no landscaping company demonstration gardens - all plants you can grow and arrangements that you can make at your house.

See you there if you can make it. See you back here if you can't.