Posts Tagged ‘spring’

It’s Raining, It’s Pouring. The Slug Population is Exploding!

Friday, May 28th, 2010
Sturdy Buttercrunch Lettuce Life Raft

Sturdy Buttercrunch Lettuce Life Raft

What a spring in Seattle. It’s almost June and the night temps are still struggling to find their way out of the 40s. And the rain – it just keeps pouring out of the sky. Last year this time, we were well on our way to a record streak of no rain. The mornings were bright and sunshiney, and summery crops were already starting to thrive while cool season ones were on their way out. What a difference a year makes!

Despite how much I would prefer to have warm sunshine, I try to remember the wet and cool isn’t always a bad thing. For instance, I haven’t yet turned on my irrigation and my beds are moist and well drained. And, my broccoli, chard, peas, cauliflower and cabbage are looking fantastic. On the other hand, there are many things that simply won’t thrive in these extended, wet, cool spring days.

Among the weather-weary: my cucumber and squash seeds are struggling to even germinate. The few cool-season-hardy tomatoes I braved setting out in the garden a few weeks ago are doing okay, but I wouldn’t call their growth fantastic. And, sadly, some of my garlic has rotted in the cold, saturated soils. And my butter lettuce, despite loving the weather, are suffering at the hands of an over-abundance of slugs.

Yep, it’s a slug year. So, what to do? When it rains consistently, slug baits don’t do an awful lot of good. They melt in the rain, so it makes for a lot of re-application. And, frankly, I don’t care how “safe” slug bait may be, I’m not really interested in putting it around my food crops. Plus, I have my suspicions that it simply aids in attracting these slimy pests to the exact area I’m trying to protect. Same deal for beer traps. Set up happy hour for them, and they will come.

So, what’s left to do? (more…)

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Mason Bee Alarm Clock

Friday, March 19th, 2010

From my office window this morning, I noticed my neighbor’s pear tree blossoms just beginning to open. The sun is out, the sky is clear, and the air is cold.

Mason Bee Box Mounted on South Facing Wide Plane of Home

Mason Bee Box Mounted on South Facing Wide Plane of Home

In step with this mixed weather bag, blossoms are tender-footing their way into spring. Awakening with the warmth of spring sunshine and the alluring aroma of spring flowers, are my sleepyhead Mason bees. They aren’t nearly as exciting to watch – yet – as the honey bees. Still, it’s time to keep an eye on them. They may wake up a little later, but their spring alarm clock crescendo is ringing – louder each day.

Last weekend Bob helped mount the Mason bee house on the south side of our house. Dave from Hunter’s Mason Bees had walked the garden spaces with me when he dropped off the bees and the bee box last week. He agreed they would like the wide, blank plane of our home’s south side. Not only do they like the warmth, but apparently the male bees, which emerge first, like to sun themselves on a wide, blank area near the bee house. This way they can pick up the ladies who exit the bee tubes a little after the males. As you can see in this photo, we had a huge, wide space to provide exactly this for them.

Over the last week, we’ve watched the box filled with tubes for activity. If you look closely, you’ll notice there are some tubes that look to be filled and others that are empty. The filled tubes contain the bees ready to awaken for the season. The empty tubes will become the homes where this year’s females lay eggs for next year’s progeny. Dave told me the different colors of the tubes are helping him study whether the bees have a color preference.

Filled and Empty Mason Bee Tubes Held Securely in the Bee Box with Slate Weights

Filled and Empty Mason Bee Tubes Held Securely in the Bee Box with Slate Weights

Apparently, they may prefer to build their homes in a house painted yellow over a house painted red. Perhaps we’ll learn more as these bees begin their new nest building over the coming weeks.

It has appeared in the last couple of days that some of the seals on the filled tubes are beginning to open. Yet, we aren’t sure we’ve seen any of the tiny male bees around the hive. Here’s the thing, they’re really small. And, they almost look like a black fly from far away. And guess what? Nasty black flies like to sun themselves on the south side of our house too. So, it may be a little while longer ’til I’m able to capture a photo of these mason bees in action. Once they all hear the spring alarm clock ringing (or smell it or feel it) and the box is all a-buzz, I’ll share more about their activity. My guess? With low 60F weather reported over the next couple of days, the tubes already breaking up a bit, and the south side of our house cooking in the lengthening daylight of spring and the neighboring fruit trees wafting pear-ish perfume, they’ll be getting to work in no time!

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Garden Blogger Bloom Day – March 2010

Monday, March 15th, 2010

Wow! It’s March 15th again – the Ides of March? I’m ruled by Mars, or so the horoscope says, so let’s celebrate with images of the beauty of spring marching forth. Enjoy!

Honey bees have decided Manzanita is a Favorite Meal

Honey bees have decided Manzanita is a Favorite Meal

Helleborus, Bleeding Heart and Brunnera Blooming Near the Honey Hive

Helleborus, Bleeding Heart and Brunnera Blooming Near the Honey Hive

Daphne odora - No Longer on My Evergreen Shrub List, yet Fragrant & Lovely

Daphne odora - No Longer on My Evergreen Shrub List, yet Fragrant & Lovely

Epimedium with Ribes sanguineum in the background

Epimedium with Ribes sanguineum in the background

Camellia japonica behind First-Blooming Rhodie

Camellia japonica behind First-Blooming Rhodie

Acer triflorum - Three Flowers Per Cluster as promised

Acer triflorum - Three Flowers Per Cluster as promised

Helleborus: How I wish you were less shy and would face up toward the sky!

Helleborus: How I wish you were less shy and would face up toward the sky!

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Gardening Gone Wild Picture This Contest

Friday, March 12th, 2010

Yesterday, I read on Willi’s Digginfood.com blog about Gardening Gone Wild’s Picture This photo contest. So, I hustled over to the GGW site to learn more. The theme for submissions is Awakening, chosen by March contest judge and fabulous garden photographer Saxon Holt.

I culled through a number of photos taken over many years in the garden and had nearly given up on finding a submission that felt right. Then, this morning, as I was sipping my first cup of coffee, I glimpsed our resident hummingbird sipping his morning cuppa from one of my Ribes sanguineum.

The memories came rushing back of a March years ago when the Ribes out my then-office window was just opening, under a layer of slushy snow. This plant surges forth regardless of surprising cusp-of-spring weather, and it welcomes many birds and insects back to my garden as they too awaken. Hummingbirds, bees of all kinds, Bush tits and even Chickadees feed from it as spring begins to overtake old man winter. And, I? I know spring has sprung — even in snow — when these pink blossoms appear and my hummingbird feeds fearlessly upon it mere inches from me in the garden.

So, here is my photo submission for the March 2010 Gardening Gone Wild Picture This Contest:

Ribes sanguineum Awakens in Spring

Ribes sanguineum Awakens in Spring

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Bird Brain Homemaking Tips

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

The birds have spring fever. Their chorus begins before the sun comes up. Their foraging lasts until twilight begins. TheĀ  males’ colors are brightening, and too, their dances and preening and battling for territory is heating up. Our airborne recyclers are collecting trash, pet hair, twigs, leaves, mud, and all sorts of other debris to create cozy little homes for their soon-to-hatch flocks.

A robin nesting in a Viburnum

A robin nesting in a Viburnum

In my day-t0-day working in multiple gardens, I hear tales of bird craziness. Yesterday, a client told me she had a “crazy bird” that kept trying to get through her windows to nest in a fake ficus tree in her living room. The bird would fly at the window and fail. Then, it would pop along the deck looking for entry at other window points. Despite the fantastic forest backdrop view we see from these windows, this bird was determined to live indoors. Sadly, the same client mentioned she had stopped decorating with seasonal hanging pots because one year a bird had built a nest in one of the pots. She hadn’t known about it and had managed to drown the babies when watering the plant. So goes survival of the fittest.

Wren Nest in Bike Helmet

Wren Nest in Bike Helmet

In my own garden, I have at least one pair of house wrens nesting smartly in a woven basket style birdhouse I hung on a climbing hydrangea. The nest is somewhat hidden and high off the ground in a spot that would be difficult for a cat to access. Too, the branches aren’t quite strong enough to support a hungry larger bird. In my neighbor’s Doublefile Viburnum, a robin is nesting. She’s well hidden, but I can spy her out my office window. So can Twinky the cat, but he never goes outdoors, so he’s no threat to her. Here’s an update with sitings of her eggs!

My favorite bird brained nesting story came this morning from my sister in Virginia. Her daughter’s bike helmet had been hanging outdoors, cup side up long enough for a house wren to make her nest and lay eggs in it. I guess my niece will be getting a new helmet for spring because they’re all very excited to see the eggs hatch. Hopefully, she’ll send more photos as the baby birds emerge. I know I’ll be watching!

Have your own crazy spring bird stories? We’d love to hear them in the comments below!

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