rainy morning in the garden-4/28/13

there is great peace in the garden on a rainy morning.  perfect for clearing away the stress of the week. 

 a few moments to stroll the beds and take in the view, will do much to rejuvenate a tired body. to see the beauty of rain drops on day lily leaves...

 the promise of beauty in an iris waiting to bloom...

the quiet knowledge of what will become of the logs sprouting turkey tails...

a slight awakening of the appetite with wood ears, velvety and plump, awaiting the journey home to the kitchen and...

the joy of finding a mother bird sitting still and keeping her eggs safe and warm...

the garden is all of these things on a rainy morning.  it is also these things on a sunny afternoon, on any morning, afternoon or evening for that matter.  but to experience it, you must visit.  you need to take the time to walk through and see what the season has to offer.  bring a weeder and some gloves, we've got work to do.

 the bluebird nest is active-mom and dad are busy tending to the first brood of the year.  take care not to linger too long or loudly near the box.  the mother robin is just behind the box in the top of the arbor, tread carefully in the arbor so that she doesn't abandon the nest.

 in dr. bost's garden, i found the largest turnips i have ever seen!  don't even think about eating them-he works with fungus and those are just some of his "patients"

 i never saw the rain gauge here-we had about 3.5" of rain in this last storm.

 we always assume that the rain garden does it's job.  well, here is proof of that.  the basin is holding some rainwater and it is slowly draining.  rainwater is best kept where it falls and i am glad to see we are making that happen.  it is also pretty clear that we need to clean this garden up-lots of weeds and sedum plants need to be removed from the basin.

 reflections on water always catch my eye

 columbines blooming in the shade garden

 the iris garden down the hill from our garden is a popular site for outdoor weddings.  these clematis plants would make a beautiful backdrop for a wedding photo.

 actually, the whole gazebo could make a beautiful wedding site

 our new sedum garden.  do you have any unusual varieties of sedum to share?  we are looking to plant as many as we can in these blocks.

 rosemary in bloom.  one of my favorite plants in the herb garden.  the bees are loving it too.  it is a great addition to many dishes.  add it to bread dough.  roast it with potatoes.  stuff it into the cavity of a whole chicken before baking it.  the list goes on and on...

personally, i like to bake with it.  for this mornings cake, i took some freshly picked rosemary and combined it with dried currants for a lovely, yeast risen cake.

what a difference a little rain makes!

okay, it was more than a little, it was 5.5 inches of rain.  we needed it and we need even more but i am also happy to see the week or so of gloomy weather leave for a bit.  the garden exploded a bit this week  with all of the rain.

tiny and delicate but a big plus in the garden; buckwheat blooms attract beneficial insects and it is a great green manure.

some day, we hope to figure out where this cleome came from and how it ended up in the zombie garden bed.   

 remember the pineapples in the zombie garden?  they are loving the weather and have more than doubled in size.

 i planted 3 taro root tubers in the zombie garden, so far only one has taken to the new digs.

 over in the grape arbor, these are pretty tasty!  3 years ago, I harvested some grapes and made a starter, it is still living in my fridge.  every now and then, i take it out and feed it and then make some bread.

 kabocha squash-or the vine that ate the ag center...

 the bronze fennel was where all of the action was-it was teeming with all sorts of insects.

 the other part of rain-fungus!  these sprouted out of the logs in the herb garden walls.

 what they look like when mature

 wood ears-popular in chinese cuisine, they are edible.

 mushrooms are fascinating organisms.  the current trend of hunting and foraging for local foods has many locavores searching for prized edibles.  properly identifying them is crucial since they can be deadly.  unfortunately, it takes more than just looking at the top.  this guy might mislead a newbie-the blazing hot sun completely changed it's appearance; when i arrived 3 hours earlier, it was a creamy white color without that brown ring around the edge.

 looking at the bottom is just as important as the top-there are so many important clues here; veil, stem, gills, color and spores are all important factors to proper identification.  always get an expert to help you identify your finds before you eat them!

 fungus is everywhere.  this white, webby substance is actually the mycelium, the actual organism and each species has a "web" and they can be very large.  the crazy part, the mushrooms are actually the fruit of the mycelium.  below are some close up shots of the mycelium.

lichens aren't plants, they are symbiotic organisms comprised of fungus and algae.  for more a detailed explanation, visit this website.

a visitor to the garden taking a rest on the arbor.  it was hot, humid and sunny-typical summer but shirley and i managed to remove two big baskets of bermuda grass.  come on out and join us!

july 10, mid-summer update

at this time of year, most gardens tend to die off.  intense heat and dry weather cause plants to shut down and die back.  we aren't seeing that yet; there has been steady rainfall and the plants are looking beautiful.  early morning arrivals make gardening a pleasure since it beats the heat!

taking it vertical;  asian long beans are climbing the strings while cucumbers are climbing tall stakes.

 a florida weave is holding up the tomatoes in this bed

 all of the rain has caused a serious plant explosion in the herb garden!

 basil anyone???

 the raised beds are doing well too.  here is the little garden that anne planted, the tomaotes are taking over!

 when you have rain, you get mushrooms!

look carefully, at about the 7 o'clock position is a red object, that is a stinkhorn growing out from the cluster of mushrooms known as little helmets or fairy bonnets (coprinus disseminatus).

 growing between the clumps of switchgrass that top the berm on the rain garden is thare these mounds of creamy white foam.  they are called crust or parchment fungi.

 witches butter on the work table, it is decomposing the wood pretty quickly.

 the passion fruit that ate the garden...i really need to get this thing in a pot with an arbor to climb on.

 this used to be a compost corral.  it is now a squash arbor.  unfortunately, it is a plant from hybrid seeds and no squash are developing-just plant and flowers.

 the good thing about flowers, you can stuff them, bread/batter them and fry them for a tasty treat!!!

 pretty painted lady getting a drink

 carpenter bee on a sunflower

 somewhere in here is the rain garden.  the plants in it have outdone themselves and have completely filled the basin.  no more erosion problems!!!

 coneflowers in full bloom

 phlox plants in bloom

 jack in the pulpit in bloom in the shade garden

and it just wouldn't be sunday morning in the garden without cake; little muffins to be exact.  mixed grain with carrots and apples.