Stay a while...

Welcome back!!! Thanks for stopping by; I hope you have time for a little visit - I have lots to say :-)

If you're wondering what the blue bottle is; it's 1,000 pieces of used Ivory Soap & water. I use this to keep whatever bugs they are that love munching on my hostas & sweet potato plants. I found this idea sometime last year @ thrifty.com when looking for a cheap solution. All you need is a gentle soap (we use Ivory, so...), spray bottle from $1 store & wa-lah! This is 2nd year i've used it & it does stop the eating.

After a rain, you may have to reapply, but it doesn't hurt the plants whatsoever. Remember to do the underside of the leaves as well. Oh - & don't apply in direct sunlight or it will turn your plants filmy. Oh - & don't panic when it rains & the soap turns white. It's all good.

Stepping stone leading garden (sorry it's crooked)


See the little heart-shaped leaves? Well, those are purple, lilac & white morning glories getting started on their summer season. They come back year after year. Anything within reach, they will reach out & grab. This is perfect because it's leading up the trellis (below)

The tomatoes have gotten so heavy & bushy that it was time to stake 'em. I should've used those 90-foot tall stakes in the beginning, but... I didn't. This little stakes won't last long - in the past, the plants outgrew this height in weeks. I really dont care for the wire tomato cages. I've found that when your plants get taller than the cage, the plants bend & break :-(

This is "said" trellis. As you can see, my neighbors window overlooks my patio, so D built this for me about 5 years go. When the morning glories fill in, you can't see the window at all! Just what I was going for. It gives us and them privacy. Much. Needed. Privacy :-\

Follow me to the garden :-)


These shepherd hooks are SO adorable. Again $1.00 @ the DollarStore. I love all dollar stores. Cute/pretty doesn't have to be expensive.

The cukes are getting tall & spreading out. The rosemary gets bushier each time I snip some off for cooking. The gift that keeps on giving :-)

See how big & hearty the cabbages are? They're slowly forming into round-shape. Mind you, this is my first time EVER growing cabbage, so we'll all be surprised at how they do. Everything is trial and error - that way, I'll know better for next year.

This is the backside of my garden plaque my sis-n-law, April, made for me some years ago when i had enuff sun for gardening. April is crafty like none other. She can take anything & make it beautiful. Just one thing I love about her.






This is just a taste of the shade I have in the backyard that put my gardening on hiatus for years. After all the trees grew so tall & stole my sun, i tried growing in pots which failed cause not enuff sun time. There's the willow, birch, apple & maple trees. Keeps the yard & house cool, great for my shade garden (hostas), but no good for growing veggies. The empty lot behind me was/is a blessing.

I have another batch of super gross & yucky compost to put in the garden. Yay!!! It's easy to make quick little batches since my spot isn't that big. I think I fill up my plastic coffee canister about every 2 weeks. I think the worms really appreciate it :-)

The tiny purple flowers are Lamb's Ear that i moved from the side of the house to the outside of the garden. If you're familiar w/this, you know it never dies, it spreads & takes over everything. It blooms until summer's end & comes back year after year. If you have a blank spot that needs color, this is it. I did the same w/the Moonplant that grows crazy. Any that pops up in front is moved to outside the garden. I want everything to grow crazy wild back there! :-)

Did you notice the tiny white bloom on the pic below? That mean sweet, yellow peppers are on their way!! Yay-ness!

The watermelons are busting out! The stems are very fuzzy now. If only the sparrows would stop eating the leaves!!! What IS that? I love my outdoor, winged babies, but not when they follow behind me & pick what I've planed. If the zucchini makes it ~ it'll be a miracle. It still has it's poor, yet hearty, single leaf...

See 1 of 3 of my little garden gnomes I have to watch over everything? :-) I used to have four, but my son + a full garage = "oops, sorry mom." Sigh....

Well, thanks for stopping by, everyone. Hope I didn't keep ya too long. Please stop back again soon to see how everything's doing!