garden update

The African blue basil began to wither and two of the smaller stems died, leaving the few larger and thicker stems.  I brought it inside and I now have it under the plant light with the onion and morning glory flowers.  The basil is edible I discovered and is responding strongly to the artificial plant light, and looks as if it may prosper indoors The low temperature in Biloxi will remain in the low 50s for a week, yet I’m wondering how long until colder air comes in and challenges the outdoor plants?  I found a good link about this specific basil plant that I found informative.  I’m also going to plant seedlings indoors tomorrow of the seeds I got from Johnny’s Seeds (thanks to Harold Roth of herbalwitchcraft.com/blog) and those include red onion, squash and something else, I’ll post tomorrow on those!

mushrooms on logs (polyspores)

 

 

fungi, forest and mushrooms

I think some of these mushrooms are polypores…

 

more mushrooms

More mysterious mushrooms…

 

mushrooms, moss

I went camping in DeSoto National Forest this weekend.  I’m a novice mushroom explorer/learner and I’m just getting into photographing them.  I enjoyed hiking today a lot.  I’m trying to figure out what species of mushroom these are so I can get an idea of what Mississippi likes to grow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

mimosa tree, unknowns

Anyone know what these are?  It’s puzzling me.  Drop me an email if u know.  At the bottom, is the newly sprouted mimosa tree I found in the back yard underneath its parent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

essential oils

I got some lavender and some Amaryllis which is in the form of a petite fleur essence.  I’ve been using the Amaryllis and at first I didn’t notice much of a difference but it’s a subtle thing that packs a real punch later on in terms of relieving anxiety or frittering away of mental energies which I’ve had a problem with recently.  The lavender smells so wonderful and I highly recommend Dr. Griffin for buying oils.  I saw her on Wisdom TV years ago and she is a unique lady who talks to plants and has established a connection with the plant life.  I think all people can establish this connection and it’s a great thing!  Her site is aromahealthtx.com.   I think the bird photo is so cool, it’s in my front yard on a fixture.

 

cacti

There are 3 separate cacti here, in order from left to right as pictured:   Aloe ferox “Fierce Aloe,” Aloe zanzibarica and thirdly Echeveria Perle von Nurnberg.     The Echeveria is a hybrid of E. gibbiflora v. metallica and E. potosina.   The first two species are apparently endangered according to Wikipedia.  Interesting that I recently bought them at Home Depot or Lowe’s.

 

satsuma tree

This is a brown select Satsuma, Citrus Reticulata.  It needs full sun and it’s outside in a large pot.  It has a metal stake to help it grow straight so I’m hoping it’ll do well.  We may get quite a bit of rain Tues/Wed from a tropical system coming into the Gulf of Mexico.   Satsuma trees prosper in this area so looking forward to some juicy satsumas!

 

 

Fittonia and Purple Waffle

Fittonia “Black Star” (Fittonia argyroneura) and the purple waffle (Hemigraphis alternata) are both staying indoors as they both just need indirect light.

The purple waffle needs a lot of water and it grows fast, so I may end up repotting it soon.  The Fittonia only needs moderate water and it also grows fast.  I can plant some new herbs in these pots when they outgrow them.  I’m setting up an indoor herb garden in the next 2 weeks.

purple waffle

 

Fittonia "Black Star"