Teach Your Children Young

You can't start them early enough. If it was not winter the hose would be running. It is quite clear that even well before 15 months of age a child (young Homo sapien)will mimic a parent or at least try persistently even when they can not stand for very long. I doubt she is having a Zen-like experience though she is trying to hand-water. Teach your children well. She will be surprised when the rain brings the winter rye up all of a sudden

Symbiosis at my feet

Part of the wonder of living in a forested area is the things I find on the forest floor. Certainly along with the mushrooms for interest there are the lichens a sybiotic complex relationship between a fungus and an algae. I know virtually nothing about the specifics of the species of each . Which is to say I could not take a gander even under a microsocpe and tell you what is what. But it all really does not matter to me. Yesterday was dry but today the dusty trail through the woods was wet after the rain and the lichens which had been a pale tan were now vivid brown-- different looking as they lapped up the water invisibly to me.

I am breaking the rules I set for myself when I decided to do blogs related to my book. I thought i would use the photos from the book and only the photos from the book. As a novice to this whole process of blogging and what readers expect , I have decided to break my own rules. As a consequence dustyroads is going to look at these things we see around our neighborhood, roads, yards and such that might be taken for granted. Maybe these are initially perceived that way because they are not planned in the way so many of us work to achieve in our gardens. So look for RAMBLINGS, I AM A GREAT RAMBLER IF NOT AN ACCOMPLISHED WRITER. AND LOOK FOR PHOTOS THAT INITIALLY YOU MIGHT HAVE, OR EVEN I INITIALLY TOSSED ASIDE. But these are back for re-examination.

The second picture to appear in my new book Zen of Watering Your Garden is of a double flowered variegated hybrid Camelia japonica. I believe it is variety Edna Bass. I keep my camelia garden well-mulched. I have a large number of well established plants on a slope under very high pine trees. I use azalea camelia fertilizer twice a year and water only when there has been no rain. The flowers are big and lush and beautiful. The one in the book has just been watered.

Camelia societies and competitions are a very big deal in the Deep southern U. S. However, I have never submitted a flower to a competition because I find in a bit of an affront that man if not all of the growers manipulate the plant by removing buds and by adding gibberillic acid ( they call it gibing the flower) to get extra large flowers.

The hybrids are prized both in Japan and in the Southern U.S. for their size color and beauty often blooming , especially the early ones when not much else in the garden is blooming certainly not in the spectacular way. I do not know if these have a cultural significance in Asia. Of course these are close relatives to Camelia sinesis is the source of tea.

Zen of Watering Your Garden, Japanese Magnolia Cover

The book I have just written entitled Zen of Watering Your Garden has a wrap-around cover photo of one of my Japanese Magnolias. This tree has just been watered and the blossoms glisten with droplets. This is most assuredly a hybrid. It is an incessant problem with little trees for me to keep track of the original tags by the first time they bloom. Originally these diminutive trees came from China but have been grown there and in Japan and really in American and European hardiness Zones 5-9. Originally, somewhere in the background is Magnolia liliiflora or soulangiana. The botanists always confuse me. I fertilize just twice a year with a balanced fertilizer. Mine get sun for about half of the day. I only wish the blooms lasted longer. I have mine well mulched and water only when we have not had rain for quite some time. I wonder if anyone knows the cultural meaning if any of these in China or Japan???

ZEN OF WATERING YOUR GARDEN--new book great gift

I have just written a book entitled Zen of Watering Your Garden. This 152 page book is a collection of 145 full color photographs (contributed by some twenty photographers from all over the world) juxtaposed with nearly 70 aphorisms, sayings and poems (from many different sources). For the gardener, this book will help inspire one to continue or return to hand-watering. As, I believe that doing so brings; a Zen-like experience, a closeness to Nature's wonders and to water the source of life, and to your inner being, your soul. For the gardener wanabee the book will help rekindle experiences or encourage new endeavors. Googling zen of watering will take you to a location that will give you a sense of the book's contents. These books will be great gifts for friends, for family, for your sanity. These are fat free and calorie free. Available on Amazon.com