Ali Mollanazar shares his early summer garden photos with us from Iran. Always a treat to see this garden from a faraway land!
"Very glad to contact you and my other friendly gardeners around the world again while we are now having our early summer in our country; Iran. In fact, we had a cool spring in our country with lots of rain. So, my garden has been as lush as other people's gardens.
Now, looking at my pictures of the garden taken in the Spring of 2017, I feel some kind of enjoyment and ask myself if you may also like to have a look at them.
By the way, I had an unfortunate experience for the first time after 15 years in my garden. I happened to witness a big snake (about 1 meter long) a month ago and a small snake (about 40 centimeters) a couple of days ago. My friend succeeded in capturing the small snake and letting it free in a far place in the nature. Now, we are afraid that we may face with a further number of them . Because of this situation my family members, specially, my grandsons would not have the opportunity to go to the garden any further. Ideas on how to best get rid of snakes in the garden would be much appreciated. With best wishes, Ali."
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Comments
Ali,I want your garden! Gosh,beautiful views and lots of colour too.I especially like the last pic of that climbing rose.What a glorious shade of pink.Well done.It's given me a lot of inspiration.
If the snakes are not poisonous what's to worry. Enjoy them.
Beautiful! If you remove teh food, snakes will go elsewhere. Mice and other small rodents are usual fare for most snakes, especially larger ones.
Love your photos, Ali, beautiful plantings and beautiful views. I too, would like to know what that fabulous blooming tree is! It is a show-stopper! Your roses are glorious. Thank you for sharing!
Ali, what a beautiful garden! What is the lovely tree with the fluffy white flowers? Re the snakes, you didnt mention whether they were nasty ones. I occasional found (harmless) small garter snakes in a garden area of our country acreage where I didnt want them so I just picked them up by the tail and relocated them, just as your friend did. I googled How to Get Rid of Garden Snakes and found a bunch of answers to that problem including a number of snake repellents. You might want to try that yourself.
So nice to enjoy another cyber visit to your gardens, Ali. Things do look especially lush and flower filled...no doubt thanks to the generous spring rains and your good care. I join Darlene in being curious what the tree is in picture #5 with such plentiful white blooms. It's quite eye catching. I hope the snakes in your area are all non poisonous so your level of worry doesn't haven't to be too high.
Ali, what a beautiful garden in such a dramatic setting. I particularly like your use of dramatic colors. Thanks for sharing.
Good morning Ali, Your gardens are quite an accomplishment & all of your photos look terrific. My favorite is the one with the antique bicycle covered with roses & view down the valley to the left. I believe the white tree is a Crape Myrtle Natchez. I have one in partial shade that is just now going out of bloom (though not as prolifically as yours)
Good luck, Joe
Very delightful, garden, Ali. Wonderful setting, but one which I would suspect poses some gardening challenges, but you have managed quite nicely. And thank goodness for some extra rain this season for you. I'm gonna join in with the others...what is the tree in pic 5? Thank you for sharing.
It's difficult to see the leaves in this photo, but it looks like a large Sambucus. The few dangling down seem right. Those are the same flower heads and the joints of the multi-trunk stems look similar.
Thanks, Tim. Straining my eyes some more, I can see that.
I love all of your roses! They are gorgeous!
So nice to see your garden again, Ali. It is looking especially lush and green after your cool, moist spring. Have you gotten an identification of the snakes? If they're not poisonous, I bet they keep out pests. Good luck finding out!
I'm so excited you posted photos of your lovely gardens again, Ali! They are always a delight, but today's photos are particularly gorgeous! No matter how much we all water during dry periods, we can't come close to matching what continued rain from the skies can do for our plants! Thank you for sharing the beauty that surrounds you!
I am beyond words. Thanks for sharing!
Oh my! What a beautiful array of blossoms and color and interesting hardscape. It looks like your garden adds to a beautiful location as well. I too love the bicycle. Your roses are incredible. Thank you for sharing.
Wow such beautiful color and lushness. Even the distant views are amazing. Sorry I have no experience with snakes. Good luck with them.
What beautiful roses you have! It looks like you are gardening in a mountainous area? I'm wondering what the elevation is, and if the cooler mountain air helps you keep your garden looking so happy. Sorry for the snake problem - we have little Garter snakes here but they aren't dangerous.
Your garden is stunning! So lush and colorful and interesting. You have worked hard. If your snakes are not poisonous, they are a blessing! They eat rodents that would do harm to your garden and are usually quite shy about contact with people. I'm glad you did not kill them.
Just love to see gardens from other lands. You have a beautiful garden & a beautiful view!
Do you have any idea what kind of snakes they are?
Good morning, Ali and thank you for this glimpse into your beautiful homeland and garden. It must give you great pleasure walking amongst those colorful plantings, except for the snakes, of course. We have so few snakes here that they're a treat to see but then they are also not poisonous. Your view beyond your garden is rather spectacular, as well. Along with others here, I love that white flowering tree and would love to know what it is. Thanks for this great share.
I sense an echo here...your roses are amazing! And as with any gardening problem, first identify, then find a solution. If they are harmless, the only problem is that they startle you.
Fortunately, our local garter snakes are small and beneficial - they eat mice and slugs. I have learned to co-exist with them. Besides they "run" away faster than I do! Nowadays I actually apologize when I startle one sunning. Gorgeous garden and view - enjoy.
Your roses are simply gorgeous, Ali! It must be lovely to sit on the blue chairs with a glass of hot tea or a cool drink and admire the view of the mountains. Might a pet cat keep away mice so that the snakes would go elsewhere? I know Iran has at least 3 kinds of venomous snakes, so I hope you and your family will all be safe. Thank you for giving us a virtual visit to your garden in Iran!
What a beautiful garden and the gorgeous roses , I love the colors and also the mountains in the background. Iran must be beautiful....
So pretty!
Ali, thanks for again sharing your garden with us. It is fascinating to see gardens from all over the world with many of the same plants. It is indeed a small world that we all have chosen to enhance, protect and enjoy. I had to smile when I realized that I was seeing a bicycle against a post covered in vines; I think I remember seeing them sans vines in one of your earlier posting. How original, creative and whimsical. All your plants are lovely and healthy looking. They obviously reflect the love that you and your wife bestow on them. Thanks for sharing.
So lovely to see your beautiful garden from so far away in Iran. What gorgeous vistas you have to look upon. Sorry about your snake, I know I would be quite afraid but maybe it is harmless.
I can't add much to the admiring comments already made...your garden looks fabulous. Thanks for sharing.
In my previous garden,east of Melbourne, southern Australia, we had lots of snakes. They were mostly tiger snakes which are highly poisonous. They prefer to avoid contact with people but will attack if taken by surprise, so I tried to clomp around noisily so they heard me coming! I also wore knee high rubber boots(wellies) to protect my lower legs which were most vulnerable to bites. I never got bitten but our dear golden labrador dog died from a snake bite. Good luck.
Your garden is so lush, and that view is magnificent! What elevation are you?
Gorgeous, Ali. Not all snakes are bad. Perhaps you could identify the type of snake to set your mind at ease for the grandchildren. Just love seeing your lovely garden.
What beautiful, healthy roses, Ali! I share your fear of snakes, especially if they're venomous. We only have one type in our area that's dangerous, and I hope I never find one in our garden. Even harmless black snakes frighten me, but they are certainly useful in keeping mice and voles from taking over. Good luck with your (hopefully "singular") snake, Ali; I hope it doesn't prevent you from enjoying your gorgeous garden.
What a lovely garden and view! Thank you for sharing both with us. Regarding snakes: unfortunately, your garden is always going to attract them. Snakes love tall grasses, rocks and rock piles, and most of what is natural to a garden. I'm sure your rock garden appeals to them. It provides a hibernation place in winter and a warm place in spring. The snakes you saw were probably coming out of hibernation and sunning themselves to warm their body temperatures. The commercial repellents do not work. I've gardened for decades in the American South, where there are all sorts of snakes, several poisonous. But I love gardening. So this is what I did. I got a brochure from our state's agriculture department that identified the poisonous snakes so I could recognize them. The others are really no problem. The non-poisonous snakes actually help keep poisonous ones away by eating the mice, snails, lizards, and other things they eat. So first learn what kind of snakes live in your area. Then decide what to do. There is a snake fence sold commercially, but it's ugly and probably very costly. Check it out online. There are also snake traps. I've never used one, but I'm told they work. Finally, contact a pest control company in your area. Some will go through your garden and locate and trap snakes. While there are no products to keep snakes away, there are some to keep their food sources away---mice and such. That might help. Cats kill snakes, and they kill mice, which attract snakes. So think of a cat. Loud noises like vibrations made by machinery repel them. The first thing I recommend is learn whether you have poisonous snakes.
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