Spring is Late, but Fighting to Get Here

It was a pretty day again today. I thought I had all of the fertilizer spikes down, but found another pack today, and quickly found a place to put them. In the process I also found enough missing spots to put down yet another pack as well. I finally got around to fixing the broken angel as well. Not sure where she will live yet. I put some cuttings in starting mix from the Althea that I trimmed last week.. Hmmm, let's see, what else on this piddling kind of a day. I found an old gallon of fish emulsion from god knows when. It has to be several years old and had thickened up considerable. Since we have rains coming tonight, I added some water, shook it up, and just poured it in figure eights over the new veggie beds that are in the preparation stage. I amazed, even in this cool weather, at how fast the leaves are breaking down in those beds. I need to find some more, and fast. Planting time is 2 weeks away.

Will This Winter Ever End

Rain and cold, rain and cold. And coming is still more rain and cold. To quote the weatherman on TV "What a winter?". Tomorrow, Sunday won't be bad. But then it is rain on Monday and then lows of 33 and 35 the next few nights. They'll be no head start on the spring garden this year. I was able to get out today for a bit. I finished pruning the fruit and ornamental trees today, save only for the Loquats. They are flowering right now, so I'll wait till after fruiting before shaping them up.


I had a retreat this week and one of my favorite local gardens, Rip Van WInkle Gardens. In spite of the winter we had, the gardens look good. The cold weather provided and incredible field of Narcissus bloom. Actually, my Plum is blooming well, too. There are some benefits to a cold winter. Anyway, I took this nice landscape shot, so I thought I would share it with you.

Bamboozled by Bamboo

Another pretty day, but with a hard frost, again. This winter certainly has been a tough one. Most of the tropical is quite dead. Even the sub-tropical stuff is suffering. I fear to see the final toll this spring, after we know what is really not coming back.. Regardless I continue. After work, I got a little work done, in the garden that is. I planted the two LSU Gold Fig clones today. I forgot to mix in the 1-Step, but sprinkled it on top. The rains tomorrow will wash in the bio-stimulant and beneficial fungi.. The soils are still way too wet in the area where I want to put in the two new Rain Trees from Helen. And we have more rain coming. I think I may have to dig the soil out of the planting holes, put it into a wheel barrow so it can dry enough to be worked, then put it all back in the planting hole with the plants. Never had to that before, but no reason it should not work. Better than planting too late and having the heat take them out due to insufficient root development.


I have reached a bit of desperation with my Moso bamboo. With nearly 60 inches of rain in the last 4 months, along with crazy weather. I planted two pots, each a single shoot last year. One sent out a single shoot last year, which met a bad fate via a lawn mower, don't ask. About a month ago high winds snapped the original shoot off completely at 1 foot high. The other, which did not shoot last year, was broken off about the same height last summer, but not completely. I used steel rods and duct tape to re-erect it, and it is still alive. But I know this is it. If it doesn't shoot this year, the original shoot won't hang in there a second year. So, bottom-line, my $120 investment in these two bamboo hangs in the, balance and doesn't look so good. Since Bamboo are members of the grass family, I got some regular old lawn fertilizer and spread the area today. That is all I can do for now, and pray.

I'm Done Spiking

 I put in the last of the fertilizer spikes today. Even put a few on the Evergreens. Now, I haven't given up on organic techniques, as a matter of fact, I plan to step them up this year, but after the weather calamities of the last 3 years, I figure my non-food plants could use a little desert to go on top of that good organic meal. Vegetables and other edibles will stay all organic. Also, I planted the new Moro Blood Orange today. I was quite unhappy with the state of the root ball when I pulled it from the pot, but I put it in some scrumptious soil, so I expect it to take off quickly.

Raz Taz 'Radrazz'

First new additions for the 2010 garden went in this weekend, which were 4 Knock Out Roses 'Radrazz'. There are in the front bed and were put in with One Step Plant Starter. These soils are really bad, with lots of sand over an old road bed. I tilled in compost last year and added 4 inches of bark compost. To my amazement, the bark in less than 1 year had rotted down to less than an inch thick. But the soils looked so much better than when I stated, it was amazing. My shoved easily penetrated both the soil and the gravel of the old road bed, which last year was like rock.

Veggie Beds They Are A'Changing

 I am still working on the new veggie beds, piling on layers or leaves and cow manures on all but the compost only bed. Put down 175 plant spikes on the Palms and Ctirus. Trimmed up the Crepe Myrtles, Olive and adjourning Grape Fruit, etc.

A Start on Spring

Started layering the new veggie bed area. Put a light covering of fertilizer on the Citrus and other things to kick start spring activity.

It's Been a While, but I am Back Again

The length of time since my last post pretty much says it all. Fall and Winter were just crazy. Crazy workloads, crazy rainfall, crazy cold. We finally got on of those winters that I always knew was coming. That every 20 year or so Arctic Express. We had 3 nights right at the 20 degrees, on top of several nights in the upper 20s. We have had nearly our average annual rainfall in the last 3 months or so. Gardens are always changing, but sometimes they undergo traumatic change. This was the year. There are many dead plants out there. Quite a few of my palms are gone. I was sad to see them go, but always knew it was only a matter of time. Although I hope to keep the gardens exotic and beautiful, I am continuing my move to a more organic food forest type of garden. At any rate, we are still a month away from spring and recovery.


So, what prompted me to wake up the posting here? Well, the spring vegetable garden seeds are sown in their incubator. I have already potted up a couple of flats of various things, mostly tomatoes. I finally got a winter/early spring garden seeded, but a full month later than it should have been. The soils were just too wet until now to work.

Spring is On The Way

Feb 9 - The length of time since my last post pretty much says it all. Fall and Winter were just crazy. Crazy workloads, crazy rainfall, crazy cold. We finally got on of those winters that I always knew was coming. That every 20 year or so Arctic Express. We had 3 nights right at the 20 degrees, on top of several nights in the upper 20s. We have had nearly our average annual rainfall in the last 3 months or so. Gardens are always changing, but sometimes they undergo traumatic change. This was the year. There are many dead plants out there. Quite a few of my palms are gone. I was sad to see them go, but always knew it was only a matter of time. Although I hope to keep the gardens exotic and beautiful, I am continuing my move to a more organic food forest type of garden. At any rate, we are still a month away from spring and recovery.


So, what prompted me to wake up the posting here? Well, the spring vegetable garden seeds are sown in their incubator. I have already potted up a couple of flats of various things, mostly tomatoes. I finally got a winter/early spring garden seeded, but a full month later than it should have been. The soils were just too wet until now to work.

Another sign of the impending spring showed up today as well. A flock of 8 Wood Ducks just showed up. They'll start pairing off and nesting very soon. I am hoping a pair will choose my box this year. Its that time of year when you know spring is right around the corner, but we still have 2 nights below freezing predicted. Daylight savings time is a mere 5 weeks away.