Sunday, May 04, 2008
Weeds from my walk
I walk a less beaten path in the mornings. There aren't any sidewalks, there are dogs wandering around (and I'm totally afraid of them) and my neighborhood isn't exactly the kind with sprinklers and meticulous hedges.
What I do have are some fantastic weeds. I mean, look at the shapes on some of those! All week I've been wishing I had my camera, so I took it on Friday instead of my hand weights. It was Friday after all, time for a little break!
All the drawing and printing of the last few weeks has made me yearn for some more interesting inspiration, so I should have plenty now. I'm tired of drawing the same ole leaf over and over.
And here are some scenes from my yard. Let me tell you, things grow rough and ready here in Tennessee. The warmth and humidity, paired with a cool winter that's good for hibernating time, it's pretty ideal. Except for all the rocky soil. Rocky top is alive and well in my yard, where digging down more than 2 inches yields gravel or flagstones.
You have no idea how much that single peony bud means to me. I check it every day and have to knock the ants off it. I can't believe it came through the winter, as last year it was extremely small--like 5 inches --and it's planted in a plastic pot, not the ground. At any rate, I'm super excited about it.
I have something small eating the leaves of my brand-new zinnias. What should I do about that? I have no idea what's eating them, and I'm not a fan of insecticides, but I'd love to hear any suggestions.
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For your zinnias: Try a little "insecticidal soap" they have brands you can buy that are very gentle and non-toxic to animals & ground water but bugs hate it (especially petal munchers). I have a super concentrated jug that I mix into a spray bottle and spray in the morning and evening (after watering). And just spraying those buggers off the plants helps a lot.
And about your peonies: the ants are normal, they don't hurt the peony at all, they just love them, they don't munch them. I like to think that the more ants on your peony blooms, the sweeter they are. Just make sure you shake those blooms off when you cut them and bring them inside.
I don't have much of a garden anymore, so I am vicariously enjoying yours.
Ditto on the peonie comment above - my Dad said the ants are important to peonies because they protect them from other bugs that will destroy the bud or leaves. The ants won't harm your peonies - they are just gathering the sweet nectar.