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: nature


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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.


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Procrastination doesn’t bode well in the garden .. seeds sprouting in their seed packets!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

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  Yesterday, another lovely hot and sunny day!   Spent some time spreading out some rock weed to dry on some lattice frames.   Perfect for soaking tired hands & feet later on.  Seaweed is perfect for soothing tired muscles, sore from lots of gardening.

So very much to do in the garden .. that’s what happens when chores aren’t organized, I find. However, it’s never too late, I tell myself .. as I wandered around . .. sorting out where to start first.

I’m quite surprised when I visit the area of the garden where I have organized my propagating and seeding area.  Uh, oh, all those packets of seeds that I left out on the table, with all the best intentions of putting them in seeding flats … and then I’d gone on to other things.  Well, most of them have sprouted.

I’d purchased a lot of them at a Seedy Saturday, months ago.  Then stored them neatly in a clear acrylic box, for future use.   After that, I’d taken them outside and so .. now .. after periods of rain .. some of them have actually sprouted in their envelopes.  Strong plant roots have broken through the paper barriers and grown and grown.

Opening some of the envelopes, I’m surprised to see strong and vigorous green growth!  The Pea seeds (a rare German variety) were well rooted.  I soaked the envelope in a little bucket of water, so that I could easily separate these treasures, without harming the root structure.   And I installed one of my wonderful pvc sections, joined in the middle, to form an arch and placed on long rebar stakes, held firmly in the ground.

Next, I hung plastic netting to the sections (last year I’d placed screws along the sides of the pvc, so that the netting could be held firmly in place) and fastened it snugly.   Then, busy gardening, I dug a long trench, planted the pea seeds, watered with EM and placed seaweed carefully around the seeds.  This keeps away the slugs.  No “slug bait” needed here.  Nature rules.

Soon, these strong little peas sprouts will be rapidly climbing the netting.   I foresee a heavy yield of these peas .. and will save some for seeding next year.

Once that was done, I returned to the table to check on the next packet of sprouted seeds.  These turn out to be Kentucky Wonder Beans .. and wow .. do they live up to their name!  Again I placed the seeds in water to loosen up the roots and pot them up, temporarily, in pots, to plant today.  I’m running out of garden space .. so spend some time, planning another temporary garden section.

I notice that the basil and flax seeds have been thoroughly drenched and so I soak them and place them, temporarily in pots, ready for planting.

Procrastination just doesn’t always work in the garden.

I mix up another batch of EM (effective microorganisms) .. the magic elixir that enriches the soil with a mix of bacteria, fungi, et al, that makes the soil come alive and encourages splendid new growth.   And I water some of the veggies with the EM ….. healthy soil, healthy plants.

And I tuck seaweed around the base of some blueberries, to deter the slugs which have been munching away on the leaves.  They aren’t doing that anymore, thanks to the seaweed!!

I love the new temporary raised bed, by the wild and crazy tree.  A wonderful mix of spoiled hay, leaf mulch, alpaca & goat manure, plus compost.   I had one remaining board left from the original raised beds of years ago.  That formed the front edge of the new bed.  Next I collected bricks from around the yard and made a facing, so it appears as if the bed is solidly established.

Then I placed sections of boards on top of the facing board, placed flower planters on top and interspaced them with beach rocks .. so now it appears as if this bed has been here for a long time!   (photos tomorrow!)

So .. today .. lots to do … setting up more little temporary beds and will plant those Kentucky beans there.

Basil & tomato plants to place in sunny areas.

Tidying up.

Bird watching.

Lots to do .. and looking forward to this day!

🙂


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The wonderful magical world of gardening .. another day!

Tuesday, June 13, 2012

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The past few weeks in the garden have been lovely.   How I want to spend every moment there .. but, life intervenes.   There is shopping to be done.  Cats to be taken care of.  Necessary housework.

And .. then .. time to go outside.  Mug of Yorkshire Tea.  Sudoku.  Silence .. listening to the happy chirps of the birds.   Buzzing of bees.  Whirring of the Anna’s as they fly around the yard.

Special moments in the garden.  Such as .. I was happily looking at the bees that were very busy gathering nectar at the giant Buddleia, the one with the yellow globe flowers .. they love those flowers.  so I was watching them, taking some pictures, kneeling on the ground.   Suddenly I heard a whirring sound above me, looked up and there was a young Anna, hovering, then flying down towards me … curious as to what I was doing.

After a few moments, he/she flew over to the Buddleia, and just settled down on a branch.  Content to just observe me.  This is a magical moment in the garden.  One of the many rewards that come to us who love working with the natural processes in the yard.  Priceless, special, magical.

My wonderful gardening neighbour has given me some tomato plants, flowers and .. oh, treasure beyond measure .. lots of kale plants.  I envision tamari kale chips .. yum, yum, yum.  I’ve created another temporary garden bed, beneath the wild and crazy tree.  This was the sapling that I nursed to health, when the plum stock that was grafted onto it, many years ago, succumbed to weather or something.  Anyway, this tree now provides tremendous privacy to our yard, shade to the ground, perching places for all the birds that visit, or call our yard “home”.

Here is where I’ve been composting 10 bales of hay, so I mixed in some compost, leaf mulch, alpaca manure, seaweeds and where I’ve planted the 26 kale plants.  Plus two bush pumpkins and a large plant that will produce white “ghostly” pumpkins.

Plus an assortment of other plants.

Last fall I’d moved the garden soil around and created some oval and crescent-shaped garden areas, bordered by brick.  I love temporary garden shapes.  Years ago I had proper raised beds, and wood chip paths.  Neatly hemmed in with a tidy fence.

All that has been changed over the years and I now have that area filled with free-flowing garden beds and lots of plantings.

More about that tomorrow .. especially regarding this bed, how I’ve edged it and it really looks quite nice.

Anyway, just writing a few thoughts on my garden .. time is running away .. so am posting a few photos from my  back yard.

Tomorrow, more about my latest update to the kale bed.   I’ll go on and on about the magic of EM (effective microorganisms) .. power to the EM, really!

🙂

A.M.


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Friday arrives and with it ….besides some shopping . .I’ve been playing with the garlic in the garden, yum, yum

Friday, June 1, 2012

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So .. the end of the week has arrived, so quickly.  Many things to do  .. errands … before I can allow myself to play in the garden.

Out and about, recycling all set out … shopping .. it’s been awhile since I’ve just randomly gone out shopping for this and that .. from a list.   And I re-discovered that it was a lot of fun.  Spoke with a variety of people.  Enjoyed the positive energy of some very helpful sales clerks in some stores.

Some people just bring a shine to your day and that is what I found today!  Positive attitudes and so very helpful .. so many of us start off that way and along the way, the lustre just disappears.  For whatever reason.  I’ve worked hard to keep mine polished, though!  Just feels so much better to me.

London Drugs at McKenzie & Quadra was a good example.  I was looking for a pressure cooker on sale and the lovely cashier searched and found the one & verified the cost against the flyer.  Now, how many employees would even take the time to do that?

And then, Home Depot at Colwood .. another bright energized young lady was ever so helpful when I was looking for, first .. plant pot saucers .. and then, when I was looking for some unusual vegetable plants, well, she led me to the section with Bok choy .. and chose a lovely 6-pack of this vegetable.   As I spoke to the cashier, I discovered that the energized person had just started work there this week.   Keep that positivity going …..

So, finally, at home.   Eventually, to the garden.

Moved all the potted up garlic starts over to the “garlic bed” .. and began to plant them.    Then, when I’d planted  .. maybe .. 30 or so .. I looked again at the garlic bulbs planted up in tubs and thought .. well, the root systems are so intermingled .. why don’t I just leave them bo .. for the summer .. and so I did that.

I must admit that I’ve become quite enamored of garlic.  All that magic power from a simple bulb, culminating in a vigorous growth of strong green stems and finally a lovely fat garlic bulb!   And … ta da .. yesterday I clipped some garlic scapes .. . omg .. so delicious and so garlicy.

Tonight I made some garlic scape pesto (many recipes online) and then mixed up some almond kale chips, adding lots of garlic and the scapes.

I found out that the hardneck garlic grows scapes and so I’ll leave the rest of the scapes to grow into longer lengths.  Then I’ll clip them and will either make pesto or perhaps I’ll just freeze them to make into various recipes later on.

As usual, I’ve walked around the yard, taking photos of the developing flowers .. enjoying the changing conditions of the yard.  So much beauty.

Tomorrow I’ll share my latest plants and also how I’ve reshaped a little section of the yard, using boards, bricks, hay, Alpaca manure, compost and all the lovely things one can add to a garden.

It’s been a fun day!