Change... From the swimming pool to the frog pond

Over time, needs change and adaptation naturally occurs in the garden. When the children were little we planted the Privet around the edge of the property and installed a horse tank surrounded by decking just opposite the badmitton court we had created for August tournaments. We surrounded the tank with evening bloomers that would smell lovely by moonlight... Datura and Four O'Clocks. Summer days were spent swimming and dipping, sunning and playing. Evenings were for star gazing, often while floating on inflatable chaises, gin and tonics in hand.







The children grew up, the swimming pool became more of a hassle than a joy, and the sun became very unfriendly. And so it became a frog pond. We placed lilies and water grasses in it, added goldfish to minimize mosquitos, and kept the night blommers for their scent. The decking was perfect for the green jumpers who came to inhabit our pond and often we had dozens that would plop with a splash as we approached.





Still it lacked the feeling, the aura if you will, that we wanted. So last weekend we removed the entrance decking, installed dual benches, a gravel path to the water's edge, and gave out little space a truly Zen feeling.



I like it a lot... and so does the the Pond Fairy!



*Five dollars worth of water hyacinth will clean an entire pond, multiplying as the season progresses.

Scented Evening Bloomers

In the Garden
By Catherine Dougherty

As I have mentioned before, often descriptions in a book stand out and become sensually very real. The novel 'Love in the Time of Cholera' written by Gabriel José Márquez, a Colombian novelist, is among the best for descriptions of scent. As one walks through the iron gates of his imaginary court yard, the bustling, odor-filled, turn of the century South American village disappears, leaving behind it's smell of sewage, animal excrement, sweat, and cheap food. His garden is filled with delicious scent that is described so well as he takes one on a journey of wonder that peeks with the desire for scented bloomers. Since gardens are created for enjoyment, one must not forget the pleasure of an evening stroll filled with the night bloomers scent gently wafting through the moonlight. There is still time to plant a few to enjoy through out the summer into fall. And although scent has given way to form in recent years, there are still some old fashioned flowers available that have retained this charm.

Many of the marvelous evening bloomers are white to attract the night flying moths who feed on their nectar and pollen. Datura, or Moon flower as we call it locally, can still be planted to establish itself for next year. It will bloom a with few trumpet shaped, lemony smelling flowers by late August but the tuber will establish itself over the season. If started now, next year it will bloom by May and last through fall. Remember that it is poisonous so plant it where it may not be ingested by children or pets. Pick a place where it has room to grow to the size of a medium shrub with full sunlight.

Sweet Autumn Clematis can still be planted and since it blooms in the fall, you will have it to enjoy when other flowers are spent. The white starry flowers are intensely fragrant and beautiful. Four O'Clocks may be planted all season as well. They too become very large over time so planting a few new 'babies' now and again will give fragrant filler at a low level in a garden spot. Nicotiana may still be found at nurseries and although it looks rather tired and spindly in the two inch peat pot, it will fill out in your garden and bloom all summer, filling the evening with sweet scent.

Still available as well is Garden Heliotrope. Growing up to give feet tall with blossoms that exude fragrance after dark, it is always a hit. Some say it smells like vanilla, others say apple pie. Regardless, it produces one of the sweetest fragrances and its tiny flowers, in a range of pink to deep purple, add a splash of color. It is a wonderful companion plant for tomatoes and attracts butterflies. It will self seed and it is said that it may become invasive so be careful where it is planted.

Lastly is Evening Primrose with such a delicate sounding name for a rather weedy looking plant. Their large yellow flowers begin to exude an outstanding aroma by evening, making them an absolutely stunning addition regardless of their rag-tag appearance.

Take an evening walk, listen to the winged night fliers, bask in the moonlight; it's the height of the summer of 2010 and it will be gone before we blink twice.

The Firefly and Cicada

Our days this month may become exceptionally hot but we are allowed compensation by our nights, which are something marvelous to behold. The melodic song of the Cicada, which drones throughout the summer months tells us when the temperature will be ninety. As dusk ushers in the cool of evening, their singing is silenced until morning. Suddenly, in the darkness, the fireflies appear with the evening light show.

The firefly is a type of flying beetle that glows in the dark with tiny sparks of white fire. They appear in midsummer and only warm climates. Their abdomens contain five chemicals adenosine, triphosphate, luciferin, oxygen, magnesium, and luciferase which are bound by a chemical controller. As nerve stimulations release another chemical, inorganic pyrophosphate, the bond breaks and the reaction creates the light. Seconds later the light diminishes as another chemical destroys the pyrophosphate. Fireflies are one of the few insects that use vision to find a mate. Male fireflies find true love by following the flashing lights.

Although they exist all over the world, many fireflies do not have wings. In Europe the female is called the glowworm because she simply sits in irrisident splendor. In Cuba, the beetle is rather large and has been used for centuries as a decoration. Women attach the beetle to their gowns or place one on a special golden chain as an ornament. In dense tropical forests it is customary to attach the glowing beetles to the tops of boots to light the path. In other places, the beetles are placed en mass in jars and give a continuous, though wavering light.

As we seriously battle grasshoppers, shield bugs, assassin bugs, and a host of other voracious insects, it is nice to remember our childhood when looking for cicada shells and catching fireflies added memorable and magical allure to our summer evenings.

Rules for Having Poisonous Plants~

Ingesting Only One Castor Bean Seed Will Prove Fatal!
Pretty tho' Isn't She?

Plants have been source of fascination since the beginning of time. They have provided a plethora of benefits to mankind and use of them has evolved over many years. However as all gardeners know, there is a dark side to the plant kingdom and many common plants are extremely toxic causing complaints which range from indigestion, to hallucinogenic visions, and possibly even death. The science of using dangerous plants reached a zenith during Medieval times when dispatching an enemy was as simple as brewing a tea! Today, for the well being of children and animals, it is wise to know which common plants impose significant dangers.

Almost all flowering bulbs are toxic in some manner so do not ingest any of them. Many plants contain dangerous compounds which are removed by cooking. Our own Poke Weed, found in early spring, is toxic unless the leaves are prepared in a specific manner. The roots, leaves, and flowers of Taro, a wild Elephant Ear, are staple foods in some tropical countries, but they too must all be cooked before eating. Some plants have parts of them which are edible while other parts are toxic. The Rhubarb, used in flavorful jellies and pies, has poisonous leaves but the stalks are not.

The following plants are listed as fatal, making them of particular import. Bunny Rabbit flowers aside, the lovely Larkspur is so toxic that it was used during the Revolutionary War as a pesticide. Soldiers stuffed their boots with it to repel mites and ticks. Oddly, the green berries of the lovely and prolific Lantana are fatal in small doses as are those of the Wisteria, Jasmine and Mistletoe. All parts of the Azalea and Rhododendron plants are deadly as well. The popular house plant Dieffenbachia is called dumb cane for it’s affect on the mouth and throat if ingested. The instant swelling not only renders the individual dumb, but may cause air-blocking swelling.

Many toxic plants incur cult followings among ill informed youth. Used as a recreational drug due to hallucinogenic properties, the exotic Moon Flower made the news on a high school campus last fall as students chewed seeds in class. Salvia Divinorum contains a property which is a potent naturally occurring hallucinogen when smoked. The leaves were used in traditional spiritual practices by the Mazatec people of Mexico however due to it’s ‘popularity’ among non-native followers, it has been banned in twelve states including Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee, Delaware, North Dakota, Illinois, and Ohio.

There is a simple common sense rule to follow in dealing with the Plant Kingdom: Do not graze in the woods or garden, eating or smoking what abounds unless it is something that you know and recognize as healthful… it could make you ill or even prove fatal.

Caladiums

Without doubt it is the year of the Caladium. Driving about town, they appear in almost every garden in splendid glory. A native of South America they have been called “Heart of Jesus” and ‘Angel Wings’ for the intricate structure of their leaves. Since they are tropical and require moisture to reach their zenith they have certainly flourished this year. Planted about the time one plants Okra seed, they are also one of the few bulbs to thrive in the shade. Grown for their spectacular multicolored decorative leaves, they are used on borders, in pots and as garden focal points and look lovely from now until fall.

There are two kinds of Caladium, the fancy-leafed and the lance-leafed, with the lance-leafed the slightly smaller of the two. Since there are over 1,000 named cultivars from the original South American plant, one is assured a color or combination which will fit into every garden scheme. They grow to full size in one season and come in astonishing combinations of red, pink, green or white with colored midribs and contrasting backgrounds and borders.

Each Caladium tuber has a large central bulb surrounded by smaller buds so the larger the tuber, the more impressive the display. You may save Caladium tubers for planting next year by digging the tubers in the fall before they have lost all color. Once dug, spread them on an old screen to dry for a week, cut and remove all the dried foliage, dust the soil from them then pack in dry peat moss or vermiculite for storage. In packing, make sure the tubers do not touch each other and store them where the temperature will not dive below 50 degrees. Keep in mind however that the foliage of bulbs stored in this manner will be smaller and bloom less abundantly than first-year tubers. For less than the price of dinner for two at a fine restaurant, one can purchase an abundance of tubers in the spring, assuring a magnificent show all summer.