3-foot-tall sunflower

I tried to grow sunflowers from seed this year, I picked two kinds a large, edible yellow, and a smaller, redish toned one. The traditional one was supposed to be 10 ft high, and the smaller one 5-6 ft high.

I started them in small re-used pots (which I later read you should not do as sunflowers do not like to be transplanted). Despite this, I successfully transplanted them multiple times into larger and larger pots, then into the ground. At each stage I lost some, I personally snapped the stalked of a couple, the squirrels took care of a few of them, and the high winds in our area took care of some others.

I finally got them in the ground, but the gardeners killed the last of the remaining large yellow type. So all I was left with were the reds. This is the healthiest and most successful one of the four that are still in the ground. It is only 3 feet tall and the bloom was maybe 3-4 inches across.

I'll count this as a victory, but hopefully will do better next year...

Four Avocado Trees & Sprouting Seeds

About six years ago, I wanted some new plants, but was saving up for a house and didn't feel like spending the money. A cafe in Arcata, CA - where I went to college, had every available flat space packed with avocado plants... they just saved all their pits and kept planting them. I figured I could do the same.

So, I tried the elementary school method of poking toothpicks into either side and letting the bottom rest in water. That yielded me a moldy pit in a glass. In hindsight, I think I didn't have enough light in my double wide.

Next step: search the web. I found someone who swore by a very low-tech method. Wrap your pits in a very damp paper towel, stick them in Ziploc bag and throw them under your kitchen sink. By the time you remember they are down there - a few weeks or more - they've sprouted.

And it totally works!

I had four perfectly sprouted seeds. Root on the bottom, white sprout on the top. I planted them in some small pots full of dirt and they have been growing ever since! I have only transplanted them once, and trimmed their roots once in six years.

All four of them are living on my window sill, and in the last couple of months, each has started to take on it's own shape. Until now, they all looked about the same. Now one is trying desperately to grow branches, with no leaves on the bottom. Another one has leaves the size of my head, and the other two are top heavy and bottom heavy respectively. Not really sure what they are doing...

They seem like they want bigger pots, but I don't have any - nor the room to put them. They will just have to do with the pots they have for now. Folks keep asking me if they will bare fruit, but I really doubt it since they just came from a regular grocery store and usually their produce doesn't actually go to seed in a productive manner.

This is the last post about the kitchen windowsill. Next time we start a whole new area!

Green Roof in Portland

So, this has nothing to do with the plants that I have, but it is really cool!

We just got back from a trip to Portland, and we stayed in a great HI hostel in the Hawthorne district. They are the greenest place I have ever stayed, from recycling to nontoxic cleaning products to reusing everything under the sun, and the best - a green roof!!!

They installed the green roof with a grant from the city. It's a three story older house, and the second story roof is completely covered in plants, with a drip system. Not only regulates the house temperatures, but filters the rain water to be even cleaner.

Our room was on the second floor and had a small balcony, so when we sat out there, it was like we were in a garden. And it was much cooler.

Here is a picture of the sign that is on our balcony railing, you can see the plants - but if you didn't know, you would think it was on the ground, not one story in the air.

And their gazebo is a cobb structure, with a green roof as well.

Carpenter Bees and Nicotiana

By Guest Blogger - TheJenny

Bees have become frequent visitors to our yard ever since we eliminated our lawns 2 years ago in favor of more interesting and diverse plantings. My favorite buzzy visitors are the enormous carpenter bees. For the longest time I was erroneously referring to them as bumble bees. After a tiny bit of internet research, I discovered bumbles are covered in body fuzz. My bees are not so fuzzy. Just huge (nearly the size of a silver dollar coin), and shiny black. Their favorite nectar in our yard is that of the ornamental nicotiana that springs out of the ground every summer under the pine tree in the backyard. They spend hours hovering around the violently bright fuchsia-colored blossoms. It's quite nice to sit and watch (although not too closely). But carpenter bees rock. They're solitary critters that defy gravity and I like the way they shimmy around doing their business with the nicotiana flowers.

My parents have always had gorgeous landscaping wherever they've lived. And I share my mom's enthusiasm for having plants everywhere. But the plantings of my youth lacked bees, and any plants that were deemed "messy." So having my own space to experiment with has been an nice adventure. Our front and back yards are quite small yet we've been able to attract a wide variety of different insects and even the random hummingbird with our plant choices. Bees, butterflies, moths, mantises, ladybugs, aphids (boo), scale (double boo), and so many more. I could certainly do without the leaf-eating grubs at times, but it gives my Bob something to tease me about.

Te Leaf Plant From Hawaii

My mom went to a Hula competition in Long Beach last year. An old school mate of hers from Hawaii was helping orgainze it and wanted my parents to come down.

They had a great time hanging out with all the Hawaiians and I think it made my mom miss her childhood growing up in Hawaii.

There was a type of fair/bizarre set up with all things Hawaiian, and my mom got to talking to a woman who makes leis from Te leaves. Of course, in traditional Hawaiian generousity, she gave my mom stalks for three different varieties of Te plants.

So, of course I ended up with one. It looked like a mini stick of sugar cane, or a Slim Jim depending on your background. I stuck it into a free wine glass with some water and month later, lots of roots were growing.

I trasplanted it into a terra cotta pot, and at first, it just looked ridiculous. A stick with a couple of small leaves. But after a while it has started to actually look like a plant.

And I like it. It came from one of those moment rooted in random kindness from strangers, so I like it. I hope it hangs in there and survives for a good long while.

Another Orchid - Rescued

My very fantastic boss left to take a better job, and as she was clearing out her office (which was a marathon, not a sprint), she brought a little pot into my office and sort of held it out to me with this look of, "Will you take this?".

I knew it was an orchid and it had about 4 good leaves with some dead ones underneath. I took it an boldly declared, "I bet I can get this to bloom." She looked skeptical, I didn't blame her.

Since my only other orchid was rocking some amazing blooms, I figured they could live together. Now the violet, space ship orchid, and charity orchid all live in the window sill. It's getting crowded.

I cleaned it up and took it out of the pot it was in. The orchid was actually in a good, well ventilated plastic pot, with the air slits in it so those air roots can breath. The problem was, it was nestled in a decorative ceramic pot that was super snug and was suffocating it.

Now, with some air and regular watering, it has grown 3 new leaves, and some nice chunky new roots are growing.

Still don't know if it's ever going to bloom, but if it does, I'll send a picture to my ex-boss. She will be so proud.