Orchids

I was so scared of trying to grow orchids that it took me a while to get the nerve to buy one. Now, although not the expert Barry is, I do OK with them. What I have found out is that they do actually like water, just not to sit in it. So I don’t mist, I water them. Two to three times a week, I take them out of their “pretty” second pots and put them all out on the walkway and water them with the rest of the garden. When they have drained, I put them back.

As for sun, they do not like direct sunlight but prefer the dappled sunlight they would get under or in a tree, au naturel, so to speak. I keep mine on the front porch; they get a little early morning sun and nothing else. I do fertilize about once every 6 weeks or so and always put them out when it rains. There is nothing like rain water.

I keep mine in a first “plain” pot and in a bark mixture. I do not repot until really necessary, when the roots have taken over the pot. In doing so, I soak the roots and what of the potting mixture is still attached in water until pliable. During this time, I take the chance to trim off any dead roots. Then use the bark potting mixture, filling the new “plain” pot ½ ways. I place the roots into the prepared pot and hold in place whilst filling the pot the remainder of the way with the mixture. After this, I place the stick that will hold blooms grow in place, as I think needed.

In clipping the dead bloom stalk, in general I clip way back when the last bloom has died. All orchids of course are different, so I look at all internet sources I can for the variants.

Butterfly gardens

Who does not love butterflys in the garden. I became entralled with this gardening when I vistsed a butterfly garden on a cruise. Situated within St. Martin, it was fabulous and informative.

I have constructed a little ecological system beginning with double angels trumpet (see Angles Trumpet post) for the catipillars to eat and cocoon on. I have to say, they can strip a bush qucikly too, but then go to cocoon fed and fat. The plant recovers quite quickly to feed another generation and produce their named flowers.

For food within this region, the milkweed is easy to grow and hardy. It produces clusters of flowers that are small , coloured in yellows, oranges and reds (see below picture). The seed pods will then grow and self germinate very easily. Maybe a little to easily so, look for milkweed where you never envisoned them to be. Don't fret, they can be relocated easily.


Another plant is very common to the area and the butterlys love it. I have no idea the name, but a picture is below. It comes in a varity of colours and when left to its own devices, will grow into a low growing bush.


Butterflys do like water, so a dish or bath with sand or dirt saturated with water but not flooded will provide exactly what they need (see below picture). They also like rotten fruit and alochol for extra sugar. I have tried leaving out fruit with a small amount of rum on it - but the beetles are a stronger prescence littering the entire fruit, bath and garden, so I stopped.


I have a wonderful friend who gave me ornamental butterflys one year. The nice thing about a busy butterfly garden is that all items belong within in it and I have butterflys even without it being season.

Mexican Sunflower

I know this is not the real name for this wonderful flowering bush, but its the name they were introduced to me as and so it shall remian. (Thanks Mom).

These are easy to grow from stalk cuttings (note: watering post) and will make a beautiful full hedge if maintained correctly (see picture below). Clip back in times of dormant growth so that the stalks do not grow gangley and bare but full and bushy, about once a year. The leaves are large and interestingly shaped and when they have died should be removed simply for looks. They pull away from the stalk easily when brown and hanging.

The blooms are large sunflower types with a honey smell (see below picutre). This smell is wonderful on a breeze in the garden whilst sitting on the porch drinking coffee. The blooms are in full swing during the winter months in this region which makes for nice colour during a usually more barron time.

This bush loves full sun and will flourish when watered frequently but can also survive dryer times.

Enjoy the sight and smell of this easy to grow and maintain bush.

Snails, snails, snails..

Well I now have concluded that snails are only good on a plate with garlic and butter - not the garden.

I tried, Oh Lord, I tried to do the humane thing. I used seaweed, I used eggshells, I even had a catch and release program for the buggers. Watered late in the evening and by 9:00pm would be able to just pluck them up, with flashlight in hand and put them ALL in a bag and take them down the road to a new suitable home - but NO!!! They always came back, with friends and slugs. They ate everything but when they hit the sunflowers, they had crossed the line.

I searched the web for all alternatives, and of course found I have given them the perfect home with rock walls for garden bed borders. The watering was just encouraging them to flourish and breed. So my final word on the subject - get a snail & slug bait/ killer and use the hell out of it!

I pray for forgiveness for the murders as I watch my plants return!