THURSDAY IN THE GARDEN WITH DANTE: SWEET AND SOUR

After making numerous gardening posts on the front garden, this week Dante has returned to the back garden, where there have been some recent developments.

"Hewwo efurrybuddy!", says Dante.  "I weely likes it heer in da back yawd cuz I has mai own purrsonal benches to sit on and welax."

"But now dat yoo is heer, I will takes yoo on a toor of all da noo fings I has fownd."

"At da back of da howse beside da deck, we has two flowah bushes.  Dey is called "Summahsweet".  Dat is cause dey flowahs in da summah, an' dey is sweet!"

This is what the internet has to say about them:

"Summersweet: (Clethra anifolia) An upright flowering shrub with rounded to oval shape. Foliage is dark green, turning yellow to golden brown in autumn. Fragrant spires of blooms in mid to late summer, with fruit capsules in autumn."

"At da back of da gardin, we has dese tall plants called Himalayin' Orkids.  I gess dat maybe dey hatch'd frum eggs an' it wuz a male whoo lay'd dem an' datz why itz called "HIM A LAYIN".  Den wen de eggs hatchus, owt cums de orKIDS!"

That's Dante's version, now here's what the Internet has to say about 'Himalayan Orchids":

"Himalayan Orchid (lmpatiens royleii):  Erect shape with a mature height of 1-2 meters which bloom in summer.  They have two-lipped Pink/Red/Purple flowers arranged in sparse clusters from leaf axils.  The leaves are oval shaped, arranged in twos or threes on a hollow stem.

They are fast growing and invasive, mature seeds can be ejected several meters from parent plant, seeds also travel readily along water courses."

My sister, who lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, sent me these seeds, and I planted them unaware of their propensity for spreading.  So now we have Himalayan Orchids a layin' all over the back yard!

"Uh-oh!", says Dante, "We has introodah in da cwab appul twee!"

You can see the "introoder" on the trunk of the tree.  The introoders just love to sit on the branches and snack.

Not only do they snack on nuts, but also on the fruit from the tree.

Dante says "Dese appulls wuz gween but now dey is wipe an' wed.  Mama sais dey is verreh sowah, but dose skwirrels likes dem.  Dey takes a bite or two an' den dwops dem on da gwound."
 
"No wondah dose appulls is CWABBY!".
 
 

"They're da BOMB!", says Mr. Squirrel!

Roger, Over and Out!