Possible Suspect in “Bed” Case
Posted: June 24, 2019 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, Backyard Critters, Drimiopsis maculata, Gardening, Gulf Coast gardening, My Kitchen Window, nature photography, Red Eared Slider, Southern Gardening, subtropical climate, Subtropical Gardening, Year-round gardening 10 Comments
I glanced out of the window and saw one of my plants jiggling. While I was trying to figure out why, this Red-eared Slider came out of the bed. I grabbed my camera and headed outside. I assumed the turtle was away from water to lay some eggs. I inspected my flower bed and found the African Hosta, Drimiopsis maculata, in this bed was flatten also. Did I solve the mystery of my previous blog “Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed?”
After the photo shoot, the turtle headed back into the flower bed. Female Red-eared Sliders will travel long distances over land to lay their eggs. I would guess this one is from the lake not too far from my house. She had to cross the street to get here.
The female turtle will search for a suitable place to lay 2 to 17 eggs. This may explain why I am finding plants that are flattened, but not eaten.
Red-eared Sliders can lay 5 clutches in a year. The eggs incubate in 2 to 3 months. One problem with incubation is that raccoons like to eat the eggs.
After the turtles hatch, the babies must find their own way to water. A few years ago, I found this one heading down my driveway to the lake.
With gloved hands I caught the little turtle and took it across the street to the woods near the lake. Hopefully, this year I will find some more hatchlings.
Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed?
Posted: June 18, 2019 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: African Hosta, Automatic Gardening, Backyard Critters, Drimiopsis maculata, Gardening, Gulf Coast gardening, Little White Soldiers, Southern Gardening, subtropical climate, Subtropical Gardening, Year-round gardening 14 Comments
During my morning walk through the yard, I noticed my little bed of Drimiopsis maculata was partially flatten. What critter decided to curl up in my bed? I will probably never know, but I sure don’t like it.
Drimiopsis Maculata grow really well in the Southern garden. They are a great substitute for hostas and are sometimes called African Hostas, as they are originally from South Africa. The plant grows in shade, any kind of soil and easily reproduces which makes it the perfect plant for the Automatic Garden.
Welcome Home Surprises
Posted: June 12, 2019 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, Gardening, Gulf Coast gardening, Southern Gardening, subtropical climate, Subtropical Gardening, Year-round gardening 31 Comments
We were on an extended trip and had many surprises when we returned. Some of them were not good, like a citation from the neighborhood association for my front beds. Ironically, I am the one in the neighborhood that weeds on a daily basis. Unfortunately, I had a beautiful Blue Bonnet (our beloved state flower) in the front and it died while I was gone. Mind you, it is an annual and I would have probably let it get to that state so I could collect the seeds. I had to give a written account on why my beds looked bad and I blamed it on the 12 inches of rain we received while I was away.
Before the 12 inches of rain arrived, there was a violent thunderstorm that downed many branches. This is just one pile I cleaned up.
A good surprise was finding gingers that had sprouted from last year’s cuttings.
There are quite a few, so I’m not sure what to do with them. Maybe they will grow where they are.
The best surprise of all was that the Automatic Garden did its thing while we were gone and greeted us with beautiful blooming flowers.
Don’t Fence Me In
Posted: June 3, 2019 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, Gardening, gingers, Gulf Coast gardening, Southern Gardening, subtropical climate, Subtropical Gardening, Year-round gardening 13 Comments
Several years ago we had a new fence installed. I went out and dug up all the gingers that had made their way under the fence.
Boundaries mean nothing to these plants and they continue to head out into the wild greenbelt.
Cold Chicken Rice Salad – Naturally Gluten Free
Posted: May 26, 2019 Filed under: Gluten Free, Recipe | Tags: chicken rice salad, Easy Gluten Free Recipes for New Celiacs, Gluten Free, Naturally Gluten Free 17 Comments
This is a great dish for summer or a picnic as it is very easy to transport. The recipe serves about 4, but could be easily doubled. Best of all, it is made ahead and ready to go at meal time. And of course, it is naturally gluten free. As always, if you have to eat GF, check all ingredients.
CHICKEN RICE SALAD
1 cup of Texmati Royal Blend Rice or wild rice cooked according to directions
2 – 6 oz jars of marinated artichoke quarters
4 cups of cooked chicken breast cut to bite size (I use 1 boneless breast, but more can be added)
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
5 green onions, chopped
1 – 2.25 can of sliced ripe olives, drained
Dressing
1 cup of mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons of curry powder
1/2 cup of artichoke liquid saved from the jars
******
DRAIN artichokes saving 1/2 cup of the liquid.
STIR together the first 7 ingredients in a casserole size container
MIX in a small bowl the mayonnaise, curry powder and 1/2 cup of artichoke liquid. I prefer to keep the dressing separate and add to taste to each serving. Experiment and see what works for you.
Chill for 8 hours and serve cold.
Growing in Darkness
Posted: May 24, 2019 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, composter, Gardening, Southern Gardening, subtropical climate, Subtropical Gardening, Year-round gardening 9 Comments
Once my composter was emptied, I started refilling it with plant material I had cut back. A few days later when I was adding more, I found Cannas were continuing to bloom in the darkness.
Black Gold
Posted: May 23, 2019 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, Backyard Critters, compost, composter, Gardening, Gulf Coast gardening, Southern Gardening, subtropical climate, Subtropical Gardening, Year-round gardening 11 Comments
I bought this composter many years ago and now I feel I didn’t really think it through. It does its job well, but getting the compost out is a chore. I need to sit on a stool with a shovel to dig it out. This past year or so I haven’t been very motivated to do that.
As you can see from the photo, the plants around the composter are benefiting from my lack of motivation and I’m sure my neighbor’s grass is very green on the other side of the fence.
I finally got around to the task and was rewarded with the most amazing “black gold”. Like a fine wine, the yard waste got better over time.
