I saw this on Facebook, and laughed out loud.  THIS IS ME!!!

 

I'm glad to know that I am not alone in my garden obsession.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

This is my night-blooming Cereus at 8:15 pm on Wednesday night.  I knew she was going to bloom about two weeks ago when I saw a tiny flower bud.  Then when that bud got to be this big, I knew it would bloom that night.

 

So I set up my cushions next to her, and waited.  And sure enough, by 9:15 this is how it looked.

 

 

This bloom is about 8 inches across and so beautiful.  I wish I could impart her fragrance onto the screen for you, but you just had to be there.  Since you couldn't be there, I am sharing it with you now.  

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN!!!

 

My friends sent me this picture of some ferns growing in their yard, and asked if I'd ever written a blog about it.

 

I just looked it up, and now I know WHY I've never written about it.  I understand the words when I'm reading about vascular plants.  But, when I read about ferns, I don't even understand the words!!!  Words like stipes, pinnae, like that.

 

Anyway, I love this fern growing in our woods too, so I looked it up again.  The stipes (stems) are shiny black, and the leaflets are arranged in a semi-circle, creating a very unusual looking fern.

 

Its botanical name is Adiantum pedatum, or northern maidenhair fern.  There are several varieties too, but let's just call it maidenhair fern, and enjoy it.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Not everybody can appreciate this, but I know that you can!!!  Oregano flowers for YOU!!!

 

When I went looking for flowers for you today, these were the best I could find:  oregano in bloom.

 

Or sure, I found a couple zinnias, a few marigolds, and a little basil, but when I saw the oregano in bloom, I thought that you would agree with me that they are very special.  Yes, they are.  They are pretty, they smell good, and they taste like oregano.

 

I would send you a bunch if I could.  But for now, a picture will have to do.  I love you.

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

 

 

 

I love seeing Morning Glories, especially when they are in somebody else's garden.  I really do love them, but I don't want them in my garden.  They tend to take over when I'm not looking.

 

My friends have a special place in their garden where they can let them grow and be beautiful, and not invade their tomatoes or squashes.  

 

This way we all get to enjoy seeing them, and nobody has to weed them out.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

Jon cored and sliced and dehydrated apple rings from OUR apples.  That was cool.  This much filled a quart jar.  

 

This is such a great way to preserve all the apples that are coming from our apple trees.  We can only eat so much apple cake, and we still have lots of apple sauce from years past.  So this year our plan is to dehydrate them.  Now we can store them in mason jars in the pantry.

 

I am happy to be learning a new way to preserve our garden abundance.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

It was early in the day, so you can't really see the gorgeous color, but this Crape Myrtle is lavender!!!

 

Crape Myrtles are so beautiful in the summer.  I hope you get to see them in your travels.  

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Before we picked the pears, I took this picture.  I took one at the beginning of the season, and there were lots of baby pears.  Well, in July, there were lots of bigger pears.  When we went out the other day to pick them, there were only about ten pears.  That's ok, we picked them ALL.  

 

I read in the Food Lovers Companion book that it is best to pick pears when they are hard, and let them ripen at room temperature.  So that's what we did.  We picked what was left, and we will let them sit until they're done.  

 

So the critters got some, and we got some too.   

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

This was my only red cabbage this year.  That's ok.  I think she is beautiful!!!

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

 

As I was walking in the garden yesterday, I noticed a humming sound.  At first I thought it was the electric transformer in our neighbors' yard.  Then I looked up and the Sumac tree was absolutely abuzz with bees.  There were bumblers and honeybees all over the flowers.  They were collecting as much pollen as they could hold, then flying off.

 

It was amazing to watch;  I am so glad I got to see it. 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!