A Little Thing

Here is where I keep my seeds in the pantry. I didn't always keep them in the pantry. They started out in the garage, and it can get 120 degrees in there, so I moved them to the kitchen table while I was using them, until company came, and then they went into the laundry room, above the washer and dryer on a shelf. Then back on the table, then outside on the patio for a couple of days (109 temp.) then the table inside again, and now they have been in the pantry, and this is where they will stay. I had no intention to treat my seeds so badly, I just didn't contemplate them and treat them like the magic that they are. I have learned that they need to be protected from heat and cold, and humidity and innocent yet mindless neglect. From now on my seeds belong in the pantry. It's just one of those little things.

Thanks for visiting! To all of my gardening friends, carry on and hurry back!

Are We There Yet

Irrigation to the raised beds is complete! I finished the final stretch this morning. It is time for the dance of joy!

It would be nice to take a break and relax, and appreciate the garden,

But the wind has picked up and the green beans are thrashing about in the pots.

The lettuce doesn't like green beans thrashing overhead in this companion planting.

I don't recall the lantana being that big. The peach tree seems like it is about to be gobbled up! When I brought home the Lantana, it was in a one gallon pot. Alot of the plants at Black Mountain Garden were purchased as one gallon plants, and they have all outgrown the number of emitters they originally received. Seems like I will be doing some more irrigation!

Thanks for visiting! To all of my gardening friends, carry on and hurry back!

Livin' Large

Yesterday we headed out to Searchlight, NV. It is rugged country located southeast of Las Vegas, and the drive down to the Colorado River from Searchlight can make one wonder what they are doing living so close to such an inhospitable place.

Cottonwood Bay has a small beach for frolicking in the sun and the frigid water.

The beach is right where the boat launch is, so floating petroleum products would interfere with all of the good clean fun.

A searchlight can be used to signal for help or to locate those that are in need of assistance. In this garden we have a play on the bottle tree (?) and a juxtaposition in contrasts between the naturalized drought non-tolerant cactus and a subtle water nuance represented by the boat. The paper and other white reflective pieces are left strewn about to convey a "devil may care" attitude.

Searchlight has some old abandoned equipment on the main thoroughfare, (as was the house in the last photo),

And a deserted mine is located right on the main highway back to Las Vegas. Property is available for purchase, and you can even find higher priced property without access for some uppity livin'.

Thanks for visiting! To all of my gardening friends, carry on and hurry back!

Balzar's Cape

It's been twenty three days and the radishes look great and taste great too. Tomato Lady Soil is amazing!

Following the instructions from garden expert Leslie Doyle, I started mesclun lettuce in my little mini hot house. Alot of the seedlings resemble radishes, how ponderous.

The Lobelia is flourishing and hopefully it will self sow for next year.

The Northern Lights Chard is absolutely my favorite! These colors are fabulous! Everyone should have this array of color in the fall garden.

I've adjusted the water and now there are melons forming on the new growth in the melon patch. There are three fruits in the above picture.

One of the melons is an Armenian Cucumber. Here are two fruits growing inches apart. Now I must not adjust the water and just leave it alone.

Here is the silver reflective mulch. It will increase the amount of light in the raised bed, if it is affixed to the vertical wall surface. This is an extremely windy spot, so it must be stapled to a backboard and stood securely in place. Michael hasn't seen this milar yet. It is tucked in place to see how I respond to it, and so far it's not good. It is hella tacky, and fun house is not a relaxing garden motif. A disco ball also comes to mind and it is obvious why this product is an insect repellant. I think I have a new blind spot in my right eye. Balzar's Cape looked better in the bag.

Thanks for visiting! To all of my gardening friends, carry on and hurry back!

Wordless Workday

Thanks for visiting! To all of my gardening friends, carry on and hurry back!

Second Hand Rose

I went to Vegas yesterday for some Silver Reflective Mulch, and stopped at a second hand store and looked at the garden books and was looking for meracas to give to the K.J. (karaoke dude) and I generally look for garden related stuff, whirly gigs, fountains, cowboy boots, quilts and vintage scarves. Here is a vintage scarf from yesterdays find. It's ninety nine cents worth of pure heaven! I also purchased a scarf (for Wrangler) with cowboy boots all over it, and got 4 floral handkerchiefs, a feng shui book (for Zen) and 3 books on gardening for a total cost of $17.00. I'm thinking I could wait to read the garden books when it is cold outside, but they've ended up on the kitchen table and one of them is open, so winter will just have to wait.

Thanks for visiting! To all of my gardening friends, carry on and hurry back!

Down & Out

The Vegetable Knot Beds are growing nicely in the sun.

The raised bed constructed early August is now completely shaded and the size of the plants confirm that more sun is needed for the plants to increase in size and mature.

So I pulled all of the radishes and the turnips out of the shaded raised bed. (Wrangler said it was about time!) Here are the shaded radishes at 42 days (21 dtm!), they have taken twice as much time, and the radishes at 16 days in full sun equal their size! We will resume the topic of Shade Cloth for just a moment to point out that it would delay the growth of plants as well, and increasing the time it takes for vegetables to mature also increases the time that insects and pests have to enjoy them. (I'm thinking get in, get out unscathed!)

Here are the other vegetables.

I am hand watering them until the plants get larger and reach the water depth. Today I picked up a different watering system to try out, so I'll be working on that tomorrow. These chard are top heavy and have fallen over.

These are green beans and peas, with carrots, and in the center is an artichoke that will winter over and next spring have the bed all to itself. Already the peas seem as though they will pull the green beans down and over the rim of the pot so I will keep you posted on the effect of planting these two items closely together. I already think the green beans will not like it and the outcome might not be good. Looks like the peas could snap their stems!

Here is a speckled lettuce that came in the mesclun mix. When I took off the cricket cloche, and had the netting off, I bent down to pick up the cloche to replace it, and there was Symba standing on this speckled lettuce. I look up and there is a quail atop the blockwall right on top of us and it was an amazing sight. The quail flew up to the neighbor's roof right over our heads and stood on the peak and called for his peeps. I hope I can get a picture of him tomorrow because I think quail are just way too cool. Let's hope he comes back!

Thanks for visiting! To all of my gardening friends, carry on and hurry back!

Donna's a Flirt

Over a year ago Michael and I went to Valley of Fire, and we took the back way via Lake Mead to return home. Out in the desert there is an old spring that "pours forth" and has created a little oasis and there is a mini lake with palm trees, and indigenous plants. We stopped there and saw the misquito fish or whatever they were, (they were minnows) and I saw this tiny little purslane type flowering plant with flowers that reminded me of sea anemone so I picked a 4 inch sprig and wrapped it in a wet tissue like a soppy vase and adoringly brought it home. The next day the sprig was still looking great so I said "Hey", and I went and plugged it into the yard by a dripper. It is now a little plant about 7 inches tall, and today I cut off a little sprig to make another one and placed it in the ground a little ways down. It has become one of my favorites and looks great against the rocks.

I have been waiting a week to plant my new additions to the garden. The White Rain Lily is planted now,

and the effect is a pleasing natural woodland,

The plant we'll call "Jack in the Box" is in the sunning bed next to the Penstemmons. Once it gets rambly it will look great in this more rugged setting.

I love the play of the powder green leaves against the pink rocks. This plant sits below the "Marbles on Staffs" garden art which is another play on orbs on sticks.

There is another melon in the melon patch. To have fruit indicates that there is ample water and that the plant has not shut down to reserve it's water for survival, (nor sacrificed its fruit!) Yeah, the plant is happy!

Here is the blindingly radiant Donna Darlin! Donna Darlin' dazzles and cannot be subdued! She is the brightest thing in the whole yard. I glance out and see Donna Darlin and say "Whoa," then "Wow!" She is flashy. She's a flirt.

Thanks for visiting! To all of my gardening friends, carry on and hurry back!