Lift Off!

Looks like we'll only have one Echium 'Tower of Jewels' blooming this year, but even one is worth it! The garden is a bit chaotic right now since I've spent the past few weeks sick and haven't spent a minute outside. But, I kind of like chaotic :)

Praying Mantis Babies!

Last summer I purchased the "Praying Mantis Pagoda" from Insect Lore.  I had to wait until the winter to order my praying mantis egg for it (they only ship the eggs from January-April). The eggs themselves take about 3 to 7 weeks to hatch.  This particular egg arrived here from Insect Lore on March 15th.  In the past I had purchased my praying mantis eggs from my local Green Acres Nursery. Those eggs I would put directly outside. I bought this pagoda because after buying numerous eggs for my garden, I never got to see a single one hatch.  They always hatched- but I wanted to be able to watch them hatch!

Thanks to me catching pink eye (yeah, no fun!), and my daughter waking me up at 7am, I was home when the egg started hatching.  "Mommy! Mommy! THEY'RE HATCHING!"  At first I thought she was talking about the bird's nest on our front door (which, by the way- we've got four eggs there now, and we haven't opened our front door in over a week!).  But then she said "There's like a HUNDRED of them, and they are like a bunch of ants crawling all over the place!  They are ADORABLE!" 

Sure enough, she was right.  They are more like mosquitoes than ants, but there's well over a hundred of them, and at 11am, there are still more nymphs crawling out of the egg.  The fear that they would start eating each other hit and I didn't really feel up to explaining THAT part of nature to my daughter so I went outside in search of some aphids.  Thankfully I had just been outside in the garden the day prior to check out the leaf curl problem I was having with one of my peach trees and saw that it had some aphids on it too, so this morning I just clipped a small section of that tree and tossed it into the pagoda. 

Most of the praying mantises will be released into the garden within a couple of days.  Since we are in the middle of a rain storm outside, they kinda picked the WORST possible day to hatch, but we'll try to keep them alive and civil with one another until Saturday.  First sign of a mantis massacre and they'll be sent packing, released outside to brave the rain on their own. 

This is the egg, or the ootheca, and you can sort of see one of these little guys (or gals) climbing its way out of it on the right.  A female can lay up to 400 eggs in one of these things.  It's no wonder that she splits after she has them- who wants to take care of 400 kids?! I attached a video of the egg hatching- but bare with me, it was my first time adding video to a blog post! 

WPA Rock Garden



The Sacramento area has many beautiful public gardens- and the WPA Rock Garden in William Land Park has got to be one of my favorites.  Not even an acre large, this little garden would be my dream backyard- jam packed with awesome plants and many pathways to get lost in.  Since it's right next to the Sacramento Zoo and Fairytale Town, I'm able to stop by here many times a year on regular dates with my daughter. 



I can bore you with the details of the garden, but it's one of those places where words are not needed.  Simply go, relax, and check out every inch of the garden.  But if you'd like to learn more, there is an excellent article about it and Daisy Mah, who is responsible for creating this beautiful space here. 















The One When I Explain the Dead Wreath on Our Front Door



At first glance this just looks like a fabulous red front door....with a dead Christmas wreath hanging from it. 



Well, you are partially correct. 



But when you get closer....  you might notice something else.....  Do you see it?



You MUST be able to see it now.....



There it is!



And there THEY are!



So for now, the dead wreath stays..... (and so do they)

Wordless Wednesday

Repurposing Containers for Seed Starting

Starting seeds can become expensive if you're the type of person to grow and share seedlings with others.  There are several ways to cut corners on those costs by reusing items that would have otherwise been thrown in the trash or recycle bin to get your seeds off to a healthy start.  Today we used a container from Friday night's dinner: a plastic container used for a rotisserie chicken.  In the past we've also used cardboard egg cartons, yogurt containers, and the plastic containers we buy apples in from Costco.  The rotisserie chicken container pictured above is great for plants that prefer to get started in a mini-greenhouse.  A plastic container like this that is specifically made for seeds will set you back a few dollars. 

This particular container is not to share with friends, but specifically for my daughter.  She chose to sow Ipomoea lobata seeds today- aka "Exotic Love Vine", which you can usually find at Annie's Annuals in a 4" pot. I wish I could say she specifically picked out these seeds because she remembered their beautiful blooms growing on our fence last year- but no, she picked them because they matched the shirt she was wearing today (such a girl thing to do).

This project is simple: fill the container with seed starting mix, add water(much easier to do now than after you plant the seeds), poke a bunch of holes in the soil, push the seeds in, then cover it up.  That's it.  With these seeds we should see germination take place in about a week, but since I soaked the seeds for most of the day in water we might see them sprout a little earlier. 

She happily place her mini greenhouse in our guest bathroom where it gets a lot of light- and a lot of traffic, so we will remember to keep an eye on them.  These plants will be able to be transplanted outside in about a month (weather permitting, of course).

Considering Chickens?



Chickens are all the rage now that more and more cities are making it legal for residents to keep a couple of hens in their backyard.  I was lucky enough to hang out with award-winning landscape designer and Timber Press author Jessi Bloom this week at the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show.  Her book, Free Ranch Chicken Gardens, includes everything you need to know about integrating chickens into your backyard- from coop designs to chicken care, and which plants you should or shouldn’t have in your garden.  She covered all of this information to an eager crowd at her “What the Cluck!” seminars at SFGS. Her book has been so popular that it has sold out at the last two garden shows she's spoke at- prior to her book signing event!   I personally have wanted chickens for a while, and will definitely be getting my hands on a copy of her book once we finally get them.

After returning from my trip to San Francisco, I connected with Greg Howes and Brian Fikes, owners of Two Flew the Coop.  I first saw their super cute chicken coops at Talini’s Nursery, and I’m eager to add one to my own garden one day. 

They have raised chickens for over twenty years, and were nice enough to allow my family to come visit their little urban farm.  Little is not exaggerating either- their 700 square foot home sits on top of a postage stamp sized yard, yet they have beautifully designed the space to be inviting and practical. 

Both Greg and Brian are gardeners and they have a wonderful selection of edibles in their backyard and front yard.



Kumquats, blood oranges, and an olive tree all look fabulous this time of year, and we can’t forget the beautifully blooming rosemary which seems to be the chicken’s favorite plant to hang out around.  Their previous garden was featured in a book called The Herbalist’s Garden, and was photographed by one of the greatest garden photographers around, Saxon Holt.



Walking up to the chicken pen in their backyard, the chickens came RUNNING at the sound of Greg’s voice.  As we walked around their habitat, the chickens were always within a couple feet from us- even pecking at my tennis shoes occasionally to try and get my shoe laces.  These feathered ladies were all very friendly, and quite tolerant of my five year old and her constant need to pet them.



The coops that Two Flew the Coop make are all one-of-a-kind.  They spend their free time browsing antique stores and garage sales to collect fun and decorative items for their coops.  Each coop will have a theme- whether it’s shabby chic’, Buddha, cowboy, etc.  Each coop is a beautiful art piece made of mostly recycled and reclaimed items.  I was able to check out a couple of the coops they are currently working on, which I’m sure will make their way to Talini’s Nursery soon.  In addition to the ones available at Talini’s, Greg and Brian will also design coops based on your personal preferences if you wish. 



In addition to chicken coops, Two Flew the Coop also offer books, organic chicken feed, and various supplies for tending to your feathered friends.  They are also available for consultations and speaking engagements.  They should have their website up and running in the next few weeks which I’ll share here once it’s up, but if you’d like to get in touch with them in the meantime you can call them at (916) 737-2043. 

They are such a great resource for those of you in Sacramento who are considering getting chickens (now that you can do it legally).   Whether you have questions about which breed would be right for you, or how to protect your chickens from predators- these guys have practically done all of the guessing work for you!  And did I mention that they've never had a complaint from one of their neighbors? 



We wish we were their neighbors!  Look at this beautiful selection of eggs they sent home with us!  I'm almost ashamed to admit that we cooked a few of them up the moment after we got home from visiting them.  One thing is for sure- you can't beat the taste of organic, free-range chicken eggs!

Thank you again to Greg and Brian for letting us tour your garden and meet your beautiful chickens.