Posted on 06/19/2008 9:01:34 AM PDT by Gabz
June 2007
May was just about as demented weather-wise as a month can be! First—the cold, reinforced by drought, then wind and more wind. Rain, more cold, and some more wind from a different direction! It sort of felt like maybe we were actually in Auntie Em’s house, spinning round and round, being pelted by rain and buffeted by wind coming from every direction and wondering what in the world was going to happen to us.
What few plants survived the frost, and didn’t succumb to the drought, gave up in the face of an extremely long and miserable nor’easter. If they weren’t blown out of the ground or broken off, they were twisted like clothes in an old fashioned wringer.
All the crazy weather could have had something to do with the fact that May had two full moons. How many of you noticed? There was one on the 2nd, and another on the 31st. Depending on what time zone you live in, this year’s blue moon could fall in May, June, or July. How’s that for confusing?
Ever heard the term once in a blue moon? What is a blue moon? Some say a blue moon is two full moons occurring in the same month. Two full moons in the same month is a rarity because a full moon occurs about every twenty-nine and a half days, give or take.
At one time once in a blue moon meant something very unlikely to happen. Still another meaning is this: there are historical examples of the moon actually turning blue! When Krakatoa exploded in 1883, it’s dust changed the atmosphere so much that it produced spectacular sunrises and sunsets for years. It also turned the moon blue for about two years. Dust storms and forest fires can also cause this phenomena. A prolonged drought and dust storms on the Indian continent caused it to happen in 1927 and immense forest fires in northeastern North America did it again in 1951.
Though the term once in a blue moon has been around since at least the sixteenth century, by the mid-nineteenth century, visible blue moons, though rare, happened enough that people adapted the phrase to mean a fairly infrequent event. Something that happened enough to make note of, but not frequently enough to be pinned down to specifics.
Blue moon is also used, mostly in songs and ballads, to mean sad and lonely. Don’t you just love the English language, with all it’s idiosyncrasies?
Many people plant by the signs of the zodiac, and by the moon’s phases. Most of us just plant when we have time and the ground is ready and the weather co-operates. Before you scoff at planting according to the moon, keep in mind that the pull of the moon shifts the balance of water all over our planet four times a day, creating high and low tides. You have to figure that anything powerful enough to do that has to have quite an effect on everything else on the planet!
One of the best things about June, besides gardenias and hydrangeas blooming, is mimosas, and I don’t mean the beverage!
Natives of Japan and other countries like Iran, mimosas are small to medium-sized trees. They can grow twenty to forty feet tall with attractive, showy blooms and fern-like leaves. The fragrant flowers resemble pom-poms and range in color from dark pink to light salmon and every shade in between.
Mimosas were introduced to the United States around 1745 and have since spread from New Jersey to Florida to California. They can be quite invasive, choking out native shrubs and trees.
The good news, if they’re where you don’t want them, is that they are short-lived, usually around fifteen years or so. Not such good news if you plant one in your yard for an ornamental tree. Just about the time they get big enough to provide some shade and be really beautiful, they croak.
Mimosas can spread by seed or by roots sending up sprouts. Mimosas are members of the legume family and their seed pods resemble long, flat beans. The seed pods add an unusual touch to flower arrangements. Ripening in the fall, the seed pods disintegrate rapidly, so be on the lookout for them if you want to keep them.
Mimosas, also called silk trees, are rapid growers. Sprouts can grow three feet in a summer! The seeds have impermeable coats that allow them to remain viable for years. In English—the seeds are very hard and will retain their ability to germinate for a long time—as much as fifty years! Mimosas tend to grow in clumps and reproduce freely, don’t seem to have any disease or insect problems. Too bad tomatoes aren’t more like mimosas!
As late as the mimosas leafed out this year, it may be well into July before we see any flowers! Just like people, hummingbirds, bees and butterflies adore mimosa blooms. Often, the hummingbirds will even nest right in the mimosa. Look carefully for a little—think toddler’s fist—hammock that looks like both ends have been tied together to form a u-shape. Seems impossible that anything that tiny could house a couple of bird babies, but that’s a topic for another column!
The flowers and seed pods can be a nuisance if the tree is planted too close to a drive-way or sidewalk. When wet, the blooms can stick to your car or any flat surface, and once dry, can be the very devil to get off. The pods can be unsightly and messy when they fall. Despite the disadvantages, mimosas can add a wonderfully tropical feel to any yard. They don’t seem to be fussy about soil requirements or placement, although they won’t tolerate deep shade.
Don’t forget mid-June is time to plant pumpkins! It’s also a good time to plant gourds and butternut squash. Letting the vines die naturally and the (hopefully) lower humidity in the fall will help make their shells harder so they will last longer.
I can't find any local tomato plants that are small enough to fit in my “Tomato Loco” planters, so I'm starting more from seeds. Red Siberian have already sprouted, Tomato Bush, Silvery Fir Tree hopefully will sprout soon.
Anyone who has a suggestions for Tomato plants for containers... pls let me know.
Thanks All for your patience, Craig
Getting late for starting them from seed. Try taking cuttings off your older plants. Most of the time they’ll root.:)
I just transplanted the first of 4 Red Siberian plants, which were restarted from seed on July 15th. They had reached approx 5" in height and appear very vigorous. The Tomato Bush Silvery Fir tree are approx 2" in height now... so I'll wait a week to transplant them. We never have Frost in Santa Barbara, so the growing season is not a problem. Thanks All, Craig
too cool! Glad they’re doing well! Ours here are about gone. Couple of weeks of high nineties with a heat index in triple digits...
Never heard of either of those varieties. Let us know how they turn out!
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