Roses Bask in Rain, Starting Tomorrow

 

Bride's Dream

Last summer in NW Arkansas was one of the worst droughts ever. People agreed that all the tap water was doing very little, since rain gives up tons of needed nitrogen for all plants and lacks the chlorine bleach we use from the faucet.

I think about soil ingredients, often easy and easy to obtain. Wood chips are almost free and cardboard boxes arrive free with Amazon and Walmart purchases. Unfortunately the cardboard incensed Charlie Sue, so she had to tear into them with the temper of a terrier. 

I got into David Austin roses last summer (see disaster above) but saw them jump up this spring in the backyard garden. I wanted some bare root roses discounted, so I got some for soaking in the rain barrel. Bare root roses leave the facility almost inert, so they are slow to develop. 

David Austin roses are sold with roots in a huge ball of soil - a dream, because the flowers can already be opening with their petals, fragrance, and leaves.

Queen of Sweden, Daivd Austin Rose - Yes, I have one.

Daffodil Distribution Days Deliver an Early Spring

 

As everyone knows, daffodils are ugly bulbs that get buried in autumn by tired rose gardeners in their hopes for early spring. The flower is almost completely formed underground and grows more bulbs from the original one.

With the bulb cost buried already, months ago, optimistic gardeners can plan areas for roses.

My first crop of daffodils came up, knowing as they do, that cutting the flowers will make the bulbs stronger for the future. I counted the blooms, filled some of my party cups, and made each one a cheerful and inexpensive gift for cul de sac neighbors. Charlie Sue refused to go along because she wanted to stay near her dog friends along the fence.

One helper said, last fall, "Do we NEED this many daffodils?!" Digging in dry clay soil does put a damper on such projects. Soon I will plant more roses. I promised to reduce the greedy height and width of Joe Pye Weed and even the spread of Clethra (the Cinnabon tree).

Easy Does It Rose

Monarch or Viceroy? The Truth Matters Yet Predators And Arizonans Are Fooled.

The Monarch caterpillar dines on greens, but still gets fat. The racing stripes are cool.

Bloated from all those milkweed leaves, the Monarch caterpillar decides to become a slender, flying butterfly, using golden nails accessories to enhance its outfit. Those mysterious gold nails look real when examined.

They say Monarchs are quite bitter from devouring so many milkweeds. Birds avoid them.

Viceroys fool people in Arizona into thinking they are bitter tasting Monarchs. Nota bene - the black horizontal bar at the bottom is the clever device to prove its viceroyalist standards. Arizonans may get bitter about this trickery when it is pointed out.

Yesterday, the Schwan Yelloh truck pulled up, unbidden, and the driver offered various overpriced items. Debating, I pointed out the newly hatched Monarch caterpillars and the silken pods that identify milkweed. The sap is bitter.

My mother pointed out the milkweed plants in downtown New Ulm, instructing me to gather some hanging pods to develop in a big jar. I was in charge of adding leaves for them to eat while working on their metamorphosis. They grew enormously fat, hooked onto the branch with silken rope, and slowly changed.

I did not grow up with a SmartPhone, so I had to learn from science classes, my mother, and various books on insects and birds. My father was more interested in bewailing the sorry state of Cubs baseball, always winning until the end of the season.

I cannot understand how people can abandon Creation, based on butterflies alone, and kneel before Evolution.

Doctrine is similar. Lutheran leaders today are viceroys with grand costumes, impressive looking though empty degrees. 

Didja know about Viceroy Lutheran Leaders? -

1. All of them are conservative;
2. All of them are orthodox;
3. All of them are simply packed with grace;
4. All of them quote perhaps one or two Luther statements;
5. Some of them have actually read parts of the Augsburg Confession and a bit of the latest Bible.

Creation Garden Flowers Lift Our Spirits

 

 Borage is nicknamed Bee Bread.

Having a garden is one way to enjoy endless complaints about how badly some flowers turned out - if at all. For example, I kept watching a plant growing in full sun with plenty of water. I was not sure of its identity, even as it grew almost chest high. Finally, a flower appeared at the top of the plant. "Borage?! Borage?! I waited all summer for one more borage plant?!" 

Most of them are a few inches tall and very easy to grow. They squeeze between other plants anywhere. Borage earns the title Bee Bread for the constant attention bees give to the star-shaped flowers, pink and blue. The bees spread the pollen which get the seeds forming and dropping off for even more gentle, graceful borage.

Charli Sue lives for the chase, her DNA adjusted for the Patterdale Terrier requirement.

I mislabeled the plant, but at least I did not misgender it. I added Charli's middle name, Sue, to avoid the sin of misgendering the tiny, terroist terrier. She is a sweet, quiet, affectionate baby inside - but flies out the backdoor to chase moles, rabbits, and squirrels.

Here are some pleasant surprises and delights from this summer -

1. Russian sunflowers grew up tall and spread in the Butterfly Garden as hoped.
2. Promiscuous comfrey - related to borage - was halted by planting bee balm around them, in the Butterfly Garden.
3. Roses were baffled and held back by a bad combination of rain and drought, but now they are blooming in a rainbow collection colors and fragrances. Recipients include cul-de-sac neighbors, our chapel, and medical offices.
4. Tiny white allium (garlic) flowers bloomed as the last bulb flowers of the summer, tall and delicate, a wonder to see up close.
5. One Clethra grew to 7 feet, bloomed like crazy, a good example for 8 younger plants. 
6. Elderberries (no jokes) bloomed and produced plenty of fruit for the backyard birds and squirrels. A possum became a regular, always looking for that middle of the night snack.
7. Honeysuckle rose lifted itself onto the Cow Squares and inspired more vertical plants in the future.

 Honeysuckle rose is loved for its berries and fragrance, and yes it is a weed.

Big Storms, More Heat, Garden Halleluias

 

 Photo by Ed Buck

I am finishing another class in Old Testament Survey (MA or MDiv). The combination of heat and humidity eliminates my ambition in the garden, once the sun is rising. 

However, all the investments in labor are paying off. The late blooming and perfuming Clethra and Joe Pye Weed have saturated the Rose Garden with their butterfly, bee, and hummingbird attracting scents. The milkweed family finished blooming and turned to making silken parachutes to carry their seeds. I have at least three types of the milkweed family, all showing off in front of the front patio.

Poke berries are now at this stage in my garden, bland, loved by 61 bird species. The berries are not appealing to humans and can be toxic.

The backyard has its own Poke Weed garden, starting off as flowers for the pollinators, then berries for all the birds, offering aerial bombing wherever birds gather to gossip. A tree stump is good for the soil and perfect for bird fellowship and plant growth in wild strawberries and Poke.

The main Poke garden is 7 feet tall and likely to grow a lot more. Like Joe Pye plants, they block so much sun that no weeding is needed and the soil is improved. I wanted to block heat from the sun in the afternoon.

I also wanted to provide natural food for the birds and creatures.

Charli Sue has made a nest out of her hiding place for chasing squirrels and rabbits. Her larger friend Lady became aware of the sniper's nest and cautiously moved around it. The two of them chase through the gardens and green fence, having a riot of fun.

Double the size and you get Lady. Charli Sue now has a pink harness for walks and keeping out of trouble. Lady seems to be part Doberman and part Chihuahua, so I call her a Dobie-huahua. The two have the same coloring.

God's Creation Garden

 

 Empress Hosta - too big?

I had a surprise when I looked over the newly trimmed Rose Garden. I saw a trio of blue hosta plants, young and growing well. They looked just like the ones I transplanted to the green fence area, where I have shade and sunlight. Like several other hostas, these three left enough root stock to start over, even though I imagined  I dug up the entire plant.

Another surprise was seeing a hosta plantation in the green fence area, along the chain-link fence, etc. We had a real drought last fall, but these came back like steroid test samples. It was a combination of transplanting and watering.

 Blue Elegens is popular.

Hostas are fascinating with so many different styles, colors, and leaf textures. King Charles III and I are quite fond of them for use in semi-shade, but even more for their hummingbird attracting flowers. Mr. Gardener got me started on hostas for hummers, so I have increased the population of both.

Many efforts to grow new hostas have failed, thanks to rabbits and other creatures, but enough plant remains to coax the remnants into mature examples.

Never Ignore a Dog at a Hardware Store

I was at Lowe's garden center to browse when I spotted a small grey terrier sitting on his pillow in a cart. He showed a great interest in me, stood up on his pillow and leaned toward me. I stretched out my right hand knuckles since they serve as a reliable safety test with nippy dogs. He began licking off each knuckle, as if I had recently kneaded bread dough at home. When that was done - very thoroughly - I began to lower my arm. No! He reached out and with his paw gently pulled my arm back for another round of affection. I was impressed that he used his claws so gently.

So many delightful things happen all the time. 

Lady, perhaps a Doberman and Chihauhau mix, came over to visit with Ranger Bob. I call Lady a Dobie-wa-wa since she has acute guard dog habits and a small, energetic frame, bulging big eyes. Next door the Great Pyranee, always looking for attention, ached for a race along the fence. I had to start them going, but once they got in gear, they were racing in big circles along the fence and around the yard.

Clethra, the Cinnabon bush, is leafing out. One failed in the front yard, but several others are growing, along with the original. Also called Sweet Spice, Summersweet, and Poor Man's Soap.

Randomness Becomes Order - Part Two

 

 These are Veterans Honor roses from an earlier autumn of steady rain, which I never imagined would come again.

Randomness Becomes Order in the Creation Garden - Part One

No matter what we imagine we are doing, the Creation Garden will always produce unusual and beautiful results. The basics precede the results -

• Saving organic matter, even twigs, to build the soil;
• Letting deeply rooted plants, even weeds, break up the soil and fertilize it through root hairs;
• Pruning so that the fruitful becomes even more fruitful.

I asked Big John if he wanted his rose bush to bloom more. I brought my pruning shears and invited him to watch. His large rose bush, probably a Knockout, was packed with flowers turning into hips. There was no color left, but a lot of potential. I cut off every single rose past its prime. After several rains, the bush has become spectacular with small, red flowers. The current series of storms will build it even more.

Paul speaks several times about "the faith of Jesus," but this generation of Fuller salesmen has no faith.

Congregations once grew because pastors visited the members, shut-ins and hospitalized first, home visits as well. The staff at my vicarage was expected to do that, and the senior pastor was the prime example. Fifty plus years later, the building is being converted to rental units. The website writes about how dynamic the pastor is. Hmm - I wonder who wrote that script - "Come for the personality, stay for the apartment."

Has anyone added up the millions spent on figuring out what to do? All the descriptions and plans are purely secular. 

The foundation is the Biblical sermon, unique for each service, for each pastor. Second to that is genuine Biblical teaching, not using the drivel produced by the synod, cult, or movement. 

The ridiculous material is usually the result of copying Calvinist sources, marketing, or sociology. I visit the verbose American Lutheran Publicity Bureau Online Discussion Forum (aka Old Men Sipping Ovaltine). They never even touch the basics of the Gospel, but content themselves with nostalgia and parroting the latest secular studies. 

Jesus emphasized clearly that His sermons were about faith in Him. After all, what is more effective than the source of forgiveness and salvation being the example - the Good Shepherd? The Apostles simply taught this Gospel and miracles followed. 

I believe in miracles because the Scriptures teach them and believers witness them. Remaining faithful is the foundation of Christianity, and all the fruits of the Spirit follow.

Fun Sidelights at the Creation Garden

 Feeding birds has its limits.

Sassy insists on going outside, front-yard, where she sits down in the garden and guards against any threats.

Today I was sitting on the porch, looking over the Rose Garden, when a bird flew in and landed momentarily on my leg. I was startled and made a noise, so it took off. I was flattered. 

In the backyard I filled one kiddie pool with fresh water, a few inches, so birds could perch, bathe, and horse around. Starlings are the best at that. They rest on the flimsy plastic edge, dip their beaks for some water, then jump in to splash around. Bathing and preening are essential for bird flight, and starlings make a great game of it.

I flipped the other kiddie pool over to provide an above the ground feeding tray, large and clean.

These are not the blow-up kind, but the thin plastic ones that sell for a few dollars at the end of summer. That is also the best time to buy bird baths for almost nothing, especially the heavy concrete ones.

Why Do You Grow Roses?

 

 Heirloom

I found my Lowe's gift card with a few dollars left on it. A table at Lowe's had plenty of Shasta Daisies on sale, so I took a few, plus one pot of mums. Removal of the Hostas to the backyard meant I had some low spots in the Rose Garden. The rain was promised but had not come. Yesterday took care of that. Rain came down so fine that it hardly made a difference, then the serious clouds unleashed rain suited for another Ark.

Where were the new daisies and mums? They were soaking up God's own patented fertilizer, rain mixed with usable nitrogen. Sassy had her own bath towel by the door, so she could go to the ladies' room and come in to be dried off. Several times she decided she could wait a little longer.

Someone recently asked, "Why do you grow roses?" A look at the garden provides the answer. The little plot of land has produced flowers from Joe Pye, Allium, and Shasta Daisies, but they are not winners - too big, to stinky, too small - when compared to a vase full of roses. The best alternatives are from spring and fall bulbs, which bloom riotously but stay quiet the rest of the summer - Daffodils in the early spring, Gladiolas in the late spring.

 Bride's Dream

I enjoy having people point out the newest roses blooms. "Did you see that new one?" the ask, as if I garden for the weeds. Everyone gets a charge out of them. The staff of the diabetic specialist said, "We love seeing Christina's name on the schedule. It always means a vase of beautiful, fragrant roses, with a list of names." 

Some are already muttering, "He bought some roses already, almost November. Good luck with that." Yes, the least likely supplier had some overstock so I decided to gamble, or it is gambol? Rose clearance sales give me new names to remember and appreciate. 

I am guessing that these are from the wholesaler. I have received very mature (overgrown by nursery standards) roses from Weeks Roses. I can dig up some wild roses (always on my Must Do list) and replace them them with clearance roses. The wild one will bloom dark red in the early spring and then take a vacation - except for their delight in snagging skin and cloth.

 Falling in Love

One Facebook reader agreed with me - people need to be closer to God's Creation. One reason is Jesus Christ the Lord of Creation. He was and is the creating Word of Genesis 1. God the Father commanded and God the Son executed the commands, the Holy Spirit hovering over Creation and leaving us that witness. "All things were created by Him and nothing was created apart from Him." John 1:3 explains Genesis 1 in that fashion.

Given what the Word of God reveals, a husband should always view his wife as God's Creation, and the same with her - seeing her husband as coming from God Himself. There is no force more powerful than that, since children - the blessed fruit of marriage - are nurtured and trained by that union, where two become one.

The flower girl at the wedding was in the arms of her father, so she could carry out her duties and not be distracted. She took the petals in her hand and dropped them down the aisle. Then came that special moment, when she was eye-to-eye with me. She gave me an unmistakable and mischievous smile - and tossed her last handful of flowers straight at the groom, leaving him well decorated. Everyone saw the flowered groom and laughed. A few of us saw the flower girl's fun.

I was going to summarize the trip to Seattle, but that image is the week's epitome for me: a man and a woman united by the Word of God, friends, relatives, parents, grandparents, and great-grandma. The uncles only had to show up to delight their nieces, but they entertained the girls as well. That was another indelible picture.

Happy Hummingbirds Hover, Bathe, and Scrutinize. When You Are Done with Your Shower, Let Me Know

 

 Hummingbirds show off their aerial acrobatics. Painting by Norma A. Boeckler.

I often step out the front door to see developments in the rose garden, especially when sprinkling. Recently I opened the door to find a hummingbird getting his shower, happily flapping a bit on a big Hosta, and flitting around in the artificial rain. I smiled at his antics and he continued them. His antics suggested he was grinning to thank me.

Yesterday I sat in Ranger Bob's chair, because the sprinkling left the outdoor bench cushion soaked. That put me about a foot from the closest feeder, which is often visited by our friends. I was scanning garden areas to fix and places for more daffodils when a Humming bird swooped in to hover about 12 inches from my knees. He might have stayed to feed, but he tested several times for safety and left for the maple tree perch.

Random Planting Works Sporadically

Ranger Bob came over to order some truck parts, so we took Christina out (to the porch) for coffee. 

Bob decided to tell me how he would have planted Joe Pye, since it grows so tall. I listened in astonishment. "This is the landscaper who found a collection of Hog Peanut Weed plants carefully cut and placed in a little pile in his yard." Bob jumped in to tell Christina, "I knew who did that the moment I saw it."

In defense of my plans and plants, I pointed out that I had no idea that Joe Pye could grow over eight feet tall and spread out as well. The beauty of this plant is that I can cut individual branches off - to give more sun to roses - and the rest of the plant will thrive.

The gardening industry seduced me with the Butterfly Plants genre and then expanded that to Pollinator and Hummingbird Plants. But now the dreams can be harvested daily. The late-blooming Joe Pye and Clethra are attracting butterflies and hummingbirds as surely as those ads caught my attention.

We had hummingbirds competing in the backyard for glads and in the front for the feeders.

Plant Insect Nostalgia 

Our rural romps as children led us to breaking open milkweed pods to scatter the seed, opening the stems to see the milky sap. They were easy to find and taken for granted. Now people buy milkweed plants (as I did) and hope the crop will last. We want Monarch butterflies to prosper.

I have been aiming for them since we moved to Springdale. I got Butterfly Weed going and added many butterfly plants, but no Milkweed grew. I forgot that I planted some along the tiny front porch fence and they finally grew up and formed buds. 

Yesterday, before anyone was around, I saw a Monarch stop at the row of plants along the porch fence. It settled down - making my day.

The Big Question - "How Did You Get So Interested in Birds?"

Mrs. Ichabod asked me, "How did you get so interested in birds? Was it your mother?" I will try to explain.

Growing up, I thought birds were boring, because our homestead in Moline was filled with very old trees, the maple being the largest I have seen. The elms in our front yard were for climbing, so birds did not care to nest in them.

The current Ichabode is a paradise for birds, simply because the front yard is all garden and the backyard combines bushes, kiddie pool birdbaths, and mulch. Besides, the front porch is ideal for observing Creation, from the casual bunny stroll to the hummingbirds, cardinals, hawks, robins, and cardinals. The backyard has mischievous squirrels, starlings, grackles, cardinals, crows, juncos, mourning doves, blue jays, goldfinches, common finches, and chickadees.

Yesterday we were drinking coffee on the porch when a female cardinal zoomed right past us, at eye level, a few feet away. A hummingbird sipped some food from one of four feeders in the garden. Best of all, the female cardinal stopped to rest in the nearby clethra (Cinnabon Tree), which is little more than a slender bush and leafing out. 

Clethra, or Summer Sweet, or Sweet Price, is a slight bush, perfect for birds to land,
too fragile for most cats or squirrels.

When Andrea's family was here, the cardinal called out so loudly in the backyard that they thought the bird was in the house. I was being scolded by the cardinal for not having more food out. No matter how much a mother prepares food for her family, she still likes some take out.

Bringing birds closer for observation is a lot of fun:

They need baths, so a shallow birdbath is a great attraction, but it needs to be kept clean. We have two kiddie pools in the back, three shallow birdbaths in the front. Sassy uses the concrete one I got on sale for $7.

Start with one bath and one feeding place. Expect little activity for two weeks. Birds are cautious.

Provide food twice a day on open, flat feeders like our garbage barrels.

Grow seed plants, like sunflowers.  

Save stale bread products and extra fruit for the flat feeders.

Raise fruit bearing plants, such as wild strawberries, beauty berries, and Poke in the south. Poke Weed is scorned as a weed but attracts more species than any other plant. We have a beautiful specimen outside the back door, heavily mulched, and watered from the rain barrel. 

So far, a cardinal and a starling have dashed in to grab food while I would pouring it on the top of the recycle barrel. Ranger Bob says, according to Indian lore (Osage tribe, Oklahoma) - cardinals in the yard are a good sign.