Amaryllis Belladonna Revisited

A few weeks ago I was gazing at the wreckage that is my backyard garden and noticed a strange straight growth coming out of the ground. I couldn't figure out what it could possibly be--and I asked myself, "Can it be one of those ridiculous Naked Ladies I got from California that never did bloom???" And sure enough, it was! We had the hottest, driest summer on record, and that one bulb had survived and given me the rare treat of its blossoms. How cool is that?! 

I still believe that gardening is a great activity of hope. 

More on that later. (If you'd like to see the original post, check this out  http://lorrainesleanings.blogspot.com/2011/10/naked-ladies.html)

Mystery Solved!

We have enjoyed an unusual sunny and mild winter this year. I have loved walking around my yard and checking out all the early growth. I have 5 places where my rhubarb is doing really well, so I decided to check the old bed, from where I relocated all the rhubarb to see if any was left.

The old, unsuccessful rhubarb patch was on the south side of the house, which can sometimes be a dumping ground for various objects and plants. It's where the mint beds are, as well as the asparagus. Plus, when the shell flew off the truck last year, it was set in the area for storage.

And that's where the mystery begins. As I looked over the past rhubarb bed, I noticed some wildlife between the truck shell and the old bed: a small tortoise, about 4 or 5 inches long, with brownish tones. I just stood there staring at it and thinking over how in the world it got there, or if I was hallucinating. It was just sitting there, not moving at all. I simply made a mental note and walked away.

Later I went to that side of the house and the space between the truck shell was empty. No tortoise. Whatever.

Thanks flickr and  margaretglin for the photo.

Several days later I went back to check it out, and, there was the tortoise again!! I tossed some pebbles at its shell and it moved its head slowly. Hmmm. "Where is that tortoise living??" I asked myself. "How did it come to be in our weedy side yard?" I did notice some disturbed soil nearby, but didn't really want to pursue the issue much further. Of course when I mentioned it all to Allan, he went to check it out, but it was gone.

A third time I went in search of the little tortoise and it wasn't in the usual spot--it had crossed the little stone path and made its way into an empty mint bed. That was quite a climb into that garden bed!! As I walked back to the house I thought I might ask the neighbor boy across the street if he knew anything about it, but I didn't have the energy. Later Allan went around to check it out, and the little thing was still in the mint bed. Allan DID ask the neighbor boy, Zach, if he knew anything about a small tortoise that we have in our yard. He hung his head a bit. "We lost one last summer." Zach went over to get his mom and dad, and his mother was overjoyed to have her Russian tortoise returned.

Here is what Zach's mom Rachel said: "I let them out from the backyard to the front yard (there were 3) to enjoy some dandelions in the grass and when I turned around this one had run away!!!" (We've been laughing about the runaway tortoise ever since.)

In finding photos of these I have learned that the Russian tortoises (Testudo [Agrioemys] horsefieldii) love to eat broad-leafed weeds; they don't need much water; they hibernate for much of the year in the wild; "adept at digging to escape; hide in objects and burrow into substrate (according to Petco fact sheet);" great roamers.I think it may have been very happy in our weedy, dry, dirt-filled, protected-by-the-truck-shell, spacious side-garden area. This type of tortoise was also the first animal to leave the earth's orbit in the 1968 Soviet Zond 5 mission. Who knew?!

Can you finish this riddle? Why did the Russian tortoise cross the road??

My One Weakness

Bleeding Heart

Sweet Woodruff

I am enjoying my garden, the community garden where I volunteer, and PLANT SALES! I put the Central Valley Plant Sale on my calendar, and it worked out that I was able to attend, albeit briefly. Which was a good thing, since I got there 20 minutes after it opened and the inventory was quite diminished..

Candy Tuft

Red Tulip

I spent $8.50 and came out with catmint, pineapple mint, 2 scented geraniums (gerania?), and a native plant called fringe cup to replace the one that I killed last year. It was a short, delightful, rather cheap activity that will hopefully give me much joy in the future.

Bluebell

Yellow Tulip

Borage

Calendula

Johnny Jump Up

Strawberry

Grape Hyacinth

Here are some plants from my garden that are doing well and giving me hope for the future of my little plot here in the space we live between East Bremerton and Silverdale, WA.

Gardening and Other Favorite Things

All of the 100+ flower bulbs were put in the ground last fall have come up, bloomed, and most are fading away now. What a joy all those colorful crocusses, daffodils, narcissi, and tulips have been. In addition to those, I have planted over 113 plants in the back bed this spring, including mostly perrenials that will be with us (hopefully) for a long time. Where did all these plants come from? There have been community plant sales, the local hardware and variety stores, cullings from my work in a community garden, seeds I started indoors, and foraging in nearby ditches. I am learning to keep a little shovel and plastic and paper bags in the car! There is a bit of color left back there, but I am looking forward to much more flowering as the sun smiles on us more. I have learned so much in studying and working outside.

Do you know the difference between a botanical garden and a pleasure garden? A botanical garden has all the plants identified with their scientific (Latin) names. In a pleasure garden there need be no such thing. Mine is a little of both.

The veggie garden is coming right along, too. Radishes, radishes, radishes. Which I don't like much, but are so darn rewarding to grow. This year I tried French Breakfast. Do you know that the French have sliced radishes on lightly buttered french bread? For breakfast? I tried it with my whole wheat toast, and, I must admit it was the most enjoyable radish I have ever eaten. I plan on repeating that pleasure often in my life.

How the Garden Grows

No photo of the veggies yet, the morning light wasn't cooperative.

Above: Grape plant in its second year, propagated by Aunt Geraldine in Yakima and shared with us last year. We have a total of 4 grapes thriving and one, well, we'll see next year. Below: One of 6 kiwis I salvaged from the local demonstration garden as twigs on the garbage heap. They are doing well.

Herb barrel in front of the house, containing parsley, oregano, sage, rosemary, thyme, chives, garlic chives, and one of my hopeful bay tree twigs.

Six inch bay tree (laurus nobilis). There is nothing like starting one for yourself and seeing results!

A pretty yellow rose in the bed by the front door. The fragrance is heavenly.

1. I Brought the Book Back 2. Bay Leaves

On its due date. I just sucked it up and did it. It was a cool, blustery day, but I decided to have a nice time, and I simply gave the book back on the day it was due and that I agreed to when it was checked out. End of story; thanks for the comments.

Something fun happened on the way back to the ferry, though. I had 25 minutes before the ferry was to leave, so when I spotted a sign for a small nursery around a corner I hurried over there, hoping to find a little something to commemorate my trip.

What I hoped to find was a small bay tree (Laurus nobilis). I had seen one about 15 years ago at a nursery that no longer exists at Pike Place Market. I still kick myself for not buying it--it was a small house plant and I have looked for one ever since.

I asked the nursery man out back if he had such a thing, but he didn't. He said he had a huge bay tree even farther out back that he would cut me a few branches from. He said he strips off the nicest leaves and rinses them, pats them dry, and freezes them. I declined, but he pressed me. "I have the clippers right here, let me just go cut you some." I couldn't help but change my mind, and I finished my walk to the ferry the proud owner of 3 small branches full of bay leaves. They smelled really good.

When I got home I stripped the leaves from their branches, discarded the blemished ones, and put them in the freezer. [I used one tonight in our soup, it was the best ever.] Then I had an idea. What if I could make little bay trees like the one at Pike Place out of the branches?? I am having great luck propagating some kiwis, grapes, and red twig dogwood from branches, why not this?

So now, all over the yard, sort of, I have mini bay hopefuls popping out of the ground. All this fun as a result of returning my library book on time!

Thank you desertorganics.com for the photo.