Summer Surprise!

On the very last day of Spring, my Monstera (split-leaf philodendron) that I had given up for frozen dead, decided to come up from the roots!  I've been watering it, more for the ivy than any hope the larger plant would survive.  Neither looks great at the moment, but we now have some hope.

Goofy The Squirrel

Squirrels are a cute menace.  My yard is overrun.  I had a favorite for a while (Buzz,) but quit feeding him when he got greedy. I moved the bird feeder into the kitchen one warm summer day and Buzz tore a hole in my window screen to get at it.  He doesn't know what that cost him.

Other squirrels in the past have done some real damage. One chewed through my wood siding to get at the pink insulation to build his/her nest.  I had to call a trapper for that one; he removed the squirrel to a distant pasture.  Another chewed a hole in my chimney surround big enough to cause serious water damage to the ceiling and wall below.

The current pest isn't so destructive, but still quite annoying.  S/he insists on chewing on my metal gutter.  He's always in the same place.  The noise is amplified by the gutter and can be heard throughout the house.  Sounds like a dyslexic woodpecker.

Seems senseless. Beats me what's going on.

One Chore Down, Dozens To Go

Winter was tough.  Lost a lot of tropicals and semi-tropicals.  The deck between the front and kitchen doors began to rot.  First things first.

I finished re-surfacing the deck today.  The re-construction came with a few days of help from my new friend Robert Harris.  Here are a few shots from Friday and Sunday.

The Ravages of Winter

We've been spoiled with at least eight mild winters - until December, 2009.  Usually, since I live on the south side of Lake Conroe, December "northers" are tempered by the warm lake water and my place is about the same temperature as Houston, 60 miles to the south. At least until January and February when the lake has cooled a bit.  But the December cold front was vicious and my south-facing porch got down to 26 degrees (23 was forecast).

Nothing to do but suffer it.  As reported earlier, I had transplanted the four air-layered schefflera trees to an indoor spot.  They continue to do well, but obviously would prefer some warm sunshine and fresh rain.  I had no doubt that the air layering would succeed because that's the best way to propagate most cuttings if they are difficult to root in water.

Still I wondered if i t would have been possible to root these 1.5-inch cuttings in water. So I cut another foot or so from each trunk and put them in a vase with rooting hormone stirred into the water.  Six weeks later I see I have some leaf buds sprouting above the water and some unusual white bumps on the bark that's below water.  This might work, too!

Air Layering

Last May I posted Mega-Schefflera when I air-layered my 10' tall schefflera.  Today it started snowing so It's time to see what happened.

I whacked the branches off below the sphagnum moss ball and opened the balls.  All appeared to be moist. Where the moss got some light, it was green.  I didn't open the balls to see if they had roots.  Instead, I used the ball to protect the new roots, if any, when I pushed the pups down into the new pots.  Needed two pots for the four new plants because the foliage was so heavy.  They look great and they are indoors for the season.  I'll keep an eye on the moisture content of the soil.

The mother plant remains outdoors, covered with a sheet, snuggled up against the south wall of the deck. I watered all the plants remaining outside. Forecast tonight is for clearing and a low of 23 degrees.

This will be the earliest snow on record, if it sticks. Forecast is for light snow here, 30 miles north of Bush Intercontinental. Houston and points closer to the Gulf could get several inches. Must be global cooling!

Free fish

One of the advantages of living near a lake is that now and then, you get a free fish. Sortof.

The neightbor across the street said she saw a hawk drop it.  Looks like a fresh catfish. I'll give the vultures a chance to find it before I bother to get the leaves off the roof.

Hibiscus

The neighborhood is awash with hibiscus.   I planted mine from seed this Spring and they are just today in bloom. I don't recall the variety but it's a hardy hibiscus and stands about eight feet tall.  I would like to say it's Fireball, but it's a much darker red, maybe a dark burgundy, unless it's illuminated from the rear, as it is in this photo.