Little Spider

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This morning I was taking photos of the flowers in my garden when I chanced to see a spider in her web. She caught a bug and took it to a

hide-y hole in the flower petal.

Breakfast!

Little Spider on the wall.

He ain't got no one at all.

Ain't got no one to come he's hair.

He don't care.

He ain't got no hair!

The blues

Do you ever get the blues? I just love 'em!

*

The nursery had speedwell.

I had never seen it before,

but it was love at first sight.

I put her in with my blue* bottle *art.

These flowers are so tiny a dime would cover them. The are called Stepables.

Above: Columbine

below: Is this Campanula?

and of course,

forget-me-nots

What's Cookin

. . . in your garden?

Here is a bit of garden art,

a stove in the kitchen garden.

I see is a splash of herbs

in the coffee pot.

Stay and I'll make a cup

of calendula tea for us to sip.

Lace Cap Hydrangeas

This variety of hydrangea is a lace cap, named The Crown Jewel of Serrata.
Lovely, isn't she. They are treated exactly the same as mop heads. In some ways the lace cap is easier to place in the landscape than its showier mop head sister because it is looser, more graceful and more subtle in its effect.
So graceful, they knock me out!

Gray Squirrel

I had a visitor come to my garden this morning She hopped all about, admiring the flowers growing in the rusted old wheelbarrow.



She sat on the bench for just a second before scampering away. I hope she comes back tomorrow.

Meadows and Cities

I live in the meadow,

where the WildFlowers grow,

away from the city,

where I sometimes go.

I like the city, StarBucks and

cup-a-joe,

but I left my heart

where the WildFlowers grow.

~Becky

My friend Sherry, lives in the city.

*

*

I was asked to explain the expression, "Cup of Joe".

Cup of Joe is an American nickname for coffee.

*

Perhaps the origin is this:

Josephus Daniels

was appointed Secretary of the Navy

by President Woodrow Wilson in 1913.

Among his reforms of the Navy was

the abolishment of the officers' wine mess.

From that time on,

the strongest drink aboard Navy ships

could only be coffee

and over the years, a cup of coffee became known as

"a cup of Joe".

gifts from the heart

I walked alone on the beach.

I found a feather, I found some shells.

♥

I made a heart in the sand

for you.

♥

Today I will be aware of the gifts nature gives to me.

♥

There are gifts in nature

and

gifts in friends.

♥

Vertical Gardening

I took these photo's in Sweet Annie's Herb Garden."Sweet Annie" is my friend

who has since passed away.

She was a creative and inspirational gardener.

In the photos you can see how

she used simple structures

such as old ladders for vertical gardening.

*
Ladders, poles, chairs, antiques,

bunk-beds, wheelbarrows, and even old stoves

can be attractive features in your garden.

Use them to lift your eyes by growing plants vertically.

Caring Bloggers Rose Day, May 10th!

Britt-Arnhild has asked us

to use a rose as a symbol

to show the world that

we are bloggers who care.

Hummers

The Hummers are back!
I put the hummingbird feeders up this morning and by afternoon the little birds were busy sipping the nector.
Here's the recipe for artificial nectar (syrup)
To attract more hummingbirds, I'll begin to plant a hummingbird garden. This way I can help to provide a natural diet for them, and at the same time, attract them to my feeders where I can get a close look at those cutie-pies.
Hummingbirds feed by sight on regularly-followed routes. They are so inquisitive by nature so I hope they will investigate my garden to see what new flowers are growing for them to enjoy!

Poinsettia Poison ?

Hey Cat! Get away from that!
It's poison !
. . . or is it?

I have always believed that poinsettia plants are poisonous, haven't you?

But it is the consensus of government agencies, health centers, veterinary groups, and plant and flower organizations surveyed, that poinsettias are not toxic and do not pose a health threat to children or pets.

POISENDEX is the source of poison information for the majority of poison control centers. It says that a 50-pound child would have to eat more than a pound-and-a-quarter of poinsettia leaves to exceed the doses used in the Ohio State research, which would be 500 to 600 leaves.

So while we should not let our pets lunch on something alien to the digestive system, it's good to know that a bite or two of poinsettia will not lead us to the pet cemetery.

Read more factoid here.

Winters Ravages

Winter visited my garden.

Many of my plants did not survive.

I have tons of work to do now, and I'm ready!

Above: This tile read, "A Gardener Knows All the Dirt"

Ms Winter broke it!

Below: She also knocked over my potting bench.

Here you see (below) my bog garden.

I had left it alone all winter long

and was delighted to find that my koi

survived.

Since taking this photo

I have cleaned the bog and replaced the water filter.

Did I tell you I have worms? Yes I do.

They have been busy all winter long

turning my kitchen garbage into

lovely garden soil.

Bless their hearts!

What surprises did winter leave for you?

Spring has Sprung

Hello Gardening Pals,

Happy Spring to you. I can't wait to hear and see what new things are taking place in your garden and in your life.

I've been traveling this winter, but now that it is Spring I will be busy in my garden again, blogging about it (which means, mud on the keyboard) and anxiously looking in on your blogs to see what I have missed & what is popping up in your garden.

Please drop by my garden gate. (Uh, this fabulous gate in the photo is not mine, but a girl can dream, can't she?)

Flat Stones

I gathered some flattish stones from the riverside.

For a different effect, I arranged some of the stones on their sides.

In the photo you can see them positioned across the pathway.

Let me tell you, it was a chore.

I would have liked to have done a larger area,

but alas . . . other chores called to me.

Let your eye travel from the flat stones, into my garden.

You'll see there a "dry riverbed."

I planted grasses along the sides.

In the winter when it rains so much,

this little dry-bed turns into a stream of water

running off the roof of my house.

Potting Bench

My true love,

the under-gardener,

built a potting bench for me.

I will plant vines

next to it

and they will

grow up and over the top.

Furniture

Can you believe my luck?
My neighbor was going to throw this away!
I told her I'd take it and put it in my garden.

*

The Under~ Gardener thinks it's junk.
Tsk tsk, he has a lot to learn.

Smothering Weeds

My new garden area was Weeds + Clay

What to do ? ?

I covered the ground with cardboard from recycled boxes.

Then I covered that with bark mulch.

I had to wear a mask to avoid breathing the mulch particles.

Now when I want to plant something, I simply dig a hole and plant there.

The cardboard is decaying into the ground.

I'll continue to amend the soil with more mulch, kitchen compost and leaves.

The weeds have been smothered, worms have moved in

and my garden is flourishing.

1. Cover Ground with Cardboard.

2. Cover the cardboard (and/or Newspapers) with Mulch.

Now the weeds are smothered and you can begin planting.
It's a miracle.

You Grow Girl