Here is my Golden Pathos.  I got this plant when we moved here in 2004.  It lives on top of a music speaker that is 24 inches high.  At one point the vines crept along the floor, up the step, and continued up the wall toward the loft.  That was really beautiful.  And we left it to grow that way for a few years.  

 

Then the lower leaves turned yellow and fell off, leaving the top leaves up high with only vines clinging to the wall.  That was really ugly.  It needed to go away.  When I tried to detach the vines from the wall, the roots took the top layer of drywall with it.  Yack!!!  We had to repair the wall, then repaint that whole section going up the stairs to the loft.  

 

We are very careful now to monitor the vines and make sure they don't attach themselves to ANYTHING.  

 

Some things we just have to learn the hard way.  I am telling you this story so you can learn the easy way.  ;)

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

Here is my Spider plant living upstairs.  I was a little concerned about the brown tips (you know how they get.) 

 

Well, I read lately that most house plants are dormant this time of year, so it's best to go light on the water.  Too much water can cause them to suffer.  I usually only water my indoor plants every ten days.  And so far they are doing ok.  But I will check  before I water to make sure the soil is dry.  

 

I thought you'd like to know.  

 

HAPPY WINTER, 2026!!!

 

After all this cold weather, the catnip is still green.  Gizmo's happy with that.  He still likes to roll in it, nibble at it, and sleep near it.  I think it's kinda stinky, but he loves it.

 

And it seems to be ok with the cold weather.  

 

I hope you are warm and happy.  

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

 

Who woulda thought that we would be planting anything on Christmas!!!  Well, here's the story:

 

Our neighbors planted raspberries years ago, and they took over their garden.  So this year they dug them out, and offered the canes to us to plant in our garden.  

 

So we made a Happy Christmas project of it.  The weather was perfect, 69 degrees;  so we planted 10 raspberry canes in our upper garden.  We mulched them well, and are hoping that they survive the winter.  

 

What a Happy Christmas indeed.

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

 

Look how beautifully the kale is holding up in the cold.  It is biennial, so it has to survive the winter in order to make seeds.  It looks pretty good so far.  I'll let you know if it makes it through the winter.  

 

But for now we can enjoy a bit of kale in salads, omelets, and on and on.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

I went out to the garden to fetch a bit of kale for our Asian Cole Slaw, and noticed how beautiful the dinosaur kale is still.  I guess it doesn't mind the cold and the wind.  (Unlike the rest of us.)  ;)~

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

On our walk the other day we saw lots of leaves on the ground.  And we were fascinated by these Bradford Pear leaves.  Look how the pattern of chlorophyll loss has created whole new leaves:  leaves within leaves.

 

It doesn't take much to entertain us.  I love how all of nature is a wonder:  wonderful!!!

 

HAPPY FALL!!!

 

I love this holly tree.  And right now it is loaded with these gorgeous red berries.  

 

Seek identified it as American holly, Ilex opaca.  But I think it's something else.  Hang on, let me go look it up.  

 

I'm back.  Yes it is a holly, but not an American holly.  It is Dahoon holly, Ilex cassine.  American holly has more shapely leaves;  you know, with more points like those in Christmas decorations.  

 

This Dahoon holly is fantastic.  The leaves aren't so pointy, making it easier to get close to it, and the berries start out yellow and ripen to red.  Just look at them all!!!

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

How about this for hanging onto fall color?  This is Nandina domestica.  'Fire Power' is the cultivar name.  

 

These bushes are only about 24 inches tall and 18 inches across.  I love this planting, where the bushes were planted close  together forming a little mound.  And the best news on Nandina:  They are deer resistant!!!

 

What a nice plant to put in your front flower bed:  it has beautiful fall color, it doesn't get too big, and the deer leave it alone.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

I can hardly believe this myself, but we still have arugula.  Even after 20 degrees one morning.  What a great plant.  You think it has antifreeze in its veins?  

 

Whatever... I am going to keep enjoying it for as long as I can.  

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!