When You Wish Upon A Star...

I just got my etsy shop up and running last week and somebody included my owl watercolor with moon and stars in their etsy treasury. An etsy treasury is a list of favorite items that is curated by another etsy member. Sometimes it has a theme. This treasury was titled "When you wish upon a star." How sweet! My little owl buddy is on the bottom left. Isn't he bright and pretty?

You can check out the entire treasury by going to Christy's link here. Christy is the curator and has her own etsy shop of all kinds of lovely items. I particularly like her air plants!

Garden Colors

I picked some ripening tomatoes and bell peppers from my garden this week and I was in awe at the varying colors! I chopped them all up and made some lovely salsa...recipes to come.

So beautiful!

Go Away Birds!

Usually I am tickled to see lovely birds milling about my yard, but not recently. For the past couple of weeks, a huge swarm of birds takes flight each time I open my back door. Why? They are pillaging my lovely vegetable plants (mostly my heirloom tomatoes) and stealing fruit off of the vine as soon as they ripen. How sad to slowly tend and watch as a plant grows a lovely delicious food item only to have it stolen and pecked to death upon ripening.

So, I devised my plan (with advice from my friend Brady and a little internet research). Them birds aren't the smartest things and get spooked by shiny things. So, I got a large sheet of shiny mylar (silver on one side, gold on the other) and cut it into thin ribbons. Then I tied a couple of strips onto poles and put them in the ground all over the garden. The idea is that when the sun reflects the shiny mylar and it blows in the wind, it will scare off the birds. Wish me luck!

Cactus and Succulent Obsession

To an outsider, my recent love and procurement of many cactus and succulent plants might seem to border on obsession. However, I prefer to think of it as simply making up for lost time. I picked up a couple more succulents and cacti today and planted them in some pots and a small tin trough I picked up at the thrifty recently. They are scattered all across the steps leading up to my front door; making a welcoming entrance for any guest! :)

Today, I imagined what my dining room table would look like this winter; swarming with the succulent plants taking refuge from the cold. It made me smile. It made me smile real big!

Wilflowers from Georgia

I went this past weekend to visit my old college roomate, Rachelle. We were celebrating her recent marriage over BBQ and conversation out in rural Georgia. On the way back, I swiftly pulled the car over and pilfered some beautiful wildflowers from the side of the road. I got some orange lillies (my favorite) and Queen Anne's Lace, also very beautiful. They have been brightening up my home all week! :)

Garden Blogs!

I found this post that is a great collective of some of the best gardening blogs. Just wanted to share it!

Succulents!

Down the street from my house is a really charming local plant shop called "Libby's Plant Odyssey." I was passing by and noticed a sign that boasted "annual clearance sale." I quickly slammed on the breaks, and whipped into the parking lot. I got several great succulents (my favorite) and brought them home for potting.

P.S.-I got all of these for $13 (minus the flapjack which I picked up at the farmer's market this weekend).

Tips for Care and Maintenance of Succulents:

• Ensure proper drainage of your pot by placing pebbles in the bottom of you pot (too much water means rotting, dying plants...insert sad face here).
• Mix regular potting soil with equal (or close to equal) parts sand.
• Pack them in tight, they like to be snug. :)
• Top with small pebbles (not mulch, which could lead to rotting).
• During a hot summer, water every 5-7 days.
• Bring in during the winter and only water every 2-3 weeks.
• When in doubt, don't water...it's better to under water than over water with these guys

Pebble Painting

I found a rock. I took it. I painted it.

Succulent Living Picture

It isn't a secret how much I love succulent plants. Skimming through the internet looking for garden inspirations, I found the coolest way to present your little succulent buddies...a living picture frame! You can buy kits online (but they are pretty pricey). So, I think I am going to try and build some myself. I found a pretty decent tutorial at sunset.

After they have been been growing in the frame from 4-8 weeks you can actually hang or lean them vertically. How cool! Aren't the beautiful?

Prickly Stickly!

A couple of my lady friends, April and Lorey, invited me on an adventure to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens to enjoy the beautiful weather and sights on the afternoon of my birthday. My younger students (Kindergarten-2nd graders) have been working on chalk pastel cactus drawings for a couple of weeks, so I was inspired to take a few pictures of cactus plants and other plants in the succulent family to share with them. I decided to share them with you guys too!

I have also been taking my own personal inventory of which cactus plants and succulents are my favorites because I am in the process of leveling out some ground in my back yard to build a patio and I wanted to incorporate some into the design. (Check out the funky "coral aloe" plant below).

Eggplant and Okra

Eggplant and okra: a story of two friends

My okra and eggplant live right beside each other in my garden and are finally producing. I think next year I might have to be a little more diligent with the fertilizer so it will grow faster. The okra is still a little on the small side, but I have harvested a few full-size pieces. Also, I have an eggplant buddy that I think will be ready to pick in about a week (when it gets a little bigger and a little darker).

Did anybody know that okra has this beautiful bloom that flowers in the morning and closes up by afternoon? It has a gorgeous cream/yellow tinge with a deep maroonish-purple in the middle. Neat!