tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13372462748887879572024-03-17T12:03:27.464-04:00Weedy GardenThe taming of an unruly junglenfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-81818820467548596102013-04-14T12:49:00.000-04:002013-04-14T18:53:41.734-04:00STATE OF THE GARDEN: 04-14-13Well, progress in the yard still continues incrementally.<br />
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I am still slowly cutting down the bougainvillea. This is a slow process, not only because it is hard work cutting through thick branches with a hand saw and then trying to pull down 8 and 10 foot lengths that are wound all over, but because I can't leave a large pile at the road, or I'll have to pay for the crane truck to pick it up. So it needs to be done in manageable batches.<br />
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You can't tell in this picture, but there are three large branches cut clean through here. But this plant is so wound around on itself and thorny that it is a challenge to pull those branches out. Grab hold of that big one hanging in the middle, plant your feet and PULLLLLLL...<br />
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... and there's a chance that nothing will happen. So you cut another and another and try to remove the smaller ones and clear it enough to allow the big ones to pull free. Then you wind up with stuff like this sitting in your yard.<br />
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And even after cutting it up and filling a 55 gallon can with debris, you still are left with this mess to deal with in upcoming weeks.<br />
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After working on it for an hour or two, I have it down to about a half of it's beginning size yesterday. <br />
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And there is the other one I worked on a few weeks ago. I got that one down to about a quarter of it's initial size. <br />
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Once I can get these cut down, I'll try to kill the stumps. Then hire someone to come reinforce the fence, as these devils are pulling the fence down!<br />
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And last weekend I finally did something with the bed around the mahogany out at the shed.<br />
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I believe that I've correctly identified this vine as Virginia Creeper. It keeps popping up around this tree, and I worried it was poison ivy. Hopefully I'm right, as I will be digging around here a lot.<br />
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So I planned where my flowers would go. I got some colorful cosmos to put around the tree trunk, and yellow lantana for the rest of the bed.<br />
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While digging around, I turned up some old egg shells from my snake nest that got raided by the raccoons or something else.<br />
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I used mahogany shells as mulch in the bed.<br />
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In the end, I was left with a slightly more cheerful landscape than before.<br />
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(That shed really needs pressure washing!)<br />
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Now it's just a matter of keeping it watered well enough to become established. Both of these flowers are considered drought tolerant, I believe. So we'll see how they do. I did this last weekend.<br />
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As for my little veggie garden, a couple of the dwarf snow pea plants have suddenly decided to bloom. <br />
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My passion flower continues to bloom non-stop. It smells so good! <br />
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My new pimiento sweet pepper plant that I got last weekend is full of peppers. <br />
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I have a few strawberries coming in. Since putting up some red Solo cups as a distraction, the birds have been leaving my fruit alone. <br />
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My sunberries hadn't been doing much after sprouting up a few inches. Then one day I thought, "Hmmmm. They're called "Sunberries". Maybe I should put them more in the full sun!" I think after doing so they began flowering within a week and had grown another inch or two. Now they are continuing to bloom and continuing to grow, probably about 6 inches tall now. <br />
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I imagine I would have some pretty small berries if they begin to fruit when they are still so small!<br />
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My cilantro is turning into a rangy weed! It's large and flowering like crazy! I may try cutting it back, and see whether I can get anything out of it, or if it is kaput.<br />
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My yellow pear tomato continues to fruit like crazy. However the tomatoes aren't my favorite. I need to get some seeds off my mother for the wild tomato she was growing last year. Those things were like candy! <br />
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My Better Bush tomato plant is finally fruiting, after remaining almost dormant since the last couple of tomatoes got eaten by the birds. Right now I have four tomatoes growing. <br />
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I also bought a little Roma tomato plant last week which is flowering and has one small tomato now growing. <br />
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I love Roma tomatoes!<br />
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I planted a couple of Big Red Ripper Pea plants here when I planted everything else. These plants have suddenly started to really grow, but have yet to flower and produce anything.<br />
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While right next to them are two of the most pitiful bean plants you've ever seen, brown and leafless, with a single Garden Bean dangling. <br />
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Now I bought a Papaya awhile back. I hadn't put it in the ground yet, as I figured I'd wait until I got the bougainvillea and the fence done. Well, the other day I noticed all of the leaves were wilted on it. I have to assume that it was due to overwatering, but am surprised, considering it is said to like a "moist" environment. <br />
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So I moved it into the sun and it seems to be coming back. We'll see how it does. Then I want to get a couple more to plant alongside it.<br />
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And yesterday my mother and I attended the annual fruit tree sale. I didn't buy any fruit trees, but I did walk away with a Dragon Fruit cactus, for which I've had my eye out.<br />
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I've never tried Dragon Fruit, but it looks interesting, and it is supposed to be easy to grow and care for. This is what the fruit looks like...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Hylocereus_undatus_red_pitahaya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Hylocereus_undatus_red_pitahaya.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By T.Voekler (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons</td></tr>
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And this is what it looks like at a Dragon Fruit farm...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Dragon_fruit_farm_PT.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Dragon_fruit_farm_PT.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By Dragfyre (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons</td></tr>
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Now I just have to figure out what I want to do with my cactus, and how to grow it. It grows up with stalks that get too heavy to support themselves. So you need to grow it on a support like a vine.<br />
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Otherwise my jasmine is beginning to bloom. In the next couple of weeks, it will smell so strongly of jasmine around my place that you'll be able to smell it out at the front of the house as you walk up (even though the vines are at the back of the house).<br />
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This little self-introduced pothos likes my old ficus stump. I have no idea where this thing came from. It just popped up after the tree was cut down. <br />
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My gardenia is looking big and healthy, but a little rangy. I probably need to prune it, if I can figure out what it <i>should </i>look like!<br />
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It currently has a single bloom...<br />
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...but dozens of buds are just waiting to open. So soon it should be swimming in blossoms! <br />
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My next big project, after finishing with the bougainvillea and repairing the fence, is to rip out this old raised bed that came with the house, and the rubber vine growing on the fence behind it.<br />
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Then I'll try to clean up this area a bit and turn this into my "fruit" area. This is the sunniest spot in my yard, and it is too hot to grow vegetables. But I think it would be a good spot for citrus and berries. I've also thought of trying to get rid of the grass and weeds as well as I can and then planting some peanuts here as ground cover. But I don't know how possible that would be.<br />
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So it all continues slowly. Two steps forward, one step back. nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-62881428360792738932013-02-18T21:45:00.000-05:002013-02-20T13:23:46.938-05:00State of the Garden: 2/18/13The garden is still going pretty well. We had some pretty cold weather last night (I think we got down to around 37 degrees), but the plants seem to have survived just fine. My bean plants have the first flowers showing...<br />
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Including my Scarlet Runner bean plant...</div>
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I planted some radishes, and they are doing well. The front row were pre-germinated. The back row was planted as seeds. However they seem to be growing at an almost identical rate.<br />
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I had a Better Bush tomato ripening on the vine, and something ate it.<br />
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Today I found the critter had been back, and had now removed the rest of the tomato from the vine...<br />
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...and then started in on the other tomato that was ripening.<br />
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I noticed that it was able to determine which side of the tomato was ripe, and only eats on that side. So it reached into the tomato cage and at the ripe side of the tomato, ignoring the green side exposed to the outside of the cage.<br />
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So whatever is eating the tomatoes is able to get its head between the bars of the cage, which are probably only 2 inches apart. I had assumed that it was my resident opossum, which I believe is still around, since I can see from the new mulch that I laid down that something is still going under my shed.<br />
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I've watched my opossum go under there before, so I know that's his usual route under there. However I also know that he is a big boy, so it's surprising that he'd be able to get his head through the bars of that tomato cage. Of course, it's always possible it could be a rat or mouse. Who knows? I just hope it doesn't continue to be a problem. Especially since I have a yellow pear tomato plant with about a dozen tomatoes growing on it at all different stages of development.<br />
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My grapevine is hanging in there, but has something weird going on with it. It seems to be dying close to the ground, but the vining arms are doing fine.<br />
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The leaves near the base are turning brown and falling off...<br />
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...yet this vining tendril is bright green and healthy in appearance.<br />
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Weird. And I saw this guy on one of my bean plants. I don't know whether he's good or bad.<br />
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I've noticed that my bean plants have some drying and wrinkling of the leaves on some edges. I'm not sure what is causing it. I'm speculating it could be the warmer weather we've been having, as it seems I'm at the end of the growing season for beans and peas.<br />
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My jalapeno continues to grow. Part of me wishes my snacking critter would try snacking on this!<br />
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I have two tiny little bell peppers started...<br />
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And my passion flower vine continues to bloom like crazy, but no fruit have taken.<br />
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My strawberries are still going well. I have a dozen or more now, with the first two beginning to show a little ripening.<br />
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My mango tree is showing signs of something snacking on it as well. A lot of the leaves are looking eaten up.<br />
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But it has mangoes growing! The strange thing is that our warm weather seems to have caused a couple of blooming spurts. So while I have fruit growing up on top of my tree (where the tree bloomed about a month ago)...<br />
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I have fresh blooms coming in down below...<br />
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So there's a lot of activity going on in the garden. Now if I can just figure out what to do about the midnight snacker that's eating my tomatoes!nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-6017398630421953272013-01-28T21:43:00.000-05:002013-01-28T21:43:56.830-05:00STATE OF THE GARDEN: 1/28/13 <br />
I continue to deal with the bougainvillea that have taken over my fence, and are pulling it over with their weight. Since I worked on the other one for a couple of weeks and got it down to a quarter of its previous size, I decided to start on the one over by the mango.<br />
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Only the half free of the mango is in bloom. The rest hidden under the mango looks dead, but most is very much alive.<br />
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This bougie is growing into the mango.<br />
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While working on it, I discovered a bird nest from last season.<br />
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I mostly filled my 65-gallon horticulture bin with bougie debris, and removed perhaps a quarter of the plant. <br />
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It's a start. After that I cleaned out the bed over by the shed where I planted the grapevine, and put down some mulch. I started with dirt and weeds, as well as the rubber vine that grew from behind the shed and rooted down into the bed uninvited... <br />
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And my poor pitiful crape myrtle, which was also being taken over by the rubber vine. (Note that I believe the crape myrtle goes dormant in winter, and therefore looks dead right now. Usually it gets leaves and flowers in spring. It only has a few leaves right now. However I don't know whether it should be <i>this </i>bare. So we'll see whether or not it "springs" back.)<br />
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You'll also notice that all around the crape myrtle is this weed that grows in a carpet... <br />
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It's amazing that as you go to grab a handful, you find it is growing by runners, and a whole strip will come up... <br />
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And before you know it, you discover something like this cement pad is growing beneath it...<br />
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When I was done, this is what the bed looked like. <br />
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And this was my pile of debris (I have to be careful to not cut down more than the garbage guys will pick up. Last time we did a large amount of work, we had to bribe the garbage guy with $20 and load the debris into the truck ourselves to avoid paying hundreds to the claw truck for pickup.)<br />
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I also came across leeches in/on my bag of mulch. It was the first time I've ever seen leeches, other than in horror movies. They are creepy!<br />
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Otherwise this is what is going on around the yard:<br />
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My bean and pea seedlings continue to grow, but I had this one little guy that was slow to make an appearance.<br />
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<span id="goog_1511063310"></span><span id="goog_1511063311"></span>But once they appear, they sprout up so fast. This was the next morning...<br />
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My yellow cherry tomato is growing like gangbusters right now, and more flowers are coming in. <br />
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My jalapeno pepper is growing, and a few flowers, but the plant isn't growing that much yet. <br />
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Same with the Better Bush tomato. The plant hasn't really grown, hasn't really flowered, and the two tomatoes on it haven't shown any obvious increase in size. Yet the Brandywine tomatoes that I sprouted from seed are growing around the outside of the cage. <br />
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The passion vine is loaded with new blooms every day, and still smells like grape juice! <br />
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I had put columbine flower seeds in this decorative vase. I keep checking for some sign of it doing something.<br />
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Now the other day I spotted a couple sprigs of green popping up. Trouble is, I can't know that they are columbine flowers. They could be weeds! Only time will tell. <br />
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My grapevine is doing well so far. <br />
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It's beginning to twine around the trellis. <br />
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These pictures were taken before I laid down mulch, and I swear that the vine looks to be a deeper green today, after the mulch and a good watering. Or maybe it is just the contrast of seeing it against the dark mulch that makes it <i>look </i>darker.<br />
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I also have a prickly pear cactus that was stuck against the back fence behind the shed, and I noticed yesterday that it is flowering as well. <br />
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I've started collecting the pieces from my mahogany seeds, hearing that they make good mulch. So I figured I could use them as mulch in some of my potted plants.<br />
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I also had to do a round-up of lubber babies. The nymphs are making an early appearance this year, thanks to our warm winter.<br />
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This was my third batch removed from the yard. I've already removed a few dozen. Smaller batches than I usually have, but earlier in the year. <br />
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The whole time I worked in the yard, Zook waited patiently. <br />
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By the time I was ready to go inside, he was falling asleep.<br />
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Such a good boy!<br />
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So I am slowly making progress on the yard. I dread when they rains begin, as that will mean mowing the yard at least once a week, and I'll have quite a time trying to keep up with the mowing <b>and </b>the weeding and everything else that is needed. (Mowing in 95 degree temps is absolutely <i>no </i>fun!) Ugh!<br />
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nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-89618596404261000052013-01-19T22:50:00.000-05:002013-01-22T14:39:32.115-05:00STATE OF THE GARDEN: 1/19/13Well, I've been doing a lot of work in the garden-- at least compared to the usual-- and I'm finally making some headway.<br />
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I'm slowly getting the bougainvillea cut down. I did a batch of it last weekend, and another batch this weekend. I'm hopeful maybe I can get most of the rest next weekend. I started on the really thick branches today, and filled the 65 gallon bin again.<br />
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This was it when I started last weekend...<br />
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...and this is where I stood after today. <br />
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I had sprouts left over from my seed experiments, and I hated to throw them away (I hadn't thought beforehand about what I was going to do with any resulting sprouts). So I stuck 2 of the bean sprouts on the sides of this windowbox...<br />
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...and I planted 4 bean seeds and 4 pea seeds in the front and back. Three of the pea seeds have just begun to peek above the surface. <br />
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I also cleaned out one of the deck planters and put 14 sprouts in there, along with 2 pepper plants and a tomato plant. <br />
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In the back left, I put 3 Big Red Ripper Pea sprouts (I'll thin to two)...<br />
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...and 3 Garden Bean sprouts in the back center... <br />
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...and 4 Royal Burgundy Bean sprouts in the right-back corner (which I'll also thin to two).<br />
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And I stuck 4 Brandywine Tomato sprouts around my tomato cage, and was actually surprised to see them sprout up as they did (since they hadn't yet actually "sprouted", and I wasn't sure whether the old seeds were still any good).<br />
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My jalapeno plant has two little peppers started, and a couple more blooms... <br />
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My sweet bell pepper plant seems to have a couple of blooms coming in as well... <br />
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I also have a Better Bush tomato plant in this planter, and it had two tomatoes started on it when I got it, and now I see a bloom or two on it.</div>
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I also have two pots of herbs, and the top one also has an heirloom yellow cherry tomato plant, and I noticed today that it has a couple of blooms coming in.</div>
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I also have a strawberry pot, a papaya tree (I need to get a couple more to plant along the fence), and a passion vine that is <b><i>loaded </i></b>with buds.</div>
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My first passion flower just bloomed...</div>
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It smells so good! Very sweet, almost like grapes, and I can smell it from a couple of feet away. I can't wait until it has more blooms!<br />
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And my strawberry has a couple of blooms.<br />
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I also finally repotted my poor pineapple. I started this thing probably 4 years ago or more, but it has become stunted. I figure it is probably due mostly to it being in too small of a pot, and a lack of water. So I repotted it today, and gave it a good dousing. Look at the two pots compared! <br />
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We'll see how it does now that it has room to grow, a good drink, and a nice spot in the sun. <br />
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My one banana tree that was cut down a few months ago continues to grow, but the other three of them remain small. We'll see what happens with them.<br />
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My grapevine continues to hang in there. We'll see what happens with it. <br />
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My backyard came with what used to be a shade garden before I cut down the ficus, and I've considered getting rid of these snake plants...<br />
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But I'll tell ya... these things have been in bloom lately, and boy do they smell good! Sort of like jasmine. <br />
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<span id="goog_304761305"></span><span id="goog_304761306"></span>Now I'm second guessing whether to pull them.<br />
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I also noticed the other day that I have some blooms on the mango. And those blooms have now changed over to tiny little fruits. <br />
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And I also trimmed the mango the other day (I know it isn't the right time of year for it), so I could walk under it. It was hanging too low over the deck, and it was getting impossible to mow under.<br />
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My goal this year is to take better care of my garden, and to fertilize my plants. I want to see what happens with the mango and loquat after some fertilization.<br />
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After I finish taking down this one bougainvillea, I need to work on the other one that has been taken over by the mango. <br />
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I'm trying to decide whether I am going to completely take them down, or if I will try to keep and manage them. I hate the thought of trying to manage those thorny things!<br />
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So I'm making some progress, and I'll work on it some more next weekend. But I'm done for today!nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-6292267054297695502013-01-12T21:10:00.003-05:002013-01-12T21:10:59.440-05:00Seed ExperimentationWell, I'm exhausted. I did some yard work today, and have more to do tomorrow. Now I'm tired and sore.<br />
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I noticed the other day that it appeared that my fence was leaning in where my bougainvillea is located on the back fence. So I decided it is time to work on taking it down. It can get really beautiful a couple of times a year, but it is a nightmare to maintain, and is now jeopardizing my fence.<br />
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These new loppers I bought a few months ago are pretty great.<br />
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They had no problem cutting through a thumbsized branch of bougainvillea...</div>
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And my new Kobalt handsaw had no trouble cutting through bigger branches... <br />
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I cut down probably about half of the bougainvillea, and filled up my large 65 gallon horticulture can. I'll try to work on the rest next weekend.<br />
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I've also been testing the viability of my old seed. I started by putting seeds and beans that all had a 2009 "best by" date on damp towels.<br />
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Then I rolled up the paper towels and placed them in a ziploc bag labeled with all of the seed names.<br />
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Then I checked the seeds a few days later, and I found the beans and peas were doing really well. <br />
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Then today, after about a week, I checked them again, and found nearly all of the beans had germinated. <br />
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So I decided to try some experiments, instead of just throwing away the germinated seed.<br />
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First I cleaned out one of the deck beds. <br />
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Then I planted a jalapeno and sweet red bell pepper, and a Better Bush tomato plant (which already has a couple of small tomatoes on it). And then as an experiment I took some of the Big Red Ripper Pea, Garden Bean and Royal Burgundy Bean sprouts and put them about an inch down in the soil along the back. I also put a bunch of the Brandywine tomato sprouts around the outside of the tomato cage.<br />
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We'll see how it goes, and whether any of the sprouts grow.<br />
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I also put some trellis around my new grapevine.<br />
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Earlier today, while I was at Lowe's, I came across some boxes made to sit on a deck railing. So I bought a couple. I drilled some drainage holes in the bottom (I love when I get to use power tools!) <br />
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Then I put 4 Dwarf Taylor Bush Bean seeds along the back, and 4 Dwarf Oregon Giant Snow Pea seeds across the front. We'll see how they do, and how "dwarf" they are! <br />
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I also took 2 Dwarf Taylor bean sprouts and put one on each side of the box. We'll see how they do. <br />
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Then I took the remaining sprouts and spread them around the yard. Some I pushed into the soil, and others I just tossed on top. I put some around my mahogany trees and some around my grapevine. <br />
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And I put some sunflower sprouts around my tree stump.<br />
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So we'll see what happens with all of my sprouts and seeds. I also sprinkled some Giant Columbine seeds over some soil in my decorative pot. I'll be curious to see what happens with them as well.<br />
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I have more work to do tomorrow, and I'm exhausted just thinking about it! I still need to do some weeding, re-pot my pineapple and some strawberries, put some lettuce seed in the other deck railing box, maybe clean out the other deck planter (to try sowing some Cornflower and Wallflower), and maybe finally put my Bird of Paradise in the ground (I've had it sitting in a pot on my deck for years). Oh, and I have a new papaya tree that I need to put somewhere, but I'm not sure yet just where.<br />
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So busy day tomorrow, too!nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-30133420656362521452012-09-27T18:19:00.000-04:002012-09-27T18:25:52.683-04:00Slowly but SurelyWell, the yard is coming along, little by little. I hired my cousin to come over and do some work around the house and yard for me. Remember behind my shed? That picture in the banner at the top of this blog? Well, this is it today...<br />
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And to the right of the shed has been so overgrown you couldn't see that there was an entrance there to go behind the shed. This is a shot from a couple of years ago, and the areas still looked like this, or worse...<br />
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While the bougainvillea is beautiful, it is nothing but thorns and a nightmare to work around, and makes entering that area behind the shed impossible. So we are working to get rid of it. This is what this area looked like after my cousin finished with it today...<br />
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And now my guava tree can finally see daylight...<br />
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My Bismark Palm can now be walked under, which will make it much easier for mowing...<br />
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And the garbage guys have their work cut out for them tomorrow.<br />
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I'm hoping that they pick up the horticulture. I didn't expect my workers to leave a huge pile of stuff like that!<br />
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The sink from behind the shed was quickly picked up, but there is still a gardening table waiting for someone to snag it up.<br />
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The deck has been cleaned up and looks like a deck again. One of these days, I need to grill out again.<br />
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So a lot has been done around here in the last week or two. And I'm exhausted, even though I'm paying someone else to do the majority of the work! What I can't figure out is what this was doing laying on my bathroom floor after they left.<br />
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How did a wasp wind up dead on the floor? All I can figure is it came in on my cousin without him even realizing it.<br />
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I'll be interested to see what happens with the yard over time...nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-65238496581472895812012-07-22T12:56:00.000-04:002012-07-22T13:06:08.573-04:00UPDATE: I still live in a jungleI've been trying to work on the yard a little, after much neglect for far too long, and have barely made a dent. Today I decided to try and pull a few weeds, and found it much easier than usual, given all of the rain we've been getting. <b>NOTE TO SELF: After heavy rains is the best time to weed! The saturated ground doesn't hold onto the weeds as hard as it usually does.</b><br />
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I quickly filled my large horticulture bin (55? 65 gallons? Something like that...) with weeds, and it didn't even make a noticeable difference.<br />
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I also found that over the last couple of months, my swing cushion has literally disintegrated...<br />
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So I need to haul that out for garbage pickup this week, and then look into getting a new one.<br />
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Last I saw it not so long ago, it had some tears, but didn't look like this. So either the sun and rain has really taken its toll over the last few weeks, or the raccoons have-- or both!<br />
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Unfortunately I moved an old pot sitting on the deck in front of my shed, and found the wood rotted beneath. <br />
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I am finding that my deck is not holding up well. I have to wonder whether the wood they used was pressure-treated, or maybe it is simply because it wasn't sealed. In any event, I'm trying to think of plan B in anticipation of the deck needing to go in the upcoming years. At that point, I will probably switch to a brick or paver patio instead. <br />
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Then next to this I noticed what looked like strange little rocks or seed pods. Upon closer investigation I realized they were snake eggs!<br />
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And good-sized eggs at that! I don't think my little black snake Black Ivy could have laid these. I would say that the snake that laid these would have to be at least 3 1/2 to 4 foot long, wouldn't you?<br />
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I found the hole dug into a little bed in front of my shed, next to a tree. I counted at least 18 eggs. Unfortunately I am guessing that the raccoons got to them before they were ready to hatch, due to the way they were scattered around and the hole that seemed dug DOWN instead of up and out.<br />
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And then next to the nest, I spotted this little guy. He was dead.<br />
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Poor little guy.<br />
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I just have to wonder just how big Momma snake is to have eggs this big?nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-29261247059890581932011-05-28T21:22:00.002-04:002011-05-28T21:28:03.988-04:00Big Day in the Backyard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-onHeVqzs1RE/TeGXLargL4I/AAAAAAAAD6M/1k3W0bxxj4o/s1600/IMG_2355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-onHeVqzs1RE/TeGXLargL4I/AAAAAAAAD6M/1k3W0bxxj4o/s320/IMG_2355.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Well, today was the day- the downfall of the ficus. I've intended to take it down for awhile, as the roots are dangerous to my plumbing, septic and foundation. We began by cutting off some of the lower branches last year. And then we had an unusually cold winter. After that, the tree dropped all of its leaves, and has since been getting some leaves back in little tufts. But the tree was definitely not doing well.<br />
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So it was time for it to finally come down. Tommy, Mom and Jon came over to help take it down, and my boss even came to help load it into his trailer and take it over to his property to burn.<br />
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Unfortunately this video came out sideways...<br />
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We may cut it down further later on, or I may use it as is to mount bromeliads or something.<br />
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Many thanks to everyone, as it never would have gotten done without them. And thanks to my Dad for offering to bring his chainsaw down here this week to do it for me!<br />
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Everyone is tuckered out tonight. Even Zook has been sleeping all day, after having played with Katy for hours. And now a storm is moving in...<br />
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...and it's knocking mangoes off the tree.<br />
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So it's a nice stormy night after a hard day's work. There's nothing better than that!nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-47348896621117398792010-11-07T21:58:00.001-05:002010-11-08T07:37:33.985-05:00Front Garden BedWhen I bought my home, it had been abandoned for awhile, and was very overgrown and wild. Little by little, I am getting a foothold in it. Baby steps.<br />
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This was the front garden bed when I first saw the house.<br />
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It was edged in rotting railroad ties. We've trimmed up some of the things and done some weeding, but little else.<br />
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So today, with our beautiful weather we've had the last couple of days, we decided that it was time to tackle this area. We weeded, dug up the rotting wood, cut up what I think was Brazilian Pepper growing in the front bed, etc.<br />
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While digging around in the front bed, I found five of these curved cement edgers had been buried upside down in the ground. Not in any understandable pattern. I don't know what the deal was with that. They were buried all the way to the "tops" (upside-down. They were really the bottoms.) <br />
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After that was done, we put edging bricks down and filled the beds with mulch.<br />
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Additionally Woodrow built me a patio to hold my trash cans. He wants to do a little more work on it, since the second half added today slopes a little. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/TNdi9MzZhaI/AAAAAAAADa0/J8ofTZkNv_k/s1600/IMG_0927+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/TNdi9MzZhaI/AAAAAAAADa0/J8ofTZkNv_k/s320/IMG_0927+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
One nice surprise today: I discovered a papaya tree behind my shed...<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/TNdi4inYmTI/AAAAAAAADac/VEVICVuwaSs/s1600/IMG_0914+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/TNdi4inYmTI/AAAAAAAADac/VEVICVuwaSs/s320/IMG_0914+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" width="240" /> </a><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Unfortunately I also found that mother-in-law's tongue is taking over my well head. I need to get this cleaned up ASAP. Next project. </div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/TNdi6B0PxMI/AAAAAAAADag/lMk_Hhjec3Q/s1600/IMG_0915+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/TNdi6B0PxMI/AAAAAAAADag/lMk_Hhjec3Q/s320/IMG_0915+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><br />
But for now we are very pleased with the results on the front bed. Unfortunately I am absolutely EXHAUSTED and every muscle in my body hurts! So I won't be doing any more yard work this week!nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-9883634563475209372010-08-01T21:39:00.004-04:002010-08-01T22:05:14.193-04:00Reverting Back to WeedinessMy Weedy Garden has been reverting back to its former self. I've been in my house for nearly two years now (how is that possible?!), and I still didn't own a weed eater. A family friend has come over a number of times over the last year+ to weed eat for me, keeping the yard under control. However he has had a lot going on, so I have insisted for awhile now that he not come over and help me out. So, in the meantime, the yard has become overgrown.<br /><br />So I finally went out this weekend and bought myself a weed eater. I actually bought a cheap one a few months ago, but returned it after using it once. The thing wouldn't even keep running, and had no power.<br /><br />This one, however, is full of power! Today I worked on the area behind the shed. I started with <span style="font-style: italic;">this</span>...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/TFYi7XBWb-I/AAAAAAAADCM/BSeOZ7QifoA/s1600/IMG_9946+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/TFYi7XBWb-I/AAAAAAAADCM/BSeOZ7QifoA/s320/IMG_9946+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500622398066946018" border="0" /></a>...and ended with <span style="font-style: italic;">this</span>...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/TFYi737VfMI/AAAAAAAADCU/geSshcT2DVo/s1600/IMG_9950+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/TFYi737VfMI/AAAAAAAADCU/geSshcT2DVo/s320/IMG_9950+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500622406900088002" border="0" /></a>Much better! That weed eater (a Tanaka brand) had no trouble chomping through weeds as thick as my pinkie.<br /><br />That area behind the shed is a bit troublesome. I've mentioned in the past that the previous owners laid carpet remnants on the ground back there. Ugh! I think the weeds love the carpeting! One of my future projects is to pull up all of that carpeting, and then cover that back area with shell or gravel of some sort. That should be much easier to take care of!<br /><br />Hallelujah for my new weed eater! It's been a long time coming. If you are looking for a good weedeater, I would happily recommend a Tanaka brand weed eater. It's affordable, powerful, and has a 7 year residential warranty. I'm gonna wear this thing out!nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-20789779824727034222010-05-21T20:11:00.005-04:002010-05-21T23:02:51.797-04:00Garden Update: May 2010Current garden status:<br /><br />For the first time since I've lived here, my magnolia is in bloom!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S_cjk344v5I/AAAAAAAAC1E/oB1tgHLekwM/s1600/IMG_9275+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S_cjk344v5I/AAAAAAAAC1E/oB1tgHLekwM/s320/IMG_9275+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473882988476940178" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S_cjlIq3D-I/AAAAAAAAC1M/4r6gGtB9wlM/s1600/IMG_9276+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S_cjlIq3D-I/AAAAAAAAC1M/4r6gGtB9wlM/s320/IMG_9276+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473882992981512162" border="0" /></a><br />The trees by my lanai are in bloom as well. Now that I have these blooms to help me identify them, I think that I am now comfortable identifying these as Shady Lady olive trees.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S_cjkQQrbpI/AAAAAAAAC08/wbrSQOetwLw/s1600/IMG_9307+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S_cjkQQrbpI/AAAAAAAAC08/wbrSQOetwLw/s320/IMG_9307+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473882977839312530" border="0" /></a><br />The lubbers are infesting the yard-- both big and small lubbers.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S_cjkLezJqI/AAAAAAAAC00/lDfD_qt1PQA/s1600/IMG_9284+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S_cjkLezJqI/AAAAAAAAC00/lDfD_qt1PQA/s320/IMG_9284+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473882976556361378" border="0" /></a><br />So far they haven't been destroying my vegetable plants, but they have been eating the sheffelera. That's alright by me.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S_ci3SPehTI/AAAAAAAAC0s/F4zoHNEoF5Y/s1600/IMG_9286+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S_ci3SPehTI/AAAAAAAAC0s/F4zoHNEoF5Y/s320/IMG_9286+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473882205277029682" border="0" /></a><br />My gardenia is in bloom now...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S_ci3NASG4I/AAAAAAAAC0k/OIVsDLMi3oY/s1600/IMG_9300+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S_ci3NASG4I/AAAAAAAAC0k/OIVsDLMi3oY/s320/IMG_9300+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473882203871124354" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S_ci26IRxNI/AAAAAAAAC0c/8HFau64WuJk/s1600/IMG_9304+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S_ci26IRxNI/AAAAAAAAC0c/8HFau64WuJk/s320/IMG_9304+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473882198804382930" border="0" /></a><br />I do nothing to this thing, but it seems to love it's location. I fear it won't do so well after we cut down the ficus, which currently provides it with shade.<br /><br />The rubber vine is in full bloom right now.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S_ci2kc4mHI/AAAAAAAAC0U/nL8nzVm_BJg/s1600/IMG_9339+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S_ci2kc4mHI/AAAAAAAAC0U/nL8nzVm_BJg/s320/IMG_9339+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473882192985233522" border="0" /></a><br />I love this shot that Woodrow got of the rubber vine.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S_ci2YbzDqI/AAAAAAAAC0M/UAE7Fwg3He8/s1600/DSC_0077+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S_ci2YbzDqI/AAAAAAAAC0M/UAE7Fwg3He8/s320/DSC_0077+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473882189759450786" border="0" /></a>Pretty!nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-85182165869716941162010-05-09T08:57:00.008-04:002010-05-10T10:51:12.125-04:00More veggies and other updatesI decided that for Mother's Day I would give my mother a potted okra. She likes okra, and like me has been growing a few veggies.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S-axuYkowII/AAAAAAAACp8/spGo735dUKA/s1600/IMG_9141+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S-axuYkowII/AAAAAAAACp8/spGo735dUKA/s320/IMG_9141+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469254207916261506" border="0" /></a><br />I am now growing an assortment of herbs, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers and melons.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S-axt7aQYcI/AAAAAAAACp0/ghk0fgDtMKE/s1600/IMG_9139+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S-axt7aQYcI/AAAAAAAACp0/ghk0fgDtMKE/s320/IMG_9139+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469254200088093122" border="0" /></a><br />I also noticed the other day that one of my Plumeria (Frangipan) seems to have died.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S-axsyGKKCI/AAAAAAAACpk/Q1FppFLHojU/s1600/IMG_9099+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S-axsyGKKCI/AAAAAAAACpk/Q1FppFLHojU/s320/IMG_9099+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469254180408010786" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S-axtL1HonI/AAAAAAAACps/QVT_Kzw9hGE/s1600/IMG_9100+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S-axtL1HonI/AAAAAAAACps/QVT_Kzw9hGE/s320/IMG_9100+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469254187315864178" border="0" /></a><br />Perhaps it took a bad hit from a lawn mower or weedeater. I was told by a nursery person that these are especially sensitive to damage caused by weedeaters and bumps from mowers.<br /><br />I also bought a plant at an arts and crafts show Saturday. I don't know what it's called, but it looks like a colorful version of a Hens and Chicks succulent.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S-axFt83c3I/AAAAAAAACo8/CruHHAVpHEA/s1600/IMG_9123+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S-axFt83c3I/AAAAAAAACo8/CruHHAVpHEA/s320/IMG_9123+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469253509280396146" border="0" /></a><br />I thought that it might be pretty in front of the house, where I have no hose to water potted plants.<br /><br />Not bad!<br /><br />Unfortunately I uncovered a carpenter ant nest when I moved a pot yesterday. Well, unfortunate for me. The lizards were all very excited! They all came running when they saw what was going on! I had three of them vying for the buffet. I learned that the adults ants must have a fierce bite, so they are avoided by the lizards. The lizards seemed to be concentrating mostly on the winged ants, and occasionally an egg.<br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allownetworking="all" wmode="transparent" src="http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Videos/MVI_9127.flv" width="375" height="225"></embed><br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allownetworking="all" wmode="transparent" src="http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Videos/MVI_9128.flv" width="375" height="225"></embed><br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allownetworking="all" wmode="transparent" src="http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Videos/MVI_9131.flv" width="375" height="225"></embed><br /><br />Grody! But I found both the ant and lizard behavior fascinating!nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-9951771792756096162010-05-04T21:50:00.004-04:002010-05-04T23:13:36.515-04:00Dueling LizardsThis morning I went out to check my garden and see what needed watering. As I walked over to check the new veggies, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and heard a *thunk* on the deck. Startled, I turned to look and saw two lizards on the deck, one on its back and the other one had a hold of it by the throat. I watched for a minute or two, and other than occasionally clawing at one another, they didn't move. I wanted to get video of the match, but I feared that the minute I turned my back they would depart, and I wouldn't know where they went or what happened next. I sprayed the hose in their direction, and it barely fazed them. So I decided to risk running for my camera, and sure enough as soon as I turned my back and stepped away, they broke apart. However there was no need for concern-- they weren't going anywhere. I ran and got my camera, and got a few shots of the lizards...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S-DSw4jiN-I/AAAAAAAACk8/K3tjlkBX-GA/s1600/IMG_9051+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S-DSw4jiN-I/AAAAAAAACk8/K3tjlkBX-GA/s320/IMG_9051+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467601684884764642" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S-DSwu_hORI/AAAAAAAACk0/SZmxjXe3kRc/s1600/IMG_9052+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S-DSwu_hORI/AAAAAAAACk0/SZmxjXe3kRc/s320/IMG_9052+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467601682317785362" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S-DSwHLYKbI/AAAAAAAACks/_2TRDKHajOk/s1600/IMG_9053+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S-DSwHLYKbI/AAAAAAAACks/_2TRDKHajOk/s320/IMG_9053+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467601671630105010" border="0" /></a>Then I watched in fascination as they kept at it, maneuvering around one another, looking for the tactical advantage. Then they started sparring again.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxJ-KkaBdx1QR8j8X7b00LROzXa72dUsNrHNK807lP3uidJ4dSwurfk_hIbulvMYmMm2aiWpKLoA3el4lTBeQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />And again...<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy51NskZvt8tGissOFArmu9qISPBtEWpK1izyNLu7zw5eO1Sv7L3A_Uix5IGkTfHN69izn-xshlH3UBd7OZIw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Did you see the way that he flipped the other one right off the strawberry pot?! Awesome move! I could watch that over and over!<br /><br />It was very interesting to watch! The "thought" that would go into their maneuvering around, looking for the advantage, was really fascinating. I'll be looking for these big boys in the future!nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-4271199405465569802010-05-02T21:43:00.006-04:002010-05-02T22:39:36.978-04:00Planting a small vegetable gardenToday we spent a couple of hours working in pretty searing intolerable heat in order to prep part of my giant raised bed for plants. I plan on ripping this bed apart and create 2-4 small square beds in its place, or a couple of long, narrow beds. But it will be awhile before I can do that. So for now I decided to prep a portion of it for a small vegetable garden.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94t-ilV_gI/AAAAAAAACj0/FpH4-xUTQPM/s1600/IMG_9037+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94t-ilV_gI/AAAAAAAACj0/FpH4-xUTQPM/s320/IMG_9037+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466857550132936194" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94t-fjJxZI/AAAAAAAACjs/C2XDk6OPrG4/s1600/IMG_9038+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94t-fjJxZI/AAAAAAAACjs/C2XDk6OPrG4/s320/IMG_9038+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466857549318440338" border="0" /></a><br />Katy was there to supervise our work.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94t-xjjslI/AAAAAAAACj8/SqzAPyAbRQI/s1600/IMG_9001+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94t-xjjslI/AAAAAAAACj8/SqzAPyAbRQI/s320/IMG_9001+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466857554151977554" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We moved a bunch of the dirt out of a 10x3 foot area, and mixed in potting soil, compost and top soil. Then I planted the poblano pepper, jalapeno pepper, green pepper, cucumber, zucchini, watermelon, cantaloupe and two eggplant.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94t-AMn7jI/AAAAAAAACjk/EcUccb8YUwo/s1600/IMG_9040+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94t-AMn7jI/AAAAAAAACjk/EcUccb8YUwo/s320/IMG_9040+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466857540902448690" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94t93QWCOI/AAAAAAAACjc/7C6jC9uwtas/s1600/IMG_9041+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94t93QWCOI/AAAAAAAACjc/7C6jC9uwtas/s320/IMG_9041+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466857538502133986" border="0" /></a><br />Plus the other day I potted an herb bucket and in another bucket I put a Rome tomato plant with sweet basil.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94tJNDjK2I/AAAAAAAACjU/TBCKMWQJJtQ/s1600/IMG_9039+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94tJNDjK2I/AAAAAAAACjU/TBCKMWQJJtQ/s320/IMG_9039+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466856633820982114" border="0" /></a><br />But looky here! I was surprised to discover a bloom on the old pepper plant from last summer! This has been totally neglected, unwatered and in a weed-filled pot, yet there it is!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94tIJKiBRI/AAAAAAAACjM/beOkmeVXPBI/s1600/IMG_9043+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94tIJKiBRI/AAAAAAAACjM/beOkmeVXPBI/s320/IMG_9043+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466856615596655890" border="0" /></a><br />Yes, I weeded it now that I see how hard it is trying to survive. And I still have a couple of strawberry plants popping up...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94tHmXi1JI/AAAAAAAACjE/6JrpJGuANMc/s1600/IMG_9046+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94tHmXi1JI/AAAAAAAACjE/6JrpJGuANMc/s320/IMG_9046+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466856606255994002" border="0" /></a><br />And my mango tree, despite the freezes we had this winter, is trying to put out a small harvest as well. So far I've spotted two mangoes...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94tHDnTUoI/AAAAAAAACi8/ppRo-M1sHJ8/s1600/IMG_9045+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94tHDnTUoI/AAAAAAAACi8/ppRo-M1sHJ8/s320/IMG_9045+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466856596926845570" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94tG7NiMDI/AAAAAAAACi0/4SiBISmWibk/s1600/IMG_9044+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94tG7NiMDI/AAAAAAAACi0/4SiBISmWibk/s320/IMG_9044+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466856594671284274" border="0" /></a><br />Also the other morning I was out in the yard when I noticed that my mahogany have lost their leaves (which they seem to do this time of year). Then I noticed this...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94uqqAAKtI/AAAAAAAACkU/LmqJbl0pRBc/s1600/IMG_8993+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94uqqAAKtI/AAAAAAAACkU/LmqJbl0pRBc/s320/IMG_8993+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466858308038044370" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94urEPbCmI/AAAAAAAACkc/SXoKxMK36BE/s1600/IMG_8992+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94urEPbCmI/AAAAAAAACkc/SXoKxMK36BE/s320/IMG_8992+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466858315082041954" border="0" /></a><br />I haven't figured out what the heck that is! It's webbing full of leaves, forming a basket. I don't know whether that was purposeful or what. But I did see some lovely new little leaves coming in on the mahogany...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94urpXJrXI/AAAAAAAACkk/mKwUHonPvjw/s1600/IMG_8994+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94urpXJrXI/AAAAAAAACkk/mKwUHonPvjw/s320/IMG_8994+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466858325046570354" border="0" /></a><br />My jasmine is in full bloom, and I love the smell drifting around the lanai.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94uqVFF8yI/AAAAAAAACkM/wWUOyFamL6E/s1600/IMG_8991+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94uqVFF8yI/AAAAAAAACkM/wWUOyFamL6E/s320/IMG_8991+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466858302422250274" border="0" /></a><br />I still don't know what these two trees are that are in front of my lanai, but I like the look of them, even if they are too close to the lanai. They kinda look like Shady Lady olive trees, but I've never seen any fruit on them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94up5Rj_JI/AAAAAAAACkE/xQ63zZQsO60/s1600/IMG_8999+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S94up5Rj_JI/AAAAAAAACkE/xQ63zZQsO60/s320/IMG_8999+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466858294958357650" border="0" /></a>So it was a day of hard work, and I should sleep well tonight! We'll see how the vegetables and fruit do. It's getting hot out there. I hope that I can get them through the heat and keep them well-watered!nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-61831237651344651152010-04-25T23:27:00.009-04:002010-04-26T00:13:19.967-04:00Garden Update: April 2010Jeez! Has it really been 9 months since I posted here?! How is that possible? Well, the unruly garden is still unruly. We did some work in it today.<br /><br />I've decided that the large ficus needs to come down, after a lot of debate and asking others for their opinions as well. The consensus is that the roots are a liability and will likely undermine the foundation. So Tommy started cutting off the ficus branches. Now is a good time to take it down, as the hard winter freezes caused it to lose at least half of its leaves.<br /><br />Mom and I did a lot of weed-pulling, filling up a large 65 gallon can. Mom also lopped off some palm fronds, which got hauled out to the road.<br /><br />One thing that has been going on in the yard is lubbers. I know. I always have lubbers. Only this time, it is baby lubbers. I first spotted them nearly a month ago, when I found about 30 of them around my swing and deck in the backyard.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S9UKOmBxJUI/AAAAAAAACg8/qoCZ2d73ems/s1600/IMG_8340.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S9UKOmBxJUI/AAAAAAAACg8/qoCZ2d73ems/s320/IMG_8340.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464284968726373698" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S9UKNxAQDNI/AAAAAAAACgs/uRwnOMa6Wqw/s1600/IMG_8343.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S9UKNxAQDNI/AAAAAAAACgs/uRwnOMa6Wqw/s320/IMG_8343.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464284954492931282" border="0" /></a><br />Then a week or so later, I spotted a second nest in the...yucca?...located near my front door.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S9UODhw2j3I/AAAAAAAAChE/-IkJYk5xw6w/s1600/IMG_8442.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S9UODhw2j3I/AAAAAAAAChE/-IkJYk5xw6w/s320/IMG_8442.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464289176649633650" border="0" /></a><br />That's a lot of lubbers in my yard this summer! When Mom and I were pulling weeds today, we kept coming across lubbers scattered around the yard. I don't like to kill anything, and I also don't like to use chemicals around my place. So I decided to capture as many as I could and I'll release them in on a vacant lot on my way to work tomorrow. So I started collecting them in a jar. It was pretty tough, because as you let one in you would often find another would jump OUT of the jar! But in the end, I wound up with a jar of five lubbers!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S9UPnDZIj8I/AAAAAAAAChM/YbaG5zfIxts/s1600/IMG_8974+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S9UPnDZIj8I/AAAAAAAAChM/YbaG5zfIxts/s320/IMG_8974+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464290886484004802" border="0" /></a><br />So tomorrow morning a vacant lot will have five more lubbers, and my yard will have five fewer. I'll keep doing this, slowly getting down the lubber population without harming them or polluting the environment with pesticides.<br /><br />The yard has TONS more work to be done, but at least I am beginning to get a vision. Things that I previously loved and refused to remove I am now planning on taking out. I want a yard that is low maintenance, and low water requirements. I'm considering doing some bromeliads for this very reason, like the ones that they have out at the bromeliad and orchid center.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S9URMbC0GLI/AAAAAAAAChk/1Zm-WqNzRDc/s1600/IMG_8278+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S9URMbC0GLI/AAAAAAAAChk/1Zm-WqNzRDc/s320/IMG_8278+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464292627999627442" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S9URMNF57uI/AAAAAAAAChc/HDPzynb1EHg/s1600/IMG_8276+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S9URMNF57uI/AAAAAAAAChc/HDPzynb1EHg/s320/IMG_8276+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464292624254496482" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S9URL32VPaI/AAAAAAAAChU/h4P_17OBN0Y/s1600/IMG_8267+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S9URL32VPaI/AAAAAAAAChU/h4P_17OBN0Y/s320/IMG_8267+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464292618552032674" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S9URxIE2TjI/AAAAAAAAChs/a_sMyT1klxI/s1600/IMG_8287+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S9URxIE2TjI/AAAAAAAAChs/a_sMyT1klxI/s320/IMG_8287+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464293258563046962" border="0" /></a><br />Beautiful!<br /><br />The mango has surprised me by blooming. We'll see whether it comes to fruition and I get any edible mangoes out of it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S9URx-D2qZI/AAAAAAAACh8/RBnzT5tSsss/s1600/IMG_8317+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S9URx-D2qZI/AAAAAAAACh8/RBnzT5tSsss/s320/IMG_8317+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464293273054390674" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S9URxqPVQ3I/AAAAAAAACh0/b0aRzxYDN4w/s1600/IMG_8316+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S9URxqPVQ3I/AAAAAAAACh0/b0aRzxYDN4w/s320/IMG_8316+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464293267733824370" border="0" /></a><br />I noticed the other day that something is eating up my loquat. Maybe the lubber babies?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S9URx2Fn7XI/AAAAAAAACiE/REOISjZ5RZw/s1600/IMG_8318+%5B800x600%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/S9URx2Fn7XI/AAAAAAAACiE/REOISjZ5RZw/s320/IMG_8318+%5B800x600%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464293270914329970" border="0" /></a> Today I bought a tomato plant and some herbs to start with. Next weekend I hope to plant some veggies in the garden bed.<br /><br />I spotted Black Ivy (my black snake) recently, so she is still around and survived the winter. I also spotted a raccoon a few weeks back. Doh! I hope that doesn't become a problem.<br /><br />Stay tuned! More to come!nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-31943357042835034622009-07-23T21:59:00.004-04:002009-07-24T00:05:21.642-04:00Go Speed Racer!There's a reason they call them Black "Racers".<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwBpUGdQ9PRxPR6pLaYiglWEpVOjRNDqwmPh9uP6_huKQTQmUgbLQUS8n6U7oetjdr_HH7Re0twphNl--t5' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />She was so quick, I lost her. But then I spotted her about 8 feet away peeking over the "in need of mowing" backyard grass.<br /><br />(I'll upload the other video when Blogger isn't acting up. I've tried twice now for about 45 minutes, and have yet to get it uploaded.)<br /><br />She likes to hang out around my deck, and today I was out watering my potted plants when I turned around and spotted her moving right past me, within a foot of my foot. She really startled me, and I stepped backwards, bumped the rake, which proceeded to fall right at the snake (we'll call her Myrtle), and fell within inches of her. She spun around and I think may have striked at the rake handle, but it happened so fast I'm not sure whether or not she actually tried to strike. But then she continued on into the shade bed next the walkway next to the deck. I ran in and got my camera, and went looking for her. I found her at the far end of the lanai, where I got my video. Then she headed back towards the shed where I think she lives.nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-37209611769732952372009-06-18T23:33:00.005-04:002009-06-18T23:38:27.501-04:00Critters in the GardenI went out to water the potted plants the other day, and wound up scaring up a lubber (a giant grasshopper).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/SjsCoPUpvrI/AAAAAAAAAO8/LtDZCbJjnkA/s1600-h/IMG_4505.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/SjsCoPUpvrI/AAAAAAAAAO8/LtDZCbJjnkA/s200/IMG_4505.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348871872763772594" border="0"></a><br /><br />It tormented Shotsie.<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxNEpcpL0hmCrWx2W3q6WE_i-gC9EX26gw4atxam6gEOGs22zRvE76ozOTAdSMgoWcxjtbhhAIVLopslldaaw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />I've had a rash of these things around my yard over the last month.<br /><br />I've also seen the black snake around the screen door a few times now. Last time I saw it go under the bench on the deck. I got my camera and just got a couple of shots of it's tail.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/SjsHo8mhVnI/AAAAAAAAAPE/_YMEZaoXGas/s1600-h/IMG_4470.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/SjsHo8mhVnI/AAAAAAAAAPE/_YMEZaoXGas/s200/IMG_4470.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348877382476453490" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/SjsHvDUQUNI/AAAAAAAAAPM/L3DlTJipK9w/s1600-h/IMG_4472.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/SjsHvDUQUNI/AAAAAAAAAPM/L3DlTJipK9w/s200/IMG_4472.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348877487358103762" /></a><br /><br />The snake is about 2- 2 1/2 feet long. I love my black snake. Did I ever post the photos that Woodrow got of him/her behind the shed?nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-26888305602971782552009-06-10T21:16:00.000-04:002009-06-10T21:16:00.776-04:00Top 10 Bulbs for FloridaHere is a list of the top ten bulbs for our Florida environment, as outlined in Sunset's Florida Top 10 Garden Guide.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f8/Amaryllis_belladonna_flowers.jpg/180px-Amaryllis_belladonna_flowers.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 154px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f8/Amaryllis_belladonna_flowers.jpg/180px-Amaryllis_belladonna_flowers.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaryllis">Amaryllis </a>(Hippeastrum)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Belamcanda_chin.jpg/180px-Belamcanda_chin.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 120px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Belamcanda_chin.jpg/180px-Belamcanda_chin.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belamcanda">Blackberry Lily</a>, Leopard Flower (Belamcanda chinensis)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/Scadoxus_puniceus2.jpg/180px-Scadoxus_puniceus2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 271px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/Scadoxus_puniceus2.jpg/180px-Scadoxus_puniceus2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scadoxus">Blood Lily</a> (Scadoxus multiflorus katherinae)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8c/Hedychium_coronarium_by_Wilder.JPG/180px-Hedychium_coronarium_by_Wilder.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 135px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8c/Hedychium_coronarium_by_Wilder.JPG/180px-Hedychium_coronarium_by_Wilder.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedychium">Butterfly Ginger</a> (Hedychium)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Daylily_%28Hemerocallis_fulva%29_v2.jpg/180px-Daylily_%28Hemerocallis_fulva%29_v2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 171px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Daylily_%28Hemerocallis_fulva%29_v2.jpg/180px-Daylily_%28Hemerocallis_fulva%29_v2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemerocallis">Daylily </a>(Hemerocallis)-- not for zone 25, where I live<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/Elephantear_reduced.jpg/180px-Elephantear_reduced.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 135px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/Elephantear_reduced.jpg/180px-Elephantear_reduced.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanthosoma">Elephant's Ear</a> (Alocasia,Colocasia and Xanthosoma)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d1/Brandywine1.jpg/180px-Brandywine1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 105px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d1/Brandywine1.jpg/180px-Brandywine1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caladium">Fancy-leafed Caladium</a> (Caladium bicolor)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Agapanthus_flower_head_with_leaves.jpg/180px-Agapanthus_flower_head_with_leaves.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 135px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Agapanthus_flower_head_with_leaves.jpg/180px-Agapanthus_flower_head_with_leaves.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Lily-of-the-Nile (Agapanthus)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Iris_sanguinea_2007-05-13_361.jpg/200px-Iris_sanguinea_2007-05-13_361.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 267px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Iris_sanguinea_2007-05-13_361.jpg/200px-Iris_sanguinea_2007-05-13_361.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_(plant)">Louisiana Iris</a> (Iris)-- not for zone 25, where I live<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Hymenocallis_littoralis_001.jpg/180px-Hymenocallis_littoralis_001.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 135px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Hymenocallis_littoralis_001.jpg/180px-Hymenocallis_littoralis_001.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Peruvian Daffodil (Hymenocallis narcissiflora)nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-65615135176057559462009-05-21T19:50:00.015-04:002009-05-21T20:21:23.943-04:00I Won!I won the giveaway for heirloom seeds, which I blogged about earlier this month! I received the seed stash today, and can I just say WOW! Look at this haul:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/ShXqHbrTpGI/AAAAAAAAAJA/uM8MIh2zWMc/s1600-h/IMG_4051.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/ShXqHbrTpGI/AAAAAAAAAJA/uM8MIh2zWMc/s200/IMG_4051.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338430346726974562" /></a><br /><br />Now just because I don't think that you can really appreciate from that image just how many packets there are, here they are.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/ShXrby0LYZI/AAAAAAAAAJo/yLA5Cl6MuKs/s1600-h/IMG_4052.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/ShXrby0LYZI/AAAAAAAAAJo/yLA5Cl6MuKs/s200/IMG_4052.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338431796047208850" /></a><br /><br />There's pumpkin and eggplant and flowers...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/ShXrs5cqx8I/AAAAAAAAAJw/FPUlAbeQYyM/s1600-h/IMG_4053.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/ShXrs5cqx8I/AAAAAAAAAJw/FPUlAbeQYyM/s200/IMG_4053.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338432089885427650" /></a><br /><br />...various kinds of peppers and some peas...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/ShXrB2OtR-I/AAAAAAAAAJg/jpzRqxTfPnI/s1600-h/IMG_4054.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/ShXrB2OtR-I/AAAAAAAAAJg/jpzRqxTfPnI/s200/IMG_4054.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338431350287189986" /></a><br /><br />...okra, corn and tomato...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/ShXsuWguetI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/zrS6yZ-FL-4/s1600-h/IMG_4055.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/ShXsuWguetI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/zrS6yZ-FL-4/s200/IMG_4055.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338433214378572498" /></a><br /><br /><br />...all kinds of lettuce, including one called "Drunken Woman"...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/ShXtc--pWkI/AAAAAAAAAKA/s9eu9s71hVM/s1600-h/IMG_4056.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/ShXtc--pWkI/AAAAAAAAAKA/s9eu9s71hVM/s200/IMG_4056.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338434015515466306" /></a><br /><br />...and tons of beans.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/ShXuNjgewFI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/uzp7V68GbwM/s1600-h/More+beans.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/ShXuNjgewFI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/uzp7V68GbwM/s200/More+beans.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338434849954775122" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/ShXuCnZ3vwI/AAAAAAAAAKI/I_VcR4bHjKQ/s1600-h/Beans.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/ShXuCnZ3vwI/AAAAAAAAAKI/I_VcR4bHjKQ/s200/Beans.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338434662022233858" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Is that an awesome haul, or what? I can't wait to try my hand at growing some of these puppies come fall/spring. Maybe I can try some beans this summer. <br /><br />Thanks again to Tina of the Victory Garden!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/ShXvHz0OtBI/AAAAAAAAAKY/mNVqqJbsGSI/s1600-h/Card.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7rDLs1q41c/ShXvHz0OtBI/AAAAAAAAAKY/mNVqqJbsGSI/s200/Card.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338435850764989458" /></a>nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-64805439278576784202009-05-20T23:42:00.004-04:002009-05-21T00:20:20.123-04:00Top 10 Annuals For FloridaSince I live in South Florida, I have a particular interest in which plants are well-suited to this special sub-tropic environment. Here is a list of the top 10 annuals for Florida, as outlined by Sunset's Florida Top 10 Garden Guide.<br /><ul><li><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/15/Calendula_officinalis.jpg/180px-Calendula_officinalis.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 120px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/15/Calendula_officinalis.jpg/180px-Calendula_officinalis.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calendula_officinalis">Calendula</a>, Pot Marigold (Calendula officinalis)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><li><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/Solenostemon_scutellarioides.jpg/180px-Solenostemon_scutellarioides.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 120px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/Solenostemon_scutellarioides.jpg/180px-Solenostemon_scutellarioides.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solenostemon_scutellarioides">Coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides)<br /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><li><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Impatienswalleriana.jpg/180px-Impatienswalleriana.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 120px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Impatienswalleriana.jpg/180px-Impatienswalleriana.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impatiens_walleriana">Impatiens </a>(Impatiens walleriana)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><li><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/13/African_Marigold.jpg/180px-African_Marigold.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 135px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/13/African_Marigold.jpg/180px-African_Marigold.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagetes">Marigold </a>(Tagetes)<br /><li>Moss Rose, Portulaca (Portulaca grandiflora)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><li><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Pansy_Viola_x_wittrockiana_Red_Cultivar_Flower_2000px.jpg/250px-Pansy_Viola_x_wittrockiana_Red_Cultivar_Flower_2000px.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 220px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Pansy_Viola_x_wittrockiana_Red_Cultivar_Flower_2000px.jpg/250px-Pansy_Viola_x_wittrockiana_Red_Cultivar_Flower_2000px.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pansy">Pansy </a>(Viola)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><li><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Penta.JPG/180px-Penta.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 270px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Penta.JPG/180px-Penta.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentas_lanceolata">Pentas </a>(Pentas lanceolata)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><li><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Antirrhinum_majus_from_Thasos.JPG/180px-Antirrhinum_majus_from_Thasos.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 270px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Antirrhinum_majus_from_Thasos.JPG/180px-Antirrhinum_majus_from_Thasos.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antirrhinum_majus">Snapdragon </a>(Antirrhinum majus)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><li><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Torenia_fournieri2.jpg/180px-Torenia_fournieri2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 242px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Torenia_fournieri2.jpg/180px-Torenia_fournieri2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torenia_fournieri">Torenia</a>, Wishbone Flower (Torenia fournieri)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><li><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Verbena_bonariensis1.jpg/180px-Verbena_bonariensis1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 135px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Verbena_bonariensis1.jpg/180px-Verbena_bonariensis1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbena">Verbena </a>(Verbena)<br /></ul>nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-52222767383387337712009-05-09T23:21:00.001-04:002009-05-09T23:21:59.071-04:00Win Free Heirloom SeedsGo to <a href="http://thevictorygardener.blogspot.com/2009/05/great-victory-garden-give-away.html#comments">The Victory Gardener</a> for your chance to win a bunch of heirloom seeds. Enter for your chance to win a variety of at least 20 different types of seeds from <a href="http://www.myvictorygarden.etsy.com/">My Victory Garden</a> etsy shop. Lettuce, beans, tomatoes, flowers-- all sorts of heirloom seeds. The giveaway runs through May 16th.nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-1923252308681712332009-04-22T15:54:00.002-04:002009-04-22T15:58:00.711-04:00Ball Fresh Preserving Kit GiveawayYou know all of those mangoes that I have currently ripening on my tree? And those limes, berries, passion fruit, loquats, and all sorts of veggies that I hope to have in the future? What am I going to do with all of them?<br /><br />Well <a href="http://focusorganic.com/giveaway-ball-fresh-preserving-kit/">THIS </a>is what I've been wanting! I used to preserve when I was married, but I haven't done it since. I got rid of my canner and supplies when I lived in my condo, as I just didn't have room to store it.<br /><br />So here I am now with a garden, and no way to preserve my harvests. I need <a href="http://focusorganic.com/giveaway-ball-fresh-preserving-kit/">this</a>! I want <a href="http://focusorganic.com/giveaway-ball-fresh-preserving-kit/">this</a>!<br /><br />Head over to the <a href="http://focusorganic.com/giveaway-ball-fresh-preserving-kit/">giveaway </a>if you need one, too!nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-40819227027386011602009-03-29T10:27:00.008-04:002009-03-29T13:39:44.271-04:00Garden UpdateFirst a few before and after shots:<br /><br />Behind shed BEFORE<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Home/?action=view&current=IMG_0239.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Home/IMG_0239.jpg" alt="Gardening Area" width="360" border="0" height="288"></a><br /><br />Behind shed AFTER<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/?action=view&current=IMG_2482.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/IMG_2482.jpg" alt="Behind shed" border="0"></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Side yard BEFORE<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/?action=view&current=IMG_1055.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/IMG_1055.jpg" alt="Side lawn" width="360" border="0" height="288"></a><br /><br />Side yard AFTER<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/?action=view&current=IMG_2476.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/IMG_2476.jpg" alt="Side of house after mowing" border="0"></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Raised bed BEFORE<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Home/?action=view&current=IMG_0232.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Home/IMG_0232.jpg" alt="Garden" width="360" border="0" height="288"></a><br /><br />Raised bed AFTER<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/?action=view&current=IMG_2446.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/IMG_2446.jpg" alt="Raised bed" border="0"></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Southwest corner BEFORE<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/?action=view&current=IMG_2531.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/IMG_2531.jpg" alt="Southwest corner" border="0"></a><br /><br />Southwest corner AFTER<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/?action=view&current=IMG_2535.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/IMG_2535.jpg" alt="Jasmine and bird of paradise" border="0"></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Front yard BEFORE<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/?action=view&current=IMG_1044.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/IMG_1044.jpg" alt="Front weeds" width="360" border="0" height="288"></a><br /><br />Front yard AFTER<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/?action=view&current=IMG_2503.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/IMG_2503.jpg" alt="Yard after mowing" border="0"></a><br /><br /><br />So we are slowly making progress.<br /><br />While cleaning up the Bird of Paradise in the southwest corner, I turned up this bloom.<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/?action=view&current=IMG_2533.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/IMG_2533.jpg" alt="Bird of Paradise bloom 03-22-09" border="0"></a><br /><br />I also uncovered this scat on the deadpile currently in front of my shed.<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/?action=view&current=IMG_2465.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/IMG_2465.jpg" alt="Scat" border="0"></a><br /><br />You know, I'm always fascinated with animal scat, and trying to determine what left it behind. Since I have a privacy fence out back, I have to wonder what's getting in my yard at night, and possibly lives in my yard under the shed.<br /><br />This swing is a new addition to the yard.<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/?action=view&current=IMG_2461.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/IMG_2461.jpg" alt="Swing" border="0"></a><br /><br />It was given to me by Mom's neighbor. We have it in a shady spot that faces the west, so we can sit out here and watch the sunset.<br /><br />And Woodrow bought me a wheelbarrow for the yard work.<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/Edible%20Plants/?action=view&current=IMG_2732.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/Edible%20Plants/IMG_2732.jpg" alt="Wheelbarrow" border="0"></a><br /><br />He got sick of hauling stuff out to the road for me using the little dinky cart that was given to me by my mother. :)<br /><br />I also discovered these supports that were installed on the fence to support the bougainvilleas that grow against the fenceline.<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/?action=view&current=IMG_2495.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/IMG_2495.jpg" alt="Bougie supports" border="0"></a><br /><br />My passion vine is blooming like crazy. Every day it throws up a new bloom.<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/Blooms/?action=view&current=IMG_2564.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/Blooms/IMG_2564.jpg" alt="Passion flower" border="0"></a><br /><br />And it is supporting a new Gulf Frittilary caterpillar that is growing like gangbusters.<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Critters%20in%20Garden/?action=view&current=IMG_2537.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Critters%20in%20Garden/IMG_2537.jpg" alt="Gulf fritillary caterpillar" border="0"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/Edible%20Plants/?action=view&current=IMG_2722.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/Edible%20Plants/IMG_2722.jpg" alt="Caterpillar 03-27-09" border="0"></a><br /><br />I swear every couple of days I go out to find it substantially bigger than a few days before.<br /><br />My mango continues to grow:<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/Edible%20Plants/?action=view&current=IMG_2709.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/Edible%20Plants/IMG_2709.jpg" alt="Mango 03-26-09" border="0"></a><br /><br />However the mango tree has dropped a lot of it's smaller fruit. But it does have a lot of new blooms and small fruits coming in. So I'm hoping that the fruit loss is normal.<br /><br />The tomatoes look good. One is almost ready to harvest, and there is one other small one coming in.<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/Edible%20Plants/?action=view&current=IMG_2711.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/Edible%20Plants/IMG_2711.jpg" alt="Tomatoes" border="0"></a><br /><br />However my eggplant is infested with aphids..<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/Edible%20Plants/?action=view&current=IMG_2727.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/Edible%20Plants/IMG_2727.jpg" alt="Aphids" border="0"></a><br /><br />...and some have spread to the pepper plant.<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/Edible%20Plants/?action=view&current=IMG_2712.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/Edible%20Plants/IMG_2712.jpg" alt="Aphids on pepper" border="0"></a><br /><br />My jasmine is beginning to bloom. Yeah!<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/Edible%20Plants/?action=view&current=IMG_2729.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/Edible%20Plants/IMG_2729.jpg" alt="Jasmine" border="0"></a><br /><br />And I'm trying to figure out the deal with the cauliflower. This cauliflower was planted a few months ago from a tray of cauliflower bought at Lowe's. Both the cauliflower on the left and right came from the same batch, had the same soil and by all appearances the same conditions. They sit right next to one another.<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/?action=view&current=IMG_2681.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/IMG_2681.jpg" alt="Cauliflower differences" border="0"></a><br /><br />Yet one is obviously thriving while the other isn't. All I can figure is that the one on the left gets slightly less sun than the one on the right, and it likes it.<br /><br />You see this guy? <br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/Edible%20Plants/?action=view&current=IMG_2733.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/Edible%20Plants/IMG_2733.jpg" alt="Songbird" border="0"></a><br /><br />This guy LOVES to chatter and sing! He actually seems to seek out people. He will land near me overhead, and sing like crazy, and sometimes mimic the whistles of me and Woodrow. I think that this might be the same guy who sings up a storm in the middle of the night. Woodrow often hears him between midnight and 2 AM. I even got audio of him recently, but the file is too large for Photobucket, so I have to find a different way to post.<br /><br />The greatest miracle of all? I finally discovered the Guava tree!<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/Edible%20Plants/?action=view&current=IMG_2470.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/Edible%20Plants/IMG_2470.jpg" alt="Guava" border="0"></a><br /><br />The notes for the house mentioned a guava, but I could never find it. I finally discovered it, hidden away behind the wild bougainvillea next to the shed.<br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/Edible%20Plants/?action=view&current=IMG_2467.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/Edible%20Plants/IMG_2467.jpg" alt="Guava" border="0"></a><br /><br />Now I just have to figure out how to move that bougie, so I can free the guava from its grasp!<br /><br />So that's where we stand at this point. TONS of work to do yet, but it is slowly coming together.nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-32275130325009079692009-03-29T10:20:00.003-04:002009-03-29T10:26:08.263-04:00Surprise!I was checking out the new sprouts coming in on my Plumeria the other day.<br /><br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/?action=view¤t=IMG_2504.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Yard%20Work/IMG_2504.jpg" border="0" alt="Plumeria new growth 03-22-09"></a><br /><br />I leaned in to get a better look at the single leaf that has made an appearance...<br /><br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/?action=view¤t=IMG_2677.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/IMG_2677.jpg" border="0" alt="Plumeria leaf"></a><br /><br />...and then glanced left at the Plumeria tips next to my face. Surprise!<br /><br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Critters%20in%20Garden/?action=view¤t=IMG_2679.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Critters%20in%20Garden/IMG_2679.jpg" border="0" alt="Spider on plumeria"></a><br /><br />To give you a little perspective on the size of the body on this thing, those branches are about 1 to 1 1/4 inches thick.<br /><br /><a href="http://s308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Critters%20in%20Garden/?action=view¤t=IMG_2680.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i308.photobucket.com/albums/kk353/nfmgirl/Critters%20in%20Garden/IMG_2680.jpg" border="0" alt="Spider on plumeria"></a><br /><br />I hate surprises like that!nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1337246274888787957.post-10585038994111888272009-03-22T11:20:00.003-04:002009-03-22T11:27:44.295-04:00I've Made HistoryWell, I've made history in my house at least. Yesterday I mowed my first lawn. Actually I didn't even do the whole lawn. I just did a few strips of it.<br /><br />My mother's friend gave me his old lawn mower. It is about 19 years old, and still running fine. He takes good care of his equipment. So yesterday he brought it over, showed me how to start it and how to use it. He did most of the lawn (I told him he didn't need to-- my boyfriend was going to do it), but he had me do a few strips to get the hang of it. <br /><br />I've always told people that I've never mowed a lawn in my life. I don't know whether that is a big deal everywhere or not, but it is pretty unusual down here in Florida, where in the rainy season you have to mow about three times per week. However I had a brother and mother who mowed when I was growing up (I was the baby and got away with murder), and as an adult I've always lived in apartments. <br /><br />So I made history yesterday. I mowed for the first time!nfmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677291537193518055noreply@blogger.com0