The Great Ice Storm of Christma 2013

We are back in a nice warm house making dinner!
Thank you to the line workers who gave up their Christmas with family to help restore downed lines and electricity and heat to thousands of homes :)
Just put up the Christmas tree after 7 days in a hotel!
Merry Christmas for us now!

Ice storm and power outage

We are covered in ice and much of the subdivision is still without power.  Almost every tree in the neighborhood was damaged with limbs broken.  It is 40 degrees in the house this morning and I have the faucet drizzling to prevent the pipes from freezing.  Feeding all the animals. They have nothing to eat with the ice so they are happy to see me this morning.

The winter soltice approaches

deer proof plants

The best way to protect your garden beds from hungry deer is to plant deer resistant plants.
White Flower Farms and Wayside Gardens has a large selection of deer proof annuals and perennials.
Deer and rabbits hate daffodils and several other spring bulbs.  Forget about tulips in this area.  The deer, rabbits, and woodchucks love them.  If you plant hosta, you will need to deer proof these with Connies egg milk pepper & garlic mixture posted earlier on this site.  You might also spray your yews now with that to prevent winter munching.  The deer are pretty hungry right now with the snow cover. 

leaves!!!!

We had over 100 tarps of leaves this fall.  I hired 3 people to rake them up but even so Roger and I have collected 35 more tarps of leaves after they were done and before the snow.  In the Spring we will have a lot more.  The trees are so big and produce so many leaves!
We have so many birds feeding at the feeders and in our drive way!  They are very appreciative of the seed and fruit that I put out.  Yesterday I had some very ripe strawberries that I put out on the driveway.  The birds and squirrels didn't eat them but after dark a deer was there in the driveway enjoying strawberries.  Nothing goes to waste here in my yard.

Connie

My neighbor, Connie, who is my gardening inspiration met a widower who has wooed her and she is selling her house and leaving her garden!  I am sad to lose my neighbor but happy that she is making a new life for herself with someone she loves!  Her yard is the showpiece of our humble neighborhood.  She has some amazing grasses and rare plants in her garden along with the expected plants.  Connie is the person who gave me the recipe for the home made deer repellent.

pumpkins

Halloween is over and I have 2 large pumpkin and several gourds that were decorating the front entry.  Today I'll put them in the garage to keep them from freezing and then cut them up and put them out on the foot path in the woods for the deer and raccoons.  Even the migrating geese love the seeds and the loose pulp.  Nothing goes to waste here in my yard.  I generally cut the pumpkin into 8 big slices so the deer can get to the pumpkin meat.  They really like pumpkins.  I also have a large nutritional apple & corn magna deer block out there.  It is good for them packed with nutrients.  They reward my kindness by eating poison ivy plants & berries in the woodland!

PS
Sorry to be so long about adding new posts here.  Got overwhelmed by my job and just today came back here. 
The leaves are three quarters down now but a couple of smaller trees protected by the big ones are still green!  The golden maples are still clinging to their leaves and the oaks are almost all turned still with many leaves.

TUSK TRUST

Please visit the web page of the Tusk Trust. They are doing awesome work.

http://www.tuskusa.com/coaching-for-conservation.asp

New guests

Well we have 4 marmots and last night a skunk.  Watch out after dark in my yard!

Wompwomps

At Vassar the kids call woodchucks wompwomps--why I don't know.  I call them marmots.

Hickory & Cherry

Trees are going down today!  Hope they know what they are doing.  The trees are about 100 ft high and near the house.

deer proof shade loving!

Just out at the shed planting some new ferns (from Wayside Gardens).  Also transplanted 4 hosta to a more anti-deer friendly location.  Will use Connie's deer proofing formula to preserve the hosta.  It's almost time to start trimming all the plants for fall.  The dogwood tree is turning red already!

Trees

We are having 2 large trees in our backyard cut down on Monday.  One is a wild cherry and the other is hickory.  Wish we could mill the lumber but it will make excellent firewood for the fireplace insert and keep us warm this year and next.  The trees are so large that they will need to put an industrial crane in our driveway and work it over the house.   This is our backyard.  The 2 trees on the right will be cut down.  This was several years ago.  They are way bigger now.

GOOD MORNING!

The pond in back is quite filled up now.  There was fog last night as colder weather moved in.  My dad always used to say that the seasons did not change until the ponds and streams filled up.  So right!  The entire flock of geese was feeding under the bird feeder this morning.  They are assembling to migrate soon.

I'm back!

Torrential downpour last night filled up the wetland.  All the migrating birds are back there.  Will get a smart phone and post videos soon.

MUMS!

The fall mums are in the flower boxes!  Where did summer go?

Kim, this one is for you.

My mom raised about 15 chickens.  We had eggs and they sometimes had young.  We had a big sunny chicken yard where they free roamed!  They spent time in the sun.  It was a tar-paper chicken coop but my mom planted pink roses on the eastern side.  They climbed the trellis and were very beautiful.  She was such an artist in her own way.

Goldfinch babies

This is Goldfinch nesting time.  Keep an eye out for finchie babies!

ALMOST TIME TO PLANT SPRING BULBS!

Still working on the woodland.  Right now a lot of woody vines there.  Takes a lot of time.
We are having 2 very large trees cut down on Sept. 9th.  Will try to upload short video.

SEASONS ARE ABOUT TO CHANGE

The garden is coming to an end!  It has been a cool summer in Okemos.  Today the weather is perfect sunny but no humidity!
Trimmed out the peony leaves and tossed them into the leaf compost area.  These can't be used as regular compost because they will transmit disease to peonies next year.
The geese are amassing in the wetland to migrate at some point.  It's somewhat dry back there now and the pond is receding so the geese are rather muddy looking.

FAWNS

Fawns stay with their mom for at least 1 year. 
They are very dependent.

Pitch Fork

Went out to the compost area in the back and tidied up all the leaves and turned the compost.  Also tramped through the woods picking up fallen limbs of trees.  Some we will cut for the fireplace.  Others are neatly piled in the wood pile back there.  Still have work to do but looks much better!
First signs of fall are here!

MY DAD THE GARDENER

All I learned about gardening I learned from my dad.  He and my grandfather (also an avid gardener) used to compete to see who would have the first ripe tomato in the summer.  My grandfather always cheated by starting his tomato plants under grow lights in the cellar but dad always conceded that he was the victor. When I was a small kid my dad had a huge vegetable garden about one-half an acre.  He raised everything up there including strawberries and all kinds of fruit.  They didn't have much at that time so the garden kept the family free from hunger.  My mom canned stuff like stewed tomatoes, peaches, pears, pickles, and piccalilli relish.  Those were good times!  I have such a fond memory of that yard and garden which no longer exists.  The hillside was excavated and all the fruit trees and pines trees were taken down.  There are some houses there now. I remember going to the farm to get cow manure for the tomato plants.  The car smelled bad for weeks after that. But we had the best and biggest tomatoes.

Beautiful Lake Michigan

White Lillies

They are in full bloom today. Had to spray them with deer repellant to keep someone from eating them but they are beautiful.  P.S. the doe has triplets not twins!  Saw all 3 fawns in the back today with little momma!  She is a very young doe.

Farmer's Market

Went to the Farmer's Market this morning.  Got 2 dozen fresh eggs to make custard and stuff. The popcorn people were there.  Got beautiful zinnias!

This morning

Got up early for some appointments.  The deer herd was here at 7:30.  There is a young mom with twins and a very pregnant doe eating in the deep grass in the neighbor's yard.  There's something there that they all like.  Tons of birds eating the seed and peanuts I put out in the driveway and under the bird feeder.  The wood chuck was there too.  It's an overcast, cool July morning.  Made strong coffee for my Italian followers and steel cut Irish oatmeal for my reader from Norway!

Cinnamon Ferns

I planted 6 cinnamon ferns in the woodland 2 years ago and they are growing splendidly.  Planted an ostrich fern this summer.  We'll see where that is in 2 years!  Geese are friendlier today.  Came over to eat twice.  It's a lovely day here--sunny but not too warm.  Just opened all the windows to cool down the house.  Very pleasant for working.  Didn't do any gardening today only washed out the 2 birdbaths and filled them with fresh water.  If you do nothing else about birding or gardening in the woodland, the best thing you can do is to put out a bird bath and change the water every day.  All the creatures will love it especially if it is hot.  Sometimes when I water the new grass on my lawn, the birds flock to the sprinkler and bathe.  Kinda like little kids running through the sprinkler.

Flowering Almond

Just got back from Van Attas.  Got a dwarf flowering almond. Will plant it in the back yard near the forsythia.

Weeds win!

Our lawn is being overtaken with bugle weed.  It is choking out the grass.  I guess it's time for weed and feed!

Deer herd!

Today mama deer and the twins were feeding in the deep grass out back.  My neighbor does not mow his backyard which is fine with the deer.  There are 4 other deer in that herd and they come to eat corn in the morning back there.

MORE ON DEER REPELLANT

The formula with eggs, garlic and hot sauce seems to be working so far.  No new leaf damage for about 3 days!

MY 'BUCKET LIST' OF GARDENING PROJECTS

1. Weed out invasive plants.  There are several especially the oregano.

2. Figure out how to get more stuff to grow under the big maple tree.  Any advice?

3. Help Mei's young pine tree grow strong. (7-22-2013)

4. Get more flowering plants in my garden.  Right now that is minimal. (7-22-2013)

5. Oh no, there's a woodchuck living under the juniper.  What to do?

6. What to do with the garden in the front entry?  Kinda wild despite my best efforts.  Suggestions?

7. Need to get the pitch fork and tidy up the compost area out back once it cools down again and the mosquitoes are gone. (7-25-2013).

8. Need to do something with the dingle.  It floods every spring. A bridge with a small observation deck in that area would be nice. That's a big project though.  In the meantime trying to keep the area trimmed and to kill the poison ivy which flourishes there.

YET AGAIN!!!

Forgot to bring in the suet feeder last night.  The raccoon strikes again.  Both finch feeders were down and seed eaten plus all the suet was gone!   Gazooks!!!

WOODLAND VEGETABLE GARDENING

Well I 've tried it here but there just isn't enough sunlight to foster healthy plants.  I had a 12 by 12 raised bed garden in a somewhat sunny spot in the back yard but then then woodchuck harvested all the yummy green plants.  I spent several days building a woodchuck fence and then replanted but the deer leaned over the fence and ate all the green plants including the tomato plants.  So then I planted marigolds next to all the plants and that was somewhat successful.

The next year I moved the garden up close to the garage and bought new raised beds with netting to keep out the creatures.  That was somewhat successful but this new location didn't have enough sun and so plants grew very slowly. I decided to just get my produce every Saturday from the organic booths at the farmer's market.  They are also there on Wednesdays.

This is the first year ever that I don't have at least 1 tomato plant somewhere.  But I still have containers with herbs though the woodchuck has decided that he likes thyme and parsley!  Arrgghhh--but he has good taste.  I grow basil but buy it every Saturday as I use more than I grow. 

As for annuals, deer do not like marigolds or nasturtiums (sp?).  Deer love geraniums, impatiens, and just about every other annual that I have tried.  They also love daylilies especially the flower buds.  I haven't had flowers on my day lilies for years now.

                      
                 This is what I need to build in order to garden here.  Now to find a sunny spot.

LANDSCAPING SUPPLIES

If you live in mid-Michigan, Hammond Farms is a great landscape supply outlet.  They carry paving stone and rocks of all sizes, pond building supplies, dirt and mulch. 
Their website is

http://www.hammondfarms.com/store-locations/

They have a location in Dimondale and East Lansing on Saginaw Highway.  I like the East Lansing location.

Examples of Pennsylvania bluestone

More on Peonies

A great place to buy peonies online is Wayside Gardens but also check at your local garden-landscaping supplier.  We have a place called Van Attas that supplies annuals, perennials, flowering shrubs, trees of all kinds etc.  They are excellent!  They also have rain barrels, composters, fountain equipment, beautiful glazed planting boxes, garden furniture, etc. 

http://www.waysidegardens.com/

http://www.vanattas.com/

Enjoy these sites!  On Wayside Garden search for deer proof plants and shrubs.

EYE CANDY!

Peonies are rodent and deer resistant but they need at least 6 hours of sun so they have to be in a sunny spot on the edge of the wood.
They only bloom for around 2 weeks in June but they are magnificent.  Look for varieties that have a sweet scent for added pleasure!  My sweetest peonies are white ones that have profuse giant blooms.  They are awesome as cut flowers in a large crystal vase on my dining room table.
PS
When they are heavy with blooms they need to be supported.  I use my tomato trellises.

What I have learned from watching geese

1. They exemplify Darwin's survival of the fittest. (7/18/2013)

2. They will chase you out of the woods to protect their babies. (7-19-2013) Haha!

3. The term "silly goose" really has meaning for me now.  (7/19-2013). 

4. Baby geese do not fly until about 5 months. (7-20-2013)

5. Geese are effortless swimmers.  The water hardly moves as they cut through it. (7-20-2013)

6. Occasionally papa goose will intimidate deer so the babies can have the corn. (7-20-2013)

7. Geese like to hang out with each other except for when it comes to food. (7-21-2013)

8. Geese will sometime leave you a big wing feather as a gift for feeding them. (7-21-2013).

9. We had a lot of rain last night--good for the wetland which was drying up.  There's room to swim again. (7-22-2013).

10. The geese are becoming wild again and will not come just for the corn.  They are eating bugs and vegetation in the wetland as part of being wild geese.  This is good.

11. How is it that geese swim in a single file? (7-25-2013)

12. The babies have begun to fly just about 10 feet and not far from the ground.  What an awesome accomplishment for their parents.  The corn has fortified them and they are beautiful!

RACOON RAID YET AGAIN

Forgot to bring the suet feeder in last night.  The big boy bandit knocked down the finch feeder and then ate all the suet inside the little suet holder.  ARRRGGHHHH!

MORE ON DEER REPELLANT

Formula 1 (eggs, crushed garlic, milk and water did not work.  Just added a big dash of hot sauce to this mixture and reapplied to my prize hosta.  Let you know if Formula 2 works.

GARDENING IN THE WILDWOOD ADVISOR

I debated what to call this blog as I meant it to be a gardening advisory for people trying to garden near or in a forest or wetland.  I settled on calling this blog the View from the Heron's Nest as our property abuts Heron Creek so named as this is a traditional, historic nesting ground for Great Blue Heron who migrate here from Florida.  We have 3 heron back there this season.  Their cry is loud and identifiable.  They are very shy during their breeding season and seeing one or three hunting in the water for frogs fish and insects is quite amazing. They fly away when the first twig snaps as I walk down the woodland path.  I generally only see their reflection of flight on the water.

BABY GEESE

This year we have only 1 family in the wetland in our back yard.  The twins are almost grown now and they are practicing flapping their wings with dad every day.  They have adult feathers already after 3 months but still are vulnerable to predators as they cannot fly.  They still peep rather than honk.  The parents are very devoted to these little guys and they have learned to stick close with mom and dad.  During the day, they camp out on an island in the middle of the wetland.  It has been a very wet June and July so far so there is lots of water in the wetland.  Every day their parents show them how to bathe dipping their heads and tossing water onto their backs.  Then they spend a lot of time preening their feathers before putting their heads under their wings to sleep.  They love the corn I leave for them and are cautious about approaching the feeding area.  They wait until I am at the top of the path to come to the edge of the pond to eat.  This caution is good as humans are probably their worst enemy. I have learned a lot about loyalty and parenting from watching these geese.  They protect their babies with their own lives and are vigilant parents. The mother and the babies eat while dad stands guard.  He grabs a couple mouthfuls and then leads the family to safety on the island. Poor dad is on guard with these little ones for 5 months until they can fly and then the parents have to teach them how to migrate.  Makes human child raising seem easy.

FRIENDLY DEER

Living on the edge of the wood provides a gardening challenge.  Hungry deer come to the bird feeder and then on to the garden.

Tried Ringer's deer repellant this year.  It worked for a while but now the hosta have been devoured the last few days.  I put out corn and apples in the back wood to keep them down there but they still come up to the bird feeder and to eat the yews. 
The best defense is to plant deer resistant plants in your garden.  Juniper instead of yews, peonies and
lavender instead of geraniums although perennial geraniums are deer and rabbit resistant.
Today I am trying 1 egg, crushed garlic clove and 1 teaspoon milk mixed in quart of water to spray on the eaten hosta.  We'll see how this works.  Click on the pencil in the lower right corner to leave a message about how you stop the deer from eating the garden.