Sponsored Content




Intermarkets' Privacy Policy
Support


Donate to Ace of Spades HQ!



Recent Entries
Absent Friends
Bandersnatch 2024
GnuBreed 2024
Captain Hate 2023
moon_over_vermont 2023
westminsterdogshow 2023
Ann Wilson(Empire1) 2022
Dave In Texas 2022
Jesse in D.C. 2022
OregonMuse 2022
redc1c4 2021
Tami 2021
Chavez the Hugo 2020
Ibguy 2020
Rickl 2019
Joffen 2014
AoSHQ Writers Group
A site for members of the Horde to post their stories seeking beta readers, editing help, brainstorming, and story ideas. Also to share links to potential publishing outlets, writing help sites, and videos posting tips to get published. Contact OrangeEnt for info:
maildrop62 at proton dot me
Cutting The Cord And Email Security
Moron Meet-Ups

NoVaMoMe 2024: 06/08/2024
Arlington, VA
Details to follow


Texas MoMe 2024: 10/18/2024-10/19/2024 Corsicana,TX
Contact Ben Had for info





















« The persistence of communist thought in America and the Democratic Debates [KT] | Main | Ace of Spades Pet Thread »
June 29, 2019

Saturday Gardening Thread: Summer [KT]

Tiger Lurker.jpg

Hello, gardeners, garden admirers, nature lovers and hobbyists! Summer has really started now. As the Fourth of July approaches, perhaps we should take a few moments to celebrate. There are also a few things to watch out for in this post, though. I thought it might be fun to start with some photos of flowers that look something like fireworks, in one way or another.

We also have a bunch of critters today, some nice, some not so nice. A few recipes. Serving anything from the garden during your Independence Day Celebrations?


Flowers that look sort of like fireworks

Blake is growing some Tecoma 'Bells of Fire'. Not as big as some of the Tecomas which are trees.

bellsoffire.jpg

Tolerates clay soil, blooms year round, low moisture, grow to about 5' high and 5' long and fast growing. Also, heat tolerant, which is obviously a welcome feature in Bakersfield, where we live.

This particular one has doubled in size since I planted it in March.

Sunset does not rate it for Blake's zone, but rates it for Phoenix. It should be fine near the house even in a heavy frost year, though.

From Tony Litwin, a couple of carnivorous plants ready to celebrate by capturing some unwary insect. Or maybe something else in the case of Drosera filiformis tracyii:

3-)Drosera Filiformis Tracyii.jpg

The largest of American Sundews is Drosera Filiformis Tracyii, while the smallest is Drosera Brevefolia which I don't have. Sundews are known for their dew like droplets which make the plants sparkle and the largest American Sundew Drosera Filiformis Tracyii has caught and digested such large prey as small Treefrogs and Lizards as well as insects.

Here is Drosera intermedia:

6-)Drosera Intermedia.jpg

We posted photos of Reine's garden oasis a few weeks ago. Here is her Fuchsia, which looks pretty festive in red and purple.

reinefusc1.jpg

And a close-up.

reinfusc2.jpg

Here is a vase of peonies from our correspondents in Switzerland, rescued before a heavy rainfall.

peoniesss.jpg

And an unidentified flower from crisis du jour

Aliens LR.jpg

Recipes

Anybody serving something you grew in the garden for Independence Day? Using herbs? We'll mostly save the barbecue stuff for the Food Thread, but what about blueberries?

How many blue foods are there for red, white and blue desserts? Do you have a favorite blueberry dessert? Ever tried those honeyberries (one species of honeysuckle)?

I posted some detailed refrigerator pickle recipes (suitable for small quantities of garden produce) late last week in the comments, for Golfman, who had received a gift of garden cucumbers.

Critters

The Barrister at Maggie's Farm reports a dramatic reduction in Japanese Beetles over the past few years. From the comments, this seems to be a regional reduction. They are thriving in other places. How about where you are? Do you do anything to reduce their numbers?

japanes-beetle.jpg

We have had some comments on the Spotted Lanternfly, a new invasive pest. Sounds like a bad one. They kill trees and other plants. They come in houses. Congregate on outdoor furniture. There are quarantines in some counties in some states, including Pennsylvania and Virginia. I haven't found a good list of quarantine areas. The bug seems to be threaten areas much more widespread than the quarantine areas I have seen so far. Truckers are being trained to spot the pests. Tests are underway to determine if native fungi might control them. But the fungi have not made it to the recommended list of controls for homeowners yet.

lanternfl.JPG

Traps for the lanternflys are also trapping woodpeckers, squirrels and other wildlife. There are always complications, aren't there? There is a video here showing the critters in motion, along with some control measures. The PennState Extension page on this pest (management for homeowners) has photos of the insect in various life phases: egg masses, the two nymph stages (one black and white, the second black, red and white) and adults with closed and open wings. This is the late nymph stage.

late-nymphh.jpeg

One recommended control is to take out the Tree of Heaven, another species from China that has become a problem due to its invasiveness. They are taking a proactive approach in California to protect the wine industry. Tests are underway with a Chinese wasp.

The County has placed some traps in our fruit trees, and in some ornamental plants at a church across the street. Wonder if there is a Lanternfly trap among them this year?

Here is a bit of click bait on Swimming tarantulas in Texas. Visit for the photos of various spiders, not for the science. Had any experience with swimming spiders?

swimspid.png

A moose recently spotted in Frisco, Colorado:

moosefriscoco.jpg

And a hummingbird from ByTor, just because I liked it.

sanjuaquinirvinebytorhummer.jpg

Gardens of The Horde

What's going on in your garden?

If you would like to send information and/or photos for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:

ktinthegarden
at g mail dot com

Include your nic unless you want to remain a lurker.


digg this
posted by Open Blogger at 01:01 PM

| Access Comments




Recent Comments
DOYLE: "The Muppet show came on after Wild Kingdom where I ..."

Thomas Paine: "https://images.app.goo.gl/awdgt1b7QSymWxL4A Gre ..."

Sponge - F*ck Joe Biden: "[i] Hookers and Blackjack! ~ Bender Posted by ..."

Weasel: " 103 So what was the 8 billion spent on? Posted ..."

Smell the Glove: "@111 Ellison looks like she skated face first into ..."

Yudhishthira's Dice: "This is bullshit. SBF stole an order of magnitude ..."

DoublySymmetric: "103 So what was the 8 billion spent on? Posted by ..."

Jim Fowler: "100 Mr. Perkins will be missed. Posted by: DOYLE ..."

Mike Hammer, etc., etc.: "So, I assume that Ellison is going to skate? ..."

Dr Huge Largemeat: " What sleazy methods will those psychos use n ..."

Sponge - F*ck Joe Biden: "[i]SBF will leave prison and become a fraudster al ..."

bonhomme[/i][/i][/i][/b][/b][/b][/s][/s][/s][/u][/u][/u]: "> How does that work? They basically broke ever ..."

Recent Entries
Search


Polls! Polls! Polls!
Frequently Asked Questions
The (Almost) Complete Paul Anka Integrity Kick
Top Top Tens
Greatest Hitjobs

The Ace of Spades HQ Sex-for-Money Skankathon
A D&D Guide to the Democratic Candidates
Margaret Cho: Just Not Funny
More Margaret Cho Abuse
Margaret Cho: Still Not Funny
Iraqi Prisoner Claims He Was Raped... By Woman
Wonkette Announces "Morning Zoo" Format
John Kerry's "Plan" Causes Surrender of Moqtada al-Sadr's Militia
World Muslim Leaders Apologize for Nick Berg's Beheading
Michael Moore Goes on Lunchtime Manhattan Death-Spree
Milestone: Oliver Willis Posts 400th "Fake News Article" Referencing Britney Spears
Liberal Economists Rue a "New Decade of Greed"
Artificial Insouciance: Maureen Dowd's Word Processor Revolts Against Her Numbing Imbecility
Intelligence Officials Eye Blogs for Tips
They Done Found Us Out, Cletus: Intrepid Internet Detective Figures Out Our Master Plan
Shock: Josh Marshall Almost Mentions Sarin Discovery in Iraq
Leather-Clad Biker Freaks Terrorize Australian Town
When Clinton Was President, Torture Was Cool
What Wonkette Means When She Explains What Tina Brown Means
Wonkette's Stand-Up Act
Wankette HQ Gay-Rumors Du Jour
Here's What's Bugging Me: Goose and Slider
My Own Micah Wright Style Confession of Dishonesty
Outraged "Conservatives" React to the FMA
An On-Line Impression of Dennis Miller Having Sex with a Kodiak Bear
The Story the Rightwing Media Refuses to Report!
Our Lunch with David "Glengarry Glen Ross" Mamet
The House of Love: Paul Krugman
A Michael Moore Mystery (TM)
The Dowd-O-Matic!
Liberal Consistency and Other Myths
Kepler's Laws of Liberal Media Bias
John Kerry-- The Splunge! Candidate
"Divisive" Politics & "Attacks on Patriotism" (very long)
The Donkey ("The Raven" parody)
Powered by
Movable Type 2.64