Boston Ferns and your Cat

The Cat Fanciers association lists the Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata--a.k.a. Sword Fern) as a non-toxic plant for cats.

Today, our little guy taught us differently by munching on my boston fern last night while we slept, and getting sick afterwards.

Non-toxic does not necessarily mean "edible". We all know what happens when cats eat things they aren't meant to swallow.
 

Yuck.

We took him to a veterinary ER, to make sure he would be OK.  Apparently Boston Fern can cause gastrointestinal upset, lethargy, vomiting, loss of appetite, and diarrhea. We've seen all but the last one in our cat.

Yummy.

Cat's not happy about it either, but he seems to be recovering, getting his appetite back late this afternoon. (Right after we got home from the vet hospital, of course.)

From now on, only "edible" plants in the house.

Good thing I live in a semi-tropical climate, because my ferns are about to be banished to the warm shadiness of my back porch, where they will probably be just as happy anyway.

For a longer list of plants poisonous to your cat, see this list from the Cat Fanciers Association.

Just a spoonful of sugar...

Or is that a spoonful of raindrops?

That's about all I got from Edouard in my rain gauge today.  Almost exactly one inch in 24 hours. 

I feel like Ben Stein in the Clear Eyes commercial.

Wow.

Looks like I'll still be doing plenty of watering this week.

On the bright side, no flooding!

So far, so good over here.

Things are still pretty quiet southwest of Houston. Plenty of rain, very little wind.

Nancy has been seeing 

more action from Edouard today.  She has posted twice so far. Here, and here. See all of Nancy's Tropical Storm posts.

Not nearly as bad as Tropical Storm Allison, which stuck around dumping rain long enough to turn this:

Photo Source

Into this:

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Photo Source: Rice.edu

Photo Source: http://www.srh.noaa.gov

That's right.  Full up to the top. This was before I came out here.  Just gives you an idea of the possibilities, though.

Edouard, however appears to be moving at a decent enough pace to avoid repeating this.

Smells like rain...

Lots of it. And Wind. Nasty wind. 

Never been through a tropical storm, so this will probablly be an education.

I'll be bringing many of my lighter weight plants and my outdoor furniture into my garage tonight so they don't get too blown around.

The containers that are too big for me to move will just have to wait it out, I suppose.

Oh yes, and the wind chimes? They're coming in too. 

Hopefully the new little trees I planted last winter will be okay.

Hopefully the big trees won't drop anything on my house.

Tomorrow, definitely staying inside.

On the upside, at least we need the rain.

Post-storm thoughts to be posted later.

"Aqua Globes"

I have to get really tired of watering before I go out and buy some gimmicky TV product.

But the two-pack was only 10 bucks at the drugstore, so I took a chance.

I like 'em.

Do they replace watering? No.

But my thirsty indoor ferns do not suffer quite as badly from my neglect. 

~~~~ Houseplants and your Cat

My hubby and I finally took the plunge and adopted a kitten. He typed the "~" symbols in title of this post by walking across my keyboard.

He is everything that kittens generally are, especially with respect to cuteness and curiosity.

Which means I have to make some decisions about my pothos vine and my poinsettias, both of which are toxic to kitties, should they be ingested.

A hanging basket will probably keep the pothos out of reach, as long as it does not drop leaves.

Not sure what to do with the poinsettias though. They may have to go outside. He doesn't seem interested in them now, but they drop leaves, and those might make tempting toys.

Cats should also be kept away from philodendrons, crotons, ivy, polka-dot plant, chrysanthemums, cyclamens, castoroil plant, cherry laurel, azalea, Lily-of-the-Valley and diffenbachia. Here is a list of other plants known to be toxic to cats, along with the symptoms they produce. Also, the University of Nebraska has a page with a list of many common indoor plants, with their toxicity noted. PetPlace.com has a useful list as well.

I will probably start an indoor herb and grass garden for my kitty so that he will have some safe plants to chew on. Hopefully making him less interested in the purely ornamental ones.

I find that daily applications of cat repellent (purchased at the pet store) work for keeping him away from dangerous places/objects until I can finish "cat-proofing" the house.

Here are some indoor plants that some people suggest as safer alternatives for homes with felines. It is still best to keep your kitty from chewing on your plants. It's still not the best thing for her to eat. Plus, it's not so great for the plant.


**Please Note: I am not an expert on this, I merely draw from other resources. When in doubt, talk to a vet or toxicologist for expert info.**

African Violet (Saintpaulia ionantha)
Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
Wandering Jew (Zebrina pendula)
Peperomias (multiple varieties)
Jade Plant (Crassula ovata, also known as Crassual argentea)
Swedish ivy (Plectranthus australis)
Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
The Prayer plant (Maranta spp.)
Rattlesnake plant (Calathea insignis)
Grape ivy (Cissus rhombifolia)
Boston Fern (Nephrolepis spp.)
Burro's Tail (Sedum morganianum)
Wax plant (Hoya carnosa and varieties).


Sources:
Brian's Garden
Suite101.com

Also: see CatTraining.com for info on training kitty to stay away from the houseplants.

-------------------------------------------

Update: While some websites lists plants that are not fatal to cats, that does not mean that you should let your cat munch on them.  Ours had a little too much fun with a boston fern, included on the "safer" list above, and while it did not do any permanent damage, it still made him quite ill for a little while.

Texas may be hot enough for this..

..but I am not.

Therefore, in the interests of the general public good, and of protecting myself from sunburn and insect bite, I shall not be participating in next year's World Naked Gardening Day (If you follow Ljmacphee's link in her post, be aware that the official site has pictures).

This takes natural gardening to another level.

Chick Food

Some days it seems like I put more work into maintaining and improving my garden than I do into actually enjoying it.

Not today.


Today, with the weather being so mild, I took the opportunity to just sit around out there with my crochet work, watching cardinals come and visit the bird feeder. (By the way, for those of you wanting to attract cardinals to your gardens---they LOVE safflower seeds!) I saw my first juvenile cardinal in person. Accompanied by both of its parents, it waited for them on a nearby brick wall, hidden by tree branches while they made trips back and forth to the feeder to bring seeds back for it. Sometimes they would set the seeds down and let the baby pick them up himself, other times they would simply feed him.

Now I need to work on attracting butterflies and hummingbirds.

Checkerboard Fuchsias

Keep them nice and shady, or they will begin to wilt. I will need to move mine. The sun shifts just enough during the summer to make what used to be a shady spot sunny. Grr.

Leaf Miners

These annoying insects apparently love to eat sweet basil. Grr. Fortunately, they haven't destroyed it.

They also like Pinto beans.

So far, no new damage on any of my citrus trees this year.

I have heard that companion plantings of Columbine can be helpful.

I may try this. I do not relish the thought of using insecticides in my herb garden.

Incidentally, June is also supposed to be a great month for planting Basil seeds.

Talking to my plants...

...and my husband has been the primary outlet for my gardening concerns lately, as I have had little time for blogging. Much of my free time, such as it is, has been spent outside, taking advantage of every remotely tolerable moment of decent weather to get as much heavy outdoor work done as possible before the summer heat confines me to light weeding, seed scattering, and small container gardening. However, plenty has been happening, so while I wait till I have a little more time for more detailed posting, here are a few things I have learned during my (monthlong now) blogging silence:

Radishes do not always grow as fast as the book says they will.

Squash plants grow very fast when planted in good conditions.

Round-up (despite its drawbacks) is by far the most efficient method I have yet tried for getting rid of unwanted areas of lawn.

Containerized Grumichama (Eugenia brasiliensis) does not like neglect. Do not allow to dry out for more than a couple of days, or risk losing the year's fruit crop.

Containerized feijoa's hate drying out, too.

It is possible to neglect a bougainvillea too much.

Thornless Prickly Pears like south facing Houston walls in the springtime

Cherimoya seeds can be sprouted by wrapping in a wet paper towel kept constantly moist.

Sophora Secundiflora sometimes drops its immature seed pod crop, thwarting plans to send ripened seeds to waiting relatives. Cause as yet unknown. However, happy plants grow well. Next year's flowers may come from this year's growth.

Double Knockout Roses are awesome.

So are "Wave" petunias.

Checkerboard fuschias are both collectible and hardy, and look great growing in the shade near star jasmine and Southern Maidenhair ferns.

Pinto beans can sprout in the bottom of a wet kitchen sink, if left long enough.

Air potatoes can, apparently, sprout in a dark closet in a plastic bag with no soil, no water, and next to no light while certain persons try to decide whether to plant them at all due to their potentially invasive qualities.

That just about covers it!

California Rare Fuit Growers, HOUSTON chapter!

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. They have a chapter in Houston! This page gives contact information for a person in Katy.

I don't know how long it has been since the CRFG main website was updated, or if the chapter is still active,so I cannot verify the accuracy of the information, however it is good to know, for those interested in rare fruit.

Apparently, the Houston chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers does not have its own website. The Phoenix chapter does, however.

It's Alive! Bwhahahaha.

The Saijo Persimmon, which I obtained at last January's Urban Harvest fruit tree sale, and planted a mere two days after (if I recall correctly--it's been so long!) has finally begun to sprout what may soon become....drumroll please...

leaves!


It's about time. Since I planted it, it has pretty much been looking like a big stick standing in a pile of dirt. Maybe soon it will look like a tree. All of the other plants I purchased there began sprouting leaves some time ago, so I was a little worried. However, my mother, who is also a plant lover and much more experienced with fruit trees than I, looked it over on a recent visit and told me not to give up yet. She was right. :)


Pictures will be forthcoming, as soon as new developments become big enough to show up on film, and I have the time to get said film developed. The trusty digital camera seems to be developing issues. I have, of course, suggested that it should talk to someone, but it never listens to me.

Fungus, bacteria, and how to tell the difference.

"Herself" gives us another useful post on fungal and bacterial plant diseases, as well as other problems that may look like diseases.

When will your garden be perfect?

Hmm.

"By the time one is eighty, it is said, there is no longer a tug of war in the garden with the May flowers hauling like mad against the claims of the other months. All is at last in balance and all is serene. The gardener is usually dead, of course."

~Henry Mitchell, The Essential Earthman, 1981


For more gardening-related quotations, see The Quote Garden.

Tea Scale

I never heard of this type of fungus before I read this post over at Herself's Houston Garden. One more thing for me to file away for future reference. :) With the humidity going back up, it is good to keep one's eye out for fungus.

What's this?

Whatever it is, its days are numbered.


I still have no idea what this is. I'm praying it's not poison ivy, which is entirely possible given the huge specimen growing down the street. :(

I zapped it with the Roundup today, just in case. It is sprouting up all over one of my flowerbeds.

Anybody out there have any clues as to what this might be?

Happy Easter!

Ok, they're not Easter Lilies, but by golly, they're pretty!

Photo by Aaron

Search: Viewing Bluebonnets in California

I posted before on bluebonnets growing in California. I got another Google-related hit, this time from someone in Texas, wanting to know where to go in California to see the lupines there.

Bluebonnets are commonly called Lupines in California, so if you are visiting from out of state, it is handy to know both names.

They grow prolifically in many open fields along the Central Coast, where I was raised. If you have never been there yourself, you may have seen portions of the region in films like The Ten Commandments (1923), The Rocketeer (1991), Of Mice and Men (1992), or Sideways (2004).

These flowers are also quite common in most other regions of the state.

There are also multiple varieties of lupines to see. The USDA plants database lists 165 species of Lupinus growing in North America. California is home to roughly 97 of these, so I will not be listing them all here. Have a look at the many listed species at the USDA Plants Database. Many of the species listed grow in California. You can click on the smaller maps for profiles of individual species, and each profile contains links to maps which highlight the counties in which each species grows.

The ones that I remember, which look the most like the bluebonnets of Texas can be found growing in many open fields in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties, as well as in other coastal counties in the state of California. I suggest the areas around Nipomo, San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, Arroyo Grande, Santa Ynez, and Lompoc.

I have also seen a paler variety growing in the sand dunes around Oso Flaco, a state park along the coast with gorgeous sand dunes, lakes, and nature walks. It is worth the visit, even without the lupines.

Lupines occur all over the state of California, so one need not confine herself to the central coast. However, as I have not spent as much time in the Northern regions or int he central valley, I cannot suggest specific areas. However, in any part of California the best way to see them is to hop in a car, and go for a pleasant drive in the country. When in doubt, ask the locals!

Incidentally, the Central Coast is also a great place for wine tasting!

Sophora Secundiflora (Texas Mountain Laurel)

Right around the first of March, I saw these on my Sophora secundiflora (a.k.a. Texas Mountain Laurel or Mescal Bean):


I had been somewhat concerned, since this plant has done nothing since I planted it last June. I was hoping that I had been able to keep the soil alkaline enough for it when I added amendments. (This species, being native to Texas, actually likes alkaline soils.) Somebody I met recently said that her landscapers made the mistake of planting hers in soil that was too acid, and the plant refused to grow until this was rectified.

Above is a later shot, taken some days later when the flowers opened more.



The photos below were taken toward the end of last week





Already, as of last Saturday, the flowers began to wilt, and seed pods are forming in their place.

There is also new growth on this plant. I will post pictures of this later.


I saw several larger specimens of Texas Mountain Laurel during a recent trip to San Antonio. They appear to be quite common over there. Some were trained as trees, and others were left to grow as large shrubs. Either way, there is nothing quite like being downwind from a large one of these when it is in full bloom. The fragrance is incredible! Some say resembles grape kool-aid, but I'd say I like it even better.


I believe I read someplace (I can't remember where now) that, as a legume, S. secundiflora fixes nitrogen, making them good neighbors for nitrogen-loving plants.

Incidentally, the seeds and pods from this plant are very poisonous and should not be ingested.

Easy(er) Orchids for Houston

There is a good post over at The Lazy Gardener on this subject.

Winter color still performing

I really like the way the ornamental kale (Brassica oleracea) looks alongside the pansies here.


Here is a close-up of the kale. Is this stuff really edible? That has to look stunning on a plate.


I will have to find more wasy to use foliage for color.

These are all growing near my little Texas Mountain Laurel, which I planted last year. It is now putting out its first flowers, making this little corner of my garden quite purple.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. :)

I haven't done anything to these plants since they became established. I think the leaf mold compost that I added to the flowerbed might have a little something to do with their happiness in this location, as they have been growing (and blooming, in the case of the pansies) very steadily.

Why I read gardening blogs

I never know when I will learn something.

For instance, self-styled "Lazy Gardener" Brenda Beust Smith posted last week about ball moss, which I have in abundance on my trees. Before I read her post, I had some preconceived notions about this plant. Because it has some features in common with Spanish Moss, I assumed it was just another variety, and since of the two this was the only one that produced visible flowers, I guessed maybe there was a male/female thing going on there.



Hey, I'm sort of new around here.

New or not, I was still mistaken. :)

While both plants are in the same genus of the Bromeliad family, Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) is harmless to trees, and the thickness of its growth can even help to indicate air quality (Smith). According to the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Wildflowers, Spanish Moss does not qualify as a parasite because it uses photosynthesis to make its own food.

By contrast, Ball moss (Tillandsia recurvata), while also not a parasite, can damage trees by strangling the branches that it grows in with the tendrils it uses to maintain its grip.

Unfortunately, my trees are full of the stuff.


Brenda Beust Smith suggests hitting the ball moss with a baking soda solution (see her post for more specifics, and her recent update on this issue in another post.) either after a rain or after watering the ball moss yourself.

The trouble for me is, my trees are pretty tall, and I am fairly certain my hose will not spray that high. Time to contact the county extension office!


For more pictures and details on this plant:
University of Texas, Austin
Texas A&M

Eugenia Aggregata seeds

Here is what they looked like prior to soaking and planting:


Some of you may recall that these were sent to me late last June, before I learned that they can take up to a year to sprout. It seems to be more time efficient to just get one at a plant sale, or by mail order.

Tiddlywinks!

It's not just a game anymore. I don't have any recollection of when I first heard this word, but I do remember being fascinated by the mere sound of it as a small child. For more on the game, you can visit the website for the North American Tiddlywinks Association (Tiddlywinks.org). It seems there is a website for everything these days.

The game of Tiddlywinks reminds me of "POGs" which were popular back in the 90's. (Does anybody else remember those?)

Tiddlywinks is also the name for a miniature rose that I fell in love with this week at the nursery (pictured above). I couldn't stop staring at it, which of course meant it had to come home with me! Hmm. I wonder what a "pog" rose would look like.

According to the label, this one is grown on its own roots. I just hope they are resistant to blackspot.

WeeksRoses, which grows these, gives the following factoids about this plant on their website:

* Height / Habit: 12 to 18 inches/Bushy & round
* Bloom / Size: Medium-large, semi-double
* Petal Count: 15 to 20
* Fragrance: Slight
* Parentage: (Golden Holstein X Livin’ Easy) X Neon Cowboy
* Hybridizer: Carruth - 2008
* Comments: Deeper colors in cooler conditions.