Transplanted

Gardening for your health:

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:27:00 +0000

Regular, moderate, sun exposure helps us avoid Vitamin D deficiency and is also useful for combating symptoms of anxiety and depression (seasonal and otherwise). Exercise is also beneficial for one's mental and physical well-being. Gardening provides some of both. How cool is that?

Budding hope, or wishful thinking?

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 19:50:00 +0000

Well, things have been so busy, it's been quite some time since I've had the opportunity to do much out in the garden. I finally got out there to water things today. I'm amazed at how many of my plants handled so much neglect. I've hardly touched them in about a month. The container plants sheltered in my greenhouse have done amazingly well with the exception of my air potato vine , which now appears completely deceased. Rosemary, it appears, also has its limits.We'll see if I can nurse that back to health.

Which reminds me, my persimmon tree did not fare well in hurricane Ike, being almost completely broken off just above the graft. I stood it back up and bound it with grafting tape, giving it additional support by tying it to several stakes. That's pretty much where I left it, having become so busy shortly after that I hardly had time to even think about doing anything else with it. I'm not sure, but I think I may have seen some new buds while I was inspecting it today. I could be completely wrong, of course, but I am curious to see what will happen in the spring. In the meantime, I still haven't ruled out trying to replace the tree entirely. I missed the Urban Harvest tree sale this year, and won't make the Fort Bend County one either, so it may be awhile before we see a new persimmon here!

At this point, I'll just be glad if I can clear the weeds from my unplanted beds and get my roses pruned next week!

Christmas lights

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 03:58:00 +0000

While I have yet to put any up for decorative purposes, I have them strung around the inside of my greenhouse to create a little extra warmth. I am also using them on some plants that are outside of the greenhouse. So far, they have proven to be both pretty and useful, especially during our recent and unexpected snow!

Brugmansia

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 00:53:00 +0000

Also known as Angel's Trumpet and (somewhat erroneously) Tree Datura.

There is a useful post about this plant over at Huntingwick Gardens. Check it out.

See my previous post on this plant.

Moderation in some (if not all) things.

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:52:00 +0000

Sorry, folks. I got two spam comments for that ubiquitous little blue pill today.

Looks like I'll have to turn on comment moderation.

For now, it's only on posts older than two weeks. Hopefully, that'll keep some of the riff-raff out of the comboxes.

I don't like it when people are annoying. It irritates me.

When Life gives you a lemon...

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:24:00 +0000

...You get out the cookbook and see what you can do with just one!

Yes, not much going on in the garden lately. Very busy times these days. Several potted things have dried up from neglect, but the strong are surviving, thanks to a few well-timed rain showers.

I got one meyer lemon off of the tree today. The other two aren't quite ripe yet. The little Miho Satsuma orange tree has six more this year. Last year it produced six as well, but three of them were stolen (I presume by hungry fruit-eating critters of the non-human variety), leaving us with very little. Better luck this year I hope.

What kind of flower are you?

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:11:00 +0000

I am a
Sunflower

What Flower
Are You?

Fort Bend County nurseries re-opening!

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 01:52:00 +0000

Enchanted Forest has been open since Tuesday. When I went in earlier this week they were still without power, but they were still smiling and happy to help.

Caldwell's is open as well. CayDee and her staff were also busy cleaning up, but still happy to help. I dropped by for some grafting tape and was quite happy to find that they stock it!

Calling your locally-owned nursery ahead of time can be a good idea, since some of them may be out of certain things that are in high demand after a storm. If they are still without electricity, cash is usually much appreciated.

If the local places do not have what you need, the big box stores are also open. If you need fencing material to stake your trees, Lowe's of Richmond/Rosenberg is well-stocked with u-posts. Home Depot's selection is usually not as good as Lowe's anyway, and this week it has been even worse. If you need anything sturdier than a bamboo stake for your trees, save yourself the trip.

Posting Post-Ike

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 01:36:00 +0000

Looks like most of the other Houston area gardeners whose blogs I read have made it, even if some of their plants didn't!

Brenda Beust Smith
Nancy
Herself
Scott Head

Taking Stock after Ike: We're very fortunate.

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:05:00 +0000

Well, the important things came through fine (husband, house, cat, electricity, running water).

Some of the fun stuff, not so good. No cable. Which means no internet. Which means I had to find a public place to use the web and e-mail relatives to let them know we haven't been sent tumbling off to Oklahoma by any hurricane force winds.

Most of the damage in the garden was minor. Potted plants were all sheltered and/or turned on their sides, so nothing in containers blew away.

Treewise, things are a little more interesting. Our larger trees (the ones that would be really dangerous if they fell) appear fine, having only dropped a few small to medium-size branches. Amazingly, none of these damaged the house. Other people in our subdivision did not fare so well. Some have similar-sized trees that fell on their homes.

My little trees are interesting cases. The Methley Plum is still shorter than I am, and planted in a protected area, so it appears untouched. The fig and the pomegranate were slightly uprooted, so fixing them should not be too difficult.

The worst damage was to my Saigo (Saijo?) Persimmon tree, which was snapped like a toothpick just above the graft. It was not broken off entirely though. About half of the trunk is still attached. Even though it is nearly four days after the fact, it still looks alive. The rootstock appears fairly healthy, and (as I was told at the plant sale where I got it) has pretty good structure. I hate to let even part of a good plant go to waste.

I have no idea what to do about this. Stand it back up, and see if it heals? Take cuttings and re-graft? (Which means I have to learn how to graft, and fast.) Call a tree expert? Go back to the plant sales and replace?

Since the next major plant sale around here isn't till January (and will likely be very crowded, since I'm sure many people lost fruit trees to Ike), I figure I have nothing to lose by trying.

I just wish I knew what to try.

Ideas, anyone?

Preparing your landscape for a hurricane

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:33:00 +0000

Here is a useful article from the Corpus Christi Caller-Times with some advice that makes sense:

http://www.caller.com/news/2008/jul/19/have-a-landscape-plan-in-case-of-hurricane/

At this point, all of the potted plants that I can pick up and carry, along with several ornamental items have been moved into the garage. Those that cannot be moved easily are under our covered porch or in other sheltered areas.

Here in Fort Bend county, we are starting to see more cloud cover, and more breezes. Nothing major yet. I'm sure time will fix that.

Stay safe, everybody.

Y-Ike-s!

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:46:00 +0000

It looks to be headed straight for us:

Image source: Weather Underground

We shall see how it goes for those of us southwest of Houston. Keep an eye on Nancy's blog for news of what's happening to the north.

Looks like I'll probably need to shelter some of my more delicate potted plants. Our more experienced neighbors are planning to ride it out, as are we, with a disaster supply kit for ourselves and our kitten at the ready, of course.

Do it yourself Rain Barrels?

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 01:31:00 +0000

It's getting tempting...

I have looked around for ideas for a do it yourself rain chain as well, but unfortunately tools I do not have, and some I'm not even sure I should use (blowtorch, anyone?) are usually involved. Rats. Gotta keep looking.

Sunny skies!

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:56:00 +0000

And a few (slightly curvy) wisps of cloud and a light breeze over here southwest of Houston. Our little kitten Chico is sitting on the windowsill by my desk as I type, birdwatching.

As predicted, Gustav is directing most of his fury at the residents of the Louisiana coastline. Keep them in your prayers!

Boston Ferns and your Cat

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 23:19:00 +0000

The Cat Fanciers association lists the Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata--a.k.a. Sword Fern) as a non-toxic plant for cats.

Non-toxic, however does not necessarily mean "edible", which means it can still make your little kitty ill.

Today, our little guy taught us differently by munching on my boston fern last night while we slept, and getting sick afterwards.

Yuck.

We took him to a veterinary ER, to make sure he would be OK. Apparently Boston Fern can cause gastrointestinal upset, lethargy, vomiting, loss of appetite, and diarrhea. We've seen all but the last one in our cat.

Yummy.

Cat's not happy about it either, but he seems to be recovering, getting his appetite back late this afternoon. (Right after we got home from the vet hospital, of course.)

From now on, only "edible" plants in the house.

Good thing I live in a semi-tropical climate, because my ferns are about to be banished to the warm shadiness of my back porch, where they will probably be just as happy anyway.

For a longer list of plants poisonous to your cat, see this list from the Cat Fanciers Association.

Just a spoonful of sugar...

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 04:55:00 +0000

Or is that a spoonful of raindrops?

That's about all I got from Edouard in my rain gauge today. Almost exactly one inch in 24 hours.

I feel like Ben Stein in the Clear Eyes commercial.

Wow.

Looks like I'll still be doing plenty of watering this week.

On the bright side, no flooding!

So far, so good over here.

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:38:00 +0000

Things are still pretty quiet southwest of Houston. Plenty of rain, very little wind.

Nancy has been seeing

more action from Edouard today. She has posted twice so far. Here, and here. See all of Nancy's Tropical Storm posts.

Not nearly as bad as Tropical Storm Allison, which stuck around dumping rain long enough to turn this:

Photo Source

Into this:

Photo Source: Rice.edu

Photo Source: http://www.srh.noaa.gov

That's right. Full up to the top. This was before I came out here. Just gives you an idea of the possibilities, though.

Edouard, however appears to be moving at a decent enough pace to avoid repeating this.

Smells like rain...

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 22:35:00 +0000

Lots of it. And Wind. Nasty wind.

Never been through a tropical storm, so this will probablly be an education.

I'll be bringing many of my lighter weight plants and my outdoor furniture into my garage tonight so they don't get too blown around.

The containers that are too big for me to move will just have to wait it out, I suppose.

Oh yes, and the wind chimes? They're coming in too.

Hopefully the new little trees I planted last winter will be okay.

Hopefully the big trees won't drop anything on my house.

Tomorrow, definitely staying inside.

On the upside, at least we need the rain.

Post-storm thoughts to be posted later.

"Aqua Globes"

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 22:59:00 +0000

I have to get really tired of watering before I go out and buy some gimmicky TV product.

But the two-pack was only 10 bucks at the drugstore, so I took a chance.

I like 'em.

Do they replace watering? No.

But my thirsty indoor ferns do not suffer quite as badly from my neglect.

~~~~ Houseplants and your Cat

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 14:46:00 +0000

My hubby and I finally took the plunge and adopted a kitten. He typed the "~" symbols in title of this post by walking across my keyboard.

He is everything that kittens generally are, especially with respect to cuteness and curiosity.

Which means I have to make some decisions about my pothos vine and my poinsettias, both of which are toxic to kitties, should they be ingested.

A hanging basket will probably keep the pothos out of reach, as long as it does not drop leaves.

Not sure what to do with the poinsettias though. They may have to go outside. He doesn't seem interested in them now, but they drop leaves, and those might make tempting toys.

Cats should also be kept away from philodendrons, crotons, ivy, polka-dot plant, chrysanthemums, cyclamens, castoroil plant, cherry laurel, azalea, Lily-of-the-Valley and diffenbachia. Here is a list of other plants known to be toxic to cats, along with the symptoms they produce. Also, the University of Nebraska has a page with a list of many common indoor plants, with their toxicity noted. PetPlace.com has a useful list as well.

I will probably start an indoor herb and grass garden for my kitty so that he will have some safe plants to chew on. Hopefully making him less interested in the purely ornamental ones.

I find that daily applications of cat repellent (purchased at the pet store) work for keeping him away from dangerous places/objects until I can finish "cat-proofing" the house.

Here are some indoor plants that some people suggest as safer alternatives for homes with felines. It is still best to keep your kitty from chewing on your plants. It's still not the best thing for her to eat. Plus, it's not so great for the plant.

**Please Note: I am not an expert on this, I merely draw from other resources. When in doubt, talk to a vet or toxicologist for expert info.**

African Violet (Saintpaulia ionantha)
Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
Wandering Jew (Zebrina pendula)
Peperomias (multiple varieties)
Jade Plant (Crassula ovata, also known as Crassual argentea)
Swedish ivy (Plectranthus australis)
Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
The Prayer plant (Maranta spp.)
Rattlesnake plant (Calathea insignis)
Grape ivy (Cissus rhombifolia)
Boston Fern (Nephrolepis spp.)
Burro's Tail (Sedum morganianum)
Wax plant (Hoya carnosa and varieties).

Sources:
Brian's Garden
Suite101.com

Also: see CatTraining.com for info on training kitty to stay away from the houseplants.

Texas may be hot enough for this..

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:34:00 +0000

..but I am not.

Therefore, in the interests of the general public good, and of protecting myself from sunburn and insect bite, I shall not be participating in next year's World Naked Gardening Day (If you follow Ljmacphee's link in her post, be aware that the official site has pictures).

This takes natural gardening to another level.

Chick Food

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:19:00 +0000

Some days it seems like I put more work into maintaining and improving my garden than I do into actually enjoying it.

Not today.

Today, with the weather being so mild, I took the opportunity to just sit around out there with my crochet work, watching cardinals come and visit the bird feeder. (By the way, for those of you wanting to attract cardinals to your gardens---they LOVE safflower seeds!) I saw my first juvenile cardinal in person. Accompanied by both of its parents, it waited for them on a nearby brick wall, hidden by tree branches while they made trips back and forth to the feeder to bring seeds back for it. Sometimes they would set the seeds down and let the baby pick them up himself, other times they would simply feed him.

Now I need to work on attracting butterflies and hummingbirds.

Checkerboard Fuchsias

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:43:00 +0000

Keep them nice and shady, or they will begin to wilt. I will need to move mine. The sun shifts just enough during the summer to make what used to be a shady spot sunny. Grr.

Leaf Miners

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 16:09:00 +0000

These annoying insects apparently love to eat sweet basil. Grr. Fortunately, they haven't destroyed it.

They also like Pinto beans.

So far, no new damage on any of my citrus trees this year.

I have heard that companion plantings of Columbine can be helpful.

I may try this. I do not relish the thought of using insecticides in my herb garden.

Incidentally, June is also supposed to be a great month for planting Basil seeds.

Talking to my plants...

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Fri, 09 May 2008 00:45:00 +0000

...and my husband has been the primary outlet for my gardening concerns lately, as I have had little time for blogging. Much of my free time, such as it is, has been spent outside, taking advantage of every remotely tolerable moment of decent weather to get as much heavy outdoor work done as possible before the summer heat confines me to light weeding, seed scattering, and small container gardening. However, plenty has been happening, so while I wait till I have a little more time for more detailed posting, here are a few things I have learned during my (monthlong now) blogging silence:

Radishes do not always grow as fast as the book says they will.

Squash plants grow very fast when planted in good conditions.

Round-up (despite its drawbacks) is by far the most efficient method I have yet tried for getting rid of unwanted areas of lawn.

Containerized Grumichama (Eugenia brasiliensis) does not like neglect. Do not allow to dry out for more than a couple of days, or risk losing the year's fruit crop.

Containerized feijoa's hate drying out, too.

It is possible to neglect a bougainvillea too much.

Thornless Prickly Pears like south facing Houston walls in the springtime

Cherimoya seeds can be sprouted by wrapping in a wet paper towel kept constantly moist.

Sophora Secundiflora sometimes drops its immature seed pod crop, thwarting plans to send ripened seeds to waiting relatives. Cause as yet unknown. However, happy plants grow well. Next year's flowers may come from this year's growth.

Double Knockout Roses are awesome.

So are "Wave" petunias.

Checkerboard fuschias are both collectible and hardy, and look great growing in the shade near star jasmine and Southern Maidenhair ferns.

Pinto beans can sprout in the bottom of a wet kitchen sink, if left long enough.

Air potatoes can, apparently, sprout in a dark closet in a plastic bag with no soil, no water, and next to no light while certain persons try to decide whether to plant them at all due to their potentially invasive qualities.

That just about covers it!