Saturday Gardening Thread: California Here We Come! [Y-not and KT]

PLEASE KEEP POLITICS OFF OF THIS THREAD. THANKS!
Y-NOT

Y-not: Greetings, gardeners!

I got nothing.

Actually, I lie, I *do* have content, but it's not finished yet and I have things to do today. Here are a few links to make amends:

Garden Art

A recent visit to a small and quirky garden center inspired me to look for sculpture garden links.

Via the WSJ, here's a list of five top-rated sculpture gardens. This list focuses on U.S. sculpture gardens.

The Storm King Art Center appears on many of these "best of" lists. Here's a striking piece called Black Flag by Alexander Calder:

Has anyone been to Storm King? Where's your favorite sculpture garden?

In honor of Prince, here's an interesting article about one of the most recognizable pieces of garden sculpture in the U.S.

The spoon itself weighs 5,800 pounds and the cherry, another 1,200 pounds. The cherry's stem also acts as a fountain which sprays into the bowl of the spoon and off into the pond beneath. Even the pond itself has meaning, being shaped to resemble a linden seed, drawing attention to the rows of linden trees planted nearby.

Link to the Walker Art Center, which curates this piece, here. You can see it and other works of art at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.

Biographies of the artists here.

Want inspiration to create your own sculpture garden? This article from Midwest Living might appeal to you.

Or perhaps this article will get your motor going! (SWIDT?)

I tried, but failed, to discover who "invented" those art pieces made from old car and tractor parts. (I suppose they were an extension of the "found art" movement or perhaps something that was always part of "folk art.") I remember how cool I thought those animals made from old automotive parts were when I first saw one at an art festival -- now they are everywhere! These are particularly amazing.

Have any of you made garden art from reclaimed items?

Now, here's the irreplaceable KT to share some interesting information about gardens in California (and some creepy crawlies)...

Staying Underground

Last week, Y-not took us to Mammoth Cave National Park. The cave system there is a remarkable natural wonder. This week, I thought we could take a little virtual visit to a man-made underground wonder.

On Monday, I heard on the radio that Forestiere Underground Gardens in Fresno had won the Reader's Choice Award from USA Today for Best Underground Attraction. I have driven by the entrance, which was not particularly touristy - not even inviting, really. It's been a while. Hope they have spiffed the front up some since then. I guess the good stuff was all hidden underground.

TripAdvisor has photos and reviews.

Baldasarre Forestiere came USA from Sicily "to escape the iron rule of his wealthy father and pursue his own dreams." His first job in America was digging for the early subway system in Boston. He had admired catacombs in his native land, and patterned his eventual underground complex after them.

But unlike the darkness of the Old World's catacombs, Forestiere designed naturally lit courtyards, driveways, even a glass-bottomed aquarium (now not in use) below which he could sit and read. No plans were put on paper; each room and passageway originated in Forestiere’s mind as he went. With the simple tools of a farmer—a pick, a shovel, a wheelbarrow, a dragged scraper, and eventually two mules—the determined immigrant dug, chipped, and carved his personal monument to ingenuity for 40 years in his spare time. By the time he was 44 years old, he had excavated and planted over 10 acres.

The gardens no longer occupy 10 acres, but there are three levels in some parts of the remaining gardens. Inhabitat has a nice little summary and slideshow.

Forestiere began building the underground arboretum in 1906 when he bought land near Fresno that he thought was fertile, but soon discovered it was hardpan. Seeking to escape the scorching heat of the San Joaquin Valley, he was inspired to seek refuge underground, where he found that the soil was actually fertile for growing plants. Over the course of the next 40 years until his death, he carefully carved 10,000 square feet of subterranean bedrooms, living rooms, a kitchen, a chapel, a fish pond, and a network of gardens, trees and trellises all by hand- and without architectural training.

Plants of the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

If you decide to visit the underground gardens in Fresno, you might also want to swing by nearby Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. I once had a close encounter with a bear in Kings Canyon National Park, which includes the deepest canyon in the USA. It is fascinating to see the changes in vegetation as you drive higher and higher in these parks, or during trips to any of the nearby national or state parks, monuments or forests.

This topographic diversity . . . supports over 1,200 species (and more than 1,550 taxa, including subspecies and varieties) of vascular plants, which make up dozens of unique plant communities. These include not only the renowned groves of massive giant sequoia, but also vast tracts of montane forests, spectacular alpine habitats, and oak woodlands and chaparral.

Before your trip, you might chose a book on the local wildflowers via the AoSHQ Amazon Store. There are some showy larger flowering plants in the parks, and also charming little wildflowers. Some adapt readily to gardens and may even be used to replace thirsty lawns. Note that the photo at the preceding link is from Three Rivers, a little community at the main entrance to the parks. One plant that adapts well to similar xeric landscapes is Silver Bush Lupine. Sometimes I am surprised to see a big specimen blooming on a slope in the lower foothills after coming around a bend in the road. It can seem like someone planted it just to delight motorists.

Five Spot is one annual wildflower from Sequoia and Kings Canyon that adapts readily to gardens. Makes a good bulb cover. Broadcast seed in late fall where winters are mild, or in earliest spring elsewhere (except the desert). Where conditions are moist and humid, it will re-seed. Need a pound of seed?

You can read more about these fascinating trees and see historic and recent photos including people for scale at Monumental Trees. The word Sequoia is taken from the name of the inventor of the Cherokee Syllabary. In the early 20th Century, Native Americans attempted to establish a State of Sequoyah.

Giant Sequoias, Coast Redwoods and Dawn Redwoods are each in their own one-species genus, a sub-family of the Cypress family. There are Coast Redwoods that are taller than the more massive Giant Sequoias. The tallest Coast Redwoods are able to increase their height beyond the limit normally imposed by gravity because the leaves on upper branches take water directly from fog. Where there is no regular fog, the trees are shorter. Maybe not as short as this 55 year old bonsai from the Brooklyn Botanical Garden:

The leaves of Giant Sequoias can also absorb water from the air. But there is far less summer fog in the spots in the Sierra Mountains where they grow than along the Northern California coast where the Coast Redwood grows. Giant Sequoias are hardier to cold than Coast Redwoods, but sometimes get fungal diseases outside their native range. A nasty disease went through the Valley a few years ago, killing many of these trees. I don't remember the details. Mr. Bar-the-Door recently cut down a sickly tree in a friend's front yard. His brother had planted it as a seed, just for kicks. The stump is almost three feet across. Pro Tip: Do not plant a Giant Sequoia near your sewer main. Or near your home, for that matter. There are pretty green sprouts coming up from the stump now. Fits a pattern for this species.

The Giant Sequoia grows successfully in some other places in the world, and there are a few selected cultivars. There is a bigger selection of cultivars of the Coast Redwood, including trees with weeping branches. I don't know if there are selected cultivars of the Dawn Redwood, the pretty deciduous cousin of the trees above. All of these trees grow big. They are not for small yards.

In their native habitat, Giant Sequoias seem to be quite dependent on not-too-hot fires for the successful growth of new trees. But last year's wildfire, the Rough Fire, threatened Grant Grove, which includes the second-largest Sequoia in the world. It was so dry.

Critters of the Week: Millipedes and Centipedes

During the night, in or near the parks, you might encounter glowing, blind millipedes.

The bugs are easy enough for humans to find; simply look for an orange, flat millipede around five centimeters long foraging on the forest floor at night. Amateur entomologists can also search with their noses since these insects are also called the "Almond Scented Millipede" due to the characteristic almond smell of hydrogen cyanide.

UC Davis has a nice summary on how to identify and control millipedes and centipedes (if necessary). Millipedes do not bite, but may exude a toxic liquid that you should wash off your skin if you touch one. Centipedes can bite. Have you ever encountered either one in your garden or home?

DesertUSA has considerable information about centipedes. The biggest centipedes in the USA, with the most painful bites, live in the Southwest. Note that the tail section sort of resembles the head. If a predator bites the tail section, hoping to disable the centipede, it can swing its head back to bite.

Have you ever encountered these critters in your yard, or in your home?

Y-not: Thanks, KT!

To close things up, here's another pretty barn quilt square that I spotted recently:

(Some links are broken, but this site lists the locations of many of Kentucky's barn quilt squares.)

And here's an appropriate song from one of my favorite movies:

What's happening in YOUR gardens this week?

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Weather has finally turned really nice here.

Posted by: HH at April 23, 2016 12:27 PM (DrCtv)

2 This year is a lot better than last year in my garden -- probably because this year we finally got rain after four years of rainless drought. ANyway, here's the list of what I've got growing gangbusters outside my window:

Japanese red mustard (a super-tasty salad green)
Kahnawake Mohawk beans (very large, meaty beans with beautiful striped coloration)
Kabocha squash
Jerusalem artichoke
Lacinato Kale (a.k.a. "dinosaur kale")
Red Siberian Kale
Cucumbers (of various types)
fennel (Trieste and Florence varieties)
A single corn stalk (none f the others grew -- not sure why)
Chinese chives
radish
snap peas
zucchini (of various types)
tomatoes
cilantro
bok choy (of various types -- tatsoi, etc.)
daikon
peppers (actually almost none of them grew -- just not hot enogh here)
endive
lettuce (of all sorts of types
tomatilloes
oregano
mint
fenugreek
purple cabbage
pumpkins
yellow squash
parsley
...and a few other things I can't remember!

My goal is variety, so although I don't have a huge amount of space, I do my best (as you can see) to plant as many different things as I can, even if only in small amounts, to maximize the array of options.

Posted by: zombie at April 23, 2016 12:29 PM (jBuUi)

3 Ooh, I left off the one things that grows the best in my garden: arugula. Grows very fast and is very tasty, and simply can't be stopped, like a weed. I know the word "arugula" is code for "pretentious," but it's actually very tasty in salads. And effortless to grow.

Posted by: zombie at April 23, 2016 12:32 PM (jBuUi)

4 It would have been a real advantage to some people to have fruit trees under ground level during yesterday's high winds in the area. Lots of downed trees.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 12:32 PM (qahv/)

5 FYI site is being hijacked by a JavaScript ad again. Disable JavaScript to workaround.

Posted by: filbert at April 23, 2016 12:37 PM (aau+W)

6 Good afternoon green thumbs
Lettuce is starting to grow, some spinach sprouts are planted. Not any other seeds are up but dug down in the pots and a couple are growing so I'll wait longer.
Had a tent catapiller harvest last Sunday on a flowering crab apple trees, got all below 20 feet but some are higher and can't get to them.
I put them in a sealed bucket and condemned them to a fire hell today.

Posted by: Skip at April 23, 2016 12:40 PM (Dpy/y)

7 KT, we must be getting that wind today. I wanted to prep the garden and paint patio furniture. Not going to happen today. Saw my first humming bird last night and put out the feeder.

Posted by: Infidel at April 23, 2016 12:42 PM (GfrPX)

8 Wow, Zombie. Quite a list!

Arugula grows by itself here, too. But only over winter. Probably has a longer season of good taste in your climate, where it stays relatively cool most of the time.

I have wondered if "wild arugula" (a different species of plant) is more or less likely to self-sow here.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 12:44 PM (qahv/)

9 Well that's just great! Now I'm going to have to split my time between looking up for wasps and other flying stingers, and looking down watching out for hoary crawling biters. There's no happy land, no safe place for me it seems, even out on the lawn or in the garden. Ignorance is bliss.

Posted by: goon at April 23, 2016 12:46 PM (WCaSy)

10 Kt, downed fruit trees? Ooof. That hurts. At least, like us this year, if late freeze gets you, there's always next year.

When I decided how I was going to farm stuff like that was a main consideration. You know, chickens and pigs can eat most anything so you have production in every year. When good weather happens you can get extra income from the fruit trees and bushes.

At least that's my theory.


It's finally turned warm enough that everything is growing fast. Corn and beans are up, Cukes and squash finally going well along with tomatoes. Waiting for peppers and watermelon to take off.

The little lady that I get my starts from is shutting down today so I stopped by and cleaned her out, more tomatoes peppers and basil.

Posted by: Traye at April 23, 2016 12:47 PM (Gpv+f)

11 Thanks for the JavaScript hijack note, filbert.

I couldn't get the site to come up on Explorer a few minutes ago. Came up on Firefox, but there was a runaway script notice.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 12:47 PM (qahv/)

12 Thanks for the report, Skip. You need some birds or something to help with those tent caterpillars up high, maybe.

Let us know what else comes up.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 12:51 PM (qahv/)

13 There is a old falling down bunk house on the ranch. It was for the cowboys. I'm not supposed to go in there, I pulled out an old shower head. It's a sunflower shape. It's either brass or copper. It's very heavy. I put it in the herb garden.

I also took a water tank out of there. It's galvanized metal. I put an asparagus fern on it.

Posted by: CaliGirl at April 23, 2016 12:53 PM (egOGm)

14 goon at April 23, 2016 12:46 PM

Centipedes will mostly leave you alone if you leave them alone. Kinda creepy when they get in the house, though. At least they are not deadly.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 12:54 PM (qahv/)

15 Arugula grows by itself here, too. But only over winter. Probably has a longer season of good taste in your climate, where it stays relatively cool most of the time.

I have wondered if "wild arugula" (a different species of plant) is more or less likely to self-sow here.

Posted by: KT

For some reason, a few kinds of plants self-sow around my yard and are impossible not to grow -- they have become endemic. If I were to go on a five-year-long vacation and come back, in my yard growing wild all by themselves would be:

arugula
lamb's quarters
tomatilloes
Japanese red celery
collard greens

I forgot to even mention some of these on my list of this year's plants because they just grow wild and volunteer all over the place.

It's strange how these plants have found their perfect ecological niche here -- even though none of them are native to this area. For unknown reasons they just love my exact microclimate and terroir.

Posted by: zombie at April 23, 2016 12:55 PM (jBuUi)

16 Oh that shower head sounds cool CaliGirl. I need to pull last years dead stalks from the flower beds and do some weeding. I should have cleared the old stalks over the winter but I can never get motivated until they are detracting from the new flowers.

Posted by: PaleRider at April 23, 2016 12:58 PM (wYRTH)

17 I've seen some birds attack them after they break out of their tents but not before, that web stuff is tough, some that were in bigger branches I didn't want to cut down I take a tool to rip them open and hose them down in insecticide.

Posted by: Skip at April 23, 2016 12:59 PM (Dpy/y)

18 Things are starting to progress now that the weather has turned reliably not cold. We set up the portable green house to harden off the tomato, cukes, and peppers seedlings. Got the leaf lettuce, spinach, and arugula coming up. (We really like that combination of greens in our salads.) And we did the first turning of the in-ground garden. One more digging should finish that chore.

For no particular reason I am optimistic about our tomato crop this year. The seedlings are very healthy and sturdy and I hope we've learned not to overcrowd the plants.

Posted by: JTB at April 23, 2016 01:03 PM (V+03K)

19 I had many encounters with centipedes when I was in Hawaii. Some of them grow to 9-12 inches and all are repulsive. Flush them and they will only crawl back out of the toilet. Smash them with hammers! Cut them with an axe! Purify your home with fire!

Oh, and they seem to travel in pairs. If you kill one and smugly turn in for the night, know that its partner is slowly crawling under the covers, waiting until you drift off to sleep to strike.

Here is a fairly representational photo of the kind of alien horror I have fought:

http://tinyurl.com/hjb3o9a

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Literate Savage at April 23, 2016 01:06 PM (jR7Wy)

20 I grew up in my grandads old farm and we had giant old pecans, every year the tent caterpillars would get in them. We had a very long bamboo pole to send up a torch and burn the tents. It was only my very favorite thing as a kid.

Posted by: Traye at April 23, 2016 01:06 PM (Gpv+f)

21 I also had a close encounter with a bear in King's Canyon. I made myself big and yelled at him like the park ranger told us. The bear left, but returned with his friends for another show. It's the only time in my life I felt embarrassed in front of animals.

Posted by: Mr. Naron at April 23, 2016 01:07 PM (ebBLH)

22 Sorry that a freeze took out some of your fruit crop, Traye. Sound like your veggies are doing pretty well, though.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 01:07 PM (qahv/)

23 Oh, and my neighbor cut down an old boabab tree on her lot and a wave of centipedes cascaded over her feet.

The horror....the horror....

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Literate Savage at April 23, 2016 01:08 PM (jR7Wy)

24 I was pleased at how well that little collapsible green house protected the plants on some rather cold nights. It has me thinking about PVC pipe and clear plastic sheeting for the Earth Boxes and next fall. Adding a few months to the salad greens, herbs, and maybe cherry tomato supply is appealing. Something to consider while the summer garden is growing.

Posted by: JTB at April 23, 2016 01:12 PM (V+03K)

25 zombie at April 23, 2016 12:55 PM

It is nice when edible plants find a place they like to grow by themselves. Speaking of ecological niches, some of the invasive plants in Sequoia/Kings Canyon came from gardens, for example, foxglove and vinca major.

https://www.nps.gov/seki/learn/nature/nnp_plants.htm

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 01:15 PM (qahv/)

26 Has anyone been to the National Arboretum? I'm thinking of going tomorrow.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Literate Savage at April 23, 2016 01:16 PM (jR7Wy)

27 All Hail Eris, I haven't been to the National Arboretum for decades but recall that they had a spectacular display of bonsai. I have no idea what it looks like this time of year.

Posted by: JTB at April 23, 2016 01:20 PM (V+03K)

28 My husband is going to plant my tomatoes Monday.
We have chocolate stripes, indigo rose, isis candy, Cherokee purple,moskovich, black from Tula, Josephine carter, black Krim,
Chilis Anaheim, ancho paulino, corno de toro.
There are some other tomatoes that I don't know the name.
They always start off nice, then they get too busy and don't tie them up.

Posted by: CaliGirl at April 23, 2016 01:20 PM (egOGm)

29 Posted by: JTB at April 23, 2016 01:20 PM (V+03K)

They still have the bonsai display, and the flowering trees should still be in bloom, so I'm visiting before the hot humid weather settles in.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Literate Savage at April 23, 2016 01:24 PM (jR7Wy)

30 KT,
it has been windy here too. I didn't lose any trees. I have maybe 15 redwoods near my house. Some have died from the drought. I need to have the tree guy back to cut them down. I have some dead pines too.

Posted by: CaliGirl at April 23, 2016 01:25 PM (egOGm)

31 3
Ooh, I left off the one things that grows the best in my garden:
arugula. Grows very fast and is very tasty, and simply can't be stopped,
like a weed. I know the word "arugula" is code for "pretentious," but
it's actually very tasty in salads. And effortless to grow.

Posted by: zombie at April 23, 2016 12:32 PM (jBuUi)

i love arugula and kale.....

Posted by: phoenixgirl at April 23, 2016 01:27 PM (0O7c5)

32 21
I also had a close encounter with a bear in King's Canyon. I made
myself big and yelled at him like the park ranger told us. The bear
left, but returned with his friends for another show. It's the only
time in my life I felt embarrassed in front of animals.

What a great bear story! Reminds me of when my piano teacher, on her honeymoon in Yellowstone, screamed in her operatic voice at a bear that had entered her cabin. He looked disgusted and left.

I did not actually see my bear. I was with a large group and had just gotten arranged on the ground so I wasn't cold. I guy (big jokester) told me that there was a bear and I had to get in the tent, but I did not believe him. I pulled the sleeping bag over my head. In the morning, there were big paw prints all around me, and the bear had kicked my insect repellent almost into the river.

BTW, rangers told us that the local bears preferred fritos and beer to all other foods.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 01:31 PM (qahv/)

33 All Hail Eris, Good plan. Mrs. JTB reminded me that she first went there this time of year with a co-worker who raised orchids as a hobby, a la Nero Wolfe. She said the flowering shrubs, trees and even the flowering bonsai were great.

Posted by: JTB at April 23, 2016 01:32 PM (V+03K)

34 Posted by: All Hail Eris, Literate Savage at April 23, 2016 01:06 PM (jR7Wy)
That is the creepiest thing I've ever seen. I'm going to have nightmares.

Posted by: CaliGirl at April 23, 2016 01:32 PM (egOGm)

35 Got my dahlias in last night. Next weekend is the big nursery trip. It's better than Christmas!
The tent caterpillars are bad this year

Posted by: Clarney at April 23, 2016 01:32 PM (X0RLR)

36 All Hail Eris, Literate Savage at April 23, 2016 01:16 PM

I read that they have a Giant Sequoia and a Coast Redwood growing near each other. Don't know if it is true.

We will be interested to hear about your trip. Taking photos?

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 01:34 PM (qahv/)

37 JTB,

Glad your garden is progressing. The plastic covers for the earth boxes would require vigilance to open them on warm days.

You might also consider floating row covers of various thicknesses. There are summer weights that don't trap much heat and frost protection weights that trap quite a bit of heat, but still allow for air and water penetration.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 01:37 PM (qahv/)

38 So this year all my greenhouse money is now going to be used to pay a midwife, SURPRISE! But for early starts next season I'm going to bury water lines and a reservoir then pump the relatively warm water along side my rows under row covers. I hope that next year at this time I'm already into harvest time for some summer crops. Then, maybe 2017 fall I can get the greenhouse.

Posted by: Traye at April 23, 2016 01:45 PM (Gpv+f)

39 I think I'm just going to stick with herbs and edible greens this year. My big project is getting my yard back in decent shape.

Posted by: Commissar M at April 23, 2016 01:45 PM (vcIHi)

40 CaliGirl at April 23, 2016 01:20 PM

I will be interested to see if you like Black from Tula better than Black Krim. And Chocolate Stripes!

I have grown Moskvich for its reputed tolerance for heat. Made sort of small tomatoes in our climate. Moskovich is supposed to be quite similar.

I have never heard of Josephine Carter.

And let us know how that Ancho pepper cultivar turns out.

p.s.: Sorry you lost some redwood trees.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 01:45 PM (qahv/)

41 Congrats, Traye.

Posted by: Infidel at April 23, 2016 01:48 PM (GfrPX)

42 Giant Sequoias normally grow in a mixed conifer forest while Coast Redwoods grow in relatively pure stands. The most common companion for Giant Sequoias is a fir. You can tell their trunks apart by looking for moss or lichens. They will grow on the north side of the firs, but not on the sequoias.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 01:48 PM (qahv/)

43 We will be interested to hear about your trip. Taking photos?
Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 01:34 PM (qahv/)
---
Yup. No idea how to post my daguerreotypes on the difference engine for Horde consumption.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Literate Savage at April 23, 2016 01:49 PM (jR7Wy)

44 Here's a cool little story about redwoods in NC that are about 70, years old. They say they'll grow well here because of the humidity but will be limited by getting too tall and becoming lighting rods.

https://www.ourstate.com/wilson-redwoods/

Posted by: Traye at April 23, 2016 01:52 PM (Gpv+f)

45 I'm in north Texas, and my story this year (and last) is snails. Hundreds of them. Last year, I lost all of my onions (4X4 raised bed) and a squash before I realized what was going on. This year, I patrol twice a day and pick them up and put them in a disposable plastic container. Hundreds of them in the first two or three days. Ick factor pretty high, but not as icky as the centerpiece!

Posted by: Gee at April 23, 2016 01:54 PM (h3MWV)

46 Clarney at April 23, 2016 01:32 PM

Yes, getting bulbs and plants is lots of fun. Can be more work afterwards than Christmas, though.

Worth it when those plant perform well.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 01:55 PM (qahv/)

47 Traye,
Congrats!!!

Posted by: CaliGirl at April 23, 2016 01:57 PM (egOGm)

48 Centipede. Sigh for spellcheck.

Posted by: Gee at April 23, 2016 01:58 PM (h3MWV)

49 CaliGirl,

I like your recycled garden ornament ideas. Of course, not everyone has an old bunkhouse with cool old stuff in it.

There is a guy out in the country near Hanford who has a sculpture display in front of his house. Welded metal - machine parts and such. I remember a huge praying mantis and an elephant. But his yard has several other pieces in it, too. Fun and whimsical.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 01:59 PM (qahv/)

50 Wow, Traye!

Big news! Congratulations.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 02:01 PM (qahv/)

51 Clarney at April 23, 2016 01:32 PM

Let us know how it goes.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 02:03 PM (qahv/)

52 All Hail Eris, Literate Savage at April 23, 2016 01:49 PM

You might be able to email photos to Y-not. She seems to have this stuff down. Or post on Twitter in a way we could see them.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 02:06 PM (qahv/)

53 KT, what's Y-Not's e-mail?

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Literate Savage at April 23, 2016 02:08 PM (jR7Wy)

54 Storm King is near where I live.

It's a nice walk, but the sculpture is...okay.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 23, 2016 02:08 PM (Zu3d9)

55 Gee at April 23, 2016 01:58 PM

Autocucumber got another one. A centipede centerpiece would be . . awful.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 02:09 PM (qahv/)

56 A centipede centerpiece would be . . awful.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 02:09 PM (qahv/)

http://tinyurl.com/jewfmwn

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 23, 2016 02:13 PM (Zu3d9)

57 ll Hail Eris, Literate Savage at April 23, 2016 02:08 PM

Y-not's address is bailesworth with that famous "g" and the standard ending. Am I being too obtuse?

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 02:14 PM (qahv/)

58 Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 23, 2016 02:13 PM (Zu3d9)
---
Some freaky sh*t goes down at a Martha Stewart afternoon tea.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Literate Savage at April 23, 2016 02:15 PM (jR7Wy)

59 This is a really neat drive. If you visit ND for pheasant hunting or the Teddy Roosevelt parks this is well worth the drive as a side trip.

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2155

Posted by: PaleRider at April 23, 2016 02:16 PM (wYRTH)

60 Got it, KT

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Literate Savage at April 23, 2016 02:17 PM (jR7Wy)

61 CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 23, 2016 02:13 PM

Remarkable that you found that. Are they with something poisonous? Or are they guarding something precious?

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 02:17 PM (qahv/)

62 Oops. I should have added that that is the enchanted highway. The link was just top of web search and bonus of being short enough pixy allowed it directly.

Posted by: PaleRider at April 23, 2016 02:18 PM (wYRTH)

63
In a desperate attempt to bring something positive into my life I went to Lowes today and bought some mini cactus to make a little indoor cactus garden.

Posted by: In Vino Veritits at April 23, 2016 02:19 PM (KId5h)

64 Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 02:17 PM (qahv/)

Those are rotten eggs......

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 23, 2016 02:19 PM (Zu3d9)

65 Martha Stewart?

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 02:19 PM (qahv/)

66 'Remarkable that you found that. Are they with something poisonous? Or are they guarding something precious?'

Kobold treasure and, rarely, Dark Elf objects of power. Nit mostly Kobold treasure.

Posted by: In Vino Veritits at April 23, 2016 02:21 PM (KId5h)

67 Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 02:19 PM (qahv/)

Apparently.....

http://tinyurl.com/h8f4s5g

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 23, 2016 02:23 PM (Zu3d9)

68 Congrats on the upcoming family addition Traye. I recall you mentioned it before but not whether I had added congrats.

Posted by: PaleRider at April 23, 2016 02:25 PM (wYRTH)

69 In Vino Veritits at April 23, 2016 02:19 PM

I know several people who have grown indoor cactus gardens. Getting cactus mix to go with them? Some people like to graft the top of one cactus to the bottom of another. On the other hand, some people think they are bad luck.

I have grown some cacti outdoors. The night-blooming epiphytic ones are my favorites. And I have grown Christmas and Easter cacti indoors.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 02:28 PM (qahv/)

70 CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 23, 2016 02:23 PM

Perhaps prison affected her more than we knew.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 02:29 PM (qahv/)

71 "Have any of you made garden art from reclaimed items?"

No, but I live(d) between two amazingly skilled and gifted men who make those sorts of art. ("lived" because one has moved).

The one that is still here works as a "fabricator" (ie, a welder) at a local company and brings home bits and pieces and plays with them.

On a more practical level, I saw him take sheet steel and turn it into a teardrop-shaped gas tank for a chopper motorcycle he was rebuilding. A work of art in itself.

Posted by: LochLomondFarms at April 23, 2016 02:29 PM (j2Gq9)

72 Gah KT. That is twisted, and I will now have a centipede centerpiece nightmare. Teach me to typo

Posted by: Gee at April 23, 2016 02:31 PM (h3MWV)

73 Pet Nood

Posted by: Skip at April 23, 2016 02:32 PM (Dpy/y)

74 Y-not,

Love the roses in your flower arranger link. They make me think of the South. So many petals. A traditional form there for a long time. Cabbage roses.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 02:32 PM (qahv/)

75 The wife and I went to Ireland over a decade ago, and checked out the cathedral in Killarney. There is a mass grave of children that died in a famine behind it. There is a monster of a tree growing there. I grew up in Northern California, so Redwoods are so common to me that I hardly notice them (there are no fewer than 5 of them within 100 feet of where I'm sitting right now.) I was struck by how out of place the tree looked, until I found out it was imported from California over 100 years ago.

Posted by: Hillary's Left Testicle at April 23, 2016 02:36 PM (NplB/)

76 The Morris Arboretum in Phillie has a nice sculpture garden.

I have also been to Kentuck Knob (western PA, and near Falling Water). The house was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and the current owner has established a sculpture garden near the entrance to the property.

Longwood Gardens is also starting to sneak in some sculpture. I think it is a "thing."

Posted by: LochLomondFarms at April 23, 2016 02:36 PM (j2Gq9)

77 Regarding tall trees. There have been some coastal Douglas Firs in excess of 400 feet. In Whatcom County near Bellingham, WA there was a fir recorded at 465 feet. Of course, back in 1897 it had to be cut down so it could be measured/milled to make nice homes and schools.

Posted by: Rex B at April 23, 2016 02:36 PM (7cqHD)

78 Thanks all.

Us- "maybe we'll have the farm up and going well in 2018 and be ready for a fall baby."

Fate-"2016 you say? Ok, 2016."

Posted by: Traye at April 23, 2016 02:39 PM (Gpv+f)

79 Here is a picture of the Killarney redwood: http://bit.ly/1MPqKPq

Posted by: Hillary's Left Testicle at April 23, 2016 02:41 PM (NplB/)

80 Rex B at April 23, 2016 02:36 PM

Wow. That is impressive.

Some of the firs that grow with the Giant Sequoias are pretty tall, too. For inland trees.

Giant Sequoias did not turn out to produce good wood for building. At least the big ones. Wood is too brittle.

There is a California state park called Mountain Home east of Porterville, South of Sequoia that includes a giant sequoia tree in which people once lived. Some of the big trees were logged nearby.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 02:42 PM (qahv/)

81 Hillary's Left Testicle at April 23, 2016 02:41 PM

Thanks for the photo. Iteresting story.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 02:44 PM (qahv/)

82 Love national parks and love wildflowers. And love all the cool stuff you garden ladies put in these posts week after week. Thank you!

Unfortunately, what's going on in my garden is sadness. The azaleas have maybe one-fourth the normal blooms. The hydrangea leafed out and had buds and then a late frost hit and all the leaves turned brown on their tips. I hope this doesn't mean the plant itself is dead. I think the azaleas are meh because of the late frost too. My cherry tree barely bloomed either. Hoping we are done with all that stuff (DC area, but it's been known to frost at this late date).

Posted by: bluebell at April 23, 2016 02:52 PM (2WwbN)

83 Thanks for the photo. Iteresting story.
Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 02:44


Holy what?? The "child in the tree" is seriously freaky.

Posted by: Traye at April 23, 2016 02:54 PM (Gpv+f)

84 Posted by: Traye at April 23, 2016 02:39 PM (Gpv+f)
--------
LOL, Traye - as you've found out, babies come when they are ready!! And as I'm sure you'll find, you won't be able to imagine your life without this little one, even though you figured he or she would show up in a couple of years versus now.

Posted by: bluebell at April 23, 2016 02:54 PM (2WwbN)

85 Hi KT. I read of a Weyehauser tree on the flanks of Mt Rainier measured at 392 feet after it was cut down. Probably grew out of a ravine on the leeward side of that mountain. I t thought that the Doug Fir's strength comes from the winter growth ring being stronger than the typical summer growth rings that most evergreens depend on.

Posted by: Rex B at April 23, 2016 03:08 PM (7cqHD)

86 And I love the texture and shape of maturing Giant Sequoias.

Posted by: Rex B at April 23, 2016 03:10 PM (7cqHD)

87 Traye at April 23, 2016 02:54 PM

Would not have noticed if you had not said something.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 03:13 PM (qahv/)

88 There was an episode of Strange Inheritance that was about a guy hollowing out a Redwood and making his home out of it. Somehow it ended up on a truck and he traveled the country in it. I think his daughter ended up with it when he died.

Posted by: Ronster at April 23, 2016 03:14 PM (wILdd)

89 bluebell at April 23, 2016 02:52 PM

That late frost was so disheartening. Hope things look better in your garden in a little while.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 03:14 PM (qahv/)

90 Rex B at April 23, 2016 03:08 PM

I remember the shock of seeing all the trees (probably many Douglas Firs) downed by Mt. St. Helens. Took a trip to the Northwest with family while ash was still floating. We went up Mt. Rainier, too. I am pretty sure I saw a little puff of smoke or steam emerge from the mountain. A reminder to me that it is also a volcano. No one else seemed to pay attention, though.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 03:21 PM (qahv/)

91 Our lovely warm, sunny weather has reverted to the typical rainy, windy *yuck* of April.

Good day for staying indoors, but need to run some stuff out to the dump. Oh well, shouldn't be a long line on a day like this.

If the wind lets up, would be perfect digging-and-transplanting weather: Dahlias are ready to come out of their pots; flower beds need the lawn edged out.

Tonight is *Grilled Food Night* (rain or shine) and the annual Thumbing Our Noses at "Erf Day" Party.

Posted by: JQ Flyover at April 23, 2016 03:33 PM (044Fx)

92 At, yes KT. St Helens belated for several months after 5/18/80. I was in Seattle after one very visible July cloud went up.
I was at Jonston Ridge about 15 years ago. That was the ridge named after the young geologist who went to study the mountain as it came to life. Poor guy was hit buy a 900 degree ash cloud traveling 300 mph. Probably had a few seconds to watch it envelope him.

Posted by: Rex B at April 23, 2016 03:35 PM (5lrLy)

93 Belched, belated.

Posted by: Rex B at April 23, 2016 03:38 PM (5lrLy)

94 JQ,

Almost forgot about Erf Day.

A few entertaining links up if you type "Earth Day" in Insty's search box.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 03:45 PM (qahv/)

95 Speaking of garden art many years ago there was a artist across the street from my pre-inlaws who had mannequins parts in their garden. I thought it was a bit creepy.

Posted by: Skip at April 23, 2016 03:46 PM (Dpy/y)

96 Lol, KT, Insty has some great snark!

I love to see 'garden art' but haven't gotten a good theme going at home. We do have an old claw-foot tub and various...ahem...fixtures that might make *interesting* planters, but haven't gotten around to finalizing a garden design for them. (Haven't thrown the things away, though.)

The mannequin parts, I agree, sounds creepy.

Wonder what the neighbors would think of our 'outdoor bath'?

Posted by: JQ Flyover at April 23, 2016 03:56 PM (044Fx)

97 Here is an interesting minimalist sculpture garden in So Cal.

http://tinyurl.com/jsjncbd

Posted by: PJ at April 23, 2016 04:55 PM (cHuNI)

98 JQ Flyover at April 23, 2016 03:56 PM

Old bathtubs in the garden are a thing. Don't know about umm . . other fixtures.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 05:20 PM (qahv/)

99 PJ at April 23, 2016 04:55 PM

I used to live near there. "Spirit of the Lima Bean" was the headliner. Basically a big rock. Minimalist, like you say.

The other sculptures are more striking when they turn on the lights in the evening.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 05:23 PM (qahv/)

100 Sculpture garden ... ah. Way back when, I remember visiting a garden full of the most wonderful topiary sculptures; there was a dinosaur with cut sheet metal teeth, and a seal balancing a red and white ball on his nose. It was a private house then - but open to the public now - and we got a special tour because of my grandfather being a professional estate gardener, and he was friends, or at least an acquaintance of the professional gardener who looked after this particular estate. I am fairly certain that this was Madame Walska's Lotus Land, in Santa Barbara. It was a marvelously entertaining garden for us children. I think that this would have been sometime in the early 1960s, as Grandpa Jim passed away in 1965.
She was quite a character, Ganna Walska - an opera singer of the day, who married six times and was a passionate gardener and plant collector.
http://www.lotusland.org/about-us/lotusland-history/

Posted by: Sgt. Mom at April 23, 2016 05:23 PM (oK6A/)

101 The *other fixtures* are toilet and sink, of course!

The toilet is very old-- the kind with pipe coming from the back for tank connection, rather than holes in top. The tank's designed for wall-mount.

The sink is an old, kitchen style, with built-in drainboard and a high back (wall mounted, of course) so the faucet is rather high above the basin.

Was thinking of an open lath-house design, maybe just a couple of lath walls, no doors, some climbing plants on the lath and a fountain for the tub.

Flowers spilling over the tank, tioletbowl and sink... some antique garden tools hung on the walls...

Something like that.

Posted by: JQ Flyover at April 23, 2016 05:51 PM (044Fx)

102 The other idea I had was-- to incorporate the fixtures into a kind of (working) potting shed with the tub left out and made into a water garden.

I dunno. Maybe a *grand idea* will strike and it'll all come together. No hurry.

Posted by: JQ Flyover at April 23, 2016 06:01 PM (044Fx)

103 JQ Flyover at April 23, 2016 06:01 PM

There are at least a couple of homes in town with a toilet and sink in the garage. Potting shed could be similar.

There is also the idea of an outdoor sink for rinsing garden produce. Water from the sink could be directed back into the garden.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 06:20 PM (qahv/)

104 Zombie, I grow Indian corn, and I pre-sprout my seed corn like you would bean-sprouts.
Once the seed sprouts I have excellent growth rate, and don't have to worry so much about empty spots in my garden.

Jerusalem artichoke apparently can resist some hard freezing in a bucket on the back porch since I had about 90% success growing the tubers that I forgot outside last winter.

Posted by: Kindltot at April 23, 2016 06:24 PM (G0QM9)

105 Weighing in kind of late, but wanted to comment on the lupine. I've been growing Coastal Lupine in west LA for a few years. Growing it has never been a problem, keeping it alive when the caterpillars blitzkrieg it is. I can't figure out where they come from, but they swarm & eat almost the entire plant. And you can't spray the lupine with anything. Even watered down mild dish soap will kill the plant. The weird thing is, these same caterpillars don't eat them out in the semi-wild areas where lupine occurs in greater LA. Those plants have a different caterpillar, which looks like one of the lupine blooms as it fades, and they don't devastate the plant.

Posted by: bebe's boobs destroy at April 23, 2016 06:55 PM (BYJ2T)

106 Are you referrring to Lupinus arboreus - Tree Lupine?

I bought seeds for mixed colors once from Thompson and Morgan in the UK. Don't know if they still have them. Impressive plants.

What do your caterpillars look like? Do they form webbing or anything? Have you ever raised one indoors to see what the adult form is? You should be able to spray your plant with a Bt solution. It contains no soap or irritating chemicals. Gives caterpillars the flu.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 07:09 PM (qahv/)

107 No, not tree lupine, coastal lupine. I'll have to take a picture of the caterpillars during the next onslaught. They do form a webbing. I'm kind of on a break right now. Got tired of the constant fight.

Posted by: bebe's boobs destroy at April 23, 2016 07:19 PM (BYJ2T)

108 It would be great if you could take a photo. But it would be better if you sprayed the caterpillars with Bt before they are old enough to make a lot of webbing. Otherwise, try to disturb the webbing so the spray hits them.

Interesting that the caterpillars on wild plants look like faded blossoms.

Do you see a kind of lupine here that looks like yours?

http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/specieslist.cgi?where-genus=lupinus

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 08:57 PM (qahv/)

109 Maybe this list would be easier.

http://www.laspilitas.com/search?search-text=coastal-lupine

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 09:14 PM (qahv/)

110 Search results didn't come through, but you can type in "coastal lupine" in the search box.

Posted by: KT at April 23, 2016 09:16 PM (qahv/)

111 "Spirit of the Lima Bean"

Oh that's right, KT!

Posted by: PJ at April 23, 2016 09:23 PM (cHuNI)

112 Clematis Montana is in full bloom now, but here it is just starting to bloom last year:

http://tinypic.com/r/24dofa0/9

This vine has gone crazy! Covers one end of the deck rail and is over the fence-- will prune it back when flowers fade.

Posted by: JQ Flyover at April 23, 2016 09:51 PM (044Fx)

113 And here is a wild rose (dug up from my brother's place) that really loves it here:

http://tinypic.com/r/2hhm0km/9

It looked more orange at his house, in part shade. Now, with full sun, looks red with yellow reverse petals. Note a couple of yellow sports on it.

Posted by: JQ Flyover at April 23, 2016 09:56 PM (044Fx)

114 Congrats Traye, what great news!

Posted by: dreadpirateroberta at April 24, 2016 08:11 AM (z1kKI)

115 I have been to Laumeier Sculpture Park in St Louis and it is very impressive, lots to see in a big area. Closer to home is Umlauf Sculpture Garden in Austin, smaller of course and very beautiful.

Posted by: dreadpirateroberta at April 24, 2016 08:14 AM (z1kKI)

116 Great photos, JQ.

Does the rose have kind of an unusual fragrance?

Posted by: KT at April 24, 2016 09:05 AM (qahv/)

117 ...unusual fragrance?

Yes!

This rose doesn't smell "rosey" at all (imo) but there is a light, sweet/spicy floral scent.

Mom loved it in arrangements-- prickles and all-- because the blooms would open successively along a cane, showcasing different obverse/reverse petal colors as well as a mini-timeline of the flowering stages.

Posted by: JQ Flyover at April 24, 2016 01:22 PM (044Fx)

118 JQ,

We will be talking about that rose in a future thread. Or at least one of it's parents.

Posted by: KT at April 24, 2016 07:03 PM (qahv/)

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