In this area, clematis is a perennial vine.  There are many varieties, some native, others cultivated hybrids.  All beautiful vines.  We've had this clematis for over ten years!!  And she blooms like this every spring!

 

There are too many rules about growing clematis to remember them all, but the best one is this:

 

In general, clematis likes its feet in the shade and its head in the sun. 

 

So we planted ours under the deck, and let it climb the 4 x 4 posts up through the top deck railing.  I use garden string for it to latch onto, and guide it a little as it goes up.  You can see that I extend the string up the sunburst railings.  It doesn't grow that high every year, but when it gets big enough, it fans out.  

 

You know how grapevines have tendrils?  Well, clematis uses a tendril-like stem on its leaves that twists around the support.  In this case, the garden string.  Of course, it has a mind of its own, reaching for the sunlight, so I try to guide it the way I want it to go.  Sometimes it's very tidy, and some years it's all over the place.  

 

But it's always beautiful!!!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

How cute is he!?!   Doing an excellent job of guarding the garden.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

The tulip poplars are leafing out!!  See how the leaves look like tulips?  Pretty soon they will be blooming.  I'll post a picture when that happens.  The flowers look like tulips too!  

 

I've seen several Tiger swallowtail butterflies lately.  They lay their eggs on the tulip poplar;  they use it as a host plant for their caterpillars to feed on before they make their chrysalids.  

 

We should have lots of butterflies judging by the number of tulip poplars!!!!  I love them both!!!!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

These days your health records are almost all online. Not all of them are automated well but they are available by law. Some health organizations provide the records online and others will still mail you some form of the data if you ask for it. The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC in HHS) recently came out with a nice guide to walk through the steps on how to get access to or get a copy of your records.

 

Its one thing to get the records, often so you can share your whole history with a new doctor, but quite another task to understand what you are looking at. The guide helps with that as well. For example, how do you interpret a lab result or a diagnostic code (better known as the ICD-10 code) if an interpretation or acceptable range does not come with the information. 

 

Go read through the guide here: https://www.healthit.gov/how-to-get-your-health-record/

Walk through the progressive tabs for all the information "Intro" > "Get it" > "Check it" > "Use it".....

 

....and if you ever want to know what a LOINC code is ask me. You wil be the hit of the porch party knowing this :)

 

Look who's blooming!  Columbine.  

 

I brought one plant with me when we moved here.  That one plant continues to reseed itself...everywhere!!!  Every year it blooms and produces seeds.  And some of those seeds get blown by the wind to other places.  So we have this beautiful columbine growing all around the original plant, and beyond!!

 

My North Carolina Gardener's Guide says....'This species behaves like a wildflower, throwing seeds by summer that soon germinate in every nook and cranny of the garden.'   Boy, is that ever TRUE!!!  It would be a great addition to a rock garden, planting itself among the rocks.  Just check out Jim and Roxanne's f!ower beds.  They have purple ones.

 

It likes sun and partial shade.  So if you have a place for some columbine, I'll have seeds to share next month.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Today's my birthday, and I'm celebrating everything about my life!!!!  Where do I start?

 

A....abundance

B....beauty all around me

C....companionship

D....Daddy

E....energy

F....friends and family

G....goodness in the world

H....health

I....inspiration

J....Jon

K....kindness

L....love

M....Momma

N....nature

O....opportunities

P....peace

Q....quiet

R....relationships

S....sisters times 3

T....trust

U....understanding

V....vitality

W....wisdom

X....excitement

Y....yoga

Z....zest

 

Thank you for sharing my meditation.  Maybe you can add your own thoughts to mine.

 

LIFE IS GOOD!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

This is National Geographic's picture of the year.  

 

I LOVE IT!!!!!  No explanation, just PURE JOY!!!!   Well, pure joy for me!!!!

 

 

Here is Nancy and Pete's dogwood tree in bloom.  It's just a small section, but it's so pretty!!!!

 

I'm sure you will see it when you come around their curve.  Be sure to notice the other dogwood trees in the woods too.  They almost shine!!!  Bright white!!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

Its another great weekend to look up... The Lyrid meteor shower is in town!

 Look for Hercules and watch for the show!

 

Great information on where to look can be found here: https://www.space.com/40348-lyrid-meteor-shower-2018-what-to-expect.html

 

Mark

 

Today and tomorrow are great days for planting above ground crops.  Maybe not tomatoes and peppers YET, but we can get lettuce, spinach, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and swiss chard in the ground.  I've also seen some sunflowers coming up, so stick those seeds in too.

 

We need to wait til Mother's day to plant tomatoes, eggplant and peppers.  And we have to wait for the soil to warm up before we plant beans and squash and corn. But... we can start cool weather crops now.  So get out there with leafy greens and cabbages.  You will be glad you did it.

 

The garden centers have lots of flowers for sale right now, but you may want to check the weather forecast first.  Most annuals do NOT like COLD.  And I think we still have some cool nights ahead......

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!!