Got To Be NC!

It's a good thing I don't earn my paycheck as a news reporter, because this blog entry is a week overdue. 

However tardy the material, I wanted to share some photos from the Got To Be NC Agriculture Festival at the North Carolina Fairgrounds.  We spent last Sunday afternoon at the fairgrounds, enjoying the last day of the 3-day festival.  Admission to the annual event is free, although entering the Food and Wine Expo area did cost $2 each (but that's where the tasty free samples were located!).  

This festival celebrates local produce and goods from farms here in the state of North Carolina.  This area has an incredible variety of small businesses and farms than a few types of foods, wines, and other products.  The agriculture-based industries were well, although not thoroughly, represented -- for example, I didn't see a number of CSA organizations there that I know serve our area, including the co-op that has my membership.  (In all honesty, most of them were probably incredibly busy serving their customers at this time of year!)  

In any case, I guarantee that each person visiting this festival learned something new about the agricultural business in this state.

First, we stopped by the commercial exhibitor's hall.  Here we saw NC State's College of Veterinary Medicine's state-of-the-art mobile treatment center: 

We also viewed exhibits showcasing obsolete, but historically relevant, agricultural tools.  I commented to my husband that some of the pieces in this extensive exhibit could likely be found on one or both of our families' property -- and are probably considered "junk" -- but here they are on display, giving us a comprehensive window into the past:

  
One impressively large area of the hall represented wool and yarn producers.  It was, quite frankly, a crafter's dream.  Sheep, llama, and alpaca farms were selling any sort of hair-related product you could think of, from bags of unprocessed, freshly shorn fleece to brightly dyed wools.  (Forgive the blurry picture; I was trying to capture one particularly colorful wall while staying out of a determined crafter's way...)

Outside, we happened across the tractor parade.   I made sure to snap a picture or two of the Farmalls, for my dad:

This little guy was the youngest driver in the parade (he was under 10 years old) and one of the cutest things I saw all day.  He was doing a great job! 

Speaking of cute-but-capable, I was especially glad to be at the festival on Sunday, because we got to watch the sheep-herding demonstrations.  I could watch these dogs all day long; their dedication is admirable, and they are amazing at what they do. The demonstration included three different dogs, all at different training levels.  The most experienced dog kept the sheep moving steadily and seemingly required very little input from her trainer.  The youngest dog, the mostly-white dog pictured below, was a little more enthusiastic but not quite as steady -- he couldn't resist jumping in now and then to give the sheep a little "nip" of encouragement!  

The last area we visited was the Food and Wine Expo.  There, we sampled different barbecue sauces, cheeses, maple butter, blueberries (and multiple blueberry products, such as blueberry bread and blueberry juice) and, of course, wine.  The wine-tasting area was quite crowded and was obviously the most popular part of the show!  These lovely young ladies plied us with samples of wine from Stephens Winery (http://www.stephensvineyardandwinery.com); their fruit wines especially were quite delicious!  

We didn't leave the festival empty-handed; I picked up some blueberries, a bottle of peach wine, and a jar of maple butter, and my husband tasted a barbecue sauce he found he couldn't leave without. 

We definitely plan to visit next year!  The businesses represented at the festival deserve recognition for their contributions to our state's economy and for the home-grown choices they provide us.

Update: The Nest is Occupied!

Just a quick update on the nest underneath the mailbox:  It appears that we have tenants!  When I walked to the mailbox yesterday, an Eastern bluebird flew out of the nest, right past me.  It appears s/he was as startled as I was!  

I am excited about the possibility of baby bluebirds, and hopeful that their nest is successful, at least for this cycle.  Thankfully, we don't have a newspaper delivered to our home, so the birds will have the space to themselves.  However, that doesn't mean that they aren't incredibly vulnerable in their chosen location.  In truth, I'm a little worried, now that I know that they are trying to remain in this nest.  I need to look into installing a couple of bluebird nesting boxes, to give them an alternative to their current roadside hotel.  Bluebirds are endangered, and their nests, which they prefer to build in open, non-forested areas, are prime targets for predators.

Next blog update:  Pictures from the Got To Be NC Agricultural Festival!  The mister of the house and I visited the festival last Sunday at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds.  I took several pictures and I'll soon post an entry detailing the demonstrations we watched and the excellent NC-grown food we sampled.
 


Eastern Bluebird
Courtesy of http://www.animal.discovery.com/



Fortitude

This lone miniature rose grows in front of my house, blooming brightly pink and showing its strength off to the world.  This particular rose is a little unusual, because I'm surprised it's here at all. 

All six of my miniature rose bushes arrived last June as bushy, healthy plants with a minimum of four or five stalks each.  Five of the miniature rose bushes grew rapidly, nearly tripling in size during the summer, and bloomed profusely, well into November.  This little gal, however, had a rough time of it.

This rose bush is tucked into a corner, underneath a large holly bush and immediately next to a row of azaleas, and it's behind two of the other rose bushes.  Therefore, it doesn't receive quite as much sunlight as the other roses and was probably always destined to be smaller than the others, even in the healthiest growing conditions.

However, the biggest source of its problems was my well-meaning but inept garden "helper" -- my cattle dog/ husky mix, Tucker.  He loves to participate in everything I do in the yard, and he frequently returns alone to any area within the limits of his underground fence perimeter where I've been working, to continue his perceived tasks.  Still a puppy when I planted my roses, he was particularly hard on this little plant last year.  First, he wasn't sure that the planting was finished, so he dug out a few holes next to it, just in case I needed them.  Then, feeling exhausted with all of his efforts, he laid down on this particular plant, snapping off multiple branches and even a couple of the core stalks of the plant.  He seemed a little fascinated with this one rose bush. I found him resting next to or on this plant, a thorny branch tangled in his fur, more than once last summer.  Later in the year, when he had finally acquired some one-legged skills to do his outside business, I caught him practicing his new art directly over this specific plant. 

One would think this plant has no reason to continue to grow here.  It does not have the same sunlight advantage the other roses have.  A four-legged creature appears bent on killing it with attention.

Yet, it grows. And blooms.  And blooms more. And more! It returned this spring stronger than ever, even with just one healthy stalk. The blossoms are just as showy as those on the other plants. Its spirit is clearly undaunted. 

Looking at this stalwart little lady, I'm reminded of the people in my life who are facing incredible challenges right now.  We all have struggles -- it's just part of being alive on this planet -- but, at times, a few of us encounter circumstances that will significantly change who we are as human beings.  These people I know -- friends and family members alike -- are not backing down from their challenges; they're not shrinking into a corner and giving up.  They persevere, feeling the blows of disappointment, the darkness of grief, the isolation of heartache.  Such experiences are breaking them, changing their perspectives, their relationships, and their very futures. It's an undesired pruning, certainly, but they stand steadfast, inspiring those nearby with their character and fortitude. 

Each time I water this rose, I say a little prayer for those particular people in my life.  I pray that they will receive the strength to keep enduring, and that they, too, will soon begin to blossom brightly again.    

We've Got... Mail?

After last week's carpenter bee discovery, my husband found yet another nesting site on our property.

However, it's still unclear whether or not the expecting parents are still using their new home, or if they've moved on to another site.  I have not seen birds in this nest yet; however, our bird feeder is in the back yard, so I do not watch birds much in our front yard.  However, I'm trying to leave the mailbox alone as much as possible, just in case they are nearby.  


The nest certainly surprised my neighbor, who stopped by to drop off her latest batch of used Mason jars (she knows I will re-use them for canning later this year).  She usually leaves them underneath the mailbox, but found it was currently occupied. Last month, when strongs storms and tornados raced through the area, she found two small unbroken bird eggs in her yard that had been blown from their nest.  She brought them to me, and we wondered what to do with them.  We felt a little sad, especially because the eggs had survived the storm and were perfectly shaped and unbroken.  However, they had been out of the nest for several hours, exposed to the weather, so I knew there was nothing we could do.  I placed them in my flower garden, and they were gone two days later. 


I still have to pick up my mail every day, but I'll wait a few more weeks before touching this little cubbyhole.  Perhaps a young and inexperienced pair created this nest, unaware that USPS still delivers 6 days a week, and they will move on to a site with a little less traffic!    

Bed, Buzz and Breakfast

I saw the evidence when I was watering my herb pots on the front porch.  We have unwanted guests.  They seem to appear every spring, but this year, it looks as though they called some relatives.  

Sure enough, as I got closer and examined the porch railing, I found the first clear sign that our “friends” are making themselves at home.

I kept looking, and found a couple of additional guest quarters.  It appears that our front porch is being turned into a nursery of a different kind.

For those who don’t recognize what those symmetric round holes represent, we are playing host to carpenter bees.

Carpenter bees are quite large and they are similar to a bumblebee.  However, bumblebees have a “furry” abdomen with more yellow on it and carpenter bees have a shiny black abdomen. And, to state the obvious, bumblebees don’t drill their way into your home, while carpenter bees don’t hesitate to nest in any convenient piece of untreated wood.  Male carpenter bees tend to stay near the nest and will “buzz” over and dart at any creature coming near it.  At our house, our dogs have been the target of these protective males, but they are guardians on their own right, and will leap into the air to try to snatch the bee in mid-flight. 

Logically, I can understand why the bees are here.  We have several large holly bushes that flower each spring, attracting swarms of different types of bees.  In fact, during a few days in mid-spring, I tend to give those bushes a wide berth and primarily use our back door, because the holly bushes in the front are loudly droning and humming with activity.

Also, both our front and back porch badly need fresh coats of paint.  We bought our home as a foreclosure, and it’s obvious the only coat of paint the porch ever had was one quick (and partial) job done several years ago, probably immediately after the house was built.  We stained the floors of both porches and our deck after we moved in, but the white porch railing needs attention as well.  The neglected wood, just feet (and in a few cases, inches) away from the holly bushes provides a perfect nesting place for carpenter bees.  I also have learned that the bees overwinter in their nests, and next generation bees often return to their original nesting area.*

Carpenter bees, nuisance that they are, do act as pollinators.  They aid in pollinating eggplant, tomato, and other vegetables and flowers.*  Pollinators have been declining in recent years, and their disappearance poses a true threat to agriculture everywhere.

The recommended treatment for the bees is spreading pesticide dust around the entrance of the hole.  That way, the bees entering the nest spread the dust into the nest, which is usually located in the length of the wood next to the hole.  The dust then kills the bee and any other bees and larvae it comes into contact with.

I am not inclined to follow these treatment guidelines for three reasons:  1) carpenter bees are not particularly aggressive, as the males are incapable of stinging and the females rarely sting** 2) I don’t have any interest in killing things that may help my garden, and 3) I’m not excited about the prospect of spreading poison near my home if it’s not absolutely necessary.

Instead, we’ll just do what we have needed to do for the last couple of years anyway:  paint the front and side porch railings and posts.  We’ll plug the holes before we do so, and then paint over them.  I also have discovered a product called NBS that can be added to paint and can act as a bee repellant (but not a bee killer), and I may use that as well. 

In return for taking away our bee hotel, I plan to leave some untreated wood in the thicket on our property, across the driveway from the holly bushes, to provide some alternative nesting sites for the bees in future years.  We have leftover, worn wood from an old fence we tore down after we moved in, which we haven’t done anything with.  I’ll just leave it out there and keep it far away from any structure (so we don’t attract termites).  I’m not ashamed to admit that I rather admire the carpenter bee.  The holes they drill to create their nests are perfectly round, as though made with a precise mechanical drill rather than the jaws of a small insect.  They pose no threat to humans, and attempt to scare rather than sting.  They re-use their nests, and they pollinate plants that produce flowers we enjoy and food we eat.  I’d rather work with these nuisances than against them.  In fact, I hope to see them again next spring when the holly bushes bloom, gathering nectar and feeding their families and mine for another year.

*http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/carpenter_bees.shtml

**http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/pdf/2074.pdf

Wist-ful Thinking

Here in central North Carolina, the wisteria flowers have largely bloomed and faded already.  However, my little wisteria plant, planted last fall, is just now opening its small blossoms to the sun.

I've always loved seeing the purple, fragrant spring blossoms, but it wasn't until recently that I realized wisteria generate some level of controvery among gardeners and landscapers.  Wisteria is a vine, and therefore, by its very nature, requires another structure to allow it to grow and spread.  In our neat and tenderly fostered flower gardens, that structure is often an arbor or a fence.  In other areas of nature, the structure is often comprised of trees and other plants, which the wisteria will often choke and smother during its ambitious climb upward and outward.  Those who grow wisteria in a garden quickly see its many tendrils reaching for a target, and must train it, through periodic trimming, to grow on the intended arbor or decorative support.  Otherwise, any trees or large plants near the wisteria will find the viny fingers wrapping around them before long.  In fact, wisteria is generally considered an invasive species, and sometimes neighbors of well-meaning floral gardeners find themselves fending off an adventurous wisteria plant placed too close to a property line. 

The most familiar, and also the most invasive, types of wisteria are the Asian varieties, such as gorgeous and fragrant Chinese wisteria (wisteria sinensis).  However, for those willing to compromise the traditional idea of wisteria for a little practicality, options are available.

When selecting my wisteria plant, I chose one Asian variety commonly known as evergreen wisteria (milletia reticulata), and an American wisteria variety (wisteria frutescens), pictured above.  The evergreen wisteria has darker leaves which last through the winter in the hot and humid climates (zone 9 and warmer), and blooms in late summer/ early fall.  The American wisteria appears very similar to the Chinese wisteria, but is much slower-growing, blooms at a slightly different time, has smaller flowers, and is not fragrant.  My strategic idea at the time, which (disclaimer!) has not yet been clearly verified as a wise one, was to enjoy wisteria more than just once a year, and to invest in plants that would not become a neighborhood menace if I had to leave them unattended for a season.  I also didn't want to spend all year fussing over the plants in order to get them to grow, and my local nursery owner assured me that, although they wouldn't grow with the ferocity of the Chinese wisteria, they would thrive with just a little basic care.  To this point, my observations prove she is correct.  

The American wisteria is blooming now, and I love seeing it when I drive into my yard every day.  It's home is a bit rickety, as the arbor that supports it took a beating in the tornadic activity a few weeks ago, and we haven't had time to stabilize it, but that hasn't daunted its strong little spirit.  It stands a gardener's testament to the statement: all things, in moderation. 

Back from Zone 3!

I'm back from my sojourn into Zone 3... I traveled to Minnesota over the Easter holiday to spend some time with family.  On my last day there, the weather gave me a white, fluffy send-off... a fresh blanket of snow!  This photo also showcases some of the pine trees of the area, including the red (Norway) pine, Minnesota's state tree, in the upper left corner.  Pines remain one of my favorite trees, in part because I feel these particular large, sturdy, enduring Norway pines practically watched me grow up!

Gardening in this northern area poses such a tremendous challenge.  Of course, great challenges do yield great rewards, and gardeners in zone 3 persevere to put their green thumbs to work in this harsh environment.  They produce a surprising variety of vegetables and nurture several types of decorative perennials.  Later this season, I will feature my father's almost-famous "pump-zini" hybrids and other delicacies from his Zone 3 garden.

After my return to Zone 7, I replanted my vegetable garden beds to remedy the damage from the storms a couple of weeks ago, and I added 11 tomato plants, purchased from a locally owned nursery.  I'll post information soon regarding my choice(s) in tomato variety.   My priority this year is growing tomatoes for canning.

Lastly, I noticed that, in my absence, the weather here provided excellent growing conditions... and the weeds took full advantage!  I'll be spending the next few days trying to uncover my butterfly bushes (planted and cut back last year), and determine what should replace last year's annuals in the more shady, now-weed-covered area of the flower bed.  (I keep gravitating toward creeping phlox... I'm fighting it but it's likely I'll give in...) Stay tuned!