Aug. Flowers

Here it is the end of August and I wanted to share my gardening highlights. We planted Sunflowers from seeds and they are towering at ten feet. Some face the morning sun and others the west depending where they are located in the garden. The "Touch-Me-Nots" Impatiens Balsamii have performed like troopers. Our Hummingbirds visit the flowers every morning and evening. The Morning Glory seeds from last year that I replanted this Spring are doing great. I have tried many varieties but this is the best one to germinate and grow so lushly. I think its a Mixed Giants but I have to check. My purple Dahlia is blooming and all the Coleus are very showy. I have made up some tasty Spagetti Sauce with fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil, oregano, onions, parsley, assorted meats, and olive oil. Yum!.

Snow Peas Germinated

Great gardening news. The snow peas planted LAST MONTH germinated and poked their heads throught the soil on Sat. Feb. 28th. I was afraid they had drowned with the over 17 inches of rain that fell during Feb. Looking forward to see how this cultivar grows. Have you planted any seed yet?

Weed and Feed

Have you ever done something and been amazed by your result? It may sound simplistic but reading the instructions are crucial before applying any fertilizer. I have a good friend who spent hours creating organic soil for his vegetables. He gathered coffeegrinds and ashes and mixed them with some fine humus. The vegetable seeds were carefully selected and an array of wonderful seedlings established. In one of those moments we all like to forget, he decided

to add some commercial fertilizer. He did not plan on adding "Weed and Feed" a fertilizer for lawns that includes a weed killer. Ooops! Let us just quietly pray that the vegetables will overcome this setback because my friend is feeling pretty low today about this unintentional blooper. A gentle reminder to all of us:

" read the instructions and fine print before adding fertilizer to the garden! "

April Blooms

It's been cool here in the Santa Cruz Mountains but the garden is growing and little treasures keep popping up. Sweet pea and Moonflower seeds are boldly pushing their way into the cool Spring air. The Wysteria is unfurling soft, velvety leaves, tentatively stretching towards the sun. Wild onions have emerged with their white flowers dancing among the orange Montbretia. The Japanese Maples are clothed in new leaves and spreading their limbs. Sunday Trace noticed our squirrel wind chime softly singing the wind's tune. Weather people say warmth is on it's way and Saturday may bring us an 80 degree sitting-out- on- the-patio- listening-to-the-birds-afternoon.

Seeds to Sprouts

Great news! Last night I noticed that the marigold seeds I planted a week ago have germinated. My new trick is to place the newly planted seeds in a potting soil/sand mix on top of my fireplace hearth. The extra heat seems to cause earlier seed germination. This reminds me of an experiment I did when I took Ornamental Horticulture at Foothill College. The class was called "Nursery Practices" (or something very close) and I experimented with using different temperatures of water to water my seedlings. What do you think was the optimum temperature for rapid growth? I'll answer this next posting.

This is a picture of my grandson, Blake, getting ready to help his Nona and Popo sweep the deck