Fascinated by Fungi
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Anxious in August
When the Dogwood berries start to turn, I get anxious.
No calendar needed. August is ending.
It is almost time to start back to school.
For a teacher this means wrap up loose ends.
There will be no more free time until June.
This is my second year of not teaching, but I still get anxious.
It is a sort of “nesting” behavior, like during pregnancy.
Get it done NOW.
Clean out that closet, write those Thank You notes…
Get ready, finish up, get ready, finish up…
Unlike last year, there are no trips planned. No getting ready.
My page is empty. Totally blank.
I must choose what to do next? Where will I go? Where will I land?
Do not envy this freedom. It is intimidating. It is lonely. I have no tribe.
I am afraid of this clean slate. The canvas is blank.
I must reinvent myself again.
Another era has ended.
A new day is dawning.
The FLOWER is free and full of fear.
Disappointment in the Flower Bed
My husband has a large cactus. (Ritterocereus pruinosis)
I am not wild about this plant. It is big, tall, ugly and spiny.
He loves it, so I have tolerated its presence for the duration of our marriage.
It has to be moved inside every winter. It is quite a big production.
In and out, in and out, in and out, over and over.
After thirty years of caring for this plant, a small bud formed about midway up.
Finally, his cactus was going to do something exciting!
We have checked its progress daily.
I have photographed the bud’s enlargement.
When will it open? What color will it be?
I was hesitant to leave town for fear of missing the big event.
Alas. When I checked on it this morning, the bud was going limp and shriveling.
I hate it when that happens.
Such disappointment.
I am considering cutting the top off to root it.
Any suggestions?
Wild Passion
Talk about a tantalizing title!
One of the wild Passion vines that I found on the bank has finally put out a bloom.
Now I can post the wild flower photo side-by-side with my hybrid I ordered.
I found three wild vines on the bank. I have cleared out the weeds around them and staked them.
They seem to be struggling to survive, unlike the potted hybrid.
Typical. “I’d Rather be a Tall Ugly Weed” (Julio Noboa Polanco)
Follow the wild FLOWER!
Ants on my Plants
Ants are not bad.
If they are on your blooms,
they are just sipping some nectar.
If they are running up and down the stems and leaves,
you probably have aphids or scale,
which the ants milk like cows.
Ants on blooms are okay.
Ants all over your plant probably means there is a problem.
The ants are a result, not a cause.
Follow the Ants.
Hot Out? Stay In.
July is brutal in North Carolina.
I have been out today working on two different posts.
I just can’t stand the thought of another shower before my afternoon appointment.
So I plan to look over a new book I discovered via my Nook.
I check out samples of e-books. If I like them, I then order the paper version.
My latest gardening book is A Gardener’s Latin by Richard Bird.
I have learned a lot of Latin over the years as a scientist, but this one breaks it down for gardeners.
This is a lovely book that is hardback and a good size for carrying around.
It is sectioned by groupings such as prefixes and suffixes, places, textures, habitats, colors, shapes…
Did you know that roseus, ruber, rubens, rufus, russatus and sanguineus all refer to various shades of red?
The illustrations on each page are colorful and delightful.
I plan to take this little treasure with me to my appointment.
No use sitting around looking at old magazines.
Read with the FLOWER.
Tidy It Up in July
I know it is hot!
Our temperatures are in the 90’s in North Carolina.
I also know that the weeds are growing fast due to our afternoon rains.
My garden is like a sauna in the afternoons, so I must work in the mornings.
I get all my tools, bug repellent, hat , bandana scarf , gloves and bucket together.
I make a big bottle of 1/3 Gatorade, 1/3 water and 1/3 ice.
I march myself outside and refuse to come in until I have done
my proposed section of garden.
I ride my little cart or sit on a snow disc on the hills.
Right now is time to clean up bearded iris and daylilies.
My method is to cut plants down to 8 inch fans, remove stalks and totally clean out around each plant.
If you have any plant diseases, you need to dip your shears in a bleach solution between plants.
Here is yesterday’s pile of cuttings and weeds.
I will put fresh mulch around the cleaned up plants in several days.
I can divide and move things around later, but it is important to clean up so as not to move problems with the plants.
MY NEXT POST will be on dividing bearded iris. Stay tuned for that.
Follow the SWEATING FLOWER
Independence?
Today the USA celebrates its Independence.
Is any country truly independent?
Is any group of people independent?
Is any person truly independent?
NO
We are all interdependent.
All people, all animals, all plants, fungi, bacteria and even viruses.
Every living thing needs something outside of itself to survive and thrive.
In this time of derision and divisiveness,
I choose to celebrate my INTERDEPENDENCE.
I appreciate my oxygen from plants, my food from other living creatures
and my tiny little piece of land that I live on.
May the sun keep shining and the rain keep falling.
Happy July 4th!
FLOWER
An Island of Flowers
With all these flowers everywhere, I knew there must be a garden fairy somewhere.
FLOWER felt right at home on the Island of Flowers/Ocracoke, NC.
floweralley 