Spring? Try SUMMER!!!

Sunday, the only day that Db and I have to work on our place together. We work awhile, rest awhile...at our ages you have to take it slow and easy like the famous tortoise. What does it matter as long as you get the work done?

Spring in the deep south starts in February some time and by April it looks and feels like summer. I know that the next few months are spring for most of the country, but we are way past that. My Daffs are blooming in January for heavens sake!

The Lotus is up in the pots and now I have decided to see if I can find someone to trade for some Sacred Lotus seed or rhizomes. I have some young of the native species Lotus (Nelumbo) which I started from seeds this spring that are growing by leaps and bounds in the heat and humidity, and I have another cultivar that I got on a trade for an Ensete banana plant, but I will be danged if I can remember the cultivars name. Thanks to the hurricanes that came through here last year I was not able to get a bloom, but I think it is a pink variety. Before I end this article I will describe how to start Lotus from seed so anyone can have success.

I really hope that the hurricane season is a very slow and dull one. We really can't take three more clean-ups. I do thank the dear Lord for sparing our home, but the damage to plants and trees was devastating and took a long time to clean up. God bless us one and all.

The new chicks are getting bigger day by day. Soon I will be able to let them out to to free-range. I have mostly Polish with the crazy feathers on their heads. They are a small breed and look more like exotic birds than homestead type chickens. I do have some of the normal types, too.

The two pairs of geese are laying eggs on a continual basis. I took one and made a lovely jewely "box" for my son's girlfriend's birthday last week. It turned out lovely and I even made the base which most egg artists do not do. I had to use my imagination as I needed something to sit the egg on so I took an empty roll from paper towels and cut it to about two and a half inches and then covered it in my own paper mache mash. After that was dry I covered the whole thing in ceramic tile mastic inside and out and allowed that to thoroughly dry for about three days in the sun. Next I took some pink/white stained glass and broke it into tiny shards and used more mastic to mosaic the base. I didn't grout the piece as I liked the way it turned out as is. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the finished "jewel". I have five more eggs to blow and decorate so will take some then.

Last but not least; as promised, here are the directions for germinating and growing Lotus from seed:

1- File one side of the Lotus seed till you just start to see pale yellow to white. Do not go too deep. It only has to be a small dot of white in order for the Lotus seed to take in water.

2- Soak seed in hot water, changing daily, till a sprout appears.

3- Carefully move seed to a yogurt or similar container 1/3 filled with garden loam, heavy in clay and fill to top with warm water. The seeds will reach down and root themselves into the loam/clay mixture so don't worry about covering the seed.

4- At first the small leaves will float on the water like a water Lilly pad, but as it grows and you move it up to larger containers, it will begin to get leaves that stand above the water.

5- I start my seeds in April and move to their permanent home outside in a 30 gallon Tupperware or some other attractive pot as soon as they sprout and the weathers heat has settled in for the season.

6- Feed with some good fertilizer tabs made especially for water plants as directed on the package and you should have lot's of leaves and by next year flowers. Place your pot/pots in direct sun. Lotus require heat and bright light to do well.

Till next time...Later gator!

Mosaic And Garden Junk Art

My S.O. and I are considered "out there" by most people who know us. We are both artists, seniors, and happy doing our own thing. If that means building a facsimile bomb on an authentic WW2 bomb carrier out of an old air compressor, or mosaicing our home inside and out with ceramic tile, stained glass, stones, shells, broken dishes and whatever else seems to "fit" into the theme, then so-be-it! We are who we are and we don't apologize for it.

Most folks that know us for any length of time think that we are "neat" and proud to call themselves our friends. We are fun to be around, good conversationalist, and well-read. We can speak to anyone on almost any subject with intelligence and are always willing to learn something new.

After 21 years together we know each other well and can relate to the others moods and whims. No matter what kind of project we are working on next, whether it is a collaboration or an individual work of art, it's bound to be unique and interesting. I only wish everyone could have the kind of relationship that we have. The world would be a far better place for sure. Blessings!

SPRING CHICKS

Is there anything worse than a computer going down when you are a blogger? Well, that is what happened to me the past few weeks. Glad to be back among the "nerds" once again. Only one comment on this subject...MSN and DELL techs don't have a clue!

Yesterday was the first day outside in the fresh spring air for the newest additions to our family; twenty baby chicks about a month old. Mostly Polish and Houdans with half of unknown lineage at this time. They were extras the hatchery sent to help keep the others warm on their journey over from Texas.

They must have had a rough time of it with the postal workers as half the rare breeds died with-in two days of arriving, much to my great sadness. After seeing that they must have been over-stressed I started adding Colloidal Silver and the Bach Flower Rescue Remedy to their drinking water and lost no more. I will continue this practice to keep them healthy and stress free here on the homestead.

I will attempt to take some pics and send post them if I remember to buy a new battery charger for my camera...Either that or a docking station caught on sale. I used to take many, many, pictures here at The Bamboo Jungle so will include some of those for now.

What is blooming here? Willows, Iris, many wildflowers. Caladiums are popping up out of their recently watered pots. (I over-winter in their pots in a frost free place keeping quite dry) The Bluetes have been blooming for ages all over the grounds and I consider them a sure sign of spring.

The Dogwoods are in bloom as are many flowering trees, but things here start blooming in January so it's hard to keep up. This years start was actually a slow one compared to a normal year.

I am so hoping that we don't get any hurricanes this year. Last year we had to do clean-up from three and it will take years before it looks back to normal again. We had to cut down three willow trees but they are coming back with ease. Now they look like fountains which we can't complain is un-attractive. They are even pulling themselves back into the ponds edge from where they were pushed over from the relentless winds. Db, my dh gave them a helping hand by nailing two by fours onto their trunks and into the ground. They now are floating in the air and will have to be re-adjusted. We have decided to keep them supported by these two by fours and just let flowering vines climb up and around the wood to hide it.

Well, it is 6:47 AM and I need to get out and take care of all the fowl we have here. I can hear the African Grey Geese honking outside this window wanting their cracked corn treat. Later gator!

A Breezy March Day

March is a strange time of year no matter where you live. The weather is always up and down and just when you think winter has waved it's last goodbye, it comes into focus again and backtracks.

I was in hopes I could move my house plants out to the back porch this past weekend, but after this last cold front, I see I will have to wait a few more days. Maybe this up-coming weekend...who knows.

I spent part of yesterday planting flats of seeds for the nursery sales, but wish now that I had gotten an earlier start. It is really difficult after these rising electrical costs have hit. I can't heat the greenhouse as we can barely afford the cost of heating our home! Something needs to give before we all go broke!

At only mid 60's today and very breezy, I am not much in the mood to plant. We received a torrential rain in the middle of the night and our wetlands are just soaked. I had to go out early and un-plug the over-flow pipe on the pond so that the excess water could drain off into the woods. There are so many ponds in the woods now that it looks like a swamp in some horror movie. The frogs seem happy, though. They sing all night and into the morning.

I need to get some paint for my latest tire planters. I'm going with Caribbean colors. Will include some pics when I finish up.

later gator....

What a glorious Sunday here in the deep south! 89F. was kind of hot to be working in today, but my hubby and I wanted to get some things done around here so we got an early start.

While Db was beating down the wild blackberries that were taking over the bamboo grove of five different species of Phyllostachys out front, I was planting Moonflowers on either side of the wrought iron trellis that a friend made for us some years ago. There is much already growing there like wild Morning Glories and Japanese Honeysuckle that takes over everything. I don't care. I love almost every plant God gave us. That is until you hear me cussing after a run in with the Devils Claw vine or Devils Walking Stick trees that abound on our wetlands.

After I planted the Moonflower seeds I brought up all the garden troughs I made many years ago and placed them on the huge, steel, truck bumper Db brought home to use for displaying them. I dumped out all the old soil and will be planting them with cactus and succulents as a nice change from my wild, tropical jungle.

Storms expected tomorrow, but I hope to have enough time to get the back porch cleaned up. I made a lot of pocket planters out of large tin cans that I painted after Db crunched the bottoms for me very neatly down at his shop. I will be nailing them all over this place and filling with Impatiens and any kind of vine that happens to catch my fancy at the moment...that and whichever one I seem to have in abundance.

It's late so I will say; later gator!

How Did You Get That Nic-Name?

People often ask me how I got the nic-name, "Bamboochik". I have had it for so long that sometimes it's hard for me to even remember. Let me start at the beginning then.

I fist fell in love with bamboo on a trip to south central Florida back in the 70's. My fist husband and I had taken our children to Disney World and were just driving around looking for other sites we might come across on the back roads. All of a sudden, out of the clear blue sky we came up on a smallish billboard advertising REPTILE WORLD....hmmmmmm, now where is this place we wondered. All we could see was a small concrete block home in the middle of nowhere off this two lane highway we were on. This must be the place, we both agreed.

Taking kids in hands we walked up to the front door and were greeted by a person who took our money and told us to go through the kitchen and out the back door....Well, we did and all I can say is I was totally awe-struck! We had walked into a veritable jungle of tropical plants and birds with narrow winding paths going every which way.

It seems to me that I remember some "exotica" type music in the background, but can't be sure since this was so very long ago. All I can really remember is the wonderful bamboo, palms, and other exotic plants on either side of us as we leisurely walked through this man-made jungle. There were small ponds filled with alligators, a snake and reptile house, and I seem to recall a tropical bird show with Toucans, Parrots, and Macaws. I know that it was situated on five acres but I don't think it actually took up more than a couple acres at the time. Very hard to say since the winding paths and thick foliage gave the impression of "never ending".

I believe this is the place of which I speak. It may have changed in all these years but I hope not. http://www.theotherorlando.com/contents/chapters/15/reptile.html

After I came back from my vacation to south central Florida and all of it's tropical beauty that abounds, I was completely smitten with the "Tropical Look" and decided I would make my own place as beautiful as the places I had seen. My first plant purchase was bamboo and I have been surrounded by it ever since along with cold hardy palms, Alocasia, Colocasia, Gingers, and many, many more plants. One of our friends gave me the nic-name, "Bamboochik", and I named my plant nursery and our homestead, The Bamboo Jungle N Gardens or for short, The Bamboo Jungle.

I will be writing some articles on the great things bamboo can do for home owners who are interested in protection from natural disasters such as strong winds, floods and mudslides as well as earthquakes. It is truly an amazing plant!

Jesus Mosaic

I decided to do a mosaic on the side of my home about three years ago. It is mostly a religiously inspired piece 2' wide by 20' long at this time. This photograph is part of the mosaic and is the face of Jesus done in river stones and stained glass. I will be showing other parts of the mosaic in the future. 

Another Rainy Day

It's been raining for days now with no hint of the sun. The skies are all overcast and fog rose from the farm pond this morning like something out of a horror film. It's warm and misty. Good for the complexion but hard to walk when the grass is so slippery and the ground so soft.

I ordered ten top hat chicks and two penguin ducks yesterday from the hatchery I use in Texas that has no real minimum orders. Most hatcheries want you to order at least 25 chicks or eight ducks and I just don't need that many. Really don't know why I ordered the ducks. Have had a few before and they always wonder out into the woods and get eaten by coyotes before the year is up. This time I ordered a pair. One male and one female so hopefully they will stay around the homestead instead of searching for a mate like the others who were not paired.

There is much I need to do before they arrive next week. Clean out the large tupperware container I raise the babes in, buy a new lamp reflector to keep them warm, find my waterer and feeder and buy more liter. Next week is supposed to be nice. Sunny and mid to upper 60's. Wonderful weather for their arrival.

The Ensete seeds are bursting forth so will be re-potting those soon for the spring sales. They are a lovely banana, though uneatable. Their tall leaves that reach for the sky with the red midrib and red coloring in the stalk (pseudonum) give a distinct tropical feel to any place they are grown.

I guess I best get to work so later gator!

Paradise

 

The Bamboo Jungle

The Bamboo Jungle It is a cool, rainy, day in south Alabama. Lousy Saturday for sure when you would like to be out working in the gardens.

I have been getting seeds started the past few weeks, but with electricity costs so high this year it is very difficult to keep heating mats going with any concience. I cannot even imagine what this is going to do to the cost of plants coming in from the northeast this spring.

I made some nice, comforting, chicken and dumplings for supper tonight when Db gets in from his shop. I know it will be a very welcome meal after being chilled all day. At our ages you have to be more careful about your health. Your immune system is not as strong as it was when you were younger and you can easily catch anything that is going around.

Chad-e is home with some kind of bug. Forgot to take his homeopathic Nosode for the flu two weeks in a row so I am assuming that is what he has. I started giving it to him and he is much better, but I still took him to the doctor on Thursday just to make sure it wasn't something really serious since his fever was spiking. He has a heart murmer so we take no chances. Strep and Flu both came out negative, but that could have been from the Colloidal Silver I was giving him every two hours. It was already probably knocking it out of him. Good to know, at least.

Well, I think I will go take a hot bath with my new book; Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast by Bill Richardson. It is light hearted, funny, and just what I need for a nice long soak. Later gator!

Kefir

I am a nutritionist/horticulturist so my passions in life center around food and plants. One that I am seriously getting into at this time is the making of my own Kefir. What, you may well ask is 'Kefir'? Well, it is many things to many people, but basically it is a fermented milk drink with wonderful health giving properties. About five different friendly bacteria and two friendly yeasts live and thrive in Kefir. It is not difficult to learn how to make your own Kefir but first you must obtain what is called, "Kefir Grains" from a friend or commercial source.

When you receive your Kefir Grains they will come either dehydrated or in about a cup of whole milk. In order to re-hydrate the dried type you will need to put the grains into a cup of milk after rinsing them of any dry milk powder that may still be on them from shipping. Let sit for 12-24 hours at room temperature and another 12-24 hours in the refrigerator. Strain the Kefir Grains and then add these to another cup of milk (1 t. Grains to one cup milk each time) You can store the excess grains in a qt. of milk in the fridge or give away to friends or family.

If your Kefir Grains arrived in a cup of milk, strain and rinse the grains, place in a cup of whole milk and continue as described above.

Always use a glass jar and a coffee filter held in place with a rubber band. The Kefir will produce a gas than can cause a sealed glass jar to explode. Only very experience Kefir makers can use the lid process and is not suggested for those just learning.

Eventually, you will have enough grains to make 1/4 cup Kefir Grains to one quart of milk. With any and all of the Kefir you have made, you can make delicious smoothies or other recipes. You will be helping to keep your digestive tract healthy and your whole body in a state of good health. There are many forums and websites where you can discuss Kefir and get some wonderful recipes. Do yourself a favor and consider this ancient healing drink for you and your whole family.

Water Gardening

Water gardening is one of my favorite forms of gardening just like it is for many folks today. It is one of those pastimes that is very relaxing and not riddled with too many bugs to contend with.

In the future I will be sending in some photos of my water gardens and of course this one of my big sport fishing pond.

The Bamboo Jungle N Gardens

The Bamboo Jungle N Gardens is a ten acre paradise in southern Alabama. This is where I live and work with my husband, Db-stb-63 and our son, Chad-stb-20. I just turned 57 on Groundhogs Day! I will be adding to this blog, hopefully on a daily or at least weekly basis. I will be discussing my business which is growing rare plants for collectors, making funky art for gardens and interiors, our many projects around our place, etc. I hope you find it fun and interesting. Y'all come!~