Author: Flower Roberts

AI Mushroom Id.

| Flower Roberts

This is a first for me. I have used apps to identify plants for years.

Mystery Mushroom

I found this mushroom in the blueberry patch on top of the mulch.

I dissected it because the gills were covered.
The stem is very stout and fibrous.

Dissected mushroom


AI says it is a wine cap mushroom.

Covered gills
Uncovered gills


I NEVER EAT mushrooms I find. I like my liver too much. I think AI did a good job of using the photos I provided to identify this mushroom.


If I had not uncovered the gills, would it have said it was a King Boletto?
I may try it again with another speciman and see if it comes up with the same results.

App identification

FLOWER loves her liver

Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage California

| Flower Roberts

I cannot possibly do this marvelous place justice with words nor photos. It is a famous garden and former home of Walter and Leonore Annenberg. The conference center and grounds opened in 1966.  It has been used by many presidents and famous leaders from all over the world. It was the site of many events of international diplomacy. Queen Elizabeth visited the center in 1983.

There is a famous bench where President Obama sat with China’s president Xi Jinping for a photo during their conference in 2013.

We meant to sit on it for a group photo.

I have never been to such a garden. The beds were arranged in geometric patterns with only one type of plant per bed. They referred to these as ‘specimen gardens.’ I was fascinated by these because you see the same type of plant growing side-by-side with dozens of its clones, but no two are exactly identical. I had to pause and study these groups over and over again.

The shade was greatly appreciated.

The brochure links to a website that describes the trial and error methods used to come up with the best cultivars for each location. It has been like a giant horticultural experiment.

Mix of forms

The history of Sunnylands is covered in a short film. It showed how this gorgeous site was envisioned and created by the Annenbergs. The film also shared how diplomacy used to be.

I particularly loved this canal of river rock.

Soothing sight on a hot afternoon.

This place is worthy of numerous visits. It is an amazing place with a fascinating history.

FLOWER among cacti

Water

| Flower Roberts

There has been drought in many places in North Carolina. Water restrictions are in place in cities. We notice the dryness. We pray for rain. We carefully water our plants in distress. But most of us do not really feel desperate like nature does.


There’s been some shaming here on the mountain. Not by words, but by the actions of my wild neighbors. I must be a better community member to them.

I set up a water bowl with a solar powered fountain. It is pretty and the splashing sounds are soothing. On sunny days its water spout gets high enough to send water outside the rim. To stop this, I just flip the solar pad upside down and leave it in place.

It seems that this caused a new problem. The floating device got in the way of the thirsty wildlife. I know this because two of the arms that keep the floating fountain centered were chewed off. The teeth markers indicate deer.

My friend, Lucy, and I were discussing whether birds need a bath or just like a bath. I said they probably enjoyed a bath but bathing was not as necessary as drinking. Should I apply this belief to my own needs during droughts?

Little bird baths

Soon after this conversation, I spotted little birds taking baths in a waxy box top that held baby plants on the picnic table. They did look like they were enjoying their time splashing around in the box. There was a little line of waiting birds. Waiting in line to enjoy the little bit of available water.

There is an actual birdbath here that got moved under the deck and never put back out in the yard. Mama used to clean it carefully with a brush and refill it every time we came up the mountain.

The dry, unused birdbath

I have not been as thoughtful as she. I will get Mr. Flower to help me move it back out. I plan to keep it cleaned and filled with  water for my wild friends, like a good neighbor should.

FLOW

Deer Damage

| Flower Roberts

I am back at the lake for a weekend. There has been drought conditions here. I expected things to be dry. The unexpected find was the level of deer damage. The herd is hungrier than ever.

We might as well dig up all the hydrangeas.

Butchered bush

They usually leave the tiger lilies alone. Both stands have been beheaded inside support rings. Their are only one or two tops left that may bloom. The rest are done for the year.

Beheaded tigers


The patch of pineapple lilies has been sheared off to only five inches high. I will fence this in tomorrow. The flower stalks emerge later, so they may still be able to bloom.

Eaten pineapple lilies

I still have some Amaryllis/Hippeastrum out in the gardens. Poor Moonscene was mutilated.

The only Moonscene bloom not totally destroyed.
Munched on Moonscene

The two pinks had fences on top, so they are safe.

Atleast sweet little Santiago is safe on the porch.

Santiago

I must accept that this place has reached the point of diminishing returns. It’s tough to see decades of work go down the drain.

I will be rescuing a few favorites and letting the rest go. I am hiring help for a big purge. I have been losing this battle for years now. It is past time to cut my losses.

There have been some good things, too. Rose caught a catfish this evening. 

Catfish:caught and let go

We all got to see the gorgeous fox come out at dusk. I will appreciate what is still here while I am here.

I miss the mountain.

The view from the porch.

FLOW

Research Rabbit Holes

| Flower Roberts

I am a tenacious sleuth with a bad memory. I have spent my spare time for weeks looking for one of the ‘Two Books in the Trash.’  This unexplained event occurred while cleaning out my parents’ home on Enwood.

I finally think that I have found the elusive little book of marriage propaganda that  was a wedding gift to my parents in 1957. I miss- remembered the author which put me on a completely different trail that dead ended this morning. But that wrong trail and dead end were blessings in disguise. It is hard to get back on track when one makes a wrong turn many turns ago. It could be looked at as wasted time, but that’s not how I see it.

Every wrong turn is a chance to learn. I went back to my original list of clues and crossed off Norman Vincent Peale as the author.  If you know anything about him, you know his relationship with two famous Republicans.

Researching Norman Vincent Peale’s career and books did give me insight that has helped me puzzle out certain aspects of a famous person who refuses to see any negative in his own reality. If you have been aghast as this personality flaw of our current president, you may want to do some sleuthing in that direction. This helped me as a person who studies reality.

I digress.

So I went back to the other aspects of the book that I remembered. Plain cover, small size, published in 1957 or before, title was part of wedding vows. Omit author. New rabbit hole? I think I found it!

I guess I will be ordering the two books from the trash on ebay or etsy. Hi Ho so it goes.

The second book has its own rabbit hole that has taken me on a loooooooong journey back through the propaganda of the Vietnam years. Wow! This has been crazy exciting for me. The time circles just keep coming back around.

The post about the Two Books in the Trash will take awhile. It is why I jumped out of bed early this morning.  That is a good thing.

Stay tuned but don’t hold your breath. What a ride!

FLOWER in deep

Please do not feel tricked by the feature photo. I cannot think of rabbit holes without remembering Barley and Charlotte. This is my all-time favorite photo of them. The post name was ‘Busy and Not Busy.’ Ha

Amaryllis at Home

| Flower Roberts

My family sent me these photos of my amaryllis collection.

Appleblossom by the pond

  Some are in pots by the front door, others are in the ground by a fish pond.

Pots by the door

They are also called Hippeastrum.

Red Lion near the pond

My family has been caring for them while I live on the mountain.

Picotee by the pond

I really appreciate them taking care of my flowers and sending me photos when they are in bloom.

White among the ferns
What a welcoming face!

I am happy to see my plants cared for in my absence. It makes me feel appreciated when they send photos of my treasures. It is hard for me to believe that I could distance myself from things I used to feel were so important.

I will get to see my gardens in person soon. We are celebrating Mother’s Day late so we can all be together. 

FLOWER

Plant People Bonding

| Flower Roberts

If you are a Plant Person you know that all you have to do to make friends with other Plant People is recognize one of their plants and call it by name with love in your voice. When people know your plants, they know you.

Yin Yang riverstone art among lantana, bougainvillea and Texas sages

This happens wherever I go. I call a plant name over a wall and next thing I know, I am invited in for a tour or even a concert on a grand piano. Yes…that happened in Bramwell. (Look it up in the search bar.)

My sis and I walked most mornings in Palm Springs. We loved admiring the xeroscape landscaping. I was not familiar with most plants, but one near-by yard was full of old friends that I knew well.

One of the gardeners was outside doing some morning watering. I dropped a few plant names. VOILA!

My new friend Neal

We were invited in to tour the front gardens. We then got to enter a gate to a hidden garden around back only after Neal checked to be sure that Roger had clothes on. It was Naked Gardening Day.

Rogers reflection and a white bird of paradise, begonia, philodendron…

What a plant haven/heaven they have created. I examined every luscious plant. What a collection! Roger gave me tips on growing special plants and koi pond maintenance.

Pond in a pail

These two new friends made our morning extra special. The tour of their private botanical garden was a highlight of an already fabulous adventure. They have developed a microclimate using shade and water to grow plants that would not normally survive in Palm Springs.  Roger is a Plant Whisperer.

Begonias and Wondering Jew, impatiens, coleus

Plant People bond over plants. We have a common passion which instantly connects us. Our blood runs green.

I hope Neal or Roger messages me on this blog. I am wanting to share ‘The Gran Plant’ (redbird cactus) to see if they can get it to bloom.

FLOWER

Walking Among Windmills

| Flower Roberts

I stepped into the future last week. I walked around in a wind farm. The Palm Springs Windmills are located in the San Gorgonio Pass between two of the San Bernadino Mountains.

Wind farm in San Gorgonio Pass

The wind gets funneled through this pass. This is one of the largest and most productive windfarms in the US.

Silently swirling groups of various sizes.

The self-guided tour started with a film in a green trailor they called a building. The film described the evolution of the designs of the towers and blades. It also mentioned how Enron’s bankruptcy affected the business.

Giant tower, nacelle and blades

The best design so far is the round tower with three blades. The tips are pitchable and the motor turns the blades into the wind. The film showed a worker climbing inside the tower to the nacelle to service the generator and gears. Not for me!

Old inefficient designs of the past

Collaboration to achieve the most efficient form of wind energy is crucial. This involves various companies to promote the technology, federal and state investment in  subsidies and better battery storage of energy.

Driving tour between green painted rocks

There would be better photos but I got distracted by a toy windmill in the green building and a lizard running between artifacts.

I wanted one, but retrained myself.

FLOW

P.S. The windmills did not make noise and no birds were killed while I was there.

Mama’s Pansies

| Flower Roberts

I find different ways to keep my parents close. Plants are part of that. I have been re-habing Daddy’s neglected blueberry patch.

Five years of pruning done in one season. Yikes.

My Mama loved pansies, so I planted some in pots near the entrance. I check on them as I enter and leave.

Mama’s pansies, Daddy’s bluebird flag.

I remembered Mama’s pansy gardens on Enwood as I trimmed and fed these just now.

Pinky pansies.

This is our second Mother’s Day without Mama. The first one was a painful blur.

Mama at Enwood

On this day from now on, I will do something that I would have done if my Mama were still here…like taking care of her pansies.

Remembering Mama

FLOWER