Monthly Archives: May 2010

Wine Bottle Waterer

Posted by Lesley on May 28, 2010 28 comments

Last night’s empty bottle of Malbec and my mother’s obsessive crafting have inspired me!  The Irish sprinkler system has been upgraded again, this time with the help of two small items - glass marbles and wire from a hanging candle holder.

As I stood over the sink rinsing out the wine bottle, I started to channel my mother, the MacGyver of marbles.  In the first year after discovering flat-backed marbles, she Gooped them onto everything within a ten-foot radius - mirrors, frames, hot plates, napkin holders, you name it, it’s now covered in marbles.  Anyway, it dawned on me that marbles solved my earlier problem of making the plastic bottle look prettier; why couldn’t they solve this problem too?  So I started shoving them down the bottle neck one by one and voila!

It may take a few tries to get the marbles positioned properly, so make sure to place the tip of your finger into the neck before flipping the bottle upside down.  Then add or subtract marbles to get the drip right; my bottle is a little less than a quarter full.  Positioning the marbles was easy; positioning the bottle got a little tricky.  If you push the bottle into the soil, the soil clogs the neck.  If you tilt the bottle on its side, you have to jiggle it every once in a while to keep the water flowing.  Fortunately for me, I’m a bit of a craft hoarder and was able to pull the wire candle holder straight out of my cabinet.  For those of you non-hoarders, a wire hanger would probably work.  I’ll try it over the weekend and let you know.  Whatever you choose, the point is to keep the bottle slightly elevated above the soil.  I wedged the wire into the side of the pot to provide some stability. 

Here’s the final product, and it works great!  The Plumbago is now as perky as I am after a bottle of wine!

S is for Sweet Potato Vine

Posted by Lesley on May 26, 2010 2 comments

There were Several S’s in the garden to choose from for today’s ABC Wednesday post - Salvia, Sage, Succulents, and Sunflowers.  But in the end, I had to Select Sweet potato vine.  Originally chosen for its hardiness, it became the Star of this post for an entirely different reason…ooh…the Suspense! 

The name refers to the vine’s bulbous-looking root System called root tubers.  It’s hardy in the Sun or Shade and even thrives in the Summer heat.  This is a purple Blackie variety, but leaves can also Show green.  Save your money when Shopping for Sweet potato vine because one Sole plant can Spawn a Slew.  Simply Snip the bottom leaves off and Stuff the Stems in Soil.  Sustain watering for Several days in Succession for 100% Success. 

As the vine Spreads and Sprawls, it Stays low and Serves as a Splendid ground cover.  It fills in bare Spots quickly and thickly - maybe a little too thickly.  I was knealing near a patch and Somehow failed to Spot this 3-foot Snake!  

I’m Suddenly Soured on Sweet potato vine!

Irish-American Sprinkler System

Posted by Lesley on May 25, 2010 3 comments

My sister sent me this picture from Ireland today:

The subject line of the email read: Irish Sprinkler System.  It’s a great idea: a recycled water bottle turned into a mini soaker hose.  All you have to do is poke tiny holes in a bottle.  Pins work well; tacks are a little too big.

As clever as the idea is, it needs some American flair to lose the litter look.  Don’t get me wrong; I’m a huge fan of recycling in the garden:

It just has to be pretty and colorful, so here’s my American twist on the Irish sprinkler system:

The first step was to find a better bottle.  Easy-there was a pomegranate tea in my fridge with a cute red heart in the logo and a mint green cap.  But it still looked like trash lying around the garden, so I added a handful of red marbles to finish it off.  Much better!        

Impatiens?

Posted by Lesley on May 21, 2010 None comments

Normally, my Rain lilies make a much grander entrance.  Three days after the first good summer storm they start springing up by the dozen.  This year they can’t seem to wait for a storm.  One by one, they’re popping up in random places throughout the garden…

Amongst the Mums…

Under a Croton…

In a clump of Salvia…

R is for RED

Posted by Lesley on May 19, 2010 3 comments

As I walked through the garden looking for R’s, everything Red caught my Retinas…

Red salvia Ruling the wildflower garden:

grape tomatoes Ripening:

Ripe and Ridged surinam cherries:

an epiphyte Residing in a Red lantern:

Recent growth on my blue girl Rose

and a gnome Reading in a Red hat:

Happy ABC Wednesday!

Community Farmers Market

Posted by Lesley on May 18, 2010 3 comments

Update: This farmers market has gone online.

If you’re in the neighborhood of State Road 70 and Caruso Road in Bradenton tomorrow, stop by the Community Farmers Market.  I stopped in last week and was pleasantly surprised.  It’s in sort of a strange location – the Health Park East parking lot, so I wasn’t expecting much – maybe a handful of vendors at best.  But there were a dozen or more with a nice variety of produce, prepared foods, plants, and crafts.  The King Farm stand was my favorite because they offer local, organic fruits and vegetables.  

John’s father had just brought us some pole beans and squash from his garden, so I went straight for the blueberries.

The market runs from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays; the address is 6040 53rd Ave E (SR70) Bradenton, FL.   

The First Signs of Summer

Posted by Lesley on May 17, 2010 None comments

They’re hovering by the dozen and one literally bounced off my forehead this afternoon, so apparently it’s dragonfly season again!  Although it’s not quite sweltering yet, it’s hot enough for them. 

This one is a blue dasher dragonfly.

Another sure sign of summer are Rain lilies, quite possibly the most heat-tolerant bulb on Earth.  I never dig them up, and they multiply like crazy.  This one popped up in a barren square.

My Family Tree

Posted by Lesley on May 14, 2010 4 comments

I haven’t seen my sister since last August.  She’s on a Family Hiatus in Ireland for a year.  We seem to keep in touch through our blogs more than anything else.  It’s my favorite distraction to check in and see what small glimpse of their day I get to share in.  Today my nephew, Dylan, was fascinated from a far by a snail.  Wednesday, she wrote about a tree that reminds her of me and my tree.  Although there are a few palms and cherry trees in our yard, there’s only one she could be talking about - Grandfather Grapefruit.

I love this tree!  Beyond its grapefruit and blossoms, it’s home to mockingbirds, spiders and air plants.  My orchid has thrived under its protective branches, and ball moss lives on its bark.

Grandfather Grapefruit makes me smile and so does my sister.  Of course, I knew this before reading this month’s All You magazine, but they backed up my findings with research:

Having a sister makes people happier and more optimistic, according to a 2009 U.K. report by researchers at the University of Ulster and De Montfort University.  The reason?  Female siblings give support and encourage their family members to communicate their emotions-which decreases stress, the study’s authors say.      

Thanks sis!  I’ll be thinking of you under the shade of the grapefruit tree.

I’m in a Quandary

Posted by Lesley on May 12, 2010 9 comments

There are no Q’s in my garden; it’s time to get queative!  No Queen Anne’s Lace, no quinces, no quails, and no quarenders (dark red apples).  But surely I can find some quatrefoils…

 

Quatrefoils have four leaves or petals.  Happy ABC Wednesday!

A Healthy Breakfast for You and Your Roses

Posted by Lesley on May 11, 2010 None comments

I made a yummy yogurt-granola parfait this morning with bananas and blueberries.  On my way to toss the banana peel into the compost bin, I stopped short in the rose garden.  One, because the roses are blooming and budding like crazy:

And two, because the roses could use that banana peel more than the compost.  Bananas are good for roses for the same reason they’re good for people – their high potassium content.  Potassium is a common ingredient in fertilizers because it encourages hefty bloom and fruit production.  There are several ways to feed your roses bananas, but you know me, I always pick the easiest.  I simply shove my fingers into the soil a few inches from the base of the rose and then shove the banana peel down.  Cover it up, water it in, and done.  But that’s me.  Other people will tell you to bake the banana peels so they’ll break down faster or to use the whole banana and make it into a mash.  This seems like extra work, but that’s coming from a Floridian.  The Florida sun is hotter and more effective than any oven on Earth.  The heat literally melts everything we bury.  We have our bin, but that’s more for yard waste.  Most of our kitchen scraps go underground.  We use one square at a time and no matter how much we bury, we never dig anything up. It’s as unbelievable as a magician making his assistant disappear.  I want to know where the trap door is.  

This rose’s name is Strike it Rich; it’s a Grandiflora rose and the star of the garden – extremely disease-resistant.