Wisconsin's Harmless Snakes

http://www.mpm.edu/collections/pubs/vertebrates/harmless/

Very interesting.

I wish I had a few in the garden.

Five-lined Skink

http://dnr.wi.gov/eek/critter/reptile/fivelinedskink.htm

Uncommon in Wisconsin and I have never seen one in the garden.

Orchids

http://www.charleysgreenhouse.com/index.cfm?page=_orchidsinthehome

I should probably try to grow one as a houseplant.

Gil over the ground

http://freeplants.com/creeping%20charlie.html

AKA Creeping Charley

Noxious weed or excellent groundcover.

Used by Europeans for brewing ale before the switch to hops.

How to Compost Pond Algae

http://www.gardenguides.com/96546-compost-pond-algae.html

We have had almost no pond algae this year.

Who was Vera Jameson?

http://www.rainyside.com/features/plant_gallery/perennials/SedumVeraJameson.html

She discovered Sedum 'Vera Jameson' as a chance seedling, but who was she?

Raccoons in the garden at night

108 pictures on the scout camera last night.

Most of them were of raccoons.

Chaste Tree

Vitex agnus-castus

http://www.floridata.com/ref/v/vitex_a.cfm

Good butterfly magnet, but not hardy here in Zone 5.

Monarch Watch

http://www.monarchwatch.org/

I applied to have our garden certified as a monarch waystation.

National Wildlife Federation

https://www.nwf.org/

I applied to have our yard certified as a wildlife habitat.

Nylon Log Carrier

Available from Plow & Hearth (link here)

Would also make a good general purpose garden bag.

MGV Brown Bag

On Friday, I attended the monthly MGV Brown Bag at the Milwaukee County Extension offices.

The topic was "Winterizing Gardens."

It was a wide ranging discussion with a lot of good Q & A at the end.

Well worth attending.

Next month's topic is "Beneficial Insects."

Dinosaur Kale

Brassica oleracea

Seeds available from Amazon.com (link here) and (link here).

Joe Pye

http://www.hortmag.com/featured/joe-pye-weed

We love Joe Pye.

Wasps vs. ash borers

http://www.startribune.com/local/103556174.html?elr=KArksUUUU

Nothing could possibly go wrong.

Wisconsin Scenic Byway 60

http://www.lowerwisconsinriverroad.com/

Any road featuring a plaque commemorating author and editor August Derleth is worth driving.

And it looks like there might be some good rocks along the way.

And the garden could use a few more accent pieces.

Kickapoo Indian Caverns

http://www.kickapooindiancaverns.com/

The largest onyx cave in Wisconsin.

I sure wish I had a few accent pieces of onyx in the garden.

Horticulture

http://hort.uwex.edu/

Lots of good information.

Rain: 0.5"

1/2 inch rain last night.

Will probably have to run the well into the garden pool to keep it full.

The garden is so dry that it sponged up all the rain.

Gazing globe

http://www.finegardening.com/item/16441/another-gazing-globe-done-right

We do not have a gazing globe in the garden.

Yet.

Hummingbird

There was a female hummingbird in the garden today.

Frog in the garden pool

There was a frog in the garden pool today, so at least one survived my long absence.

Rain: 1.5"

There was 1.5" of rain in the gauge after my long absence.

Some probably evaporated.

Backyard Bird Paradise

http://www.rodale.com/bird-friendly-yard?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2010_09_21-_-Top5-_-NA

Good advice.

Real Dirt

http://www.kendruse.typepad.com/

I hope to see Ken Druse at the Boerner Botanical Garden one of these days.

Lynden Sculpture Garden

http://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/

I would like to visit them.

Lawnless Front Yard

http://www.finegardening.com/design/articles/designing-a-lawnless-front-yard.aspx

Excellent garden.

I agree that omitting the lawn gives more room to garden.

Native Bulbs

http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-4-75-1733,00.html

Would love to plant some native bulbs.

Trees

http://www.gardenershub.com/product/keepers-of-the-trees/books/?r=HTWB44A&p=HTWB44A

Looks like an interesting book.

Planting a Tree

http://www.urbansustainableliving.com/how-to-plant-a-tree-the-right-way.html

I continue to disagree with the shallow hole method of tree planting.

The tree must be planted at the correct height in the hole, but I fail to see why the hole should be shallow.

A deeper hole encourages deeper rooting.

And as someone who has dug out a lot of tree roots, I know that trees grow deep roots if they can.

Deadheading

http://www.urbansustainableliving.com/deadheading.html

A good summary.

Hank Aaron State Trail

http://www.hankaaronstatetrail.org/

http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/parks/specific/hank_aaron/

A great place to see native plants.

The Case for Real Plants

http://plant-quest.blogspot.com/2010/09/case-for-real-plants.html

I am a plant person.

No dogs allowed

http://www.suite101.com/content/common-poisonous-plants-affecting-dogs-and-cats-a180373

In the Plymouth garden, we have several bad actors:

Yew
Lily of the valley
Ivy
Deadly nightshade

Dogs beware.

Dry molasses as an organic fertilizer

http://www.dirtdoctor.com/organic/garden/view_question/id/2156/

Very interesting.

Waterfalls

http://therealnorth.com/waterfalls.html

Might get some gardening inspiration at such places.

Wayward garden gnomes

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/09/16/1827769/10-wayward-garden-gnomes-found.html

It is an X-Files case.

Beware Stinkbugs

http://www.rodale.com/stink-bugs?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2010_09_16-_-Top5-_-NA

Already in Wisconsin.

Alfalfa Meal Organic Fertilizer

http://www.organicgardeninfo.com/alfalfa-meal.html

I am having some trouble finding a local source for products like this.

Fall Lawn Care

http://www.rodale.com/fall-lawn-care?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2010_09_14-_-Top5-_-NA

Helpful hints.

No-till gardening

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/09/garden/09garden.html?emc=eta1

Many advantages.

Nectar of the Gods

Solanum quitoense

http://www.anniesannuals.com/plt_lst/lists/general/lst.gen.asp?prodid=993

Would make an interesting novelty plant grown as an annual in a whiskey barrel.

Prides Corner Farms

http://www.pridescorner.com/index.html

Some stunning offerings scheduled for 2011.

Gladiolus

http://www.sunfarm.com/picks/gladiolusxgandavensis-123105.phtml

Perennial in zone 5.

I would like to try these.

Fall Leaves

http://www.gardeners.com/Put-Fall-Leaves-to-Work/5402,default,pg.html

Interesting article on shredding and using fall leaves.

Pee bale

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2009/nov/13/composting-urine

Eco-friendly public urination.

Kris Plant

Alocasia sanderiana

http://www.plantoftheweek.org/week030.shtml

Striking foliage plant.

How to buy compost

http://www.rodale.com/buying-compost?page=0%2C0

Some interesting observations on store-bought compost.

Keeping your soil healthy

http://www.rodale.com/garden-cleanup?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2010_09_03-_-Top5-_-NA

Some good advice on cover crops and mulches.

Fox in the garden

There was a fox in the garden this morning around 730am, running east along the south line.

Chickens, or lack thereof

http://www.rodale.com/urban-chickens?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2010_09_01-_-Top5-_-NA

Yes, several excellent reasons to keep chickens.

Too bad for those of us who live in ignorant backwaters that do not allow chickens.

Golden Spirit

Cotinus coggyria 'Golden Spirit'

Smoke Bush

http://www.heronswood.com/shrubs_shrubs-a-to-h_cotinus/cotinus-coggygria-golden-spirit/

On our wish list.

Diabolo

Physocarpus opulifolius 'Diabolo'

Ninebark

http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/plant.asp?code=A256

On our wish list.

Woody Plants for Wildlife

http://www.boernerbotanicalgardens.org/support/e3-2.html

http://www.4slandscapes.biz/index.html

We attended the garden walk this evening at Boerner Botanical Gardens.

The topic was Woody Plants for Wildlife.

The guide was Matt Singer from Four Season Landscapes.

Entertaining and informative.

Rain: 3/4" + 3/4"

3/4" rain last night.

And an additional 3/4" rain today.