Invasion of the Body Snatchers - Epilogue

Remember when my granddaddy Split Leaf Philodendron had this strangely phallic blossom back on June 7?   It had a sweet, delicate, tropical scent.  More interestingly, it had an odd protrusion from a lily-like casing.  Is that a Split Leaf Philodendron or are you just glad to see me?

On June 8, the XXX visitor began to retreat into its casing.  Kind of looked like a hooded monk at that point. 

As the casing began to surround the center like a tortilla forming a burrito,  the white interior began to ruffle like a pom pom.  This happened in a matter of a few hours that evening.

The entire interior was swallowed up by the casing and it just lay  there for a few weeks.  Today, I noticed that the “pod” was almost completely detached from the plant and the casing had opened to reveal a different interior. I pitched it into the compost bin.  It’s a pretty pathetic ending to  a very strange happening in an ordinary garden.

But now you know ….

…the rest of the story.  GOOD DAY!

Strawberry Moon

Full Strawberry Moon – June This name was universal to every Algonquin tribe. However, in Europe they called it the Rose Moon. Also because the relatively short season for harvesting strawberries comes each year during the month of June . . . so the full Moon that occurs during that month was christened for the strawberry!*

And the strawberries just keep on producing.  There have been strawberries harvested everyday since April and they just keep on giving.  There aren’t enough at one time to make any jam so the uneaten berries are frozen.  (Of course they’re uneaten.  Who saves eaten berries?!  Gross.)

The strawberries are fertilized with Dr. Earth (latest application = 06/23/10) and irrigated with drip irrigation each morning.  The  length of time for irrigation has been increased to 20 minutes.  They receive full sun from sun up to sundown.

 

*  From the Farmers’ Almanac

Perfect Tomato

This is my favorite photo taken last year of what I thought was the perfect tomato (Better Boy?).  Great color.  Wonderful shape.  Excellent model.  Perfect background.  The 2010 crop is not quite to this point; but I do see lots of potential. Once the weather is consistently hot, I should be overwhelmed with a flood of red, ripe tomatoes.

Oh Boy! Boysenberry

That’s right.  The 2010 crop of boysenberry is not bumper but it’s more than was expected.  This is the first season for the canes.  Boysenberries are Farmer MacGregor’s favorite berries.  This crop should be fairly easy to process.  2011 may be MacGregor’s year of the boysenberries.  2010 only produced one.

Spittlebugs are Gross!

Spittlebugs in their nymph stage suck the sap from a plant and make a foam to hide in.  My lavender has spittlebugs hiding out.  It looks exactly like the neighborhood boys have been hanging out in my garden and having a loogie contest.  Gross.  Tomorrow morning I’ll be using the business end of a hose and blast these gross things loose. Gross!

Wave Petunias / Magellan Zinnias

Not everything is edible in Maybelline’s Garden.  This past weekend I tore out the pansies and stock from the two front flowerbeds.  Some of the lobelia was trimmed in hopes of blooming later this summer.  Those plants were planted back in October and had grown beautifully through the rainy season.   Sadly, they were ripped out to make way for some muscle plants that should be able to thrive during the summer. 

Some Wave petunias (Misty Lilac) were plugged into the bed next to the driveway (See the loose bricks?  I drove into them.).  The petunias were fertilized with Dr. Earth and given a long drink of water to start them off right.  I never realized that petunias have a scent.  These have a soft, sweet scent.  Their light color makes them stand out at night; so I expect the hot summer nights to be perfumed with petunias.  (I can smell the breeze bringing the scent inside as I post this.  It sure beats the smell of feedlots.)  The Wave variety of petunias spread out.  The number of plants here should cover the ground nicely and continue to bloom until frost.  The plant tag directs to feed weekly and to remove spent blossoms to encourage growth and continuous  flowers.  There’s a Watermelon Crepe Myrtle multi truck tree that is centered in this flowerbed.

The other small bed next to the sidewalk has Magellan Zinnias.  Their not listed as dwarf but they only grow to 18”.  This variety is multicolored and should be able to take the heat of summer.   There are a couple of Loropetalum chinensis “Rubrum” in this bed as well.  Until they grow up, there will be other plants to keep them company.  This bed was also fertilized and irrigated to get everything off on the right root. 

Farmer MacGregor fears that these zinnias will attract neighborhood hoodlums that aspire to recreate a scene from Caddy Shack.

Nice Melons!

Farmer MacGregor enjoys watermelon; so this winter I searched the Baker Creek seed catalog for the perfect variety.  The Malali seemed like it would fit the criteria.   A small, seeded, sweet melon that grows well in the oven-like garden known as Bakersfield, California.  Sold!  The seeds were planted on April 28, sprouted on May 6, and they haven’t stopped since.

They share a bed with the Lemon Squash (left).

April 29, 2010

 

May 31, 2010

 

June 10, 2010

  June 19, 2010

 

For some reason, whenever I work in the melon patch I have the desire to do a little tweezer work.  Sadly, these will not be ready for the 4th of July; but old MacGregor will have the rest of the long, hot summer to enjoy melons.  I’m now on the lookout for the dreaded pests that are sure to show up.

Lemon Squash

Lemon Squash is moving right along now that the heat has been turned up.  The plant (leaves, stems, & flowers) looks just like zucchini.  It’s the fruit/vegetable that is different.  It really does look like a lemon.  It’s supposed to be about the size of a lemon as well.  Right now the tendrils are continuing to grow and reach for the support in order to climb on up.  More and more flowers open each morning with gobs of pollen for the garden insects to get drunk on.

Lantana

Lantana grows super easy in zone 9 – Bakersfield, California.  This plant is in an old 5 gallon bucket.  It has never been pampered.  Sometimes it gets a good drink of water.  It’s always in the sun.  Pruning is a snap.  I just took the clippers and hacked at it any which way to remove the twigs.  In a short period of time the blossoms appear for the summer along will the nectar seeking creatures.  This would make a super easy hedge for someone that doesn’t want to bother with a fussy plant.

Lantana.  Reminds me of Dan Tanna.

1978.  Seems like yesterday.

Damselflies

 Whoa, Dude.  The sunset is awesome.

Damselflies are some of the “good guys”.  They munch on mosquitoes, flies, and other small insects.  Sometimes they might dine on a spider.  They hang around water and lay their eggs there.  I’m not sure where this guy is finding any water around my garden; but these strange looking creatures are welcome as long as they like.