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Today I had lunch with my high school pal Heather. We get together now and then which is nice. I so enjoy talking to ladies my own age instead of just men or my mom. Goes to show that many of my good friends are around my age. I have friends in their late 30s and I tell them I’m kinda like an auntie, but we share many of the same interests. : )
Sean went along for the ride, dropped me off and Heather and I went in PF Chang’s for lunch. Afterwards, Sean and I strolled along in some high priced stores (I check out the sales or sale rooms-but got nothing today). We then went over to Home Goods and I got some new towels, tea and a few little things. That fancy shamancy gardening place had a sale-actually what the sale price is should be their real prices-lol. I got some hot pink phlox in a big pot. When I got home I noticed it had powdery mildew on it. I know that is common with phlox, but should I wipe it off? I let Sean pick it out while I waited at the register, so I didn’t see it until I got home-not a good move. I think the gardening is continuing all summer here. I am really pleased with how my gardens are coming along. I would like to mulch the veggie garden as it looks really dry.
No big plans for the 4th-my oldest brother is turning 57! Wow! ; )
Category Archives: plants
Blue, blue, blue Wednesday

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!
Yellow for Monday
Kari over at Artsy Mama is sharing different colors for each day, so I’ll follow her lead and go through Flickr for some sun shiney yellow today!

I keep adding to the mix
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.
Red Trumpet Espalier trained vines
I went for a much needed walk at Longwood Gardens today. I will always take my camera! I didn’t realize a few weeks ago that this espalier was trumpet vines. I have some orange ones growing over the shed. I haven’t uploaded all my photos yet (something going on at Flickr). Here are a few to share.
Even Amish people like the gardens..

I thought this was an interesting perspective shot:

Peaceful flow of water:

Perfect veggie patch:

Adorable child’s seating area in the big veggie garden:

Pinks in the Conservatory:

Daffodil faces
Longwood Christmas Display 2010
Longwood Christmas Display 2010, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.
~Click here to enlarge~
It was very chilly (below freezing) day today, but Sean and I headed over to Longwood Gardens as we were gifted with tickets and the display is closing on Sunday. There were some very imaginative decorations. I really liked the tree with the moss, dried roses, silver painted ferns and pine cones that were cut in half (photos #3-thinking Ms. Zoey would like that too!)The tent was interesting-the 5th photo. It displayed a collection of perfume bottles inside and there were at least a dozen bonquets of white florals around it plus lit evergreens.
I also wanted to see the gardens with an icing of snow, I don’t remember seeing more than just a dusting of snow there before. Very pretty. We also go for the lights which were just as amazing, but difficult to photograph at night. We went up in one of the newer treehouses called ‘the birdhouse’ and that was 3 flights of stairs-oy! Nice view of the Dupont house.
Another new area was the hall of bathrooms-I kid you not-with about 20 large individual bathrooms. The walls of the hall are lined with living plants (first photo).
We ate a sandwich and mushroom soup in the cafe. I had an eggplant one which was cold-would have been tastier kept warm. The mushroom soup tasted good and warmed us up. It took me a good 45 minutes to warm up when we got home.
More snow expected tomorrow.
Fall clean-up
Today I decided to dig up the Ornamental grass that had taken over my Lily garden. I ‘dislike’ forgetting to do things. I don’t know what happened last fall, but the one plant I had kept didn’t get it’s seed heads snipped and there were at least a dozen or more grasses everywhere in this bed. I still did keep one plant, but off came the seed heads!

Since I was all ‘worked up’, I went around back and tackled the Butterfly bush. Another shrub which was either not cut back enough or ignored. This was a job and a half! It took me a good 45 minutes to trim. I left an almost full garden cart for Brian who needs to empty it as I can’t lift it (with the grasses). I just left the big pile of branches from the Butterfly bush.

I also planted two pinkish-purple mums and 6 yellow pansies and dug up a Flowering maple plant. I am still packing up stuff to store-now I know why it takes me weeks to get it right as I have so much put out. I am sore, but glad I got done more in the yard.
Isn’t that a neat photo of the Milkweed above? I should cut most of those seed heads off too. Nature sure knows how to regenerate well!

Burning bush

Down the front path

Behind the house

Witchy pal from the Christmas Tree Shops.
Sweetness in the heat
My Starglazer lily finally opened up over the last few days. I was wondering if it could stand the heat as it’s in a pot, but it looks good, only a few buds wilted. And you know the smell of this flower is amazing too. I’d love to have an entire field of them to frolic in!
We are expecting glorious, soaking rain on Saturday. Hooray! I hope it does rain. It rained about 5 miles from here where Sean works today and we got nothing.
Have a great weekend!
Daylilies 2010
Very prolific this year-love the colors, fringes, stamens, etc.!
Brian’s dad is still in the hospital. He has a heart valve problem that is affecting his kidneys it seems. He is having a test tomorrow to see why he is having the other bathroom issues. Tonight Dad C. sounded a bit groggy. He thought he had slept for 11 hours and it was Monday. I’ll keep you posted.
Hot. hot, hot here! We really need the rain! Some gardens are struggling. If it’s not the lack of rain, it’s the wildlife causing havoc. I went out tonight to find all my gourmet lettuce (just ready to pick) and most of the sunflowers and zinnias nibbled on. I’m thinking it’s deer. All the houses springing up around here has caused them to check out people’s yards. I have had this issue in the past. I may need to put up a fence now.















