Monday, October 24, 2011

So I grew an avocado plant

My husband discovered that Aldi carried gaucomole, neatly packaged in plastic bags. They were delicious! In summer of 2010, I decided to prepare some myself. Well ... it didn't taste quite the same. Left holding the seed, I decided that it should not go to waste. There is a plant in there, and maybe, just maybe, lots of avocados! So I plopped the seed into a glass of water and waited. I had tried doing this a few times in my youth and had always failed. But hope springs eternal in the human breast.

Sure enough, a tiny plant sprouted. In time it was ready to be potted. Through  fall of 2010 and winter of 2011, it remained in a sunny corner of the dining room and sprouted leaves. This spring, I repotted it in a big pot and moved it to the deck. How it flourished, mulched in Chinese tea leaves left over from making kambucha. The lichee tea and green tea leaves must have agreed with it! The fairly large, soft leaves are a light green--the color of new leaves in spring. 

Should I leave it on the deck through the coming winter months or bring it indoor? Even though it's healthy, it doesn't look sturdy enough to endure the wind, snow, and cold. The avocado plant did, after all, originate in Mexico. So, it'll probably be brought indoors in a few weeks. I'll  have to find a spot for this lovely plant, as its original corner has been claimed by others ....   


Persea americana, Young avocado plant (seedlin...Image via Wikipedia



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Friday, October 7, 2011

Where have all the colorful butterflies gone?


Some frequent visitors to my garden have been missing this past summer. Where have all the gorgeous, colorful butterflies gone? It's not that my garden was without winged creatures. I saw a handful of small white butterflies and yellow-striped bees. In past summers, the colorful butterflies had a pronounced presence, flitting among my flowers and contentedly drinking their fill of nectar. Did the unusually hot and dry summer in my area send them somewhere else? Has their absence anything to do with my squashes hardly fruiting, despite large and glorious blossoms, and my scant tomato harvest?Ah well, may be they will return next summer. For now, I have visual memories of their glory. Check out these guys. Are they not fabulous?


Happy landing
       Photo: SockFoon










  Delicious!
       Photo: SockFoon



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