Posted in Country Fotos, Country Thoughts, Gardening, How To, Look at This!, The Land, tagged Country thoughts, Garden, goodness, grass, grass seed, Growing Things, little things, nature, Sunshine, the world on October 16, 2020| 8 Comments »
A little sun, some grass seed and a cover of straw and look what we have created! Or rather, the earth has given forth and I am once again amazed at just what goodness the world can wrought.
Oh, I know growing grass is a little thing.
But that is what this story is about – the green green grass growing in our front garden!
And sometimes pictures speak louder than words.
Posted in Awesome Fotos, Country Challenges, Country Thoughts, Critters, Home and Hearth, Humor, nature, Photography, Random Impressions, Survival, Uncategorized, tagged Beauty, Butterfly photo, Country Fotos, country living, Country thoughts, Garden, gardening, Home, humor, positives, rural Virginia, zinnias on July 30, 2016| 24 Comments »
A whole week of heat, rain, and more heat. But Bill and I managed to stay cool between storms with afternoon swims in the backyard pool.
One quiet, sunny afternoon, there came a giant bolt of lightning. I know it was giant because the house shook, there was no thunder, and all the lights went out.
Our first line of defense is always to Call the Neighbors for there is comfort in numbers. But no one else had a problem. We were alone and powerless and we called the power company.
“I’m sure they will not come out right away for one little old house in the country,” I said to Bill. “We may be like this for weeks!”
That was my Pessimist Gene talking as well as thinking, “No lights, no air conditioning in 90 degree heat, no flushing, no washing, no cooking and miserable sleeping.”
The power company fella came out within the hour, replaced a blown fuse and we were “back in business”.
Our pool pump stopped pumping. This time Bill was the one bemoaning our fate, for the cost of a new pool pump is very high.
But the electric company came right out and replaced a switch. And Voila! The pump is going strong again.
My brother and his darling wife sent a “just for love” gift ! It is a new humming bird feeder that looks like a space station.
This odd Hummer Center has been waiting for the little darlings for weeks with no action. I was about to give up but subliminal messages must have worked. The tiny birds are finally arriving and so excited they don’t even care if I am out there in their midst.
Don’t ask me how but I fell flat on my back in the garage this week. I simply felt my body drifting backwards, down, down and down, like when you let yourself sink into a comfy sofa. It was a soft landing on a hard wood stoop with no sprains, strains, bruises or blood. And I am “up and at ’em” as my Mom used to say. All I can figure is I must have missed that step.
Finally, I have a flower bed of zinnias that should have been thinned out early on. The flowers are arriving in a thick patch, but they look slightly weak.
Not too weak for the most gorgeous butterfly to land on and enjoy however. And her visits make my day.
Posted in Gardening, How To, tagged Fake stone, Garden, garden accessories, Garden decor, Garden troughs, Hypertufa, outdoor design, Stoneware on July 22, 2014| 29 Comments »
This photo by Michael Larkin, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It’s a Beauty! http://plantman56.blogspot.com/2014/08/gardening-is-like-therapy-and-you-get.html
It was this time of year when I met four friends for a special project. Like the witches in Macbeth, we knew we would be toiling over mysterious brews. But, instead of bones, blood and magical herbs, we worked with cement, feathers and sand. We didn’t chant to create spells either (well, maybe silently) but were intent upon creating Hypertufa planters for our gardens, patios, walkways and front steps.
HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF TUFA?
I Made This One With My Own Two Hands!
I had no idea that “tufa” is actually a volcanic rock. It was used in England in the 1800’s to make troughs for feeding livestock. But smart gardeners of the times began to use the troughs for garden planters. And lo’ they were beautiful, so they learned to make clever imitations called Hypertufa.
HOW ABOUT FAKE TUFA?
HYPER-tufa (Fake Tufa) is still sought after today and can be very expensive ready made. You can buy it in good garden centers or you can make it yourself with a mix of cement, peat moss, sand and a few other things. The end result is an artificial rough textured, aged looking stone in almost any shape from any mold.
Do you want to try making your own Hypertufa? Doing it with friends is fun and is much like making mud pies, so be sure to wear old clothes and rubber gloves! And doing it in a garage or shed is good too. You do not want to try this inside and it is certainly not a kitchen project.
The recipe below worked for us, but of course there are no guarantees.
My Own Backyard Beauty for Succulents
Witch EQUIPMENT
Witch INGREDIENTS
Now What?
– Measure the dry stuff and mix it up (with gloved hands) in the wheelbarrow. Add enough water to make a goo that’s wet enough to work but not drippy (texture of cottage cheese). Keep adding water to the right consistency. Now, place the mold upside down on a sheet of plastic. Cover with another piece of plastic and smoothly tuck it under at corners.
– Starting at the bottom (which used to be the top), press the goo firmly onto the mold. Make it about 2 inches thick, covering the top (used to be the bottom) last. Pat to a smooth surface.
– Now insert dowels into the top (which will become the bottom) to provide drainage holes. After about 4 hours, wire brush the surface to desired texture.
– Cover your still upside down planter loosely with plastic, and for a few days, keep the surface wet by lifting the plastic and misting. In about a week remove the plastic and let the planter sit 4 or 5 more days uncovered. Then carefully remove it from the mold. Voila! You now have an Old English Garden Trough or a special garden pot made of Hypertufa.
My friends and I now have various versions in our gardens. They not only look beautiful, natural, and can be left out all winter, they evoke happy memories of a bewitched party of grown up friends playing in the mud.
*Top photograph by Michael Larkin, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It’s a Beauty! http://plantman56.blogspot.com/2014/08/gardening-is-like-therapy-and-you-get.html
Posted in Awesome Fotos, Beauty, Country Fotos, Country Thoughts, Poetry, tagged Flower, Garden, Iris, Peony, springtime on May 20, 2013| 9 Comments »
This is why I love Spring more than Fall,
at least for now, since ’tis the season.
Which flower is most beautiful of all?
Is the plate sized peony the reason?
Or is it the purple iris growing tall?
Or the sweet coolness of a summer breeze
wafting in as if to tease?
I walk and think and plan and look.
I love Spring’s promise;
an introduction
that reads better than the book.
Posted in Country Challenges, Gardening, Humor, tagged Garden, Lungwort, Perennial plant, Pulmonaria on April 26, 2013| 17 Comments »
There is actually a “Polka Dot Plant”, but it’s not the mystery plant in my garden. Imagine that?
The Mystery Plant has been identified, which only proves that asking your blogging family for answers can be faster than going to Ask.com or Google Search!
I received three blogger answers, all with the same positive, unflinching confidence. In other words, they think they know what they are talking about.
Being a true skeptic, however, I went to Google Search and found this:
Lungwort – Pulmonaria Officinalis
YUK! What an ugly name for such a beautiful, flowering, polka dotted plant – Lungwort. And I discovered it was named after a lung disease! No wonder I forgot what it was – the plant I mean.
Anyway, it really does look like my Polka Dot Wonder (I refuse to give up this name) and its characteristics are the same too. Here is the description of Lungwort and some planting instructions.
Ah well –
“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” ~William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
From Better Homes and Gardens
Gardening Dictionary
Lungwort
In early spring, the brilliant blue, pink, or white flowers of lungwort bloom despite the coldest chill. The rough basal leaves, spotted or plain, always please and continue to be handsome through the season and into winter. Planted close as a weed-discouraging groundcover, or in borders as edgings or bright accent plants, lungworts are workhorses and retain their good looks. Provide high-humus soil that retains moisture. Although lungwort tolerates dry conditions, be alert for mildew.
Light:
Sun,Part Sun,Shade
Zones:
2-8
Plant Type:
Perennial
Plant Height:
6-12 inches tall, depending on variety
Plant Width:
1.5-2 feet wide, depending on variety
Flower Color:
White, rose, blue violet flowers, depending on variety; variegated leaves, depending on variety
Bloom Time:
Blooms spring and summer, depending on variety
Landscape Uses:
Containers,Beds & Borders,Groundcover
Special Features:
Flowers,Attractive Foliage,Fragrant,Winter Interest,Drought Tolerant,Deer Resistant,Easy to Grow
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