Advent Season

Advent
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(Latin ad-venio, to come to).
From the Catholic Encyclopedia:
According to present [1907] usage, Advent is a period beginning with the Sunday nearest to the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (30 November) and embracing four Sundays. The first Sunday may be as early as 27 November, and then Advent has twenty-eight days, or as late as 3 December, giving the season only twenty-one days.
With Advent the ecclesiastical year begins in the Western churches. During this time the faithful are admonished to prepare themselves worthily to celebrate the anniversary of the Lord's coming into the world as the incarnate God of love,
thus to make their souls fitting abodes for the Redeemer coming in Holy Communion and through grace, and
thereby to make themselves ready for His final coming as judge, at death and at the end of the world.

Falls first rain

Tonight is the beginning of the rains here in Central California. All the plants are in need of a wee bit of water. Our last rainfall was in April so it has truly been a drought all summer. Don't forget to blow the leaves off the roof and clean out your gutters now to avoid doing this later in the season. Make a nice fire and enjoy the pitter patter on the rooftop.Thanks be to Jesus for the nourishing rain!

Sept. Flowers

Ahh the Fairy Flowers! This is the special name my daughter, Colleen, and I gave to the flowers when we first grew them in our garden. An English lady, Mrs. Batcabe, gave some plants to my husband, Trace, to plant in our garden. The next spring they were popping up everywhere. Bees, butterflies and the joyful hummingbirds loved the nectar. What a delightful treat to watch the tiny dances of the hummingbirds. Shimmering, green feathers and whirring wings!
This plant is known as a "Touch -me -not" because the seeds explode when ripe, scattering in all directions. I have also heard the flower called an "English Impatiens " but the true name is Impatiens Balfourri hook. Here's a great picture created by Paul Berry for the Wisconsin State Herbarium.

Saving Seeds

Have you ever noticed that seeds are fascinating! You hold a tiny seed in your hand that may grow into a fabulous flower or a delicious vegetable. The seed already "knows" that it is a marigold or a squash. The gardener nurtures the seed and provides all the essentials for growth. One day the seed has grown into a two foot marigold complete with yellow flowers and the squash is curling delicately up your trellis, blooming large and orange, begging the bees to enter. What magic we hold in our hands when we plant our seeds! Faith grows like that tiny seed ... as we feed our longing for Jesus with prayer and reflection. Faith, hope , charity and love are the nutrients to nourish our souls. Sometimes our tears are the water that nurtures us and other times our sunny joy lightens up the darkness. Spend some time today in quiet contemplation of the power contained in a tiny seed.

Aunt Joan

We just lost our very favorite Aunt Joan to illness and aging on July 17th. She was such a sweetheart, full of joy and sparkles, and loved birds. At one time, she owned about eleven parrots and cockatoos. She had a rascal named Ralph and a Scarlet Macaw named Valentine who loved to talk. They were just like kids and would sqawk at Joan when we were talking on the phone. She'd tap their cages with the " Big Bird Stick' and they would temporarily quiet down. One of her cockatoos talked like a CB radio because his former owner was a trucker. In her honor we will plant a special tree on our property as a living memorial. There the native birds may gather and sing their special songs and we will remember dear auntie.

Green Beans and Lettuce

I just couldn't resist planting more green beans in the garden. My grandson Blake just loves to eat the tender baby beans. He tells me, " Nona, I am really, really hungry!" I offer him choices but the only treat that will do is to pick a tiny bean and than pick another...and another. Lettuce is another crop that can be planted now. I found lettuce seeds for five cents apiece and planted some in containers. They have already popped out of the ground after five days! What vegetables do you like to plant in July?

June's Tune

Today marks the end of June plantings. I wanted to share the bountiful blessings of having a garden. Some of the plants growing in my garden now are Strawberries, Tomatoes, Sweet Peas, Morning Glories, Marigolds, Trombochini Squash, and one Zucchini. The herbs are Lavender, Parsley, (Italian and Curly), Cilantro, Basil, Oregano, Sage, Dill and Chives. I am disappointed that the Moon Flower seeds did not survive the cold evenings but everything else has flourished! Some highlights are the Blue Storm Petunias, red Fibrous Begonias, violet and pink Impatiens, purple and red Snapdragons, and white, pink and lavender Dianthus from six-packs. The native Iris are done blooming but were so spectacular. My daughter Aurora gave me two Tuberous Begonias and my other daughter, Colleen, gave me some Sages. I can't wait until the three-day week-end to garden! What is growing in your garden?

Bee Basic

Disease, bad weather and chemicals have lead to the bee die-off in California. Natural remedies include creating a bee habitat that encourages our little native hummers. Plant a wide variety of flowers that entice bees such as native wildflowers and flowering trees. Bees need cool water just like us so put out a pan of water, fill up your birdbaths or design a pond. Provide some bare ground and the native bees will make a home in the soil and set up housekeeing. Before you know it the native bees will be pollinating your strawberries, zucchini and tomatoes. This is a picture of the Cottingley angels and looks like a nice place for our native bees to visit.

Gardenicide: a response

Yeah, I admit it. I’m the dirt killer. It was greed, I tell ya. Greed and maybe a pinch of pride led me down the dark path to gardenicide. The desire to have bigger plants with bigger yields, so I could crow about my superior garden growing prowess drove me over the edge of reason.

It took months of mixing rich redwood compost with chicken manure, sand, wood ashes, the finest coffee grounds Starbucks had to offer, and egg shells to create the perfect mulch milieu. Any organic gardener will tell you that we really don’t feed plants with fertilizer. Rather, we feed the living soil with material that the worms and microbes love to munch. The product of our earthy partners is water soluble food that can be immediately absorbed by plant roots. All the nutrients necessary for plant life are available, in the soil, in the correct amounts, and are carried to the plant, above ground. The sun magically combines them with chlorophyll in the process of photosynthesis to create the plant structure and the fruit. So wonderful, so simple, such a gift from God! Why would anyone, in their right mind, tamper with such a perfect process??

I couldn’t leave well enough alone, though. Noooohoho, not me. I had to try to goose the plant growth and production, with some man made concoction to satisfy evil urges of greed and pride. I mistook the “Weed and Feed” lawn fertilizer for high-nitrogen lawn food and fed the poison to my beautiful, trusting plants. Watching them wilt and slowly starve to death was unbearable. I tried everything to thwart the poison but to no avail.

It was a painful lesson. I’ve been properly chastened and I’ve resolved to repent from my foolish ways. I’m naming my garden, “East of Eden” as a reminder to avoid any more deadly sins. Most of them, anyway…
submitted by a gardener under the pseudonym of " Gardenicide"

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Blue Native Flowers

Have you ever seen the Phlox divaricata "London Grove Blue?' The lovely, violet-blue, sweet smelling flowers beckon the bees and butterflies to 'have a little nip" and enjoy their nectar. Remember the gorgeous Tiger Swallowtail butterflies that flew around you as you lay on the cool grass on a broiling hot summer's day? Butterflies love this native plants flowers! Hummingbirds and Bees are also drawn to this wildland native. Sometimes called Wild Sweet William think about adding this spreading groundcover in semi-shady areas of your garden and plant it in rich humus. Lay back and dream on a sunny day and delight in God's handiwork.

Back to Bees

Last month I mentioned that the bee population is diminishing. Today I read an article by Juliana Burbassa and learned over 30% of commercially managed hives have been lost this year. Gardeners, our bees are so important for pollination that we can not afford to lose anymore. Plant a bee loving plant this May and help keep our bees buzzing around the yard. Ceonothus ( Mountain Lilac) is covering the hillsides now and is a native, drought-resistant plant to add to your garden. There are many varieties to choose from such as "Julia Phelps" that can attract bees and offer a hazy mist of flowers for your gazing pleasure.

May Day

May Day was always a time for flowers. We would gather flowers, ribbons, and candy and make May Baskets to give to friends and family. There was an old tradition to leave a May Basket on someone's doorstep, run away, and if caught exchange a kiss. Nowadays many people have forgotten about the May Baskets. If you would like to make one for your sweetie, check out the following website: http://www.seedsofknowledge.com/ Happy May Day!

Children's Stories

Blake visited us Friday evening and told us the following story: He has a cat named Kat-Cha that only eats pickles. We asked him what he thought of various family members and he reported that: Popo is a Milkhead, Nona is a Fly-Cat, Greatgrandma is a Flower, Mamma is a Jungle Gym. Where he comes up with these ideas is a mystery but it shows the enormous imagination of young children. I found an interesting Blog from Terra and it pertains to children and writing.

http://carmaswindow.blogspot.com/

Angels and Gardens

Have you ever created an angel garden? A friend gave me an angel statue that was placed under one of the magestic Redwoods on the patio. Blue stepping stones- each with a Calla Lily in the center- an Asparagus Plumosa Fern and a small birdbath were positioned around the angel. I planted Star Jasmines for their heavenly scent and the recently germinated Moonflowers. Just imagine the flowers illuminating the angel garden in the evening as the sweet night air fills our senses with joy! Thank God for our two beautiful daughters-they are our angels on earth!

Riparian Corridors

Riparian corridors are areas of land next to creeks and rivers. Santa Cruz County has the San Lorenzo River and all the "feeder" creeks such as Boulder Creek, Two Bar Creek and Bear Creek. A tip to help maintain a healthy riparian corridor is to remove the non-native, invasive species (scotch broom, ivy, periwinkle) and replant with natives such as Wild Ginger (Asarum caudatum)), California Blackberries (Rubus ursinus), and the Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus). Be sure to net any slopes before planting to prevent erosion.

Here's Trace picking out the perfect Christmas tree in the Two Bar Valley.

Bees and Haiku

Bees are the pollinators of our gardens. Lately the bee population has diminished all around California. Encourage them to visit by planting California blackberries ( Rubis ursinus) and herbs such as Lavender, Mints, Rosemay and Basil. Don't forget to add a Bee Balm plant ( Monarda didyma) This member of the Mint family can be used in the herb garden, smells very sweet, and takes full sun to half shade. You'll breathe yummy scents when you sit outside this Spring and the bee population will increase. Hurrah!

Heres's a Haiku poem written by James Hacket about bees.

"Loud frantic buzzing:
a bumblebee emptying
a web laced with dew "

And the answer to the best watering temperature for seedlings from my experiment is 70 degrees F........

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