The Cavalry Has Arrived!

  Last  night while I lay sleeping...

The Cavalry arrived! 

"There is an expression in America that inspires excitement and raises hope. When a situation seems hopeless and the cry is heard, the downtrodden senses his rescue on the horizon. 'The Cavalry is coming!' The victim feels he can survive long enough for the men of blue riding on horses to arrive."

This Grandmothers Garden has been rescued!

 Thank you Stuart ♥

Several weeks ago I switched my feed to Feedburner.

For whatever reason, 

that seems to be the moment when everything went crazy.

 (Please note that Feedburner is not evil, indeed, Feedburner is innocent of any wrong doing.)

Soon after I made this change I began to observe: 

•  My posts weren't visible on Blotanical...

• FAV's were disappearing...

• Blotanists were kindly asking how to pick my posts...

• Many were offering kind condolences (as Stuart The Commander in Chief of all who can fix problems would be traveling forever and couldn't be reached.)

I was beginning to feel a bit forlorn.

Without new posts showing up on the Blotanical lists, 

it can be a challenge for Blotanists

to find your latest posts to read and select from as they choose. 

 

Picks and comments, FAV's and FAN's  

are the sweet nectar 

that invites a blogger to keep posting. 

 ♦  ♦  ♦

I began to feel like a ghost in a garden of blogs. 

I could see each of you, 

but very few could find me. 

So as any good gardener would do, 

I decided to cultivate the garden. 

Instead of lamenting my misfortune 

of readers not able to find me, 

I chose to go on a 

Blogging Frenzy 

and visit as many of you as I could until the day, 

somewhere on the distant horizon,

when my blog would be rescued.

Ohhhh... and I've had so much fun!

Blotanical is a wonderful directory 

of Gardening Blogs 

from all across this beautiful earth. 

There is much to learn and discover 

and glean inspiration from 

as we take the time 

to read each other's blogs.

♥    ♥    ♥

During the past weeks I've delighted in discovering...

Wings of Glass at AnneTannes Kruidenklets
Can you even imagine how beautiful a butterfly would be with wings of glass?

Caterpillars from Southern Meadows 

A natural predator for Tomato Hornworm Caterpillar? The picture will amaze you!

BIG Tomato at Mastering Horticulture

Do you know where more tomatoes are produced than anywhere else in the world? 

Under Siege at A Tiny Homestead

Do you have any idea how fast and furious an army of Squash bugs can be?

Heavenly Paradise from Művelt Kert (Cultivated Garden)

Fresh tomatoes in any language are all divine!

Royal Beginning at Flower Hill Farm

The first in a series of posts that are indeed the best I have ever encountered.

Pullet Eggs from Curbstone Valley Farm

Do you even know what a Pullet is? I didn't.

I wish I could list all of the amazing posts I have read 

to share with you.

But then I don't have to... 

they are all right there at Blotanical

for you to read and enjoy!

♥   ♥   ♥

Many many thanks to Stuart

for sending in the troops!

And to those of you 

who discovered alternative ways to find me... 

you are the best!

I'm feeling much better now.

You will too, 
as you 
slow down and read 
all the wonders 
Blotanical has to offer.

Rosa Caramba!

ROSA CARAMBA!

Another favorite in my garden!

A low growing shrub rose 

2 ft tall and 3 ft wide.

 Produces an abundance of orange-red flowers 

with a yellow eye 

from April to frost!

Hardy in Zones 5-9

Disease and pest resistant.

A rose anyone can grow! 

 

Cut back to healthy wood in early Spring 

just before new growth emerges.

Prune lightly throughout the season 

to encourage heavier repeat blooming. 

  Plant anywhere in the landscape 

that receives full sun to afternoon shade. 

Rosa *Carumba!

(*Surprise Rose)

Definitely a favorite in 

This Grandmother's Garden!

A Little DIRT Talk

 SOIL

you gotta have it to grow a garden.

In fact, it's the most important element.

Confusion comes when we don't know what type of soil 

we have to garden in.

Is it SAND?

Is it CLAY?

Or is it a combination of many soil types.

Your State Extension Service may offer  

Soil Maps 

to give you an indication of what type your soil may be.

They may also offer Soil Testing of your garden's soil.

These resources will help you to make more informed choices of how to amend your soil...

so that you may truly bloom where you are planted.

♦  ♦  ♦

My gardens are planted on an ancient river bed. 

There were literally tons of round smooth river rock 

covering my property 

scattered on a hard clay base 

that, when dry as a bone, was so fine, 

that dust whirlwinds would often dance among the stones.

Patches of morning glory (bindweed) 

found this to be quite fertile ground. 

I was depressed at the "site" to say the least.  

Then early one morning I awoke 

to discover a bloom amongst the gloom.

A single wild sunflower 

blooming among the rocks and dirt.

Hope was born...

And hard work commenced.

The rocks were moved into two huge piles 

on each side of our property, 

then covered with soil to make our berms. 

 Our gardens began to take shape.

And this is what we look like seven years later...

Where rocks and poor soil once prevailed

beauty is now displayed.

You can bloom where you are planted. 

You've just got to know your soil.

You may also enjoy viewing:

 A Beautiful Garden Begins With A Master Plan

You Can't Build the Dream if You Can't See the Dream

Steps to Follow

Soil Preparation Tips

Another Miracle Monday

I woke up to an amazingly beautiful morning...

The birds are singing

the trees still have their leaves

and the flowers still have their blossoms attached.

Always a miracle to see the calm of the morning 

after watching the winds whip through the gardens yesterday.

Just a few tumbleweeds to gather...

and a few broken branches.

Not so blessed a few miles north...
toppled trees and damaged property.

You may wish to visit

 Leaping Greenly

to view another beautiful  
Miracle Post
I came upon.

I'm As Giddy As Can Be!

Last Spring I posted:  

   I Have a New Love in My Garden

Today I'm here to tell ya...

It's TRUE love! 

Limelight Hardy Hydrangea 

and I'm as giddy as can be!

It's lovin' my garden...

Now I've got to go find me another one.

He Loves Me ♥ ♥ ♥ He Loves Me Not

Who hasn't, on a warm Summer's day,

thrilled in sitting on the garden's lush green grass

slowly plucking the petals of a single daisy 

one by one

while reciting the words...

He loves me, He loves me not...

in hopes of magically discovering your own true love?

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not  

is a game of French origin.

A young maiden would pluck a daisy's petals 
one by one and sing,
  
"He loves me, He loves me not"

for each petal plucked.

The phrase sung on the last petal picked 

predicted the future of their love.

What an enchanting whimsy!

A Daisy is a symbol of innocence and purity. 
It can also symbolize new beginnings.

The origin of the word Daisy 
is Anglo Saxon “daes eage” or “day’s eye”
which refers to the way daisies open at dawn.

 The name is said to originate 
from the tale of tree nymphs, or Dryads,

who presided over forests, meadows, and pastures. 

Legend tells us that the nymph Belides,  
caught the eye of Vertumnus, the God of the Orchards
as she danced with the other nymphs at the edge of the forest.
 . 

To escape from his unwanted attention, she transformed herself into the flower Bellis, 

which is the Daisy's botanical name. 

♥    ♥    ♥

Daisies are delightful in the garden and so easy to grow.

Most types are perennials, appearing each Spring and growing quickly into a spreading shrub that blossoms in late Spring or early Summer. 

After blooming, I cut my daisy plants down to the ground.

The plant will quickly begin to grow and leaf again 

sometimes blossoming twice if the season is long enough.

  After a few years, in the Spring or Fall, 
the plant will need to be dug up and the roots divided to to prevent these lovely blooms from taking over your garden.

♪ ♫ Hi Ho! Hi Ho! ♫ ♪

♫  ♪  Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to work I go... ♪ ♫

 

Their "work" is eating pests in the garden 

like aphids and scale insects...

and their appetite is voracious!

"Ladybugs lay hundreds of eggs in the colonies of aphids and other plant-eating pests. When they hatch, the Ladybug larvae immediately begin to feed. By the end of its three-to-six-week life, a ladybug may eat some 5,000 aphids."

Ladybug...  Ladybird...  Ladybeetle...

 we may call them different names 

but we all love this little creature.

There are Ladybug traditions 

originating all across the world.

Did you know that your wish will be granted if a Ladybug lands on you? 

 ♦ ♦ ♦

If you capture a Ladybug and make a wish, 

"blow it away" back home to make the wish come true.

♦ ♦ ♦

A Ladybug crawling across a girl's hand 

is thought to mean she will get married within the year.

♦ ♦ ♦

It has been said that if a Ladybug flies into your bedroom you will have Good Luck.

♦ ♦ ♦

Some say that the number of spots on a ladybug indicated how old it is. 

And of course we all know 

the Mother Goose nursery rhyme:

Ladybug, ladybug,
Fly away home,
Your house is on fire,
And your children are gone.

"A Ladybug's bright color and distinctive spots make them unappealing to predators. Ladybug's can secrete a fluid from joints in their legs which gives them a foul taste. Their coloring is likely a reminder to any animals that have tried to eat their kind before: "I taste awful." A threatened ladybug may both play dead and secrete the unappetizing substance to protect itself."

All in a days work. 

Ladybugs... ya gotta love 'em!

Miracle Monday: My Soul Wells Up With Hallelujahs

Hallelujahs

"A purple sky to close the day
I wade the surf where dolphins play
The taste of salt, the dance of waves
And my soul wells up with hallelujahs
A lightning flash, my pounding heart
A breaching whale, a shooting star
Give testimony that You are
And my soul wells up with hallelujahs

Oh praise Him all His mighty works
There is no language where you can't be heard
Your song goes out to all the Earth
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!
O cratered moon and sparrow's wings
O thunder's boom and Saturn's rings
Unveil our Savior as you sing
And my soul wells up with hallelujahs
 
The pulse of life within my wrist
A fallen snow, a rising mist
There is no higher praise then this
And my soul wells up
O my soul wells up
Yes my soul wells up with hallelujahs.

                            ~Kenneth Cope, Singer Songwriter

Listen to this song on itunes... 
it's from the Album Hear My Praise

♥ ♥ ♥

Don't Bug Me!

Bugs in my garden... 

that seems like a natural place for them to be.
 

And I'm ok with that...

                           until they begin eating my plants.

Slugs and Snails know they better watch out.  My grandkids keep them in check. 

Grasshoppers? They have a bounty on their heads... 25 cents for each hopper caught.

But there is one ugly bug that holds no welcome in my garden...

The Root Weevil

This little creature can cause more damage faster 
than any bug I know.

He hides at the base of each plant by day 
and unleashes his voracious appetite by night.

He methodically treads around each leaf 

removing large scallops as he goes

until each leaf looks as though 
they have been carefully edged with pinking shears.

Maybe he thinks he's beautifying his world.

I think he's causing havoc in my beautiful gardens.

Once he's made his little notches...

you'll be looking at them for the rest of the summer.

Root Weevils are a major pest in Utah.

They are seldom seen, but their damage is highly visible.  

They attack ornamental plants as well as food crops.

Organic controls are limited but effective under the right conditions. Parasitic nematodes are available from some nurseries and from mail-order sources. Keep in mind that natural controls are going to suppress the pest populations but do not eradicate them. That is because the predators would die out themselves if they were to kill all the weevils, so expect some notching to occur with this method.

The beetles can also be trapped if they are only bothering a few plants. Bury straight-sided glass or slick plastic tumblers around the plants so the top edge is even with the soil surface. Pour a half-inch of cooking oil in the bottom of the glass. As the beetles fall into the containers they will be trapped and destroyed. The traps need to be cleaned and the oil replaced regularly.

These pests are aggravating and destructive. Learn to tolerate some damage because total control is almost impossible. Concentrate controls on valuable plants that are the least likely to tolerate the damage."   ~Larry Sagers, Horticulturist With The Utah State University Extension Service

Miracle Monday

What is it that signals a plant

that it's time to begin the journey...

to bloom?

 It must surely be a miracle
that each tiny element knows exactly what to do

 and is in exactly the right place 

at just the right moment

to progress toward what it is destined to become.

Step by step, 

minute by minute 

growing to fulfill the measure of their creation.

Patiently becoming a beautiful blossom!

A perfect creation.

Lovely to behold.

Bringing joy to all who gaze upon it's beauty.

Miracles...
happening every day 

over and over again

in gardens all across this amazing earth.

Take the time today to pause and reflect...

  notice the beauty of the miracles around you.

It will jump start your week!

♥ ♥ ♥

What miracles do you see in your gardens?