Bougainvilleas Take Me Home

I've been away from my childhood home for almost nine years. I remember seeing bougainvilleas of different colors like fuschia, white, pink, and yellow. They were at home, in our neighborhood, in school, at my grandparents' house and at the sisters' convent, and I guess every single neighborhood.

As my family and I stroll along the bike path of Ventura State Beach in California, I stop in awe of bougainvillea on the ground, like ground cover. I don't remember seeing them on the ground back home. Or maybe I've been gone too long.

Bougainvillea is a flowering shrub discovered by Admiral Louis de Bougainvillea, when he started a voyage in the Pacific Ocean in 1768. It was discovered in Brazil. A rapid grower, the bougainvillea has thorny woody vines which are ideal for a hedge. It serves as a good screen for privacy. Its flowery and cascading blooms look wonderful especially when the wind blows.

The bougainvillea thrives in warm climates. Where I live, I can only have a bonsai bouganvillea. I yet have to find people who have this indoors and ask them how their bonsai is doing. Perhaps someday, the bougainvillea can live in my new home.

It's Time for Garden Quotes

God made rainy days so gardeners could get the housework done.
~Anonymous

There can be no other occupation like gardening in which, if you were to creep up behind someone at their work, you would find them smiling.
~Mirabel Osler

No two gardens are the same. No two days are the same in one garden.
~Hugh Johnson

Despite the gardener's best intentions, Nature will improvise.
~Michael P. Garafalo, gardendigest.com

I Had To Do It

I discovered birds soon after gardening. In the spring I shot photos of birds that have come to my yard and looked them up online just to get to know them all.

Today I went back to the store that had this birdhouse. This was my third visit and I was hoping they slashed the prices once more. They did, and I just had to get it. It was the last birdhouse.

I could not find any other place to set it up but right by my patio bed. I have no pole to mount it on and I would rather not bother my husband with these things for now. Perhaps in the years to come, he would catch my enthusiasm and we can set up the houses and the feeders when we get into fencing our yard and fixing our hedge. That is a wonderful future to look forward to.

For now, I am hoping that no predator will attempt to disturb whatever birds find refuge in my special pink house. It is safe from the wind although it is not very difficult for a squirrel to get into. We'll see.

I placed the little bird bath beneath it. In the winter, some of my plants may wither, but at least the pieris japonica stays evergreen. Hopefully this is enough camouflage for the brave birds.

And while you're at it, I might as well show you my blooming chrysanthemum sheffield pink and my irresistible marigolds that i can't stop shooting with my camera.

I Learned How To Make A Little Garden

I started gardening in the spring season of 2007, when my son turned a year old. It all began when I went online to visit the websites of The Butchart Gardens and Stanley Park, places I visited in Vancouver B.C. The memory of being surrounded and invigorated by the beauty of nature at these parks made me purchase seeds from The Butchart Garden's online store.

I grew annuals from indoors and sowed hundreds of poppy seeds outdoors. I believe I made a mistake sowing the poppy seeds because i washed them away with my watering. Soon, my indoor seeds sprouted and seemed like they took forever to grow. Being impatient and wanting instant gratification, I planned my patio bed and purchased a few ground cover, grasses, and flowers on the internet.

Planning everything that would grow in my patio bed took a lot of research. I had to consider the foliage, bloom time and color, deer resistance, the plant's size at maturity, etc. Eventually when my seedlings were strong enough to resist tugging, i took them outdoors to harden them off in the weather. I then transferred them to larger containers. The bigger plants were planted directly in the ground. I mulched a bit and pulled out tons of weeds. At the end of summer, I added violas and an azalea bush purchased at a bargain.



Aside from getting information from online nurseries, visiting the gardening section of our local paper was quite helpful. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has videos that show how to start with seed, propagate plants, etc.

Somewhere, I read that there is no real green thumb. Plants just need to be watered and cared for well. That's what I've been doing all season long.



See my patio bed below. It all started with a memory, then came an idea, then my experiments and mistakes. Now I have something to care for, watch, and photograph every season of the year. After being a stay at home mom.

Waiting To Be Noticed

Each time I look at my marigolds and all its details, I find myself liking it more. This is an annual I would love to grow each year.