More than I thought...

It seems I got more done in the garden yesterday than I originally thought. After posting the last entry I remembered that I took a few minutes to prune our small Crape Myrtle in the back garden.

This tree has long suffered under the heavy canopy of a much larger Ash tree. The previous owners over-planted in the 10 years building the garden, but each year we "edit" out a few of the more egregious errors. This has let in much more light to the Crape Myrtle and it seems to appreciate the extra attention.

Basic pruning, especially in a tree this (relatively) young, is to take off any branches that are less than "pencil-sized." This helps to increase the branching for fullness while also directing the tree's energy into the stronger limbs and producing flowers.

Spiders, spiders, everywhere

Another, rather unpleasant, task is the ritual removal of the large black widow spider (Latrodectus hesperus) that can usually be found living within the driveway hose reel. It seems to provide the ideal environment for black widows as there is almost always one there and, judging by their size, quite healthy.

I don't mind spiders in my garden, but these are one of the few arachnids I will kill on sight. Even though my 5-year-old sun knows to not go near them, they are quite dangerous to have around the hose reel and other exposed areas. IF you know of anyone who researches black widows, tell them I would be happy to share my bounty.

I started the regular removal of the spiders a few years ago. Without thinking, I reached my hand into the center the hose reel to tighten the fitting. Only afterwards did I notice that it might be a good home for black widows. Sure enough, a quick look showed one to be happily ensconced there. I was lucky I didn't get bitten. Now, I don't work on the reel without carefully washing it out and removing any life forms I find there.