TALKING ABOUT DROUGHT TOLERANT PLANTS

yESTERDAY JUDY AND I WENT TO RALEIGH AND GAVE A TALK AT THE LIBRARY ON DROUGHT TOLERANT PLANTS. I ALWAYS LOVE TO GO TO RALEIGH AND SPEAK AT THEIR LIBRARY OR WOMENS CLUB, THE PEOPLE ARE SO NICE AND THEY ALL LOVE GARDENING. THERE WAS A LITTLE GIRL THERE THAT IS STARTING HER OWN GARDEN- WITH MOM'S HELP. SHE LIKES TO BUY PLANTS THAT ARE ALMOST DEAD AND NURSE THEM BACK TO HEALTH. SHE SAID THAT SHE TALKS TO THEM AND TELLS THEM THAT SHE LOVES THEM. I SEE A GREAT GARDENER IN THE MAKING!

SO SORRY

I am so very sorry that our posts are so jumbled with small letters and capital letters- I have no idea why this is happening! It happens sometimes on my personal blog also.Bare with us and maybe we can get the "bugs" out.

EXTRA TOUCHES IN A GARDEN

We can all add little"designer" touches to our gardens. We might not be able to add an expensive fence or a huge brick walkway as in the top picture- which by the way is Rosalie in Natchez- but we could add a bench oR two and maybe a less expensive fence AND A SMALLER BRICK SIDEWALK. tHE DESIGN IN THE SIDEWALK IN THE BOTTOM PICTURE IS EASY TO DO WITH A LITTLE TIME AND PATIENCE. lOVE THE HEDGE UNDER THE CREPE MYRTLES. tHIS IS A SIDE GARDEN AT rOSALIE, BUT VERY MANAGABLE FOR EVEN A SMALL GARDEN

WHAT'S BLOOMING NOW

tHE RUDBECKIA AND PHLOX And black eyed susans are holding up well in this extreme heat. pEOPLE GET UPSET EVERY YEAR ABOUT LOSING PLANTS IN OUR AWFUL SUMMER HEAT AND DROUGHTS, BUT IF YOU PLAN AHEAD AND PLANT DROUGHT TOLERANT PLANTS YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE SOMETHING BLOOMING- WITHOUT ALL OF THE WATERING. OF COURSE BEING DROUGHT TOLERANT DOES NOT MEAN YOU NEVER HAVE TO WATER, JUST THAT YOU HAVE TO LESS OFTEN. IF YOU CAN MANAGE TO PLANT IN THE FALL YOUR PLANTS WILL GET ESTABLISHED WITH ALL OF THE WINTER RAINS AND YOU WILL HAVE TO WATER LESS THAN IF YOU PLANTED IT IN THE SPRING AND HAD TO HELP IT GET ESTABLISHED IN ITS FIRST HOT SUMMER.

AT HOME IN THE POND

This is one of the frogs that lives in my pond- I also have a big bullfrog and lots of tree frogs around. Boy do they get noisy at night! I am not sure what this one is, I couldn't get close enough, but it looks kind of like a leopard frog. The white spots on his lips look like teeth from a distance- maybe this is to scare away predators? He is just floating along on my glass block. I think this glass block in the pond kind of looks like an ice cube floating around- kind of makes you feel cooler anyway. It's great to have frogs to help keep away the mosquitoes- but a little help from mosquito dunks doesn't hurt either.

PETS IN THE GARDEN

do you share your gARDEN WITH PETS? tO LIVE HAPPILY WITH PETS IN YOUR GARDEN, YOU HAVE TO TEACH THEM LIKE CHILDREN TO STAY AWAY FROM CERTAIN THINGS- AND DO NOT LEAVE FERTILIZE OR POISONS OUT WHERE THEY CAN GET TO IT.iF A DOG GETS THIRSTY HE MIGHT DRINK OUT OF YOUR WATERING CAN- THAT HAS LIGUID FERTILIZE IN IT- BE CAREFUL. iF YOU ARE MAKING NEW BEDS, WATCH WHERE THE DOGS GO TO AGAIN AND AGAIN-THERE IS NO USE IN MAKING A FLOWER BED THAT THEY ARE GOING TO RUN THROUGH CONSTANTLY. mY pENNYmERLE AT THE LEFT HERE IS SO FASCINATED BY THE BEES THAT SWARM THE sT.jOHNS wORT-BUT THIS IS ONE TIME SHE REFUSES TO MIND-SHE WILL STAY HERE FOR HOURs- i HAVE TO PICK HER UP AND TAKE HER TO GO GET A DRINK OF WATER. i HOPE SHE NEVER CATCHES ONE! Bridget has been tracking something thru this bed lately and I am working on teaching her that is a no-no. OOPS, ther goes my two doorbells off to see who is coming to visit. You have to have patience if you want a pretty garden and dogs- or enough love to forgive them anything.

WATER GARDEN DISASTER

Do not let this happen to you! I had been really lax about cleaning my water garden, and the plants had busted out of their pots and the roots had grown together. What a mess! I think one of the pickeral rushes must have weighed over a hundred pounds- we worked for an hour trying to lift it up and out of the pond. I had to be careful, because I had underwater lights and pump fittings that the roots had grown around. I called everyone I knew that might want water lillies and other plants- I only kept a few. At least I took the time to fertilize the lillies while they were out of the pond. All of the frogs were most upset until I got the water back in. Now , I just have to clean everything up and re landscape around the pond where we trampled everything!