A Great Horned Owl Moves Into the Garden

This Spring, we added a new shade structure to the East side of the back garden. We built it out of Restoration Juniper landscape timbers from Sustainable Northwest Wood and topped it with an old metal propagation table. We installed a quarter-minus gravel patio underneath the structure. And I was finally able to use the free adirondack chairs that I had found on the side of the road and had been storing in the garage. My Pirate built a table to connect the two chairs and we refinished them with a coat of lime paint. The total project cost less than $300. 

the back garden on a June morning

I was thrilled with how our new project turned out. And we used the space, until someone new moved into the garden and started making a mess.

Come take a seat.

Or not.

An owl pellet hanging on the propagation table roof with fur and bones sticking out of it.

In July, owl pellets and whitewash rained down on our new shade structure. We felt like targets sitting in the chairs, so we abandoned the space and hoped that the owl would move on. Listening to owl calls, I learned that a Great Horned Owl had joined us. I've heard them in the backyard for years. I'm really happy to have a new resident that likes to eat moles and rodents.

Owl art 

                                          Part of the view from the shade structure in August

During my research, I found an educational owl pellet video and started singing the little ditty to My Pirate. He wasn't impressed, but maybe you'll enjoy it and sing along.

Here's a Great Horned Owl calling out. I love listening to them.  

So, next spring we're going to add a galvanized steel roof to the shade structure that will match our main pergola. In all of my planning, I never considered an owl moving in right about the structure and turning us into targets for whitewash and owl pellets. Gardening is an adventure that never fails to entertain and amuse me.

What critters live in your garden?

                                          looking East through the pergola in August

Wednesday Vignette: Autumn Leaves

On sunny autumn days, the back garden shimmers with gold. I love watching the sunlight filter through the layers and colors of the canopy. The garden spiders are continuing to hunt. And I'm already making plans for next year's garden. 

Spider on a Coral Bark Japanese Maple

Don't forget to go visit Anna at Flutter and Hum to see her weekly vignette and everyone else participating in the midweek fun!

Wednesday Vignette: Teamwork

A couple of weeks ago, My Pirate surprised me by asking for a Mahonia media 'Underway' to fill a gap in our back garden. I raced over to Yard 'n Garden Land to purchase one for him. I smiled to myself as he kept moving it back and forth trying to find the perfect place before he planted it.

A week later, he hollered over his shoulder as he stepped out the back door that he was going to go plant 'his' plant. Barnaby assisted him while I snuck a couple of quick pictures of them on my phone.

Barnaby double checked the hole depth and sampled the water.

Then they relaxed with me on the patio.  It's important to take time to enjoy the garden. Don't you agree?

Go see the rest of the Wednesday Vignettes at my friend Anna's blog, Flutter and Hum!

Wednesday Vignette: Alice Oakleaf Hydrangea Blooms

Alice Oakleaf Hydrangea blooms, Hydrangea quercifolia 'Alice'

I love looking at the morning and evening light filter through the spent hydrangea blooms. I almost didn't have any this year. My sweet Pirate went out and deadheaded and pruned one hydrangea to impress me with his gardening finesse while I was out on a bug hunt with an entomologist. I came home just in time to stop him from pruning the other two. He was surprised to hear that I like those dried up ol' things. Perhaps this shot can change his mind. Anything is possible, right? 

Don't forget to go visit Flutter and Hum. 

Fall Clean Up

Last night, I taught my first community education gardening class, Preparing Your Garden for Winter, at Clark College's new Columbia Tech Center campus. I met a lovely mix of gardeners: a first time gardener that lives in my neighborhood, fellow Master Gardeners, and several gardeners that I've met when presenting at the Camas Library. We shared our experiences, laughed, and learned from each other. It was a fun two hours. 

Princess Victory Louise Oriental Poppy seedhead

I told the class how my family prepared their gardens for winter when I was a child.

My grandparents would rip out their massive vegetable garden and pile it up beside the chipper. And then my Grandpa would drink beer and run the garden through the chipper back into the empty garden. My Grandma always sent me back inside to smack filberts with a hammer to keep me out of the way. I'm guessing that my Grandpa had a little too much fun with the chipper and his beer.

Now, I loved my Mom's method of fall clean up. She would build a giant bonfire in the center of the vegetable garden. (Yes, gasoline was involved in starting the blaze.) My dad would sit in a lawn chair with the garden hose in hand, just in case. The neighborhood kids would dance around the fire and we'd roast hot dogs and marshmallows for dinner. I'd go to bed with soot in my hair, a full belly and dirty feet. I loved fall cleanup. 

At the end of the class, I realized that my basic lesson wasn't about cleaning up the garden at all, which is what someone would expect. I encouraged the class to get a soil test, edit their gardens, move plants around, shop for more plants, and to go shop the garden container sales. Fall is a fun, busy, and creative time in the garden. 

Next week, we're going to divide a few plants, talk about seeds, sharpen our shovels and run through our November chore list. I'm looking forward to it.  

a fading Japanese Anemone blooom

There is still time to come join my Early Bird Plan for Next Year's Veggie Garden class starting on November 9th.  Details are here. 

So, what advice would you give to a class about fall gardening? I'd love to hear it!