Hornets, Whales and Bonsai Crepe Myrtles!

   It seems that 2020 has been a topsy-turvy sort of year and we are not finished with it yet.  What else is to come?   Any day now, I half expect to see Godzilla come sloshing up out of the Bayou.  Trust me...that would be no surprise after what this year has thrown at us.  In fact, I was reading a few oddities that have occurred and I am still astounded.  Have you heard about the whale in the rain forest?  Come now.  Does that seem normal?  Viruses, hornets...bah!  But a whale in the rain forest?  Seriously?  Yep, seriously.  It was all over the news about the dreaded Murder Hornets but I am more concerned about that whale!

  Now my oddity is nothing compared to the earth-shaking things the media is trying to shove down our throats but, when you have been confined to the Small Gardens for more than a month, things are exciting.  My garden "claim to fame" is...wait for it...a crepe myrtle tree!  Yay!!!  Oooh!  Ahhh!  Ok, enough of that.  But, indeed, I was totally engrossed by such a tree this morning and spent a good ten minutes weeding around it.  You see, I have never seen a baby crepe myrtle tree bloom!  Yep, THAT is something that should be news worthy!  "Breaking news!  Climate changes have started creating miniature versions of trees that are blooming all across the South!  We are thinking these trees are harbingers of bad times to come as the trees will spread like wildfire!  They will kill off all food supplies and, worse yet, will steal toilet tissue causing massive shortages!"  Sound about right?  Yeah, well, this is exactly why I do not have a TV in the house.  

  But I do have four inch tall crepe myrtle trees blooming in the front yard.They are like cute, little wild bonsai trees!   Obviously, I neglected to cut back the spent blooms of the large trees last year and the seeds were viable.  Tiny crepe myrtle trees are everywhere and all are blooming!  They are so adorable! 

  Well, that is my all important news flash for today.  Other than that, all is quiet on the Bayou.  We are at peace here.  I do, however, have so many questions about that whale.  Why?  How?  What on earth was it thinking to go there?? What was it seeking?  Did a bird drop it?  If so, I want to see that bird!  Which opens another can of worms!  

If Crape Myrtles Can Do It, So Can I!

   I find it rather uplifting to know that a simple  stroll through the gardens can be healing.  Yes, the fresh air and exercise go a long way in making the body well but just being outdoors in a peaceful spot can heal the mind and spirit.  Today was not good.  It was not bad but still not good.  I felt lousy from the get-go but still felt as if I had chores to be done.  I have never been one to just be idle.  Lounging about the place actually makes me feel worse so I struggled to find the energy to tackle a few tasks.  Not only was my body lagging, my brain was awhirl with worries about family members.  It seems that the old Morton Salt advertisement holds true.  " When it rains, it pours." I figured that  perhaps doing something would take the mind off of many things.  

  Along about midday, thunder started grumbling just north of us.  I turned to see huge black clouds bearing down on the Bayou and figured I had best get myself back indoors.  Just as I reached for the back screen door, a flash of pink caught my eye.  Well, storm or not, I had to stop for a photo!  The crape myrtles were blooming again!  Those crazy bushes had already bloomed once this summer but were now popping out with all sorts of buds!  The hot pink frilly clusters were waving like banners with the hefty storm breezes.  "Look at us!  Don't go inside!  Look at us!"  I did.  I braved the lightning just to see something that I have seen a thousand times over.  By the time I started taking the photograph, a slight drizzle started falling.  

  Seeing the renewed buds along side of the spent seed pods gave me an odd feeling of renewal.  Regardless of my current condition, there is new hope on the horizon.  Somewhere out there with those storm clouds is my "get up and go' and my peace of mind.  The crape myrtles told me so.  

Doing What Comes Naturally!

  Back a few weeks ago, I trimmed some of the crape myrtle bushes in the front yard.  I am not sure if it is the "proper" time to cut them or not but I am following Pop's lead.  He took a chainsaw to his huge bushes that lined the front yard near the paved road.  It was usually after Thanksgiving that he literally gave the bushes a "buzz cut".  They were all neatly cut just about head height to Pop.   Even doing this, the bushes would bloom profusely the next summer.  I cut mine because they were ungainly and towering into the live oak tree.  After cutting the tall, spindly shoots, the bushes looked a lot better.

  Today as I was out walking the old dog (in the rain), I noticed that the bark was peeling on the crape myrtle trunks.  Large sheets of the bark were trying desperately to hold onto the tree trunks but the pelting rains were relentless and the bark was slipping closer and closer to the ground.  Now, had I not known better, I would have been alarmed at the sight of the peeling bark but I DID know better, so I was not worried.  Crape myrtle trees all have a tendency to lose their bark once they become a mature tree.  This is usually several years after planting.   The bark sloughs off and reveals the gorgeous wood beneath.  The now smooth trunk is revealed in all its glory.  The wood can be as light as a creamy beige to a deep, glossy red (and just about every color in between).  The wood can also be one color or be a mottled beauty.

  So...since I grew up watching Pop take care of so many plants on the farm, I knew that this peeling was a natural event and meant my crape myrtles were now mature and healthy.  There was no need to go into a panic, buy a bunch of needless sprays and douse the poor trees with chemicals.  They were doing what comes naturally,

A New Lesson

  It is sort of a southern thing to have crepe myrtles planted in your yard.  Most of the locals have at least one tree but there are those who have dozens.  Pop did.  All across the front lawn was a row of crepe myrtle trees lining the road.  He took remarkable care of all of his plants but his crepe myrtles were a thing of pride with him.  Each summer along about July, the entire row was a solid mass of blooms.  When planting the trees, he alternated the hot pink with a purple.  He would trim the trees each winter and by blooming time they were about 15 feet tall and thick with branches.  Each of those new limbs was loaded with the foot long clusters of crinkly flowers.  It was a sight to behold!  But...all of Pop's yard was.  I try but mine will never compare with his.

  However, the crepe myrtles are blooming!  I have about ten small trees all started from cuttings from Pop's.  While these do not do justice to their parent plants, the beauty is there.  As a tyke, the blooms reminded me of our favorite "bought" summertime treat...the snowball!  For those who are not familiar with a snowball, it is finely shaved ice flavored with sickly sweet syrups that come in a variety of flavors.  In early summer, snowball stands would pop up all over town and always had a long line of folks waiting for their turn to purchase the treats.  It was a family outing to "Go get a snowball!" Not only was eating the snowball tasty, the fun lasted for hours as we all could make fun of the syrup stained teeth and lips of our siblings.  I was smart.  I always got peach...it did not stain as much as say, blueberry. But now I have gotten off track of the crepe myrtle and I have found an interesting note about the tree.

  While sorting some items on the shelf, I came across an old farm manual.  As I flipped through the pages, I was stunned to find that many parts of the crepe myrtle tree were used in home remedies. Everything from fevers to cuts could be treated with parts of the tree.  I had never known this even though I am sure Pop was familiar with the uses.  Back in the day, there was no running to the corner drugs store or grocery store or department store on a daily basis.  Sometimes, it would be as long as a month or even six months before a "trip to town" was made.  (Not with Pop and his brothers as they had to deliver milk, vegetables and eggs to folks in town.  Their almost daily treks in the old farm wagon put them in the midst of town.)  But, using home remedies was far more prevalent then than now.  It was a matter of survival.  Folks knew what worked and how to use it.  They also knew what was toxic.  Not too many folks are aware that a lot of plants in their yards can be healing or can be deadly.  It may be a wise thing to read up on what is growing out there!  I am sure glad that my grandparents and parents taught me....but why omit the crepe myrtle from my training?  Perhaps, they did not.  Perhaps that was one of the days that I was a dawdling kid without a strong attention span. Ha!  But now I know!  And it is time for me to start studying up on the crepe myrtle!

Lichen Search!

  This time of year always finds me almost obsessed with lichens and mosses.  Most of the time, the lichens are hidden but with a lot of tree limbs bare of leaves, they are more easily seen.  This opens up a whole new world to discover.  Lichens, mosses and molds are often overlooked as things of beauty and interest.  They intrigue me.  Since they really do not fit in with plants, as we know them, these three almost seem to from an alien world.  It is not uncommon to find dozens of different types growing together on a single tree branch.  Some can be branchy or wispy while others are flat.  Some have funky, little knobs on the ends of stalks and others are mere dots.  In all, there are over 15,000 different lichens!  Imagine trying to find that many!

  Most folks do not even notice (or care to notice) lichens in their gardens.  To other folks, these are "nuisance" growths on their "perfect" trees and will go to great ends to rid the place of the lichens.  That is ridiculous for several reasons!  First, the lichens are not out to take over the world or even the garden.  They are simply existing and doing it quite well.  Lichens can add an "established" look to a garden and, since they are highly sensitive to toxins, they can be used to assess the health of a garden.  Pretty neat little things, when you think about them.

  On a hike about the hillside this afternoon, PJ and I discovered a wealth of lichens on the crape myrtle trees and on several oak trees.  I have to admit that the old dog was more interested in the squirrels than the lichens but he was patient with my examining the tree branches and I welcomed his presence during my search.

The Color Red

  Isn't it strange how just a glimpse of something can bring back a flood of non-related memories?  Ms. Ez was being her usual doggy self and decided to get into something not so fragrant.  I do believe her play area of choice was a mound of oyster shells that were just getting "ripe".  Mark had opened several sacks of oysters last week and the shells have been sitting in a mound since then.  This probably would not have been so bad had the weather stayed cold but 80 degree temperatures have a way of promoting stench among the shells.  Ms. Ez could not resist so it was up to me to "un-funk" her.  A doggy bath was in order.  I bathe her on the front steps with the water hose.  While doing this, I noticed a bit of loveliness in the form of crape myrtle leaves.  These leaves were the brightest red and the setting sun caused them to almost glow!  Well, that made the chore a bit easier!

  Those red leaves left me feeling a bit nostalgic for some odd reason. Call me crazy but the leaves made me remember a coat that I had when I was just a tyke.  I had mostly hand-me-down clothes from cousins and this coat was most likely one of those donations.  I was always so happy to get these clothes because these cousins were just a bit older than me and I always thought they were the most beautiful girls on the face of the earth! Anyway, the coat was quite a lovely shade of pink when it was given to me but, lo and behold, a stain mystically appeared on one sleeve.  (Keep in mind that this stain had nothing whatsoever to do with me snitching a handful of blackberries Mom had gotten from the freezer! Nope...no way!)

   No matter what Mom did to the stain, it refused to budge.  Now she could not have me running about in a pink coat with a huge purple stain so she decided to dye the coat.  She asked me what color that I would like.  I chose purple!  Of course!  It needed to match the stain.  Since Pop was going to the store, she asked him to get some dye.  He bought red dye.  My pink...wishing to be purple coat soon became red.  Mom left it in the tub for a good long time so not to waste the store-bought dye.  (She also threw in anything else that might look good red!) Anyway, my nice wool coat came out to be a bit smaller, a lot thicker and red....dark red.  I loved it!  It mattered not that the coat was now matted, tight in some places, loose in others and not purple.  I wore that coat until I could not squeeze myself into it anymore.  The next fall when my sweet aunt called and said she had another box of clothes, Mom was so relieved to find that there was a coat for me.  I sure miss my red coat!

The "Snowball" Tree

  As soon as I looked out the window this morning, I was pleasantly surprised.  My "Snowball" Tree was in full bloom!  The brilliant pink blossoms (yes, I know snow is white) were slightly waving in the wind as if to say "We are here!"  Oh, my goodness!  What a happy way to begin the day!  My brother's trees have been blooming for two weeks and I had wondered if mine were going to pass the summer by without delighting me with their beauty.   Now, I can marvel at the brilliance of color!  

  I am referring to the Crape Myrtle Trees that line the lower terrace of the hillside. The large trees that were in the yard years ago had met a tragic end with the brutal force of Hurricane Katrina.  Still, all was not lost.  The roots of the trees sent up new shoots and, soon, baby trees dotted the hillside.  These were dug and replanted in a row along the large railroad ties that had washed in with the flood waters.  Those ties now form the terrace border and they are lined with bright pink blooms.  Crape Myrtles are some of the easiest showpieces to grow!  Just plop them in the ground and forget about them.  I am all about easy planting so it is only natural that Crape Myrtles are my shrub of choice.  These are actually an offspring of some that Pop had planted years ago.  This was back on the farm and that is where I (as a little girl) decided that they were "Snowball" Trees.  This came simply because the blooms reminded me of snowballs.  Not the kind made from the white, fluffy stuff that falls from the sky in the winter but the kind you eat!  In the Deep South, we have names that might confuse others.  Snowballs are one and the same as snowcones, the distant cousin of shaved ice.  All of these consist of crushed ice doused with some sweet syrup.  As kids, we were allowed a couple of snowballs each summer. Pop and Mom would load all of the kids into the back of the old Studebaker wagon and head across the bridge "to town".  Just at the foot of the opposite end of the bridge sat the snowball place.  Milles' Snowcones were the best treat one could get during the hot summers here on the Coast!  The place always had a line that seemed to be a mile long.   People from all over wanted their snowballs during the muggy hot summers.  

  Whenever we did get to go to Milles', I always ordered the strawberry ice! This was the identical brilliant pink of the Crape Myrtles!  It did not take me long to rename those shrubs after the snowballs.  If I could not have a snowball every day, at least I could look at the flowers and dream of the velvety goodness of the flavored shaved ice.  Since then, I have called the trees by that name!  It is great!  Even this morning, I thought of Milles', old times and happy summers spent on the farm!  I love this bush!

Crepe or Crape?

I love this time of year if for no other reason than it is Crape Myrtle season! The Crape Myrtle bushes in my brother's yard are in full bloom while the ones in my yard are a bit slow this year. The bushes have very few buds and seem to be far behind the other bushes around here. I believe this is due to the fact that mine are in partial shade. His, on the other hand, are in full sun and are blooming their hearts out! When I look over at his yard, I feel a tinge of wistfulness just looking at the bright pink blooms. I want blooms! I look at my bushes..there is only one that is blooming. The others are almost devoid of blooms and the buds are far and few between. Granted my bushes are small. Son and I planted most of them this past winter and I suppose they are still getting established. Perhaps next year, we will have the brag-worthy blooms that I see in other yards.

I love the crinkle look of the flower petals which come in a broad range of white, pink, red and purple. These appear in clusters or panicles of about six to eight inches in length by three to five inches in width. The petals' crinkly look resemble Crepe Paper hence giving the bush its name. This naming is remotely strange as the paper is "crepe" but the proper name of the bush is "crape". (Either these can be interchangeable or someone was a horrible speller!) I have seen it written both ways so I suppose either is acceptable. Either way, these flowers are long-lasting as they will remain gorgeous for weeks on end! The leaves are equally as pretty. In the spring, the upper portion of the tree is covered with glossy medium green leaves but in the fall, they turn to a rainbow of reds, oranges, browns and yellow! These drop during the winter to show the beautiful trunk of the tree. The bark exfoliates revealing the various shades of browns and grays of the wood. This habit of the tree makes it worth the effort to trim the tree in a pleasing form so to make its shape a focal point in the winter garden. The Crape Myrtle is a garden addition for all seasons! Spring opens with the glossy leaves..Summer brings the bright flowers..Fall has its ever-changing leaf color..and Winter sees the incredible bare trunks.

The Crape Myrtle was originally from Asia as are a lot of the plants that are now considered to be indigenous to Southern United States. It actually was introduced here in the late 1700s and quickly became naturalized all along the southern states. Not being particularly cold-hardy, the original bushes could not grow in the northern states until cultivars were introduced. These newer varieties have made the Crape Myrtle popular in most states. I will be so glad when my bushes are larger and able to carry more blooms!