Monday, June 18, 2018

Creation Gardening Is Counter-Intutive for City Folks.
Join the Creation League


Today we reached a milestone in mulching. With Sassy watching from the middle of the garden, we used the last bag of wood mulch with many editions of the NW Arkansas-Democrat flapping in the breeze. The papers were ready to fly throughout the neighborhood, like the balloon follies of Cleveland.

Remember the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, when the ice cream cone was supposedly invented? The vendor ran out of dishes and reached for waffles from his neighbor, thereby inventing the ice cream cone.

Today will be remembered for doing the same with Peat. We  scooped it onto the newspaper foundation - fast, easy, and effective. The directions on the package will be simple:

  1. Peat on the newspaper base.
  2. Re-Peat.
I vision-cast an IPO with gratifying results. Thrivent will back it - they look up to The Wolf of Wall Street.

 I knew a businessman who tried to make a mint
with manure - Barnyard Gold!
Too soon - he was far ahead of his time.

 Thrivent bragged they had a fraudulent, drug addicted, immoral financial cheat as their main speaker. Surely they would back my Re-Peat business!
 Buckwheat holds down weeds and builds the soil, seeding itself, as I learned to my sorrow last year, two crops engulfed the rose bushes.

 Gabe Brown says, "Leave living roots in the ground as long as possible."
 Two area physicians have said, "Greg, your roses are in a different league."
Yes, Creation League.

Counter-Intuitive
I thought about how Creation methods are counter-intuitive for city folks:

Fertilizer? - no! 
  • Mulch with leaves, grass, hay, newspapers, cardboard, and shredded wood.
Till? - no!
  • Let the earthworms and soil creatures mix, tunnel, fertilize, and aerate the soil. Moles are also handy for soil mixing and earthworm moving and storage.
Spray the insect pests? - no!
  • Entice the birds with toxin-free plants, abundant watering places, perches for preening and spotting food, various kinds of food and shelter.
Kill the weeds with herbicides? - no!
  • Mulch over the weeds, which become compost. Ignore some for their rooting value, until they need to be cut.
Soak the roses with fungicide? - no!
  • Let's talk frankly about blackspot. The colored roses introduced this problem via the Grandpappy Persian Yellow rose. Unsprayed roses will spot somewhat and still do well. Sprayed roses will harm beneficial soil fungi and yet the blackspot will still be around. Ignoring blackspot is free and helps the soil. Plants need healthy soil a lot more than they need manufactured chemicals from the hardware store. Hint - smell the chemical aisles. Walk down - take a deep breath - gag. 


Birds Entertain Us All Day
We are expecting a storm Wednesday from the enormous system moving north from the Texas and Louisiana coastlines. Our second kitchen window overlooks the various bird baths and a feeder. The kitchen window faces a thistle feeder, currently a favorite spot for all species.

I clean the baths and fill them every day. The algae builds up in the sun - as designed during Creation. The formation of algae feeds the plants, because it is a rich source of nitrogen and various nutrients. Some people collect pond scum for their gardens. I have it in my back garden, as a byproduct of birds, birdpoop, and sunlight.

When I was interested in having a big pond in our yard in New Ulm, I read up on them and saw how the creation of algae was an important first step in pond ecology.

This is another foul up - pun intended - in the theory of a Creation stretched out over millions of years. Strictly as an observer, I wonder how God would manage to coordinate the creation of algae with the sunlight, pond plants, and animals, and so forth.

Bird poop is a great fertilizer. I consider it interest earned - or perhaps a deposit - on the wealth of food I have donated to their cause - earthworms, bugs, berries, and seeds. Besides that, they sing to us and entertain us with their amusing antics. Starlings are great pest eaters and very intelligent. They bathe with great energy and trade places in the three main baths.

 The birds eat our berries, so we get them from Walmart.

Giant Hogweed in America - I Wrote a Post about Doctrine and Giant Hogweed - Ahead of My Time

 Poison Hemlock is from the same family, plants which are not all toxic, but Giant Hogweed is awful and Poison Hemlock is deadly.


According to the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation, the plant can grow anywhere between 8 to 14 feet tall when it's flowering. If the plant is in bloom, the numerous white flowers will cluster into a flat-topped "umbrella."

Wiki:
Heracleum mantegazzianum
Herkulesstaude fg01.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Plantae
(unranked):Angiosperms
(unranked):Eudicots
(unranked):Asterids
Order:Apiales
Family:Apiaceae
Genus:Heracleum
Species:H. mantegazzianum
Binomial name
Heracleum mantegazzianum
Sommier & Levier
Heracleum mantegazzianum, commonly known as giant hogweed,[1][2][3]cartwheel-flower,[1][2][3] giant cow parsnip,[4][5] hogsbane or giant cow parsley,[6] is a plant in the family Apiaceae. In New Zealand, it is also sometimes called wild parsnip,[2] or wild rhubarb.[2] It typically grows to heights of 2 to 5.5 m (6 ft 7 in to 18 ft 1 in).[7] Superficially, it resembles common hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium), Heracleum sosnowskyi, or garden angelica (Angelica archangelica). It is phototoxic and considered to be a noxious weed in many jurisdictions. Giant hogweed is native to the Caucasus region and Central Asia. It was introduced to Britain as an ornamental plant in the 19th century, and it has also spread to many other parts of Europe, the United States, and Canada.
The sap of giant hogweed causes phytophotodermatitis in humans, resulting in blisters and scars. These serious reactions are due to the furocoumarin derivatives in the leaves, roots, stems, flowers, and seeds of the plant.





Pictures of this varied and useful family can be found at this link.

Giant Hogweed - A Lesson about Importing False Doctrine - 2015


http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2015/05/giant-hogweed-lesson-about-importing.html

Even touching this plant can make you sorry for a long, long time.
Note the Queen Ann's Lace profile -
Queen Ann's Lace is called wild carrot, but those wild carrots are poison.

Wikipedia says:

Giant hogweed was among many foreign plants introduced to Britain in the 19th century, mainly for ornamental reasons. It is now widespread throughout the British Isles, especially along riverbanks. By forming dense stands, they can displace native plants and reduce wildlife interests.[8] It has also spread in the northeastern and northwestern United States and southern Canada. It is equally a pernicious invasive species in Germany, France and Belgium, overtaking the local species.[8] It was introduced in France in the 19th century by botanists, where it is much appreciated by beekeepers.

A Facebook friend posted a video about Giant Hogweed in Michigan, and I wondered a bit about a hoax, so I looked it up on various sites.

The plant looks like carrots gone to seed, parsley, and Queen Ann's Lace, all part of my gardening efforts. For good reason - Giant Hogweed belongs to the same family and has that umbrella shaped seedheads.

My first thought is - If a plant can grow 10 feet without effort, be very wary of it, because that is not a typical plant and it is unlikely a wholesome plant.

Mr. Gardener and I laugh about the government suggesting kudzu vine and the Chinese multiflora rose as good plants for farmers to plant and encourage. Both are noxious plants and illegal to grow now. In Arkansas, he says, there are still areas owned by kudzu, smothered by the vine.

They found a disease that attacks the multiflora rose, so that plant is no longer considered a major threat to life, health, wealth, and peace of mind. Neither kudzu nor multiflora rose could be weeded out - which tells us something right there.




Plants and Sound Doctrine
Plants from the same family have similar growing habits, similar flowers and seeds, but they often vary in their usefulness.

The nightshades include tomatoes, potatoes, tobacco, egg plant, woody nightshade, deadly nightshade, and garden huckleberry. The last item produces black berries that can be cooked and made into pies. Deadly nightshade is the basis for belladonna, still a useful medicine, but the berries are toxic.

The umbellifers include:
The Apiaceae (or Umbelliferae), commonly known as the celerycarrot or parsley family, are a family of mostly aromatic plants with hollow stems. The family, which is named after the type genus Apium, is large, with more than 3,700 species spread across 434 genera; it is the 16th-largest family of flowering plants.[1] Included in this family are the well-known plants: angelicaanisearracachaasafoetidacarawaycarrotceleryCentella asiaticachervilcicely,coriander (cilantro), culantrocumindillfennelhemlocklovageQueen Anne's laceparsleyparsnipcow parsnip,sea hollygiant hogweed and the now extinct silphium.

Since Giant Hogweed comes from a distinguished family, it must be good. I am sure that was the argument, and "Look, how the bees love it." And - "Easy to grow!"

Touch this plant and get blistered and scarred.
It is extremely toxic.
We all have our toxic plant stories, including poison ivy. I once tried to pull it out of the ground with my bare hands. I really suffered for that. Mr. Gardener and his wife both have their own poison ivy stories. Our cousin almost died from eating a mushroom that she was hyper-allergic too, though it did not affect her family.

Dealing with plants means discerning the good from the bad. I do not have the knowledge to find the right mushrooms in the wild so I do not even try.

Sound Doctrine Is Healthy Doctrine - False Doctrine Is Cancer

Distinguishing sound doctrine (literally healthy teaching) from false doctrine (described as a cancer) is a mandate for all Christian believers, especially those who would teach the Faith.

The arguments of false teachers are just as compelling as the government's promotion of kudzu vine -

  1. Kudzu grows quickly on its own.
  2. The roots hold the soil.
  3. Cattle can eat it - free food.


Church Growth came from Robert Schuller and the nearby Fuller Seminary, both near Disneyland in California. Schuller was a Dutch Calvinist, a Protestant. Look at how successful he was, and look at how Fuller became the largest pan-demon seminary in America.

Superficially, Church Growth is not opposed to the Christian Faith. The leaders promoted it as good for all denominations (a bad sign). And church executives from all denominations - even the Church of Rome - came to be trained there.

The leaders of the LCMS, WELS, and ELS have been trained at Fuller, Willow Creek, and similar re-education centers, like Trinity Divinity in Deerfield. Lutheran laity have paid the tuition for them. Thrivent has also backed this 100%  - another bad sign.

No single aspect of Church Growth can be refuted.

  • Is it wrong to phone a lot of people for evangelism? 
  • Is it wrong to clean the church and make it attractive? (Rare, but not wrong) 
  • Do we have to use page 5 and 15 for the worship service?
  • Do all the hymns have to be from Lutherans?
  • Cannot our members sing solos and glorify God?
  • Must we stick to the KJV, which did not come from Lutherans? (Shading the truth a bit)

Church Growth dogma and methods can be promoted successfully when it is carefully presented to the innocent, hiding the real agenda, which works more by displacement than outright antagonism.

Giant Hogweed does not kill other plants - it simply overwhelms them with its enormous leaves and prodigal seed production. Dill and Queen Ann's Lace can easily be spread by crushing the seedheads and sowing the seed. I simply took home mature Queen Ann's Lace and left it on the ground.  But neither plant takes over the way Giant Hogweed does.

They brag about going there and deny it -
Bivens and Valleskey.

Kudzu enriches the soil in many ways, but it also smothers homes, cars, and utility poles.

Church Growth has spread its culture of doctrinal indifference to every single church body in America. From doctrinal indifference comes all the bad fruit of any fast-growing weedlike false teaching.

Frau Mueller, Wayne's cross-dressing son,
Larry Olson, perhaps the worst teacher at Martin Luther College,
and Jeff Gunn, DP Buchholz' favorite pastor,
all are working together to smother and destroy the Means of grace.

I first heard it in Columbus, Ohio from the adulterous clergy in WELS -

  • Doctrinal discernment is "Christian bashing."
  • Anyone against Church Growth is "lazy."
  • "You are not one of us." (Good)
  • "We have been talking to your members and..."
 WELS funded a separate campus of the same congregation,
 to present Craig Groeschel sermons verbatim.
They even borrowed the Groeschel graphics and slogans.


Like WELS, Missouri, and the ELS, they lost by winning. The Columbus WELS congregations are collapsing faster than a Hillary alibi. Those clergy (like Jay Webber and Jon Buchholz) who did nothing against Church Growth are loudly proclaiming forgiveness without faith as the true Gospel - denying UOJ is the foundation for Church Growth, even though the adulterous Karl Barth and the heinous David Valleskey taught UOJ with glee.



Don Patterson denied his Chruch and Change credentials,
went to their "last" conference,
took staff to Exponential,
and became the District President.

Loud Sassy, Kids, and Gardening for Moms.
There Are No Good Gardeners, Only Good Weeders

Sassy is looking at the photographer on the floor.
This is her amused look when my antics puzzle her.

Yesterday Sassy got her evening stroll, limited to our cul-de-sac. We have evening shade and almost no traffic, unlike the busy Scott Street, which some treat as a race track.

The kids treat our street as their playground, so cars are very careful. This was a small reunion for the Laotian family across the street, so the adults watched the 6 and 7 year-olds pet Sassy. We talked about her loud barking and their sudden discovery of her missing leg. Sassy and I walked across to our house, and they were behind. "Look, a garden! Roses."

I asked, "Do you want some for your moms?" They are cousins. I went inside for my collection of soft drink cups, which are good, expendable vases. "McDonalds! I love McDonalds," the boy said.



I got them the remaining roses plus a Wild Ginger flower and some Balloon flowers. They popped several "balloons," which is what the expended flowers look like. They took their rose bouquets across the street, where the adults were smiling and waving.

Sassy was very happy. She adds people to her list as she gets to know them. Then she is not so barky with excitement. But nobody can stop her when she is. I figure it is a safety valve to keep her from exploding with happiness.



After the 6 AM, Editing the Garden
A big mulching project was delayed, so I decided to devote some morning time each day to editing the garden. Grassy weeds were starting to annoy me.

I have a battery clipper which ideal for trimming weeds around the Daisies, Joe Pyes, and roses. Mulch kills most weeds and composts them, but the opportunistic weeds on the perimeter get extra water and some open space to re-establish.

I am using layers of newspaper, wood mulch, and leftover peat moss to shut down the sunlight that enboldens the weeds. Mulching is modular, so I have extra mulch here and there to pile on top of the latest edit.


  1. Trim weeds down to the ground, instead of pulling them,
  2. Add a layer of newspaper, sometimes cardboard.
  3. Pile on powdered peat from the two bales I have left from 2017.
  4. Put wood mulch on top.

Ranger Bob's cat came through the garden, not seeing me. I said, "Here kitty," and she took off. She loves my Cat Mint and visits all the time, rubbing her fur against it. The Mountain Mint is tall and giving off strong mint aromas. Soon it will bloom and gather an airfleet of pollinators.

Cat Mint bloomed early and has remained in bloom. The Horse Mint - purple bergamot - is now in full bloom. All three grow by clumping rather than taking over the entire garden. I told my helper, "Do not plant Peppermint." Soon he was bewailing its spread. "I told you." I drive by where his family used to live - lots of Peppermint and the Purple Splash roses I gave them.

 Fragrant Cloud rose is one of our favorites.

When Is a Good Time To Prune Roses?
Short answer - always. They love being pruned and grow even more flowers.

When I am sitting on the ground, weeding, I have a good view of the roses' need for pruning. I clip every one within reach.


 Hot Cocoa is has more orange in our garden,
but climate does change color and fragrance to some extent.