Author: orbitscoot

  • Summer 2005 photo of the Garden

    An undated hand-written addition to the 2004 Species list:
    “2005 Vegetables
    Assorted Chili Peppers
    Collard Greens
    Long Cucumbers
    Some Garlics
    Some Pumpkins”

    Composite photo dated August 2005:

  • Three photos from Spring 2005

    Three photos dated April 23, 2005:


    (1) bamboo shoots the first year of bamboo regrowth


    (2) American Currants under a Peach tree — this is a common assosication of Prunus species with a Ribes underneath


    (3) Rosa rugosa and Comfrey growing through straw mulch

  • Melted Snow reveals warm microclimate

    This picture was taken on February 1, 2005, to demonstrate the effect of house temperature on the garden. On this particular date the temperature was approximately 0 degrees celcius / 32 farenheight. Therefore the snow was right on the verge of melting. The melt pattern illustrates the warm microclimate near the house, which is a few degrees warmer than the surrounding area. Thus, on a day like this, the snow has already melted in the warm microclimate.

    If you are familiar with the garden you will note that the Japanese Timber Bamboo is not visible in the above photo. It was added in 2005 after this photo was taken. This specimen of Phyllostachys vivax was planted in 2004 into this little microclimate but it was about the size of a blade of grass at this stage. The large tree in this photo is a Black Locust which was removed later in the summer — the same black locust and apple are pictured just below from a different angle, in August 2004.

  • Mulched Perennials

    Two photo samples, dated to late August 2004:


    (1) what we see here is overgrown lawn grass and hay-bale mulch (pasture grasses) with a couple of bronze fennel plants visible and a couple of lemon balm plants and other herbs visible. There are likely seedling trees and shrubs dwarfed by the herbatious plants in this picture;

    (2) apple tree with egyptian onions and dill planted understory in hay mulch. This is the apple tree closest to the street, to put it in perspective. To the far left is an encroaching fast-growning Black Locust tree — several were planted and they were removed after a few years when they got 15′ tall — they were intended as a legume to supply nitrogen to surrounding plants.

  • Floral Survey of the La Casa Garden

    Floral Survey of the La Casa Garden compiled in the fall of August 13, 2004

    Bamboo

    Phyllostachys sp “Evil Tree” Bamboo (’03)
    Fargesia dracocephalus (’04)

    Phyllostachys dulcis Giant Timber Bamboo (’04)
    Phyllostachys vivax Golden Bamboo (’04)

    Phyllostachys aureus
    Phyllostachys aureosulcata (’04)
    Phyllostachys N. Henon (’04)

    Phyllostachys nuda (’04)

    Copses

    Curly Willow Salix sp
    ‘Flame’ Willow Salix sp

    Herbatious

    Alfalfa Medicago sativa

    American Columbine Aquilegia canadensis
    Anise-Hyssop Agastache foeniculum
    Asparagus Asparagus officinalis

    Catnip Nepata cataria
    Chives Allium schoenoprasum
    Clover Trifolium pratense

    Comfrey – Russian Symphytum x uplandicum
    Echinacea purpureum Echinacea purpureum
    Egyptian Onion Allium proliferum

    Horseradish Armoracia rusticana
    Iris -Blue Flag Iris versicolor
    Ironweed Vernonia sp

    Lamb’s Quarters Chenopodium alba
    Lemon Balm Melissa officinalis

    Mustard Brassica sp
    Oregano – Greek Origanum vulagare hirtum
    Sage Salvia officinalis

    Spearmint (all over) Mentha spicata
    Stinging Nettle Urtica diocia

    Strawberry – Everbearing Fragaria sp
    Strawberry – Honeyoye Fragaria sp
    Taragon – French Artemisia dracunculus sativa

    Valerian Valeriana officinalis

    Nut
    Trees

    Black Walnut Juglans nigra (50′ tree on site)
    Hazelberts – Ozmun #2 Corylus americana x avellana (’03)

    Chinese Chestnut Castanea mollissima (’04)

    Shrubs

    Black Currant – American Ribes americana (’04)
    Black Currant – European Ribes nigrum (’03)

    Chokeberry – Black Aronia melanocarpa (’04)

    Elderberry – American Sambucus americana (’03)
    Hibiscus – Rose of Sharon Hybiscus syriacus (’03)
    Gooseberry – Red Ribes sp (’03)

    Nanking Cherries Prunus tomentosa (’03 & ’04)

    Red Currant – Red Lake *seedlings* Ribes sp. (’03)
    Rugosa Rose Rosa rugosa (’03)

    Serviceberry – Pembina Amelanchier alnifolia ‘Pembina’ (’03)

    Tree
    Fruit

    Asian Pear – Yakumo Pyrus pyrifolia (’04)
    Apple – girdled (’03 – girdled Auvil Early Fuji)
    Apple – Sun Fuji Malus pumila (’04)

    Manchurian Apricots Prunus mandshurica (’03 & ’04)

    Mulberry – seedlings Morus nigra
    Nectarine – Fantasia Prunus persica var. nectarina ‘Fantasia’
    (’04)
    Nectarine – Mericrest Prunus persica var. nectarina ‘Mericrest’

    (’04)
    Peach – Harrow Beauty Prunus persica ‘Harrow Beauty’ (’04)

    Peach – Red Haven Prunus persica ‘Red Haven’ (’04)
    Peach – Saturn Prunus persica ‘Saturn’ (’04) –Raintree source

    Peach – Wild Prunus persica (’04) — Oikos source
    Pear – girdled (’03 – girdled Bosc)

    Plum – girdled (’03 – girdled Green Gage)

    Tree
    Legumes

    Honey Locust Gleditsia triacanthos

    Black Locust Robinia pseudoacacia
    ‘Millwood’ Honey Locust Gleditsia triacanthos ‘Millwood’

    Rubus

    Japanese Wineberry Rubus phoenicolasius (’03)
    Black Raspberry Rubus occidentalis (’03 & ’04)

    Red Raspberry – Heritage Rubus idaeus ‘Heritage’ (’04)

    Umberlliferae

    Dill Anethum graveolens (’03)
    Dill x Fennel hybrids … ??? (’04)
    Fennel – Bronze Foeniculum vulgare dulce ‘Rubrum’ (’03)

    Queen Anne’s Lace Daucus carota
    Tansy Tanacetum vulgare (’04)

    Vegetables
    (including volunteers)

    Broccolli Chard (volunteers)

    Daikon Radishes

    Garlic – hardneck purple skin
    Lettuce (volunteers)
    Nasturtium
    Pumpkins (’04 – grew out of the compost)
    Tomatoes – Purple Calabash, Orange Roma (’04 – volunteers)
    Tomatoes – Pink Oaxacan, Costocuoco, Jewish #1 (’04)

    Vines

    Hops – American Humulus lupus (’04)
    Morning Glory Ipomoea tricolor
    Grape – Himrod Vitis sp. (’03)
    Grape – Muscat Ottonel Vitis sp. (’03)


    Composite photo dated July 2004:

    Basically what we see here is that a ton of perennials were planted and there was manure, cardboard, and hay mulch applied around the new perennials so that they could beat the lawn grass and what not.

  • 2003

    Here is the one and only blurry photo of Bob Cook in the La Casa Garden in the Fall of 2003. Bob partnered with me (Rob Scott) to start the garden that year, with lots of help from Willow and Sarah Kanouse.

    Profile photo of the garden, summer 2003: