2024 December—ANNOUNCEMENT--Bee Better Naturally with Helen Yoest

Hemingway’s typewriter was photographed while visiting Cuba with the JC Raulston Arboretum. In earnest, I’m not suggesting I’m of the same caliber as Earnest Hemingway, but I promise not to be as wordy!

Starting in January, I will change my blog to be more prose. As you know, I’m a garden writer, but I rarely write about my garden. I will post on the 15th of each month since I want to be more within the month, and I’m looking for a pro photographer to take about five pictures each month to represent the monthly posts. I hope you will follow me along.

This is not meant to be political, but half the US is in mourning; I hope I can bring tenderness to us as a whole…

Until soon,

Helen

#WeCanAllBeeBetter!

Leave the Leaves, Bee Better Naturally's Take

This the time of year we hear a lot about the campaign, #LeaveTheLeaves. Here is my take

The Nationwide campaign to #LeaveTheLeaves isn’t for every garden. It works well in the forest, though. The campaign is ideal for natural areas, not our cultivated lawns and gardens. 

Fallen leaves can provide food, shelter, and bedding for a variety of wildlife, offering an ecosystem to a host of living creatures, including chipmunks, earthworms, caterpillars, and thousands of species of insects. Without a layer of leaves, there’s little habitat for critters who need this type of ecosystem, and you’ll see fewer birds, which forage in the leaves for food. And as the leaves break down, the organic matter helps feed the soil. But if the leaves are mulched too thickly and matted down, it can smother your lawn and harm your cultivated garden.

In addition to the benefits above, fallen leaves feed a vast number of microbes in the soil, which are the most critical crop you can grow, considering that all plant life in your garden depends on healthy soil biology.

Some Triangle neighborhoods drop a tremendous amount of leaves, with leaves falling from October through December or longer. Removing falling leaves is essential for maintaining a lush lawn; too many leaves can quickly harm a lawn if allowed to sit on the turf. The grass will suffer from the weight of leaves, especially wet leaves, and the lack of sunlight impeding photosynthesis. Also, it’s imperative not to let the leaves or mulch sit right up against trees, shrubs, and perennials; this becomes a pathway for insects, rodents, and diseases. 

Many will tell you to rake the leaves on the lawn and let the mower chop them before putting them back in the garden bed or storing them; this helps break down leaves faster, but I can’t help but think that we are also chopping up all the wildlife in those leaves. Yet, I still think it is a good idea; at least you are getting the benefits of a ready mulch and the remaining wildlife food.

There are several approaches to managing your fallen leaves. Here are some recommendations for lawns and cultivated beds. 

LAWNS

If you like to rake leaves, you’re in luck! For everyone else, mow them instead.

1. If you have grass, mow your lawn using a mulching blade weekly. Let the chopped clippings stay on the grass. What remains is valuable organic matter that will quickly break down, providing nutrients to your lawn.

2. In the weeks when the leaves are too abundant, mow with the mulching blade on the highest setting and then again at a lower setting. Continue to mow until all of the leaves are off of your trees. And it’s best to mow when the leaves are dry. Don’t let the rain turn them to mush. 

3. To save for later use, pile captured clippings in a discrete area to create a cold compost pile; no turning is necessary. Compost is black gold for gardens. Your chopped leaves should be ready to spread around the garden by next spring. Along the same lines, store chopped leaves in plastic bags or cans for later use. This method makes the contained mulch easier to maneuver.

4. If you have acreage and a forest, remove them to the forest edge—not your garden beds. 

GARDEN BEDS

Make no mistake, those leaves can be good for your garden. But be smart. We like a dusting of snow, right?  But when 12 inches are predicted, we are paralyzed. So true with too many leaves blown on your cultivated garden beds! 

1. If you bagged your lawn/leaf clippings and want to use them as mulch in your garden beds later, they can be added to garden beds once the initial clippings break down. Once chopped, they will break down quickly.

2. Carefully rake or blow leaves out of your cultivated beds to the lawn. Mow and replace them up to two-three inches. Don’t place clippings right up against plants.

3. In the Bee Better Naturally Teaching Garden, we have only a few trees that work as mulch, and I need more to meet my standard each fall. I drive around and pick up other people’s leaves to nourish my garden. Crazy, right? What’s important to know is that I designed the garden to support this type of nourishment.

So what are we to do? Be smart; you don’t have to use every leaf on your property. Just like you wouldn’t add four- to six- inches of another mulch, the same is true for whole or chopped leaves. Don’t feel guilty about bagging some or most of your leaves for pick up at the Wake County Yard Waste Center. If you are not in the county, removing to the forest edge, composting, or bagging for later use. 

When used in moderation, fallen leaves offer several benefits—bedding for wildlife, food, and fertilizing the soil as they break down. As with everything, moderation is key!

2024 August Bee Better Naturally with Helen Yoest

How I became a sustainable gardening advocate!

My friend Roger Montague’s garden. My new book discusses the placement of arbors. Here’s an excerpt from my new book:
”Arbors have the ability to set mood. Romantic, rustic, formal, Asian, European, or cottage—an arbor knows no architectural boundaries. The connection between house and garden is extended when the style of the arbor matches the home. Repeating interesting architectural details found on the house, such as a porch railing pattern, gable pitch, color, or even a pattern found in the window mullions, will help add continuity between the house and the garden.”

My new book was released July 18th.

AUGUST

I'm glad July is behind me. The first half was brute, but the rains returned.

I’m often accused of renovating my garden every year. In truth, it’s every five years. This is not a bad idea. I recommend reevaluating your garden every five years for upgrades and even downgrades. As we age, we may not want as much garden maintenance, or you may want to try something new to replace something that never panned out as hoped. Take the hellebores around the Soccer Field out back, for example. They are all gone, and I couldn’t be happier. As I mentioned last month, they always needed maintenance—cutting off ratty leaves, cutting back foliage around Christmas so the flowers would show better, and then cutting off the flower heads once seedheads form so I don’t have even more plants to worry about. I thought of them as high-maintenance filler. See below in Back 40 (ft.) I‘m thrilled about what I did as a replacement.

A crape myrtle was removed from the Front Entrance Garden last year. I left the bed area just as it was. Why, I’ll never know. The area is so visible that I can’t imagine why I didn’t give it more love. Now, I will turn it into a perennial flower garden. I still have the stump to deal with. See below in the Entrance Garden.

It’s that time of year again! It's time to design and begin filling the bed for the NC State Fair! See below in the State Fair Educational Garden. This year’s theme will be adding garden seating, with an excerpt from my latest book. Planning and Designing Your Garden will be shared.

Outdoor seating can be a cheerful, inviting touch that also provides functionality. A bench like my friend’s, for example, becomes a focal point that adds to the home’s curb appeal, makes for a handy place to gather goods, and of course, is a place to sit a spell, either coming or going. When a table and chairs are a part of your garden décor, you can take advantage of outdoor seating by dining al fresco. In general, seating outside can be placed anywhere a respite might be welcome. With the right consideration, you can plan places to sit in your garden that will both look attractive and serve as a place where you will be able to sit and admire the view.

Another area I reworked was the Garden House. The entrance to the House wasn’t symmetrical, and only a few slate pieces acted as steps. I made more of a landing. As my crazy need for symmetry goes, the edging on one side of the house was longer than the other. With an angle grinder, I made both sides even.

The Back 40 (ft)—-This was one area I didn’t need to do much with. The watering had to be kept for the new plantings I planted after the pine trees were taken down. Around July 11th, we started getting good rain. It was welcomed! The area I call the soccer field edges up against the Back 40, and the Mixed Border had an area. This is the area where I took out the hellebores. Before Genya’s 60th birthday party, hosted in the garden, I took out a patch of Petasites japonicus. Hallejuhla!

The Gazebo Corner—Still looking good even without the flowers. The area behind the Gazebor Corner had pokeweed popping up. I hand-pulled it and racked the area so it didn’t look messy.

The Epimedium Patch—I still have rabbits nibble one of my five, but leave the rest alone!

The Mixed Border, South to North—This border did well despite the drought. I didn’t need to water it, but I was going to the next day, and rain arrived overnight.

Spring Ephemeral Patch, formally The Wildflower Patch—I’m refocusing this area off the back patio. While I referred to the wildflower patch, it’s about spring ephemerals. Same with the extension.

The Ostrich Fern Garden—The drought took its toll on the bed. It’s in an Oasis Zone, so I could have watered it but chose not to. I’m hoping for a recovery once the rain returns.

The Front Fountain Garden—I haven’t groomed this area yet. Hopefully soon.

The Food Forest-

It was a good year for fruit. Lots of peaches, which the squirrels got, the persimmon is laden with fruit. But the Barlet pear is so heavy with fruit, the limbs have bent towards the ground., and few branches even broke. The cucumbers are coming along so fast we can’t keep up. The are many huge and yellow on the vine. My girls (chickens) love them, so not all is lost.

The Food Forest Extension—The blueberries didn’t do well this year. I could blame the drought, but I did water them occasionally. I began to think it was the pH. Blueberries need a very low pH. I tested the soil and found the pH to be 4.2, so it wasn’t that!

The Raised Beds—The lettuce is done for the season. My calendar is already market to sow beets, lettuce, and kale on October 5th. All the tomatoes did well. I’m sharing it with lots of friends. I still need to find spinach seeds.

The Entrance Garden—The area wasn’t showy. It was a time, but again, it was too high maintenance! I have three Mahonias there, and they will stay. The branches were getting gangly, so I pruned them well. There was a lot of mondo grass, the straight species, not ‘Nana.’ It was taking over. I like it as an edge, so I removed all but that. Tradescantia spp. Looked nice, but the rabbits were a problem. And there was Alstroemeria, which was pretty but needed more maintenance than I wanted to provide. I dug out the area and planted to put wildlife becoming perennials in the bed.

The Parterre—I made a good choice for this area by planting it with low-growing thyme. The sections are filling in nicely. No reno needed here!

The Raspberry/Succernongs—I moved the iris from this area to the Chimney Swift Tower area because they needed more sun. The East side of this bed gets more sun than the West side. Still, I added six more raspberries shared by a friend.

Added some mulch.

The River Bed—Big changes are happening here. This bed held hardy mums, ‘Sheffield Pink’, for two decades. I was ready for a change. In preparation, I removed all the mums, shared many, and let the bed be fallow until fall planting. I will order from Brent and Becky’s and turn this bed into a year-round bulb show. This will be exciting all year round, not only in late fall.

The Pollinator Garden—As expected, the Pollinator Garden held up nicely despite the drought. I added milkweed plants and a Red Hot Poker, Kniphofia) spp.

The Rock Garden—I haven’t worked in this area in a while. I’ll get to it soon.

The Girl’s Garden—There have been big changes here. The winter honeysuckle I planted decades ago has morphed into six or more plants. I removed all but one, or maybe it was two. It looks better opened like it is now.

The Mixed Border—North to South

2024 State Fair Demonstration Garden.

Have a Gardening Need? HIRE HELEN!

Glossary

Until soon,

Helen

#WeCanAllBeeBetter!

I've had it with rabbits!

In Spring, I wrote a piece called "The War on Rabbits, Goodbye Rudbeckia spp!" Now for part 2. My garden, the Bee Better Teaching Garden, has lost interest. The color and pollinator activity has diminished significantly. 

I'm taking a new approach to bring back my beloved coneflowers and black-eyed Susans!

The concept—chicken wire! And, more specifically, black chicken wire.

Black recedes, so it's not in your face, causing a significant distraction. 

Many products are cuter but also costly. Black chicken wire, on the other hand, is a cost-effective solution.

15 inches high of black chicken wire to make lengths to form a cylinder around the plant. I secured the ends with zip ties and then used a short rebar woven through the wire to hold them in place.

While it is true that new growth sticking out from the wire will get nibbled, at least the plant will remain. If left to a rabbit's own devices, the plant will be nibbled to the ground. I have personal knowledge of this!

Until soon,

Helen Yoest

#WeCanAllBeeBetterNaturally!

Bee Better Natural, War on Rabbits, Goodbye Rudbeckia spp.!

The Triangle area has had a rabbit infestation for the last few years! It's war now! Gardening is expensive enough, and to plant one day only to see plant nubs the next is infuriating! Rabbits are more than a nuisance to gardeners; their cost to deter them could require you to postpone retirement if you are not careful. 

They avoid only a few plants, but their appetite ranges from herbs and vegetables to shrubs and even tree bark. 

In the Bee Better Teaching Garden, the bunnies favor five plants in particular, including any in the family of Rudbeckia, those delightful and colorful black—and brown-eyed Susans, Echinacea spp., coneflowers of all colors, which happen to be my particular favorite, Zinnia elegans, zinnias, Coreopsis spp., tickseed, and lettuce, which I grow for my family and the chickens.

I've used garlic-based spray-on types, but they don't hold up well after rain. I used to love it when it rained, but now I can scream! At least that is better than being out of town when it rains and I'm defenseless; I have no means of reapplying!

Then, my friend Mac Williamson, with the Gardeners of Wake County, recommended Plantskkyd. This granular product was touted as lasting through light rain. I bought some, and it worked better. As a gradual, it takes longer to break down. It's the same with the I Must Garden product, which works the same. But each still required attention, and I quickly became attention deficit with a garden the size of the Bee Better Teaching garden! 

Some perennials and bulbs are more rabbit-resistant than others, but few are genuinely rabbit-proof. That's because, like people, different rabbits have different favorite foods. Also, like people, rabbits will eat just about anything when they are hungry enough!

Like deer, rabbits are said to avoid smelly plants, like those in the onion family, Allium spp. But then there was the time last year after they finished off all my zinnias, they ate all the Album' Millennium'. So you see, they were hungry enough!

I've yet to lose baptisia, bee balm, catmint, daffodils, daylilies (if you have deer, you don't have daylilies unless you are doing your own heroics!), foxglove, fritillary, hellebore, iris, lamb's ear, lavender, lungwort, peony (thankfully since the bloom period is short enough as it is!), salvia, and supposedly yarrow, but not true in my garden.

I'm often asked how to tell if the damage was from rabbits or deer. That's easy. Rabbits leave a clean cut at about 37º, whereas deer rip the stems. Don’t let their cuteness complete you; they are not garden-friendly!

SIDEBAR

Other plants rabbits find delicious! 

Aster, Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

Bachelor's button, Centaurea cyanus 

Balloon flowers,  Platycodon grandiflorus

Bellflower, Campanula spp.

Clematis (Clematis spp.)

Cockscomb, Celosia argenta cristata

Coral bells-flowers only, Heuchera sanguinea

Cosmos, Cosmos bipinnatus, 

Crocus, Crocus spp. 

Gayfeather, Liatris spicata 

Hosta, Hosta spp.

Impatiens, Impatiens walleriana

Iceland poppy, Papaver nudicaule,

Iris, Iris spp.

Japanese anemone, Anemone x hybrida

Lilies, oriental and Asiatic, Lilium spp.

Maidenhair fern, Adiantum pedatum

Marguerite daisy, Felicia amelloides

Morning glory, ipomoea purpurea 

Nasturtium, Tropaeolum

Oriental poppy, Papaver orientale

Pansy. Viola x wittrockiana

Petunia, Petunia x hybrida 

Phlox, tall, garden, Phlox paniculata

Phlox, creeping, Phlox subulata 

Rose moss, Portulaca grandiflora

Snapdragon, Antirrhinum majus

Sunflower. Helianthus annuus 

Sweet pea, Lathyrus latifolius, 

Tulip, Tulipa hybrids, 

Verbena, Verbena x hybrida,

Vervain, Verbena rigida

Wishbone flower, Torenia, 

Zinnias, Zinnia elegans

Until soon, Helen

We Can All Bee Better!

2024 July Bee Better Teaching Garden with Helen Yoest

How I became a sustainable gardening advocate!

JULY

My latest book was released on June 18th.

I’m always happiest when July is over. (The same can be said for January!) Despite the heat, it should be chill time. Wait until fall for further planting unless you can keep everything watered!

I’m still working with several private clients, including, of course, the Joslin Garden. I’m very fortunate to be acclimated to the heat. (Don’t get me started on cold weather!)

Despite the heat, I have been working in the garden. Oh, about every five years, I rework the garden somehow. Typically, it’s to reduce labor or rearrange things. This is the summer of reducing labor.

For one, I’ve removed most of the reseeding hellebores. They were edging the boxwood hedge around the kid’s old soccer field. Years ago, I dug 90 up from my friend Beth’s garden. I begin to be burdened by them with ratty leaves, cutting back old leaves in the winter so the flowers show better, plus cutting off seedheads so they don’t go crazy, which they will. Instead, I lined with a few big terracotta pots for a muhly grass. We’ll shall see how that does.

We are having a heatwave and drought.

Summer finally arrived on June 10th, not the 21st, as one would believe. Summer, to me, isn’t the length of the day; it’s the heat! It was bound to come, but I enjoyed the cool, wet spring. At least the garden had a good time while it lasted. I’m fortunate or acclimated, but the summer heat doesn’t bother me. I can work through it, and I’m strategic about it. You will not find me in a sunny location from 11 on.

I’m fortunate or clever because my garden was designed with waterwise principles. At least I know it will survive without me dragging a hose around. Still, I must keep perennial plants I planted in the spring and even shrubs planted in the fall, which need special attention. I’m keeping a close eye on those.

Back 40 (ft.) with a wilting native azalea. It was only planted in spring, so I need to keep an eye one with the drought we are having.

Back 40 (ft.) with hellebores gone.

Back 40 (ft.) new open area.

The Gazebo Corner

The Back 40 (ft)—I’ve planted perennials and shrubs here. Removing the pine trees and the chestnut opened the space for new plantings. So far, I’ve put in a Rhododrun minus, three native azaleas, goldenrods, bee balm, an elephant ear, and a native persimmon. Removed all the hellebores around the soccer field! I’m removing all the reseeding hellebores—too much maintenance with little reward. By the end of this month, I will only have a few special hellebores. I also cut back the acanthus foliage. This helps with transpiration, and the summer acanthus puts out new leaves.

Epimedium patch

The Epimedium Patch—This seems crazy; the rabbits like one kind of epimedium but not the others.

Pathetic Spring Ephemeral Patch—Killing drought.

Spring Ephemeral Patch, formally The Wildflower Patch—I’m refocusing this area off the back patio. While I once referred to the wildflower patch, it’s about spring ephemerals. Same with the extension.

The Mixed Border is a Transitional Zone that proved well since May 27th.

The South Side

The South Side—You know what’s exciting? After three years, Mason Bees found the Air Bee & Bee and are burying nests!

The Ostrich Fern looking pretty sad without water.

The Ostrich Fern Garden—I’m holding off watering this area. While these ferns are in an oasis/transition zone, they have done well. We were blessed with 1.5 inches of rain on June 30th. #Grateful.

The Fountain Garden—I haven’t been running the fountain much due to the drought, and the lack of splash affects the surrounding fern.

The Food Forest—The raised beds are doing great. We are enjoying eggplant and finishing the lettuce, and the new asparagus bed is doing well. We have so many pears that branches are breaking. We are Working on a landing into the raised bed area that’s practical and artistic.

The Food Forest Extension—The blueberries are producing…for the birds. The bushes are small. I’ve moved them several times. They are in their final location, receiving the right amount of sun and water. While at the beach, I decided to buy bags for the blueberries. But they were mostly gone, and what remained was hard and spent. Although I watered them during this year’s drought, I guess I didn’t water enough.

The Parterre—The thyme is filling in!

The Raspberry/Succernongs—Cut back old raspberry canes. This freshened up the area. Weeded the area, and others groomed it.

The River Bed—All dried up and decided it was time for a change. For 15-plus years, the bed held a hardy mum ‘Sheffield Pink’. I’m starting over with this bed. It will be a year-round, as best as I can select, bulbs.

The Pollinator Garden—Added mulch. It’s dry, but the area can handle it. Added another milkweed,

The North Garden—Cut back acanthus leaves. Rake all the magnolia and kumquat leaves to the edge for bagging.

The Girl’s Garden—Removed the hellebores at the entrance. Cut back the winter honeysuckle

The Rock Garden—Doing well with these dry conditions.

The Garden House

The Garden House—I decided to redo the entrance to the Garden House. I am still working on it, but the beach is calling my name! As I reworked this area, I noticed after 20+ years that the number of boxwood at the curve wasn’t the same on each side. I plan to did two out from the west side.

Leading to the Coop. I’m so happy with the removal of the hellebores.

The Coop—The run often gets lumpy as the girls scratch around. I leveled the run and potted up enough enriched soil to add to the new posts around the soccer field!

I don’t typically mention the back foundation plantings. Last year, we had a termite problem. While the area mostly had various boxwoods in containers, I had to move them to work there. They are back now, but many didn’t make it. I replaced the empty pots with pollinator plants. I’m hoping there is enough sun for them.

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Glossary

Until soon,

Helen

#WeCanAllBeeBetter!

South Africa 2/18/24--Le Petit Karoo Ranch

After an amazing breakfast with a fabulous view of the Indiana Ocean in the Pink Lodge, we headed to George for the Botanic Garden. The botanical garden was little, but a nice walk around.

David and I went on a three-mile walk along these hills.

Then to La Petite Karoo Ranch. We are the only ones here but even beyond that, it is so quiet. It feels like a ghost town! After a 3-mile walk along the mountain range, we sat by the (very cold) pool and heard nothing except a sign swinging like you would imagine in the old west.

We picked up cheese and crackers for dinner since there was nothing around, but we didn’t want to go anywhere anyway.

Lovely breakfast then off to the Hot Springs in xx

South Africa 2/17/24 Wilderness

Traveled to Wilderness on the coast. We gassed up and continued on until we spied a Saturday Market. We got there around noon, just as they were closing. But we had time to have a look around. I found a wrapped, wired giraffe. Love it!

After the Market, we pulled into Knynsa where Westley likes the copy of the Black Pearl. We walked around and shopped.

xxx

Dad got the girls purchase and I got the bracelets.

Arrive in Wilderness.

The Pink Lodge view from the ocean. Clearly, there is an erosion problem.

The view from our room!

Our room.

After 1.5 hours of driving, we arrived at The Pink House Lodge on the Indian Ocean. While Jeffreys Bay is also on the Indian Ocean, the waves were steady, smooth, and beautiful. Here, the ocean is wild and beautiful. We immediately went for a long walk. Surreal!

We have eaten well throughout South Africa, and dinner here was no exception! I had Hake with Atchar source. It was beyond delicious! David and I shared calamari. Best so far; David had a 1/2 xxx chicken salad.

South Africa, 2/16/2024—Knynsa to walk with the Elephants

Another wonderful breakfast with a view of Jeffreys Bay! After we check out at 10:00, we Knynsa for a walk with the elephants! We could only stay for one night since they were fully booked for the weekend.

Before we arrived at the Knysna Elephant part, we stopped at a little coffee show/restaurant for coffee. The selling point was a garden and a lovely one at that! Then on to Knysna, but wait, we made another stop to see the Big Tree.

The trail at Big Tree, and this was a good section!

The Big Trees is a 1000-year-old yellow wood. Amazing. We then decided to walk the 2.1 Km on the yellow trail. Probably not our best decision because we needed to be in Knysna by 4:00. We made it by 3:15 but felt stressed, especially since the trail was very hard. We did it, though!

David feeding the elephants!

Zebras chillin with the elephants!

We got to feed the elephants and then did the elephant walk, where we brought the elephants back to their resting area. It was AMAZING!

We ordered dinner in our room. I had the ribs; they were the best ever!

We lingered in the morning over breakfast. We only had a 1.5-hour drive to get to Wilderness.

South Africa 2-2024 Bellevue/Addo Park

2-12 thru 2-14

BELLEVUE 2/12/24 through 2/14/24

2-12-24 Today’s high at Bellevue—: 105.8

Again, with windows wide open, the breeze flowed like a tropical paradise.

The evening in the Flat was fun. I slept from 7 PM to 8:15 AM, Still jet-lagged, but hopefully tonight I’ll feel better. I’m good during the day, but I start to feel it during dinner. Today is a new day.

It was a crazy 3.25-hour drive. About 30 km was on a rocky dirt road, where we wondered if we were going the right way. It was, but it was dodgy. Along the way, we found a stand of giraffes. It was an amazing sight!

Elephants in Bellevue Park. Photo taken with iPhone 15.

We finally arrived at our tent at Bellevue Lodge at 14:18. We are roughing it in a tent, like the old Colonial days. So charming. We returned from dinner when it was dark and had to figure out the fans and lighting. It took a while, but we got it.

Dinner was ready when we returned. We met a couple from Hamburg, Germany, and their 2.5 YO son. Tomorrow night, David and I will split our main course and dessert. Too much food, but it was delicious!

They had us going straight away, with Bradley giving us a safari tour. We say animals, kudos, zebra, springbok, blesbok, warthogs, baboon, antelope, But just as we left, we saw a herd of elephants up close and personal. It was amazing.

The night sky was so different from anything I ever expected. The Milky Way was very clear; the moon was only a sliver.

I woke in the middle of the night, like I do. I looked straight ahead to see stars in the night sky. It was like watching TV!

2/13/24 Bellevue Lodge

Today’s high 90, but with the humidity so low, it is not hot at all!

7:30 Meet Alex again for the giraffe walk in the Bellevue game park. It was incredible! We got so close we could touch them, but we knew better. Afterwards, we returned for breakfast of fresh eggs, over easy, fruit, and coffee. Met another nice couple from Germany, traveling with her mother.

2-13—2024 Addo Elephant Park. Elephant Walk

10:00 Elephant walk at Addo game park. So many elephants. Addo has about 650 elephants in the park; these parks are huge! The Bellevue Lodge had lunch waiting for us. I did a little shopping, found a scarf ($10.00), stickers ($1.00), and earrings ($2.00).

Lots of zebra too!

South Africa 2/11 through 2/12, 2024 East London

EAST LONDON 2/11/24 through 2/12/24

Sky flower, Duranta erecta.. Since it is native to the Americas, so I wonder if it is invasive here! In the garden at Blue Hills Lodge.

Security abounds.

The back of Blue Hills Lodge. David is in his “office” on the right.

After another delicious breakfast, served by Linda, we waited for Gramme and Nic to take us to the airport for East London. It was sad to leave the Blue Hills Lodge, but we needed to go to further our big adventure.

King Phalo airport in East London. It was even smaller than the airport in Havana.

Another uneventful flight, thank goodness.

We got our Avis car rental.  I forgot my license, so David has to do all the driving. Honestly, it didn’t occur to me since I had my passport for identification.  I should have thought through it further. Gramme was on our flight to return to the flat to load up the furniture for Cole’s new apartment at University.

High today, 77ºF. Windy.

I met Wesley and Tish and visited David’s (NexClean) abattoir water system. I was impressed.  Over the years, David has spoken of the clean water system. I just had no idea how BIG it was. And I got the see where Aster worked for six months.

Shanties outside abattoir.

The squalor outside the plant was hard to digest, not only how they lived but how the land had just been taken over, and if not shooed off within 30 days, they could stay. No running water.

Tish is the sweetest thing! We all went to dinner at Shanghai. I had the best crispy fried chicken thighs with black pepper sauce.

We picked up water for our trip. Unlike Joburg, where we could drink the water, not so in East London or anywhere else until we arrived in Cape Town.

South Africa 2/9 through 2/11, 2024 JoBurg

JOHANNASBURG 2/9/24 THRUGH 2/11/24

2//9//24. The fright from Raleigh to Jo-burg could not have been more uneventful, which is good.

We are staying at Blue Hills Lodge. Sitting on the covered porch with the windows wide open, no screens needed. I slept the sleep of all sleeps, in a bed that comforted me all through the night. 

High today: 84ºF; low: 58ºF.

Last evening, we had dinner at Porto with Gramme, Nic, Taye, and Cole. I was fading fast from my flight, but it was still a delightful evening. First, we went to their lovely home. It was amazing to see the garden in waning light. We also enjoyed their two dogs, Neon and Rosie.

Hadeda, resident bird

2/10/24. David gave me lots of development of Jo-Burg's history. I knew a lot from writing about the spice trade in my second book, but I was most fascinated to learn that Jo-Burg was at an altitude higher than Denver, CO. (Elev. 5741 ft, 26.2 °S, 28.05 °E.) You don’t notice it because there are no mountain ranges; Jo-Burg sits atop a flat plateau. David says he has to go easy on this morning's run because of the altitude. 

Breakfast at the Blue Hills Lodge could be anything you want. I had two poached eggs, fried tomato, and a link of pork sausage. David had scrambled eggs, tomato, and brown toast. We sat for hours chatting about the area and just enjoying time together.

After breakfast, Gramme picked us up at 11:00 to visit David’s favorite story, Food Lovers. I saw why. I gawked at every aisle. The food was so fresh. 

In the afternoon, Gramme, Nic, David, and I went to Monte Casino; it was an awesome place, a city within a city! 

Encephalartos

At 5:00, we returned to Gramme and Nic’s house, where we prepped for a Braai. i. It was a lovely meal with lovely friends and their children.

2/11/23

Travelled to East London.

February 2024—Bee Better Naturally with Helen Yoest

FEBRUARY

No sooner than I’m back from Iceland on January 1st, I leave for South Africa on February 8th. It’s just the way it turned out. As such, I will only be in the Bee Better Naturally Teaching Garden half-time this February, and not even that since I will spend half of that time on Emerald Isle. That works for me, though, since I had no major winter projects. Returning on the 24th to dig in for spring will be fun!

And it would seem I brought back Icelandic weather with me! The second week of January was rebelliously cold, waking up to the mid-teens! But the days were sunny, so working outside in the low to mid-40s was OK…once you got going!

Garden Maintenance…

Here’s a picture of my personal nemesis invasive plant. When I moved into my home in 1997, it was EVERYWHERE. I slowly focused on eradicating it—Porcelain vine, Ampelopsis brevipedunculata. The porcelain vine was Introduced to North America as an ornamental plant. Habit: Deciduous, woody, perennial vine; climbs up to 20 ft or greater; twines with the help of non-adhesive tendrils that occur opposite the leaves. Birds love it and spread the seeds far and wide!

In the Bee Better Naturally with Helen Yoest, we aren't all native! Over the 25 years I've gardened there, I've eradicated several of the worst invasive. It was a challenge, but I was determined! Hopefully, you don't grow any of these intentionally! 

There's not much hands-on maintenance this month since I’m spending 2.5 weeks away in a short month as it is!

My List of Winter Clean Up!

1) Take down vermiculture, built from 12 cinder blocks. Funny, it was a lot easier making this box by carrying each block to the far end of the property and it was to remove them half distance to where they are now being stored. One and Done.

2) Cleaned out lean-to. This area has a roof that extends off the shed. We don’t have a garage, so this area comes in handy. And just like a garage, it becomes a place for junk! Done until junk piles up again! But hopefully this winter clean up, with the kids mostly gone, particularly Aster, this is a One and Done!

3) Removed eight pallets from this area. My son dropped them of for what ever reason, and I became stuck with it. At first when it was one or two, I could cut them up for fire wood, but I now don’t have that many winters left. Ha! One and Done! We are not a no pallet zone. At one time, I didn’t mind having them because I used them as firewood. But they started piling up faster than I could use! One and Done!

4) Painted the Family Room a sunflower yellow. One and Done! at least until the next 20 years!

5) Move bricks stored on one side of the house to an area where I store stuff. This is the same area where the cinder blocks landed. One and Done!

6) There was a lot of erosion from the storm. Worked on that cleanup. Who knows if I’m done!

7) Weeded Mixed Border to ready for mulch. Ongoing.

8) Added composted leaf mulch to the Mixed Border. Yearly. My friend Nathalie helped me get the last of it down.

9) Cut back acanthus leaves after the hard freeze. Yearly. See pics below.

10) Finally, I laid the last two pine straw bales from October. They were added to the Back 40 ft. where the acanthus leaves were composted in place. One and Done!

11) Added a ‘Budd’s Yellow’ dogwood to the south side and a ‘Soft Caress’ mahonia to the mixed border. One and Done!

12) Photographed the Mixed Border from a ladder so I have a better vantage point to make a design drawing. One and Done!

13) I worked on a mixed border design drawing. One and Done!

14) Cleaned accumulated junk from the back porch—coolers from Christmas, five-gallon buckets from godknowswhy, and just stuff. One and Done until more junk accumulates…see lean-to above.

15) Greatly removed Acorus along the Mixed Border steps. Maybe more. It likes to spread.

16) Filled in areas where the Acorus was with ‘Nana” dwarf mondo. One and Done!

17) Five one-man stones were added to the south side of the mixed border. There was a lot of washout from the storm. The Bee Better Teaching Garden has never seen such a mess. One and Done!

18) Cleaned out the coop, a twice-a-month duty.

19) Transplanted a Camellia sasanqua 'Shishi Gashira’ from the front to the Mixed Border. One and Done!

20) Coiled up electrical cords that were used for Christmas Lights. One and Done…until Christmas next year, maybe.

21) Slowly weeding front of the hen bit to feed my girls. A spring delight!

22) Staining the Tobacco Stick fence. Every couple of years.

23) Worked on drainage.

24) Nathalie also helped me with the edging. this wasn’t the first time she helped with this.

25) Dug up acanthus in the raspberry patch. I’m unsure how they got there, but I removed about 50 usable roots!

26) I gathered bagged leaves from the street to use as cover in the Back 40 (ft.) insitu compost area.

I even moved the kitchen sink! Literally! An old cast iron sink, really cool, actually, was stored in our crawl space. We moved it over from when we lived in Oakwood. I pulled it out to use. I hoped we could have used it when we needed a new sink, but the backsplash was higher than the window. One and Done!

Back (40 ft) —As designed, the back 40 ft. is a mellow gardening spot, especially in the winter. The design is such that no maintenance is required, not even any pruning or cutting back of herbaceous plants. For mulch, I added leaves collected from other homes where they left bags of leaves curbside. As I get older, I find my 1/2 acre garden is getting larger ;) Having a landscaped bed to care for itself is beneficial.

Gazebo Corner—Formally the home of a vermiculture bed, I took it down during the pre-South Africa travels. I wasn’t using it, but more importantly, when I first installed it, kitchen scrapes were added to feed the little buggers. But since I got chickens in 2010, all of our chicken scraps go to the girls!

Epimedium Patch—My rabbits favor epimediums, this is a plant touted as rabbit-resistant! It’s not! Ugh!

The buds hang unopened, but when the do, it’s worth the waste. You can see the yellow showing, so sweet smells will follow.

Wildflower Patch—

Wildflower Patch Extension—

Mixed Border—I’ve continued to work this Border. I had a setback with a major storm in early January. The Mixed Border was hit with erosion, which has never happened before. There is a lot of wash in the front garden, too, but that’s a different story. The Joslin Garden lost a couple of big trees, causing all sorts of problems; I’m still cleaning up all that!

South Side—The South Side is sporting new art! I learned about Anne Terry from my friend, Ailene. Anne is a potter, instructor, and lovely person. So is her mom ;) I’m getting the pieces as they are available since I’m in no hurry; no reason to rush art! She will be done with just a few more pieces and a top!

Ostrich Fern Patch—I added a few more here.

Fountain Garden—

Food Forest Extension—

We don’t have a lot of daff. This one bloomed 1/25/24

Food Forest—

The Parterre—

The River Bed/Muscadine/Raspberry—Pegged five canes to root. These new plants will extend further down the bed.

The Chimney Swift Tower—

The Front Entrance Garden==

Pollinator Bed—Organic hardwood mulch was added to cover leaves. (Getting ready for Garden Party)

North Side—With the cold weather, cutting back the acanthus foliage is necessary. As the weather warms, the foliage will return. The cutbacks are easy when using a bread knife.!

North Side after cut backs.

The Rock Garden—

The Girl’s Garden—

Mixed Border—

The Coop—

The Pond—

SNAKES: Wondering what snake is in your backyard? Click HERE for an easy id.

Glossary

Until soon,

Helen

#WeCanAllBeeBetter!

The Mixed Border: An Enduring Garden Style

The Mixed Border sign above is from the JCRA. I’m looking to get one for the Bee Better Naturally garden.

As gardeners move forward, we learn techniques to better our lives and our views. I have been transitioning my perennial border to the mixed border for the last five years. I don’t like to rush into these matters, and I didn’t want to fill my bed with just anything, so it took time to research and source the plants. I wanted style and year-round interest—this interest is what’s best for having a mixed border.

As time went by, the perennial border in the Bee Better Teaching Garden welcomed shrubs to fulfill the goal of transforming the herbaceous bed into a mixed border. I did this over five years, with perennials moving to other garden areas and adding low-growing shrubs each year.

A mixed border combines annuals, perennials, trees, and shrubs that skirt a wall, walkway, or fence. Here are suggested steps for creating this type of garden.

Mixed borders can take on many forms, from large-sized plantings like trees and tall grasses to small-sized ones, which is my approach. It’s all site-dependent. My design rule is that the further from the house the plants should and could be, the larger they should and could be. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that a mixed border can also be an island bed, with larger plantings in the center area and lower growing plants closer to the edge.

My mixed border is right off our back patio. There are trees in the beds (there is a long bed and a short bed, separated by rock steps through the area.) Once you reach the top of the steps, I call this area the upper garden. I didn’t want too many large plantings screening out the upper garden; plus, the scale of taller plantings wasn’t necessary since the border is viewed up close.

But more importantly, when I looked out the Kitchen window in the winter months, I wanted to see more than cold climate annuals and mulch.

Getting Started – Planning Your Border

A mixed border is simply a defined planting area, oftentimes with a backdrop of a hedge or fence, before the lawn begins. We chose to hedge ours with a row of boxwoods. Designing a mixed border allows you to create attractive planting displays, helps to add color, and gives the bed year-round interest.

You can begin from scratch or transform an existing garden, which can be done over time as resources become available.

If time allows, say you want to prepare the bed in the summer for fall planting. I recommend using landscapers’ paint to lay out the design you want to see. Add cardboard and cover this area with a good four inches of mulch. I prefer a composted leaf mulch. This way, not tilling is needed, destroying soil structure. The natural microbes and earthworms will do the work for you.

The concept of the right plant and right place can’t be emphasized enough and is often seen in my writings. With this concept, your plantings are more climate resilient and reduce costs through plant health problems dying and disappointment.

But remember, plants die, and it is not necessarily your fault.

Plant List in the Bee Better Naturally Teaching Garden—Morning sun, afternoon shade.

Abelia, Abelia × grandiflora ‘Frosty’

Acorus, Acorus gramineus ‘Ogon’

Adam’s Needle, Yucca filamentosa

Anemone,

Anise,  Illicium parviflorum ‘Florida Sunshine’ 

Anise, Illicium floridanum ‘Woodland Ruby’

Arborvitae Fern, Selaginella braunii

Azalea, Rhododendron ‘Gibraltar’

Bear’s Breeches, Acanthus mollis

Beardtongue, Penstemon digitalis

Boxwood, Buxus sempervirens ‘Highlander’

Boxwood ‘Gordo’, Buxus x ‘Conrowe’

Camellia, Camellia sasanqua 'Cleopatra'

Canna, Canna glauca

Cast Iron, Aspidistra elatior

Celedine Poppy, Stylophorum diphyllum

Cherry, Prunus avium ‘Stella’

Christmas Ferns, Polystichum acrostichoides

Climbing Rose, Rosa spp.

Columbine, Aquilegia canadensis

Cone Flower, Echinacea purpurea

Coral Bells, Heuchera villosa

Crape Myrtle, Lagerstroemia indica ‘Zuni’

Crinkle-root, not this!?!? What is it

Crocus, Crocus tommasinianus 

Daphne, Daphne odora, variegated

Distylium, Distylium ‘Swing Low'

Dwarf Fothergilla, Fothergilla gardenii 'Mount Airy'

Dwarf Mondo, Ophiopogon japonicus

Edgeworthia, Edgeworthia chrysantha

Evergreen Solomon’s Seal, Disporopsis pernyi

Foxglove, Digitalis purpurea

Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare

Flowering Apricot, Prunus mume ‘Bridal Veil’

Green and Gold, Chrysogonum australe 'Eco Lacquered Spider'

Germander, Teucrium chamaedrys

Gingers, Asarum spp.

Joe-Pye Weed, Eupatorium dubium ‘Little Joe’

Ivy-leaved Cyclamen, Cyclamen hederifolium

Japanese Aralia, Fatsia japonica

Japanese Maple, Acre shirasawanum ‘Autumn Moon’

Japanese Maple, Acer palmatum 'Shishigashira'

Japanese Roof Iris, Iris tectorum

Celandine, ????

Little Brown Jug, Hexastylis arifolia 

Lilac, Syringa × ‘Boomerang’

Lily, Lilium formosanum

Meadow Sage, Salvia pratensis

Meadow Sage, Salvia pratensis

Needle, Yucca filamentosa

Oakleaf Hydrangea, Hydrangea quercifolia ’Ruby Slippers’

Pomegranate, Punica granatum

Rohdea variegated, Rohdea japonica, variegated.

Shasta Daisy, Leucanthemum maximum

St. Joh’s Wort, Hypericum patvlum

Strawberry, Fragaria × ananassa

Sweet Box, Sarcococca confusa

Tall Asters, Aster tataricus

Tree peony, Paeonia suffruticos

Pomegranate, Punica granatum

Rohdea variegated, Rohdea japonica, variegated.

Viburnum, Viburnum davidii × tinus ‘Moonlit Lace’

Viburnum, Viburnum obovatum ‘Raulston Hardy’

Viburnum ???

Virginia Sweetspire, Itea virginica

Which hazel, Hamamelis virginiana

White Wood Aster, Eurybia divaricata

Wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens

Yew, Taxus spp.