« July 2008 | Main | October 2008 »
Here is a lovely greenhouse we toured during the Hansville Garden Tour last weekend. Beautifully done with old single pain windows and French doors; this is the greenhouse I want to build.
The greenhouse shares a wall with an unattached garage. Inside holds the plants in winter and for summer when it’s too windy on the beach the building offers wind shelter and a warm place to eat. Garden Tools are hung on the shared wall.
Click on thumbnails to enlarge.
(Click to enlarge images.)
I know they’ve been around; the sneaky little devils love to hang out around my home. I imagine they throw wild parties, eating fresh caught fish, frogs and the occasional exotic snail. They wash their hands and food using my provisions, then loot and pillage with wild abandon.
Now I have undeniable evidence of one of their hangouts. My white porch beams gave them away; however, their little paw prints gave away the need for me to go up and clean where the dirt has collected. The turkeys, actually raccoons have been a problem in my garden for years. Although having a dog seemed to help discourage them; or so I thought. The evidence is clear the masked bandits are back.
I went on a lovely garden tour in Hansville, Washington last weekend. We had been experiencing record-breaking
temperatures in the region, which made us make the decision to tour near the beach instead of another tour in Olympia. Fortunately, every home we toured was on the water with wonderful breezes that made the day perfect! All the gardens were lovely and we enjoyed them all. However, when one homeowner went out to feed the family of raccoons, I was dismayed. I am sure the woman means well; however, feeding raccoons is a dreadful idea.
First, it does not help the raccoon to feed it. Supplying food is harmful because the number of raccoons in an area increases and when they become over crowded, they are prone to diseases and parasites. Feeding them makes them less fearful of human and more aggressive which can be dangerous to children and pets. It increases the amount of damage done to other people’s homes and property, including your own. In addition, when you stop feeding them they become very aggressive. When this happens, there is nothing cute about them. They are wild animals, so treat them respectfully but don’t encourage them with food. Most people learn the hard way and sometimes at great cost.
So please, if you feed raccoons, stop.
I love garden art, especially pieces that are created using material differently then what it is intended for.
Vashon Island artist, Mike Urban made this glasswork piece. He finds the unusual and common glassware wherever he can and recycles them into beautiful works of art. Bolting the recycled glass together and fastening them to a piece of rebar, he makes renditions of beautiful glass flowers.
Nestled into a moss-covered rose of Sharon bush in my garden, the glass art stands five-feet tall.
Click on images to enlarge.
Did you know that worm poop (vermicastings) is 50% higher in organic matter than soil that has not seen the insides of a worm? Not only is the organic part higher, the composition of the soil is improved. Bacteria in the intestines of a worm help release nutrients from chemical bonds in soil so they are readily available for plant use. Vermicastings are 10 times higher in potash, 7 times higher in phosphate, 5 times higher in nitrogen, 3 times higher in magnesium and 1 ½ times higher in calcium.
A sign of healthy soil is a sizable worm population. Rototilling the soil destroys worm habitat while slicing and dicing the worms into small pieces that don't regenerate. Using chemical fertilizers drastically reduces worm populations, as the salts are irritating to them, causing the worms to abandon the fertilized area.
Earthworms will do the rototilling for you, while breaking down the bonds that keep nutrients locked away from the plants. In addition, they break down leaf litter and other debris, spreading it through the soil. They open the soil for water drainage and air movement, while increasing the soil's water holding abilities. Making your garden earthworm friendly brings many benefits for you and provides healthy soil for plants.
I saw this Pesticide Free Zone sign during a garden tour in Indianola,
Washington. What a beautiful sign. All right maybe not everyone would agree it’s beautiful; however, I do, since it conveys a message to anyone who enters that this garden doesn't need any -icides to thrive. It may well be a healthier garden with far less problems, because of this lack.
I signed up to get my own free sign for my garden space. I want those that traipse through the landscape to know they can safely roll on the grass, stick their noses into my roses, pick the blueberries and eat them, touch the plants, and walk on the gravel without worrying about any -icides residue. Just so long as they don't roll on the plants, stick blueberries up their noses, or pick the flowers making me look for human pest controls!
If you are a Washington resident and would like a free sign just fill out the form at Washington Toxics Coalition. This is for a limited time. For other areas, you can buy the sign for a suggested donation of 15.00 or more. Proceeds go for a good cause. You can find them at the Pesticide Free Zone under merchandise or go here where I stripped out the frame so you could go right to the order page.
