Saturday, February 13, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Starting African Violets
I recently received some African Violet leaf cuttings which I rooted in water. The old standby method of putting tinfoil over a small jar, making a small hole for the leaf stem and letting them sit in the water until they have a good root system going. I have never tried starting them in soil. And the water works for me.
Among those received was a variegated leaf AV. I have never had a variegated leaf before so I will be watching that one closely. I have set them in a pan with stones on the bottom and will water them that way. When I first placed them in the container I let the pots sit on the bottom and soak up some water. Then I moved them up onto the stones so they will not stay too wet.
I have been getting some tomatoes from my little patch, way too many cukes and a few squash.Here is the last picking and there are more maters ripening on the vine. Squash not doing well and the Cherokee Purple tomato wants to split and begin to rot before I can get them off the vine, then they don't last long in the house. Mighty tasty though.
It was fun to be outside under my little sheds lean-to potting up my AV's. The morning was nice and a breeze was blowing. I could hear the bees humming and birds a chirping - all was right with the world.
Critter in The Garden
Last summer one lone small bunny made himself known to me as he hid under the Bronze Fennel and the Rosemary last summer. I wonder if a bunny’s scent is hidden from prey by the scent of the herbs. At first I was concerned he would start eating up all my plants but he seemed to be content munching on the Ruellia Brittoniana. I have pink and white varieties as well as the tall Mexican Petunia form of this plant.
This little bunny was called Mr. Browntail by me. He is officially the Eastern Cottontail Rabbit. This little rabbit when grown is 15 to 18 inches long and will weigh 28 to 54 ounces. Their lifespan is short, about 3 years and many times due to predators in the wild and dogs, cats and yes people some don’t live past a year. I was able to watch him grow as the weeks went on and at the end of the season he was quite a large rabbit.
It was fun watching him eat the leaves from the top down, just munching away with his little rabbit teeth. Once I saw him eat a dried gladiola leaf. I wondered if he needed just a little bit of fiber that particular day. He got very adventurous and would hop all over my yard and gardens, sometimes going through the fence to my neighbors gardens. He even hopped right past my feet across the patio one evening. I could hardly breathe thinking how close he was.
There are blueberry plants in my flower garden that were shared with Mr. Browntail so he had his fill of fruits to go along with his greens. It was of particular interest as he got bigger that he would eat birdseed that had dropped from the bird feeder alongside the ground feeding birds. I was able to get some of the last photos of him in this place.
As the summer days ended and fall came upon the gardens Mr. Browntail was nowhere to be found. It had been a real pleasure having this delightful creature living in my yard. Rabbits do not hibernate during the winter and stay close to food sources like twigs, bark and leaves. I never saw him during the winter months but I know he was somewhere close by.
As this current spring came to an end and the days became warmer there was a sighting of another bunny. What fun this would be to watch another Cottontail grow. Then there was a sighting of not one but two bunnies. Now I don’t know if there is enough growing in my garden to take care of both bunnies. But this time I see these bunnies are spending time in my neighbors’ gardens as well as my own. So I am thinking they will be OK.
The only problem in my neighbor’s yard is her sweet dog Macey a black Labrador Retriever. Macey is a wonderful dog who loves to pretend to be a pointer. All we have to do is tell her there is a squirrel and she is right on that garden critter. Of course a small bunny is no match for a big black Lab with a heart of gold. After all she only wants to play, however; big teeth and small bunnies do not go well together. So this summer we will be on guard to see that dog and bunny do not clash. .
For more info: Cottontail Rabbit, Labrador Retriever
This little bunny was called Mr. Browntail by me. He is officially the Eastern Cottontail Rabbit. This little rabbit when grown is 15 to 18 inches long and will weigh 28 to 54 ounces. Their lifespan is short, about 3 years and many times due to predators in the wild and dogs, cats and yes people some don’t live past a year. I was able to watch him grow as the weeks went on and at the end of the season he was quite a large rabbit.
It was fun watching him eat the leaves from the top down, just munching away with his little rabbit teeth. Once I saw him eat a dried gladiola leaf. I wondered if he needed just a little bit of fiber that particular day. He got very adventurous and would hop all over my yard and gardens, sometimes going through the fence to my neighbors gardens. He even hopped right past my feet across the patio one evening. I could hardly breathe thinking how close he was.
There are blueberry plants in my flower garden that were shared with Mr. Browntail so he had his fill of fruits to go along with his greens. It was of particular interest as he got bigger that he would eat birdseed that had dropped from the bird feeder alongside the ground feeding birds. I was able to get some of the last photos of him in this place.
As the summer days ended and fall came upon the gardens Mr. Browntail was nowhere to be found. It had been a real pleasure having this delightful creature living in my yard. Rabbits do not hibernate during the winter and stay close to food sources like twigs, bark and leaves. I never saw him during the winter months but I know he was somewhere close by.
As this current spring came to an end and the days became warmer there was a sighting of another bunny. What fun this would be to watch another Cottontail grow. Then there was a sighting of not one but two bunnies. Now I don’t know if there is enough growing in my garden to take care of both bunnies. But this time I see these bunnies are spending time in my neighbors’ gardens as well as my own. So I am thinking they will be OK.
The only problem in my neighbor’s yard is her sweet dog Macey a black Labrador Retriever. Macey is a wonderful dog who loves to pretend to be a pointer. All we have to do is tell her there is a squirrel and she is right on that garden critter. Of course a small bunny is no match for a big black Lab with a heart of gold. After all she only wants to play, however; big teeth and small bunnies do not go well together. So this summer we will be on guard to see that dog and bunny do not clash. .
For more info: Cottontail Rabbit, Labrador Retriever
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