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| Moonflower - Datura Family. |
Sometimes I begin the day with some information and opinions about this brave new Age of Apostasy. Or - I report on the latest embarrassment among the Lutheran sects, such as the LCMS marketing the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation in the style and character of a Walter Drake catalog.
My favorite beginning is a post about Creation Gardening, Sassy Sue the three-legged wonder dog, or both.
Norma Boeckler, our artist-in-residence, posted on Facebook about a seed pod, asking people to identify it. I looked up various gardening sources and figured it was from the Datura family, though the exact one eluded me. I realized that Jimson Weed and Moonflower seem to be names for the same flower, a beautiful white trumpet that creates a spiky green seedball. I mentioned it growing at Almost Eden Gardens and Nursery, almost next door to us.
She wrote, "If I lived next door to a nursery, I would be there every day."
I responded, "And I'm not?"
Norma asked, "Is that where you walk Sassy?"
I said, "Yes, and we see the owner and his dog Opie, many days." Sassy has a lot of friends, so she takes routes that include children and adults who know her, call her by name, and pet her.
That was where I saw the Moonflower. I am happy to say we are welcome there, and Sassy often picks that route on our walks. For her, the ideal is going down Joye or Daline, heading past the fire station, and going through Almost Eden, where Opie yelps to be petted and asks to play tag with Sassy.
Another Rain Prediction on Tuesday - For Wednesday
We will probably head to Almost Eden early today. Yesterday we walked over to get some video of beneficial insects on the Coreopsis and a portrait of Sassy. But Sassy figured posing was an excuse to roll over for petting, or to grin and give me some dog-smooches.
The upcoming rain also meant I needed to empty all the rain containers on Tuesday. Favorite roses got the first-fruits of my collection, followed by plants from Almost Eden, then by willow from Almost Eden.
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| "Goodbye and thanks for all the worms." Mr. Mole also eats underground insects, before they eat my plants. |
Cardboard and Wood Mulch
Although the willows are supposed to be tolerant of dry weather, they are not immune to being overwhelmed by tall grasses in the Wild Garden. I had some squares of cardboard, so I have been placing those extras around each willow and adding small logs to hold it down. I even gave some willows several gallons of rainwater.
A cardboard box is ideal for mulching, because a slot can be fashioned to fit around the stem or stems at the bottom. This alone will create an area for holding in water and suppressing weeds. The stem area will grow weeds, but it can be packed with wood mulch to slow them down. The cardboard can be weighted with old wood from a tree, small logs, autumn leaves, or shredded wood mulch. Cardboard can also be supplemented with newspapers.
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| Beautyberry is a feast for birds late in the season. I have two bushes from Almost Eden. |
I worked down a row of bushes from Almost Eden the same way, only using up some $1 mulch from Walmart. The row includes Clethra, Beautyberry, Chaste Tree, Gooseberry, Helianthus, and Bee Balm. The Beautyberry is stunning as the berries turn color - a plant for birds and for artists.
The lawn in the front and back is receding from the onslaught of cardboard, newspaper, autumn leaves, and shredded wood mulch. No one asks where all the leaves went from last fall. This spring I was knee deep in leaves in the Wild Garden. Now they are decomposed enough that some weeds rise from their decomposing layer.
The Almost Eden row of bushes near the bird feeders is now mulched again with cardboard and shredded wood. I did the two gardens near the house this way at first, and the soil is quite rich from the red wiggler earthworms, plant growth, and decaying mulch. I wanted the spaces between the bushes to be heavily mulched so they tolerate dry weather better.
The other garden, destined for Hosta, ends with a row of blueberries and one Chaste Tree, with cardboard and pine needles for mulch.
