I have a small townhouse front and back yard. In front I have a rock garden sloping down to the sidewalk. I have mostly perennials, with rosemary and lavender, and whatever else catches my eye. Sometimes I think something has died, and then the next year it shows up again. Whether inspiration or just plain luck, I 've had good luck in choosing things that bloom or change color at different times.
About a month ago, something new appeared almost overnight -- some tiny white flowers with yellow centers on stems about 2 inches long, kinda like miniature daisies. The neighbors commented about how pretty they were, asked what they were. I didn't have a clue so cut a few and took then to a nursery just minutes away. The lady looked at them and said yes, she was familiar with them, but couldn't remember the name. But, she said,"they're weeds."
I was surprised and disappointed, but left them where they were, and even though we've had some very cold nights (looked like frost yesterday morning) there they are, still blooming. :smile:
Heck Lib,
Weed is beautiful, I mean weeds are beautiful. ;)
Best regards,
Duke ( let the weeds grow) Jupiter
Quote from: duke jupiter on November 13, 2014, 05:48:38 PM
Heck Lib,
Weed is beautiful, I mean weeds are beautiful. ;)
Best regards,
Duke ( let the weeds grow) Jupiter
LOL! Good to see you checkin' in here, Duke.
As for my garden, there for a while I had some sage and morning glories growing with the flowers and other herbs and plants. I thought the morning glories were beautiful and I use sage to cook, especially for Thanksgiving turkey dressing.
libby (I keep the neighbors guessing) :wink:
Ole' Duke just brought home a few pansies today. They sure brighten up things for Ole' Duke. :)
Best regards,
Duke (pansies are tuff) Jupiter
Quote from: duke jupiter on November 14, 2014, 04:13:27 PM
Ole' Duke just brought home a few pansies today. They sure brighten up things for Ole' Duke. :)
Best regards,
Duke (pansies are tuff) Jupiter
:yes: flowers sure do brighten things up.
Funny thing is I used to grumble when I as a girl had to help daddy in the garden. I must've gotten a gardening gene or two from him. Although he was a coal miner, he always had a garden and planted flowers -- and had grape vines (some of the grapes went into a crock for his homebrew). :sneaky:
Me Dad retired in 1992 and surprised all of the family by planting many different flowers, shrubs, trees and such. He later told me his Dad loved to plant not only a garden which was required for food back in the day but he also had a love for flowers of all types. Over the years me Dad along with me Mom brought the family much joy as we viewed the scenery of the beautiful flowers and the panoramic view of the mountains behind them. Planting became me Dad's hobby and still continues through this day on a slower scale as he is 85.
Best regards,
Duke ( a pansy for flowers) Jupiter
Ah yes, the flowers and mountains. I love those mountains, especially the ones in McDowell County and Tazewell and Bland. And of course, Bluefield and East River Mountain. When I drive there, I usually get off of I-81 and follow 460 all the way,up and down and around, to Bluefield.
Quote from: duke jupiter on November 17, 2014, 04:46:05 PM
Me Dad retired in 1992 and surprised all of the family by planting many different flowers, shrubs, trees and such. He later told me his Dad loved to plant not only a garden which was required for food back in the day but he also had a love for flowers of all types. Over the years me Dad along with me Mom brought the family much joy as we viewed the scenery of the beautiful flowers and the panoramic view of the mountains behind them. Planting became me Dad's hobby and still continues through this day on a slower scale as he is 85.
Best regards,
Duke ( a pansy for flowers) Jupiter
What a priceless gift Duke! Simply priceless. And to still have him around is beyond measure.
Enjoy it my friend, and spend every single second you can with him. It may take some effort and perhaps a bit of inconvenience at times, but believe me when I say to you that one day when the inevitable does come to pass, you will look back on that time as precious.
I was fortunate to have made the extra effort just weeks before my own father was gone. No warning, no illness, and he was only 63. But we enjoyed our time together that last visit I made, and we had several conversations that, though long overdue, I am happy beyond measure that both of us opened up to each other over. And we had those conversations with the ease and a surreal level of comfort / trust that amazed me later on looking back upon them.
My dad and I were fairly close when I was young, but after a brief period of discourse between us when I was a young adult, we grew ever closer there-after. Ours became the relationship between father and son that I had always hoped it would be, and then some. And while I surely grieved at his passing, (and still do 14 years later), it is that very relationship that continues to serve me well and bring me some measure of comfort these days. And I thank the universe and our creator each day for my father, our relationship, and most of all, the comfort it still brings me.
The time and effort necessary to achieve it are both among the very best uses of my time here to date. :smile:
Whenever I see a well tended garden of any type, it brings those memories to the forefront of my mind; for my own father was a life-long gardner himself. :smitten:
Quote from: Palehorse on November 18, 2014, 06:57:20 PM
What a priceless gift Duke! Simply priceless. And to still have him around is beyond measure.
Enjoy it my friend, and spend every single second you can with him. It may take some effort and perhaps a bit of inconvenience at times, but believe me when I say to you that one day when the inevitable does come to pass, you will look back on that time as precious.
I was fortunate to have made the extra effort just weeks before my own father was gone. No warning, no illness, and he was only 63. But we enjoyed our time together that last visit I made, and we had several conversations that, though long overdue, I am happy beyond measure that both of us opened up to each other over. And we had those conversations with the ease and a surreal level of comfort / trust that amazed me later on looking back upon them.
My dad and I were fairly close when I was young, but after a brief period of discourse between us when I was a young adult, we grew ever closer there-after. Ours became the relationship between father and son that I had always hoped it would be, and then some. And while I surely grieved at his passing, (and still do 14 years later), it is that very relationship that continues to serve me well and bring me some measure of comfort these days. And I thank the universe and our creator each day for my father, our relationship, and most of all, the comfort it still brings me.
The time and effort necessary to achieve it are both among the very best uses of my time here to date. :smile:
Whenever I see a well tended garden of any type, it brings those memories to the forefront of my mind; for my own father was a life-long gardner himself. :smitten:
Ole' Palehorse thanks for those kind and true words. I like you bumped heads a few times with me Dad when I was in me younger years but we grew close again as Ole' Duke sorta grew up so to speak.
I only live 3.5 hours from Dad and I do need to visit him more than I do although we do converse on the phone more than ever since me Mom's passing.
Dad is truly me hero and I truly do cherish each moment we spend together. I respect him immensely and appreciate all the hard work and sacrifices he made to make a better life for me and me siblings. He has been (and continues to be) a
great mentor and father. Ole' Duke only hopes to become 1/2 the man me Dad is.
Best regards,
Duke (truly blessed) Jupiter
I enjoyed reading this! My father is almost 87 and lives 2 hours away from me. We talk once a week and he has always been my hero!
Quote from: Purplelady1040 on November 19, 2014, 06:30:46 PM
I enjoyed reading this! My father is almost 87 and lives 2 hours away from me. We talk once a week and he has always been my hero!
We are truly blessed. Ole' Duke could not have asked for better parents.
Best regards,
Duke ( raised much better than me actions sometimes) Jupiter
It's amazing how much wiser our parents get as we youngins get older.
Quote from: Bo D on November 20, 2014, 09:17:08 AM
It's amazing how much wiser our parents get as we youngins get older.
You said that right.... :yes:
I think I am going to grow a few vegetables in my little back yard. Yesterday I was at the grocery store nearest my home, and had trouble finding the onions I usually buy. I've noticed recently that that some seem different -- almost as hard as a rock and hard to peel -- so I looked for a Vidalia, and there they were, but the sign said "sweet onions." Didn't remember seeing Vidalias labeled like that. So looked at the very small print, and was stunned to find they, as well as the other smaller ones, were grown in PERU! That reminded me that not too long ago I saw some garlic in a nice little package, not loose bulbs, and :rant: couldn't believe my eyes: it was from CHINA!
My daughter and SIL made a box and used one of the windows we took out when we remodeled last summer for the top and she planted onions, swiss chard, a couple of other types of greens, and some leaf lettuce and is getting cuttings daily from it. They are going to enlarge it this summer and try potatoes and a couple of other cool weather things for next fall. She is just tickled pink that it worked. They fixed it so all they have to do is open either part of the window or the whole thing to harvest what ever is ready.
Sounds like a great idea. My sister in Bluefield, VA grows vegetables here and there among her flowers, and tomatoes in a pot. I just hope I can get enough sun in my back yard. My house backs up to trees, and my crape myrtle is at least 12 feet high. I also have some figs that my son brought to me from Mt. Vernon, where he worked. They need some attention -- last year they didn't do well at all.
Read something disturbing in today's Washington Post: another pollinator is on the endangered species list:
10 January 1017
The Washington Post
Energy and Environment
This bumble bee was everywhere. Now it's on the endangered species list.
By Darryl Fears January 10 at 4:22 PM
A rusty patched bumble bee is pictured in Madison, Wis. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the bee as endangered Tuesday. Photo courtesy of Rich Hatfield/Handout via REUTERS
For the first time in American history, a bumble bee species has been placed on the endangered species list. It probably won't be the last.
The rusty patched bumble bee was so prevalent 20 years ago that pedestrians in Midwest cities fought to shoo them away. Now, even trained scientists and experienced bee watchers find it difficult to lay eyes on them. "I've never seen one, and I live here pretty close to where there have been populations documented," said Tamara Smith, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist stationed in Minneapolis.
Fearing that the striped black and yellow pollinator with a long black tail could be lost forever, Fish and Wildlife designated the animal as endangered Tuesday. The designation triggers protections such as regulations against knowingly destroying the bumble bee's habitat and habitat creation. It also raises awareness about the plight of the bumble bee and requires a detailed, long term recovery plan to restore its population.
Why was the rusty patched bee selected for the list and not others? The answer, Smith said, is its former abundance and astonishing plummet. Around 1995, "researchers were out looking for it in places where it was everywhere, and assumed it would be there," she said. "All the people interested in bees started talking to each other, and they said we haven't seen this bee for a while." Soon the rusty patched bee was nowhere to be found in places such as Madison, Wis., and Minneapolis, cities that were once buzzing with them.
The list of suspected causes for the disappearance, according to the agency, reads like an environmental most wanted list: farm pesticides, household herbicides, human development over bee habitat, disease and climate change.
Although rusty patched bumble bees are the first to be considered endangered, and the first bee species on the U.S. mainland to get the designations (the yellow faced bee in Hawaii became the first overall in October last year), they are likely to be joined by others. "This bee is kind of like the canary in the coal mine," Smith said, an indicator that many pollinator species — bees and butterflies — are in deep trouble.
www.washingtonpost.com
I plant things that attract bees and butterflies in my front and back yards, and so far, as of last summer, they're still visiting me. The bumblebees never bother me; they just dodge me as I come and go.
Growing a garden this year Libby? It's about that time. :yes:
Quote from: Locutus on April 14, 2019, 06:32:14 PM
Growing a garden this year Libby? It's about that time. :yes:
Yes, I'll grow something new in at least one spot in the back yard, probably garlic because what the grocery store nearest me sells is grown in Russia. :spooked: Last Sunday I spent a lot of time carefully raking leaves from my little front yard. Was delighted to find underneath, already budding, my rose bush, a lavender plant, beautiful blue ground cover and an unknown plant I brought from my mother's front yard after she passed away a long time ago. I think of her every time I find it again.
Quote from: libby on April 15, 2019, 10:21:35 PM
Yes, I'll grow something new in at least one spot in the back yard, probably garlic because what the grocery store nearest me sells is grown in Russia. :spooked: Last Sunday I spent a lot of time carefully raking leaves from my little front yard. Was delighted to find underneath, already budding, my rose bush, a lavender plant, beautiful blue ground cover and an unknown plant I brought from my mother's front yard after she passed away a long time ago. I think of her every time I find it again.
Ah! A bit of garden serendipity.
Quote from: libby on April 15, 2019, 10:21:35 PM
Yes, I'll grow something new in at least one spot in the back yard, probably garlic because what the grocery store nearest me sells is grown in Russia. :spooked: Last Sunday I spent a lot of time carefully raking leaves from my little front yard. Was delighted to find underneath, already budding, my rose bush, a lavender plant, beautiful blue ground cover and an unknown plant I brought from my mother's front yard after she passed away a long time ago. I think of her every time I find it again.
Libby, did you know that it take 2 years to grow a bulb of garlic. One year isn't long enough. :wink: :smile:
Quote from: The Troll on April 16, 2019, 08:26:10 PM
Libby, did you know that it take 2 years to grow a bulb of garlic. One year isn't long enough. :wink: :smile:
No, I didn't know that. Guess I'd better get started. There is a Farmer's Market about 15 minutes away that I've been meaning to check out, so will check them out this weekend. ... and thanks, Troll for the information. :yes:
Quote from: Locutus on April 16, 2019, 06:23:10 PM
Ah! A bit of garden serendipity.
Ah,yes. That could wake up a whole new window of thought, but I would not know where to begin except to say your comment made me think of something: as far as I can remember, I have never dreamed about relatives who've passed on, but fairly recently I have been waking up wondering "where's momma? She must be upstairs."