6/20/11

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Bush Beans

Yellow Bush Beans, 6/14/11.

I borrowed the camera from work tonight to test it out (see above).  I'm in the market for a new camera and have only had my camera phone, for…way too long (see photos below).

This is my first year trying to grow beans.  I ordered Yellow Beans from Johnny's Seed catalog way back when.  These are of the bush bean variety (as opposed to climbers) and only grow 2 feet tall or so.  The beans are yellow and long, and we'll see what they're like.  Who knows.  I planted a crap load of them, in little patches--one on the left side of the garden and one on the far right, in front of the sunflowers.  

I seeded them directly into the ground on 5/28 and only 4 days later they busted through the ground.  I love these fast-to-germinate seeds.  There's something encouraging about seeing results so quickly.  Plus, these beans can be planted in batches every few weeks throughout the summer, to get a steady crop.  I should probably start another batch in any empty areas.   

6/11/11.

6/11/11.

Hydrangeas (I think)

New flowers in the front yard, 6/12/11.

More Surprise Flowers: Pink Dianthus Chinenthis

Dianthus Chinenthis, 6/11/11

These are Pink Chinese Dianthus (pics).  I bought one small grassy plant plant last year at the Southside Community Land Trust plant sale.  It grew quite a bit and i read that you can split them, so I did.  And then the summer ended, the plants, which was only grass-like leaves, turned brown & purplish.  I assumed they had died.  Then the snow came.  


When it melted, the plants were still there.  We moved this box with us to the new house, have kept it watered, and I dug one out and planted it in the ground in the new garden.

Then come the flowers…

...and more flowers…and more flowers.  I love this plant.  Since it's a perennial, we've got it forever (or until I kill it).  I'll keep splitting the plants, and maybe slowly line the borders of the yard with them.

Playing Dead

5/20/11 -  Doesn't it look like she's playing dead?  Here, Spicy is laying on her side, of all things.  The first time I saw her do this was in the run and it seemed to be part of her dust bath.  I had read about chickens flopping around in the dirt, taking dust baths, to clean off their feathers in places where they can't reach.  

For a brief time when I was a kid, I had two chinchillas.  They took dust baths in a silver/gray powder.  They too flopped around like little tazmanian devils. So the first time Spicy laid down on her side, I rightly guessed this was a version of or part of the dust bath.  In the rocks she doesn't flip around like she does when taking dust baths in the run, but I have to imagine she was sunning herself.  Too cute.  Within seconds she had popped back up on her feet and flitted off.