Wet Spring Indeed!

It has been a very wet spring. Unfortunately, It didn't help the bamboo groves from the past drought and the Phyllostachys shooting has been dismal to say the least. Sad, because this is a once a year event and a bad one means that we have to wait a whole 'nother year

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I am slowly getting things planted out there but it is not happening as quickly as I would like. Db is not able to do as much due to his leg ulcer and I, of course, have little energy these days with my own health issues. Chad helps out all he can, but he has a life, too.

I am hoping to get some Alocasia 'Borneo Giant' planted out in the gardens this week. They have been in pots for the past four or five years and would really enjoy the change, I am sure. When I first got the original mother corm the leaves came out about 6', but after being divided and growing inside, it has put out much smaller leaves. It would definitely enjoy getting out of the restrictive pots.

We took one of our dogs to the vet today. Little Boo is two years old and needed his yearly checkup and shots so Chad and I took him in early this morning. He is doing very well and was a very good boy for Dr. Trotter.

Db has a doctors appointment this afternoon and wants me along so I best get some things done around here. Later gator!

A Common Question

People often ask me why we decided to place our manufactured home in the position we did. Actually, we didn't have any choice!

Our ten acre plot is mostly wetland woods. The county engineer told us where we could put the raised septic system and the home. In order to hook up the homes plumbing to the raised septic system, it had to be placed in the manner in which you see it.

Because our driveway is so long; (500') we decided to put in a circular turn-a-round out front. Did I want it this close to our home? NO! Does it have any good qulalities? YES, it is not as far to carry groceries.

In the center of the turn-a-round is a grove of five different species of Phyllostachys bamboo. P. nigra 'Henon', P. vivax, P. nigra 'Punctata', P. vivax , P. vivax 'Aureocaulis', P. aureosulcata.

Across the drivway bordering our neighbors chainlink fence is P. Aurea. I could not understand why the bamboo was not flourising as it is well known to do until I realized the electric company was sneaking in and spraying it right under the electric lines. Of course when I found out I was engraged and promised all kinds of retribution which have never come to fruition. They not only have kept the boo from flourising with this poison, they also totally killed a mixed shrub border that grew there. I have found that whatever they used must have been on the order of AGENT ORANGE because NOTHING will grow there now...not even weeds.

Mankind, in it's complete stupidity, will be the one to destroy it's own future as well as all animal and plant life here on earth. You can take THAT to the bank!

SHOP IS COMPLETED...FINALLY!

Finally, at least the outside of the shop is done; well, almost. Still needs gutters which will be put on in a few more weeks. The inside is still needing the paint booth finished, electricity and lights. Db figures he can fit six cars inside but will not be doing as much as he used to since he is going into semi-retirement. Can any middle class in the US afford to totally retire anymore?

Memorial Day Weekend

Where has the time gone? I can't believe that I haven't kept up with this blog since January. I need a way to get reminders so that I can keep this up-to-date. If anyone knows of a reminder service for blog writers, please let me know.

We have gotten plenty of rain this spring so the jungle is growing by leaps and bounds. I need to get out there with my camera and start snapping some pics. If the darn battery door wasn't broken and required taping for each session, I would have hundreds by now. I need to buy a new camera but I am not financially able to do that right now.

My daughter, her best friend, and the grands are coming in tomorrow. I will be watching the grands for six weeks this summer while my daughter starts her nursing clinicals. She is making me very proud as a recently single mom with all her struggles, yet always staying forward looking and positive thinking. God bless her and the kids.

I sold some rare tropical plants this spring and am soon putting up some tropical fruit trees for sale. It has been a weird weather pattern causing me to actually move my plants back inside four times in late spring! Even last night, at nearly June, the outside temperature was only 58 at 4 A.M. !!! Unheard of in southern Alabama!!! It is saving us on the cost of air conditioning 24/7 so I shan't complain.

The Day lilies are starting to bloom. I think I grow more passionate about these easy to care for plants every year. The leaves stay nearly all winter long and they are no trouble at all. I wish I could say the same thing for my Bearded Iris that a friend in IL gave me some years ago. They bloomed wonderfully that first year that I had planted them in pots, but now that they are in the ground they just put out great leaves but no flowers. I think I am going to put them back into pots. There is no telling what is causing them not to bloom.

The bamboo of which I am famous and for which I was nic-named many years ago is going fantastic this year....well, all but the Moso which got hit by a late freeze and killed all the beautiful, fat, tall, culms in front of my kitchen window. Db and I have decided that a thick, mulch is in order this winter to keep it from shooting so early. It is in front of my kitchen window and faces East so it gets early morning sun every day and I think the ground warms up to quickly. It started shooting on March 3rd. which is way too early.

The Semiarundinaria Fastuosa which is planted on the side of our guest cottage has taken off like a rocket this year and is doing just what I hoped it would. It's here, there, and everywhere! I can't say enough good things about this bamboo as far as beauty, fast spreading, the ability to hedge out unwanted views or for privacy issues. The leaves will go from top to bottom but you can trim them to any height you choose. I have some that I leave alone and some that I trim up in order to walk through or under. Check it out if you are in the market for a bamboo for privacy cause this is the winner hands down in my book.

We put a screened gazebo up on the dock some months back and that is where the girls and I will be relaxing when they come in Saturday. I have a southeast Asian theme going inside with hanging plants, potted plants, and candles. There are metal Tikki torches that surround the pond and it is a site to behold. We also have an oscillating fan on a stand, music, (Exotica Cd's) and a round table with a tablecloth made from Sari's. It is very relaxing and a favorite spot for my hubby and I to enjoy on Sundays or Saturday evenings when he gets home from his shop. It was all done very cheaply, but looks grand.

Well, I have a million more things to get done before tomorrow so I will end here for now. Have a blessed and safe Memorial Day weekend from all of us here at The Bamboo Jungle N Gardens....