This is a new mushroom I found in my backyard after several days of rain.  I don't know what kind it is but I do know that this little mushroom will open up like a delicate umbrella caught in a gust of wind.

This little mushroom as well as the ones noted in the previous blog and a few other newbies have popped up because of the rains we've had recently.  The rains are much needed but the downpours are a bit much for the soil.  This hard clay, resistant to sudden showers, produces runoff which results in puddling and washed out mulch.  On the side of my house, a small swamp has formed.  I'm thinking of some sort of underground cistern for this area.  Rain barrels are a must too.

One of the newer mushrooms growing in my backyard.

A new little guy.  I just thought he was pretty.

Just another "little brown mushroom".

Okay, no more mushroom photos until new ones crop up.  Remember, I don't have a lot to do and they are so much more interesting than my life at this time.

I'm not going to do much gardening this season.  Maybe just a few plants here and there to satisfy my itch.  What I'd like to do first is get to know my garden.  I'd like to understand the lay of the land, the flow of runoff.  I want to know if I've got full shade or dappled in my shade gardens.  What plants are thriving, which can I throw away.  You know, that kind of thinking.  So I'm surveying my yard and I've noticed several varieties of mushrooms in my backyard.  If you all know what they are, please tell me.  I can look online of course and I'll do that later when I feel like it.
 

a sponge type mushroom

white cap mushroom

a small white flat cap mushroom

mini puffballs

like a wood ear or shiitake

This is what I have to work with, part 1

I've recently moved into a new home in the South.  It's quite the departure from what I was used to the last 5 years as I was living on a military base in Japan.  I gardened a little bit the first two years but after that, all but forgot about planting.  But this new home is different.  It sits on a 2 acre lot, with the front lawn fully exposed to the sun with the exception of a few ornamental trees and landscaping.  The back yard is in shade and full sun towards the back end of the lot.  It's already been landscaped which is fine.   But of course I want to put my own touch to what's here and I have a few ideas from Japan that I would like to incorporate into the yards.

 

The front yard with a slight slope.

Partial view of back yard.  One of several landscaped islands, made mostly of Carolina Pines and a smattering of perennial plants.

Another partial view of the backyard.  This island encircles a patio paved with slabs of flagstone.  There is a small coi pond within the patio area.  The rest of the back of the yard is cleared of annoying brush and one area is completely cleared out for a garden.





Not too bad but still, there is some work that needs to be done.  I need to keep up on the weeding, stop the slow invasion of fire ants and tent caterpillars, cut back and prune plants, remove the dead ones while I'm at it, and as I said, put my own touches on this garden to make it truly mine.

I have gardened before...

...but that doesn't make me a gardener.  To me, a true gardener spends time in the garden.  A true gardener pours over garden and plant periodicals and, whether secretly or not, includes the Farmer's Almanac as a source book.  A true gardener will grow plants from seeds, usually in a well, thought out, greenhouse and adequetly water and care for the seedlings until time to transplant.  The true gardener will do this soon after cleaning up the worn out beds in February and countdown the days until the last frost.  The true gardener will know what climate zone they live in as well as amount of sunlight each garden zones receive.   There is so much more to gardening than the one I'm practiced at.  I find a spot of earth to dig up, toss in a little amendment, (I don't bother to check soil condition), and plant something I like.  I have no qualms about mistakes, I figure most of the plants I buy are inexpensive enough that I can risk damage to the plant by digging them up later in the season and moving them around.  I've done that many times before and most plants, except for tender perennials, do just fine. 

So do I intend to change my gardening philosophy?  This blog is certainly not any indication because, I am the same person as the one who gardened 5 years before, just older and slower.  My methods were just fine and I'll continue to be brazen with my handling of plants as well as design.  I will just be more realistic about the how's and what's and since I have more time on my hands, I guess I can be a bit more organized.  But I don't dare claim the title of gardener, at least not until I know the date of the last frost date for my zone, whatever that is!