R A I N !
In the immortal words of George M. Cohan:
My vegetables thank you. My trees thank you. My flowers thank you. And, most of all, I thank you.
Okay. So I played with Cohan’s words. It’s raining and I’m grateful. Hope it comes in buckets; but mostly I hope it comes in the form of very wet snow at the higher elevations.
It’s a good day to organize seeds and nap. I like it.
Once scratch and sniff technology is perfected, this may be one “favorite” to visit again and again.
The wisteria on top of the pergola is in full bloom now. Bumblebees are abundant. An old nurseryman prunes his old wisteria regularly throughout the growing season to encourage continuous blossoms.
This wisteria is a blue wisteria. It’s fairly simple to grow. As a bare root twig, it was planted in well drained soil. Fertilizing is infrequent and so is irrigation now that it’s established. After it blooms, I prune it back a bit to encourage new growth and blooms. So far, so good.
The perfume is sweet. As the petals fall, there is nice blue confetti littering the garden. My oldest wisteria vine may have succumbed to the teeth of Ajax. A replacement wisteria has been planted to fill in just in case it does pull through. It’s just a whip now but does have a bud on the tip. This year will be dedicated to establish the new growth up to the top of the pergola.
There’s gravel under the pergola today; but there are plans to install dichondra in a few weeks. This should be a nice cool spot during the hot summer. Wisteria is a nice plant to create shade for the hot days ahead. In the meantime, we’ll enjoy the beautiful perfume.
Is there any wisteria growing on Wisteria Lane? Name that TV show?
I love to garden and I love Flula. He’s ridiculous. Imagine my delight when my two loves collided.
Good Ol’ Granny Smith takes 4th place in the fruit blossom competition in the garden. This year look pretty good for the apple tree. There are dozens of blossoms on the young tree now. Hopefully enough will develop into apples to enjoy later in the summer.
Locally, the honey bee population is supposed to be on the rise. I’m doing my part. Hope they get busy in the garden.
I’m a cynic. The entire “green” thing is a marketing hoax to me. Those around me have known me to say that just because it’s “natural” doesn’t mean that I want to eat it. Example: Arsenic, bugs, and the southbound product of a north bound beastie. “Organic” has been so overused that it is now simply a marketing tool. The new meaning for organic: Hey, idiot. Buy me and feel good about yourself.
Those “idiots”, I believe, for the most part are truly trying to do something good; but buying a bag of salad just doesn’t get it. Honestly. A bag of salad? How long does that stuff stay fresh? What was it washed with – bleach? Yuck. Where was it grown? How long ago was it harvested? Do you want to gamble with Salmonella?
If you want to eat better, grow it yourself. It’s fresher, costs much less, and you have control. If you can’t grow it yourself, buy it locally from a source you trust. Now, some people just aren’t interested in gardening. Find a neighbor gardener that wouldn’t mind trading produce for something or just be more careful about what you buy. Framers’ markets are fine; but you really need to know the source.
Don’t throw your money away on “green organics”. Sheesh!
PS…I’ve never been in a Whole Foods but I feel the same way about others I have visited. Rip off.
Today, the peaches (O’Henry) opened their buds. Peaches follow plums and apricots. The conciliation prize will, most likely, go to the apple (Granny Smith) tree. The Warren Pear tree has never bloomed. This year looks like a repeat performance. The Fantasia Nectarine looks pretty puny. If old Fantasia doesn’t get its act together, it is in extreme danger of being replaced.
Cyclamen planted under the Wisteria entangled pergola.
March came in like a lion here in Bakersfield, California (zone 8-9). February ended with a much needed but not enough rain. Most all the buds are swelling or have already broken. It looks to be a drier than dry year. It’s always something. Irrigation in the garden is mostly drip so we’re hydrologically economical. Heavy composting and mulching will help to keep plant roots moist and cooler.
Plans are on the calendar to remove the gravel under the pergola and replace it with Dichondra (seed). The area is bordered with sidewalks so the chances of the stuff leaping out into the lawn are reduced. Having this green patch should help bring the temperatures down a bit. That’s always a good thing.
What do you do to save water in the garden? Have you ever intentionally grown Dichondra?
I could handle summer if it was like this. Maybe this is what summer is like where people enjoy the summertime.
The French Marigold seeds were sowed today in a bed where tomatoes grew last summer all the way through the new year. However, when the heirloom plants were finally pulled, the roots were so swollen and distorted that Knot Root Nematodes seemed to be the culprit.
UC Davis recommends planting the marigolds in rows 7” apart with plants/seeds spaced every 7”. Fine. That worked alright for the 1st row. During the 2nd row planting, I realized that my back could not hold out; so I opened both of the 2g packages and scattered the seeds over the bed. The well composted soil was gently raked over the seeds followed by a nice shower of water. Good. The seeds should germinate in about 5 days; but I suspect it could be sooner with all the warm sun we’ve been experiencing.
This bed will remain in marigolds for the summer with hopes of starving those nematodes.
All the tools, clogs, and gloves were sprayed with a bleach water solution then dried in the sun to prevent the spread of these extremely wee beasties.
Compact, bushy plants loaded with bright yellow, gold, orange and bicolor crested blooms. Great for patio containers, mass plantings or mixed with other summer flowering annuals. Fast growing, easy-to-grow plants are relatively maintenance-free and bloom quickly from seed.
For best results plant in full sun. Sow directly in the garden where plants are to grow after danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed. Seed may be started indoors 4 weeks before planting outdoors. Transplant carefully so as not to disturb the roots.
Au revoir, Nematodes. *kiss kiss*
Blenheim Apricot is the 2nd fruit tree to blossom in the garden this spring. It follows behind the Santa Rosa Plum. All the trees are scheduled to be fertilized this week. No rain or freezing temperatures predicted to get in the way of bees coming in to do their thing. 
The sap is flowing in all of the trees with some oozing out where it can. Some is oozing where a certain dog applied his teeth leaving puncture wounds. I hope that the temporary blockades will keep the dog from pruning this tree any further allowing a bumper crop of apricots for 2012.
Farmer MacGregor scored large when he said he was going to the store for some Fritos or something and returned with Valentine’s bouquets. There’s loads of red and white roses. One accent flower caught my interest.
Statice (Limonium sinuatum) – It’s that purple straw-like flower. I would like to get some seeds and try growing some. They seem perfect for zone 8-9’s hot, dry summers. We’re expecting a very dry summer so this might be a great time to try.
Has anyone tried these in the San Joaquin Valley? Is planting from seed viable or should I consider seedlings/plants from a nursery?
Enjoy Valentine’s Day in the garden.
