Gardening as therapy.

Looking forward to the bouganvilla vining around and blooming. Just keeping it alive would be nice. I don't ask for too much.

Bougainvilleas are prolific year round especially in SoCal. They are beautiful!! I had a couple vines in my zone 9a. Alas, my hubs wanted them gone due to the long thrones, lol!! There are varieties with no thrones.

In my zone, we have very sandy soil which suits most ornamental plants and vegetable gardens with adding compost.

Vincas are awesome in our drought conditions plus they are self seeding. I also love sentrd geraniums as well as other geraniums.

Has anyone here done any seed saving for the next years plantings??

It was chilly here the last couple of days, they say it will only get to 13 degrees (55?) today with a strong north wind, so I have been bringing in my house plants and pulling up some of my annuals. I have a christmas cactus that started out as my mother's some 30 or 40 years ago, and a jade tree that used to live on her living room window, but 20 years later it takes up a corner of my dining room/kitchen under the skylight. I have to discipline myself when it come to houseplants, I just don't have enough space and light for too many.

SharynM, since I am thrifty (cheap?) I have long been a seed saver, I even used to make sure any seeds I did buy were open pollinated so I didn't have to buy more than once. I used to save peppers and tomatoes, of course dill and parsley, lettuce is easy and sprouts better than store bought, the same with spinach. I've already collected from my marigolds, zinnias and impatiens this year. I'm still waiting for the lettuce but it looks as though I may not get any this year which would be a shame, by now I probably have a variety that is uniquely suited to my area as I have been collecting for many, many years.

That is awesome cwillie. I haven't done it in some years but I still have a collection. You probably have more lettuce seeds for next year then?? It is a great way to make your flower color choices and save money. I have not grown veggies in many years as we were getting tomatoes, zucchini from family members. I am thinking of growing tomatoes next year.

I wasn't aware that bougainvilleas were thorny. I think the worst thorny plants besides thistles are the annoying black locust trees. They're pleasant if not pretty because of the shapes of their leaves, but the thorns are a real nuisance. And they're highly invasive. They'd made good guard trees - plant them to create a solid wall to deter burglars. But they'd probably send roots right into the basement wall.

Sharyn, I would LOVE to give you some of my vincas! They're invasive in my SE Michigan area, with very, very tenacious root systems. I'd like to put them into a living wall, even if it is a lot of work.

One of the prettiest vines I've seen is the silver lace vine (polygonum aubertii) even if it is considered invasive. The leaves and flowers are so delicate.

Count me in as a seed saver too, even to excess. I'm not as methodical as Amy Goodman. Every time I go through my seeds I find film canisters and other little containers with seeds from plants I grew over 10 years ago. (Morning glories go in coffee cans because I save every one of them I can get.)

Every once in awhile I just allocate a surprise garden and throw in all the old seeds to see if any sprout. They usually don't, but it provides some anticipation to see if they do.

CWillie, that's a good idea to buy open pollinated seed. I think of that in planning, but when I look at the catalogues or seed packets, I tend to go crazy when the beautiful hybrids and end up with them.

Has anyone started daylilies from saved seed pods?

And on the subject of upcoming Halloween decorations - anyone have cornstalks or pumpkins or gourds ready for Halloween?

Garden Artist, bougainvillea are one of the nastiest, thorniest beauties we put up with in FL. They have very big thorns and even in the heat it's best to wear long sleeves and gloves with a strong branch cutting tool. You'll still get poked and pricked and bleed. But the colors and blossoms are so gorgeous!! Did you know that the colored parts are actually bracts and not flower petals? Three bracts surround the tiny white flower that protrudes from the center of the bracts. You have to search for the flower to see it.

Our bird nesting story: We used to have trellises of vines around our southern windows to cut the heat in the rooms. They made an upside down "U" shape from the ground up around the top of the window and back down the other side to the ground. They were about 2' wide out from the house. I trimmed them often to keep them under control.

One year my 11 yr. old son's trellis had cardinals nesting inside the trellis near his window. It was magical to be such a witness to nature!! We had a clear view through the window of the birds right outside in the jasmine. First the nest, then the eggs. Finally, the chicks!!! A parent would make their clicking sound for a minute or so that signaled he or she was back from a search for food. It seemed like he or she was making sure it was safe to approach the nest. After the bird felt safe, it would fly in, and 3 huge baby bird mouths would open wide and wobble back and forth, hoping to get some food. Then the parent would feed them. One second there was only a nest and an adult, the next a wall of mouths rose in unison up from the nest!

Sometimes there was no parent in the nest. I suppose they both had things they needed to do. Our youngest son could watch this miracle from his bed until the babies matured and left the nest. A remarkable thing to witness!

How fascinating it must have been to see a cardinal family up close! They're such beautiful birds. I love to see all year around, especially the bright, cheery contrast of their red feathers against snow.

That's interesting that they clicked to signal a safe approach. And I'm guessing that your son felt a bond with them after watching the babies so closely. There's a special bond with nature when someone can see such an event on a daily basis, and almost feel a part of the event.

GA,
You're spot on! It was a very special bonding experience. Feeling closer to nature in this manner is always welcome.

Finally in west central FL we've gotten some cooler breezes and less humidity!! Fall is arriving!!

I've been looking and watching our lizards and I'm seeing a good increase in the anoles!! We have one who reigns at the large front windows. He's bigger than most others and stands guard over his kingdom, fighting off would-be-kings. One such loser has no tail. Then there's the lovers, throwing their reddish throats out to attract the girls. They are all over the place but it took my son the biology major to update me. So mea culpa, I was wrong about the anoles making a comeback.

Snakes: We have some snakes, which are good for vermin we don't want. I feel I'm interrupting when I round the corner and the black one is sunning itself on our walkway and I startle it. I don't want to lose it.

Ibis: The ibis are always welcome as they pass through eating bugs out of the grass in front. I wish they'd stay longer, & they are beautiful.

Herons: I love watching herons stalking lizards. They hold perfectly still, then slowly take a step forward, eyes never leaving their victim and somehow not appearing to move. They can hold perfectly still for a long time before they strike. They strike lightning fast and rarely seem to miss.

Sandhill cranes: These cranes are very large birds with red on their heads. Happily they are thriving and increasing in number here.

Okay, that's my happy news today!

You have much more wildlife than I have here in my area. It must be fascinating to see such a diversity.

Herons and egrets are fascinating - they're so elegant, so graceful, and have the ability to stand motionless on those long thin legs - they're kind of the ballerinas of the wildfowl kingdom.

It must be especially rewarding to have the opportunity to watch so many different wild creatures.

We have the usual red, grey and black squirrels. The latter two will face off and one ends up scurrying away. The greys have magnificent fluffy tails. Maybe their body temp is lower and they need thicker tails to keep themselves warm.

We've had a few rabbits, tame and feral cats, an occasional opossum, and definitely a raccoon presence. Sometimes they're so bold they don't even scamper away when a human accidentally encroaches on THEIR territory- they do seem to act as if we're the trespassers.

Decades ago a neighbor told me that they know when garbage pickup day is. Momma Raccoon brings out her babies the night before and they have a buffet dinner. It's probably their "dining night out". And they do a little bit of rearranging as well, knocking over garbage cans, sorting through for the best delicacies....leaving a mess....

I've only seen one garter snake in over 3 decades at this location.

I'm surprised at the wildlife you see because it's so similar to ours. I previously only mentioned a few that I especially liked. I wish we did have red and black squirrels but we don't. Just the grey ones with tails I'm told are thin & scraggly compared to northern ones. I've just not seen northern squirrels much on my many visits. We have rabbits that live under our shed in the back yard. I count it a special day when I see one.

Once, late at night when I was walking I witnessed 2 rabbits dancing!! And I mean DANCING. I'd forgotten about that until just now. It was amazing and super special. They didn't touch each other (like a slow dance!) but their movements were face-to-face with leaps and jumps that must have meaning to them. It was like a segment out of a Disney movie. Maybe a mating ritual? I'll never truly forget that special moment, even though I don't understand it. I'd love to hear if anyone else has seen this.

I like visits from opossums, frogs, toads, woodpeckers of many kinds, tufted titmice, whipoorwills, ospreys, red hawks, huge grasshoppers and huge smooth green and brown moths, many kinds of butterflies, rare salamanders, skinks, bald eagles and raccoons. Anywhere there's fresh or brackish water there can be alligators. And Fl is absolutely loaded with lakes, ponds and marshes. Alligators are frequently seen in the water. Our raccoons act the same as yours in our many campgrounds where everyday is a feast day. It's intriguing to see the many creative methods used to keep the racoons out of the garbage cans. Since we have had the huge, heavily lidded city issued garbage cans for automated pickup we don't have raccoons getting into them any more. Yay!

I've seen raccoons, squirrels, deer, rabbits, herons, and wood storks get used to people and lose their normal fear due to people feeding them. I don't like to see this since it's not good for the wildlife.

The grey squirrels really are pretty; their fur seems to be so much more healthy and glossy. Perhaps they're more dominant than the reds and blacks and get the better pickings and the choice nuts!

I have never seen a rabbit dance - it must be very special and unique. Could you video it for a YouTube posting or would it be too dark if they're dancing in the moonlight? And probably since you'd like to see another, they'll do their dancing somewhere else!

You really do have an abundance of wildlife. You can keep the alligators though; I'd really not want them wandering around my back yard! On the other hand, maybe I'd try to send them after the speeders that zoom up and down my street.

Interesting that I've never seen a frog or toad, but had always planned to create a toad house to encourage any that might be around to take up residence.

Deer are abundant in some of the wooded areas in SE Michigan, especially along some of the freeways that border woods. Sadly, some are also just too close to those freeways.

We count the swans in the natural lakes; the most I've counted has been about 2 dozen at one particular lake where they congregate. Usually they're in pairs; sometimes one is in the nest while the other is grocery shopping in the pond or lake. We really love to see the swans; they're so graceful and beautiful.

One of the things I want to create for my garden is a swan made either from willow or grape vines, then fill it with flowers, like a large container planter.

I've never seen a wood stork. We don't see more than half a dozen herons, egrets, sandhill cranes or other long legged wildfowl. They're usually solitary in this area, although I've occasionally seen two together.

SharynMarie, how do you dry your tomato seeds? Do you dry the tomato in slices, then separate the seeds? Or do you use a dehydrator?

Gardenartist~as long as there is enough seeds...meaning a large amount, I cut the tomato in half and squeeze the seeds and pulp out, removing all the seeds. If the seeds I am saving are from the same type of tomato, I put the seeds and pulp in a plastic container in the sun for about 24 hours. After 24 hours, the pulp will ferment and you can smell a yeasty smell to it. Then I pour it into a fine mesh strainer and spray with a spray nozzle attached to the garden hose. This will remove all the pulp and the gel around the seeds. Some skin will remain but you can easily remove the skins by rinsing the clean seeds in a pan and all the good seeds (viable seeds) will sink to the bottom, skim off all the floaters and and any seed that may have sprouted.

Then I put the seeds in a small pan like a brownie pan and rinse out skins and all the floaters..some seeds may sprout, rinse them out as well. Place them in a hosiery dryer bag with an ID marker for the type of tomato seeds and dry in the dryer for about 30 minutes. If your finger nail leaves an indentation on the seeds, dry for a little longer until no mark can be left. Package and mark for ID.

I learned this after working in seed saving in Agricultural Research for a company for many years. If you only have a handful of seeds to save you can place the seeds on a paper towel or piece of cardboard in a sunny window sill.

GA, tomato seeds are a bit different to save. You have to soak them to get the gel off of them. I think the gel has chemicals in it to prevent sprouting Takes a day or two. Then you remove the seeds and get rid of the yuck. Let the seeds dry on the counter. I don't think I'd dehydrate them as the heat might kill them off.

I have some okra pods on the plants I'm letting mature. Harvesting garlic chives seeds ... I read where they can be sprouted like bean or alfalfa sprouts. Zinnia seeds are drying on the counter. Swiss chard seeds dried. You know what I found are great for seed storage are these tiny canning jars, they're four oz. size. Store in the back of the fridge. I like the book Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth.

GA~I love the Vincas, I would pull mine out in the autumn as they started to die off as annuals but they always dropped seeds for the next year. Here in NorCal (zone 9a) they do not start growing until late spring. I would thin them out and give seedlings away to family and friends.

Bougainvilleas that I had had long thorns on them. I got pricked by one while pruning and ended up going to my dr. a month later because I could not get rid of the infection, he lanced it for me...turned out to be a staff infection, LOL!!

GA- I don't have alligators in my backyard, but many people do because they are on lakes or ponds. I don't need the problem. You must keep dogs and small children away from the water. Who wants to deal with that? Some people have fences to solve that dilemma.

I agree the swans are beautiful, lucky you! We don't have too many. I've seen beauties on lakes in MI. My cousin 40 min. from Traverse City but in the country with property has a lot of deer because they planted many apple trees to attract & feed the deer. They live on venison quite a bit. I've seen wild turkey families there, too. MI is beautiful both there, at Torch Lake and near Detroit in Royal Oak (years ago).

Weather update on H. Joaquin in FL: The gardens are getting well watered as we have very unusual weather. Five times my husband set out for his morning walk with clear skies and 4 times he got drenched immediately and came home. We are getting abrupt pounding rains that let up in about 20 seconds and taper off to nothing. Very strange. It's not like the usual bands of a hurricane.

My understanding is the H. Joaquin is pulling in a weather system from the Mississippi area that's resulting in these sudden hard-hitting downpours that stop abruptly. By late afternoon we've gotten lighter rains that last 15-20 minutes sometimes. Still strange.

Coloresue, stay safe, thanks for letting us know. Keep us posted, don't let hubby go out in that storm again. Will he be safe too?

The VINCAS, they grow by themselves! Even out of the cracks in the sidewalk. Except, two of the three transplanted into the ground died. Maybe they're not good to transplant in September.
Last night we had a good strong rain. Clean-up is on Monday, I can only hope.

Sendme,
Don't be concerned about my hubby's safety, we are only getting some rain and a little breeze. The hurricane is too far away. I pray it doesn't make a crazy course change toward us, but it's not likely.

I finally looked up vincas to understand the discussion on them. They're periwinkles!! Weeds!! No wonder they usually thrive without care. They've always been weeds here, but in the last 5-8 yrs. or so they've been hybridized to get prettier colors. They like our sandy soil so they may have trouble in rich, wet soil or clay. Just FYI.

Just try putting vinca major/minor in rich soil and I guarantee they won't have trouble LOL LOL. I planted some in dry clay under the trees at the back of my sister's property years ago, I hope the neighbour likes it too ;)

cwillie,
Good to hear vinca/periwinkle is so flexible!

Starting to like weeds, especially the vincas.
When I decided to make a friend of the feral cat using the side of our driveway as a litter box, named it "Missing", never saw it again.
Named the skink (that I never had seen before, but was nervous about) "Zink", and that night saw it, but have never seen it again.
Think I should try naming the weeds, because in Zink's part of the garden, my husband has not pulled the tall runners of green grass weeds, maybe he is just being respectful of Zink's habitat? When all is said and the garden is done, maybe I should rename my husband, something like Shane? Come back Shane! Or, NOT.
LOL.

Whoa! Is "Shane" in trouble?? Or are you just venting? I hope they all come back.

So, if I name my weeds, do you think they might vanish? Wouldn't that be wonderful!

GA,
Please share with us if you name those weeds!! Your suggestion is funny and the names can be funny. Humor is good medicine.

From now on when I get frustrated, I'll think of names for the weeds I don't like. Thorny is one I can think of for the ones that love to tear my skin apart. That would include thistles. Those things are nasty.

Who else gives names to their weeds?

Everyone!!! I am thinking eeny meeny minny moe, you are the weed that has to go, LOL!! and so on!!

I'll name my weeds present, ever present and annoying. Then I'll change their names to...you know these... going, going, gone.

We have a lot of dollar weeds, so the day they get weeded we'll have hundreds of dollars in the trash can. ouch....bad joke.

Sharyn, that's a cute little jingle. I'm going to remember it the next time I talk to my plants, especially if I feel I have to apologize for being selective and saving some while pulling up others.

BTW, did you know that plants do communicate with each other? I read about an experiment done to test whether or not plants had methods of communicating with each other to warn of pest invasions. They do. So those little cartoons of plants waving their flower heads, saying good morning, asking if it will rain...just might be true, if a little exaggerated for humor.

Coloresue, are you referring to Lunaria, the money plant? Love your joke about the dollars in the trash!

I usually cut them and put them in a vase with lilacs as they bloom about the same time. The contrast of the lighter and darker violets colors is quite lovely. Later, as they become thinner and silvery, they'll sometimes glint in the sun, as if providing a beacon for traveling pollinators.

Then, as they mature, their foliage if in the sun will begin to turn read, kind of an advance color brigade before trees begin their own annual wardrobe change.

I'm thinking I could also give some plants more upscale names to make them feel more wanted, even if others consider them weeds.

I think mullein could be a nice high rise hotel; it has several inches of flower buds which the pollinators love. Maybe I should call it something fancy, like a Hilton flower (although that's of boring). Names, anyone? What are great upscale hotels that are tall and slender?

I think the dandelion could be the Finch's Cottage; it's the only flower on which I've seen finches.