Tag Archives: staghorn

Something New from the Garden

11 Jan

Our garden is full of plants and edibles. But I have to admit I am not the green fingers person managing our garden. It was only during the lockdown phases the last two years that I learned to appreciate it. I can identify Creeping Charlies and unwanted weeds and even made an effort to plant vegetables for our consumption.

You can find the usual air plants, stag horns, and bromeliads that hubby has besides some other plants, small trees, shrubs, and the one big frangipani tree that we love very much. Then there are the edibles like chili, curry leaves, fruits, herbs, and some vegetables spread out here and there. The space is balanced between plants to appreciate and food to eat to be sustainable.

When M1 came home last year, she brought back some corn seeds, glass gem corn, to be precise. At that point, we were not sure whether the corn could grow in our environment. Hubby, being the green fingers maestro, tried. After almost five months, he has successfully grown some glass gem corn! Wow.

Glass gem corn from our garden!

It does not matter that they are small and puny in size upon harvest. The fact that the species can grow in humid and wet conditions is good enough. Both corns are not as colorful compared to what we see on the internet. Nonetheless, they are very pretty looking, and we are most pleased with this new thing from our garden.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bird Tales, Part 2

15 Mar

The battle with the pesky woodpecker continued for several days. In the end, we humans won. How did we do it?

There were no more new holes in the staghorn ferns, but there was a show of who is more superior. Every time hubby stuffed the opening with garden refuse – the bird would somehow remove all the stuffing! One evening, we discovered torn newspapers on the ground when we came home. How clever the pesky woodpecker.

The mess made by the woodpecker

After that episode, hubby decided to spray water-based repellant on top of organic vinegar, and this double dose only worked for a short period. The woodpecker was very determined. Hubby deducted it must be pregnant and ready to lay eggs, hence the urgency to make a home. Otherwise, how do we explain the persistency?

So we changed tactics and upped our defense. Hubby decided to stuff the hole with eggshells, recycled from his baking! We figured if newspaper pieces, leaves, and twigs can’t do it, perhaps something sharp and more potent as a stronger yet natural deterrent. The eggshells will provide nutrients for the plant and, at the same time, prevent the woodpecker from causing more damage.

Eggshells are a good deterrent

It was not easy to stuff the eggshells upwards, but they held. After several days, this latest effort proved to be successful! The pesky woodpecker has not been heard or seen. Perhaps it found another site to make its home and lay her eggs. Well, wherever it is, we hope it won’t come around to our garden and spoil hubby’s prized staghorn ferns in the future.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Bird Tales

8 Mar

The pesky woodpecker is certainly pesky. It tried to make another hole in the staghorn fern! Grr. Hubby sprayed organic vinegar to protect his prized staghorn, and it seemed to work, but only for a day; there are no more damages to the fern.

The next day, hubby awoke to the evil screech of the woodpecker. He jumped out of bed and went out to check on his staghorn. Two staghorn ferns are now damaged! Damn, this woodpecker is persistent. A new hole in the first staghorn, making it three holes now. And two holes in the other staghorn. Ooh, hubby is very upset.

The damages on two staghorn ferns

He stuffed the latest hole of the first staghorn with garden refuse again. The holes on the second fern were not too deep, so he left it as is. What must it take to protect the staghorn ferns? Hubby must not sit on his laurels and will have to reinforce the protection. The pesky woodpecker must be discouraged at all cost!

On a brighter note on bird tales, the rescued baby bird is doing fine. We were updated on its well-being over the weekend by the attendant who adopted the little bird. It is eating well and growing stronger every day. That is good news indeed, especially after our other horrid bird encounter.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Pesky Woodpecker is Back!

2 Mar

Hubby discovered a new problem on his prized staghorn fern in the front garden. The pesky woodpecker is back! It seems that Sunday was a day of bird stories. After our golf game and the little bird rescue, we got home, and hubby did his usual routine – watering the plants in the front garden. When he looked up to spray the staghorn, he saw two holes on the shield frond! He was not pleased. This time, the pesky woodpecker made two holes instead of one. Hrmph.

Top: The staghorn looks like Baby Groot with the two holes! Bottom: We’re stuffing your efforts, you varmint!

The next morning, he heard the noisy woodpecker and decided to do something to deter the pest. He stuffed the holes with twigs, leaves, and whatever garden refuse he could find. Later, when we were getting ready to leave the house for the office, we heard the woodpecker’s screeches. It was almost evil sounding as it was angry to discover the holes plugged.

We managed to see the small and feisty brown feathered pesky culprit, but I was not quick enough to take a picture. I can assure you it’s not the same bird as the previous one, although it is the same species, the Rufous Woodpecker. With the holes plugged, I hope it won’t attempt to make another hole! We have to monitor the situation. If it turns for the worse, hubby will do whatever necessary to protect his staghorn fern. We do not welcome woodpeckers in our garden.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

A Makeover

28 Jul
Chop… chop… and the grass below are no longer shaded!

The two trees in the front garden of the house were pruned a few days ago, together with all the other big trees along our road. Hubby had requested the contractor to do the honors as the trees were getting too tall for his reach.

And in order for them to get the job done, hubby had to remove several of his prized staghorn ferns as a precautionary measure, in case the pruned branches accidentally fell on the ferns and damaged them. Luckily no mishaps occurred.

The ugly gaping hole

But one fern has been permanently damaged by the darn woodpecker, some time back in February. The gaping hole is such a heartache to look at. We don’t think the woodpecker will return to it anymore as it’s rather damaged and unlivable, and most unlikely to provide any comfort. So hubby intends to nurture the fern to a more presentable shape before putting it back on the pruned tree.

Tags: , , , ,

What a Nasty Woodpecker

24 Apr

Hubby is not pleased. The woodpecker squatting in the staghorn fern in front of the house has certainly made itself unwelcomed. He attacked another staghorn fern to make another home!

The first home in the staghorn must have become unsuitable or unlivable because of the peeling and holes in the shield fronds. So the Rufous Woodpecker must have decided to relocate.

The first home, riddled with holes and peeling

The second staghorn is a beautiful lush and dense pride of hubby’s, and the nasty woodpecker helped himself to it to make a second home. And in the process, damaged the beautiful plant. Grr…

The damage to the second staghorn

Hubby then decided to put a stop literally to this by plugging the entrance of the second hole on the staghorn with a stalk of cut-off plant. Let’s hope this works. We will have to monitor.

Putting a stop literally to the damage

Tags: , , , , ,

Change in Pattern, Part 2

20 Feb

My hopes for a six hours drive home yesterday was not to be as my estimates were way off! The drive home was just super duper long.

It started out smoothly but only for awhile. Traffic then became so heavy and got worst, culminating with a standstill situation on the freaking highway and a crawl at 10km/h, sometimes 30km/h for a good part of the journey for no apparent reason. Ridiculous. And it rained, making the drive more tiring. All in all it took us nine and a half hours to reach home.

This is part and parcel of Chinese New Year – the traffic crawl besides the food and family. Because it’s only a once-a-year experience, we take it in stride. If not, we’d never go back for the occasion. Thank goodness, we had food, drinks, music, devices, cables and power banks to keep us entertained during the long drive home.

Anyway, enough of the driving ordeal, what’s more important was the activities we did during the four days in hubby’s hometown which was a change in pattern from previous years.

Besides the food and rest, we managed to play two rounds of golf instead of just one round. During the first game at Darul Aman Golf Club, I lost my nine iron and discovered the loss almost immediately. I absent-mindedly left it somewhere on the fairway approaching the green at Hole One. Amazingly I wasn’t too upset and rationalized I did not need it, save for a couple of shots, and managed for the rest of the game.

It was the heat that got to me more than the loss honestly. After the game, we reported the loss and thank goodness, the club was found and returned within a short time. Phew… relief. I had contemplated my options if it wasn’t returned. An excuse for a new set perhaps? Hmm…

The next day, we played at a different course, Royal Kedah Club and after two days of back-to-back games, I’m happy to say there was no pain felt on the limbs. In other words, no recurrence of the tennis elbow. A good sign indeed considering I was using just all my irons for both games. No driver, woods or hybrid clubs at all.

The change in pattern also saw us catching the latest Marvel Comics’ superhero movie, Black Panther which was refreshing and very entertaining. And we visited a plant enthusiast whom hubby befriended on Facebook and got to see his eye-popping huge staghorn ferns at his farm. Hubby bought two staghorns from his new friend and promised to visit again on our next trip.

And this year, we start work on the Fifth Day of Chinese New Year instead of the Sixth Day which has been the norm for us for years. Definitely a change in pattern for the Year of the Dog.

img_2457

Lovely blue skies and paddy fields on the right

img_2467

One of the many meals the family had

img_2503

The big staghorn ferns and the two purchased smaller ferns mounted on wood

Tags: , , , , , , ,