The Bird of Paradise - Beauty out of this world..

I just uploaded an article about the bird of paradise flower to the site. This plant my Australian friend Beverly brought to my attention of such a beauty that words are just not enough. Really somewhere I must have been so ignorant not to notice this Gem.

Perhaps you all know of its existence and agree with my unknowingness however if you don’t or to brush up your knowledge I highly recommend the article. A Bird of paradise, exactly what it is.

Hans

Early Morning Gardening

Working in the garden in the cool of the evening is so therapeutic. All the stresses of the day evaporate and leave you feeling that life is really worth living. We weren’t meant to spend our lives locked up in a concrete jungle, but since that is where many people must work, it’s good to get the balance of being in a place where there are plants growing, fragrance drifting on the cool, evening breeze and bugs chirping happily as they decide what they’ll have for dinner. Oh well - everything has to eat something to survive. So long as they leave me a few plants to enjoy…. Unless you live where the summers are wet, then summer is the time when the garden dries out due to the extra heat. Saving water will also save you money, so mulching is the way to go. You can save your lawn clippings and tuck handfuls around the plants to keep the roots cool and conserve water. It keeps the weeds down too, killing two birds with one stone. I like things in the garden to look a bit untidy. Nature was not meant to be neat and tidy. Formal gardens may have their place - but not in my back yard. Give me glorious profusion any day. I love the way ivy geraniums and nasturtiums spill over a bank or ramble their way up a nearby shrub. Black-eyed Susan looks fantastic climbing up the apple tree near my kitchen window. I don’t mind in the least if violets sprout up between the rocks edging my shady garden.

Mmmmm, the morning after the storm

Mmm, you can’t beat early morning in the spring garden. If I can get out there early enough, I can pick off those stray snails breakfasting on my plants. Any wander through the garden usually ends up in me pulling a few stray weeds out, too. That’s how to keep up with the gardening housework; wander through it often pulling a few weeds out each time. In no time at all it’s looking great - and you’ve actually enjoyed it. That’s what a garden is for, right? Enjoyment - not hard work. I don’t worry too much about the odd weed. It gives the bugs something else to munch on apart from my flowers. Late in the evening is the time to sprinkle a bit of snail bait underneath boards or rocks in the garden, especially if it looks like rain. Rain will certainly bring the snails and slugs out. Make sure that bait is somewhere the kids and pets can’t get it. After a heavy early summer storm its good to get out into the garden and see what has happened. I can see where some of my good topsoil has actually washed out into the grass, so I need to scrape some soil out to the edge of the garden, making it slightly dish-shaped to help prevent that happening. Taking the time to stop and really look at what is happening in the garden will prevent me from pulling that iris or daffodil shoot out by mistake. When they are young they tend to look a bit like grass shoots. I can see what is about to flower, which plants need a bit of pruning and if those pesky little bugs are munching on the buds of any flowers. It’s disappointing to wait for weeks for a bud to unfurl only to find there are holes through every petal. I’ll have to get out my trusty Bug Gun since I haven’t had time to mix up a home remedy. Geraniums are particularly prone to blossom-eating caterpillars. Sometimes you can see the little blighters and squash them, but when they are tiny and curled up in the blossom is when they do the damage. One good thing is that when you pick or deadhead geraniums it keeps them blooming all the time, so they are rarely without flowers. More at http://www.gardening-guides.com/