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Recent Entries to this Blog
Subject: Wasp Spray
Posted: 29 Jun 2010 Posted: 15 Jun 2010 Posted: 04 Jun 2010 Posted: 24 May 2010 Posted: 24 May 2010 All Entries |
Accidental Gardener's Blog
Subject: Wasp Spray
Category: Gardening Remembrances | Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 10:09 pm I received the following email from a lifelong friend. I checked it out with my own private version of Snopes.com; my daughter Jennifer. Since she did not respond with her usual admonishing email: 'Dad it took me 15 seconds to learn this is an Urban Legend', I thought I would pass it on because we all use the product but I may not know about its protection capabilities. A handy little product to have around just in case . . . because you can never be too safe. Subject: Wasp Spray I know some of you own GUNS but this is something to think about...--- If you don't have a gun, here's a more humane way to wreck someone's evil plans for you. Did you know this? I didn't. I never really thought of it before. I guess I can get rid of the baseball bat. Wasp Spray - A friend who is a receptionist in a church in a high risk area was concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them when they were counting the collection. She asked the local police department about using pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can of wasp spray instead. The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray, they have to get too close to you and could overpower you. The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote. She keeps a can on her desk in the office and it doesn't attract attention from people like a can of pepper spray would. She also keeps one nearby at home for home protection. Thought this was interesting and might be of use. On the heels of a break in and beating that left an elderly woman in Toledo dead, self defense experts have a tip that could save your life. Val Glinka teaches self-defense to students at Sylvania Southview High School . For decades, he's suggested putting a can of wasp and hornet spray near your door or bed. Glinka says, "This is better than anything I can teach them." Glinka considers it inexpensive, easy to find, and more effective than mace or pepper spray. The cans typically shoot 20 to 30 feet; so if someone tries to break into your home, Glinka says "spray the culprit in the eyes". It's a tip he's given to students for decades. It's also one he wants everyone to hear. If you're looking for protection, Glinka says look to the spray. "That's going to give you a chance to call the police; maybe get out." Maybe even save a life. Please share this with all the people who are precious to your life Did you also know that wasp spray will kill a snake? And a mouse! It will! Good to know, huh? It will also kill a wasp.!!!! This blog entry has been viewed 995 times
The Moose are loose.
Category: Gardening Remembrances | Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 3:32 am I just love this video. I would run this sprinkler night and day if I got these results in my backyard. http://www.wimp.com/babymoose This blog entry has been viewed 1268 times
A Panoramic Tour of Our Garden - June 2010 - Warts & All
Category: Gardening Remembrances | Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 3:06 am A number of Stews have requested I post pictures of the garden. I tried to post these in consecutive order as if you were walking around the garden from left to right. I also attempted to repeat the right side of each photo into the left side of the next one. From 1st picture. . . 
( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) . . .To last. 
Back to the patio ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) If you are so inclined here is the link to my newest album; Panoramic View of Our Garden - Warts & All- June 2010. http://www.gardenstew.com/plantstew/album.php?album_id=703&user_id=8170 This blog entry has been viewed 1501 times
Exotic Plant from Region 10
Category: Things That Grow In My Garden | Posted: Mon May 24, 2010 5:19 pm My wife attended an Arts & Crafts Fair in Palm Beach FL last fall. She came home with four plumeria sticks and stuck them into a large pot with a mixture peat moss, perlite and sand and told me not water them. The sticks had a different dot of paint on each one; red, yellow, pink and white. We placed the pot in our sun room and ignored it. Sometime in March she told me to add a little water to the pot but very little. We started watering these sticks on a weekly basis and at the beginning of May we placed them on the patio. Yesterday the yellow stem had a bloom and I found it a very captivating flower and wanted to share it with you. 
Plumeria Bloom ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) This blog entry has been viewed 881 times
You can tell it is May in Alabama
Category: Things That Grow In My Garden | Posted: Mon May 24, 2010 12:43 pm A few days ago I received a very frantic call from my neighbor; there was a snake in her swimming pool and her husband was on a camping trip. 'Are you afraid of snakes'? she asked. I grabbed my snake grabber and a flat faced hoe and went over to investigate. 
Yup, that's a snake in the pool alright ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) I have a grabber that people use to grab things down from the shelf with. It is really easy to grab a snake when it is on the ground but very difficult when they or suspended in water. It took a number of tries and I had to wait for the water moccasin to come up for air each time. But I finally got it unto the ground and used the hoe to put it out of its misery. 
Snagging the snake ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) 
It's harmless now ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) Then last evening I was walking through the garden pulling weeds as I went and coming out of the purple martin house was this: 
Snake in the bird house ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) Only this snake was already dead. He had swallowed a martin and the girth of the bird would not allow the snake to get out of the small hole. He was stuck and with the 94 degree temp. died of heat exposure. Oh, the joys of living on a lake in beautiful downtown Alabama. This blog entry has been viewed 1226 times
Our Gazebo Rose Arbor
Category: Gardening Remembrances | Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 2:51 am Last spring I installed a black metal gazebo kit that my wife purchased at Costco. She was so excited that it was obvious she really wanted it. I have to admit it was a little ornate for my tastes but it is our garden. After much discussion we decided to plant climbing roses at the base of the three panels. I dug an appropriate sized hole and built a packed gravel base with 12x12 stepping stones over the top. We filled in between the stones with dirt and planted dwarf mongo grass. We have two rocking chairs and a small table to hold our drinks. It gives us a great view of our garden and the lake. 
Gazebo with climbing rose bushes. July 09 ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) This is what it looked like by July of last year. Here is a picture of what it looks like today in April 2010. I think that by next spring our little gazebo will be fully covered with these fast growing roses. 
Gazebo April 2010 ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) When we began this project we envisioned it to be a shaded, secluded space to enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning or a nice glass of wine or a tall cold one after a long day in the garden. I do believe we are going to achieve our goal. Last edited: Fri Apr 23, 2010 2:52 am This blog entry has been viewed 2004 times
My Wisteria is in Bloom - Now it is officially Spring
Category: Gardening Remembrances | Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2010 10:42 pm March 22 was almost a month ago, the weather has been wonderful for the last 6 weeks. The garden is all green and everything is either blooming or has bloomed. But, today I woke up and the wisteria on my patio pergola was finally in bloom. The little cone shaped pods that began to appear last week were all purple and beautiful. 
Full view of pergola ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) Welcome to the party Ms. Wisteria, we saved a place of honor for you. 
A corner of the pergola ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) This is the third year for the wisteria and the first year that it has started the season already at the top of the support legs. 
A view of the wisteria ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) It is growing from pots that the legs are set into and now I need to train each vine to grow across a different support beam. My azaleas are now beyond peak but I took a few pictures while the flowers are still on shrubs. This is the first year I got the pruning right and the first year that they actually bloomed. 
Azelea bushes along the garden side of my garage ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) Every year I would trim my bushes and hedges in Feb or March and my wife would have a fit and 'kindly' let me know that I cut off all the tips that would have been flowers in a few months. 
Close up of the azaleas ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) Last year she stood guard over them and I could not get my pruners within a 100 yds of them. Then in Master Gardener class I learned that in the South you only trim spring bloomers after they lose their blooms and never after May 15th. Or next year as Seinfeld's Soup Nazi would say - No Flowers For You!, next year. 
White azalea bush ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) I love the wisteria but these were already planted for a year before I discovered they now have a continuous blooming version. But, I am not going to take out a few years of work to start over. This blog entry has been viewed 2882 times
A little gardening advice -
Category: Gardening Remembrances | Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2010 11:11 pm I thought this was good advice to live by. Gardening God's Way Plant three rows of peas: Peace of mind Peace of heart Peace of soul Plant four rows of squash: Squash gossip Squash indifference Squash grumbling Squash selfishness Plant four rows of lettuce: Lettuce be faithful Lettuce be kind Lettuce be obedient Lettuce really love one another No garden should be without turnips: Turnip for meetings Turnip for service Turnip to help one another Water freely with patience and Cultivate with love. There is abundence in your garden.... Because you reap what you sow. To conclude our garden, We must have thyme: Thyme for God Thyme for study Thyme for prayer. -Author Unknown This blog entry has been viewed 507 times
Safe homemade solutions for plant disease and pests
Category: Gardening Remembrances | Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 4:56 am I had my second to last Master Gardener Course Lesson. Only one more to go, yea! Today's session was very enlightening. It was very interesting lecture on growing herbs and making home made all natural sprays to control bugs, fungus; bacteria based problems in your garden. Our teacher was a local herb and garden expert, Maria Pacheco-West. Maria is the grounds keeper and specialist at a 350 acre old estate named Lanark Gardens Grounds in Millbrook, AL. Lanark is owned by the Alabama Wildlife Federation. Maria gave us a handout titled Maria's Spray Recipes (which are safe for most plants, all people and animals). She has been using these sprays for over 30 years and swears by them: GARLIC SPRAY Use one whole garlic bulb. Remove the papery skin and put cloves in a blender with mineral oil. Blend until liquid. Place in a glass jar, add one drop of green Polmolive dish soap (she recommends Palmolive because it works best for her, it is important that the soap does not contain lye) and fill the jar to the top with more mineral oil, seal with metal lid not plastic, store in a dark cupboard for 48 hrs. You can keep it in a refrigerator for up to 1 year. Use 3 tablespoons strained garlic solution for every 1 gallon of water. Spray all plants for fungal disease or insect invasion. Will not work for pests such as scale but deters most. It is great for killing fungus. After initial spraying you can cut back to 1 tbsp spoon to every gallon of water when you spray. Chamomile Spray Steep 4 teabags of Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime tea in a cup of hot water. After 20 minutes, squeeze the tea bags into the cup and pour the cup into a spray bottle. Fill the spray bottle the rest of the way with room temperature water and spray seedlings to control Damp-off, a fungal disease which causes seedlings and root cuttings to die. Chive Spray Cut a handful of chives and put into a blender half full with water. Blend until liquid. Pour through a tea strainer into a regular spray bottle. Fill spray bottle to the top with water and add one drop of Palmolive dish soap. This can be stored in the refrigerator up to a week. Solution needs to be at room temperature when you spray your plants. This is a great remedy for White fly, Spider mite, and Mealy bug. Spray under and over leaves, up and down stems and around the base of the plant. This is very helpful with Gardenias, which are very susceptible to White Fly but sensitive to most sprays. I hope this can help some gardeners with the pest, fungal and bacterial problems we all face. And these are organic and will not harm your or your plants. Last edited: Fri Apr 16, 2010 5:02 am This blog entry has been viewed 742 times
My Wife's Creative Master Touch
Category: Gardening Remembrances | Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2010 3:57 am My wife Cindy is a consultant to the Child Nutrition Industry throughout the Southeastern US. For the last 18 months she has been working closely with the Florida State Board of Education. She has been traveling throughout that state 4 and 5 day a week while school is in session. Often getting home late Friday night and flying out again on Sunday morning. This week she was home on Thursday night and did not have to fly out until Monday morning. We had a wonderful time working together in our garden. She spent many hours this weekend planting baskets and planters and I might add her work is exceptional. Here are a few pictures of her work. If I sound like I am proud of her it is only because I am. When others refer to me as a Master Gardener, I am quick to tell them that the true Master Gardener in our family is my wife Cindy. 
Our New Planter at Our Front Door ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) This planter weighs well over 50 lbs and could never be hung on a Sheppard's Pole. 
Another view of front basket ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) 
One view of planter at our front door ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) This is the view that greets you as you walk towards the door. 
( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) 
Another view of a hanging basket ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) 
( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) 
Another hanging basket ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) 
Three Tiered Planter That Was At Our Front Door Last Summer ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) 
An Azalea bush in full bloom ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) I would love if Azaleas looked like this all year long, I would even settle for having the blooms last through the summer. Alas, next week the blooms will be gone and the plant will revert back to plain old green leaves for another 48 weeks. If you look closely you can see it is already beyond its peak and will soon start dropping its beautiful petals. 
Her Pink Flamingo on our PATIO ( photo / image / picture from Accidental Gardener's Garden ) I told you she is spending too much time in Florida. I used to hide a small flamingo behind a shrub when I lived in NJ. She finds the biggest most obnoxious one she could find and puts it smack down on our patio. I soon realized that the louder I complained the more entrenched that ugly bird was staying right where it is. This blog entry has been viewed 538 times
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