First bloom 2013

Ah shucks you guys. Yes, I am well on my way. Actually working on my pictures to get some put here. Hundreds of the things to sort through. I took the pics and have loaded them onto my computer. Now that the monsoon is here it is a good time to sit and work on them.

Do you get hurricanes?

ROTFL. It was only an expression. Heck no! Earthquakes yes, Floors in the interior, yes. Have managed to survive both. But no hurricanes. Or tornadoes. You guys have the really fearsome stuff.

Hurricanes are warmer weather storms and get their power from the water. They tend to start in the Caribbean and get stronger as they move northward, and many go right out to sea. They pack high winds. When we get news that such a storm is impending, you can see me running around the yard, gathering up the pots to head for shelter. Sooo many lilies in containers....

When do you expect your first snows?

Shoot. With our weird weather I would guess sometime in October. I am sure I wrote it down somewhere. I'll go look. Or better yet google. Ahaa. First snow in 2011 was Oct 30 / Nov 1. It snowed up on the hillside Sept 29 2012.

You must get a few really good weeks with your lilies. Still blooming?

Oh yes. The orienpets go late usually. Tom Pouce, Casa Blanca, Scherazade, and Stargazer are going strong. Sapporo and Garden Treasure still to come.

I now have three speciosum albas in bloom. So wonderful.

I have a bunch of Sorbonnes in heavy bud. I put four in the ground and two in pots on my patio. The ones in pots got too hot and will not bloom. The ones in the ground are looking great. I was careful to periodically pepper and milorganite them, and it has paid off.

The pepper and milorganite was to discourage bugs?

Silk Road, Pink Mystery, Red Dutch, Avocado

Sorry, the pepper stops squirrels and the milorganite deters chipmunks.

But I have found and am using something that tackles bugs pretty safely: spinosad. It's fairly new, organic and a bacterium, I think. You have to use it VERY early in the early morning, late evening or night to avoid bees, but I was getting a ton of chewing on nepaetas ans salvias and it put a stop to it. I found it because I went to my really good nursery, Platt, looking for something that wasn't a systemic. They are experts at organic stuff., and they carry all the organic lines.

Have a look:

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/TOOLS/PNAI/pnaishow.php?id=65

My lilium Sorbonnes are blooming very late. I got a half dozen from B&D Lilies. This one is known for its reliability and is blooming at different times in sun, shade, and on my patio. These are blooming in a semi shady location. The ones in sun are actually at least a week behind.

The chopsticks? I have found that I sometimes do not know exactly where my lilies are. So I have started putting chopsticks near them so I will not dig them up by accident, but I will know where they were at the time of bloom.

Lots of lilies hiding the wood pile.