Rockin' Robin

Just a picture update of our garden' progress. No blooms on the sunflowers yet... The birds wanted to show their love, and waiting patiently for the seeds, so inside of beautiful blooms, I have birds! There were a couple families out there today loving each other. It was really kind of adorable, just sitting with the kitchen door open and listening to them. Such beautiful little songs they have for us. The doves were there yesterday, four couples of them, nestled in the bark. Mik and I were listening to them as well. So sweet when my honey asked if he had heard an owl. They get often mistaken for each other. He didn't seem all that surprised though. I love doves.

 We're patiently waiting for the garden lately. I want so badly for those things to bloom, but I just can't wait. Its seeing all my favorite flowers growing, and easily these sunflowers are growing on the north side of seven feet tall! Still nothing. I will await them longer still, but I can't give up hope. I just want them to get there with their tiny little buds. They'll get there. Our birdies and I will continue to encourage them!

Meanwhile, the caterpillar eggs from our friendly little butterfly has hatched. This one will make you all smile. These are our stages of caterpillar! 1-3. The next stage is a cocoon! Lets go Pillars! And in addition, some of our porch garden pictures.

Stage 1: There are several of these guys on the plant varying in size. These are the most tiny. Starting from that size, to about a quarter of the tip of my finger. Forefinger, not thumb. Sadly, Simon was eaten by a bird, so this leaves only the new babies at this size, since Alvin has moved on too.....

Stage 2: ALVIN! His first day of Stage two, and his little puttum feets! Munch away little guy! You have to catch up to Theodore, who has moved on to....

Stage 3: The Big Daddy

Bigger everyday! We're rooting for you pillar!

And for a finisher! Our garden as of late.

 Grow, grow little garden

Year of the Insect

 

Good news! Theodore, the caterpillar, has moved on already! From stage one, he now enters stage TWO! I can't believe my little guy is so grown up. His brothers are still smaller, and haven't yet moved on, but as you can see, our friend just changed. His stage one skins are still on the parsley beside him. Still, before moving on to the updating of the Genoa garden, I thought I would enjoy some delicious orange chicken and tell you all about Theodore's progress!

 He's been doing really well clearly. Getting all gigantic and learning to eat as much food as caterpillarly possible. Its just that there are three of them, and I am increasingly concerned that my single little parsley plant won't be enough to feed all these growing babies. Oh well, I will continue to monitor him! Maybe tomorrow I'll use a a ruler to see just what size he's measuring now, but since he's the biggest and never stops eating we decided he was only fitting to be named Theodore.

NOW! Moving on to the Genoa garden. I told you it was colorful, but its pretty awesome. Be prepared to be wowed with, purple speedwell, geraniums, and tall stocky sunflowers. Soooooo exciting! The idea, is that tomorrow I will clean up the front of little, if the mosquitoes are too active, and that means that there will be a front to work with again. It was so hot over the last few weeks that I could barely take the kids out for longer than a half an hour. Here's hoping the tempt stays settled below 90.

One of the six replanted Dill. They planted themselves this year without any help of mine. So cool. And the only yellow that has yet to rear its head in our garden. Jonathan and Sarah love the dill plants, because they attract butterflies. Which, considering the above, I'm getting quite the laugh out of. We never anticipated so many butterflies this year, but it turns out we planted all the right things. Anything in the parsley family.

 And then there are the silver mound bushes. Another perennial that flourished this year, in a way no one ever expected. These are Mik's favorites, and I have to say, I agree wholeheartedly that they were a great choice for our happy little spot in the backyard. So soft.

 These are the speedwell of course. And the reasoning behind the year of the insect? Check out the plant on the right.... Yet another caterpillar. Or an inch worm. I can't quite tell.

 GERANIUMS!

 Put them all together and what do you get?! Our beautiful garden.

A Late Blooming Garden!

I have been remiss! I just refound all this, but cutting through all that I would like to instead break through, right into the business. Upon seeing the date on last years amazing sunflowers! I realized that this year is a very late summer. We haven't had a single blood or head grow on our sunflower heads. Not yet this year. They are tall, and thirteen of last years sunflowers dropped enough seeds to regrow their beautiful progeny. Very exciting. We weren't as business like about out garden yet this year, but that isn't to say there aren't beautiful flowers growing happily. Just not as many to report on this year. I have however planned on bringing my camera tomorrow and I'll get some good pictures of the growing garden to update it. The speedwell by the way is grand. I'll update everything much better tomorrow, but for today I'll show you what I do have!



Apparently! Parsley (Which I have been inclined to grow this year, on our porch side garden), has produced another of nature's miracles. Mom saw it early this afternoon, going to take out her laundry. She discovered a  large butterfly, zigging and zagging around my plants! As though it had decided, that the huge purple whatever it was, we found to plant this year from Walmart, was a delicious snack. Taking its picture, this is what I discovered!  This lovely butterfly, is a female Black Swallowtail. She is also known as the villainous! Parsley worm. With every intention of making tea from my parsley this year. In hopes of trying out a new herb for cultivation, I have been thwarted. I couldn't very well be cutting fronds of parsley for brewing, when its covered in these!

He is adorable! And apparently the first stage of three that this kind of butterfly go . They go through 1 to 4 stages, and as they pass through them, he starts looking more and more like a monarch caterpillar. I'm planning on documenting him, and his two brothers. They are to be named.... Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. There are however, eggs, so if new arrivals from our lady's egg laying hatch, I will be documenting them as well. These are his expecting brothers! Lets wait and see!!!!

Shopping!

Oh how I love Farm and Fleet. Its like this wondrous little place that carries everything that would ever make me happy. Yes I know sounds weird to be swooned by a warehouse department store, but they are the only people I know who carry the new year's seeds. So with that lead, I'm sure we all understand what I am about to start chattering about. SEEDS! I mean 40% off on sale! It was great. And a 50% off on the seed pod trays. Extremely exciting. SO! This year's seeds, or at least this rounds seeds:



Top Row, Left to Right: Lemon Basil, Cinnamon Basil, Sweet Basil, Spicy Globe Basil, Curly Parsley

Bottom Row, Left to Right: Herbal Strawberry, Bellflowers, and Bunny Tails!!!

I mean how cute is that? Now I've been told I have to wait until Easter before planting, at least that's what mom claims, but you can bet I won't be waiting that long. I have pots outside the boxes in storage and such. I think she's more worried though. See our cousin just moved and she now has a yard and porch... On that note of this new year of planting coming along she is talking about moving again for us. She wants a porch too, and a yard for my herbing. Hahaha. Well that sounds great and all but it won't stop me from starting basil plant one as soon as this Christmas Tree goes away.

Don't get me wrong I'd love to move, but it doesn't mean I'll wait for it to happen before returning to my green thumbed ways.

Preparing for January

Alrighty guys! So I don't know if I mentioned this to you guys, but I've been cleaning up the room a bit, reorganizing it for the new plans of becoming an herb gardener. First Aloe plant has been placed in a nice, not in direct sunlight place, and has been given one of the food sticks that I give to all my plants. Hopefully that will help him through the winter months, since there are only so many of them. Hehehe. Cheating I know. But still! And I have begun preparing soil for growing the parsley. Apparently mine got kind of dry and chunky in the closet, so I'm turning in healthy soil with the dry stuff and when January comes, bet your feeties I'm gonna plant me a parsley.

Season Two!

Well since the season is coming to a close I thought that perhaps I should speculate on what next year looks like in the way of this one's garden. I finished packing away all my nice pots for the winter. I'm sure I'll be digging them out at the start of April once seedlings have again been brought forth from the dirt, but for now, the cold has taken the better of them. I did however leave out two pots to experiment with. A plastic one, hoping that it would be less cold that a ceramic pot. And the very first pot I ever bought. The little blue one.

I am of course waiting to begin until 2011, but that doesn't leave January devoid of planting! Its like a fun game to play with yourself. Weighing the pros and cons of what plants to attempt growing in January. I'll letting the basil have its resting period, since we just finished playing with that, but I do in fact want to have an enormous herb garden someday and I want to say I've at least attempted to grow things other than basil. Even though we are all fairly aware by now that its my favorite since I am yet to kill one off accidentally.

Anyway I fished out my box of seeds to discover these have yet to be successfully attempted: Savory, Italian Parsley, and Cumin. Now that we know this however, we check heights and sun exposure times in the wonder book, also known as, The Complete Herb Book by Jekka McVicar.

By the way, quick fact! Did you know Parsley was used to decorate the dead's tombs? WEIRD! But anyhow, it only gets to 10" about which is good and definitely doesn't like being transplanted, so into the tiny pot that would go, with a towel wrapped about it to keep warm and in my sill. Perks!: Chewing it raw promotes healthy skin, fresh breath, and eaten cooked can promote suitable treatments for UTIs. Very nasty those things. OOOOO And I could make hair rinse from it. Sounds great! We shall attempt that one. I am excited for all its uses.

On to the Cumin. Shocked as I am to find that cumin isn't in the book, it looks interesting. My packet says its up to 12" Tall, and is suppose to harvest after the seeds turn brown... hmm... not very helpful. Lets check the net shall we? Oooo looks like its great for boiling into a tea to make a stomach pain reducer, and OH! The horror! Requires long hot summers to grow. Well I guess that means no cumin for the January season.

Hmmm how about that Savory?

Oh my... well it gets 12" tall and is world renown as an aphrodisiac? Oh dear. Apparently the stuff was suppose to be the stuff of myths. These half goat people would stand in a field of the stuff and called it 'the herb of happiness.' Well... I hope there are other uses because I don't need any of that stuff getting involved in my garden. BUT! I wonder if Mik knows that because he claims to know all in Greek and roman myths. I should ask him, bwahahaha...

Oh my! Such a good thing, I found some more uses, good for asthma! Yay for me. I should try that. I think savory is our winner, and not only be default either. Oh goodie, and it makes great tea. awesome.

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Alrighty then all we have decided on the plants to attempt. Now because its winter, and because these seeds say use in 2010, I will attempt to grow them three times. If no sprouts come then I say its one of the tow things or both, and we'll try again with new seeds in spring. Very, very exciting. I can't wait. Especially since savory looks like pine needles. Fun.

For now though, I say adieu and good day to you all.
Justine