Split Leaf Philodendron Like Swallows to Capistrano

Seems like the split leaf philodendron bloom is a bit early this year; but maybe not.  It seems to have opened in years past between now and sometime in June.  My mental note is to watch for this around Memorial Day.



Split Leaf Philodendron - 2013

This year, there are two buds/pods. I'm not sure temperature has anything to do with the process. It's been pleasantly cool/warm lately. I'm certain my fellow San Joaquin Valley gardeners are enjoying this refreshing weather before the bondage of summer forces us to do most of our outside work around sunrise and sunset.  The scent of this unusual bloom along with jasmine and the asparagus fern blooms make the shady side of the house full of potent perfume.  Very sweet stuff.  It's on the same side of the house as my BBQ.  The sweet perfume mixed with burning mesquite signals the fact that summer is here.

Garden Update:

• Boysenberry harvest is winding down with a final take of about 6 gallons of berries.  Pretty good for young canes.
• Plums are ripening.  Birds have started to  help themselves.  Netting was thrown over the tree this week.
• Apricots will be the next tree to ripen and will need netting to protect the bounty from the birds.

Lazy Daddy

Busy in the garden before the heat wave rolls in this weekend.  Looks like garden time will be reserved for very early morning and late evening as temperatures scream into the 100s.

Farmer MacGregor really got busy.

• Leveled the garden fence that was sagging in spots.  It happens to all of us.
• Painted the garden fence and gate.  No surprise here.  Farmer paints religiously.
• Washed the entire outside of the house - windows included.  Everything sparkles.
• Edged and mowed the yards.  Better to do before the heat hits hard.
• Gets up extra early on the weekdays to make sure all the irrigation is done before 7am.  Excellent.
• Rigged a gizmo up so one of the spider plants can hang in the shade of the Chinese Elm tree.  Just don't bash your head into it when you mow.  Ouch!
• Got all the grocery shopping done so I can BBQ on Fathers' Day.  Thanks?
• Installed new rollers on the sliding glass door.  An oversite on my part omitted this stupendous task.  Old man MacGregor pointed out this flaw.
• Removed the double pane for cleaning.  Now I can open the clean door with just a push of my pinky finger.
• MacGregor, if you're reading this, prepare to go shooting early on Fathers' Day.  The ammunition has been purchased.  BBQ when you return.  Happy Fathers' Day even though you're not MY father.  It's better than an Hawaiian shirt right?

Good to get it done and enjoy the most wonderful invention ever...air conditioning.

Garden Update:

• Tomatoes are ripening.  Harvesting Celebrity and Gold Current.  The Gold Currents are all volunteers that grow vigorously in zone 8-9.  They grow so well that I need to dig some out because they are growing too big.
• Boysenberries are done.  Bird netting was removed.  Next - tie up new canes and prune out the old.
• Netting moved to the apricot tree.  It really burns me up when a bird pecks at one piece of fruit then moves on to another.  Can't they at least finish the piece of fruit they started with before moving on?  Honestly.
• Carrots are booming and need to be pulled.  Carrot cakes?
• French Marigolds are thriving with the heat.  During the evening garden inspection, seed heads are pulled and the seeds are scattered wherever the ground is bare.  Take THAT nematodes.
• Zucchini is the king of the garden now.  Black Beauty is a bush variety and grows well here.  The plants stay neat and dark green.  Squash are harvested when they are small to enjoy tender, tasty babies.
• Kentucky Wonder Green Beans are kinda puny.  Very disappointed that they have not gone wild with the heat.  Even used a soil inoculant with hopes of a bountiful crop.  I'm unimpressed.
• Nasturtiums (Dwarf Cherry Rose) were planted on May 28 and have not germinated yet OR if they have something ate them down to the nub.  Puzzling.
• Sadly, another fruit on the Split Leaf Philodendron has aborted.  Only one fruit remains on the plant.

Stay in from the heat and avoid swamp pants.  Time to do indoor housework.

Bad News. Good News.

Bad news first...

One of the 3 fruits on the Split Leaf Philodendron has aborted.  It's one of the weirdedst items in the garden - sans moi.  The plant still gives off an intense tropically sweet scent.  Since zone 8-9 is not the proper conditions for this fruit to develop, I'll have to settle for this process to occur around Memorial Day weekend each year.

The bad news really wasn't that bad.  This was expected and should happen for the remaining 2 fruits.

Good news now...

The Aloe Vera has been moved out of the sun and into the shade where it's once sunburned leaves are plumping up, greening up, and thriving.  Lesson:  stay out of the sun. 

Not Again!

Is that a Split Leaf in your pants or are you just happy to see me?

The first of three pods on the Split Leaf Philodendron has burst open.  It is the weirdest plant in the garden.  The scent is very, tropically sweet.  I suppose that is an attractant.  After Mama Nature has done her thing, then this phallic symbol retreats into its hooded pod and starts producing some sort of fruit.

Don't know if I have the courage to sample the fruit.  Let me know if you've tried this and what you think.

Happy Mamas' Day!

Mourning doves nesting directly below scare tape!

Because I can't properly irrigate the basket at the front door, the plants are suffering at the expence of a squatter family.  They should be on their way soon and the basket will get replanted.  My gift for Mamas' Day from Farmer MacGregor came in the form of power equipment.

Don't be too quick to judge Old MacGregor on his choice of gifts.  He knows that I like the lawn to have a crisp, clean edging.  The string edger didn't do the job as well.  Besides, it's not running right.  Now here's the best part:  I don't operate this machinery.  MacGregor was up early this morning putting the edger through its paces.  THAT is a great gift...plus he got a cash discount.

Hope all the mamas have a nice day.

Split Leaf Update:
The weird growth on the Split Leaf Philodendron is ahead of schedule this year.  I noticed the pod last weekend and finally got around to recording the image today.  And there are now 2  3 pods.  Progress will be posted here regualarly.

Gold in the Garden & Podcast Update

How much does a pirate pay for corn?

A buccaneer!  (A buck an ear.  Get it?)

Harvest time is in full swing in the garden.  The apricots were a success.  That little tree produced about 4 dozen pieces of fruit.  The Santa Rosa plum gave a bounty too.  Excellent.  I don’t  measure and weigh the harvest; so those details simply aren’t tracked and recorded.  The tomatoes (Tigerella and Cour Di Bue pictured) are starting to ripen and carrots are mature enough for pulling.  BUT the big news is that I’m a successful corn producer.  Not a farmer; but, dang it, I was able to harvest my 1st cob last night.  GOAL!  All I wanted was to sample one cob that I had grown.  Now that I’ve met that demand, I need to learn the finer points of freezing corn.  Golden Bantam Yellow Sweet Corn was planted in waves with the hopes of having fresh corn all summer long.

I’ll consider growing pop corn if I learn that it tastes as good or better than my preferred brand – Orville Redenbacher.

 

Podcast Update

Sadly, this “podcast” has come to a sudden end.  The fruit on the Split Leaf Philodendron broke off from the plant on June 29.  The pod-like fruit looks like an elf’s slipper.

Curiosity got to me; so I split the thing open to learn what was going on inside.  Kinda looks like a weird banana.

I’ll be watching for this next June.