garden pics

Some of the keystone blocks I pulled out of the garden, had nice moss growing along the soil level. I hope the new bricks eventually get moss on them, it will soften the look. I'm transplanting into spots along the new edges what mock strawberry gets pulled out of other places where it's grown over too much.

My ancho peppers are finally making some fruit- just as I found the cluprit that's been eating holes in leaves (and holes in the sweet 'healthy' peppers, too I think). Well, I didn't find them until the wasp did. Then they were visible to me. (And I looked so many times!) Hornworms:

Two of them.

We have plenty of the wasps. There's three or four little mud-dauber nests under edges of our deck- I don't mind them at all like I do the carpenter bees. Found this wasp underside of a liriope leaf- I tried to turn the foliage over to get a picture of it, but every time it quickly rotated itself to the underside again!

I left the volunteer vine climbing the side of the garden because it just looked nice to have something going up the wall- never expected to get an actual cantaloupe!

It's not very big. Would be just a few sweet bites, if it ripens enough.

early spring

at least, it feels like- with rain and warmer weather. I took a walk around the yard and a few photos. Green in the mud and dead leaves-

daylilies:

new leaves on vinca:

arum

tulips

oops camera cord got in this picture

sedums coming up around the stump- very small foliage still

a few sweet peas sprouted on their own

several of my younger hellebores are budding!

rosemary is sad, looks barely alive

Nandina stayed green all winter. I hope it grows more this year.

Holly shrub by the lower deck is so lush it almost glows.

Lots of new leaves. Seems to like the dehumidifier water I dump on it.

I've reseeded some more bare spots in the front lawn, during this week of rain. Back yard has tons of moss invading the sad lawn- way more than any other year before. It's nice that it is bright green, but unless walking careful and flatfoot it gets torn up so easily. Hm. I did scatter vermicompost and ashes on the front yard this past fall, but not the back. I think it shows. Gah. I'm fond of mosses but really need to improve the lawn health instead.

A few tufts of moss have made it onto my roof. I kind of like that.

mossy stump

A few weeks ago we took a walk in the woods. I didn't have my camera so used my husband's cell phone to take these photos. Among all the browns and grays of fallen leaves there was this green moss-grown stump, bright like a jewel on the forest floor.

I had to take a few pictures. I don't know what these species of moss and lichens are, but it was striking how many different textures and hues of green. Some furry looking, others flat and scaly

and these grayish ones had tiny spikes going up- sporophytes?

It was just so cool-looking.

a little bit

I'm starting to do yardwork and gardening at my boyfriend's house. Last weekend spent half a day cutting back shrubs. Turned my compost bin stationed over there, pleased there was a good amount of nice-looking stuff- spread it around all the shrubs and one small rosebush. I am thinking of growing vegetables again, but there is too much tree shade and I haven't prepared any ground. My greenhouse jugs are on that balcony, and a few days ago I thinned some lettuce seedlings- my younger daughter and I ate them! faint, sweet green taste. I weeded a small patio set with concrete stones- leaving moss in the gaps. Then noticed a bunch of moss torn out of the lawn when I raked some leaves up, and I tucked that into the gaps, too. I keep forgetting to take my camera over there for pics, but brought a sprig of moss home, just because it was so nice-looking in its own minute way.

I tucked it into my boston fern pot, just for fun:

java moss!

Yesterday I drove to someone's house to purchase a handful of Java Moss. Couldn't find this anywhere in the local pet stores but read online that it does well in betta containers, and doesn't need much light -in fact will grow darker green in low light levels. So I'm hoping this will work, and my fishies can have a little bit of live plants in their bowls. I've also given Pinkie a fake skull full of hidey holes.

Of course Flash is still difficult to photograph, avoiding the camera. And his water still looks darker from the medicine treatment. Himself is doing fine! I've tied the Java Moss down to the top of the decorations in each fishbowl with a bit of thread. By the time the thread rots in the water, the moss should have anchored itself. The man I got it from said the moss will adhere to most anything that has a bit of porous or rough surface, and spread in a mat.