Ladybug factory...

Today I made an amazing discovery! While in the process of relocating my ornamental grasses I found this little guy. He may look "like an alligator" according to the Rapplings but he turns into one of our favorite beneficial garden buddies. Paige holding her "little larva buddy."

Eggs are flat and yellow... they are EVERYWHERE. Paige wanted to eat some eggs. "No sweetie, those aren't like the chicken eggs that we eat." That child will put anything in her mouth. Mr. Matt, a horticulturalist at TBG, discovered her trying to eat Milkweed today....yep, a little poisonous. We have to watch her every second.

One more Larva...
This is the Pupa stage of the Lady Beetle. They are stuck to the blades of grass. Kind of like a chrysalis.
Here is the process come full circle. I was just so excited to have these visitors. I remember my dad buying ladybugs by mail order when I was little. I feel like I just had Christmas. It doesn't take a lot to make my day, just thought I'd share.

Green Wizard...

What is a Green Wizard? Well it's a coneflower, Rudbeckia fulgida 'Green Wizard'. My favorite description reads, "This unusual black-eyed Susan is the black eye without the Susan!" I try to buy one packet of quirky seeds each year. I started six from seed. Two plants made it thru winter. We didn't have blooms last year but we do this year. The pollen will come off of the bloom soon and then I will enjoy this black cone for the rest of the summer. Here's a link to one of the many purveyors of seed packets...

My sweet miniature rose bush is blooming again. This bloom is just shy of an inch across so the photo is actually bigger than the bloom.

Happy bicolor rose... pretty no?
So hope you enjoyed visiting my garden today.

Working in the garden...

I actually got shots of the girls working at "The Botanicals"....most of the time they only play but "Mr. Matt's spray that smelled like dinner" was to good for Sydney to resist. Once Syd started helping then Paige had to help too. Kate well she's just gathering bugs. She's knows beneficial insects and isn't allowed to capture them. Bugs.....good for hours and hours of fun.

Mr. Preying Mantis is only an 3/4 to 1 inch long! The big stalks are actually chives. Checkout his hiding technique between the two chives.Pretty little purple hot peppers on a compact plant...not sure on the variety(I'll double check tomorrow!) Peppers are about an inch long and each little plant produces a bunch. Okay I just can't stop myself from thinking this. Peter piper picked a peck of purple peppers. Glad I got that out my head sorry to put it in yours.

Through the Garden Gate...

Oh how I love my garden gate. Discovered in the rubbish in our former chicken coop/toy stashing area. Erected by my John and Jim Allen former resident on this property. This gate was used by Jim's father who had a garden on this spot back in the day. Love the family history involved in this gate. Jim found out that I wanted to use the gate someday and went and bought some posts. Viola! John even bought a nifty latch (not pictured) and attached some plastic mesh at the bottom to keep out all of the angels of destruction, a.k.a bunnies and cute little baby bunnies. The gate looks like it stands alone because you can't see the chicken wire fencing surrounding the Garden. Gardens are magical places, gates the enticement to see what's on the other side. Here's a poem that I love about gardens.

Garden Gate

trampled pathway
kutzu vine binds access
chokes once thriving plants
tattered garden gate
guards broken dreams
hopeless probabilities
terra cotta memories

hears silent sounds
swings open

aspirations lost
now unfurl
abandoned visions
misplaced expectations
gathering possibilities
flourishing again

D.A. Hemingway

L is for Lettuce.

This was my lettuce at two weeks old. I've been waiting, watching and watering. This week I deemed it tall enough to eat. I love salads. I hear I make a great salads. I can think of all sorts of yummy goodies to put in salads. My favorites, none of which I have on hand right now, garbanzo beans and baby peas. The secret ingredient is always yummy cheese(don't worry that I do have on hand.) One of the many reasons I love salads is I met my future husband while working at a resturant as the "Salad Girl". I refilled lots of condiments, cut a lot of carrots, and tossed a lot of lettuce and mini bagels. Another favorite memory including beautiful lettuces is while growing up I would make the grown ups,(of course I thought I was one) a yummy salad Sunday nights after all the younger kids were in bed. So I guess my parents found a way to make lettuce a privelege. Hmmm, I wonder if I can pull that one on Kate? Yeah, probably not.
Don't you love my little gaurden frog?

I finally finished the package I needed to send for the apron swap I am in.

I decided to decorate the inside of my box, alas no tissue paper so I got busy with my creative lettering. My book for this months Scrapbook Book Club is all on how to create fun lettering. I like that I'm done with my apron swap EARLY and my bookclub homework EARLY. I've always had a tendency to work until the very last minute. All I can say is YEAH ME. Don't worry I'm sure this isn't going to become a habit.

"I just like to SMILE! Smiling's my favorite. ~Buddy "Elf"

This qoute was under the apron, cards, and recipe cards I sent.

It left us speechless.

Quite speechless I tell you and we have not stopped talking of it since. ~"Emma"

This qoute was the one you would open the box and see. It reminded me of well me and I hope the qoutes will make you giggle. ~Susan

Cute huh?

I used to like the little bunnies hopping through my yard. I've even thought how cute they are. I always make sure that my dog doesn't catch one when I let her out to the bathroom in the morning, which involves me scarring many of them away before she goes out.
I have decided that the honeymoon is officially over.

I discovered late this afternoon that the little monsters stripped four of my berry bushes bare. I am not a gardening moron. I know bunnies think that my garden is just scrumptious buffet that I plant just for them. Really, I took precautions. I put chicken wire around each bush!

Things I've learned today.

1. The holes in my wire were 1 1/4 inches.....not the required 3/4 inch that a bunny can't squeeze through .

2. My bunny actually decided to tip over the cages all of my cages. With one exception, the milk carton that I cut the top and bottom off of.

So while accessing the damage. I went to the roots to see if there was any new growth at all. Hence the saying getting to "the root of the problem."

That is when I discovered lesson number 3. The rassafrassin bunnies actually ate an entire raspberry bush roots and all. Not a piece of the plant left for me to mourn over. Just a sad, lonely, empty hole.

3. Bunnies can dig and think roots are yummy too.

After much fuming over dinner and emergency consultation on the internet. I decided to reinforce my wire fencing with plastic mesh fencing with smaller holes in it. I buried the bottom of the fencing and now I'm hoping that I have done enough.

Darn those rascally rabbits.

Spring?

Pinwheel mix

Cut and Come Again Mix

I love gardening. I haven't always had time to garden as much as I like but hopefully this year. I am currently planning my cutting garden. This time I will grow plants that I've had previous experience with. My favorite sucessful annuals(this mean they grow from seed every year) Cleome, Cosmos, Tall Snapdragons, and Zinnias. Here are a few pictures to fill your day with a little more spring. ~ Susan

Envy

Giant Violet Queen