skip to main content

The Oz Garden Gallery

Where's Mum?

20 years ago

Found this cute little carpet snake having a rest between the brick wall and drainpipe on Saturday. It was there most of the day. Don't think I've seen one that small, only ever see the bigger ones. Hope it moves into my ceiling and eats the mice that get up there occasionally.

{{gwi:2112621}}

Nearly ran over a big carpet on the road on Thursday. It was pouring rain and I came over a rise on a bend to find a big carpet lying in the middle of the road. There was no way I was going to try and swerve as the road was far to slippery, luckily it was curled up small enough to straddle it. Must have been close though. It was the last thing I expected to see on the road on a wet cool day. It had been raining all night so the road wouldn't have been very warm.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

Liatris
20 years ago
I wouldn't have thought I'd have ever been referring to a snake as 'cute' but it really is!
User
20 years ago
That's Great GH gee it is tiny what would its length be, under 30 cms.
As its two bricks long plus the mortar mix and you are right it is cute.
You have lots of interesting snakes on your block, and like you
I have only seen the ones that are about 180cm or longer
Thanks for the Pic......Cheers..MM.
Related Discussions
Bonsai Mum Cuttings Sources
Q
Comments (2)
I have a source for information on "mum" bonsai. You might try contacting Dave. davegLL@LLrc.us He mounted a spectacular show of these bonsai at the National Arboretum in Wash. DC several years ago. I doubt if there will be another one like it for many years. I hope he will respond to your request for information. He has a wealth of knowledge. Peace, JR
...See More
Mulling over 'mums....
Q
Comments (19)
Woody I really like the "pass along pink" Mum and the way it echoes the colors of the hibiscus in the background. It reminds me of an article in Fine Gardening this summer about design and using a "big sister plant little sister plant" to tie things together. I have not heard of Mammoth Mums and went back to Kevin's old post and read about them. Now I have plant lust. :(
...See More
all garden mums ...?
Q
Comments (7)
I used to grow them commercially, but haven't done so in about two years. Yes, they can be rejuvenated. Like with so many other perennials, the crown eventually becomes woody and often the stems coming from them will splay out revealing the dead and woody material in the center of the clump. If you have a non-patented variety, you can easily start cuttings from them. If you don't want to bother with that, you can lay one branch of them down and French layer it with soil over it where it should easily root along the stem. Next spring, just sever it from the mother plant and plant it elsewhere. If you are lucky enough to have had a plant who has developed a multi-stemmed clump, with roots you can sever and divide, just do it. I have found the newer varieties are bred to have multiple, smaller blooms. They cover the foliage like a carpet and are lovely, but they also tend to splay out when they bloom just from the weight of the blooms and can look unthrifty. Proper pinching can help them have stem strong enough to hold them in place. The most important thing in overwintering a mum is to make sure its roots don't rot. That's why sandy soil is sometimes an advantage. But, I overwinter mine in clay soil, usually without ammending it. I tend to plant mine on a slope so that when the soil is saturated, it eventually drains downward and the roots of the mums aren't sitting in a pool at the bottom of it all.
...See More
Year 1 = orange mum, Year 2 = RED mum??
Q
Comments (17)
Well, I will add a new mystery to the post. One of the few perennial plants that survived the 'lean years' before I bought this place was a huge clump of white summer phlox. Don't know the variety, but these plants got over six feet tall and bloomed solid white. This spring, because of all the construction, I moved them from a southern exposure that was relatively damp and that received shade from mid-afternoon on, to a spot with full southern exposure and that was hotter and drier. This year they were three to four feet tall and bloomed.....PINK. I can understand the lower height, since they received more sun, but the color change???? I was going to post this separately earlier in the summer, but didn't because everyone would think I was crazy. Which I am, but there's no need to belabor the point. narcnh
...See More
paradisi
20 years ago
got yourself a mouse catcher - no more ratsak at goldhills place ;-)

I went over to the ever growing bat colony last week - there was such a ruckus going on - a sea eagle flying over head and a huge carpet snake up a tree trying to get at the bats.
Rose_Qld
20 years ago
Lucky you...I absolutely mean that!
Rose
goldhills
Original Author
20 years ago
MM, worked out it is probably about 50cm long as it was curled back a couple of times and its tail went down to the next brick.

It's funny how you don't see any snakes for a while then over a couple of weeks see several. We hadn't seen any since last summer but about 2 weeks ago had a green snake slither across the lawn in front of me, then the one in the brick wall (different one, much bigger), then this baby on Saturday and a yellow-faced whip snake yesterday afternoon in the garden but it disappeared too quick for me to get a photo. At least they have been non-venomous (or mildly venomous in the case of the whip).
User
20 years ago
What a good looking little baby it is. They really are a beautiful snake.
Cheers,
Dee.
barbarah_70
20 years ago
Yes cute indeed. Like you I find it funny how you don't see any for a while.
User
20 years ago
I have seen a few lately I think around out way the rain may be flushing them out..

Related Stories

HOMES AROUND THE WORLD World of Design: 11 Book Lovers and Where They Like to Read

Bibliophiles across the globe reveal their top books and favorite reading spots, from a 2-story library to an artfully curated book nook

EDIBLE GARDENS Houzz Call: Where Are the Craziest Places You Grow Edibles?

By Annie Thornton

Basil in a bathtub, spinach stacked up a wall ... If your edibles occupy an odd spot, we’d like to know

EVENTS Design Calendar: Where to Go and What to See in June

By Bryan Anthony

Communal architecture, artful wallpaper, spheres, modern chairs and more give us things to think about this month

REMODELING GUIDES Contractor's Tips: 10 Things Your Contractor Might Not Tell You

By Buckminster Green LLC

Climbing through your closets and fielding design issues galore, your contractor might stay mum. Here's what you're missing

PRODUCT PICKS Guest Picks: The Paris Apartment of Your Dreams

By Cedar Hill Interiors, LLC

Who doesn't long at least once to live in the City of Lights? Get the feel no matter where you live with this Parisian-style decor

LIFE Simple Pleasures: The Big Sunday Lunch

By Laura Gaskill

Make Sunday afternoons special with a casual, stress-free meal where friends and family pitch in

DECORATING GUIDES 7 Unexpectedly Intriguing Places for Art

By Elements of Style

Elicit surprise and delight by displaying art in spaces where someone might least expect it

PAINTING 10 Rules for Your Next Painting Project

By Jaana Bithell

Take your next painting journey from ‘argh!’ to ‘ta-da!’ with these designer tricks

SUMMER GARDENING 10 Perennials to Extend Your Garden's Summer Color

By LuAnn Brandsen

Revive summer-weary gardens with outstanding late bloomers such as toad lily, Russian sage, blanket flower and more

HOUZZ TOURS Houzz Tour: Contemporary Riverside Home in London

A mom and her son trade country life for an industrial city area, giving their converted space a fresh, contemporary bent

Sponsored

17 Reviews

The Leading Interior Design Studio in Franklin County