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Black Widows Killed

by | Jul 5, 2008 | Uncategorized


Photo is from UC IPM website (see link below)

2 today, 1 the other day. They’re everywhere right now. When I see them, I screech, do a little dance and run for the can of Spider Killer. Wonder if anybody makes an organic Black Widow spray. I let nearly everything live in my garden. Except Black Widows.

Venom from its bite can cause reactions ranging from mild to painful and serious, but death is very unlikely and many symptoms can be alleviated if medical treatment is obtained. Anyone bitten by this spider should remain calm and promptly seek medical advice; it is helpful if the offending spider can be caught and saved for identification.

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7442.html

I don’t know… I think they’re dancing around the whole death issue…

Fireworks in the Garden…

by | Jul 4, 2008 | Uncategorized


…courtesy of nature, well, and our friendly neighborhood plant hybridizers. When my daylilies, agapanthus and lilies bloom, I know summer’s here for real. The lilies have come back on their own for a few years and the agapanthus are fairly new additions. I absolutely love agapanthus and don’t care one whit that it’s common. My orange Lion’s Tail (Leonotis) is pretty fun too. You can just tell it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

More front yard ridiculousness

by | Jul 2, 2008 | Uncategorized

Reason… OK, more likely public pressure… prevails:

Sacramento won’t fine couple who let lawn die
By Matt Weiser – mweiser@sacbee.com
Published 12:00 am PDT Thursday, July 3, 2008
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A1

Sacramento couple who let lawn die to save water face $746 fine
By Matt Weiser – mweiser@sacbee.com

Published 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A1

Their small brick home was declared a “public nuisance” in violation of city code section 17.68.010, which states that front yards “shall be irrigated, landscaped and maintained.”

Irrigated? Check; she waters her ferns and hydrangeas.
Landscaped? Check; plants, trees and mulch.
Maintained? Check; plants alive… mulch behaving in an appropriately mulch-like manner. I see no violation here. Move along.

Love the hand-watered lawn next door. Kudos to the photographer.

I think she should install a chocolate garden… nothing but brown-colored flowers and foliage. No law against that. Or is there?

If it’s watered and maintained and irrigated, then it’s legal, correct? Seems to me the perceived offense is the lack of green. If so, then her neighbors with bermudagrass-infused lawns (a common sight in East Sacramento) are breaking the Green Law every winter unless they reseed with annual ryegrass in time to cover up… the brown. Ooh, maybe she should plant a combination of bermudagrass, oxalis and nutsedge. What a green lawn that would be. Ridiculousness.

Daylilies at dusk

by | Jun 26, 2008 | Uncategorized

The California fires are leading to some pretty colorful sunsets. At dusk yesterday, my backyard was bathed in an eerie orange glow. Even my orange daylilies were extra orange.


How could I switch to summer color when these pansies are still going so strong?!


My verbena would be looking a little more lush if I could just remember to hook… up… drip at the front of that bed.


The other day, I cut back my tree dahlias. They’ve grown taller each year and since I really don’t need them to reach 20+ feet, I thought I’d try this. They were already a bit frighteningly tall, and it’s only June. Now they’re a little over 6 feet, and beginning to bush out.