Moonflowers

If you like morning glories you will love the moon flower. Although, it does not have the color of a morning glory flower it doesn't pale in beauty. The flowers are extra large about the size of the palm of my hand.  The white is  so  bright it seems to  glow. Even the  buds  and seedpods are beautiful in their  own right. It is the perfect night flower for us insomniacs. Checkout my night video of the beautiful blooming flowers.



The pods after the moonflower has bloomed has a neat look as well.  they are very large and interesting to look at. Checkout the video below for a up close look at them.





Lastly,I dried out the pods and harvested the seeds .That was a fun process and very                               calming thing to do.







I tried to document start to finish of how to grow moonflower and my videos weren't quite perfect but they also were not worthless. This last video shows my moonflowers in the vining stages and seedling stages. Please subscribe to my youtube  channel to learn the techniques I use to grow plants. Please check out my etsy shop if you are interested in purchasing moonflowers and other varieties at Brandy's Botany Bay.

Moringa The Miracle Tree

 Moringa is also known as the miracle plant because it has a great reputation for healing many ailments. It has gained popularity as a medicinal herb over the past five years. It is a pretty simple herb to grow if you use the method I provide in my video below. 






The basic method is to start your seeds off with a good soak in water. This should be for about 2 days.  Then remove the seeds from the water for a day or two to  allow them to start  rooting.  Once they root place them in the dirt.   Do not allow them to root so long that they develop leaves and stems as they are in this picture above at that point they won't adapt to the soil well.

You can find Moringa seeds at my etsy shop by clicking on the link. Please don't forget that moringa is a very health herb that can be used for lowering blood sugar, lowering cholesterol, reducing inflammation, protecting against arsenic toxicity and some use it to regulate their fertility. Beyond it's medicinal uses don't forget how beneficial it is as a supplement:

• 9 times the protein of yogurt
• 10 times the vitamin A of carrots
• 15 times the potassium of bananas
• 17 times the calcium of milk
• 12 times the vitamin C of oranges
• 25 times the iron of spinach

Please check out the video below where I express how beatifically it has been for me during my recovery from a serious illness. The moringa in powder form that I use can be found here

If you prefer to have moringa in pill form check out the video below. In capsule for it just contains pure moringa in a vegan capsule.  It can be purchase  at this link.

Summer Reading

School is almost out in Nebraska. We have to keep our children's minds sharp. A weekly trip to the library is a inexpensive way to continue teaching your child. I prefer to go with a theme so my son can read books that suit his interest.   Last summers theme was books on gardening. We found books that were based on different ethnicity, cultures, but stayed with the theme of a particular plant or way of gardening.

What Is A Good Age To Teach Children About Nature?

My children are extremely helpful in the garden. The question is what is the best age to starting delegating gardening responsibilities.  Young children should know that vegetables don't just come from the  grocery store.  My son is only two so he his knowledge of seasonal gardening is limited. I plan on teaching him a lot this year.  Beans are the  perfect plant to start with, because they are big enough to fit in their little hands comfortably.

Simply soaking a seed will jump start the seed into sprouting in a day or two. This will give the child the option to remember that  the seed has changed from its original state. I would suggest using beans such as hyacinth, fava beans, or even a  scarlet runner.

I once used a method of starting a bean in a a jar so my kids can watch them grow.  It was a perfect way for the child to watch the bean swell, loose its protective shell, develop roots and sprout leaves.

The method of growing beans in  a jar is better for a child between the age of 4 and 7.     At that age kids have a better understanding.      Please watch the video below to watch my son talk about growing hyacinth beans inside of a jar.

Are Video Games Good For Kids?

Kids don't  play outside like they used to.  Most children prefer to stay inside and play video games. I will admit my kids like to sit inside and play video games too. But, I do push them outside and tell them to enjoy nature. Brandon started his own little garden and started with growing clovers. 

However, in the process he discovered a little friend. He chased around this little frog and had a great time. My only issue with Brandon was convincing him not to mess with every animal that he saw.

For example, he came inside the house one day and told me that he was trying to catch a giant guinea pig. He said that the guinea pig was very pretty and it was black with a pretty white stripe down its back. He said he tried to chase it but it ran away. Judging  by his description I discovered he was actually talking about a skunk. I am so glad he didn't get sprayed. 

I will admit I am highly impressed by Brandon's infatuation with nature.  It seems that most animals enjoy his company as much as he enjoys theirs.  I do my best to encourage him with by frequent trips to the zoo and purchasing books about animals. 

Thanks to his love of video games like Minecraft, Terraria he has learned about rocks and minerals.Yes, he is a all around nature boy.        
But as much as  I want to condemn video games like most parents I did  notice there is certain knowledge that he has gained that was not provided by his homework. When I hear him talking about uranium, obsidian, quartz and I am not mad at all. Minecraft and Geometry dash have given him extra math and team-building skills. I guess the best thing we can do as parents and make sure there is a balance. We have to make sure they get their physical activity and monitor what games they play.

Growing Moonflowers

Growing Moonflowers is so rewarding.The are very easy to start. You  receive these humongous seeds. That don't require a lot to germinate.  But, I do  suggest soaking them in water  the day before you plant them so they can have a jump start.  They spiral and twirl everywhere because they are climbing or vining flowers. They thrive very well on gates, trellis,and harbors.
Moonflowers, are in the Ipomoea family so if you can grow morning glories you can grow Moonflowers. Although,morning glories come in a  array of   colors and patterns moonflowers are usually white or  cream colored. Please check out the video above how I started my moonflowers.  Please check out the video below to see the big beautiful blooms.

Lastly, check out the video on how to save your moonflower seeds. If you would like to grow some moonflower seeds check out my online store  @Brandysbotanybay .Happy Gardening.

How to grow a baobab tree quickly

I enjoy teaching people  how to grow exotic  plants on my youtube channel. One of my most popular    videos is the "How to grow a   baobab tree quickly video"  I discovered a technique where you  pour boiling water over the planted seed to  jump start the germination process. Once you have poured the   boiling water over the seed place the pot into a plastic bag to keep it moist.

Within   two weeks you will have a beautiful sprouting sapling.  I've had my baobab for 3 years and have watch them change from season to season. They are very interesting and it is amazing how they grow so far from their native home.