Magic In The Small Gardens

  Since my "realm" has been reduced to the small gardens, I have become greatly appreciative of anything that resides therein.  The flora and fauna has become my world.  Things that I have often overlooked as "Queen of the Small Gardens" now have great interest.  Each has become a great wonder that purely has me awestruck.  As I discover life again, things in my newfound domain deserve extra notice.  So, I study each.  I delve into the "whys and wherefores" of the importance of each on this earth and in my gardens.  Life is good.  In fact, LIFE is great!

  Yesterday evening, Mark took me out just so I could photograph the moonflowers that climb upon the new trellis that I built before my limitations were set in place.  These flowers seem almost magical to me!  During the daytime hours, the buds are tightly wound spirals but let evening fall and the buds start to unfurl!  Then, the full glory can be seen...and smelled!  The side yard is filled with sensations of the best kind.  

  Moonflower blossoms are said to perfectly represent the phrase "Out of the darkness comes light."  It refers to the spiritual awakening of those who are lost.  The blooms of this vine literally glow in the moonlight which fully adds to the understanding of the comparison.  This, of course, is meaningless unless one ponders things as I do.  All gardens are special places that folks can find themselves if they only seek to do so.  Whether, a certain blossom brings a bit of enlightenment to mind or whether a simple dose of introspection does, a garden is sure a fine place to start.

Creeping In...

  Despite have a couple of cool nights, I think spring must have come slipping in without big fanfare.  Lady Spring has a way of letting us know by subtle hints before bursting forth in all her glory.  A tiny wood sorrel bloom, a bird calling for its mate or just a warm night can bring joy because these are harbingers of what is to come.  Usually, here on the Bayou, one of our first clues is hordes of gnats.  This year, however, those gnats never disappeared so their presence meant nary a thing.  Still, I do believe spring has quietly come.

  As Son and I were working out back near the canebrake, a slight breeze wafted our way and caused me to stop in my tracks!  Yep!  That is the "smell" of spring.  The citrus trees are all pushing out their blossoms and the yard is filled with the sweet scent.  The first to bloom are always the lemon trees followed by the navel oranges then come the satsumas and grapefruit.  What I was smelling today was the navel oranges and lemons!  How delightful!

  Our chores soon took us to the opposite side of the house where I smelled the marsh but found more evidence of spring.  The fig trees were all budding out with new leaves and one had a brave little fig!  There was not a leaf on the tree but a tiny little fig had decided it was time to make a debut!  Ta-da!  I am here!  Oh, little figlet (yeah, I know...not a word but should be!), you may be getting a tad chilly before you are able to mature but I admire your tenacity!

  So, perhaps I did not pull all of the potted plants out of the greenhouse prematurely.   Perhaps, I will not have to drape blankets over said plants because of threatening frost (like last night).  Perhaps...just perhaps Lady Spring is here to stay.

Can I Find a Bee for Hire?

  Early this afternoon, the cooling breeze demanded that I take a hike! While the house seemed hot, outside was pleasantly comfortable.  The hike meandered around the gardens and finally to the west side of the house.  Just a few steps from the little walkway flanked by herbs, a slight buzzing sound could be heard.  It seems that I am not the only one that loves my herbs!  Bees have literally swarmed to the blossoms of the Florence Fennel and are taking full advantage of the pollen. The yellow blooms were crawling with numerous types of bees and even a few wasps.  This was surprising to me as just a few feet from the fennel were dozens of Ruby Lilies in full bloom.  Nary a bee (nor wasp) could be found buzzing about those blooms even though they are highly aromatic.  There just has to be something about that Fennel pollen!  I knew the plants were good for you and the seeds are amazingly tasty but what about that pollen?

  A bit of research showed where the Fennel pollen is indeed sought after by, not only bees, but humans.  Just recently, the pollen has become recognized as an exciting culinary spice.  Obviously, the pollen packs quite the wham to a number of dishes.  It can be added to meats, salads and even breads!  Come to find out, I am missing out on the most potent part of the Fennel!

  Another thing that was surprising (and a bit saddening) was the fact that even though there were hundreds of bees on the Fennel, not one was a honeybee.  Perhaps they do not like the potent pollen and search out sweeter nectar.  Earlier in the year, the roses, jasmine and citrus trees were loaded with honeybees but I never noticed any other type.  I suppose bees have selective tastes just like humans.  Sweet nectar must be needed to make honey whereas pollen can be used to feed bee larvae. Since these bees and wasps were most likely stowing food away for their unhatched eggs, it stands to reason that the pollen would suffice. Smart bees.  And if that pollen is so tasty, I now want to find a way to harvest it!  Perhaps this will be my new "spice" of the year!  And since it is priced at around $10 per half ounce, I will harvest and not buy!  Wouldn't it be great if I could train bees to harvest pollen for me?

Oranges...Apples...they are the same, right?

  After the couple of hard freezes that we had this past winter, I was afraid that our citrus trees were just about kaput!  We did lose all of the lemon and lime trees but the Satsuma, Navel Orange and grapefruit trees must be of hardier stock.  Each one lost all of its leaves and looked a good bit worse for wear a couple of weeks after the cold spells but, now, they all appear healthier than ever.  Perhaps that old saying "That which does not kill us makes us stronger." speaks a certain truth.  

  Today as I was out cutting grass and trimming a bit in the yard, I could smell the sweet aroma of the wisteria blooms.  The yard always smells so divine this time of year!  But, something was different than just a few days ago.  The scent had changed.  I pondered about this until I noticed that the Satsuma trees were in full bloom!  Usually, they bloom at a slightly later date than the wisteria but this year, the warm sunshine pulled the blooms earlier.  The trees were filled with blossoms.  Seeing this caused me to check the other citrus trees and, sure enough, they are loaded with buds as well.  Hopefully, winter is through for the year and no late freezes will damage the tiny fruits.

  The bloom-filled Satsuma trees made me smile.  It was just this past November when Mark and I shipped a box of the fruit to our little granddaughter in Georgia.  When the box was opened, Mary was so happy to see the fruit.  When her mama, Joanna, asked "What is that, Mary?"  The sweet tot smiled, picked up a Satsuma, held it to her face and said "Mmmm!!  Apple!"  Now every time I think of Satsumas or even of something delicious, her innocent exclamation comes to mind. Children are amazing!  

  So, given we have no unforeseen weather instances that damage the fruit, Mary will receive her box of Satsumas in late fall!  Mmmmm!  Apples!  

Window of Opportunity....

Spring is here! Oh, yeah..not yet..there are supposedly several more weeks of winter but I am too excited to just sit inside and wait for the official announcement of the seasonal change. This morning, I decided it was time to plant my tomato and pepper seeds. This probably should have been done two weeks ago but at that time, I really had no place to plant them. This weekend, Son built me a "hotbed"! YAY!!!! For any non-gardeners, a hotbed is a plot of soil that is supplemented with manure and is enclosed by glass. The rotting manure heats the plot of ground and makes it conducive to starting seedlings. This hotbed is used to force start seeds so the plants can be set into the ground as soon as the weather is warm enough to support them. I am late getting the hotbed but I definitely appreciate it being built for me! This hotbed is about eighteen inches wide and maybe twelve feet long. It has some old windows placed on top to allow the sunshine to beam down on my seedlings! I have sowed Cherry Tomatoes, Beefsteak Tomatoes and Rutgers' Tomatoes. There are also Habanero Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers and California Wonder Bell Peppers nestled in rows between the tomatoes! I had a bit of a problem with ants in one end of the hotbed so that was doused with vinegar in hopes of eradicating them. Once that end is clear of the critters, I will put in Eggplants and some more Tomatoes. (And..yes, I realize that is a lot of tomatoes but even though I canned quite a bit of tomato sauce and ketchup this past summer, the shelf is becoming bare. Time to replenish!) Now my seeds are in the ground an all I have to do is wait until they are large enough to set out into the garden! Son and I also put in three rows of Green Peas. They are along the fences to allow for the vines. Last Spring, we made the mistake of planting the peas in the unfenced garden and the rabbits kept them trimmed to the ground. That is a lesson learned and I was not about to make that mistake again! The unfenced garden will have to be planted in squash and cucumbers since these do not seem to be on the "Bunny Menu"!

I did notice today that the Peach Trees have come to the conclusion that it is Spring, too! Just this weekend, there were no blossoms and now several of the trees are in full bloom! I am so looking forward to fresh peaches again this year! This past summer we picked several bushels. These were eaten fresh, canned as slices and halves and the rest were made into peach jam and jelly! Hopefully, we will have another good crop in a couple of months. Hopefully, these trees are not jumping the gun with their blooms like I might be with seeding the garden! Hopefully, there will be no more hard freezes this season! Hopefully, I am not pushing my luck!