May24 2011, Garden no 7

Garden 2011 no 7
After the Storm

Compared to the rest of the world, what we call storm damage is minimal. And; bearing this in mind, I thought I should take a closer look at the damage to my garden.
First thing you notice is that I’ve lost my side gate, It’s very warped and twisted and the hinges have been ripped out of the wall, I think it’s beyond repair so I guess I need a new gate as well as a fence.
The pallets that were piled up ready to be made into my fence were scattered around the garden. Some were smashed and broken but most are OK to use.
I hope my bird box was not actually in use, it has a nest inside and there have been chicks, I just hope they all flew away before the storm.
I think this little nest came from the apple tree, again I hope the birds had already flown.
The apple tree itself looks the way it does in autumn. It was full of blossom but now there is no blossom and hardly any leaves. I suppose this means there will be none of those bright red crab apples this year.
I used them last year in jam, looks like I’ll be buying my apples for jam this year.
Most of the blossom and leaves seems to have ended up in the pond.
I’m not at all sure what caused this. The leaves on two of my shrubs have gone black and died.
I’m pretty sure they were ok before the storm but I don’t know how the storm managed to do this to them.
And here is hope. Amidst all this debris is  a new flower. The little pink flower bloomed today after the storm……………..

Tags: garden, plants, pond, weather

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delete reply acousticeagle wrote on May 26, '11 Very disappointing for you after all your hard work. You had plenty of work to get on with, now there's more you didn't need with the clean up.

delete reply veroniquemariquita wrote on May 25, '11 Buddleia are pretty hard to kill so even if the foliage is dead now it may come back from the roots...send up new growth.

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on May 25, '11 veroniquemariquita said I learned that excessive wind would do that. Thanks Vero................thats more or lass what i thought but its nice to have it confirmed. I have never experienced winds strong enough to do that before, that sort of damage is new to me. I think thats my budlia dead, and it was so pretty, a very deep dark purple, almost black. It was quite unusual, I bought it because the colour was so unusual. Maybe it will revive and flower again guess i'll have to wait and see.

delete reply veroniquemariquita wrote on May 25, '11 forgetmenot525 said it must have been the wind and the rain, When I first read about the black leaves, I had no idea but when I thought about "wind damage" something clicked. I once bought some flowering dogwoods for my mom and brought them them home in a pick-up truck. The leaves turn black and the young trees died within a couple of weeks. I learned that excessive wind would do that.

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on May 25, '11 veryfrank said I'm watching TV right now with live coverage of three tornadoes on the ground in Oklahoma (State north of Texas) with wind funnel rotation of 200 miles per hour. I've ben watching this too, it must be terrifying for those poor people, I was scared and we had nothing near as bad as that.

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on May 25, '11 greenwytch said i think the black leaves are due to too much water and wind from that storm Thanks for your advice Deb, I'm still a bit confused about this, I've never seen plants turn black and wither in a storm before but I guess you're right, it must have been the wind and the rain, it couldn't be any thing else.

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on May 25, '11 veroniquemariquita said but I am starting to feel very uncomfortable when one is expected. Thats exactly how I feel now, I am the one who used to sit at the window and enjoy the thunder storms, but now it all seems so sinister, and it scares me. It scares me because once you're indoors on your own you just never know how bad things are going to get, but like I said, i feel almost like a fraud because there are others around the world who have lost every thing because of the storms, all I lost was a tidy garden. Thanks to every one for your concern, I'm lucky, every thing is ok here now

delete reply veroniquemariquita wrote on May 25, '11 I have been around "many a moon" and I have never really been scared of storms before, but I am starting to feel very uncomfortable when one is expected. Sorry so much of your hard work went down the drain, Loretta. It must feel frustrating.

delete reply brendainmad wrote on May 25, '11 I'm glad it's not a complete loss.

delete reply mitchylr wrote on May 25, '11 Wow, that is a mess. It shows how strong the winds were to blow those pallets around, they're not light!!

delete reply djdx wrote on May 25, '11 Sorry about the damage. I hope everything recuperates.

delete reply rabbitfriendhere wrote on May 24, '11 Sorry about your storm damage, Loretta. On the bright side your grass looks nice and green! I hope the birds are ok too and that they come back once you get everything back in order! Wishing no more storms come your way! :)

delete reply artprevails wrote on May 24, '11 I am sorry about the damage done but glad it wasn't worse♥

delete reply nemo4sun wrote on May 24, '11 wow! rough stuff :)

delete reply kathyinozarks wrote on May 24, '11 storms are just no fun-sorry about your gate and fence

delete reply veryfrank wrote on May 24, '11 So glad to hear that your damage is minimal compared to what it could have been. Storms all over the world are getting to be just awful experiences. I'm watching TV right now with live coverage of three tornadoes on the ground in Oklahoma (State north of Texas) with wind funnel rotation of 200 miles per hour. This follows the storms that hit that part of the country yesterday.

delete reply greenwytch wrote on May 24, '11 gosh, what a storm you've had! and how thankful you must be, it could have been far worse. i love the little sea thrift blossom.....and i am a bit tired right now, so i am don't know what the other is. interesting, you have started your garden make over.....perhaps the storm was helping you? i think the black leaves are due to too much water and wind from that storm. i have a crabapple tree, too. sorry your blossoms have all blown away. : * (

May 9 2011, Garden no 5

Garden 2011 No 5

Typical !! It rained and rained and rained all weekend and then as soon as we all have to get up and go to work…………………..the sun shines. I couldn’t wait to get home and potter around the garden, and then when I did eventually get home, the rain came back and I spent the evening dodging the showers.
I was pleased to see my Fence has survived the monsoon and the winds, in fact I was very impressed, it seems rock solid despite not having enough concrete in the post holes and being battered by the elements these last few days. It’s about half done, the plan is to remove the second half of the hedge during the week and build the rest of the fence over the weekend.
This is the size of debris pile, my guess is it will at least double in size by the time all this work is finished, and then I suppose I have to find a way of disposing of it.
But on a brighter note………….all this rain has done wonders for the plants, my little decorative corner garden is looking good and with no fear of frost I’ve bought the geraniums out again.
These red geraniums have sat on my living room windowsill all winter where they have cheered me up with their constant display of red flowers.
The rain has bought the onions and garlic on, last time I looked (before the deluge of rain) there were no shoots and just look at them now.  The lovage has also flourished in the rain, in fact I think this is the most prolific my lovage has ever been. The fruit canes are doing really well, but unfortunately something seems to have used my cherry tree as a scratching post. I’m not sure what has caused this damage, neither am I sure what, if any thing, I can do bout it. I just hope the tree recovers and there is no lasting damage.  Looking up into the old apple tree I can see the pink blossom already beginning to show, think I could be in for a good crop of apples this year. And lastly, this is my lawn; take a good look because this may well be the last photo ever taken of the grass. The area marked off with string is destined to be my new veggie plot.

Tags: garden, plants

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delete reply acousticeagle wrote on May 10, '11 You've pulled the privet for every good reason. When they get old, tatty and scruffy and you know nothing is going to fix it, then it really freshens things up to reef stuff out.

delete reply bennett1 wrote on May 10, '11 Vegetables are ever so much better than grass. Your picture of the apple blossoms is very lovely indeed.

delete reply djdx wrote on May 10, '11 Our hedge was starting to get away from me. I didn't get the top trimmed and with the snow we had this winter, it's falling over, but I had a go at it today. I would have planted something else but make do with what's here; it is lonicera nitida. I look forward to following your garden.

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on May 10, '11 PRIVET http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privet ''Privet is also an invasive species. Many environmental volunteer groups seek out to remove it because it will take over most habitats''.

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on May 10, '11 acousticeagle said Just asking about the hedge. You decided to get rid of it, why was that? LONG STORY.......lots of reasons, mostly its a very old privet hedge and some of the bushes had totally died, I always seemed to be dragging old dead wood out, some of the roots were dead and just lifted out. Also it was bare at the bottom and bushy at the top and no amount of trimming changed that. There were big holes where dead bits had been taken out. By taking it out I have gained a lot of extra ground. And I have to admit, I have a bit of a 'thing' about privet, its not a native of this country, it was introduced as decorative hedging and if you HAVE to have a hedge, I think it should be native hedgerow, which is exactly what I am going to plant on the inside of the fence once the fence is finished. I have some baby hawthorn, dog rose, dog wood and holly saplings sitting in a bucket of water waiting to be planted along the inside of the fence. They will take a few years to make a good hedgerow hence the need for a fence and while they are growing I get to use the extra ground. By the time my little bit of old fashioned native hedgerow is fully grown I don't suppose I will be here to see it, but its a nice to think it will be there. I like to think it will encourage more birds and wildlife into the garden.

delete reply acousticeagle wrote on May 10, '11 Hey, all that looks super. Something used your new cherry tree as a scatching post - nooooo! Could that be a neighbour's cat? Maybe a little bit of plastic pipe curled around it while it's growing? Just asking about the hedge. You decided to get rid of it, why was that?

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on May 10, '11 brendainmad said I do love your garden. thanks Brenda... i love it too when I can get out there and not be stuck indoors watching the rain :-)

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on May 10, '11 esoterika713 said wish to do the same with a spot of grass on our co-op property I have read several reports recently which all seem to be saying that turning gardens and waste land over to food production is becoming more and more common. Seems to be one of the positives of people having to cope on less and less money.

delete reply brendainmad wrote on May 10, '11 I do love your garden.

delete reply esoterika713 wrote on May 9, '11 I wish to do the same with a spot of grass on our co-op property. I need help with the design and the building. I hope to find someone who is handy. :)