JULY DIARY

This month we should start reaping the rewards for the work done in autumn — all the spring annuals and bulbs are coming into flower and it is just a question of enjoying them.

Fortunately there are few pests and diseases to worry about, occasionally one does see an amaryllis caterpillar on the narcissi but as there are so few they can easily be dealt with.

BULBS

The winter‑flowering bulbs must be watered, fed and the faded blooms cut off. When removing faded daffodils just take off the blooms and leave the stems, the food in them will return to the bulbs. Never arrange daffodils with other flowers in a vase immediately after picking them but put them in water by themselves for a while. The other flowers will fade rapidly if the daffodils are put with them as soon as they are cut. The more anemones are picked the more the plants will produce. Ranunculus need abundant water when they come to flower, especially in the dry summer rainfall areas.

Inspect bulbs in storage as was done last month.

POT PLANTS

Again it is a question of routine care, feeding and watering those in flower and keeping the soil of those resting just damp. If African violets are fed regularly they should bloom nearly all year round. There is a special soluble fertiliser on the market for them.

If the hippeastrums (amaryllis) need repotting prepare the soil for them and start repotting towards the end of the month. Use pots about twice the diameter of the bulbs and make sure there is plenty of drainage material at the bottom of the pots. Do not forget to add some super­phosphate to the potting mixture and a few lumps of charcoal in it will help to keep the soil sweet. Plant the bulbs with their necks well above ground level.

The lawn needs little attention except to be watered about once during the month in the summer rainfall areas. The grass may need mowing down in the warm coastal districts of Natal.

TREES, SHRUBS AND CLIMBERS

Shrubs which flower on the new wood sent out in spring, can be pruned this month. Remove thin spindly growth and shorten the old flowering wood back by about a third.

Visit the nurseries and choose shrubs in containers which can be planted at once. Make sure the soil in the containers is thoroughly moist before transplanting the shrubs. Plant them at the same depth they were growing at before except, if the roots are exposed, plant a little deeper.

Camellias and azaleas are coming into flower so visit the nurseries often to see them and choose new ones for the garden — they are very rewarding. Remember to water those in your garden once a week.

THE FLOWER GARDEN

Carry on with the regular care of the winter‑flowering annuals, paying particu­lar attention to removing the faded flowers from pansies, primroses and violets and picking Iceland poppies and sweetpeas often. If the lower leaves of stocks and larkspur are turning yellow it is a sign of nitrogen deficiency. Two or three applica­tions of limestone ammonium nitrate (LAN) every two weeks will soon remedy this. Dissolve a tablespoonful of LAN in 4,5 litres of water and apply to a square metre. Apply to damp soil and water in after application.

Sow seed of petunias and bedding bego­nias, water the pans from the bottom and place them in a warm semi‑shaded place. Cover at night or bring them inside to protect them from cold. If the seed is sown now the plants will flower by mid‑summer.

Continue pruning all fruit trees and vines and spraying twice with winter strength lime sulphur (one cup lime sulphur to eight cups water) after they have been pruned. Allow ten days between the applications and make sure the trunks, branches, twigs and the soil under the trees are thoroughly doused.

VEGETABLES

Continue watering and feeding when neces­sary. Remember to remove old cabbage and cauliflower stumps when these vege­tables have been harvested. Pick broad beans regularly and start picking the peas as soon as the pods are well filled.

Start preparing for summer vegetables. Dig over vacant ground adding compost and/or old well‑rotted manure and fertili­ser according to the requirements of the crops to be planted in the ground. When preparing ground for tomatoes add some seaweed meal.

Prepare seed pans for sowing early toma­toes, brinjals and peppers (disinfect the soil with Jeyes Fluid and also prepare indivi­dual pots for sowing seeds of marrows). If they get away early in the season they are less likely to be stung by pumpkin fly.

Continue sowing lettuce, radishes and peas and start sowing parsnips and Swiss chard again.

Astonishing Asters

Excellent for massed bedding and as a cut flower, asters are easy to grow and there are both annual and perennial varieties (annual asters sown for late summer bedding are properly called callistephus).
Asters grow well in average soils, but needs full sun. Although some varieties flower in summer, Asters are best known for being a beautiful addition to an autumn flower garden. When so many other flowers end of their growing season, asters continue to thrive and provide brilliant colour and scent to an otherwise sad landscape.
Asters are easily grown from division. Aster plants do best if divided every two to three years. Simply dig out half to two thirds of the plants, leaving the remainder in place. Then separate the portion you dug out into two sections and plant in another location or give them to a friend.
Plant asters into your garden into an area where they can be grown for years. Spacing depends upon size with miniature varieties spaced four to 15cm apart, and giant varieties 30cm to 60cm apart. Place smaller varieties around the front of your flower garden as a border. Put larger varieties towards the back of the flowerbed
Asters will grow well in average soils. But, like all plants, they will reward your with bigger blooms and a healthier plant if you add plenty of compost. Also, add a general purpose fertilizer once a month.
Once your perennial asters are established, they should grow well for years. Soil should be moist, but not wet. They will withstand dry periods. Water them during dry periods, once or twice a week to keep growth vibrant. Add mulch around the plants for appearance and to keep weeds down.

Something Different from Africa

I have just returned from a wonderful few days in a remote corner of South Africa’s Limpopo Province.
This rugged patch of Africa is remarkable or its rock formations
deep gorges and hundreds of rock art sites featuring the painting of early San (bushman) and Khoe Khoe settlers as well as later Northern Sotho protest art. Almost as remarkable as the landscape and concentration of important rock art, is the astounding variety of native plant life. Featured here are a few aloe species I photographed on the trip. Soon I will post full profile of each of these aloes on my website http://gardeningisezee.com/
Come back to this blog over the next few days as I post pictures of Giant Candelabra trees, an indigenous Gardenia, the little known Elephant’s Foot and more!

THE LOTUS QUEST

In his new book, author Mark Griffiths traces the history of the sacred plant Nelumbo nucifera the edible, incredible lotus flower.
Across Japan in the next few weeks, in lakes and tubs, ponds and paddyfields, the massive buds of the lotus flower will open in the dawn. From Ueno Park in downtown Tokyo to the remotest rural fastness, lotus-viewing festivals will take place, turning a flower show into a mass spectator sport during what is known as the Time of the Lotus.

Already fixtures in the Japanese diet, lotus rhizomes and seeds will be devoured in even greater quantities than usual; rice wine will be poured onto the plate-like leaves and their hollow stalks stuck between the lips to act as metre-long drinking straws. Around the middle of the month, a vast harvest of flowers and leaves will bring the lotus into millions of homes where it will play an essential role in Obon, Japan's great annual celebration of the returning dead.

This magical flower, which has touched so many civilizations and reconciled nature and culture, science and spirituality, has disappeared from our gardens and consciousness. Yet Nelumbo is easy to grow in a tub filled two thirds with soil, one third with water, and we have conservatories and sunny terraces aplenty. It is time for a revival.

Beautifull Candle Picture 04

Beautifull Candle Picture 03

Beautifull Candle Picture 02

Beautifull Candle Picture

Candle!!

As The Candle Burns…
Do you watch the flames flickering..eventually sticking to its sides?
Do you move around the molten,unnessecary parts,and reput them on the flames?
Do you handle them with care and leave the bits scattered on the candle stick?
Do you grab the candle wastes and throw them away?
Did I just call them wastes?..BUT they had a part in letting the candle burn…
…they were useful…wht underestimate them now?
…just like all the bits of the candle, those molten pieces are a nessecity for every candle.
Why were you burning the candle?
…The room was lit…The sun was shining…
Now you’re holding a novel,reading ininterruptedly…so why were you burning the candle?
…Yes I saw it, Black candle…Red ribbon tied half way on it…poetic,cozy colors,seducing beauty…endless magic…
What happens when the flames reach the ribbon?…It won’t stay a ribbon…Why don’t you untie it?..
Leaving things going their way?…BUT is THEIR OWN WAY always the right thing?
…What’s right for that candle?..You’ve been burning it all night…waching the flames being carressed by the wind…other parts aching…
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING WHILE BURNING IT?
…Blowing it and being content with the sunlight?…
…An unforgettable day?…A lost hope?…
A merry-go-round never stopping except when you run out of thoughts?…something that would never happen to you…
…A planned coincidence?…an unplanned appointment?…
…The rich kid selling chewing gum on a rainy day?…The poor kid relaxing on a feathery cushion??
…Your career…dreams…?

But were you not thinking while burning the candle?Were you just burning it because you felt like doing so?
..For now,I’ll convince myself that you love watching candle light on a sunny day…two sources of light tresspassing your pupil…neither one letting the other first…
Conclusion:……A bright look!!!…….on a sunny day…
because candles aren’t just for dark rooms…dimness…darkness can exist in light…pure peaceful holy darkness…darkness is in each one of us even on sunny days…it’s amazing how darkness and light meet in us lots of times…THE CANDLE IS THERE WHENEVER WE ALLOW IT TO BE THERE…it’s a leap of immortality…a SPARK of life..it’s life itself…The candle is whatever you want it to be…Just let it be…Let the flames flicker…the wind caress them…leave all the molten bits…they are what made that candle….A Bright Look!!!!….
Do you watch the flames flickering..eventually sticking to its sides?
Do you move around the molten,unnessecary parts,and reput them on the flames?
Do you handle them with care and leave the bits scattered on the candle stick?
Do you grab the candle wastes and throw them away?
Did I just call them wastes?..BUT they had a part in letting the candle burn…
…they were useful…wht underestimate them now?
…just like all the bits of the candle, those molten pieces are a nessecity for every candle.
Why were you burning the candle?
…The room was lit…The sun was shining…
Now you’re holding a novel,reading ininterruptedly…so why were you burning the candle?
…Yes I saw it, Black candle…Red ribbon tied half way on it…poetic,cozy colors,seducing beauty…endless magic…
What happens when the flames reach the ribbon?…It won’t stay a ribbon…Why don’t you untie it?..
Leaving things going their way?…BUT is THEIR OWN WAY always the right thing?
…What’s right for that candle?..You’ve been burning it all night…waching the flames being carressed by the wind…other parts aching…
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING WHILE BURNING IT?
…Blowing it and being content with the sunlight?…
…An unforgettable day?…A lost hope?…
A merry-go-round never stopping except when you run out of thoughts?…something that would never happen to you…
…A planned coincidence?…an unplanned appointment?…
…The rich kid selling chewing gum on a rainy day?…The poor kid relaxing on a feathery cushion??
…Your career…dreams…?

But were you not thinking while burning the candle?Were you just burning it because you felt like doing so?
..For now,I’ll convince myself that you love watching candle light on a sunny day…two sources of light tresspassing your pupil…neither one letting the other first…
Conclusion:……A bright look!!!…….on a sunny day…
because candles aren’t just for dark rooms…dimness…darkness can exist in light…pure peaceful holy darkness…darkness is in each one of us even on sunny days…it’s amazing how darkness and light meet in us lots of times…THE CANDLE IS THERE WHENEVER WE ALLOW IT TO BE THERE…it’s a leap of immortality…a SPARK of life..it’s life itself…The candle is whatever you want it to be…Just let it be…Let the flames flicker…the wind caress them…leave all the molten bits…they are what made that candle….A Bright Look!!!!….

Dramatic Flower

Dramatic Flower, 8x10 photographic print

Feel free to stop by and just browse the photos and share with anyone you think may enjoy them.

Variegated Fritillery butterfly at Brookfield Zoo Butterfly Exhibit

Variegated Fritillery butterfly at Brookfield Zoo Butterfly Exhibit

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed visit tomorrow to see a different butterfly. I have more butterfly photographs on Flickr and Facebook. To see those you can click on the links along the left side of the blog for either Flickr or Facebook. To see more of my photography, you can also visit my Artfire studio, The Shutterbug Eye.

Butterfly drinking nectar

Butterfly drinking nectar while quickly fluttering it's wings

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed visit tomorrow to see a different butterfly. I have more butterfly photographs on Flickr and Facebook. To see those you can click on the links along the left side of the blog for either Flickr or Facebook. To see more of my photography, you can also visit my Artfire studio, The Shutterbug Eye.

Butterflies cold-blooded

Butterflies are cold-blooded creatures which is one of the main reasons they will bask in the heat of the sun. They fly best in temperatures between 75 - 90 degrees. There are a few types of basking butterflies will do:

1. If it is cooler outside or there is cool wind, you might see butterflies perched on flowers or leaves in the sun,
2. Once common basking position you will see is basking with their wings folded and facing the sun because the underbelly of their wings is darker and absorbs more heat when the wings are folded.
3. Reflectance basking is used when the butterfly want to sreflect the unlight to their body versus just their wings.

Lemon's Benifts

One of the most acidic fruits is lemon. Lemons can be found everywhere. We use lemons to make lemonades, we add them to different drinks. Lemon is also used as an ingredient or garnish in our cooking.
This little "yellow ball" is also know for its healing powers. Let's have a look at the points listed below:
• Lemons (lemon juice) when mixed with hot water can cure nausea, constipation, worm infestations, heartburn.
• Lemon is known to relieve hiccups.
• As a diuretic, lemon helps people that suffer from infections in the urinary tract.
• It helps people who suffer from arthritis and rheumatism.
• Lemon is thought to cure malaria when mixed with coffee.
• If you pour some lemon juice into a small piece of cotton wool and place it in your nostrils, it could stop your nose bleeding.
• Lemon juice can prevent sunburn when applied on your skin.
• Lemon balms can brake fevers.
• Lemon balm is treatment for cough, hay fever and colds.
Beside these benefits lemon can help in calming peoples anxiety. The Roman used the lemon as a cure for the poisons. So, the lemon is bitter for your taste but sweet for your health.

Roses 5

Roses 4

Roses 3

Roses 2