My Lovely Garden … Mon Joli Jardin

No matter the language, my garden is my paradise. To watch the lovely birds that nest in the trees and bushes. The bees, butterflies are such a joy to see.

Tag Archives: Bird


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Thursday … time spent looking at the birds in the backyard .. and.. yea .. my new garden cart!!!

Friday, December 27, 2012

Yesterday, Thursday, slightly overcast with lots of sun shining through.  The kind of day that teased with promises of sun till the rains came down, sun still shining through.

Lots of visitors to the yard, though.   Heard the steady chirping between Mr & Mrs Downy Woodpecker.   They were chatting away, flitting among the branches and then each settled down on separate suet feeders .. quietly nibbling away.

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Skies overhead …. mostly like this:

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I’d filled up the hummingbird feeder .. it was quite empty .. lots of little Anna’s flitting about.  Funny, last week I’d noticed two of the young ones flying around.  It was obviously schooling time for them.  The parents, much slimmer .. sat on branches nearby, issuing orders.   The two youngsters perched nearby.  Heads constantly on alert status, looking quickly to the left, right, left, right – never still.  Then they would zoom overhead, tiny wings touching as they did so … resulting in little thwap-thwap sounds.  I couldn’t help but laugh at these antics, which they repeated over and over.

Really, this is deadly serious life training for them … however, this is the first time I was privy to such schooling and I was totally unprepared for the their activities.  I felt honoured to be there, quite frankly.

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Then I happened to look over at the Downy on the suet .. he seemed to be king of the suet, the way he stood so proudly on the top!  Quite a noble pose.11

Wandered over to the garlic beds and happy to see the sweet-peas have continued growing.  I’m not one to pluck everything out of the ground once summer is over.10

The birds are still daintily nibbling away at the fallen apples .. they are very thorough in their pecking away .. leaving a graceful outline of the apple base.  Garden art at its best!

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and the darling little Bushtits .. yesterday they were everywhere, it seemed.  Groups of them visited 3 of the suet blocks.   Many of them awaited their turn … sitting patiently above the blocks.

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And of course squirrels have to eat.   This one is a resident, I believe .. having seen him (or is it a her?) throughout the yard at the front, sides and back.05

Oh .. a beautiful Spotted Towhee.   Not sure if this one is nesting nearby.  There have been a few tall trees cut down in the neighbourhood.  Not in our yard, though.  Lots of perching room for everyone.  I’ve seen the Towhees at the bird feeder, nice surprise.  This one is resting in the old plum-tree by the kitchen window.  Nearby (but not in the photo) were some Junco‘s, a golden-crowned sparrow and a house sparrow.04

The roses are still blooming at the side of the house …03

Some ducks enjoying the quiet tidal waters by Spinnakers Pub …

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The log created a breakwater for them .. a place to calmly settle in for the morning.01

I must share this with you .. DH surprised me with this most wonderful, tilting wagon!  And he spent hours on Christmas morning, putting it together for me!  I could hardly wait to take it outside to use in the garden.  Here is my first trip yesterday .. time to take the geranium filled pots to the back yard, to rest in a frost-free zone for the balance of the winter!

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Next it was time to test a load of the Miracle Mulch .. so I loaded up the wagon .. it holds quite a bit.  And see those tires?  No more do I have to worry about being careful going from point A to B in the yard .. these sturdy tires just roll everywhere.  And they turn on a tight radius also!  yea!!!

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Another bonus to this lovely cart!  I can easily dump the contents by simply pulling on the handle at the back of the base and .. voila .. no more shovelling!  I love this!  Then I just pop back the box and it locks in place!

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That just took a few minutes and now the mulch covers this area of the yard.  Well done and with little effort.  Now I’ll have time to do more things in the yard!

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And as I wandered around the yard .. .looking up .. .seeing these glorious rays of the light at the end of the day …

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So beautiful

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Peaceful15

 

Restful14

And thus ended another lovely little visit to the backyard .. more today!

🙂

 


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Wishing happy thoughts and peaceful moments on this day …

Saw some Spotted Towhees, Juncos (male and female) Bushtits, Robins, Anna Hummingbirds, Fox Sparrows, House Sparrows .. European Starlings, Seagulls etc in our yards recently .. so very happy to see them.

Placed more suet and bird seed around the yard.

Happiness,

Tranquility.

Their amazing beauty and activities are humbly appreciated.

🙂

And .. I just wanted to share some blue skies with everyone ….

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Enjoying the sights and sounds of flowers, birds in our lovely backyard as Autumn takes over..

Thursday, November 8, 2012

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  Well .. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again .. where does the time go?  Time doth fly on winged feet …

Monday loomed bright and sunny .. so I spent a lot of time outside.  How could I not.

Drinking in the lovely autumn perfume of the fallen leaves .. mixed in with the scent of the apples decorating the lawn .. still lots hanging from the branches.

Happy birds chirping throughout the yard.   So happy that DH & I planted so many trees in our yard .. all those years ago.

Such a variety of birds hide amongst their branches.  I’m sure there must be a variety of tiny little nests tucked away for little families to grow in the spring.

Ours is quite a happy yard.  Activity all day long.

The birds know that there is a source of food for them here.

Not just the bird seed and the suet blocks.  They feast on flower seeds, the lichen on the branches.  Tiny bugs that travel the highways of the branches and leaves.

They sip from the raindrops that cling to the leaves after the rains.

And they provide us with an ongoing visual feast of delight in seeing them perch throughout the yard.   On the garden hoops that encircle the garlic beds, on the handles of my gardening tools.   They perch on the edge of the little water dishes that I’ve put out for them …

Their happy chirping sounds and songs enrich the air with their joy.

What a lovely little world this is .. our back yard!

So much to enjoy.

So today, I’m just tapping away a few words .. sharing some photos taken a few days ago.

And now I must go and work away on my landscaping course.  Numbers to crunch. Drawings to make.  Shapes to practice on blank paper, transforming marks into squares and circles.  Using mostly a Sharpie .. and sometimes pencils.

Lots to learn .. lots to do .. an intensive number of weeks remain before the course is done.

I’m quite enjoying this challenge to unleash my inner artist as I travel along this new pathway.

🙂

 

 


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Watching Turkey Vultures soaring high above ..

Friday, September 28, 2012

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Another beautiful sunny day .. and a busy one!

First thing, I loaded up quite a few, maybe 7 …paper yard bags, full to the brim with branch cuttings and weeds gathered from the past few weeks.  Even had one in the passenger seat .. didn’t want to leave any at home!   And soon I’d arrived at the local municipal yard and emptied their contents into one of the large bins there.   Next step, they will all be shredded and composted.

Back home, felt great that I’d actually accomplished something, early in the morning!  Soon, outside and digging away.  Happy with the way the re-shaping of the back yard is going .. in particular, the veggie garden.

I’ve been digging up a small mountain of mulched material from last fall .. a mix of alpaca manure, spent hops, spoiled hay and oak leaves.   Nearly a year later and this mixture has resulted in the most loveliest of soil!  So I’ve been placing this around the newly created “berry forest”!

I had a good growth of perennials against the back fence and had a wood chip path extending in front of that.   Decided to ditch the path and just add more soil and then create a little jungle .. composed of an intermixing of blueberries, raspberries, some thornless blackberries, some bamboo and a few other plants.

And I just love this.  No point posting pictures yet .. not much to see .. but I can feel the difference and will post pics next summer.

These changes are giving a different feel to this area of the yard.   A richness of plantings.   Really amazing how many plants I’ve dug up and moved around.

And surprised at how the Chickadees have taken notice of the changes.  I’ve seen them flitting about, sitting on the branches of the plants as they are now in their new locations.   Quite nice to see!

After this little jungle .. then .. I am placing the garlic beds!  They will sit in full sun and a perfect place for them.

Looked at my zucchini, squash and tomato plants .. these are still growing in what will soon be  .. the garlic bed!  Almost dug them up tonight, but decided to give them another week and then .. kerpow!

Spent a fair chunk of time looking up at the sky today .. as I happened to notice the Turkey Vultures soaring overhead.   They soared yesterday .. and I know they are getting ready to migrate south.  It’s just a matter of days.  In the meantime, though, I cannot tear myself away from the grandeur that is high above me.  Their majestic soaring compels me to watch.  I was able to take some photos .. they might just look like dots in the sky, but they represent  the power and majesty of nature, which far surpasses what happens down below, on terra firma.

How lucky I am to spend as much time as I like, just gazing upwards, looking through the binoculars at these huge birds.  And then taking the time to create new areas in the garden.

Very lucky, indeed.

🙂


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Watching the birds figure out the upside down bird feeder. The Chickadee soon has it all figured out!

Thursday, September 6, 2012

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I wonder where the birds go during the daytime?  I think that they keep to some sort of schedule.   A pre-determined list as to which yard to visit at specific times.

Haven’t seen the Flicker or the Downy Woodpeckers, but that could be because they are out and about in the early hours of the day, before I go outside.

The sparrows seem to be here all day and they have a lookout for fresh birdseed .. whenever I top up the feeders, I hear a series of loud chirps and soon there are quite a number of them feeding away.

The demure little Fox sparrows visit .. but mainly the thistle seed feeders.  There are three, but they favour the two that are hidden away.  One of them is for birds who feed upside down … I’d purchased it on sale and hadn’t noticed this until I was assembling the feeder and thought, well, this is weird!

The Chickadee soon has it figured out.  And I reckon that the Nuthatch has also discovered the proper way to get at the seeds .. except that I haven’t seen them for a few days either.

Our home is on the flight path to the local Nature Sanctuary .. and so I am lucky enough to see a few Canada Geese flying overhead in the early evening, before the sun slips away.

Sometimes they catch me by surprise, flying low overhead .. so low that I can see the light of the sun reflecting off of their underbelly.  Flapping their wings in unison, resulting in that lovely swoosh swoosh sound .. and then their strong calls as they head to their nightly sleeping  place.

And sometimes there is a lone straggler, I don’t hear him till he swoops over, calling out a loud Honk!  ha ha . .you caught me there!

My camera isn’t quick enough to catch them flying so close .. so I content myself with blurry images as they fly over houses in the neighbourhood .. still hoping to snap a pic when they fly low over our yard.

Patience.

Taking time out to watch the antics of the birds is such a rich block of time .. to watch these tiny beings.  Taught how to survive by their parents.  They seem so defenseless .. how will they survive.  But their world is much tougher than ours and they are schooled well .. so they forge out their daily lives very well.

Loving the brilliant splash of colour that the surprise sunflowers bring to the yard.  Tiny or tall .. I love them all!

The mystery flowers that spring up .. they are welcome here anytime.  Perhaps the birds bring them in to decorate .. now that’s a lovely idea!

Yesterday I began the transformation of the veggie bed.  Dug up and potted some of the kale plants that are growing.   Several of the cabbage plants that are growing in the shade and should be in the sun, well, they are being added to the compost.   Yet, there is one little cabbage, it is forming a solid head, so I’m leaving that one to continue growing.

I dig away at this makeshift garden bed that I formed, simply to have a neater mulch pile.  There are bales of spoiled hay, alpaca manure, oak leaves, spent hops .. all combined to create a lovely garden soil.  So instead of leaving this in a mulch pile .. I’ve used it as a place to grow kale, squash and cucumber.

Moved most of this material into the middle of my veggie bed .. to prepare for my next garlic bed.  This year the cloves are larger .. and I’ll plant more, but will ensure that I space them with lots of room to grow.

I worked away for a few hours, then time for a break … feeling quite satisfied at the progress that I’ve made.   And more to be done.

So away .. the start of a new day …. out in the sun!


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Watching the birds .. spreading the Miracle Mulch .. enjoying the hot summer sun

Friday, August 3, 2012

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I almost did some time travelling into the year 3012 .. good thing that I check my typing as I go!

Anyway, continuing to enjoy these most lovely of sunny days.

Standing outside yesterday, I was thinking back to the cold snow months of January and onwards.  Snow tumbling down.  Me, outside with birdseed and suet blocks, furiously filling out the bird feeders so that the birds would have lots of food.  Tromping through the snow.

Not caring if I had warm clothes on or not, the most important objective for me was to ensure that all the birds who visited our yard had enough to eat.

Remember looking outside the basement window, marvelling at the sight of a Flicker, crouched down on the gravel by the sundeck, pecking away at some insects.   That was lovely.

But .. back to the present.  And enjoying the warmth of the sun as I took a break and revelled in the antics of the Redbreasted Nuthatches, the Chestnut-backed Chickadees .. taking turns at the bird feeders.

I was all set to write about the various shapes of leaves ..but . that will be something that I can attack at a later date.

For now .. I just want to look at the antics of the birds.  Used the motor drive of the camera to capture all kinds of flying movements of our little visitors!

Then … it was back to work.

I’d ordered 5 yards of Miracle Mulch (leaves, tiny branches, no bark, etc.) and it was sitting on a tarp in the driveway.  I’d promised DH that I’d clear this away in 2 days.  Oh, wow, that was a promise that I just had to keep.   That is, if I wanted to keep on ordering this lovely material for the yard.

So yesterday I shovelled for hours, slowly moving the mulch to  ….the front side yards, the back side yards .. and on and on.

And today, I finally finished!

This material is so lovely for the ground .. it protects the soil, and retains moisture, thus less watering needed.

I want to order 5 more yards in a few months so that I can top up everything again.  I was told of someone who ordered over 240 yards of this material .. oh, I would just be in mulch heaven if we had enough property so that I could order that much.

Today, I planted more Mondo grass, some other perennials and topped up the surface with the mulch and the one side garden looks lovely.  Pictures to follow.  Including photos of a few years ago .. when this was just a blackberry patch.  That was a story.  I so love transforming little areas of yards …

So tonight I will EM everything in the yard . .that should take a few hours.   I love this part.  A few days after treatment .. such an amazing increase in leaf colour, fruits, flowers .. just magic, I tell you!

🙂


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Interesting activities to be seen in the yard … that I otherwise might have missed

Saturday, July 28, 2012

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This past week .. now that we have had more than 5 consecutive days of warm sunny weather, I found myself just watching what’s happening in the yard.  So nice to have the time to do that, finally, after years of being on the treadmill.

And I find the most loveliest little signs of activity that I would have otherwise missed!

Saw a chubby little honeybee .. taking a few minutes out of his busy day, collecting nectar .. to just chill out on a plant leaf.

There are a number of butterflies in the yard and I was able to take some pics of the brownish/black type when they rested.

So busy looking at a busy bee in a sunflower that I almost missed the little ladybug that was tucked away in the yellow petals!

Again, so lost in admiring the texture and flippant designs of the daisy petals, that I almost missed the little spider who was making its home in the flower!

And there was the very yellow, cheerful .. snapdragon .. blooming away, as it grew beside a patio door .. that is slated for installation but for now is just resting against the house.  A surprise bit of colour.

I’d scrubbed out the hummingbird feeders .. and enjoy the little show.  4 of them were flitting about the feeder .. taking turns resting atop bamboo stakes ..  and then two of them sat quietly af the feeder,  sipping on the nectar.

Heard the most cheerful chirps of a group of Bushtits .. who came visiting, flitting from one tree to another.  I think they were disappointed in the lack of suet block .. every time I put one out, the darned sparrows attack it .. so I’ve just left up some fat in the feeders.  They like that.  So uplifting, the way that they just swarmed into the yard .. as if to say .. ta da .. we’re here!   And the babies must be in that group!

The cilantro that I planted yesterday is growing well.  Looking forward to harvesting some.

Clipped some green chives, chopped them up and dried them in the oven .. disappointing, the bright green colour faded and the chives were tough.  Methinks these are best fresh.

Haven’t seen the eagles for a while .. they usually fly around 11:30 am .. looking for their lunch.   And I’ve been elsewhere at that time … must try to have a look next week.

There are only a few cherries left on the tree .. I’ll leave them for the birds.  I can only imagine the feasting that has been going on, in the wee small hours, over the past few weeks.  I’ve picked enough for us and am glad that the birds were able to enjoy them also.

Transplanted some raspberry canes around the back and sides .. they fill in some empty spaces.

Nearly done planting most of the potted perennials … sure takes a bit of time to decide the best places for them.  And …. I can always move them later.

Feel quite satisfied with my week’s worth of work.  Next, I plan to seed more lettuce, spinach and edible pea pods .. in a few days.

🙂


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If I hadn’t gone shopping for a cherry pitter, I would have missed the most luxurious vehicle I have ever seen in my life!

Friday, July 13, 2012

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Friday .. the 13th .. is such a lucky day for me!

After the surprise hailstorm of very early morning, the day developed into a lovely sunshiny day!

I tended the gardens at Dakota, ruthlessly clipping away at vegetation .. then a lovely soak with water and a generous application of EM!  I look forward to next week to see the difference.

Finally, I’ve been applying EM to our yard .. and about time!   Everything is growing so well.   The seaweed adds a lovely perfume to the yard … a delicate ocean scent.  And the amazing minerals are feeding the garden.

Picked more raspberries, blueberries and a few tiny red currants.   Then, a few hours picking the cherries … the ripest are beyond my reach, even with a ladder .. so the birds will continue their feasting for a while.

Finally splurged on buying a cherry pitter.   Since I long ago give away the one I had .. because I didn’t need it.  sigh.  So I’ll keep this one.  A few nights ago I spent hours at the kitchen sink, busily cutting open the cherries in preparation for dehydrating in the oven.  Let me tell you, the cherry juice was all over the counter and a bit of a mess.  So I splurged tonight.

So very happy to see the Downy Woodpecker back in the yard!    I missed you .. I whispered .. welcome back.

The Chickadees love the fat that I placed in the feeders …. trying to keep the sparrows away, they are drawn like magnets when I place the suet block there .. so I’m taking a break from them.

Started reshaping the yard again . .now that the garlic has been harvested.   Digging a path by the raspberry bushes …. the yard directs me and I follow, shovel in hand.   Kind of fun and surprising.

Then I planted a few squash plants .. ready to grow up a meshed area.   EM’s like crazy.

Really enjoyed the peace and quiet of the yard today … playing music that I purchased last year when I visited the Sequim Lavender Faire …if I go this year, I’ll buy a few more dvds.

When I was returning from my trip to the supermarket, to purchase the cherry pitter .. I saw the most amazing car I have ever seen in my life!!

It was across the road, waiting to turn right and I quickly took out my handy camera and clicked away .. as the light changed to green, suddenly the road was filled with traffic and I wasn’t able to get a pic. So, the lovely driver, waited, after the light had changed .. and remained in place while I clicked a few pictures!  Thank you!!!

So, here is the car in all of its majestic classic shiny black beautifulness .. and .. if anyone is able to identify this luxurious motor vehicle for me .. well, thank you in advance and I’ll post the name with the picture.

And I owe this lovely surprise to my decision to buy the cherry pitter.   If not for that, I would have missed this amazing spectacle.

So .. remember .. acting on a whim results in lovely surprises!

Enjoy your weekend ..

🙂


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Tuesday was a stunner. And .. can you make pesto from leeks???

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

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Tuesday started off cool and cloudy and then morphed into a wonderful sunny day, yeah!!!!

I spent the entire day outside … except for tea breaks, lunch breaks, visiting with DH.

And what a day.

The winds continued all day ..blowing the clouds around into the most amazing shapes.   So lucky I can just stop whatever I’m doing so I can just stand there and look up at the shifting shapes.

Saw a glory in one set of clouds, but the refraction of the sun kept entering the shot, so I couldn’t get a good visual to take a picture.  oh well.  I love those “circular rainbows” .. so sparkly and pretty.

At one point, a whir of twinkling colour flew back and forth above my head .. it was a dragonfly! It looked all shiny and new.  And it flew so quickly here and there that I had a time trying to fix it in my vision.  Too swiftly, it flew higher and higher and soon was gone from sight.  One of those magical garden moments.

Sitting on the back steps, Sudoku and mug of Yorkshire Tea .. I finally heard the delicate, cheerful –  high-pitched chattering song of the Bushtits!  Yeah …. I was beginning to wonder.  So I just sat there motionless …trying to get a fix on where they were. They were flitting about the branches on the apple tree .. about the same size as the small apples, so I had to look very closely.  Luckily I was able to get a few pictures.   Darling little birds.

Later on I saw them flying about a few old trees at the other side of the yard.  So happy to see them.

Another magical moment and I don’t have photos of this .. but .. I was refilling the suet holder at another apple tree and suddenly there appeared a little Nuthatch.  Sweet.  He/she just perched on a branch inches away from my face.   Then he flitted about, always settling down on a branch and seemed to look quizzically at me.  So I held out the suet filled holder, just to see if he would perch on it .. but he flew away.

The house sparrows are not nice birds, from what I’ve heard.  Bossy and shoving and pushing all other birds away.  So when I hear them making a big commotion in the trees, I make clapping noises to send them on their way.

I can’t control the birding world, but I can intercept when I can and that’s what I’ll do.

So I’m still waiting to see the Downy Woodpeckers .. maybe they come out at different times of the day during the summer.

interesting article (Larry Pynn, Vancouver Sun) in the Times Colonist this morning “B.C. coastal bird populations plummet, survey shows” … 35 per cent drop in birds over the past 4 decades.  Populations of “aerial insectivores” – swallows, swifts and nightjars, all of which are in B.C. are down more than 80% in Canada.

The causes??? fewer insects due to widespread application of pesticides & climate change upsetting the timing of insect production in relation to nesting of long-distance migrant birds.

Just say NO to pesticides.  Is this a no-brainer?

Well, no pesticides in our little gem of paradise.

Anyway … I finished putting the final layer of seaweed at the base of the garlic patch.  And .. lucky me .. I found more garlic scapes.   Even more than I’d harvested a few days ago!  Plus, I kept breaking away the broken stems from the scapes harvested previously also.  They do keep on growing.

And Bridget http://arignagardener.wordpress.com/2012/06/20/the-longest-day/ wonders if one can make a pesto out of leeks?  I wonder .. does anyone know?  I’m not enough of a creative chef to have tried this.

I finally planted those Kentucky wonder beans … they are nicely settled in to their new location.  I’m so looking forward to see how they grow.

Found a stray tomato plant growing amongst the garlic .. so planted it in a sunny area.  It was very wilted so I watered it with the magical EM and so will see today how well it is doing.

Transplanted some basil into a sunny area of the garden.  More EM!

Checked out my seedlings.  This should be interesting, as the labels have flown away so I’ll have some surprise plantings.    Thy mystery plants will unfold during the summer.

Cleared away some more garden pots.   I’ll be giving away hundreds.   I’ve been storing the empty plant pots in large storage containers.  And now ask myself “why”?   It’s not like I’m planning to have a plant nursery.  Oh, that did cross my mind .. but not for now.  If I need pots, I can always get more.

Feels good to create empty space in the storage area where I keep my plant supplies.  More space where I can bring out my creative paints, beads, tiles, etc. and jut paint in the sunshine.  Let free my creative spirit and just play.

Well .. dressed for the garden.  No evening dress & high heels for me.  Just my Car-hartt denim overalls, long-sleeved shirt, bright socks and gumboots.   Outside to play!

🙂


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Loving the magic of EM and the effects on all the plants in the yard.

Friday, June 15, 2012

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Thursday started out as an overcast, windy and chilly day.  Which later changed to a sunny and occasionally windy day.  Perfect for drying off the small batch of rock weed gathered at the beach a few days ago.  Air smells lovely with the scent of the sea, mineral laden air, how lovely..

I spread  the small amount of the rock weed into a number of deep sided, woven baskets so that the brisk winds could freely enter  these containers, without swirling the contents into the air.  Seems to have been effective, they are drying .. although they’ll need to sit in the sun for a few more hours.  Today is perfect.

Making sure that the bird feeders are kept filled so that our winged friends can dine in style!  I see the colourful House Finches queueing up at one feeder.   The slightly nasal chirp of the Chestnut-Backed Chickadees sound throughout the yard … they visit the feeders and the suet blocks.   They must be getting used to me, as I was standing by the feeder and one by one, they flew to the feeder, quickly chose a tiny black oiled sunflower, tightly held between their talons and pecked away the hard shell, and munched on the tender meat of the seed.

Is it just my imagination or are these birds a little tired from taking care of the youngsters?   The amazing magical instinctual nurturing is taking place in the current raising of feathery offspring.   I certainly hope that I can see some of the young Chickadees and Bush-Tits flying around.

Yesterday I had a goal .. which was to continue clearing away my propagating area and to create  another small growing space for those amazing Kentucky Wonder Beans.  Found myself spending hours digging out rooted cuttings of lavender, bay laurel, Buddleia, Artemisia.   Potted them up … plan to either install them in a garden area, or leave in pots for another year, so that they can grow a little more before being planted.

Time disappeared .. and all that existed was the exciting discovery of strong root growth in these little cuttings that I’d started last fall.  The natural processes of the life force in the cuttings worked away quietly during the fall, winter and spring seasons.

I think how far my garden knowledge has come since this time last year.  Hard to believe that I really thought that I had so much garden expertise at that time.  My gardening life totally changed once I began the Organic Master Gardening program through Gaia College, held at Royal Roads University.

Now I am aware of the millions of life forms that exist in the soil beneath my feet.  The beneficial and cyclical world that I was so unaware of.  And the amazing power of EM (effective microorganisms).  That alone was worth the cost and time of the course.

I’m constantly preparing batches of EM for the garden.  The plants have grown so well, healthy, strong, and I just can’t single out one plant that is doing so magnificently.  As a matter of fact, every single plant, from the garlic to the blueberries .. the apple and plum trees also.  The tomatoes .. the strawberries .. .all are amazing.

Power to the EM!!

🙂

And I’m still finding little “treasures” in the yard … that somehow keep popping up!  yesterday I found a small section of plastic train track beneath an apple tree.  From whence it came, I do not know . .yet, there it was!  Curious .. I picked it up.    Perhaps a bird flew by and dropped it there?

Anyway .. back out to the yard .. and more EM to be established on plantings.   Today will be a sunshiny day .. and rain is expected for the weekend!  Good for the plants.