Sparrowhawk

Quite a common visitor to the garden. We have watched this Sparrowhawk pluck its prey on the lawn – at least, I guess it’s the same one. The prey seems to be mainly Collar Dove of which we have an abundance.

The photo below was taken early this morning from the kitchen and through a window that probably needs cleaning!

Having studied our bird book, I have decided it is a female and I’m now trying to think of a suitable name for her.

I am constantly surprised by the wildlife that lives in and visits this town garden – frogs, newts, kingfishers, sparrowhawks. What next? Perhaps a stoat!

Clocks Go Forwards!

Clocks go forward, sun shines and daffodils flower . . .

sometimes out of focus . . . .

March Night

March night (15th): The photograph below shows the old dry stems of Miscanthus sinensis 'Malepartus', the Tree Fern: Dicksonia antarctica with in the background Phyllostachys nigra (Black Bamboo) and Aucuba japonica ‘Crotonifolia’.

The weather has, at last, warmed up and now feels like Spring. It is surprising how good this group of plants look despite the cold winter and late Spring.

Miscanthus sinensis 'Malepartus'

I’ve grown this grass for many years now and have to restrict its spread each year. The photo above shows the dead stems and flower heads of last year’s growth. Very soon I will cut down the old dead canes to enable the new growth to come through. But I leave this as late as possible as I rather like the white, almost ghostly dead stuff. In fact, the grass is highlighted by an exterior spotlight and looks good from the windows of the house. When cut-back there will be only a few short weeks when this plant is not earning its keep in the garden. It grows to about 2 metres with a fountain of leaves and produces its flower hears in late summer. The top growth dies with the onset of winter and usually I pull out the dead leaves, partly to stop them falling into the pond below but also to expose the canes.

Dicksonia Antarctica (Tree Fern)

With fronds like these . . . . As the photo above shows, the fronds of this Tree Fern have been scorched by the frosts but I still think it looks good. I’ve stuffed some old dry fronds into the crown of the trunk to give it some protection from the cold – I don’t know yet if this has worked but I’m quietly confident. When new growth resumes (if!), I will probably cut out the fronds killed by the frost and leave any looking healthy.

Background
The Bamboo Phyllostachys nigra and Aucuba japonica ‘Crotonifolia’ are both great ‘all year’ plants and go well with the Tree Fern and Miscanthus. In Spring and Summer they are joined by Hydrangea aspera and various Ferns and Hostas.

Frog Count - Weds 5:30 pm, 12C . . . 52 FROGS

At least!

Frog Count - Mon 5:30 pm, 12C . . . 30 FROGS

The best so far!

Brugmansia - The Late Show

Brugmansia - the late show - 2
Originally uploaded by emagen


Brumansia flowering 12th December 2009. . . . Early winter gave no hint of what was to come! The photo shows a Brugmansia in full flower in mid December, above it are leaves of the banana Musa sikkimensis.
The reason why this plant is flowering so late is that I planted it out in very fertile ground and it spent most of the summer feeling very contented and thus only decided to flower very late in the year. I usually wedge these plants into small pockets of soil as I know this encourages flowering. In truth, this overwintered plant was so big that I could think of nowhere else to put it. It had 3 main stems each one about 2m tall..
As I said in an earlier post the late onset of winter caught me out. I had intended to dig it up, pot it and put it into the plastic greenhouse for winter. But it looked so good in full flower and the weather was so mild and by the time winter hit about 5 days later, I was about to drive to SW France for Christmas and New Year and had run out of time.
I did pot it up in January but I'm pretty certain that it was too late - it is quietly going mouldy in the greenhouse. I think it will sprout from the root and I will have to take long path of training it to produce tall stems.
It is worth training Brugmansias to grow as standard trees and it is quite easy. Their enormous fragrant flowers hang down so they are best seen from below or at least from the same level. To get extra height I cram one of the plants into the raised wall bed which gives it extra height and the lack of space for it to spread its roots encourage it to flower.

Frog Count - Sun 1:00 pm, 12C . . . 24 FROGS

Going up!

Kingfisher visits the pond

For some years a Kingfisher has occasionally been visiting the garden pond. I suppose it is attracted by the breeding herd of minnows that inhabit the pond. A few years ago the herd had become very large due to very successful breeding the previous Spring but was soon reduced by the attention of the Kingfisher. I watched from the kitchen window as it feasted on minnows! The minnow population needed reducing and I was happy that this was done to the benefit of this beautiful bird.

In September last year (2009) I saw the Kingfisher sitting on the post by the pond and tried to take some photos through the window, the result of this can be seen in the last photo below. When the bird flew away, I quickly set the camera on a tripod as close as possible to the post and attached a radio shutter release (only about £18 from eBay). The camera was not very disguised and I doubted the Kingfisher would return. But within 10 minutes of returning inside it appeared again and I was able to take a series of shots triggering the camera with the radio remote. The camera’s shutter makes quite a noise which the bird obviously noticed but must have decided offered no threat.

Frogs - A sign of Spring?

If frogs are a sign of Spring then Spring has finally sprung. The frogs are late this year in starting their annual orgy in my pond, probably due to the very cold weather so far. But this morning with temperatures up to a scorching 7 degrees they have at last showed up. So far they are quite shy and dive for cover as soon as I approach. I think as time goes on they become quite weary and pretend to ignore me.

Anyway, if frogs are a measure of Spring, I shall count them on a regular basis. The rules are that the frog should be clearly visible, preferably with head above water.

So the record so far is:

Sat 13 March, 11:30 am, 7C . . . 14 FROGS

Colocasia - Summer / Autumn 2009 Catch Up

 

Colocasia esculenta also known as Taro, its corms used as a root vegetable in tropical areas.

I must have been growing Colocasias for nearly 10 years now. I once had several different species / varieties but now, largely due to failure to overwinter, I just have the basic Colocasia esculenta form. (This year I shall try some different varieties.) A cold winter and late Spring in 2009 may be the reason that my plants did not achieve quite so large leaves as usual this year.

They are still one of my favourite plants, are easy to grow and their huge leaves give a tropical effect. I grow them in sun and shade but when growing in sunshine they need a lot of water.

Photo above: Colocasia esculenta growing with (left to right):  Beschorneria yuccoides, Colocasia esculenta, Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii'  and Chamaerops humilis (European Fan Palm) – August 2009

The photographs above and below show Colocasia esculenta growing amongst other tropical type plants in sunny positions. The plants in both photos have overwintered in situ without protection. Indeed in the bed pictured above they have spread to a point where they become a bit of a nuisance. The main plant or corm puts out runners from which a new corm forms at the tip, this new corm will either produce new foliage the same summer or remain dormant through the winter to put up new leaves the following Spring.

Photo below: Colocasia esculenta growing with Ricinus communis and Melianthus major – November 2009

Bananas - Summer 2009 Catch Up

Bit of an update on the bananas . . . . 
Musa Sikkimensis
After the cold winter of 08/09 Musa sikkemensis was cut to the ground. It was not helped by my failure to give the stems some protection by wrapping them in fleece. Anyway, new shoots emerged from the ground and grew strongly through the summer reaching a height of about 2 metres. Had the previous year’s stems survived they would have reached probably 3 times that height which might not have been a good thing. I noticed in the summer of 08 when the stems stood very tall that the upper leaves were quite shredded by the wind. 08 might have been a very windy summer but I also think that the taller these plants grow the more susceptible they are from wind damage. The photograph below is taken looking up the stems at the underside of the leaves (part of my great ‘underplants’ series!).



Photograph above shows Musa Sikkimensis growing beyond the red leaves of Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii'.
 
Photograph above shows Musa sikkimensis taken in the autumn. In font is a large flowering Brugmansia.
March 2010 – As I write this the bananas have suffered another very cold winter. The weather was good right through to quite late in December and I had not wrapped the stems. I went off to southwest France for Christmas and New Year leaving them unprotected in some very cold and snowy weather. I did wrap the stems on my return but words like ‘stable door’ and ‘bolted’ come to mind! From early January the weather has been very cold and I doubt if any above ground growth will survive. I am hopeful that it will generate new shoots from the roots. Actually – it is still very, very cold as I write this.

Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii'
I bought 2 plants from B&Q in the spring and they grew well through the summer. I should have dug them up in the autumn and put them in the temporary plastic greenhouse . . . . .  But I went off to France and by the time I returned it was too late (I am a lazy gardener). I will have to buy more plants from B&Q this spring.

Photo above shows the red leaves of Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii' with Colocasia esculenta, Beschorneria yuccoides and Musa Sikkimensis beyond.


Photo above is taken from my dining room window and shows the red leaves of Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii' in the company of a flowering Canna, Colocasia esculenta and Melianthus major.

Ensete ventricosum  - green form
I bought 2 Ensete ventricosum seedlings from the interweb in the spring of 2009. I usually manage to overwinter these plants but had failed the year previously. Anyway both plants grew well through the summer and I now have one in my plastic greenhouse that I dug up in January and another wrapped in fleece outside, Here’s hoping!
The photo below shows Ensete ventricosum which is, of course, the basic green form, amongst other plants in late August 09.

August Catch Up

It’s amazing how much stuff grows while you’re away on holiday. Despite employing a very good garden-sitter (Liz), there was a lot of stuff that needed cutting back etc. The photograph below shows the hard working gardener grappling with giant leaves of Tetrapanax papyrifera.

Succulents and Stones
As mentioned previously I seem to be having some success with growing succulents, things like Echeverias, Aloes etc. These plants look good in a surrounding of gravel / grit and I’ve found it quite fun to add interesting pebbles and shells that I’ve found on the beach etc. Some of these pebbles are, in fact, rocks and include stones that I’ve brought back from holidays. Some of the stones and shells I just throw onto the gravelled areas of the garden, they get lost in the gravel  but become uncovered again and rediscovered again and bring back memories. I’ve now taken my stone gathering tendencies one stage further and request friends to bring me back stones and pebbles from their travels (at the time of writing this, I have stones from all over the world).
Below is an example of my ‘succulent stone area’. I won’t go into detail over where all the stones come from but the succulents include Echeveria, Aloe and Sempervivum:



and below: an Aloe and Kalanchoe thyrsiflora 'Bronze Sulpture'.

Ricinus communis  - The true Castor Oil Plant
Early in the spring I bought a couple of young plants of Ricinus communis – the red leaf form which I think is ‘Carmentica’. I have grown them from seed before but as I only need a couple it is far easier to just get them from the local nursery. Their large red leaves mix very well with other foliage as shown in the photo below grown amongst Ensete 'Maurelii', Canna 'Striata', Melianthus major and others. The photo was taken at dusk:




The photo above shows the colour of the leaf and also the seed pods behind.

Above is a close-up of the seed pods – they are really quite striking and a little sinister. Castor oil is extracted from the seeds of Ricinus communis but so is also the poison ‘Ricin’.
Ricin is perhaps best known as the poison that killed Bulgarian dissident and BBC journalist Georgi Markov in 1978 in what became known as the ‘Umbrella Murder’. As Georgi Markov crossed London’s Waterloo Bridge he was jabbed in the calf by a man holding an umbrella The man apologized and walked away. That evening he developed a fever and was admitted to a hospital where he died three days later. The cause of death was poisoning from a ricin-filled pellet.Although the murderer was never identified, many believe KGB agents were responsible.

Summer Holiday Adrasan – Catch Up

With the coming of the summer school holidays once again the Musa family packed their bags and headed for Adrasan on the Turkish Coast. I am embarrassed to write this as it must seem our family must lack initiative or gumption by continuing to go to the same place each summer. Perhaps the truth is that just as I am a lazy gardener, I am also a lazy traveller. It is just too easy to go back to the place where you know it will be warm; the natives are friendly and have got to know you; there are no ‘resort hotels’; the scenery is magnificent and once there, it is relatively inexpensive. The youngest Musa also demands to go back there as she has made many chums there which she keeps in touch with throughout the year on the interweb.
For all this I still feel that this once intrepid backpacker and hitch-hiker has settled too easily for the quiet life. I am comforted though by the fact that my good friend Dave the Puma has been taking his holidays in the same place on Crete for much longer than we’ve been going to Adrasan. (Perhaps I should say that as I write this (March 10) that yesterday I booked flights to Antalya and rooms at the Arikanda River Garden for a week over Easter! And . . . . . I have already booked flights for the summer!)
I mentioned that Adrasan was reasonably inexpensive, unfortunately this is not true of the air fares to Adrasan particularly during school holidays. We flew with British Airways and, in truth, they gave the best deal but they did succeed in losing our luggage. It is an intense feeling of dismay that one gets when one has landed in a foreign country to discover that one’s entire collection of underpants has flown off in a different direction and could be anywhere in the world! We survived quite well for the 2 days it took for my underpants and the rest of our luggage to find us. We bought basic supplies including a new pair of swimming shorts from the local shops. I learnt to say in Turkish “I have new swimming shorts” which goes something like: “Ben yeni mayo var”. I was very proud of my linguistic achievement and took every opportunity to use my new phrase of Turkish whenever I could. On reflection now I can understand the worried look of sometimes complete strangers who I practised this phrase upon.
We stayed at the Mithat Hotel which was very good thanks to Oner, his family and staff. We frequented the Chill House restaurant most lunchtimes (and had a few bottles of Efes) and as always got a warm welcome from Musti, Mustafa and Hussein. We had some great evenings and great food at The Arikanda River Garden where, as usual, Vahit, Felamos, Akif and Mehmet were excellent hosts. We enjoyed some boat trips aboard Captain Ali’s boat Dazler in the company of Ali, his son Mert and Sulyman.
Photos:

Efes at The Arikanda River Garden

 

Mithat Hotel at breakfast time

Efes, flowers and Panama hat – lunch Chill House

Captain Ali’s boat Dazler (taken in 2007 and photoshoped)

Ramasan’s Bar in the village, (Ramasan standing centre). Lazy Sunday! The best thing to do on Sunday is to take a Dolmus to the village market and then move on to Ramasan’s bar in the village for a few late morning Efes. Then take a dolmus to the Arikanda River Garden to relax in the shade with your feet in the cool river and have lunch. Afterwards return to the beach for a late afternoon swim.

July 09 Catch Up

With summer in full swing, this gardener was busy keeping up with all the gardening tasks. The sign on the bamboo (pictured below) shows how seriously this gardener took the issue of health & safety.

I found this old metal enamelled sign on a stall at my local market and despite it costing 50p, I had to have it!

Opuntia Cactus

This Opuntia was left out all winter with no protection whatsoever! By the end of the winter its pads were flacid and I thought it was surely dead. But no! It recovered and grew well and as the photo shows – flowered well. As I write (March 10) this cactus is still outside covered with a piece of glass and despite the very cold weather, seems well.

 

Underplants

The following are some July shots of plants taken from a low angle.

They form part of the ‘Underplants’ set on my Flickr account.

Tetrapnanx papyrifera ‘Rex’

Tetrapnanx papyrifera ‘Rex’ (Who is that strange chap in the photo?)

Leucanthemum superbum – Easy and impressive hardy perenial to grow – it just smells so awful!

Ficus carica 'Brown turkey' or Fig to you and me.

 

Hydrangea aspera

Just had to include this photo of Hydrangea aspera because it is just such a wonderful shrub. The leaves are great big things and have an unusual texture, the flowers are amazing and long lasting.

Technorati Tags: Tetrapanax papyrifera

June 09 Catch Up

During this month I enjoyed the better weather and worked hard in the garden, my famous gardening shoes were put to good use.


Tetrapanax papyrifera 'Rex'
The Tetrapanax gained many new and enormous leaves and I wish now that I had not planted it so close to a path. The underside of the leaves are coated with powdery brown down which easily transfers to the clothing of a passing gardener.


Beschorneria yuccoides
In a previous post I said that the Beschorneria was about to flower and this it did in June. The flower stem was 10ft tall with numerous flowers attached:

The flowers lasted right through summer and were quite spectacular. Of course, as mentioned previously, the plant will die after flowering but at the time of writing (March 10) there are many new offset plants to take its place. I will try to transplant some of these offsets as I enjoyed the plant grown as a single rosette rather than what I suspect will be a muddle of many plants.

Succulents
The wall bed of Echeverias, Agaves, Aloes etc was very successful throughout the year. I think I’ll experiment with growing more succulents and may even create an additional wall garden. It is quite remarkable how the Echeverias, Aloes etc seem to be able to survive grown outside. They seem able to withstand very hard frosts but don’t like being wet. A simple covering of glass or plastic is all that is required.


Campanula
I must admit I don’t know the precise name of the Campanula pictured below. Campanulas have the most complicated species names, many sounding the same.

Anyway, I’ve included this image mainly because it is one of my favorite corners of the garden. I think the flowers of the Campanula go well with the blue/grey of the hosta and both go well with the ferns and bamboo of this quite shady area. I also very much like the chair, though, of course, I seldom get time to sit in it!

Technorati Tags: Tetrapanax papyrifera,Beschorneria yuccoides

Technorati Tags: gardening shoes,Succulents,Agave,Campanula

Why am I back?

For a number of reasons including:

• I think my public need me. There have been over 4,000 hits on the blog.
• Many people have requested that I re-start the blog. (this is a lie) 
• I’m a bit bored and the weather is so awful! See below!

The garden a few weeks ago but even today, 7th March, the pond is frozen.

• A friend of mine, ‘Dave The Puma’, is talking of creating a blog and my interest has been renewed.

The next job is to post some updates of the exciting things that have happened since this blog has been off air.
More soon . . .

Technorati Tags: Spring 2010

The Great Musa Blog Is Back! (I think)

After nearly a year this great blog is active again!

• Watch this space for interesting news and views from the lazy gardener.
• Marvel at his exploits.
• Be amazed by his intrepid travels.

And yes! . . . The gardening shoes are still operational!

More soon . . . .