What Is It?

Recently I showed a picture of this same type of stuff that I found in one of my vegetable garden boxes in my back yard. A couple of days ago I found this in the front yard. It is really weird, especially because it was sitting on top of the grass, unlike a toadstool. The next day there was one more. I don't have a clue as to what it is. It looks light and airy, unlike something that a cat or dog would vomit. Next time I will cut it open to see what its structure is like--maybe that will help!

Finally! I'm finally able to get back online! Thank you for your patience!
I was pulling weeds and deadheading plants the other morning and saw this sight!

I thought it looked like the snails were on a carnival ride or something! That didn't last long, as I helped them on their way to their happy hunting ground!

A Glitch . . .

I won't be posting for a couple of days at least--I am having computer trouble. I will be back as soon a I can!

Fall Is On It's Way

I don't know if you can see the slight change in the color of these peach tree leaves--it's not from a bright sky--but they are starting to change color in preparation for dormancy. The tree is pulling the nutrients out of the leaves so it can be stored in its roots for use next spring. If I was to prune this tree now, I would be short-changing the tree of some much-needed nutrition.

Leaves

In the lower center of the picture there is a leaf of my Granny Smith apple tree that has an interesting color design. Nature is the greatest creative force! All things can be altered, nothing needs to remain the same, although there are generally certain patterns that help create order in our world. It would look strange for an apple tree to have pine needles or palm fronds in amongst the apple leaves!

Grape Hyacinth

Now is the time to buy bulbs for early spring blooms. One bulb that thrives in my yard is grape hyacinth. I have grown them for many years, in full sun, and they keep coming back year after year. The first time I saw these flowers en-mass was back in the mid-west, about 25 years ago. My Dad and I went on a genealogy trip, where we would drive from one courthouse to the next, looking for our family names in the vital, land, and other records. We went to one cemetery in Illinois, which had been abandoned for a very long time. This cemetery was covered with trees that were about 20' or more high. Underneath the trees were the headstones of our ancestors. We started walking in under the trees, and once we were in the shade, we saw that grape hyacinths had completely covered the ground and were in full bloom. It was such a beautiful sight, I will never forget it. Long ago someone had planted a few bulbs to beautify a grave. Grape hyacinths are relatively cheap and multiply quickly. You will know spring is here when you see these flowers pop up!

Make It Happen . . .

No, this is not my garden! In our newspaper there is a weekly article that I like to read, by Harvey Mackay. He writes about how to improve your business. Although I don't "work", I still like to see what I can learn and apply it to my life. Recently he asked a woman at a conference what she did for a living. She replied that it's what you do with your life that matters. Mr. Mackay then gave several little sayings to show that you have to do something to be able to get something--it doesn't magically appear just because you want it, "you have to make it happen." The one saying that fit this blog says: "Life is like a garden. Plant good seeds and tend them, and the bounty is plentiful." It's like what the Bible says, where you have to sow before you can harvest. My Dad always says you have to give, to get; meaning you have to give up something (like snoozing in a hammock) to get something else you want (like a bountiful garden). Time passes by whether we are busy or not, so we should get ourselves in gear and make something happen!

Praying Mantis

This is a praying mantis eating a grasshopper. Today as I was pulling weeds in my yard, I saw three mantis', one large brown one and two medium sized green ones. I was pulling weeds around them, trying to get them to move over. After a couple of minutes I looked over to see if they had moved, and the big one was eating one of the green ones! I was really surprised as I had not expected it--I do know that they have a tendency to each other, though. Mantis' eat a lot of things, including humming birds on occasion! Praying mantis' can eat up to 16 crickets a day--so you can see they are really handy to have in the garden!

New Construction

We are having a new walkway installed in our back yard. I'm glad to get the bermuda grass out and a nice cement path to use. My husband took out the cement curbing yesterday, as it was cracked in several places. My cat, Dottie, insisted on being in the picture, too.

Another Black Widow

This morning I went out to clean our pool, and found a black widow spider living in the center of a plastic pool ring that our grandkids left in the pool. In the picture below, you can see her at the 1 o'clock area of the inside of the ring.
She was just floating along with the ring, seemingly happy with her new home. That didn't last long--I showed my husband and that was the end of that!

Fungi

I'm not sure what this is, except it's a fungi of some sort! It was really white, and about 1 1/2 inches across. The next day it was tan; and the day after that it was more brown. Have you ever seen such a thing? I haven't!

More Flowers

This is another bulb that I planted a couple of years ago, that I don't remember the name! This is the first time it has bloomed, and it smells so good! It has a vanilla, plus something else, scent. It looks kind of forlorn, as it's doesn't like the afternoon sun. I will to move it once it dies back. I will be moving my Naked Lady bulbs to the same area, where they will get afternoon shade--I think they will thrive there. This bulb may not look pretty, but the scent is heavenly!

Siberian Iris

My Siberian iris' finished blooming weeks ago, but I leave the flowers. The flowers turn into seed pods, which can be used in flower arrangements. Instead of making flower arrangements, I go out in the fall and break open the pods and spread the seeds around. These are a no-fuss flower, easy to grow, prolific bloomers (pretty purple flowers), and they love wet conditions. This spot in my back yard is kind of boggy, so I planted plants that like this type of ground. These iris' have thrived with neglect and not much fertilizer, for many years. Siberian iris are drought tolerant once they are established, and grow in zones 3-9.

More Pecan Trees

This morning I was tidying up my lantana and spied something amiss! Weeds will often grow amongst plants that look similar, so they can grow without notice. I found that this pecan tree was actually four pecan trees! I was able to get three of the four out (one stem broke at ground level), so I will be watching for the last one when its leaves show up again. Those blue jays sure are busy planting pecans!

Fall Rose Care

Now is a good time to deadhead your roses. As you cut off the spent blooms, cut the stems back to help shape the plant. To have mores rose blossoms, cut the stems just above a 5-leaf leaflet (see picture below). A new stem programed to make a flower or flowers will grow from that leaflet.
The more vigiorous the plant, the more you can prune back; be careful with a small or weak plant as they will need the leaves for food. Once pruning is done, give your roses a good dose of fertilizer (coffee grounds?!), so they will have another flush of rose blooms for your Thanksgiving
table!

Coffee (Grounds) In The Morning

Yesterday I stopped at Star Bucks and picked up some coffee grounds! They give it away, because they like to recycle. I actually didn't get very much (this is all they had), but I was happy to get it just the same. I think next time I am running errands, I will plot the Star Bucks stores on my route, and pick up coffee grounds along the way! The coffee grounds come in round "blocks" instead of loose, so they are easy to handle. They crumble easily, so spreading them in the garden is quick work. Years ago I read that earthworms and roses really love coffee grounds--so I figure everything else will, too! Free fertilizer--what more could you ask for!

Star Jasimine

I had two Star Jasmine growing here several years ago. They were full and lush, just beautiful, and they covered the fence. Then, my husband needed to replace the fence, so he just hacked off the shrubs to about three feet high (I nearly cried). One shrub died, but the other has bushed back out. It keeps sending out runners, trying to find something to climb on. This runner lacked support and kept bumping into the board that goes across the fence. This runner has actually tied itself in a knot! I thought it was kind of funny!

Colors

Nature puts all kinds of colors together. People are the ones that get anxious about putting flower colors together--don't mix cool and warm colors; don't put pink next to orange; use red sparingly, it's a hot color; etc. Nature is just filling in empty spaces with weeds, flowers, shrubs, and trees. She uses the wind, animals (seeds stick to their coats and drop off somewhere else), people (sometimes we do like the animals, and sometimes we see a flower and take its seeds to plant in our garden); and most especially, nature uses birds to transport seeds. I read somewhere one time that "nature arbores a vacuum", which I figured meant open ground in gardening terms. If you love a riot of color, enjoy it in your garden! Plant what you love and nature will applaud you!

Flowers

These are some pretty flowers that have come up from a bulb. I don't remember planting anything here (at my age I am forgetting a lot of things!), so it was a surprise to see them! I love these kinds of surprises!

8/27--I figured out what this flower is--a white zephyranthus, which blooms from August through October.

This Is What Happens . . .

. . . when you don't do yard maintenance! These are two pecan trees that have really taken hold! I should have clipped them when they were just tiny, but now it will take some real work to get rid of them. They are persistent, but if I keep cutting them down each month, it will eventually kill them. This is on the north side of my house, a dead-end piece of ground, so I rarely go there. I really do need to get after these pecans!