It's snowing!

Again. This storm out of Alaska is bringing snow to the north coast. For the second year in a row. Though this is normally a rare occurrence.

We're keeping the bird feeders filled, suet out, and brought the rabbit inside.

gam zeh ya'avor

This too shall pass.

We wonder what the world will be like in a few years. I always wondered/worried about what kind of world I was bringing kids into, and what we would be passing down to them. Just when it seemed we were handing them a brighter world, all certainty has been removed. And the worst part is, they have voted it on on themselves. we have no say. All we can do is live with it.

I believe this election heralds the decimation of wealth, the restriction of freedoms, a turn towards the Nanny State at best, fascism at worst, and entitlement socialist society. Nothing like the world I want to live in. It is depressing beyond imagination.

Aside from that, I intend this to be a politics free space.

Smokey, hot & sultry

Looks like fog, but it is not. It's smoke from the hundreds of fires that fabulous lightning storm caused. The lightning storm that raged over the weekend had over 6000 strikes according to a spokesperson at Calfire this morning in Shasta County. 602 fires consuming thousands of acres range from Santa Cruz to the Oregon border and from the Coast to Nevada but the states to the North and East of California also had their share of strikes and resulting blazes. This leaves fire crews “spread thin all over.” CalFire Report for entire state of California
Total Fires: 1,032
Acres involved: 132,235
Structures Destroyed: 17 residences, 1 commercial, 19 outbuildings to date.

Beauty, but with a real down side. Smoke so thick up and down the state that visibility in some places is almost zero. People being told to stay indoors.

Dividing water lilies

Water lilies can spread from seeds or the rhizomes. And mine has definitely spread. At first I had it in the pond in its pot, but the dog kept pulling the pot out of the water and chewing on the rootballs. So I took it out of the pot and let it naturalize. It's been in there for years and blooms more each year.

Today we cut a chunk of the rhizome off for my neighbor who is putting in a pond. I wasn't sure how it would go, but, I'm not worried anymore.

Best LIGHTNING Storm we've ever had

Found this shot by Destiny Young/Boonville this looks like what we saw.

Started last evening (SUMMER SOLSTICE), still light out, strange and fabulous cloud structures, the simultaneous sunset, thunder, flashes and streaks of lightning over the ocean. Everyone on the street came out to watch in awe. None of us had cameras. A few drops of rain, but a very dry storm. The lightning came and went all night, further away, so we saw the flashes but didn't hear the thunder. Awesome!

I want, I want...

Pottery Barn's current outdoor catalog is an amazing visual treat. Everything is cool, the colors are cool, the hanging bed and benches, the umbrellas...every single page, awesome!



OK, so I don't live in Oahu, and the tropical colors may not exactly work here, but the concepts, the blocks of color - get the look. And don't be afraid of color. This is as much fun as a bulb catalog. Lots of things circled.

PS: I'm liking this digital clipping. The colors won't fade like the magazine photos, and I can link to the source, or anything related.

Priorities

5 years of neglect have taken their toll on the backyard, virtually eliminating any progress I had made. Blackberries send up forty foot canes, our version of kudzu. Mustard takes over, grass invades the flowerbeds. Ivy got out of control and now just flat out has to be eliminated itself.

So I am in a rebuilding phase that is going to take alot of work. Hard work. Every year for the last five years I have taken a stab at it, only to be overwhelmed by the scope and distracted by the political scene that has taken over my life.

Every year I have sworn that this would be the last time I would do this. That I would cement in the area around the pond, lay the fieldstone permanently so that I am not pulling weeds from between the stones where the pretty moss was supposed to be. That I would put in the concrete mowing strip to prevent the grass from encroaching on the planted areas and vice versa.

But I didn't.

This year I will. This year, I will hire a crew to come in and put in the hardscape and the sprinkler system and sod the lawn area.

Then I will work on the planted areas and restore them. And happily plant new things.

Because the good side is that there are now established trees, and rhodies, and lilacs and the like. The plans I had set in motion have borne fruit. The bones and the structure of the garden are there.

And the stage is set to ensure that we will be able, finally, to enjoy the backyard.

The deck, the barbeque, the chairs, the table, the firepit, the playset and the greenhouse turned playhouse...

wish me luck.

UPDATE: Good intentions. Did not come to pass. That was 2008. A few more stabs at it since then, and now it is 2016. I've shed my other obligations entirely. Spent the summer digging out from under the blackberries yet again. Hauled truckloads of green waste to the dump. Got rid of piles of old garden furniture that had rusted.

The good news is, it's cleared, at least an area. Plantings are returning to life. New plants are in. We're clearing the area for sod - long-awaited sod.

And the good news is, there's still the established trees, and rhodies, and lilacs... it can be done.

Baby Buddha

Planted Strawberries and a Lemon Tree in that green pot.

Getting set up for backyard dining

(Martha Stewart 'Amelia Island' 6-piece dining set. Powder coated steel with e-coat primer.) Thought about a wooden picnic table but this is easier to move around, I like the glass, and the cushions, and the set up for the umbrella.

Here's the product photo...

The kids love it, the table has a turntable/lazy susan. You know, it's funny, you start thinking you need a cabinet out there to stash glasses, plates and stuff. Should probably resist that temptation.



One new challenge - how to get lighting out there. Candles aren't practical.

Another challenge, how to further screen out the neighbors. Potted bamboo? Some banners? When the jasmine fills in across the fence, it could solve the problem, but that's also a great place for the wisteria.

Trouble is, my neighbor likes tropical colors, and her paint job REALLY clashes with mine.

Switched to a black umbrella - from Ace Hardware, $30. I like the natural canvas, and the black, but not that taupe. Maybe I'll experiment with paint and stenciling on that one. Got some umbrella lights, they look like Christmas lights but are set up to run down the umbrella spines, $20. Prices on umbrellas vary widely, $1,300 to $30. Here, where it rains alot, you'll get a coupla seasons out of them, you can put them up "for the winter" but we have bursts of nice weather all year long - ahh the dilemmas! For $30 who cares?

UPDATE: Martha's stuff is usually pretty good, but that set did not hold up. It rusted, like everywhere. We can blame it on living near the coast, I guess, and the climate here, things rust. But from now on, no metal.

Chinese or Japanese Wisteria?

Photo from sheridangardens.com and Monterey Bay Nursery

☛ Wisteria floribunda -- JAPANESE WISTERIA -- deciduous vine with pinnate leaves, usually 15-19 leaflets per leaf. Long, airy flower clusters open sequentially from top to bottom, extending bloom but lacking the spectacular showiness of Chinese Wisterias. Gives a more vertical, delicate look, especially when hanging down through supporting arbors. Flowers are faintly fragrant. Begins blooming just after Chinese Wisteria. Needs full sun, average to little watering.

☛ Wisteria sinensis -- CHINESE WISTERIA -- similar to above, but with more rounded, full clusters of strongly fragrant flowers opening more at less all at once. Leaflets usually 13-15. Same growth requirements.

I think I'm going for the Japanese.

☛ Worth noting: the support must be very sturdy, because old wisteria can grow into immensely strong and heavy wrist-thick trunks and stems. These will certainly rend latticework, crush thin wooden posts, and can even strangle large trees.

YIKES! Read the reviews at Dave's Garden! Invasive. don't sleep next to it the vines will kill you, can uproot your foundation, tear your house apart, constant pruning... maybe I'll stick with the jasmine, it's a little less invasive.

You'd have to plan before putting it in, provide for a sturdy support and keep it away from the house.

Looking for a DARK DARK purple lilac

Not maroon purple, real purple.
L200 Yankee Doodle - Single Dark Purple Heavy Scent Up to 8’ Tall
An upright grower that is among the deepest and darkest of the purples. Limited supply

L500 Adelaide Dunbar - Double Dark Purple Heavy Over 10’
Named after John Dunbar’s wife. He created “Lilac City” in Rochester N.Y. Limited supply.

at Fox Hill Lilac Nursery

Planted the Styrax

Ever since I saw the Styrax Japonica in Lynne's garden, I've been planning to put one in. I shouldn't put in any more trees, but it is so spectacular! So, as of Saturday the 19th, it is planted about 5 feet out from the deck. It is starting to leaf out and I think I see some sign that it might even bloom this year. (Note, blooming, June 14th)

The search for a Shooting Star Hydrangea

I had picked up a Shooting Star hydrangea in the supermarket in Montana a couple of years ago. It didn't survive. Been looking for one ever since. Found this blurb online: ...the true name of this variety is Hanabi which means falling or shooting star in Japanese. That's a real loose translation, some say it means Fireworks or Sky fire. There are several varieties of hydrangea that are close and have the same bloom and cascading effect - Fuji Waterfall maybe Shirofuji.

Shooting Star is a re-named plant that is really Hydrangea macrophylla Hanabi. A tissue culture firm introduced Hanabi to this country under the name Fuji Waterfall. So H. m. Shooting Star equals H.m. Hanabi equals H.m. Fuji Waterfall and also H. m. Fireworks. Just to confuse you, there is also a hydrangea serrata Fuji-no-taki (and that translates to Fuji waterfall). http://www.hydrangeasplus.com/product.php?productid=213">
Sources include
Wilkerson Mill Gardens, (770) 463-2400 hydrangea.com
Hydrangeas Plus, (866)433-7896 hydrangeasplus.com.
I also found links to Amazon - they sell Shooting Stars, potted, at Christmas time, in bloom, but they are not available now.

Ordered a 'Fuji Waterfall' Hydrangea yesterday from Hydrangeas Plus. Two actually. To increase the chances for survival.


Also found this version: ‘Hayes Starburst’ (H. arb. radiata) A superb new Hydrangea with completely sterile, dome shaped flower heads comprised of fully doubled star-like flowers. Hayes Jackson of Anniston, NATIVE: North America. Zone 4, 3-4 feet, gr 1, It's at springmeadownursery.com They have Shirofuji, too.

Update! Wow! My Fuji Waterfall's arrived today - and they're nice! Big! And in little pots! Not just bare root. The packing material still moist, keeping them safe.

I'm very impressed - and I definitely recommend Hydrangeas Plus!

July 4th - picked up a 'florist' Shooting Star in full bloom. With three working for me - I should be successful. Gotta say it is GORGEOUS. Subtle hints of color, spectacular flowers. Really really nice! And so far surviving quite well, potted, and outside.
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◼ General Care

Step 1: Provide at least partial shade. The shooting star hydrangea grows best in morning sun and afternoon shade. Full sun will scorch the plant.

Step 2: Surround your shooting star hydrangea with an inch of organic mulch in the spring before it begins to bloom. This will encourage flower growth and reduce weed growth.

Step 3: Fertilize your hydrangea once in early summer with balanced (10-10-10) slow-release fertilizer.

Step 4: Prune immediately after the blooms start to fade, as the shooting star hydrangea is an old wood plant. This means that the blooms develop on the second-year wood.

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◼ More info:
Shooting Star is not the same plant as Fuji Waterfall. Shooting Star is a Hydrangea macrophylla (Big-leaf) and is most likely a renaming of H. mac 'Hanabi' (Fireworks) and is sometimes listed as 'Sumida no Hanabi' (Fireworks of Sumida), developed as an indoor, potted plant for the Florist market.

'Fuji Waterfall' is a H. serrata (Mountain Hydrangea, small leaf) and is said to be the same as the Japanese cultivar, 'Fuji no taki', which means "Waterfall of Fuji"

The confusion developed when a nursery began distributing 'Hanabi' with the 'Fuji Waterfall' label, whether knowingly or unknowingly and since the florets of the two are similar, no one questioned the name.

...Since the fertile flower colors of both, H.macrophylla and H.serrata, are pH sensitive, you will need to maintain the current acidity level of your potted plants, to retain the blue color (tinge). A small amount of Aluminum sulphate, applied 2 or 3 times each year should suffice. but be careful not to apply too much. Fertilizers containing a small amount of Sulphur can also maintain the correct pH.
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The ongoing saga: One, planted in the front yard has languished until this year, finally a couple of sturdy branches, with rich, healthy, macrophylla leaves, AND a bud emerging. Two more, still struggling to keep a couple leaves going, in pots.

Meanwhile, two full grown large potted hydrangeas, a pink(red) and white, doing great. Going to put the white one (with slightly chartreuse leaves) in the Japanese garden corner under the Bloodgood Maple. Seems funny to be reaching backwards and going with hydrangeas, but they're big, lush, flowery, rewarding and virtually indestructible.

July, 2013 - YEARS down the road, just bought TWO Shooting Star Hydrangeas at the local nursery, so they've finally made it to the nursery market. These two aren't blooming yet, so we'll see if the they're properly named. But they're big and they're healthy, in gallon pots.

July, 2016 - They're big, lush, healthy, and blooming beautifully. Love them. White with that delicate hint of blue, just spectacular. Haven't seen any in the nursery this year, so i am glad I got those while they were available.

SUCCESS! Big, beautiful and lush! Worth it!

Gardenscaping

An experiment in transferring handwritten garden journals to an online format.