Category Archives: flowers

May2

Rudeness

Posted on Friday, May 2, 2008 by Dianne

Today I had to mail off a few things and decided to go look for Marigold Gem and Polka plants for my fairy/gnome garden. I went back to my ‘count on them’ nursery and they did have the Marigolds (I got orange and tangerine). They have feathery leaves and produce mini flower heads, perfect for my little gardening gnomes. They didn’t have the Polka dot plant, but a lady who overheard me ask told me to go to the place around the corner. I decided I would and they wanted $4.99 for a 4″ pot! I bought one (they had a dark and light variety) and also a magenta with a yellow center Wave petunia. I then decided to go to a nursery in my town. I was now looking for Pineapple sage that I like to put near my pond. I started up a nice conversation with another customer (around my age) while we looked through the herbs. I bought a few things there (no Pineapple sage) and headed for the checkout. I said I was so glad I found ‘Nicotiana’ (I said it nick-o-teen- e- ah). She said, no it’s not pronounced that way, but is part on the nicotine family and told me the correct way to say it, as she was a tour guide for Longwood for many years. So why did she feel she had to insult me in front of the owner of the greenhouse? So what if I said it incorrectly. She said ‘Nih-ko-she-Ah-nuh’.
She also said ‘people who know plants would find my pronunciation unusual’. At least I knew what I wanted, you know. Heck, I’ve been gardening over 30 years! So none of us have to feel like asses, I found this site!

In the google search, the plant they mention that people have trouble pronouncing-yep-Nicotiana. Isn’t is easier to say ‘Tobacco flower’?

Anyway, I went to one more place and got flower and veggie seeds. I now have 6 different unusual colors of zinnia to plant. My lettuce looks like it is coming up, but I don’t see the wildflowers or Rose Campion yet.

I planted about 12 pots of assorted annuals, lots of purple petunias in different hues. You’ll be seeing them. I didn’t want to sit on my wheeled seat tonight to plant things in the ground. Thank goodness for the cheesesteak pizza Bri picked up on the way home-really yummy!

Apr29

A bit of a chill in the air

Posted on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 by Dianne

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So long to the balmy 70s! It is suppose to dip in the 30s tonight! I covered up most of my plants with an old shower curtain and brought in the tomatoes and coleus.

I haven’t been sleeping well, lots of bathroom trips. I used the heating pad and Bri got me some cranberry juice. I don’t have pain, so I’m thinking I may have injured myself outside lifting something, using the hoe or leaning over too much. I am seeing the word ‘prolapse’ a little too often when looking on boards. The old adage ‘it’s always something’ seems to apply to me all the time. I had a little afternoon snooze with the cat today. I hardly ever do that. Hopefully I will work that problem out, but I will say I was grumpy for a few days. I did start a gift to get me out of my cross stitch pit, but I cut the fabric just big enough’. Don’t cut fabric when you are tired.

I just proof read about 6-7 pages of Sean’s research paper on climate. It took me 2 hours today and 2 hours for the first 7-8 pages. He will be home next Wednesday and needs to get a job or his internship settled. He was turned down for the Delaware one as the lady thought a reference from high school wasn’t appropriate for a college student. I did question Sean about that too. Listen to your mama!

I see that Emily from The Floss Box received the postcard that I made for her (sent to Sweden), so I’ll share it here (as she did on her blog-thanks!):

and here’s an old one I found of Longwood Gardens from the internet

These appear to be the Italian Water Gardens that I didn’t photograph the other day.

Hoping for a warmer and heat pad-less day tomorrow!

Apr27

Chasing my tail!

Posted on Sunday, April 27, 2008 by Dianne

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Yep, what to do, what to do? Do I continue outside because that’s what I really want to do or clean my house? There’s so much to do in both locations. I did sort through a huge pile of junk mail, but I should have done that Thursday as Friday is recycling day. Now it will be sitting around all week.

My gardens are getting there. We had a cooler day and a little rain last night, so I was able to get to the lilies. There are so many weeds in there, I chopped off a few lilies by mistake. I do that every year!

I got my first iris today! It’s a pretty all white one! A few dianthus are blooming too. We went to Walmart and I must say their flowers and veggies are pretty decent this year and I bought a bunch last night. I planted more dianthus (Sweet William) that are named ‘Diana’ something. The ones from last year are coming along nicely.

Heard brother #2 has been planting a bunch of things at mom’s. This is good, but I use to help her with that. He also found her a nice used bed set (with a double bed) on Craig’s List and they went and looked at it and bought it! She has been sleeping on a twin bed and couldn’t stretch out right. I hope she is sleeping now as she was exhausted getting the room tidied up for the new additions. She is suppose to have a cat scan tomorrow and wants me to go along (I went with her when she had an MRI a few years back and waiting freaked me out a bit as I knew she was in that closed machine all that time). The weather is suppose to be rainy too.

That’s about all the news. I did sit after dinner and make one ATC! I haven’t made one for weeks. Speaking of dinner, I made the Rachael Ray turkey burgers which are so good! All you do is grate a small white onion in the ground turkey and toss in some seasoning like parsley and poultry seasonings. Next you make the patties and roll them around in pecan pieces and instant potato flakes and fry them up!

I am doing a little cross stitch at night. I am trying to finish off a Christmas ornament that I started back in ’05. I have to do birds over one stitch and it’s hard! Plus the design isn’t right at the top, and I can’t figure out why. It’s pretty though.

Apr25

Ahhhh Lilacs!

Posted on Friday, April 25, 2008 by Dianne

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Happy Arbor Day!

It surely is spring when the Lilacs are blooming! We have an ancient bush next to our driveway that we were trimming back last year. Unfortunately, the blooms are way over my head as the top wasn’t trimmed off! I had to bend a few branches to get theses. Usually Lilacs remind me of May as that’s when they usually bloom. The Azaleas are getting ready to burst open next! I have one bush that looks like it is about to bite the dust as it is so scraggly looking. I’d love to tear out a grape arbor that is mainly covered with weeds and do an area of Azaleas.

And here’s an update on Plant Kindness:

I had this on the back of the sofa, so looks a bit bumpy. I am not happy with the legs of the chairs, but have given up on them! I figure if someone is using chairs to hold flowers, then they are too rickety for human derrières!

I may be going to Longwood…we’ll see. My allergies are behaving better today.
Mom can call here again! I guess me calling Comcast did the trick. : )

Apr24

Hoping for new flowers

Posted on Thursday, April 24, 2008 by Dianne

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My friend Zoey over at Perennial Passion blog was nice enough to send me a package of Rose Campion seeds last year. I figured since the Lilacs are blooming and the Lily of the Valley are unfurling their leaves, I might as well plant the seeds. I planted them in three different areas to see where they would do the best-near the pond, in my grass and lily garden and in the iris bed. All between sneezing and blowing my nose. My neighbor has a ton of flowering trees and I guess they are bothering me, but I guess a ton of things could be outside! I also threw in some flower seeds I had gotten from eBay last year-Butterfly weed, Bee balm and Columbine. If they come up, they come up-they hardly gave me any! I was going to start them inside, but I have had Columbine that has spread by itself.

Thanks to Barbara for defining the difference between ‘affect’ and ‘effect’ in the last post. I had to chuckle because a local tv ad for a dept. store says ‘Did you Boscov today?’ They are using a noun in a verb position!

Here’s an odd thing-my mom can’t get through to me on the phone, but I can call her! It’s been like that for a few days now. We both have called our respective phone service (we use Comcast VOI) I even had her dial my next door neighbor and it went through. She can call me on her cell phone, not her land line.

I really wanted to go to Longwood Gardens today, but too much of the nose problem. Maybe tomorrow. I can do everyday if I wanted with my pass. (There’s a tv commercial for Longwood on right now!)

Apr22

Hugging the earth

Posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 by Dianne

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Earth day just happens to coincide with the PA election and my first look at annuals for my gardens. It’s a sunny day with a little breeze stirring up the pollen (ah choo!) I have to go vote solo as Bri and I are different political parties and his candidate doesn’t have anyone running against him! I think I’ll head to Sean’s old elementary school around 3:30-3:45 when there is more parking space. I get all mushy when I go back there as I spent a lot of time volunteering there for 8 years. I was even the corresponding secretary for the Parent/Teacher Org for a year. One of the things I helped create was the butterfly garden at the school. I brought some of my own perennials to fill in empty spaces. I’d love to see how that is coming along. If I remember, I’ll go look.

As for flower shopping, I saw that my favorite garden place’s other nursery (on the way to my mom’s) has a bunch of flowers for sale. That peaked my interest, so I’ll go take a look down in Delaware at the closer (and better) nursery.

Down at mom’s, brother #2 was doing some landscaping. Some was ok, but I was having nightmares over the placement of some big rocks right next to a path he was putting in. I could see my mom losing her footing and tripping. Seems bro #3 agreed and they are moving them. #2 also replanted daffodils and hosta under one of the front windows. The hosta are too close together and I think daffodils need to rest and get replanted in the fall so their bulbs can gather energy for the next bloom. This is correct I believe. I do have to thin out some of the lilies I planted along the one side of mom’s house a few years ago. They love the location! I’m about to order a mock orange bush and will have to order mom a new butterfly bush as #2 yanked up the one that we all loved.

So, do something for the earth today. Every little thing helps!

Updated:

I did some flower shopping! What a great selection too! For some reason, the nursery switched sides and the perennials were where the annuals use to be. Of course the perennials cost more and they are the first plants people see. I saw a perennial, Barrenwort, I have had since I lived here for $10.99-ouch!

Here I am with some of my new flowers:

And the mentioned Barrenwort which is spreading nicely

You know I was going to buy coleus! I was only able to save one plant from last year by rooting it in water.

I did vote, it was a great time to go. I was voter #277 and it was 3:30 in the afternoon. Not such a great turn out, maybe it was better in the evening. We had Obama ‘call’ us a few minutes before 8 which was pretty comical. Brian didn’t vote.

Apr20

Yard clean up

Posted on Sunday, April 20, 2008 by Dianne

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We had that extremely summer-like day on Saturday (over 80), so Brian mowed the entire lawn (we have over an acre). It looks so much better-all nice and neat and velvety green! I know I’ll have to get out there with my trusty weed whacker sometime in the coming week. Not to say I don’t have some hand weeding to do and to place out my 4 crates of lawn decorations! The little gnomes and fairies take up a couple, so don’t think I’m one of these woman you see who has decorations you can’t poke a stick in between! And I know some have seen better days, so they will get tossed. Also if I buy something new, something old and worn out goes in the trash can. I wasn’t good for much yesterday, I was fatigued and it so isn’t like me to not do stuff outside when Bri is doing stuff. But I did a lot of yard work on my own a few days ago too. I will report that my irises and lilies look good. The iris bed will be getting mulch in it (making mental note) as it just gets too overrun with onion grass and weeds in general. And when I was admiring the pretty double red tulips, I see that the allium did indeed come up again! Around the base of my big evergreen, on the other side (not pictured below), I noticed some mums have really naturalized and spread at least 5 feet! Love my birth month’s flower!

So as we get the yard tidied up, we need to work on tidying up our own diets. Brian is really stubborn. He was raised with the option of eating all that was on his plate and getting seconds, which he still does. Only 3 people in his house growing up. I grew up getting what I was offered and making sure there was enough for all 6 of us. I rarely take seconds here. I have to work on simple sugar consumption. I am pleased to say I can eat the yogurt cheerios again with rice milk for breakfast (lucky me). Cereal had been bothering me when the vitamins were upsetting my digestion. I’ve only taken a few of the new vitamins, and every other day, so I hope I can handle them. If not, I’ll have to get more in touch with bunny foods. Luckily, one of my favorite restaurants makes awesome salads, a few award winning ones. : )

Apr18

Tip toe through the tulips

Posted on Friday, April 18, 2008 by Dianne

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I was telling my other pals that I wanted to ‘dance in the street’ because of my good report on Wed, but that was too dangerous! So I was more than happy to tip toe through the tulips and brought my camera along….

Bleeding heart-I have 4 plants in my front garden, but this one on the corner really took off. It’s one of the neatest plants ever! My mom has a white one blooming.