The 2019 Garden, Landscape, and Other Stuff Thread...

[22-rimfire]

A couple shots from 5-14-19 visit to the Smoky Mt NP. The cub is very tiny. The larger bear appears to be a yearling or in other words last year's cub that is on it's own now. The cub is one of three that was with the mother bear.

 

[22-rimfire]

Here, some of the wild grasses (pooped by moose ) are topping 20" or so ... loving the rain. In some ways I am benefitting too. The sod when wet is far easier to slice. Opening up two rockeries here - s l o w l y - only as I am able. See circled in red on pic of maple below.

'High' rockery - 10 bee balm plugs (Jacob Cline - stunning red perennial) are just planted. Over a few years they will completely fill it, visible to the upper yard and to the road.

'Low' rockery will have one favourite, portulaca, and the ever dependable geraniums for colour this year. Thinking perennials for down the road.

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OK - It's official. I've finally turned into my grandparents; guarding my birdfeeders from critters with a garden hose

22-rimfire Thought you should know. Note the X marking the jay ... two of them have cracked the small bird feeders. It was likely my mistake to hang the suet for the woodpeckers above the feeders bringing them close.

The other two changes I've made are 1) to move the area where I cast the birdseed every morning and 2) to reduce the feed to lessen the dependence on it gradually until fall. I moved it across the lane from the front lawn ... then further and further down the side of the laneway to take the marauders (squirrels, jays, grackles) away from my front lawn oasis (in the making). Now I've got the wild turkeys again ... but very skittish so not a problem.

In retrospect, half the battle with marauders is diverting them to 'easy' food supplied away from the small bird feeders.

It's funny - the definition of marauder to me includes only those critters that frighten the small birds away. There are large birds like the hairy woodpecker and rose-breasted grosbeaks that share well at the feeders.

Jays share with nobody and scare everybody except their predators.

What are the shapes circled in red. For some reason, I suspect they are turkey's? Turkeys should be mating or just finished. I assume the further north you go, the later their active spring mating period?

Is the term "rockery" your term?

I think we all turn into our parents eventually.

 

[taldesta]

We don't have many Blue Jays here at the house. The pain in the butt birds are Mockingbirds. They are very aggressive. Have some little sparrow type bird that I will have to look up setting up residence in one of my un-used blue bird boxes. This one has a little white deal behind it's head and about the size of a wren.

Here is a shot of my container tomatoes that are beginning to get ripe now. The variety is called "Patio Tomato" so the tag said. Fruit size is small to medium or about 2 inches in diameter, maybe a bit larger.
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The birds seem to moderate their feeder interest in the warmer months in favor of natural food IF it is available. I will continue to feed all summer long but the activity level by birds has not been significant of late.

Wow! Tomatoes already ripening ... It's still a little cool here for gardens to be really taking off, but we're on the brink. Right this minute I see a male hummer snacking on the blossoms on the black currents planted last spring.

 

[taldesta]

What are the shapes circled in red. For some reason, I suspect they are turkey's? Turkeys should be mating or just finished. I assume the further north you go, the later their active spring mating period?

Is the term "rockery" your term?

I think we all turn into our parents eventually.

Sorry, my post was not clear - the red circles show the location of the two pictured 'soon to be' rock gardens. Rockery - kind of a term that applies to a garden with mostly rock rather than a garden of mostly earth with rocks in it, yet interchangeable.

I don't think it is only my term alone - but perhaps I picked it up from my grandparents

Great shots of the two bears!

 

[22-rimfire]

Your post was clear, but I guess I simply didn't accept it for what it was. I have been disappointed with my bear photos this spring overall. Maybe it is because I have been getting less aggressive with the picture taking or impatient. You have to set an example in terms of behavior inside the park relative to bears. Of course on occasion, one gets a bit close, but overall the distance has been increasing and hence my pictures aren't as good. I guess I need to buy a larger lens for this kind of thing. But I really don't want to.

Most of the time when you see the black bears, it is at distance and often there is so much clutter to make the picture poor overall. I only made two trips to the park in May which is when you see the small cubs with the mother bears. A bit later, the cubs will be starting to eat on their own rather than just hanging around for mama bear to eat and then tend to their needs. I am expecting a very strong acorn crop this year since there were no frosts when the trees went into bloom. Last year was a bust for oaks and acorns inside the park. They provide a lot of food for the deer and black bears.

 

[taldesta]

I used to carry a 200 mm among all the interchangeable lenses with my Nikomat and it seemed that capturing it all, getting the absolute best of everything ... sort of drew pleasure from the actual moment. Also had a Bushnell that I could attach to this same camera.

Now, with digital and in another space in life, I am happy with a zoom and more automation. Sometimes I just observe - no pic - finally let the urgency to capture it all go except on rare occasion. Heck, a lot of my favourite pictures now are through the dogs' nose prints on the window. I do miss the 'depth of field' preview button though.

And the bear photos - plenty close enough, especially to the little guy ...

 

[22-rimfire]

I used to carry a 200 mm among all the interchangeable lenses with my Nikomat and it seemed that capturing it all, getting the absolute best of everything ... sort of drew pleasure from the actual moment. Also had a Bushnell that I could attach to this same camera.

Now, with digital and in another space in life, I am happy with a zoom and more automation. Sometimes I just observe - no pic - finally let the urgency to capture it all go except on rare occasion. Heck, a lot of my favorite pictures now are through the dogs' nose prints on the window. I do miss the 'depth of field' preview button though.

And the bear photos - plenty close enough, especially to the little guy ...

Back in the 35mm film days, a relatively fast 80-200 f2.8 lens dominated my picture taking. I had micro (Nikon terminology) lenses for closeups and so forth. My 300mm f5.6 lens was one of my least used lenses. These days, my 300mm lens is one of my most used lenses along with the short zooms that come with the DSLR camera now. I also have a 200mm zoom that is a bit faster. But I lust for something in the 500-600mm range now. There is a depth of field preview on some DSLR models as well as a exposure hold button. I used the depth of field preview a great deal back in the day. Now, with things being digital, it is just snap snap snap and then delete delete delete after the fact. Nothing has really changed for the most part in terms of exposure mechanics. Things are just digital now. Resolution is increasing, but at a price.

 

[22-rimfire]

The mother bear generally feeds on the ground and the cubs climb a tree... up and down.... up and down.... just like you would expect kittens or puppies to play.

 

[Rose and Thistle Custom]

I mostly used a 70mm Nikkor had great depth of field and took some truly amazing shots for me. One of my very best was in Russia, a guy touching bullet holes in the side of a church where a bunch of people were executed, was a very powerful shot. Don't miss the cost of film and developing though.
My columbine and iris (dwarf siberian) are about to bloom and the strawberries have a couple flowers.

 

[LEGION 12]

 

[taldesta]

Blossoms already on the tomato plants ... looks like a heavy crop in the making

 

[taldesta]

... in the 500-600mm.

I gather that you would appreciate the best lens out there and wonder do you consider a compromise of a lesser one just to broach the distance for the present? Enlargements, of course, require the best resolution. Finding that I just don't print much over 8x10 (and now I have no wall space left), I can go easy on the expectation of my images. This wasn't always the case when I was shooting slow slide film and going big on prints. Agreeing with @Rose and Thistle about the expense of film, slide and prints! Also I don't miss carting a tripod most times

 

[taldesta]

Temp overnight on Tuesday was just under 34F with frost warning. This weekend the forecast is calling for 84F daytime. The heat is not my ideal weather but the gardens should respond well.

Black current planted last spring is blossoming nicely



Ruby Slipper coleus is one of the few live plants bought this year to brighten the 'porch' - still need portulaca. It looks like, on the 'porch', I will be going with the canopy and scarlet runner pole beans for shade again this year.



Busby's bath is well attended under the maple tree ... but not by hummingbirds.



Perennials: 10 bee balm plugs, purple coneflower and Cheyenne Spirit Echinacea seeds are in as this rock garden is excavated to its past size or larger ... then it is just a matter of trimming to stop weed seeds from dropping in and then light maintenance. Lots of tall colour - with any luck!



Progress two days ago. I am uncertain if the seeds will bloom first year, but I am already looking forward to the before and after of this neglected weed patch. I am turning over chunks of the Canadian Shield with every shovel full - starting a quarry it seems.

 

[22-rimfire]

I gather that you would appreciate the best lens out there and wonder do you consider a compromise of a lesser one just to broach the distance for the present? Enlargements, of course, require the best resolution. Finding that I just don't print much over 8x10 (and now I have no wall space left), I can go easy on the expectation of my images. This wasn't always the case when I was shooting slow slide film and going big on prints. Agreeing with @Rose and Thistle about the expense of film, slide and prints! Also I don't miss carting a tripod most times

I guess we all want the best. The best is not always practical. I seldom print or have printed any photo any more. For display purposes, I have a digital photo frame thing that can cycle through a lot of pictures that are stored in memory. This is something I bought my wife as a birthday gift where I can download a lot of her family photos to it and display. I probably will get another for display of my better photos (scenics, plants, wild life mostly). I dislike having pictures scattered all over shelves, stands, walls, and so forth inside the house. On the walls, for the most part, everything is "art" (generally water colors) that are framed and I have a lot of prints that are not framed. Just no room for them plus framing is expensive. For a number of years, I was very "into" a couple of artist's work. Can't really afford that any more and that desire has left me. I have a few of my enlargements framed from years past on walls. It is just not something I do anymore and just look at them on my computer.

You can always crop photos that should be better composed or not quite close enough for the subject on the image. Wildlife at distance is great with binoculars, but not so great with camera and lens to get anything that is particularly memorable in most cases. I do spend a fair amount of time just watching wildlife with binoculars versus taking pictures. Over time, you learn that some things don't really work very well on "film".

Large lenses are expensive for DSLR cameras. I use Sony stuff versus Nikon or Cannon, so the choices are more limited as well regardless of cost. I carry a tripod a great deal when I am out taking pictures. I feel it's the only practical way to get sharp pictures at normal shutter speeds or ISO. I can control the camera movement, but I can't control movement by wildlife or the wind blowing. Things seem to be always in motion to some degree. Hence you have to take your pictures quickly and for me review them later. I discard the ones that I see movement (subject blur), or have a focus point that does not work. Like thinning vegies in the garden, you become more aggressive with time.

I think we all go through interest cycles. Things that were important to us years ago may not be as important any more. In that regard, bound books come to mind... just don't want all the clutter any more and quite satisfied with a Kindle or kindle app on a tablet for reading these days.

 

[LEGION 12]

Raised bed is finally drying out .

 

[LEGION 12]

Shallots .

 

[22-rimfire]

Looks good Legion. Part of the reason for raised beds is to get good drainage. You're store bought soil should drain very well, especially in a raised bed. Are those squash in the first picture along with the peppers?

I have never grown shallots. Do you use them exclusively for cooking? Does the single plant develop many bulbs or what you plant is what your get?

A while back someone mentioned that they think a bit of shade is a good thing for peppers. I notice that the ones placed in more shade (limited direct sun exposure) have been growing and developing better than the ones planted in the regular garden. Guess that is the beauty of container grown things; you can move them as long as they aren't too large.

 

[LEGION 12]

Looks good Legion. Part of the reason for raised beds is to get good drainage. You're store bought soil should drain very well, especially in a raised bed. Are those squash in the first picture along with the peppers?

A while back someone mentioned that they think a bit of shade is a good thing for peppers. I notice that the ones placed in more shade (limited direct sun exposure) have been growing and developing better than the ones planted in the regular garden. Guess that is the beauty of container grown things; you can move them as long as they aren't too large.

Zucchini , eggplant in the middle I have to say all the rain we have been getting may have been to much for them .

 

[22-rimfire]

Zucchini , eggplant in the middle I have to say all the rain we have been getting may have been to much for them .

I added a question about Shallots above in an edit. I have one "hill" of zucchini which are developing squash now and a hill of the yellow crooked neck squash that are smaller and less aggressive on space requirements.

Grew eggplant years ago and it seemed like nobody in the family wanted to eat them.

 

[LEGION 12]

Looks like we will get 4 or 5 shallots per bulb we planted , never grew it before myself have to look up some recipes soon . I do know they are expensive here .