Hurricanes, Petunias and Pop

  A friend recently told me that it was refreshing to listen to me babble since I seem to be able to find at least some small bit of good in just about anything.  I replied that it was for my sanity.  If I, like most people now, only see and spread the bad, this old world is a goner from my standpoint.  According to even a lot of my family members...everything is bad and they have no problem stirring the pot by posting stuff (even things not true because they are too lazy to verify) on social media.  This merely gives them a sense of self importance as obviously, there is nothing else to occupy their time.  Methinks they need a hobby of some sort other than trying to get folks riled. 

   But, back to my original statement of how I tend to look for blessings instead of curses.  I was out watering the gardens when a lone petunia bobbed its head sweetly at me.  "Good morning, beautiful!" I said.  I figured flowers, at least, are not troublemakers so having a conversation with one is a good thing.  The visit was nice but the dialog seemed to be a bit one-sided.  However!  However, that tiny petunia sure made me think of how blessed I am.  

  Years ago, Hurricane Katrina just about devastated the entire Mississippi Coast and that included my little Bayou.  The tidal surge covered everything in sight and wormed its way into the Little Bayou House.  Winds rattled and shook the house until I thought sure we were soon going to be on a roller-coaster ride northward.  The seemingly endless storm gave us all a renewed look at how precious life really is and how it should not be wasted.  After the winds subsided and the waters receded, the place was in such disarray that we were in shock for days...weeks...months.  We had no running water, no electricity, no way of exiting the Bayou area...nothing for two months.  The place had been ravaged so what did we do?  We pulled up our bootstraps and set to work  Around here, you do not wait on handouts or go around expecting help from anyone.  It does not happen.  Starting at the house and working outward, we cleared the ten foot deep piles of debris from against the house until finally we had a meager yard!  Oh, happy day!  

  It was after clearing a bit that I began to notice tiny plants sprouting where not even a sprig of grass remained.  Watermelon plants!  Cantaloupe plants!  Tomatoes!  Squash!  Beans!  The yard was virtually a huge garden!  Seeds washed in from parts unknown were now sprouting and flourishing in the yard!  The Good Lord was providing food for those in need!  We were able to share our bounty with those who came to the Bayou to ask for a meal.  We had plenty.  Then hundreds of flowers started blooming...everywhere!  Our yard and my brothers' yards were a sea of purples, reds, yellows and pinks! Those were given as food for the spirit!  It was an amazing incident that will not soon be forgotten.

 While the vegetables and many of the flowers were seasonal and never appeared again, the little petunia was a remnant of the blessings of that year.  Now, it serves as a reminder that out of devastation, beauty can appear.  It is there.  The little volunteer petunias show up each spring and earn a place of glory in the gardens.  To me, it is only fitting that the petunia was chosen to be representative of the glorious Hurricane Garden.  Pop always loved his petunias and had just this kind in his gardens.  His guidance still floods through in the form or memories.  "Always look for the good.  It is there.  Sometimes you have to wipe away the grime to find it, though."

Pop's Petunias

  Back on the farm, Pop had knowledge of just about everything.  He always claimed to be a "Jack of all trades but a master of none".  I have to disagree with him on that one.  He was a true master of so many things and gardening was one.  How the man had so much energy was beyond me.  He kept the fields planted and tended, took care of the farm animals, helped Mom with the kids, had a side business repairing small motors and still had time to have gorgeous flower gardens.  Even when he had become aged, he still worked from sun up to sun down.  I truly wish I could be like that.

  It was those flower gardens that came to mind today while I was out picking figs.  I could see beyond the fig tree, across the garden fence and under a peach tree where a pretty little purple flower was blooming.  This is a volunteer that comes up every year somewhere in the yard. I never know where I will find the tiny petunia plant but I always cherish it.  You see, this plant is one that originated in Pop's gardens.  He had petunias spilling out of every garden in the yard!  For some reason, he was partial to the plants.  Each year, he would scour the beds to find the tiny seedlings then transplant them in between other plants such as zinnias and marigolds.  The petunias would "fill in" any bare spots.  I always remember only purple petunias.

  This year, two volunteer plants came up.  One was under the grapefruit tree and the other in the back vegetable plot.  Since I had no flower beds prepared yet when I found the tiny plants, I potted them both.  Neither plant is doing as well as Pop's but, then, I am not the gardener he was.  I am just happy to find the plants each year so I can enjoy a little "throwback" time to the old farm.

Trapped!

  Michael's greenhouse building project as gotten put on hold while he helps Mark battle the termites in the Little Bayou House.  I guess the main house should come first but I WANT MY GREENHOUSE!  Ok, I am fine now.  Seriously, he is doing a remarkable job on all his projects and I am pleased.  I shall have patience!  He did have time to build the second door for the greenhouse.  This is another "built from square one" door using a reclaimed window.  Once he finished the door, he leaned it up against the Little Bayou House and went to help his dad. The door has been sitting there for the past few days. 

  The angle that the door is leaning actually created a perfect little "greenhouse" in itself!  When he placed the door against the house, he inadvertently "sandwiched" a few tiny petunia plants between the door and house. The sun beamed down on the glass and warmed the petunias mightily.  This gave the plants a great boost.  I was tickled to see bright blooms peeking out from behind the window glass.  In just two days time, the plants went from five inch tall seedlings to twelve inch tall, blooming petunias!  The greenhouse works!  (Even if it is just the door!)  This gives me great hopes that my plants will all do well in their new greenhouse when it is complete. I envision a building overflowing with all sorts of healthy flora!  

  These are Old-fashioned Petunias grown from seeds saved year to year. Pop had them growing in just about every flower bed in his yard and now his kids keep the tradition going.  They are some of the easiest plants to grow, are drought tolerant, are not hurt by freezing weather and bloom profusely all summer.  Yep, those are definitely my kind of plants.  One plant will make a huge mound covered in hundreds of blooms when well tended.  Their bright faces peering out from behind the window panes made me smile.  I like to think they are happy with the idea of a greenhouse!

Sweet Petunia!

So Thanksgiving  has come and gone and with it, Darling Daughter and her husband.  Now the Little Bayou House seems relatively empty. (Pun intended..relatively..daughter..ok, ok!) The constant chatter and endless giggles have quietened and the hustle and bustle has lapsed over into the humdrum of daily life.  While they were here, things were busy and I had no time for everyday chores. I am just now getting outside to catch up on much needed yardwork. The several nights of freezing temperatures took their toll on many plants in the garden as was expected.  Even though the squash were covered and warmed with lights, the plants did not fare so well. They look a tad "under the weather"!  None of the greens and root crops suffered any permanent damage so we are good to go there.  Michael had lugged most of the potted plants into the shed to protect them.  I shoved a few under the jasmine vines in hopes that the heavy leaves would guard them against the cold.  Most of those froze back but seem to be still sturdy.  Then the surprise!

Early in the spring, Michael rigged an old, tired wheelbarrow as a container garden.  The bottom had rusted through so he replaced that and filled the thing with dirt.  I was elated to make use of something that was deemed as garbage.  The wheelbarrow was filled with daffodil bulbs and with some good, old-fashioned petunias. These did well and were full of blooms last week.  I pondered covering the whole thing or moving it into a protected place but never did.  Imagine my surprise today when I discovered that these were not damaged in the least by the freezing temperatures!  Not even the blooms were withered! Petunias must be extremely cold-hardy.

Another great thing about planting in the wheelbarrow is that the voles were not able to damage the daffodil bulbs.  Their tunneling has just about ruined every garden patch on the hillside.  No matter how hard we have tried to eradicate those pests, nothing seems to work.  Michael and I are in the process of designing more raised gardens that have some sort of grating on the bottom that would allow for drainage but not allow the critters to infiltrate!  I suppose I just need dozens of wheelbarrows!  Ahh, the beauty of recycling!

Rusty, old wheelbarrows and long, long lanes..

Sometimes it is really hard to get rid of things.  Not that I have a problem tossing what is trash..I can..usually!  It is just that it is a far piece down the lane to put large items out for the trash man. So, a good many items have to sit on a trailer until Mark is home and can haul the whole mess to the dump.  This makes for some pretty bad eyesores around the hillside.  One such item caught my eye earlier this spring.  An old wheelbarrow had seen better days.  It was well past its usefulness since it had a large hole rusted in the bottom, a broken axle AND a flat tire.  The time had come to retire my trusty work pal.  I suppose that I could have dragged it down the lane but that sure seemed to be a lot of work.   Instead, I pondered just how to "disguise" the wheelbarrow.

When Michael and I were working on the fence one day, a number of daffodil bulbs had to be moved.  The fence was going right through the middle of that garden which would leave some bulbs in exile, so to speak!  I dug the hundred or so bulbs and the was in a quandary of where to put them until a new garden could be created.  Aha!  The old wheelbarrow!  Yep, that would work just fine.  I could throw a bit of dirt into the cart and there the bulbs could stay for up to a year!  Problem solved....almost.  I had forgotten about the hole in the bottom! I think I could have crawled through that thing!  Dirt would never stay put!  Michael just grinned at me.  He fixed my wheelbarrow!  Hooray for sons!  After his patch job, the bulbs had a new, temporary home!  From that point on, whenever we found a plant that needed to be moved, it went into the wheelbarrow alongside of the  bulbs.

Today, I realized that the plants in the wheelbarrow are getting a tad "overgrown"!  I need to trim back the petunias as they are dangling over the sides almost to the ground!  Even so, I like my "disguise"!  The wheelbarrow may have outlived its usefulness for hauling things but it lives on in the garden as a planter!  I realize that this has been done so many times by other folks but I am just doubly pleased about it!  What was an eyesore, is now something pretty...AND I do not have to drag it down that long, long lane for the trash man!

Hot Times on the Bayou!

Its hot! It is very hot on the Bayou..and it is not even summer, yet. Technically, we are still in spring..so, it seems that something is amiss here! Perhaps this is just another effect of the drought..but then you would think our humidity would be way down..not so! Here is how it stands weatherwise on the Bayou..temperatures are in the mid 90s during the day..low 80s at night..dry, very, very dry due to the lack of rain..but with high humidity..in the mid 70 percentiles. Oh man, does that ever make for a blistery hot day and a hot, muggy night! Today when I was out planting Moon Flowers and Morning Glories, I noticed the thermometer that sits in the rose garden. I suddenly felt a lot hotter! Whew!

With the hot, dry weather, I noticed that the birdbath was always empty! Every morning, I would take two gallons of water all the way down the hill to where the birdbath is situated. Every afternoon, I would notice that the bowl had only about two cups remaining. I had started thinking that maybe there was a crack in the bowl or maybe Ezzy was drinking out of it again or the water was just evaporating. While sitting in my favorite chair this afternoon, I was treated to evidence that none of the above were the correct reason for the disappearing water. There were just that many birds visiting the birdbath! In just a short time over thirty birds flew in and used the bath. Some just drank while others made complete use of the facility!! One female Blue Jay really seemed to enjoy herself! She would fly in, bathe, perch herself on the roost to fluff her feathers. Then back down into the bath again! She would splash water everywhere! Most likely, she had been on the nest most of the day and really needed to cool off a bit! This Blue Jay stayed for a good bit but Red Winged Blackbirds, Titmice, Red Bellied Woodpeckers, Cardinals and Doves all made stops to either drink or bathe. Some, I think, were just trying to cool off a bit. I might have to rig up another birdbath or two just to keep my feathered friends hydrated this summer!

As a final thought about the drought and heat..how in the world is my Old-fashioned Petunia plant doing so well? The picture is of just one plant and it has been blooming for the past several months. What started as a tiny plant in the corner of the then cabbage patch, has almost taken over the squash/ bean garden. This plant has hundreds of blooms and is probably a good six feet across! I have never seen a petunia do this well! Perhaps it likes the water that Son pours on it from the kitchen! Each day, several dishpans of soapy water are dumped on this plant. You would think that much soap would be a mite detrimental even if it is biodegradable! Evidently that is not the case with petunias! Somewhere in the midst of all those blooms, there sits an onion plant! It is almost like searching for Waldo!

Total Confusion!

In yesterday's post, I mentioned the Mexican Petunia. This petunia is not what we grew up with as a "Petunia"..this is an entirely different plant. The Mexican Petunia is a much sturdier plant with almost woody stems. Its leaves are more elongated and are about eight inches in length. The plant stands erect making it perfect for a backdrop plant. The Petunia that was found in nearly every garden "back in the day" has now been labelled as the "Old Fashioned Climbing Petunia" by most seed houses that sell "antique" seeds. (~Another potentially misunderstood term.."antique" seed..an antique seed is not a seed that is old..hence antique..it is the seed from a plant that has been open-pollinated for over fifty years. In other words, this plant's grandparents were in gardens long ago. Open pollinated plants are those that are pollinated by birds, bees and the wind not in some closed greenhouse by human hands. This pollination method assures that the seeds will produce new plants that are very similar to the parent plant. Antique seeds are not hybrids and can be saved from year to year.~) Getting back to Petunias..the Old Fashioned Climbing Petunia is also a lovely little bloom. Ranging from pinks to purples with a nice helping of white thrown in for good measure, these blossoms are wonderfully aromatic especially in the late evening hours. They actually do not "climb" in the sense of a clinging vine but are just rather leggy plants that will grow up to three feet in length and then sort of droop over anything that is handy. They can be kept short and bushy by deadheading but then you lose a lot of the charm of this plant. One wonderful habit of this plant is that it reseeds itself once you get them started in your garden. The tiny seeds are scattered about and will pop up in the most pleasing places. I usually just let them grow wherever they decide is the proper place and they do well. I have them in the pea rows, in the herb garden and in flower pots that are planted with other flowers. They planted themselves and I just let them be! Hopefully, this will clear up any confusion involving these two flowering plants..no..a Petunia is not always a Petunia!

While I am talking of flowering plants, I will introduce you to another of my favorites. This is a lovely creek-dweller that was transplanted into the yard gardens several years ago. I fell in love with this Aster when I first saw it growing in masses alongside the creek banks and just had to bring some home. This is one of those situations where I grabbed the shovel, a bucket and a son..tromped through the muck and mire to have him dig the lovely! My oldest son was the lucky fellow that had this honor! He and his beautiful wife slogged around in the bog for several hours digging Asters, Irises, Ferns and Spider Lilies. I was almost in Heaven! (Although I am not sure that is exactly what they were thinking!) I love the creek area..it is almost a fantasy land of plants! This particular Aster is a Stoke's Aster and it resembles a Cornflower. A very prolific bloomer, it will flower intermittently throughout the summer until frost. They do seed a good bit but I have never had a problem containing it. As an added note..this plant does like a lot of water during the summer months but likes to be rather dry through the winter.