the perfect Tiny House

Tags

environment, home, tiny house, wild birds

As I cleaned out the three bird boxes last week, I could not resist photographing the nest of the Black Cap Chickadee.

The adorable, tiny black cap chickadee. 

Constructed during the unusually cold spring, this bird insulated her eggs/chicks with divine plushness. Notice the moss base topped with what appeared to be wool or dog hair. I am astonished how creative these birds are when Mother Nature throws a curve ball.

Keep in mind as you view these images the fact that this small bird erects her nest without help from a mate, only using her mandible, feet, and flight. The entire interior of the box was filled with this material…picked bit by bit and carefully constructed. Are you impressed?

End view. If you were a chickadee, would you be glad to enter this world snugged in by this nest?

Custom made, mouthful by mouthful, this beautiful nest is used only for one brood per year. I encourage moss in my gardens solely for this purpose.

Carolina Wren and Eastern Bluebird nests are totally trashed by the time the brood fledges, often found with many mites and fecal matter. This nest was pristine, tidy with no mess. I hated to take it to the burn barrel, but alas. Before doing so, I had to capture and share photos with followers.

Also happy to report that the resident Eastern Bluebirds have so far this spring successfully fledged two broods of three chicks each. Within days of the last fledge, the adults are back and the female is constructing her third nest. This is a first for my garden’s box, as summer is usually too steamy for a third go. Yet I am confident that this “professional” pair of birds will make do. I gave the box’s interior a good scrub and added Diatomaceous earth to the bottom of the box to ward off blow fly and other blood sucking parasites so common to these birds.

Nestling bluebirds day nine ~ Swallowtail Cottage

As another steamy Virginia summer heats up, I am delighted each day by the wild bird activity in my gardens, observed from my air-conditioned home. Eastern Bluebirds, Black-Cap Chickadees, Northern Cardinals, Red Bellied Woodpeckers, and Carolina Wrens are by far my favorite birds and they are spoiled by hand-chopped sunflower seeds I deliver throughout the day to my rear terrace. Despite challenges from the plethora of invasive 2020 squirrels, I am slowing winning the battle.

Observation of wild birds, their distinct behavioral patterns, intelligence, beauty, and ability to adapt is truly remarkable. I am so envious of their innate ability to just simply fly.

What birds do you love best? What have you learned from your observations?

Keep safe.

Copyright © 2020 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

Miracles everywhere

Tags

butterfly larva, garden hobby, garden miracles, home, inspiration, life, Pipevine Swallowtail

In the words of a local butterfly mentor, Linda best described the wonder of these images I captured earlier this spring:

“From a side view, the chrysalis of the magnificent Pipevine Swallowtail  butterfly resembles a miniature prehistoric dragon head. The chrysalis can be a vivid shade of lime green or a mottled grayish brown, suspended on a twig or stick by a monofilament of silk to hold it securely in place until the butterfly is ready to emerge. It then begins to turn dark, revealing the wing pattern and body of the soon to be butterfly. Once freed of its enclosure, it will pump fluid into its wings, making them strong enough to carry the butterfly on the wind or beat a hasty retreat, to nectar plants for sustenance, to begin the life cycle again. The four life stages of a butterfly are truly a remarkable manifestation of Mother Nature’s handiwork.”

Linda Marchman
Author of “Gone Astray”, “Silent Meow”  and NEWLY PUBLISHED “Lost and Found Cats”  www.felinefiction.com

Early this year, I collected five Pipevine swallowtail eggs from the host plant, a vine (Pipevine) trellised in my garden just for this purpose. Raised indoors due to freakish late killing frosts in March/April, three eggs would fit on the the head of a pin. Tiny. When fed fresh host plant leaves indoors, they grew rapidly in a lettuce container placed in the bay window. The small dots you see in this photo is frass, or butterfly poop. I emptied the frass many times per day and kept leaves fresh. Caterpillars cannot see nor hear. They just eat and poop.  If left in the wild, merely three out of one-hundred would survive to maturity. Predation is rampant. Therefore I do my part to help these beauties survive. About two weeks later, they climbed on the skewers I supplied, and formed their chrysalises. Despite the cold swings outdoors, they rested comfortably indoors.

This is one Pipevine chrysalis, formed last fall. I stored it in the unheated garden shed over winter, and brought it inside with five of its mates this spring, where they all emerged as butterflies. See what emerged a few minutes later below…

Notice the different shapes created by the same kind of swallowtail. This one is especially spectacular. The color and shape happened before my eyes. Have you ever seen this transformation? These photos were taken in natural light and the camera was hand-held. If you sew or paint, I am sure you will appreciate this image.

Amazing, yes? Notice the wee silk thread created by the caterpillar before it transformed into a chrysalis. This is one fine form of engineering!

This pair is from the same group, yet completely different in color. This I cannot explain. They all emerged successfully two weeks later and I hope that they all live a complete cycle…another two short weeks. In fact this morning, one Pipevine was back at the vine laying eggs. Who knows if it was one of mine. The circle continues. 

Voila! The overwintered Pipevine emerges! After a while its wings engorge with fluid, and within a short time, it is ready to fly.

Another view of  spent chrysalis with emerged butterfly resting outside. Over the years, I have raised hundreds of Monarchs and various Swallowtails. They each have a particular life cycle. Learning their ways, caring for them, and seeing them at first flight is a hobby that never fails to delight. When all things come together in perfect harmony, Mother Nature rewards us with miracles.

To these special moments, I cling, while the rest of the planet is currently crazed.

See more of my many butterfly photos and posts by typing Monarch into the search bar on this blog. Butterflies are quite magical, fragile, and fleeting. Similar to life itself.

Let me hear from you in the comments section!

Copyright © 2020 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

And so it goes…

Tags

blueberry, DIY project, garden, home, home garden, life, wild birds

Spring in central Virginia continues, despite the human condition. Mother Nature always wins. She has run wild since late March delivering freezing 29F temperatures one night then 80F the next week. Wow! My poor peony crop has never seen such dramatic swings. Yet, for the past two weeks, I managed to harvest enough flowers for bouquets to sell at market. Happy customers are unaware of my road of angst traveled to get there.

slowly a peony harvest in 2020

The O’Neal blueberries are another story. The bumblebees did a splendid job of pollinating the flowers early on. Fruit swelled on the stems, yet they too experienced the dramatic temperature swings. My three shrubs are now ten years old. How time flies. Over the years, I experimented in numerous ways on how to deter birds and one nocturnal four-legger from my cash crop.

A few years back I began experimenting with tulle, yes the stuff wedding veils are made of. Standard bird netting is evil and can snag, injure, or kill a wild bird, therefore I NEVER use it. Tulle on the other hand is soft like an angel’s kiss. Notice in this photo the Mylar strips, whirligigs, and even a fake snake on the ground. None really discouraged wildlife.

Last year I applied more tulle, the widest I could find at Joann’s. This was more effective, but made my harvesting job much more difficult, although every time I lifted the tulle, I felt like a bride. 😉 One curious raccoon would get tied up in the edges, and there would be strips of tulle around the ground next morning. NOT good.

2020 Improvements…Since blueberries are part of my landscape, I do not want to build a permanent structure around them. Therefore, I purchased eight eight-foot garden stakes to form a minimal frame to hold the tulle higher and wider than the shrubs. On the tops of the stakes I placed inverted, one-quart PETE containers to protect the tulle. Yesterday, I only spent about an hour installing the stakes and applying the tulle. Tentatively held in place with clothes pins, the tulle remained in place overnight and, fingers crossed, throughout the harvest weeks ahead. Notice the black-ish line on the ground along the tulle’s perimeter…that is spent coffee grounds, collected from one local coffee shop. Last year I discovered that raccoons despise the scent/texture of coffee grounds. The space left under the tulle will hopefully prevent critters from tearing it. Since I spent the part of three March days hand sewing this 11 yards of double-wide tulle, I want to see it last a few season. Yes?  

What do you think of my recent solution?
Gardening is all about evolution.
And patience, and resilience.

Only the cleverest catbird or cardinal will find their way under the tulle to the berries. I don’t mind sharing a few, but since I harvested thirty pounds of berries from these three shrubs in 2019, I will not share many with wildlife.

Regular market customers are already lined up for their share of this blue superfood come June.

Now back to the peony harvest. Overcast skies this week threaten rain on partially opened buds, not quite ready for harvest. Peonies and rain are not the ideal combination for floral bouquets. A giant circus tent would be ideal for protection, but alas that will not happen. And so it goes…

I hope you and yours are well and safe. I enjoy hearing from you, so please take a moment to drop a comment.

Copyright © 2020 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

When critters call

Tags

Coffee ground uses, DIY, garden, garden critters, home garden

Good morning all!

Garden challenges can sometimes be an uphill climb. Let me share what I learned this summer.

Back to garden topics: I am having issues with not ONE but THREE adult raccoons who have been a nuisance in my Free Union gardens since May. They really appreciate my organic gardening efforts as they visit every night.

Once we figured out what was invading/defecating, I conferred with our local wildlife center and tried all of their repellent suggestions. When lights, noise, and ammonia were not not effective, I continued my quest. This morning, I want to share DOES work, so that my garden followers may add these to their battery of knowledge.

I love raccoons, yet they have been a huge nuisance this year. Since early spring, I wracked my brain to outsmart/repel the digging/climbing critters.

Photo by Olia Gozha on Pexels.com

What DOES work:

Spent (used) coffee grounds! I collect spent coffee grounds from our local Whole Foods Market barista (they are happy to give to me) and then toss the grounds wherever the raccoons are digging. I enjoy the scent of coffee, yet never acquired a taste for the beverage, as I cannot make it taste like the professionals. So, spreading the often warm grounds is pleasurable. Just wear old clothes and rubber gloves, as this process is messy and grounds scent lingers on skin.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Did you know that spent coffee grounds become a neutral PH and add a nice dose of nitrogen to plants? Additionally, if you keep an earthworm farm or want to treat worms in your raised beds, those wigglers crave coffee grounds!

Back at Swallowtail Cottage: The family of raccoons obsessed over my mature daffodil bulb/grape hyacinth beds during August and I just discovered that if I applied pine bark mulch over the area, the raccoons quit digging there! Voila! So off to Lowe’s I went with Auto for bags of the stuff. I can never apply too much mulch here…hence my nickname “Mulchqueen”. I should own a pine forest.

Photo by Trygve Finkelsen on Pexels.com

With this newfound knowledge, yesterday I applied (very fragrant) pine mulch to an area where I just planted new echinacea plants and, yay! this AM, NO DIGGING! Hurrah!

Who knew?

Ah ha!  My plan for next April/May when my blueberries bloom/fruit, I plan to strew plenty of coffee grounds around that area to ward off predation. And hopefully the silly raccoons will not do a repeat performance and get tangled in the draped tulle! 😉

Let me know if this garden tidbit is helpful. Or perhaps this is common knowledge and I missed that memo. Either way, please share this post with other gardeners where raccoons are a problem.

A green/sustainable solution, yes? Since coffee shops are a dime a dozen around the planet, most of them will gladly give gardeners the spent grounds to work wonders in their gardens. Just bring your own bucket.

Coffee filters are also biodegradable, so add them to your raised beds for a carbon hit.

Off to more garden chores. Look forward to the first frost and fewer biting insects. Alas, I will miss hosting summer hummingbirds.

Happy fall. Happy gardening!

Let me know in the comments section if this information helps.

Copyright © 2019 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

for the love of rock, II

Tags

DIY project, edging, erosion, garden, home garden, Keto, rock, summer garden

Those who follow this blog know how much I love rock, boulders, stones, and pebbles. For nearly twenty years, I have resided on a half-acre in the foothills of of the Blue Ridge, USA.
Back in 2001, I only had one option when shopping for a home. I knew where I wanted to buy, but had no options. The house I bought was a badly neglected, twenty-eight YO fixer-upper. The gardens were non-existent, yet I had to relinquish my farmhouse rental in thirty days. This blog has recorded my ongoing projects, mostly DIY, requiring all of my coping and problem-solving skills.

As mentioned afore, this property is sloped on one end creating many challenges and solutions for erosion control. Over and over. Two steps forward, one step back…for nearly two decades.

Lower patio area prior to major storm erosion. Replaced mulch and rosemary with pea gravel, peonies and rock.

During summer when temps rise quickly, morning chores begin before the neighbor’s rooster calls. As heat and humidity rise, I default indoors for most of the day. YouTube provides hours of informative content regarding gardens, history, and fabulous inspiration. Standing stones are often discussed when visiting the UK, and I took them to heart when arranging found rock on my wee property.
For years, I gathered rock and stone and hauled it home. Concrete paths and stoops were jack-hammered out, replaced with purchased boulders for both front and rear access.

Front boulder at door. All beds in this photo are changed entirely.

Today’s view of house front. See my hanging chad bay window? So glad to have calm in that bed. What do you think of a large planter under the bay filled with ferns?

The front path today…rain runs through it smoothly, leaving the path in tact. My hands and knees are really getting a workout this summer to keep weeds at bay!

I even add pebbles to decorative planters around the property. Tending live container plants is too labor intensive, and I love the look of pebbles. “Rock is forever” is my mantra.

Even wee Carolina wrens love bathing in this shallow saucer, adorned with a stone I carried back from New Mexico.

This is a winter shot of the front bed where I divide the turf from the mulched bed with river pebbles. During the growing season, this divide requires some weeding, but is effective and slows down water during heavy rains.

This was also a wash area every time it rained. So gravel was the answer. One heavy rain since placement confirms its success. Gravel will continue to replace mulch where ever it is appropriate. What took me so long???

Anywhere there is mulch, I tend to stabilize with found rock. Up till now, I usually placed rock flat. NOW, thanks to standing stones inspiration, I am retracing my rock edging. By digging a small trench where the stones lay, I reset them standing. This gives more of an edge, slowing water and keeping mulch in place. Voila!

These beauties did not require much standing, yet do a great job.

Just trenched and upright as of this morning, water will slow down and mulch will remain where I placed it. All these hostas were removed in 2019. Too much sun and they burned. As a trade for digging, one area resident with a shady garden is in heaven. 

One upright stone in the peony bed does a splendid job (combined with others along this sloped bed edge) and slows down rushing water. My own standing stones here at Swallowtail Cottage. 

Along the back foundation bed, a wider swath of pea gravel combines nicely with smaller “standing stones” to slow water. Turf one side, mulch the other.

With an occasional blower sweep along the rocks and a strim from the Grass Hog, mulch remains mulch and turf remains at bay…all being very tidy. You like?

This garden plaque says it all.

As I now sit in my pleasant air conditioned cottage during the hot July afternoon, all aches vanish from the hand and knee weeding/toiling of early this morning. Sharing my garden success with readers and fellow gardeners brings endless pleasure. Are you inspired?

Gardens are for sharing and I hope you enjoyed being a vicarious visitor. Let me know what garden projects you are undertaking.

Keto followers: End of month three and my IF is going great and for longer time. In fact I now go out early AM without eating and do plenty of garden chores before retreating from summer heat. IF has raised the bar for energy levels. WaHooWa!

Have you learned anything today?

Copyright © 2019 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

she’s baaaack!

Tags

garden, home, home projects, life, Virginia spring flowers

I rallied. I overcame February and March influenza and pneumonia. OK! Enough!

As I convalesced and resigned myself to bed, my Smart Sony TV and YouTube became my go-to sanity. Thank heavens for channels which transported my weary body to the great gardens of Italy, England, and France, all hosted by Monty Don. Amazing Places on our Planet is another channel that convinced me I had become an angel, riding the back of a drone across continents. Brilliant videos! One can fulfill their bucket list on YouTube. Why spend one’s life in airports, lines, and crowed aircraft when in just a few clicks, one can visit the most beautiful places on our planet from the privacy of one’s bedroom? One day there will be smell-a-vision and I will be complete.

This month Swallowtail Cottage emerged with lush blooms, smothered weeds, departed needy plants, and as of yesterday eight tons of brown gravel that refreshed a tired driveway and paths. All events lifted my spirits to a new level of optimism regarding home ownership. Mother Nature missed my gardens with late frosts which ruin buds and spoil the essence of spring. I am awash with spring’s glory!

These tulips are new to my gardens. They are a rare heirloom which multiply! I lost most, but these seem to be happy.

The snowflake viburnum are awash in blooms. These three shrubs are sixteen years old! Peonies (on right) are chest high and loaded with buds!

The bridal wreath spirea is now lush with subtle fragrance. Brides order my Key Lime Pies, not my spirea!

This lone Lily-flowering Ballerina tulip is simply magnificent. I moved others and they vanished. I celebrate this single specimen the entire week it blooms. Planted in 2003… one of 16 bulbs from a cheap-o bag from Sam’s. Go figure!

Now, I admit from January-March I hauled/applied one hundred bags of pine bark mulch to all the deep shrub borders. The pine needle mulch experiment was a total bust allowing every rogue weed to propagate here. In January, one helper and I spent three hours on hands and knees ridding one peony bed of invasive Angelina Stonecrop (Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’). It became very unhappy with all the rain 2018 delivered and soon turned a lovely, moldy, black patch!

If one gardens in Arizona or CA, perhaps Angelina Stonecrop would thrive. Not so in central VA.

Live and learn.

---

The heirloom peonies are now chest high and loaded with buds. During May I will deliver many bouquets to market to my ever loving customers!

The Fire Power nandinas, installed in the front bed behind the Morris buxus, were also a total bust.

Just lovely, eh? $250 worth of plant material lost. Fire Power Nandina, a total waste of time in Zone 7a.

They came from the nursery infested with an “insect they had never seen.” Nor had I. The first season I was forced to apply an systemic insecticide. Then the second year, the leaves were riddled with what the nursery identified as “fungal issues” and advised me to treat them again this season. OUT I SAY! I have no tolerance for needy plant material!  The owner of the nursery sent out a plantsman who removed all the nandinas (at no charge) and will give me a 25% discount when I decide what to plant in that space. Right now, I enjoy the minimal front bed. The bay window still appears to be a hanging chad, but for now new plant material will wait. Perhaps a 7′ wide planter under the bay filled with fern will be splendid. Wild ferns are popping up in the pebbles, so perhaps they can be convinced to live in a more civilized planter. What do you think?

Now that I hopefully wowed you, I will go to the nuts and bolts.

Fresh gravel. Future projects…

Tabula Rasa or Latin for “blank slate.” Nothing like a fresh coat of gravel to perk up spring! Carport project still great and serving Auto and moi well.

Long shot of drive. Leylands on the left are becoming a royal pain…too large and too expensive to maintain. Some Leylands are dying out on this row, with will require many dollars to remove and replace with additional privacy fence…LATER!! Notice the “Green Giant” arborvitae on the right, planted in 12/16. I have high hopes for this plant. Fast growing, heavenly scent, and great for privacy.

Now doesn’t the front path look nice and tidy! The wee Morris buxus (dwarf boxwood) are like pets that I pat every time I stroll by. And by the way, I do not fertilize my turf. The perfect conditions during spring create a lushness beyond words.

Today’s view of house front. Notice my hanging chad bay window? So glad to have calm in that bed. What do you think of a large planter under the bay filled with ferns?

I should name this photo “naked gardening!” Need more river pebbles and that planter, gushing with ferns…yes?

Any hew, I am up and making things happen around here. I still relax with YouTube daily. And I failed to mention…I gave up sugar and refined carbs…going Keto this month and one week in, I feel good and body fat appears to be melting away. No longer guilty about eating bacon, butter, and meat. My market neighbor this season is a sustainable farmer who raises heritage beef, pigs, and chickens. Check out his web site…www.harmonyhillfarm.net  to learn more about sustainable farming.

Living well and upright. 😉

Now back to my Spring 2019 Honey Do List:

Replace RO system, pump septic tank, level boulder at back door, replace 8 casement windows! Time for the sale sign?

Love to hear from you. Drop me a line in the comments section. Happy Spring!

 

Copyright © 2019 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

timing is everything

Tags

blueberry, garden, home, life, spring, spring flowers, Virginia, wild birds

Peony season ended yesterday with the last stems going home with market shoppers. Over 700 stems were harvested this year, despite crazy spring temperature swings.

abundant peony harvest 2017

I thought every blueberry flower was frozen during a late March freeze and I fully expected a ruined harvest. Behold, a few weeks ago fruit formed and swelled although I rarely saw a pollinator.

So begins another harvest challenge..wild birds appear to be especially hungry this spring and despite my efforts to foil winged and four-footed marauders, I regularly notice clever catbirds, robins, and one blasted squirrel climbing under the tulle, metallic ribbon, and whirligigs. “Ha!”they say. “On berries we will gorge!”

O’Neil blueberries beginning to ripen

Despite tulle, mylar ribbon, whirligigs, and a fake snake, the wild visitors snack

This image of a resident female American Robin collecting nesting material reminds me to be thankful for my arms, hands and fingers. Robins engineer elaborate nests cemented together with mud…all carried in their mandible.

Now I will share images of what’s blooming here at Swallowtail Cottage this month.

A clever newbie to my garden nectars upside down on the Red Hot Pokers. I think it is an Northern “Baltimore” Oriole or a Rufous-sided Towhee. Can you identify?

Another newbie to my gardens…Apricot Fudge lily…much showier the second season. No scent, and oddly shaped…what do you think?

Ahh, the persnickety Foxtail lily…an underperformer added two seasons ago. Five bulbs were planted. One died this spring and only two others bloomed. Not enough bang for the buck…Does anyone know the secret to growing this beauty?

The patch of rescued iris has tripled in just three years and is awesome early on.  Despite my efforts, this patch is now riddled with fungus and I am not sure if I will be forced to remove all of them. Any suggestions?

This mass of flower power is on top of my cattle panel arbor over one raised bed. I am told they are fragrant, yet being on top, they are out of whiff range. As the prolific climber continues its path over the top of the arbor, I will sniff when flowers are within range. This is a Huldine clematis planted two years ago. Second season is impressive, yes? And I read it will bloom twice per season. Yeah!

This is the cluster of flowers from one bulb found in the grocery store (set of three) called a Mediterranean Lily. All three bulbs have produced a sturdy 36″ stem every year for the past three, and these flowers last for weeks when cut. They remind me of a chandelier.

And this is the Fake Snake who scares no birds away from my blueberries…when soaked the package states it will grow to 48″. Despite heavy rains since installed, this Fake only writhes and swells in bizarre places.

Therefore my 2017 hopes of blueberry bounty are dashed…this photo was taken a few years back when times were different. Yes, timing is everything…

Here at Swallowtail Cottage, in zone 7a, the first nesting season is now complete for the Carolina chickadees, Eastern bluebirds, and Northern cardinals. The three-week old cardinal chicks have found my feeders and entertain me with their antics. Sadly, one cardinal chick appears to have wing issues end I think it cannot fly. I shall monitor the situation as it visits the feeders and will contact the Wildlife Sanctuary for advice.

I regularly chase off the Brewer’s Blackbirds, cowbirds, and jays who invade my feeders and terrorize the new resident chicks. Tufted titmice continue their quiet routines, one Ruby-throated hummer visits the feeder frequently, House and Goldfinches continue to annoy me, Carolina Wrens are scarce, Brown Thrashers are beautiful and elegant, the occasional Chipping Sparrow makes an appearance, and my beloved Red bellied woodpeckers astound and delight. I envy their ability to fly, yet rejoice in the fact that I have arms, hands and fingers…

Happy and bountiful spring to your, my followers. I always enjoy hearing from you.

Diane

PS. WordPress just informed me that this is my 200th post. Shall I continue or retire?

Copyright © 2017 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

ahh, November

Tags

environment, fall garden, garden, garden chores, home, November, Virginia

My central Virginia gardens endured one of the hottest, driest summers in recent history.

Since most of the fifteen-year-old landscape is well established, only the few new installations required weekly monitoring. The basement dehumidifier supplied a consistent 2-gallon supply of free water daily, greatly reducing the labor intensive task of hose dragging.

Let me introduce you to Black Diamond crape myrtle, added to my front garden this summer. Notice the wonderful deep leaf hue and pleasant color of the flowers…this plant blooms multiple times per year and reaches 12′ high. I look forward to many years with this new variety…

I gave up raising home vegetables in 2014. Too many persistent insects prayed on tender leaves, leaving undesirable remnants. I fully support organic growing methods, yet for the effort involved, I would rather spend my time tending the heirloom daffodils, peonies, and lilies that reside here. These spring beauties bring endless joy to me and my market customers come April/May, and by the time June heat and humidity build, I am spending only minimal time outdoors.

abundant peony harvest 2015

Early spring brings abundance

dazzling organic peppers grown by young farmers. There is no need for me to fight veggie insects in my gardens…when I can support local efforts.

Gardening during cool temps from November-March soothes my soul. The tempo is slow. The air is crisp and clean. I add to my perennial collections, as fall is planting season. And above all, the dastardly biting insects are absent and I once again enjoy the outdoors.

terrace wall refurbished with Muhly grass showing off on the other side…September is mighty showy here.

This month the arborist arrives with his bucket truck and helper. He annually sheers the 135 Leyland Cypress that border my property. This year I am tasking him with drastically reducing the elevation of the rows…tough love. Over the years, they slowly crept up to twenty feet, a height I no longer desire. Soon entire row at the back will be totally eliminated by the power company, as maintaining it is now unsustainable and my splendid privacy fence doing a fine job.

photo of stained privacy fence. After a contractor’s estimate of 12 hours and $400 labor, I knew it was up to me to complete this job. Six hours over two days delivered one handsome fence to Swallowtail Cottage.

I am in love with this chipper…perfect for the job at hand…

As of today the house and shed are washed/painted/caulked where needed. The roof chimney and vents are caulked and painted. The patio furniture has a fresh coat of paint (yes that DTM paint project two years ago was a miserable failure.) The windows are washed inside and out. 23′ of deer fencing is installed in the lower corner of the garden to close a gap. Three arborvitae and a Kousa dogwood will replace an ancient dogwood (Cornus florida) and an unimpressive japanese maple. Eventually this new installation will screen the deer wire.

THEN, on the fifteenth of November, I shall have knee surgery…just a repair for a torn meniscus.

Baby 5 was my perfect companion during this gravel project. She held steadfast, despite my concerns that I would break her.

Yes, gardening does take a toll. Perhaps last November’s foundation planting did in my knee. That two tons of river rock did not seem that difficult, yet perhaps it was the eleven hours it took to prep/plant the seventeen shrubs. Ahh, November.

A time to complete chores, reflect, relax, and bask in the glow of a dreamy winter ahead.

this is the view from my back door, over the herb garden during winter 2015

Copyright ©2016 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

August garden

Tags

Albemarle County, Central Virginia, garden, home, life, lifestyle, plants, summer, Virginia

There is one word that describes the month of August in central Virginia… steamy. Not unlike steam room cloying temperatures and humidity with dew points in the 70’s.

August skies over Swallowtail Cottage

This year does not disappoint. Any Virginia gardener knows this month requires resolve and fortitude and multiple trips to the shower. If Mother Nature holds back quenching storms, this gardener must rise before dawn to drag hoses around for blooming plants, inviting nectaring insects and butterflies to have sweet tastes. Newly added plant material must be monitored for even moisture, if they are to survive and put down healthy root systems.

Despite these character-building conditions, I want to share with you the beauties that dot my landscape this month…

The Chinese Lycoris squamigera, more commonly known as Naked Ladies, are plentiful around here (zone 7a) as summer beauties yet are extremely persnickety. They send up tall, flat leaves in the spring that die off, then tall spikes appear this month. With multiple flowers on plain or naked stalks reaching 36″ tall, they are quite the show stopper. They never need staking, yet when I transplant them to other garden areas, many never bloom. Go figure…

Formosa lilies are native to Formosa and grow easily in my gardens where they readily self sow… the original seed came from Tufton, a property once owned by Thomas Jefferson.

The Formosa seed pods during winter, with actual seeds removed. Stunning, yes?

This Honeybells fragrant hosta and nine sisters were gifted to me last year. Now blooming and 48″ high, the steamy August garden is blessed with visual cool and fragrance. PS: generous applications of spent coffee grounds around the base of early leaves completely stopped the onslaught of slugs…a Whole Foods Barista was happy to give me their dregs any time that I asked.

A close up of this dreamy hosta Honeybells. Too bad the biting ants like the flowers too or I would cut stems for the house and market.

The only phlox I grow here at Swallowtail Cottage, Davidii stands tall and does not succumb to any mildew. Incredible.

Another gift from Kate. The Celadon poppy blooms early spring and again this month. I am told this poppy is invasive, yet tucked back in the rear garden, I invite a bit of delicate color and naughty.

THIS is a thug. Rudbeckia triloba…I do not remember ever planting it, yet this year a huge area of the butterfly garden is filled with these 6′ tall bloomers! I took many bunches to market and will stuff the rest in the burn barrel, as they have needles along the stems and are as rough as a cob. OUT!!!

Autumn Joy sedum attracts flutterbyes by the dozen and is an easy-care perennial. A classic in any garden. This was on the property when I bought it in 2001, and I have shared many clumps with neighbors.

Ahhh, my summer delight. The Natchez crape myrtle. One double trunk grows in the front lawn, and a five-trunked specimen thrives on the west side of the house. These beauties provide dreamy shade during summer months, have refreshing blooms where honey bees bury themselves, and in fall, leaves change to a brilliant hue. Did I mention the peeling bark during August? This shed reminds me all is well with much visual interest.

The shedding bark layer curls and twists, revealing the baby smooth leather-like under bark. I often find myself stroking the trunks as the sensation is like no other.

I laugh every year when this silly PJM rhododendron blooms in August…All of its companions bloom in the spring, when they should, but here, no. I really do not like pink of any kind in the garden, yet planted PJM’s years ago for their winter bronze leaf color.

Let me introduce you to a new variety… Black Diamond crape myrtle, added to my front garden this summer. Notice the wonderful deep leaf hue and pleasant color of the flowers…this plant blooms multiple times per year and the plant tag promises a mature height at 12′. I look forward to many years with this new variety…

And Babe, the topic of my last post, survives despite its weird appendage in front of its right leg. After emailing photos to the Wildlife Center, they too are stumped and suggest that as long as Babe is eating well, to leave it in the wild. Although Babe continues to molt and look rather pathetic with its shabby coat, I eagerly wait to see what sex it is…can anyone guess?

This plaque, found in a shop at Tryon Palace, reminds me that the garden teaches forever.

Twice per week this time of year I run errands and make deliveries very early, then confess to enjoying short afternoon naps in the air conditioning. Heat is hypnotic. Reclined on the loveseat, dozing between paragraphs of a Baldacci novel, I later rise and do indoor chores. Then around 7PM I dress for insects and head out weekly to mow and perspire. Soon. Soon. Very soon, there will be lower dew points and garden clean up, as the blooming show will be mostly over until next spring. And this gardener will sigh a large exhale.

Thanks for reading along. Your comments are always enjoyed.

Copyright © 2016 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

the May that floats

Tags

Albemarle County, Central Virginia, garden, life, nature, spring, Virginia

Normally, May is one of my favorite months as a gardener. Normally, the gardens burst with color, texture, and fragrance. Normally, May is a time for celebration and a time to bid farewell to the cold of winter. To date friends, 2016 weather continues chafe the best of my patience and optimism. Is it time to throw in the towel?

First, late killing April frosts affected many precious plants. Early tender perennials became steamed lettuce mush. Can you imagine?

Relentless May rains saturate even the best soils, threatening bulb rot and setting the stage for massive fungal issues in coming weeks. Harvesting six-hundred stems of heirloom peonies while dodging rainfall is, at a bare minimum, unpleasant for both me and my flowers. So much for garden delight. Rain days at the farmers market greatly reduce revenue, as only the hardy shoppers appear, and they typically are not in the mood for delicate stems. So much for my May cash crop. Currently, my flower fridge is overflowing and another few hundred stems beg to be harvested. Do you feel my pain?

Typically, June brings relentless heat and humidity to my Virginia gardens, seasoned with biting midges, ticks, and mosquitoes…for months. May is normally the time before June’s wickedness — inviting blissful strolls, the discovery of transcending scents, and the ability to see the fruits of my labor. Ha! At least my automobile is not floating down some side street, as Texans endure the spring from hell.

Ok, enough misery.

Is it time for the “For Sale” sign? Or shall I persevere? My inner voice whispered many times recently, “if it ain’t fun, don’t do it.” Well, I ain’t havin any fun as a gardener so far this year. Yet I am not ready for a condo. Been there, done that.

Do I publish this or press delete?

How about some comments from my followers?

From a drenched blogger/gardener in central VA. 

Is it time to hang it up?