Gardening as therapy.

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).

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, 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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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?

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.

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.

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??

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

GardenArtist,
The bougainvillea didn't need a trellis to curve and wrap several vines around themselves and make a curve. They seem prone to do this and my trimming helped to get & keep them in that shape. New shoots were regularly having to be trimmed in order to keep that shape. Otherwise it would have just filled in the curve with many more branches and the curve would be obscured.

The bougainvillea was extremely similar to our wisteria vine in curving and wrapping around itself. The main difference is the wisteria doesn't require regular trimming to preserve the curve. If needed, I would have tied the bougainvillea temporarily to pull it over to make a curve instead of it growing straight up.

I had forgotten that hummers are birds too lol! They are definitely not shy, and if you provide a feeder with perches you can get a good look. I did set up a hummingbird feeder for a little while, but it dripped and I didn't want to attract any ants so close to my door.
My parents used to have a feeder hanging by their enclosed front porch, they can be territorial little things and it was fun to watch them chase each other. One little female used to sit on a dead tree branch and chase anyone that had the nerve to try to use 'her' feeder! What was really cool was when the orioles decided they would like to share too, they tried so hard to fit on the little perches or hang upside down to get a sip... double duty feeders!

Coloresue, did you create a curved trellis for the bougainvillea to grow around, or did it wind itself naturally in that shape?

CWillie, do you ever get any hummingbirds in the feeder attached with suction cups? Wouldn't it be wonderful to see the little hummers up close? I've seen just a few in my honeysuckle. It would be worth moving the whole honeysuckle bed up close to the house just to see the little birds fluttering their wings as they feed.

Sendme2help,
If you're in zone 9a, 9b or 10, it should be safe to have your bougainvillea outside all year long. I'm guessing you know they can grow to 30 feet and more and are hard to contain in those zones. Their thorns make them difficult to trim. But they are so gorgeous we try anyway!!

I'm in zone 10 and we control our once huge bougainvillea by frequent trimming, not allowing it to get out of control. I personally liked it when I trained it to grow in an attractive curve of vines around a window and over a portion of roof to provide shade and blossoms to that roof. My husband voted me down. If you have the space to let it get huge, it will be large and beautiful, blooming often. Potting it will restrain it's growth, if that's what you desire. Blossoms appear on the newest shoots that tend to be several feet long on a full sized variety.

Potting allows you to bring it inside if you get freezing weather and can handle the weight of the pot. You'd have to look up the lowest temperature tolerance of bougainvillea. I hope you enjoy yours.

Not ASU, University of Arizona, uploaded by Arizona Public Media to YouTube.

Birds up close? Geez I wish we could post links to youtube videos! There is a great video from Arizona State University! In the youtube search simply type "Hummingbirds". If necessary add ASU.

We had a robin that nested on a juniper just outside the living room window back when the kids were small, very fun to watch.
When I moved to this house in town I was plagued by squirrels and knew that trying to put up my bird feeder was pointless, but then I found a window feeder that attaches with suction cups. I was skeptical that it would actually stay attached, but it has been stuck on my patio door for a couple of years now. It can only accommodate the tiny birds, finches, juncos etc, but it is so cool to see them right up close! And may of the larger birds will wander the deck in search of dropped seeds.

Standing at the dining room window just gazing out in the back yard, I saw a quick fluttering as a robin approached one of the yews along the back of the house. It landed on a branch, barely 3' from the house.

I just stood and watched it; I've never been that close to a robin, even if separated by the exterior wall. It sat, very alert, moving its head in small increments to check the surrounding area. It was just sooo close!

Then it hopped to another branch, continued to conduct its surveillance, but sensed when I moved to gently pull back the drapes and immediately flew away.

For a few moments, I experienced the thrill of seeing a wild little creature closer than one of its kind had ever been.

The only reason some neighbors like our yard is that the rest of the area looks like a parking lot..

The water sinks through shade cloth much faster than weed blocker. There is little to none weeds wherever the bark is placed, but it is only in small areas because I don't really like it much. Seniors trip on the bark.

Thanks, Gladimhere! I guess I am in 9a, 9b, or 10 inSo. California, a year round growing season, unless it's not. Once we had snow on the lawn. Now we have dead lawn because we cannot dig it out...I put a strip of shadecloth down the center of the driveway. Another spot has worked for the third year, and prevents.
the dirt from blowing or splashing on the undersiding. A dark geen looks best, but beige, grey, or brick red would work. Brick red can be sprinkled with much less red bark chips than one would normally need because they don't sink into the dirt.

Loving my vinca, the cheap solution to bloomies, growing up between the cracks i n the sidewalks. Invasive is good when otherwise you have zip.

Coloresue, No idea about winter, because one yeaf it wipes out everything, the next year the vinca bloom all year through, the cape honeysuckle one died, the other came back and really grows fast.. I don't yet know my area number, but just hanging in there with the bouganvillas. How do I bring thrm inside and still keep them alive?

cwillie you may be right. I've planted lavender in two places which are thoroughly neglected and it's growing well.