HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?

[Prissy]

Mary,
I'm glad you are seeing flowers;  daffodils have bloomed  already and are long gone from here.

Pepe,
I know you are anxious to finally have some blooms and green around you;  too much snow this year.

Frankie,
I'm glad I could identify your mystery plant.  Skip has planted three of them near the shed in the woods.


I got an early birthday present from Skip for the backyard.  We set it at a corner of the deck at the shallow end of the pool and it looks out on the backyard.

Here is my present that I am enjoying sitting and gliding back and forth in!!  Now, there's room for two more so some of you must come and join me!!

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[Prissy]

Whiz Q Stone is a place we go to quite often!  Skip has bought lots of stone and rocks and even dirt and mulch from there.  Here are some little pot people that they have.  I think they are cute and want one;  just can't decide on the color!

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Also, at Whiz Q they have these huge vases that you can make water features from.  I matched the swimming pool tile to a vase and would like to have a water feature with it in the bed behind the pool diving board. It would be neat to have it there with the water rippling down all four sides!  

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More of the huge vases at Whiz Q.  They are about 30" to 3 feet tall.
      

[Pepe]

PRISSY, oh how cute, love the little potpeople!!!!  I havve never seen anything like that before.  YOu have such interesting stores near you, makes me want to live in Texas!     You have such a nice long growing season where you can really enjoy your  yard.  Here it seems by the time you can start planting in no time it is fall again.  If I enjoyed better health and the economy was better I have to say I would be moving once again.  Thanks for bringing such interesting pictures to us.

[claydevotee]

I just wanted to let all of the Garden Thread posters know how much I enjoy the pictures and stories about your gardens.  I'm so looking forward to being able to once again post pictures of my gardens, as well! 

Have a wonderful day!

[fhmmany2]

 

Prissy - are those pot people made from plastic pots, or terra cotta pots? The ones I posted from Dollywood were made from the plastic pots - I have always wanted to try to make one, but I think it would be much easier to buy them!  (And I'm sure they would looks lots better than anything I could make!) 

I love your idea for the fountain - beautiful tile!!!! 

[Mary]

Hello everyone! I have been reading along and enjoying each and every post and picture and appreciate that you all are sharing your pictures and what is going on in your yards and in your travels.

We are having crazy weather here. It's been cold and rainy and miserable most days but there is hope in sight. Last night the temperature was in the low 30's and already it is 70. The next few days it should reach well into the 80's for record breaking temps. We ussually don't get heat like that until late in July.

I have been scrambling to get chores done so that I can enjoy the next few days outside with a book or two and a pitcher of sweet iced tea (not the northeren stuff that people up here like). If I feel like "working" I may make a pitcher of pink lemonaid. My back has been killing so my scrambeling is a sight to see. This is my boys reaction: :   

I may pull a few weeds (I have a tool that I use so I don't have to bend).

Norm just said that he is almost ready for lunch so I'll sign off for now.

[fhmmany2]

  Hello, Gardeners! I haven't had much time to get on site lately - my sister is visiting - but I walked around the yard just now and took a few photos.

Remember two years ago when we were given a "walking iris"? Supposedly, the plant will drop down after a bloom, and root another plant where the bloom was located. The first winter we had the plant, we made the mistake of leaving it outside, and it froze back to the dirt. Last summer it took all summer for the plant to recover, and it did not bloom. We moved it into the greenhouse for the winter, and, as you see, it has several blooms. I think it looks more like an orchid bloom than an iris:







I've always thought I should put something beneath the live loak that sits next to our driveway near the house. We bought this garden bench/trellis this week (at our local dollar store!) I am still in the process of raking leaves from beneath the tree, and I plan to move several large pots of ferns there. Clematis is planted in the two large pots - I hope they live and climb the trellis:



Mother's pink lillies are beginning to bloom:



And garden presents that I received from the granddaughters for Easter. The new flag is from Kaitlyn, and Laney made the flower pot for me. It is covered with different colored tissue paper, and coated with something she and her Mom bought at Michaels  that allows the flower pot to be used without hurting the decoration. The plant in the pot is a corkscrew plant:

[fhmmany2]

 

I wasn't sure whether to post this photo in the Garden Thread or in the Recipe Thread. I bought this for Lewis yesterday (it is going to be one of his Fathers' Day presents). It is a pepper roaster for the grill - specifically, it is a jalepeno pepper roaster. It came with lots of recipes for fillings. The peppers are filled, and they cooked standing upright in this little stand. Lewis loves the stuffed, fried peppers that are served in restuarants here - I thought this would be a healthier version. I'm wondering if these are sold in other parts of the country (if so, I know they are probably not shaped like the State of Louisiana!  )



And Pepe - this is for you, because I know how much you love gardenias. We found this at our grocery store yesterday.I know there are lots of varieties of gardenias - we have never come across this one before. The leaves and fragrance are all gardenia, but the bloom is very different:

[Pepe]

FRANKIE, what a spectacular flower.  Yep looks a lot like a orchid.  Love that bench!!  You find the neatest things at that Dollar store.  I remember the bird bath of yours that I loved and you said you got that at the Dollar store, our Dollar store sure doesn't have things that nice I have checked.  How lovely your grandchildren remembered you with gifts at Easter, so nice their parents taught them the joy of giving at a young age.

[Pepe]

FRANKIE, oh my gosh you find the neatest things.  I have never seen a pepper roaster never knew they made such a thing.  Lewis sure will be surprised and happy when he sees it!!!  Did you get it at the kitchen shop you and your sister went to that one day?  My the Gardenia plant does look different and you are right, my favorite flower!!!  The leaf looks the same but the flower looks like a single Gardenia flower.  They are all gorgeous and smell heavenly!  Thanks for sharing all your finds, I really appreciate and look forward to your posts and everyone that shares their finds with  us.

[Mary]

Frankie, I love that garden bench! I haven't been to a dollar store in ages. My favorite one closed and now I have to go off the beaten track to get to one but if it has a find like that it would well be worth the trip.

Finally, for the first time since late Nov. my back does not hurt for most of the day.

I've cut daffodils for about a month and there were still so many left but they have all died off in the past week. This year they really multiplied. It was wonderful. I can't say the same for all the tulips that I planted 10 years ago. I have 1 left and I'm gong to cut it before the deer get it tonight. I have a few Gerber daises in pots that Norm will plant this afternoon if the rain holds off so now we should have flowers well into the fall.

We had a tremendous amount of deer damage this year. Every azaliea bush has been eaten to almost nothing. We will see how the do over the summer but I am not hopeful.

Last year we had a wonderful vegetable garden. This year we have a new woodchuck in the yard. The the thing is limping around the yard and I could almost feel sorry for it. If I make a loud noise and scare it, it will take off like an Olympic runner with no sign of a limp.

If any talks to Debi tell her that I'm thinking about her.

I have a ton of napkins to iron and a kitchen to clean.

[fhmmany2]

 

Pepe and Mary - we have four dollar stores in our area - one is Dollar Tree, which only has things that cost $1, others are Dollar General and Family Dollar, which I believe are national chains, and the one where I find all of the garden items is called Fred's Dollar Store, after the man who started the chain. Stores began in Memphis 35-40 years ago, and I do not know if any stores are located out of the south. But they really have nice things at good prices. The bench, which is a really heavy one, cost $59.

Mary - glad to hear that your back is better. It has been a rough Spring here - lots of storms, and the garden has been flooded many times - but the plants seem to be fighting through it all. The peppers and the tomatoes especially seem to be trying to live. I love daffodils - they are here so early - they have been gone for weeks - but I enjoyed cutting them and bringing them into the house while they were here.

[fhmmany2]

 

I am thinking about Debi, and even though she has a Memorial thread, I wanted to post here, too. I have missed her posts, and have hoped that she was occasionally able to enjoy the photos posted here. I love seeing all of your beautiful flowers, gardens, and yards, and hearing about things you have to overcome (snow and deer!). Debi's last post here is on page 92, when she posted a photo of her newest granddaughter. You are with God now, Debi - and I know there are beautiful gardens in Heaven. You are loved, and will  always be missed.

[Prissy]

Debi was an important part of this thread.  She posted many beautiful photos and she included her beloved granddaughter, Aisalynn in many of the pictures.  Debi had a talent for closeup photos of flowers, birds and insects, too.

I remember several pages into the Garden Thread, she asked me to explain how I posted thumbnail pictures.  I explained the best I could, and she understood.  It was funny because Thea and Dudley also posted that I had taught them to post thumbnail pictures, too. 

Once we had a discussion going on how to make Santas out of okra.  Debi made one and posted a picture of it.  And it looked great!

Here ya go Frankie...this was my first attempt!!!!!

I did not get to meet Debi in person, but I felt like I knew her well and her loving spirit through her many posts here and in the baby thread, BOUNCING BUNDLES OF JOY.

As Frankie said, Debi, You are with God and in a beautiful garden in heaven.  You are loved and will always be missed.

[Prissy]

Here are Debi's last two posts from p. 92.

Dudley  beautiful pictures of your yard, flowers and the statue....here in michigan there are definetly no more flowers...but we do have some snow!!!! Our yards look more like this!!!


actually this is in northern michigan...I went to visit my family last weekend...and boy did we get some snow!!!

Frankie...I will definetly let you all know when the new little one is here...nothing yet!!!!!

frankie...here she is
Alina Jean Pileri

[aikenismyidol]

Thought maybe I would start posting here if ya'll don't mind.

My favorite... Juncus Twisted Arrows

[Mary]

Those are spectacular pictures. I'm happy to you posting.

Prissy, all the pictures that you posted of Debi's brought back fond memories. Thanks.

[Prissy]

Thanks, Mary, and it's always great to see you here on the Garden Thread.

Monica,
Your flowers are beautiful.  We are looking forward to your posting here!!  This will be a tribute to Debi, too.

[Pepe]

MONICA, what beautiful photos!!!  Wish you would have posted so much sooner.  Please make sure you come back again!!!!

[aikenismyidol]

Here is another lily Jeff just planted.





I also helped Jeff with making his mother a nice spot by their deck.



As most of you know I live on the river, I wanted to share these as well. The geese just had their babies. They are just too adorable.