Gardening

[HersheyMint]

I glad you are ok from the fall. You must have some bruises That is hard work.
Billy was probably thinking why can't he help if Pepper is

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Hard at it again today, but taking a mid day break. One of the hardest parts is moving all the dirt/roots twice. From the tire into the wheel barrow, then to the tractor loader. I am determined to clean out the whole tire. Asparagus makes really thick, matted roots and they go all the way down.
In the back tire you can see kale and onions; I'm taking a chance on them as they are cool season and the nematodes don't become a problem until the soil temperature warms up.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I went on a WildFlower Walk today sponsored by the state native plant society. We met in the wildlife refuge, which is always a pleasure to visit. They had a list of dozens of flowers we would find there, and my brain is atwirl with so much new information. It is called a "walk" but our progress was glacial, as there was something to identify or photograph every few inches. Quite a large group, all friendly and willing to share knowledge. The buffalo really made a presence today, all lying or posing picturesquely against the green forage.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Some of the flowers we saw at the Wildlife Refuge. And there was a lichen expert there also.

 

[HersheyMint]

Nice pics. Thanks for sharing. I wish i new the names of the wild flowers in my area.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Nice pics. Thanks for sharing. I wish i new the names of the wild flowers in my area.

Check out your library for some wildflower books. Or a local native plant group. Plant aps are helpful too.

 

[Dragon Hill]

Very cool!

 

[Cayuse]

My Lily of the Valley are blossoming and they smell like heaven!

Marsha, what's a nematode? Is it a fungal thing? A bug?

 

[Marsha Cassada]

My Lily of the Valley are blossoming and they smell like heaven!

Marsha, what's a nematode? Is it a fungal thing? A bug?

A microscopic insect. Some are good, some are bad. The Southern Root Nematode is baaaaaad. It is a destructive crop pest to southern cotton and tobacco growers. It lays eggs on the roots, which you can see the little nodes. I was so frustrated by the last few years of a poor garden, I am at least happy to know the reason why.

 

[Kelly]

This cactus was growing in our yard and I didn’t want to mow over it so we threw it in a pot last summer. Over the fall it got these little red balls, does that mean it is a male? What are these red balls? Will they turn into flowers? If so, it is taking forever! Longer than my orchids. Over winter it had a white powdery something on it so I sprayed it with a fungicide I know nothing about cactus.

 

[HersheyMint]

This cactus was growing in our yard and I didn’t want to mow over it so we threw it in a pot last summer. Over the fall it got these little red balls, does that mean it is a male? What are these red balls? Will they turn into flowers? If so, it is taking forever! Longer than my orchids. Over winter it had a white powdery something on it so I sprayed it with a fungicide I know nothing about cactus.
View attachment 49923

It maybe the fruit of the cactus that holds all the seeds, just my guess

 

[Marsha Cassada]

It maybe the fruit of the cactus that holds all the seeds, just my guess

Yes it is the seed. It should bloom th8s summer

 

[Kelly]

I’ll post pics once it blooms

 

[Marsha Cassada]

My larkspur are beautiful this year. I need to take a picture. The kale is going gangbuster. I usually eat it raw on my salad but I should pick a basketful and cook it.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

My little wild cactus. With flowers and seed pods.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I tried taking pictures of our back yard with the wild flowers, but it needs a wide angle view to really show it. Here is a view of our back patio. And a skeleton of a roadkill rattlesnake that was tidied up by turkey vultures.

 

[Cayuse]

That's one odd looking skeleton, I though it was a centipede at first. Your yard is gorgeous, not another house to be seen, I envy that!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

That's one odd looking skeleton, I though it was a centipede at first. Your yard is gorgeous, not another house to be seen, I envy that!

That's only part of the skeleton; another piece was broken off. When I first saw it the rattles were still on it.
Thank you for the compliment on our yard. We can see a house from the other side; it is nice to have neighbors.

My horsey neighbor just lost a horse last night to colic; I saw the trac hoe come this morning to dig a hole.

 

[HersheyMint]

That's only part of the skeleton; another piece was broken off. When I first saw it the rattles were still on it.
Thank you for the compliment on our yard. We can see a house from the other side; it is nice to have neighbors.

My horsey neighbor just lost a horse last night to colic; I saw the trac hoe come this morning to dig a hole.

Your yard is beautiful. The sad face was my feeling of your neighbors loss

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I saw him with his horse trailer yesterday driving a lot. I thought he was buying/selling horses. He called me yesterday evening and asked if we knew who could bury a horse. He knew we had lost Dapper Dan recently. I was shocked when I heard the reason he was out and about with his trailer all afternoon. His wife just had a new baby; she's only been home a few days. What a sad thing to happen at that happy time.