Category: Gardens

Black Bamboo and Other Finds

This morning I went to visit a friend who offered to let me take some cuttings of his black bamboo.

Black Bamboo Detail

The cuttings are nearly 9′ long.

Black Bamboo

I found loads of cypress pods.

Cypress Pods

I found a piece of mesh that has pant parts growing through it.

Mesh

And a piece of twisted wood.

Twisted Wood

I also found some cuttings from a cypress that sustained storm damage. I am thinking that it would be fun to shred the wood and bind it to the exterior of a box.

New Materials

Then I noticed a cypress was weeping. It was sad, but lovely. And a bit sticky…

Weeping Cypress

On the way home, stopped by to see the goats. They are working goats. They have been tasked with clearing a field near the airport. Apparently it was break time.

Goats

One of the goats wears a bell.

Goat Wearing Bell

Today there was even a watch dog. He gave a long deep howl.

Watch Dog

Now it is studio time.

A Nice Surprise–A New Addition to My Brugmansia Collection

I have been so busy working on the data base for our software company that I have not had much studio time or time for gardening.

Today we found a surprise in the yard. Our neighbor who is a garden designer, left some large Brugmansia cuttings. My neighbor knows that I collect Brugs. And I am sure knew how excited I would be to have a new addition to my collection.

This is an image of the flowers that were on the cuttings.

New Brug Flowers

Many of my Brugs were grown from seed. When I started my collection it was sometimes difficult to find Brugs. Now it is not uncommon to find potted Brugs at neighborhood garden centers.

I love Brugs because they have large beautiful flowers that smell delicious in the morning and in the evening.

Brugmansia Image

White Brugmansia Image

I also grow Datura. The flowers are lovely and smell equally delicious.

Datura White and Purple Image

Datura Purple Image

Both Brugs and Datura are poisonous and I use bits in my work. This is one of my poison goblets. All parts are made of poisonous plants. The bowl of the goblet was made by laying dampened flower petals in a wax mold.

Datura Goblet

Rooting Tips

iBrugs

Brugmansia Growers International

My favorite places to purchase Brugmansia and Datura seeds–

Seedman.com

Select Seeds

Not a Hummingbird

Last night my family called for me to come and see the really small hummingbird in the courtyard.

Yeah, not a hummingbird. It was a Sphinx Moth. How did I know this? A few years back my neighbor gave me a dead moth he found on one of his potted plants. It was a Sphinx Moth. And then I found one in my garden. Again not alive. I placed them in tins and they are resting here–

Sphinx Moths in Tins

I tried to get a photo of the one in the garden. Unfortunately, the photos were all very blurry. This is the best one.

Sphinx Moth

I found this great image taken by Raymond Christensen and posted on Butterflies and Moths of North America.

Christensen Sphinx Moth Photo

Some Information on Sphinx Moths
United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service

Colorado State University Extension

North American Moth Photographers Group (Gorgeous Photographs)

Everyone Loves Brugmansia

I love Brugs. I became aware of them when we were living at the beach. We often would take walks to the beach in the evening. I kept noticing a lovely fragrance and found that it was Brugs. The plants were cut like trees and had large white bell flowers.

When we moved to SLO I decided to have a Brug garden. I bought one plant. I loved it so much, I started buying seeds of different varieties. At one point I had over 100 plants. And my gardens smelled great!

The Brug flowers are white, yellow, peach, white with a blush. Some are double flowers. They all are beautiful.

Then I realized I wasn’t the only one who loved Brugs. Everyone loves them. No matter how much I fertilize the Brugs and give them systemic, damage occurs.

Brug Damage 1

This is damage typical of cucumber beetles. The beetle looks a bit like a green ladybug.

Today I found this wormy guy on one of my variegated potted plants.

Wormy Guy

You may not think he can eat much until you see this–

Leaf Damage

I think that Spider Mites are the worst of all bugs. They are difficult to see and an infestation can occur rather quickly.

Spider Mites

Spider Mites on a Double White Brug.

This is an image of a Brug that was a cutting from a Brug that I grew from seed. It likes to grow tall, about 20 feet. We try to keep it pruned to about half that height, to allow for an easier removal of spent flowers.

White Flowers

When I prune my Brugs I always take cuttings. It is a superstition thing for me. I tend to be rather aggressive when pruning. The cuttings will be my back up plants just in case the parent dies. These are a few current cuttings that are ready to be planted–3 Brug varieties and Solandra Maxima.

Brug Cuttings

The Solandra Maxima has large flowers with a lovely fragrance. I bought a plant from a fellow at the Saturday Farmers’ Market. He told me that it is a vine. Actually it does not behave so much like a vine. I have found that it is somewhat shrub-like. I took cuttings and have it growing in four different locations in my gardens.

This is the result of a cutting from my original Solandra Maxima plant. The plant is filling in a corner niche quite nicely.

Solandra Maxima Plant from Cutting

Soon there should be flowers that look like this–

Solandra Maxima Flower

Plant Fluffies

My first experience with plant fluffies was with dandelions and milkweed. I adopted this plant with little knowledge of its growing cycle. I was delight to see its fluffies.

Daisy Fluffies

I am not keen on red flowers, so I placed the potted plant next to the greenhouse. Every time I look out to see the backyard garden, I receive a bold and cheerful greeting.