Speaking of deer resistance, or lack thereof, I offer our vegetable garden as proof that deer can really be pests. We planted a variety of vegetables, and so far the only thing we’ve gotten out of the garden is cucumbers. …
I was driving down Grizzly Bluff one day and saw the hedge that I want for our secret garden. I stopped at the house, and found out it was owned by the Silver’s. Kevin Silver is our cat’s vet. I …
One of the defining landmarks of our backyard was the buzzard tree. This was a 30-40ft tall snag that rose above the surrounding willow trees and provided a nice hangout for the local buzzards. The other morning as I went …
This photo reminds of one of the covers from a Yes album. Very reminiscent of Roger Dean’s planetscapes. (If I had my records, I could tell you which one it is. Hint, Hint John) This peachy yarrow is a favorite …
Just like humans, some catepillars seem to go through a rebellious stage. Such as this one. Judging from his apparel, he’s either into heavy metal or punk rock, but I’m sure as he matures he’ll mellow out. A couple of …
I caught this little tree frog napping on the Dianellas in mid-afternoon. Normally I don’t see them out at that time of day, especially in full sun. But I guess he figured he was sufficiently camouflaged that he didn’t need …
One of my favorite little flowers that came with us from San Jose. The flower is about the size of a fingernail, but on close inspection it is really quite charming.
Every once in a while we actually get a rose or two off of our rose bushes before the deer prune them. This is a tiny Cecile Brunner that showed up recently. I’ve been putting Liquid Deer Fence on the …
We see dragonflies quite frequently in our backyard, and they’re always fun to watch as the hover. This red one caught my eye and even stayed posed while I went back inside to grab my flash.
End of summer in Ferndale means it’s spider season. Just about every available space on the house, cars, and in the garden are covered with spider webs of one sort or another. When you walk around, the ground appears to …
A garden without baby tears just isn’t complete. Growing up with baby tears around the pond at my parents house, I’ve always liked them, and in San Jose we planted the shady side of our garden with them, along with …
This weekend we finished two projects that have been partially completed for quite some time. First we picked up another load of decomposed granite and finished the path that goes from the driveway to the back porch. Winter is going …
The herb garden has some new plants since you’ve last seen it. In the foreground is the beginnings of a boxwood hedge that will line both sides of the brick walkway that goes to the front door. We bought a …
Every spring the Ferndale Fire Department does a donation drive and we go door to door both in town and out in the country. I’ve been using the drive as an excuse to collect plants. This week while picking up …
Last fall we dug up and transplanted some iris and dianellas and moved them into this spot near the driveway. Then winter came and the weeds invaded like crazy, and by the time it got to weather where we could …
After recycling the parts of the old front fence into raised beds, Lori and I started planting the herbs and other plants that she started from seeds this winter. I also went to a couple of plant shows and picked …
After finishing the four paths in the herb garden, we still had a half a trailer full of crushed granite. So we started working on a path from the driveway to the back deck. We got about a third done …
Amazing what a bit of snail bait will accomplish. In the four years that we’ve been here, this is the first year we’ve had such a good display of iris.
I really love poppies, both for their cheerful color, and for the fact that they require so little maintenance. Combined with the cerinthe, which has similar characteristics, the backyard garden actually has a lot of color right now. Even better, …
We finally got a halfway decent Sunday weatherwise so we got the other two paths put in. We also placed some wine barrels in the front, and once the soil drys out a bit more we’re ready to start planting!
One thing we haven’t seen much of in our garden since our move to Ferndale is our red hot pokers. Usually the slugs chew them off before they bloom. But this year I cleared away some of the other plants …
I was pleasantly surprised to see that after the last deer raid, that they actually missed a couple of the Sweet William plants that were just about to bloom. So 32 plants planted = 2 flowers. I’m going to need …
This weapon has become our favorite weeding weapon. So much so that Lori and I fight over it. I went back to the store where we bought it to buy another one and they’ve been out of stock on it …
This is not an aerial photo of a pine forest, it is actually a remnant from the dinosaur age making its presence known in my yard. As much as I love springtime, with its profusion of colorful blooms, there is …
With Mama no longer around, Ricky used the afternoon to get some much needed rest. Lori and I spent the morning in the yard and it was nice having the sun out for a change. The ground is still way …
Here’s the beginnings of Lori’s herb garden. In planning it, we came to the realization that this small section of our yard was about the same size as the entire backyard of our home in San Jose. It will feature …
Here’s the big hole. Looks like a lap pool is going in, which wouldn’t be such a bad idea except that our weather isn’t conducive to outdoor swimming very often. This will be our reflecting pond, which is going to …
I’ve often thought it’s not fair that weeds are so ugly. Why can’t the weeds that invade your yard at least be pretty? Well, then we wouldn’t call them weeds probably. But when we had a load of manure brought …
This is the third Jessica that I’ve had model for me. Since it was a nice warm day I thought it would be nice to photograph her in the little bit of our garden that hasn’t been plowed under. With …
While combing the yard for slugs and snails, I came across this little guy. The canna leaves are favorite hiding spots for both slugs and frogs, but it’s a lot nicer when I discover a frog hiding than another slug. …
