Mothers Day Presents from Mother Nature

Mother Nature really came through this Mothers Day........here's what was blooming in my yard on May 10, 2009. Enjoy!

Some of the blooms are small.......

..so here are their close ups!

Wild ones first........ Woodland Strawberries.... these wonderful plants were the first to volunteer after clearing the ivy.....I now have three nice patches that came up all on their own. I've also successfully transplanted runners to a couple of beds. The berries are only as big around as the tip of your little finger, but they have the purest strawberry taste.....it ruins you for those monsters you find in the stores! My first berry will be ripe today (May 17, 2009).... can't wait for breakfast! 

California Poppies are normally school-bus yellow, but I found this red variety at a local nursery.........it was part of my birthday present to me this year. I'll be collecting seeds later in the year, if anyone wants some. 

The poppies are closed in lower light, starting at twilight, and then open fully in the sun.

Forget-me-nots (light blue, left) and Jupiter's Beard (pink, right). Forget-me-nots volunteered. I can thank Linda Huffman's perseverance with giving me yet another clump of Jupiter's Beard.......these survived!!!

Now for the more familiar.......My red Camellia is still in full bloom....it's a late bloomer, anyway, but it was lovely to stick around fo

r the holiday. This tree i

s about 15 ft. tall and lives under my redwoods. No need to add acid fertilizer to this beauty.

The star of this year's Spring garden is

 my Rhododendron 'Nancy Evans.'

Isn't she lovely! Her buds are a corally pink/orange, then she blooms a rich lemon yellow. What a delight!

She's been in the ground for four years.........I was starting to give up hope that she would ever bloom, when my friend Dennis Lillis told me the local Rhododendron Guy (yes, that's his official title) told him the secret was to feed them throughout the year.......all last year, I dosed her liberally with time-release plant food.....and voila'! 

Coral Bells......great shade bloomers, if I can get to them with the Deer Out quickly enough!

Lipstick pink sage......in another flowerbed, this same variety blooms a deeper fuschia........go figure.

I wish I knew what this shrub 

was called......its leaves and blooms look very similar to honeysuckle, but it is definitely a bush!.....about 10 feet tall. Pretty blooms and fuzzy seeds.....If any one knows the name, you'll win a prize!

Some kind of Australian pea vine......planted in a container, in case it might like California a little too well.

Thyme-Leafed Fuschia.......blooms are only about 1/4-inch wide! Hummers love them!

Good ol' Snapdragons!

I've heard these called by several common names.....and if I weren't running late for the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, I'd go out and look up the scientific name........I call them Chinese Lanterns.

Planted this one last year and the plants survived the winter! Don't know the name of it........but loved it for the blooms.....they only bloom in a half circle! And they'll go all summer long.

Rose Mallow......and, yes, the blooms are out of focus.....sigh

And last, but not least, a few Santa Barbara Daisies blooming under the Thyme-Leafed Fuschia. 

Thanks again, Mother Nature!

Bloomin' Road

While there's still very little blooming in my yard, our lane has plenty of blooms to entice me on daily walks. One day last week, I took my trusty camera along......enjoy the floral journey!

On a rather steep hillside, nestled among ferns and Miner's Lettuce........the showy False (or Fat) Solomon's Seal is always a delightful surprise when it's escape the jaws of DD (D@*! Deer) and her family (Buck, Buckley and Buckaroo).

Next comes one of the first flowers to bloom along our road. At first I thought it was wild radish.......but it turns out to be a sweet flower called Milk Maids......it's in the mustard family.......wonder if it's good to cook with?

Though it looks mostly white here, in person, it's a delicate pink and the plant's leaves come in a couple or three shapes......odd!

I may need to dig some of these wild white hyacinths to compliment the blue ones growing in my yard.

This is another one that will be in my yard as of August....when I can dig the bulbs after they've died back......the Bleeding Heart......even when it's not blooming, its feathery foliage will look beautiful against my rock walls. 

Now, for the colorful finale! The richly magenta Money Plant (so called for its silvery coin-like seed pods produced in late summer/fall) and the naturalized Forget-Me-Nots. I've successfully grown the Money Plant from seed in my yard, but I don't have a colony naturalized there. Will have to work on that, since these seem to be annuals. The Forget-Me-Nots will take hold almost anywhere there's bare soil.....I've been working to clear a lot of ivy from my place, especially around my paths.......You do need to clear the Forget-Me-Not plants from your pathways before they go to seed, as they produce a sticky burr that's highly annoying for you and your pets.

Hope you enjoyed your virtual walk down Lorenzo Avenue in April.

If you're interested in looking up scientific names or learning more about our California native plants, here are some books I highly recommend:

• Native Treasures, Gardening with the Plants of California by M. Nevin Smith
• Plants of the Coast Redwood Region by Kathleen Lyons and Mary Beth Cuneo-Lazaneo, photos by Howard King (he was from Boulder Creek)
• Visual Guide to Coastal County Plants from Santa Cruz to Mendocino by George L. Pikkarainen
• Wildflowers of Northern California's Wine Country & North Coast Ranges by Reny Parker

Not sure, but I'd bet these titles are all available on Amazon.com

Even more fun........I noticed Yerba Buena Nursery has a coupon on their site for a free book from their sale rack. Don't know if any of these titles are included or how long the sale goes on......a trip to Yerba Buena Nursery is always a treat, though......to their web site or their gardens.

Enjoy!

Braggin' on Snickers--A Smart Cat for a Smart Cat Door

Yes, folks it is possible to train a cat!!! B^))

Snickers is now about a year old.....and can't get enough of the outdoors! (Not surprising, as she started life in a feral family.) I began introducing her to our neighborhood in July of last year (she was about four months old), by letting her on my deck and installing a cat door in the screen of the sliding door. 

Gradually, her outdoor world has expanded so that she starts her explorations early mornings (usually between 6 & 7 a.m.) and returns around 4ish in the afternoon. I go out and whistle her up and say hello a few times during the day.....she's great at coming to my whistle!

In late March, she had proved so reliable about returning home without being called, I finally decided it was time to install her smart cat door, the Cat Mate Elite ....especially since, though it is warming up, it wasn't energy efficient to leave a door open for Snikers......also mosquitos are revving their engines.

I had ordered the door mid last year, so I'd read about the different settings......I was selecting a setting that will let her come and go between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m........but will only let her come in between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.....we do have critters like coyotes who love to snack on the neighborhood small animals.

Now, it was time for training! Getting her to figure out that she could leave by this new opening was a cinch! Any escape route was fine by her! 

DAY 1: put the door in training mode (meaning it doesn't need to read her tag to unlock the door....it simply swings open to slight pressure) and tape it wide open.

Enticing her back in was the challenge! After all, escape was her main goal......coming back in was only for wusses that needed to eat and find a warm lap. I found that cat treats left on the door ledge and the rug just inside were really helpful here.

DAY 2: Next came her pushing the flap open after a demonstration by me, where she watched most attentively......again, out was easy. Coming back in the kitty treats had lost their appeal.......so I resorted to her favorite toy....the Kitty Aerobics wand.....kind 

of  a rubbery spider on the end of a steel wire......that did the trick!

We were in this mode for about two days....and she caught on that this was her door......until we upped the ante........

DAYS 5 -- 10: Now we were going for her activating the locks (with her tag). Biggest hurdles here were that Snickers needed to nudge the door with constant pressure for 2 to 9 seconds before the door would 'recognize' her and drop the locking pins.....which, of course, made a rather loud clicking noise....... which, you guessed it!, would make her back away from the door. 

Trusting the cat's self-interest in leaving and returning were my biggest hurdles.....I did not let her out or in by any other means....except for a couple of nights where she wanted to carouse into the late hours.....like any teenager, running around after curfew was irresistible!

MANY DAYS LATER: We have succeeded in Snickers using her door consistently. I thought her training was complete! Silly me!

At first, she thought I needed to be nearby for the door to work.....took her about two weeks to figure out, she had the power!

Next, she finally figured out that she could come and go at will during certain hours.......she could actually come in for a snack! She didn't have to worry about being trapped inside with good daylight out there to burn.

YAH! Now, I think training is complete. Whew!!!

I love it that she has the independence to come and go. Being outside chasing bugs and leaves...and digging in gopher holes makes her so very happy!

Now she knows I'm not outside just to bring her back indoors, we're having great fun walking on our trails through the redwoods.

Banana Slug Fest

We've now had a couple of weeks of sun after about 16" of rain here in Boulder Creek ......You could say things are sprouting....and taking over! You can practically watch things grow.

The most fun companion in the garden....in addition to Snickers, the 1 yr old cat, are the Banana Slugs! Most folks think of slugs as these gray slimy things that eat holes in their newly planted precious plants......around here, the Banana Slug rules! It's even the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC) mascot!



With the audio help of KPIG, I gave my dwarf Meyer lemon and seedless lime trees a fine haircut (see before and after below).


























You can tell how quickly I lose sunshine....I'll bet those two pictures were taken not two hours apart!

Now the flowerbed below the trees can actually expect some sunshine. Guess it's time to thin out the rapidly growing Santa Barbara daisies next.

These trees have been in the ground for three years. This was the first year for the seedless lime to bear fruit.

Marguaritas anyone?

Who Sprouted First?

On February 20, the weatherman finally predicted a whole slew of rain coming our way......so even though it was very late to be planting the native California plant seeds I'd collected last year, I thought why not? So in the little potting starters they went! Just in time for 10.5 inches of rain in two days.





My bet with myself was the grass seeds would be the first to sprout. My biggest question was how long would it take....I'm learning patience, but am still not a pro, yet!

Any guesses as to who won? It only took one week for the winecups to sprout! (I promise, if you look ever so closely you can just barely make out the little round green couplets giving it their all!)




In the meantime, the plum tree (in the background just off the deck) has come into full bloom.



Loving the rain (more than 16 inches in two weeks).....loving the moments of sunshine in between.

OK, so I'm not the most prolific blogger.......I'm shifting away from a traditional web site, which I just retired today and completely onto my blog.

For those of you who don't know me, I've had a small personal and home adornment company called MsElaineous Designs for the past few years. Since moving to my new home in Boulder Creek it has taken a back seat to my backyard.

As soon as I've figured out how to better incorporate pix into this blog, I'll share the results and progress of my efforts......I'll also share the pix of any new creations from my studios.

While I'm interested in your comments, I'm not interested in them pointing to porn sites or other viral info. I am very interested in any comments on gardening in California redwoods, especially with native plants.

I'll pass along any tips and progress I make in this area.

For example, I've just begun composting....which meant I had to get a chipper/shredder.....as I'm mostly composting ivy! I'm taking revenge on the stuff by turning it into fertilizer.

As soon as I find the link that let me buy my McCulloch electric chipper/shredder for 10% discount, I'll add it here. By shredding the ivy, it will compost more quickly and be less likely to regrow from the bits and pieces.

thanks for reading. I'm looking forward to your comments and helpful gardening suggestions.

In October of 2004, I was fortunate enough to move into my 1st home on 1/2 acre, mostly in redwoods, in Santa Cruz Mountain town of Boulder Creek. Almost as soon as vernal equinox arrived, I realized my winter twilight will commence at about 1:30 p.m.

Now that I've had almost a full summer here, my max. sunshine is about 4 hours........As a gardener, I'm relishing the challenge of how to plant for a blast of midday sun and deep shade the remainder of the day..............as well as fending off deer and gophers and trying to replace the 1/2 acre of ivy with California natives.

Thus my blog name: Moments of Sunshine.

I do hope you'll comment, especially if you can add anything on planting in redwood forests, things that bloom red or orange with very little sun, etc.

I've already discovered a nearby California native plant nursery Yerba Buena Nursery at <http://www.yerbabuenanursery.com/Index.htm> and a really good (so far....only been trying it a month) deer repellant based on peppermint oil (long-lasting and pre-mixed or concentrate......smells good to me! but not to the deer) called Deer Out <http://www.deerout.com/>.

Any and all recommendations to make my paradise even more heavenly are welcome. In turn, I'll try to keep you apprised of good restaurants and cool music venues.

Pictures coming as soon as I can figure that bit out!