30 April 2008

Dirt is wonderful stuff.

Without dirt, we could not survive on this damp ball we call home.

That’s what I’ve always thought

My Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, tenth edition, shows numerous definitions, none of which are even close to what I have always considered to be “dirt”, as in the stuff where plants grow. Most of the dictionary definitions for “dirt” have to do with really disgusting, nasty stuff. Not a word about plowing, planting, or plants.

Not, exactly, what I had in mind. OK, I can adjust.

So, how about “soil”?

After digging through all the verbs; “to stain or defile morally”, “to make unclean”, “to blacken or besmirch”, etc., we get to the noun(s) with definitions such as “moral defilement”, “something that spoils or pollutes” “sewage”, “excrement”, “corruption”, “dung”, and . . .

. . . (finally!!) “firm land”, “the upper layer of earth that may be dug or plowed and in which plants grow”.

I would have thought this last definition would have been at or near the top of the list for “soil”.

It seems the editors of this dictionary had their heads in the dirt.

26 April 2008

A fuchsia . . .








. . . adds a bit of color to the patio.









Here in SoCal, we have blossoms of one kind or another all year long; the most colorful appear in springtime.

20 April 2008

Orchids . . .

. . . gold and pink.

Nothing accidental about these orchids. They reside in back of the house, along with many other potted plants. I’m a gardener who likes to rearrange plants often, so many of the plants are kept in containers to facilitate moving them about.

14 April 2008

This iris (finally) produced a blossom after having been planted in the garden for about three years. The plant was a gift from a friend, and I didn’t want to destroy it, but I was thinking about relegating it to the compost pile if it didn’t perform soon.

I am happy it finally decided to show us how beautiful it could be.

13 April 2008

Avocado blossom canopy . . .

. . . with avocados nearly ripe under the canopy.

Our last ripe avocado from last year’s crop came off the tree about two weeks ago.

Very productive, these avocado trees.

o8 April 2008

Roots . . .

. . . can provide an interesting display.

The roots you see here on the mantel above our fireplace are from a loquat tree that was removed a few years ago. The display makes an interesting conversation starter, or, perhaps, a starter for interesting conversations.

04 April 2008

From time to time, plants simply sprout up in various places in the garden, and many of our “accidental” plants start life sprouting from the compost pile. Avocados, apricots, loquats, peaches, potatoes, and date palms sprout from discarded pits and other kitchen waste in the compost pile behind the garage. Most of these plants are simply turned under to become more compost, but a few can be saved and added to the garden.

The photo shows potatoes sprouting from the compost pile. I know, I KNOW – ‘tis time to turn the compost pile. (Other activities have been taking time from my gardening chores.)

Speaking of compost, most of the garden trimmings, and the kitchen vegetable scraps (no animal waste) go into a compost pile in back of the garage. The pile hosts a variety of crawling things, including pill bugs, centipedes, spiders, worms, and, of course, millions of microbes as well as various fungi. On rare occasions I see a toad, and one time a turtle visited the compost pile while wandering across the property from somewhere, on its way to somewhere else. Lizards burrow into the pile around the edges to feast on yummy bugs they find there.

Compost is wonderful stuff. In addition to providing “accidental” plants, it can transform ordinary dirt into productive garden soil.

03 April 2008

Morning sun and shadows.

The large tree trunk in rear of the garden bench is an “accidental” sycamore that sprouted in our garden a few years ago. The tree is now about fifty feet tall, and grows about three feet taller each year.

There are sycamores near a river not far from our place, and I’m sure the seed was delivered to our garden by an afternoon breeze that comes from where the river empties into the Pacific Ocean.

01 April 2008

Why “accidental”? (you might want to know).

The garden surrounding my home is what I consider to be largely “accidental” because many of the plants simply sprouted up without having planted seeds or bulbs. Here is a photo of an “accidental” resident in our garden, an oak tree that sprouted a few years ago.

As you can see, it has been transplanted into a five gallon container. Actually, this is it's second home since leaving its “birthplace”. When first transplanted, I placed it into a half-gallon container, which it soon outgrew.The oak is now about 38 inches (96 cm) tall and 53 inches (134.5 cm) wide. The trunk is about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter at the base. The tree rests on a roll-around base that allows it to be moved from place to place on the patio. The tree will never get larger because it will next be transplanted into a bonsai "training" container and will eventually be placed into a "showcase" bonsai pot. It is a bit large for a table-top bonsai, but will be a nice addition to our patio bonsai display.