Category Archives: gardening

Aug11

A fine feathered friend

Posted on Thursday, August 11, 2011 by Dianne

Yesterday when I was lazying around I was sitting at the dining room table and saw movement in the tree through the window and it was directly in front of me! I saw it was one of the birds we have been hearing and hardly seeing across the street! I think it was a young she (from the bird guide book) and ran to get the camera and add the zoom lens. Here is one of the better captures:

At first I thought it was a Peregrine Falcon, but it is really close to the Cooper’s Hawk! We have a development 1/2 mile down the road called ‘Falcon’s Lair’. But the funny thing is on the way to shopping yesterday, we passed a Lane called ‘Cooper’s Hawk’ in Chadds Ford! Go figure. I guess she was watching the bank and stream for dinner!
It’s really a pleasant day out and I’ve been mostly inside messing with uninstalling and installing software. I finally got the EOS digital to work on my computer, but I didn’t want to load it up with a bunch of software and photos. I guess it’s good to have the camera software, which doesn’t seem to work. I had to go to the control panel and it found the camera and then imported the photos. I would like to take the 460 mbs of photo stuff off if that’s what I have to do everytime.
I have an issue that I hope goes away before our trip since I have to sit a lot. I have had this issue off and on for years. Pain in the…opps! ; )
And here it the Moonflower in bloom. It’s had a few more, but I see Mr. Catepillar nibbled some of them…

It smells nice too! Maybe I will go and take a cushion to enjoy a little of this low humidity day! : )

Aug7

Crepe Myrtle and other things

Posted on Sunday, August 7, 2011 by Dianne

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Crepe Myrtle in full bloom, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

I always enjoy seeing the Crepe Myrtle bloom this time of year. It covers up my garden window in the kitchen and Brian cuts it way back after it blooms. I did that with the butterfly bush last fall and it’s big as ever again, but not very healthy looking.
Here is the Moonflower about to open…it’s kinda foggy and mysterious looking:

I did take a photo when it was opened up pretty much, but didn’t upload it yet.
I potted up some baby coleus today and was in a dripping sweat after only 20 minutes!

I did this card a few days back. I have a book on France and wanted to use a map for the background:

I did a couple more collages today after dinner as I had some new stampers I wanted to try.

A former high school alumni opened a page on Facebook called ‘You grew up in Media, Pa if…’ and within a day there were over 200 of us reminsicing about the old days. You should start a page like that too!
Bloodwork tomorrow…I am protesting some of it as I never took the diruetic and he wanted to check to see if things were effected because of it. My poor mom was not allowed to have any more pain pills (she ran out) that she has been taking for over 8 years and she was going through withdrawal on Friday! I haven’t heard her that miserable since she had Shingles! I didn’t know what to do. Finally my brother called the emergency number in the evening and he went and got some for her the next morning. He gave me an earful for not going down, but I know that medicine is the only kind that will help. She’s had shots, physical therapy, etc. I mean come on, she’s almost 81, so let her be comfortable. And my brother making her clean the basement (lifting and leaning over too much), caused her to have to take more pills. The doctor said no more physical ‘labor’ like that.

Jul14

Where is July going?

Posted on Thursday, July 14, 2011 by Dianne

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Echo Picotee Lisianthus, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

I got to spend some outside today potting and repotting flowers and not roasting doing so. I could stand to do weeding. Bri stopped and got me a spool for the Weed Whacker, but not in the mood to do that. I did make some homemade potato salad to eat with our fat-free hotdogs. I also sat and got inspired to do a few more collage cards. I must have purple on the mind!

The Lisianthus is called Echo Pictotee. Haven’t had too many of these in the garden, but I am liking it! Got two (buy one, get one free) from the Amish lady. It’s like a rose and tulip in one!
Also got the cutest decorations:

the above is for the pond garden
And this is for the fairy garden! : )

Mom may come out tomorrow to go to Longwood Gardens. : ) Hope so!

Jul6

Summer spruce up

Posted on Wednesday, July 6, 2011 by Dianne

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Repainted garden gnomes, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

As you know I have a garden that has both fairies and gnomes at the side of our house. I’ve have this garden a number of years and some of the older inhabitants were starting to look faded and sad. I picked 4 of the worst and cleaned them up and gessoed them all in white as I didn’t want to sand off paint I knew nothing about. I’m not that great with faces, but I think these aren’t too bad. After this shot, I sprayed them with acrylic sealer.
Here is Mr.and Mrs. Gnome back out near the Strawberry house (that needs a dab of green paint on the front there).

Here’s a new flower that I saw at Longwood Garden and wanted to see if it spreads. It’s called Throatwort:

The tomatoes almost 5 feet tall now! It helps that they are planted in a circle as they have the fence for support.

There’s Brian cutting the grass tonight. See that huge maple there-he planted it! Like all the other trees, this is way too big!

The daisies are blooming nicely at the corner of the house and near the pond.

This is around the front. The hanging baskets look good (Fuchsia and Geranium). I need to weed out a lot of things like spent Bleeding Heart.

These pots near a sitting area look good.

The Lilies are giving us a nice show.

Hydrangea and Hosta blooms
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Tomorrow I go drop more things off at the thrift shop. The first bunch of things isn’t selling well. I left a message for someone to call back and she did tonight. I had my old art table and she said to bring it over Sunday or another week. I can bring 15 items at a time and only 2 have sold in 2 weeks. I guess people are using money for vacations. I plan to keep consigning.

Jun29

Blue, blue, blue Wednesday

Posted on Wednesday, June 29, 2011 by Dianne

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Even though this isn’t summery oriented, here is a blue Christmas tree…

I was working outside for a few hours with the weed whacker late this morning until the spool wouldn’t stay in place anymore. I was almost finished what I wanted to do too. Did the front sidewalk, the back patio edge and pond. Then the pond looked nasty, so I drained that out a lot and a tiny frog popped up! There use to be a big one in there. Guess he moved out and let ‘Elvis’ move in. So I got out the half moon edger and did almost around the entire pond. Things look better when they are edged-so nice and neat. I worked the ground enough for planting some flowers and I added three in the pond garden. I came in took a shower and tried to relax again outside (did I mention how nice the weather is today?) until I saw pots needed watering, so I did some of that and planted polka dot plants and another unusual plant in the fairy garden. Whew! I’m bushed!

Jun25

Front step blooms

Posted on Saturday, June 25, 2011 by Dianne

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Front step blooms, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

I bought the pretty geranium and wicker plant holder from the little Amish lady yesterday.
Did a little puttering around, not much as I was tired from yesterday. It was fun to put things around the yard, but I only planted a Turkish eggplant (you know I like unusual plants-scroll to bottom to see the orange fruit) and moved a droopy pepper. I took some photos as my flowers looked pretty despite the Chestnut tree catkins all over the place.

I’m getting lots of Lily blooms this year!

Pole from clothesline used for cone planter

And a few bowl gardens-the fairy one is filling in nicely:

And the Succulent one with new green pebbles:

Some bauble in the Viburnum next to the fairy garden:

The little jars (only this one is showing and the pebbles for the bowl garden were both under $2 each at the Christmas Tree Shop. : )
Tomorrow I hope to weed around the fairy garden and plant up a few more things. I’m on my 4th bag of potting soil (the soil from Dollar General for $3 is fine and like the pricier stuff).
Have a nice Sunday!

Jun23

I keep adding to the mix

Posted on Thursday, June 23, 2011 by Dianne

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First of all Happy 88th Birthday to Brian’s dad Frannie! Wow, that is a milestone birthday. The guys are seeing him after work. I’m not as they both are taking separate cars. He was rather ill last year and could barely get around. He is so much better this year though we worry about him living on his own. The yard is way too much work. He has a guy cut the grass and trim some stuff, but he got poison ivy bad in the backyard and doesn’t want to tackle that! I don’t blame him. He needs a super duper bottle of weed killer.

Yesterday I was down in my hometown to accompany mom to the doctor. She has had a sore right arm off and on and the doctor thinks it’s a pulled muscle. He took blood to keep her sugar in check. After she was finished, we went across the street to an Asian market and produce place. I was snooping around (lots of their things are picked over now), but I found this beauty, a Passion Flower for only $14.99. I know if I had gone to the garden center I went to later to purchase the same thing, it would have been at least $40 or more.

My friend Meg had one a few years ago and I couldn’t stop looking at it. I will have to see if it gets fruit.
Mom and I had some salad and gourmet pizza next. I only eat one piece and eat mostly salad. I lost 5 pounds in a month which is a small feat for me! I’m trying to loss in 5 pound intervals which is the safest and most practical way.
After dinner we went to JoAnn’s and their lawn decor is down to 60% off. I got a few more gnomes as some here getting old and broken. I didn’t stop there and usually overdo it at that store.
After I dropped mom off, I headed to the fancy Terrain garden center again. Remember the pocket gardens from a few weeks ago? I looked closely at them and they could surely be made from gardeners’ block fabric, maybe doubled. My camera was losing it’s charge or I would have taken a photo to show how bushy everything got! Great idea. I was looking for things for a few bowl gardens. Remember they are pricey and I went ahead and did buy some things like an ice plant, etc. Also found a chocolate Cosmo-it sure looks like the color of chocolate.
Today it’s like a sauna outside and the catkins are falling from the Chestnut trees. I did up two bowls with the new plants. I think they need a few decorations in them! I’ll share soon.

Not sure if you have heard of the ‘Jackass’ tv shows and movies, but pretty sure you have. It was all over the news that one of the stars, 34 yr old Ryan Dunn was killed early Monday morning in a firey car crash along with his friend Zack. They were driving at 130 and his alcohol level was twice what it should be. That happened near the hospital I was in for my appendix in January as they both lived in West Chester, PA. So some people are cashing in on this tragedy-this one lady sold the local paper about the crash for $10K and another is up to $100k on eBay! Not sure if they are legit, but they do look like they are. I hope she donates some of her winnings to MADD (Mothers against drunk driving). Although this is indeed a tragedy and it took 2 lives, he could have hit other vehicles instead of going through a grove of trees. By the way, Brian works for the paper that got the big bids.

Jun13

Greek food and veggie patch

Posted on Monday, June 13, 2011 by Dianne

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Greek food, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

I just realized I didn’t post our food from the Wilmington, DE food festival. We splurged and got a variety of pastries too. Compared to what we ate at Chili’s tonight, this was diet food! (Chili’s is so salty! Since I have watched what I’ve been eating better-I try, it was hard to eat the chips).
Here’s what this photo is: Mousaka-Eggplant and potato casserole, Spanakopita-spinach pie, Dolmades-stuff grapes leaves, meatballs and Tyropita-cheese filled pie. Sean never ate his half of the raspberry tart and Baklava so I tossed them today. : (
Sean and I went to go to ‘Hidden Acres’ Greenhouse today and right when we got there, the Amish buggy was pulling out of the driveway-it was closed for a holiday! Arrgghh. : ) So we went to the thrift shop and I got a few little things, plus I asked the lady about consigning things-15 items allowed a week-60 mine/40 theirs commission. I’m going to get stuff together including that old art desk of mine. I have tons of stuff and it’s easier than having a yard sale (though I still want to have one!)
Sean and I went to Walmart too-bought a few plants and seeds, also some groceries.
My veggie patch is finally in. We bought a box of stuff-onions, garlic, rhubarb and potatoes for $2 at Lowes. I planted all that except the rhubarb today, they really don’t give you that many bulbs/tubers. I had major weeding to do first. I added zinnias and smaller sunflowers near the fence. Then tonight I planted the zucchini and cucumbers and a few gourds. I planted the potatoes in Sean’s old tire garden and tossed some gourd seeds in that too. I love to plant seeds to see what comes up. Walmart has lovely tomato plants in containers for $10 so we got one of those too. Also poked nasturtiums all around the place.
I want to do some edging in a few areas. Gotta burn off those calories!

Jun12

Sightseeing in Baltimore

Posted on Sunday, June 12, 2011 by Dianne

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Sightseeing in Baltimore 4" x 4" Collage card, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

I certainly had to make a collage card honoring Baltimore. My guys are great at grabbing brochures, so it was the assembling part that was the challenging. I had a rip off calendar with ships, so that came in useful.
We had a good rain last night, so the ground was nice and soft. I’m starting garden maintenance. Well…maybe. Sean has had a garden for years and lately he is mostly buying the plants and only putting in a few. It was looking bad, so I went to town and planted 18 impatiens he had bought plus a few marigolds! That took me away from the veggie corral which needs a little attention right now. Maybe I’ll do that tomorrow.
The lilies are starting to bloom now along with the Red Hot Pokers. It’s nice to have perennials blooming each month.
Brian came out and planted a few pots of perennials that were hanging around for a few weeks. I have some annuals to finish planting and need to finish with a clean-up project on the back patio.
Busy busy!