Stapeliad gigantea blooming, bugs, and more!

Today I went by the college garden, and to my great surprise, I found the big clump of Stapeliad blooming! The buds (I call them pods because they are so huge and amazing) above were growing along one edge, so I could get a good shot.

The large (dinner plate sized) bloom is so amazingly beautiful. I used to have a whole tire of these guys, but they died after the 3 hurricanes we had in a row in2004-2005 which killed them. The horticulturist at this college garden had given me a huge clump, and I had a few years with them before they died. I'm not ready to devote the space they need to having them again. Especially since I can see them over there all the time. This is a regular garden hang-out for me!!!

Yesterday and today I noted a super abundance of rain lilies, or fairy lilies (Zephyranthes) in my yard. They come up in the summer after a lot of rain, which we have had the past 4 days or so! They are so sweet. When I discovered that they are commonly called fairy lilies as well as rain lilies...it was not surprising...as you can actually envision little fairies living in and around them. They are seriously enchanting!

I know the neighbors thought I was either dead or crazy as I was laying in the grass in all sorts of positions trying to photograph them! LOLOL!

Mine are mostly white with little faint tinges of pink. I will miss them when they are gone for this year!

My Cowpeas (also called Black-eyed Peas) had an amazing growth spurt in all the rain as well. The largest pods went from 4 inches to 8 inches in 2 days! Now I am waiting for the pods to develope into what looks like that there are actual peas inside...they are green right now, but in looking at this seed packet, they are supposed to be PURPLE! I am wondering if this is something that will happen to let me know they are ready??? Hmmm...should be interesting! I am looking forward to it. They look so pretty on the package, and seriously, that is why I bought them!!! Hee hee hee!

Now I must let you all know about the method I employed to control aphids today!!! I made up a batch of a recipe I found online somewhere to spray on them. It was supposed to suffocate them and kill them! YES!!! I was ready...these black-eyed peas were covered in them even though I pulled them off once to twice daily!!! So I mixed up:
3 cups of water
1 cup of vegetable oil
2 teaspoons of dishwashing liquid

At around 8am, I sprayed the heck out of the underside of the leaves and the stems (where they hang out). At 7pm, I went out to see what happened. I found some still clinging to the stems, flowers and leaves, but guess what????? For heavens sake, they were 99.9% all DEAD!!!!! Crap...I couldn't believe my eyes!!! WONDERFUL!!! Tonight, I washed them all off real good with spray of water and tomorrow AM I will be back out there again to inspect. This was so amazing, I just HAD to share it with the world! I also applied my garlic powder to the soil to control the leafminers. I think once I get all this stuff figured out, I will be able to enjoy gardening more, without nearly all of the trial and error stuff you must go through first!

Now, lastly an update on the spiny orbweaver spider I showed you last. I wanted to relocate the little bugger, but sometime between this morning (I had noted at that time that he had spun an absolutely amazing and perfect round orb web), and 4pm, when I came home.....his whole round web area, and HE himself, had disappeared completely! There is a little periphery web still hanging there, but poof...he was gone. I just wonder if he might be back tomorrow, cause I already kinda miss him. Funny how these things can actually get to you a little.

Goodbye my little spider buddy!!!

New garden bed!

OK...I dug out this garden space this morning, and fortified it with cow manure, miracle grow soil, and composted soil. I got all the Cowpeas in there (which are black-eyed peas, BTW), except some I left in the laundry basket...

...and in the 1 gallon black garden pot are the 32 extras I have to plant tomorrow. I plan to widen this garden by a foot on each long side, and get 16 more plants on each side in the morning...if the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise!!! A nurse I used to work with would use this phrase a lot and I never forget it.

Here is the view from the other end of my succulent tires...you see the never ending production of collards...still going strong. Sometimes when I look at them, I just get a sick kinda feeling...I suppose it may be time to start freezing some. We are to that point, I believe. I'm actually glad it will be a few months before I start dealing with an overabundance of Black eyed peas...fun, but overwhelming too! I have planted whole packages so that I can get enough to share, and now with starting our own co-op, I will give away 2/3's of my crop. I am excited about this first summer crop co-op with my Mom and friend. We will get a variety of vegies and things will be much more manageable and fun!

You can see that my grass is almost non-existent on the one end of my tires, which makes it a perfect place to dig up for gardening! Maybe this is what the master plan of the universe was to be! LOL!

I got my crock pot going as well...today set up with Split Pea soup. I added onions, carrots, 2 ham hocks and seasonings. My house will be smelling devine this evening. I am writing this now on the college grounds where I am waiting for daughter to take a test and come right out. Luckily I can access the web on their wireless while I wait. I am parked in a wooded, shady area...and surrounded by my fav trees of all times...regal Pines!!! Life is good!
Love to all...Julie

Crazy mix-up!

Today I came to a realization that is really embarassing! I mixed up the ideas of what my Cowpeas (Black Eyed Peas), and my still yet to be planted Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans would do! I planted the Cowpeas already with the idea that they would climb. Now I realize they will not be climbing anywhere (except maybe in my brain to remind me how daft I can be)!!! Now I will transplant all of those plants into a ground bed in a few days, and set up the laundry basket with the Pole Beans (which will climb). Oh my goodness...where is my head at times...anyone seen it anywhere??????

Happy Cactus Monday and my Cowpeas!

My peas after just 4 days of being planted! They are very vigorous!!!

Some of my cactus and succulents...hope everyone has a great day!!!

A surprise in the mail, and a lazy gardening day!

Today I found a package in my mailbox from Suki, over at Paint, Poems and Ponderings! She had a give-away and I was one of the winners! She sent this stunning box of Maple Sugar candy from New Hampshire...and it is exquisite! Seriously, I really thought it would just taste like sugar, but the maple flavor is just so devine and they melt in your mouth!!! I am in heaven! Thankyou so much, Suki!!!

There are little bunnies, chicks hatching out of eggs, eggs, and spring flower shapes, and in the prettiest paper cups with a gold design around the outer edge. They are so pretty, I am saving them for future art projects!!! There is NO WAY I could throw them away!!!

This afternoon, I decided to set up an easy little garden patch! I used a clothes basket, put a black plastic trash bag inside, and filled with a mixture of potting soil and...

this mixture of compost with cow poop.

I poked holes with my car key along the bottom edge of the basket and planted the seeds (which looked like black eyed peas, by the way)...and watered. I broadcasted all the seeds in the package and planted 1 inch deep, as it said on the package. I took a folding tomato cage and opened it up flat and attached it to my fence, and where it slants down to the ground...

so that the climbing vines will have loads of room to go...on both the fence and the cage. There is enough room on the other end of the fence section, (and under the tomato cage set up), so I can add another one of these baskets when time to thin the seedlings. I came up with this plan yesterday and figured...what the heck...I'll give it a go. I truely believe it will work out beautifully. I am so excited to see just how well it really will work out (or not)!!! LOL! How's this for lazy gardening? I really just got tired of waiting for my collards to finish up (they are continuing to make more and more)...so I could set up the tires with all fresh soil. I still need to find a set up idea for my pole beans now...luckily they are of a bush variety! I am thinking I may just use the tires for flower gardening from here on out. I think it is so nice to look out my kitchen window and see some spectacular flowers...especially a type I can use for cut flowers. I want to do a miniature rose garden in one! :) Hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday!