Wind and goldfinches...

Thirteen years, 1 month, and about 10 days ago, a massive pine tree fell on our house in California. It toppled during a very strong windstorm, much like the one we are having today. I still get very uncomfortable in windstorms.




We lived at the Residence Inn for about 5 months while our home was being repaired. As you might imagine, it didn’t take long for a collection of plant-filled pots to amass on my balcony at the hotel.

One day, in desperation, I returned to my garden, to sit quietly in the peace and solitude. I pulled a few weeds – very therapeutic. As I began to relax, I noticed that goldfinches had come into my garden and were eating seeds from my Salvia coccinea plants. I love those little yellow birds.

In years past here in North Carolina, I have seen a few from a distance. Since it has snowed, though, and I have thrown out sunflower seeds, goldfinches have come to my deck. And day by day, more and more arrive, wearing their drab winter coats. There were 28 of the beautiful little birds today, braving the wind to come to the feast I have offered them.

Have a beautiful day!
P.S. In case you didn't know: you can click on any of the pictures for a larger, somewhat clearer view. I wish they could be brighter, but this is the bet I can offer right now!

Birdhouses...

Have you ever looked up the word “birdhouse” in a dictionary? Well, I did, and here is what I found: “an artificial nesting place for birds.” Huh. According to one book I have, birdhouses are the key to “How to Beat the Housing Shortage” for birds.

(Recycling, definitely!)

After I was given a couple of birdhouses yesterday, I started thinking about the bird houses that I already have. There are the 2 that I bought a couple of years ago, poles included, that are still waiting to get stood up. (Does that sound right?)




And then there is the one that my brother-in-law made. You think I have it hanging up? Nope. Not me. It’s another one of those projects on my massive to-do list. Send me a comment in a few months to check up on me and see if it’s up yet.

(Useful and beautiful glass stoop)

I decided not to procrastinate yesterday with my new ones, so I got out my handy dandy hammer and a couple of nails before I even took the new ones out of my van. Aren’t you so proud of me? Now, I don’t know if this will be their permanent abode, but at least the birds have a better chance of being able to use them here than if, say, I put my new ones in the storage shed with the one my brother-in-law gave me.




Then there is the birdhouse that the bluebirds have checked out a number of times and even used one year. It was already standing on the property when we moved here. I think the inscription on the door is charming. Do the bluebirds read, I wonder? Is that how they know they are supposed to nest there?

("Homes for Bluebirds Inc, Bailey, NC, 27807")

So, if you were a bird, which one of my “artificial nesting places” would you choose?

Have a beautiful day!

Kids...

My adventure for today was going to visit kids at Buffalo Creek Farm. The oldest kids are about a month old, and I think the youngest ones are about a week old. I’m not talking the human kind here; these are Nigerian Dwarf goats I went to see!




When they are ready to go outside, they have beautiful fields to roam in. If you look carefully, you can see a llama behind the guineas. (You can click on the picture to get an enlarged view.) Its head is down to get a drink of water. The llama is the “watch dog.” I think it is so amazing that llamas will guard herds of livestock. There are also some of the Nubian goats in the photo.




The black and white goat on the right is still pregnant. Isn't the little guy standing on the wire so appealing?




How is this for adorable!




These blonde siblings are just beautiful! They were the ones I most wished I could take home with me.


Have a beautiful day!

Hydrangeas in winter...

Say the word “hydrangea” and immediately images of lush green bushes laden with huge blue or pink blooms on warm days come to mind. Hydrangeas seem to have the ability to be elegant and cottagey at the same time, charming us in the garden and as cut flowers. And now there are cultivars that bloom not only in late spring or early summer, but continue throughout the summer.




But what about after the leaves have fallen and it is decidedly winter? What happens to the hydrangea then? Does it become a forgotten cast-off, its purpose already fulfilled for the year? I think not.




In winter, its value becomes more subtle, more architectural. It is no longer a shrub of lush green leaves splashed with the color of its blossoms. Now, it is a display of branches and twigs, silhouetted against the snow. Even though they are alive, they seem to be mostly dead; a reflection of me in the winter-time.




They become symbolic of the waiting game of winter. There is the hope of the fall cuttings growing in the greenhouse, the anticipation of the fulfillment of the leaf bud’s promise, and there are little glimmers of the newness of the coming spring.


Have a beautiful day!

Potting soil...

It’s snowing again. At least another two inches have fallen since last night, on top of the snow that hadn’t melted from last time. That makes whopping 17” for the winter. Is that some sort of record for this part of North Carolina?

(Whose woods these are I think I know...)

One of my loyal readers asked what kind of potting soil I used for outdoor pots and for starting seeds. And where all the manure I hauled home in my van comes into all of this. My preferred potting soil is Scott’s Premium Potting Soil. I buy it at Home Depot. (Disclaimer: I receive no remuneration from either Scott’s or Home Depot. But that wouldn’t be a bad idea.) I have tried a number of other brands, but I always come back to that particular one.




I use it in pots, both indoors and out. For larger outside pots (I wouldn’t do this indoors), I fill the bottom 1/3 to 1/2 with mulch/wood chips, which costs me basically nothing. This does 2 things. First, it fills up space so I don’t have to use as much potting soil (also known as Very Expensive Dirt). And second, it both improves drainage and helps hold moisture. I’ve noticed, too, that earthworms like to live in it. I do make sure I press it down as much as I can before I put the potting soil on top of it. Both the mulch and the potting soil will sink over time, but you can always top off the pot with more potting soil.




For starting larger seeds in pots, I also use this potting soil. If I am starting small to tiny seeds, I use a seed starting soil. I don’t remember which brand it is, but it is much finer than the potting soil, so that makes it easier for the little, bitty seeds to come up.




And the manure…. Well, those particular loads of manure were thoroughly composted and I used it to build a new garden bed. It is to become my hummingbird garden. In general, though, you can use composted manure to work into existing soil to increase the organic matter. Or you can use it to top-dress around plants. That is what I prefer, since I like to build raised beds rather than trying to improve the clay that I have. It is important not to use fresh manure around plants because it will burn them. Some say that manure brings in lots of weeds. Personally, my garden has so many weeds anyway that I wouldn’t be able to tell which came from the manure and which were here already. As a plus, though, the manure makes a nice, soft soil, so the weeds are easier to pull out!


Have a beautiful day!

Coleus II...

So, here is what this blog post could say (you have to imagine the sing-song voice): “I wanted more of this beautiful coleus plant so I rooted some cuttings. They have been growing beautifully on my window sill. Now I have planted them in beautiful containers using this beautiful potting soil. In the spring, they should grow beautifully outside in the shade. My, aren’t they beautiful.” But that sounded just so trite so I thought perhaps I should try something different.




Possibly I could talk about “You, too, Can Recycle Yogurt Containers.” Or maybe “1 of 1001 Uses for Potting Soil.” Or… “How to Get Out of Making Dinner (leave potting soil on the kitchen counter). Or… “Discussion of the Reproductive Habits of Shade Loving Coleus.” Hmmm. I think this could be getting a little out of hand.




Actually, I guess it is more like…. I am so sick and tired of winter. There is nothing I can do outside in the snowy, soggy, muddy ground so I am wandering around the house like a crazy woman, desperately searching for something fulfilling to do. (Like filling empty yogurt containers with dirt? There’s a life-goal for you.)




Well, I did enjoy potting my splashy coleus plants, anyway.


Have a beautiful day!

Tête-à-tête daffodils update...

The Tête-à-tête daffodils that I bought a couple of weeks ago have grown tall and bloomed. Outside, under their normal growing conditions, they would only be about 6” – 12” high, but because they have been inside under fairly low light conditions (for plants) they have become rather lanky in their effort to reach the (non-existent) sunlight.




The flowers, though, are absolutely charming. They are unabashedly cheerful, the bright, sunny yellow glowing in my dining room. And they have a sweet fragrance. Aren't fragrant plants wonderful?

{Narcissus 'Tête-à-tête'}

I think the tiny shoots coming up in the pot may be new little bulblets as the plant multiplies itself. So exciting! Later, in spring, when the ground and air have (finally) warmed up, I will divide the bulbs and plant them outside.




They probably won’t bloom next year because of being forced this year, but future years should give me plenty of delightful, Lilliputian Tête-à-tête daffodils.


Have a beautiful day!