Category Archives: Haiku

Mulch does a great job retaining moisture in the soil. It’s why we try to heavily mulch around all of our plants and trees, and why our spades so easily lift the soil.

But…too much water can be detrimental to plant growth and root development.

Over the past week or so, we’ve accumulated more than 4 inches of rain in a very short time.

All this rain has been great for the swales and pond, but almost too much for our kiwi and my sole lavender plant.

The leaves are turning black and curling inward. We are not sure exactly what is going on. It could be fungal or bacterial or signs of root rot from all the moisture in the ground.

Plants need oxygen, water and sunlight but due to all of the rain, all of the air holes that are normally present in good soil are full of water.

It could be something fungal or bacterial, but I don’t think so. If that were the case, it would be spreading faster than it is.

Also, the same symptom is affecting my lavender that is too far away for a fungus to spread leaf to leaf.

We are worried, but not overly so. I’d really just like to figure out what is causing these blackened edges.

The kiwi fruit continues to develop and looks healthy, but it would sure be a shame if we weren’t able to finally harvest the fruit.

We’ve been patiently waiting for four years to taste that first kiwi…and I’m not all that patient.

Dark blackened edges
Curling leaves, rolling inward
Due to soaking rains

Dandelions.

Weed or wildflower?

Good or bad?

Love ’em or hate ’em?

When Ray and I bought our first house, we were determined to have a bright green yard. The dots of yellow dandelions were annoying because, afterall, dandelions are a noxious weed that must be eradicated. Right?

We wanted that perfect manicured lawn, just like our neighbors had and just like lawn care companies told us we should have.

Then we moved to a bigger lot. We wanted to put a garden in, so we started listening to garden podcasts. We started to wonder why we didn’t like dandelions. Why did we want perfect green grass? Why were they so bad?

The more research we did, the more we discovered that the only reason we didn’t like them or want them in our yard was because “they” said dandelions are bad. Whoever “they” are.

So we let them be and our yard looked beautiful.

Dandelions remind me of carnations and marigolds. My boys call them sunflowers because of their bright yellow hue.

They are medicinal.

They are edible…every part.

I like seeing a sea of yellow across my yard.

I like getting dandelion bouquets, picked so carefully and lovingly, from my boys.

I like dandelions.

And what’s more, bees like them too.

Bees need a diverse diet and cannot survive solely on dandelions, but they are one of the first food sources in the Spring. Their bright yellow color tells bees that winter is over.

Bees come for the dandelions and discover other plants and flowers that provide them with a rich diet they need to survive, make honey and raise a healthy brood of bees.

And let’s not forget the joy of making a wish…

Dandelions are good
They are wildflowers, not weeds
I love them so much