Cottage Flora Thursday

I'm joining Tracie over at Fishtail Cottage for Cottage Flora Thursdays. http://fishtailcottage.blogspot.com/2011/05/cottage-flora-thursdays-18.html


I can't believe it's been slightly over a week since I have posted. Sometimes things just happen that way. I've had a few things going on and lots of work to do too here at the office.

I haven't felt good in a few weeks since I am dealing with a bad tooth. Have to go back to the dentist on Monday. Yuck!

I've missed you guys and will be by to visit as I can today. I love blogging and visiting so I hate when I can't check out your gardens regularly. Ya'll mean a lot to me, each and every one of you.

I've never seen the poppies in this stage right as they are opening up. They are so pretty. I need to know how to extract the seeds from the poppies. Help me out here.

I love the hydrangea I recently purchased. This bloom is only an inch from the ground. I had to get way down LOW to get this pic.

This bloom is on the same plant as the one above. I fertilized a few days before I took these pics with Miracle Gro All Purpose. I usually use the all purpose and then a week later I spray them with Bloom Burst. I fertilize about every 3 weeks alternating.

How do plan your stages when you fertilize with what and how often?

The begonias are really taking off now. This one is crowded though. The salvia I planted next to it is a larger plant than I first thought. Would this be a bad time to move some of the plant?  

Mums blooming.

The butterfly weed is looking good. I've noticed more butterfly activity but can't capture those pretty things on camera.

Beautiful dianthus.

Check out the blueberry bush. The entire bush is leaning towards the ground loaded with berries. They are beginning to turn. Soon I'll have some cobbler. Yummmmmmy!

Enlarge and check out the critter. (PS it's a fake) Can you see the berries?

Beautiful snapdragon.

Put on your sun shades to look at this four o'clock. The sun is bright, shining on this yellow beauty. There are many more to come. The plant is loaded now.

More butterfly weed.

I love the blue sky and the wispy clouds this morning.

No rain in the seven day forecast so the sprinkler will be used regularly. I bought me another sprinkler from Ace Hardware and hopefully it will last the entire season.



I'll be visiting my daughter this weekend for Mothers Day. Can't wait to get some kisses and hugs from everybody. I miss them so much.

Since I'm taking tomorrow and Monday off I'll be back to visit on Tuesday.

The state of Alabama is still cleaning up after the tornadoes a week ago. This will be a long road for these people as as there is so much loss. There are 38 counties in Alabama that are disaster areas. The death count in Alabama alone is above 250. Please continue to pray for these people as they pick up the pieces and put their lives back together.

Have a great day and a lovely weekend.

Tornadoes and Cottage Flora Thursday

Did anyone see this post before I changed it. I had Bloomin Tuesday on the title. Duh Rebecca check the calendar. Today is Thursday.

The tornado destruction in Alabama is widespread. There are 128 deaths in Alabama this morning. There are a number of bloggers in the Birmingham area and north. This year it has been so bad all across the middle of the country all the way to the southern parts of Alabama and to the Atlantic. My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones. I know that everyone is praying for these people as I am.

It feels a little bit somber this morning but I'm going to share a couple of blooms today. I'm joining Tracie over at Fishtail Cottage for Flora Thursday. http://fishtailcottage.blogspot.com/2011/04/cottage-flora-17.html 

I was so delighted when I caught this bloomin this morning. I'd been watching the bud for several days. Finally it popped and it is beautiful. Sorry about the blur. The wind was blowing the flowers so they were hard to capture.

I'm enjoying the penta. 

 

See the vacant area here - this is where I had dahlias last year. All of them are no shows this year. The ones you see were planted this year. I put down 6 new bulbs earlier this year. I can't figure out why they didn't come back.Could a hard prune in the fall cause this? I did cut them back good when they had bloomed out in the fall.

My first shasta daisy on plants I had threatened to pull up. The plants are huge and need to put out some blooms before I get disheartened with it.

I am feeling the need itch desire gotta have more feeling I get so often this time of year. I will be making a trip to a garden center somewhere to find some more blooming beauties. A new garden area may have to go in to accomodate them. Ya'll know how I hate to put in a new garden - NOT. I love it.

Let me say something about sprinklers you hook up to a garden hose. Why is it I end up buying and having untold number of sprinklers only to have them work a month or so and sometime not that long. I don't buy the cheapest ones. I've bought expensive ones too and they eventually don't work. What's the deal. Have you found a great sprinkler that may last for more than a couple of months? Tell me about it.

Well I'm done. Hope you all have a wonderful day. Pray for those who have lost family members and lost their homes.

Bloomin' Tuesday

It's Tuesday everybody and that means it's Bloomin Tuesday over at Jeans. After you check out my goodies then head over the Jean's at http://msgreenthumbjean.blogspot.com/ and see who else some goodies to share today.




It's that time of year when we all have a lot going on in the gardens. I am very pleased with what I have going on. I have been waiting for a few days for this to open. Seems like the bud has been there a week. It isn't even finished opening up yet. This is one of the few I know the name of and this is Dahlia Lucky Number. Purchased at Walmart for $5.

Poppies look nice next to the Johnsons Blue Geranium.

Yellow violas. I have a lot of yellows this year. Yellow blends and compliments the shades of reds, purples and pinks.

Vincas. Very easy to grow and spreads beautifully.

Trusty begonias. They are very forgiving during the dry times of the summer.

Dianthus is also a great performer.

Portulaca is very colorful. I love the many petals in each flower kinda rose like.

Zinnias - zinnias everywhere. They hardly ever wimper about the heat or the dry conditions we sometime experience.

The snapdragons are making another statement. They are now dwarfed by these huge cannas. Too late to move anything. Can you tell me when is the best time to transplant cannas. They are crowding this bed now.

Purple hydrangea is trying to bloom. This also has been in bud stage for at least a week.

More zinnias. This little plant is really showing itself to be so small. Sometime the little ones do the best.

This is the flower I look forward to the most. My little helper Buddy. He just got a hair cut so he is sporting now.

Eyes are still focused on the Gulf as the problem seems to grow each day we turn on the news. BP has been ordered to stop using the disperants due to health hazards. These disperants have been banned by other countries so why were they using it here. The hair booms have been used and they failed sinking after absorbing water and oil. Booms are helping but didn't keep it away from the LA shorelines. Check out this site from our local news station. There is a counter counting the number of gallons constantly going into the gulf. Also view the slideshow and any other news concerning the oil spill.
http://www.wkrg.com/gulf_oil_spill/

I'm having car issues. All tires need to be replaced but also the power steering is leaking fluid every day and I have to put fluids in every 6 days now so something has to be done soon. This will interfere with my plans to see my granddaughter in her first recital. Luci is five and I so wanted to be there. I'm hoping. Hope you all have a great week and holiday.

Happy Memorial Day. The official start of summer.

Bloomin' Tuesday

Hope you all are having a good Tuesday. It is Tuesday isn't it. Anyhow the sun is shining here after an early morning rain and more is expected. We had the best kind of rain over the weekend - a nice long slow rain. This is getting everything going good including the grass. Have to run the mower this weekend. On to business now. Ya'll head on over to Jeans at http://msgreenthumbjean.blogspot.com to check out the other bloomers this week.

I absolutely love potulaca. They are such good growers and adds some nice foliage with other plants. And I love that it blooms different colors.

The zinnias are taking off. The plants are loaded and I have a good many this year. Love the soft shade of pink. They are small blooms.

This one is more fushia or dark pink.

Another daffodil! Can't believe it. But I'm gonna show them till they die off.

Breadseed poppies are loaded with buds. This is my first experience with poppies and can't wait to see them bloom.

This is new plantings in this small garden. This is the bed I had broccoli and lettuce. I pulled up all the lettuce and broccoli because I didn't like the taste of the lettuce and the broccoli didn't produce anything so... I did what I needed to do. In this bed I have Johnny Jump Ups, Yellow Columbine, Daisy's, Pansy's, Purple Balloon Flowers.

And I created this small bed this weekend. Here I have Columbine Clementine Rose, Yellow Columbine, milkweed, petunia's, Cone Flower, Purple Balloon Flower and larkspur.

That's all I have for today. Have a nice day everybody.

Fertilizer Friday - Things Are Springing Up

Click on title to go to Tootsie Time.

Well it's that time each week to flaunt our flowers or whatever you want to flaunt. Ya'll head on over to our dear friend Tootsie Time and check out all of the other bloggers flaunting their stuff. Tootsie has the most awesome magazine perfect gardens so I know you'll enjoy...


My uploads did not go in the order I intended as I got in a hurry this morning.

The same azalea that bloomed all winter long is budding again. All of the other azaleas are just now budding.


These are some bulbs that I bought at Walmart and will be putting them all in the ground this weekend.

I can't wait to see this beautiful Clematis H.F. Young.

Oh and this awesome Peony.

Beautiful Dahlias.

Ooohh I love these Iris' and can't wait to see how gorgeous they are.

Pear tree is beginning to blossom.

The peach tree in bloom.

Lettuce is coming along very nicely. Looks like soon I'll be able to eat a salad.

The broccoli is doing very well.

Planted lots of seeds last weekend.

I mentioned earlier this week about changing up my seeds start mix by adding in some organic potting mix. This is going to allow a much easier transfer to the gardens. I tried different containers that are on the cheap side. Drink bottles and milk carton. I punched holes in the bottoms and cut them to about 3" high and they are perfect. Plenty of soil for the seeds and will permit better root growth.

I already have a couple breaking the surface. The Shasta Alaska Daisy and the Sweet Pea Everlasting and Sweet William 'Sooty'. I'm sure the others will be up this weekend.

A little color on the ground. Snapdragon I purchased on clearance. They are re-blooming and lots of new buds. Those daffodils I don't expect them to bloom since they were just planted in Mid Jan.

Johnson's Blue Geranium is greening up.

The Red Breadseed Poppies seem to be happy here.

Isn't this a crocus. I have tons of these growing up under a tree in the shade. I will have to re-locate them when it's time.

I did some direct sowing last evening. I planted some Foxglove (thanks Tatyana) and Red Melon Poppies (thanks Tatyana) and more Red Breadseed Poppies.

Busy weekend ahead. The weather is suppose to be a breezy 65 for highs both Sat and Sun. Lots of garden work to do and to my utility room. It is still torn apart since I am trying to get some shelving in and not to mention that my washer is not fixed. Brought back to me but it doesn't work. Gotta get a new plan so I can wash.

Hope you all have a great weekend and that you enjoy each day like it was your last. Don't forget to tell your loved ones that you love them.