Wednesday, December 14, 2011

deer in the yard

Jasmine is my "live-in" doeling. Her mama had babies here for 9 years but then fell victim to an auto.
The is the biggest buck. He's probably Jasmine's daddy.
Four more does and a fawn joined Jasmine, the big buck, a 4-point buck, a forked horn and a spike on Thanksgiving. Lately it has just been Jasmine although the spike wandered through the front yard this morning. Wish they'd eat all that leaft green chasmanthe. Or bamboo. Bamboo would be ok. Or baby Bunya-bunya trees..
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Thursday, December 08, 2011

Jack Frost's handiwork;before & after

The past three nights (or early mornings) have been in the low 30°s so the plant people are not looking so pretty good. Only half of the Brugmansia is frost damaged...

My favorite coleus! Fortunately, I have started many babies from this plant so it will begin anew come spring.

The Persian Shield went from glorious purple to black. In this case, black is not beautiful.

The baby banana didn't fare too well either. However its cousin, in the planter next to the house is just fine thank-you-very-much. Now we just need a couple of months of rain, followed by SPRING in March.
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Wednesday, November 23, 2011

my chickens

Amelia is the adventurous one, the one who will inspect everything, enter any and all open doors, and who lays the bigest eggs.
Karla likes to tease the dog (and vice versa) They play "chase".. she chases Phoebe-the-dog.
Bette is beautiful.
Roostie is ancient.
Eyelean (she used to fly to my shoulder and peck, sweetly, at my eyes), is the "baby". She lays a nice greenish blue egg almost every day.
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Friday, October 28, 2011

Stapelia

The Stapelia didn't bloom last year but more than doubled its size. Seems to me it suffered from some Jack Frost issues as well. Anyhow, it summered outside and only came in recently. I did not notice much of an odor.
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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

yay! Flowers!

Blooming now; a double purple Datura
a Brugmansia that starts out yellow then turns pinky-peachy, then white
The stinky Stapelia
and a Canna, of which I have too many.
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arghhhhh1

It just took me 20 minutes to figure out my user name and password for Blogger. Now that I have it,  its not wanting to post the photos I'd intended to post. I am SO technically inept!

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Water hibiscus

YAY! Finally! The parent plant was dessert for Doereen the doe a few years back and this one has been struggling all belonely by itself in a pot ever since. This summer I stuck its pot in a big tub of water and that made it happy enough to bloom. There are lots more buds as well. (I was jealous of Phil's (Eastsidepatch) blooming in Austin months ago.)
Tomorrow my bank account will suffer a reduction but so will some of the over-grown 100 year old olive trees. Major reductions are in store.. this also means that the new shade garden will be in full sun after tomorrow. But hey, we never want to run out of projects do we! It will be Heavenly not to have tons of olive leaves and olives on the patio.. and a big relief not to have several tons of wood hanging over the studio and one of the little tin sheds. They will also obliterate the three big brush piles (yay, chips for the pathways!) and hopefully clean up the palm tree. Time to do a Happy Dance and go to bed.
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Tuesday, August 02, 2011

datura, tomato horn worm

This purple Datura has been a joy. HAD been a joy. Was STILL a joy to the tomato horn worm that discovered it yesterday and devoured it in very short order. Apparently they are not concerned that Daturas are poisonous. I tossed the worm to the hens, who came running but then put on their brakes. They would have nothing to do with the large green thing.

Poor little plant!
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Friday, July 22, 2011

plant ID

Though this is growing in the above ground tin pond and doesn't seem to mind wet feet, I don't think it is any sort of bog plant. Is it one of the gazillion campanulas?

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

Bee Balm & unknown

Finally found the tag for this beautiful Bee Balm. The doe ate everything last year (and 8 years before) and the tags have been misplaced... I miss Doereen but not her appetite!

Have not found the tag for this one though. Its growing in a pot in the tin pond. What is it?
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prickly pear

What is attacking my prickly pear?
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Thursday, June 16, 2011

peafowl and Brugmansias

a few years back a peahen flew in and honked at us. She ended up staying for a year, maybe two, at which time I gave her to a fellow who had a peacock but no peahen. Missed her. She once raised a Bantum chick. It was the cutest thing; little feathered golfball following the enormous peahen. She was such a good mother. anyhow, this evening I heard a loud HONK and then this peafowl flew from the ground to about 30' up in a Sycamore tree, a good 100' from take off. I had no idea they could fly that well. Hope it stays! I think its another hen.

This is ther Brugie my brother bought for me last year. It is absolutely loaded with buds and flowers which smell divine.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

changes

last June I tore out and dug up LOTS of Vinca Major and Oregon Grape. Not to mention removed the fence that was older than Yours Truly.

It is now becoming a dry garden of yuccas and aloes and such. Ahhh.
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Saturday, June 11, 2011

just some blooms

The Shrimp plant never stops blooming. At least not now that its fenced off from hungry deer.
Dawson strolling through the new cottage garden in the early morn.
Alstroemeria
LOVE The grasses!
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