Tuesday, April 11, 2023
SPRING IS IN THE AIR
The spring flowers and blossoms have well and truly passed in my neck of the woods, but as a big lover of spring I am enjoying looking at all of the spring photos of those of you who are just now welcoming it in.
I know this has been a hard winter for many of you, so I feel sure you are happy to see spring waking up.
Spring on Instagram
What could be more beautiful than a massive bouquet of springtime multi-colored tulips by tinathelen.
My favorite spring flower is the tulip. Of course ours appeared in late January, so they are a late winter flower for us.
While you enjoy bringing spring inside you home don't forget that it is popping out all over.
My Life These Days
Did you do that?
When I was at my daughter's my grandchildren's ten year old cousin on their dad's side of the family looked down and plucked out a four leaf clover.
Apparently, like my older sister he has a knack for finding them.
It used to drive me crazy when my sister did that.
I think the last time I found a four leaf clover was when I was ten.
I left my phone in my pocket yesterday. It was my first Easter without Katy and like all of the other firsts in the last five months it was difficult.
I have become more disciplined about working out on the stationary bike this last week and I am trying to do two miles a day.
Listening to some of my favorite music makes the time go by more quickly.
Now, if I can just kick my chocolate addiction.
Hope everyone had a nice Easter weekend and that your spring is in the air.
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Have a great day and I would love for you to check out my Etsy shop where I sell vintage and antique finds along with digital downloads of beautiful antique artwork.
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Tuesday, March 28, 2023
THE JOYS OF SPRING AND FEATURED SPACES
Spring is such a wonderful time of the year.
Everything feels so fresh and new.
I wonder if we somehow forget the joys of each new awakening from year to year.
Our weather here in Georgia has been pretty amazing this past week.
Temperatures in the 70s and 80s have sent me outside as much as possible.
This past Thursday I spent the afternoon at Cary's. I helped her plant some lettuce and then forced Tessa to sit out on the porch with me.
Not sure what happened to that girl who used to love the outdoors so much, but she has gone the way of so many kids and has her nose buried in her computer.
Featured Spaces
The roads and fields may be muddy, but a single flowering tree lets us know that spring is here.
Can you ever have too many potted daffodils in the spring?
I would say that roman_and_ivy have just the right amount.
Old French buildings and spring gardens make an ideal combination and thanks to charleygreyantiques we can imagine ourselves there.
What I'm Up To
Have a great day and I would love for you to check out my Etsy shop where I sell vintage and antique finds along with digital downloads of beautiful antique artwork. There is currently a 15% off sale going on.
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Friday, March 3, 2023
AN AFTERNOON AT THE GARDENS
The weather has been so amazing here that I just want to wrap my arms around it and give it a great big hug.
The Atlanta Botanical Gardens are beautiful no matter what time of the year.
The girls are so sweet. They love each other so much.
We were lucky to experience Thomas Dambo's exhibition of enormous folklore-inspired troll sculptures built from reclaimed materials.
Dambo is considered the world's leading recycle artist.
The trolls are making their world premiere at the Garden.
I am so fascinated by all of the different orchids.
I wish I could grow them, but unfortunately, I didn't inherit my mother's talent who was a definite orchid whisperer.
I will definitely want to go back and see the exhibition again and of course, the Gardens are constantly changing so it is fun to go in every season.
Tuesday, August 10, 2021
HOUSEPLANTS: HOW TO FIGHT FUNGUS GNATS
There is nothing quite like being snug in your bed late at night and being woken up by something flying up your nose.
After your initial shriek, when you are actually awake, and you realize it is a fungus gnat you shriek again because this isn't your first rodeo when it comes to those nasty little varmints.
If you grow houseplants chances are you have had fungus gnats at least once and probably more than once, like me, if you have been growing them for a while.
What Are Fungus Gnats?
Fungus gnats are small flies that infest soil, potting mix, other container media, and other sources of organic decomposition. Their larvae primarily feed on fungi and organic matter in the soil, but also chew roots and can be a problem in greenhouses, nurseries, potted plants, and interior plantscapes.
How They Damage Plants
The adult gnats that you see flying around your house do not damage your plants and they do not bite people, although when they land on me they irritate my skin.
What you have to be concerned about are the larvae, which can cause significant root damage and even plant death. It takes 3 to 4 weeks for an adult gnat to form from the larvae. So, when you see those nasty gnats flying around you know that larvae are already down in your pots eating away at the roots.
What Causes Fungus Gnats
Fungus gnats thrive in moist conditions, so the best way to avoid them is to not overwater and to make sure that pots have good drainage. However, as much as I monitor my watering by checking the soil surface to make sure it is dry, I still occasionally get fungus gnats.
Also, make sure you are buying your potting soil from a reputable company as you can bring in a host of problems with new bags that you bring into your home.
How I Get Rid Of Fungus Gnats
First of all, I never use chemicals in my home, and chemicals are rarely needed to control them in noncommercial settings.
I use the same method each time I get them and it has always worked for me. I cover the soil of each houseplant pot in my house with clean sand, making sure that it covers the entire surface. The sand stops the gnats from leaving or entering the soil and disrupts their cycle. You can also use gnat nematodes
I then use sticky traps to catch the adults because I can't stand those little menaces.
Shop Products:
Gnat Traps Sticky Stakes Desert Sand Soil Cover
Gnat Nematodes Potting Mix Organic Potting Soil
When I look around my apartment at all of the little yellow sticky traps I feel like I have somehow failed as a houseplant mama, but I know that I am giving the best care to help them heal.
Read more about houseplants:
Wednesday, April 21, 2021
A LOVELY MORNING AND GARDENING WITH NATIVE PLANTS
Saturday was a beautiful spring morning that I had been looking forward to because I was spending it with my daughter, Cary.
I was really concerned the night before that it wasn't going to happen because my back was flared up, but when I woke up Saturday morning my back had given me a reprieve.
Cary had scheduled us an appointment for a native plant sale at Georgia Perimeter College. She is transforming the front and back yards of her historic Atlanta home with native plants.
I have been reading up on some on the benefits of gardening with native plants and found this from the U.S. Forest Service.
"Native plants are adapted to the local climate and soil conditions where they naturally occur. These important plant species provide nectar, pollen, and seeds that serve as food for native butterflies, insects, birds and other animals. Unlike natives, common horticultural plants do not provide energetic rewards for their visitors and often require insect pest control to survive."
You can read more about the benefits of native plants at their website here.
I was amazed at all of the varieties of plants and of the knowledge that Cary now has. There were "new to her varieties" and I enjoyed learning about them along with her.
After making our purchases and stowing them in the car we headed over to the adjacent garden and wooded area to walk around and enjoy their practice of gardening with native plants.
It was a lovely morning with my daughter and I told her on the way home that I think the last time just the two of us did something together was when she was four.
She pointed that that she had changed a bit since then, but in my mind, my beautiful daughter, who is the mother of my three grandchildren, is still my sweet child.
Wednesday, April 14, 2021
A MORE NORMAL LIFE AND BARKING DOGS
Life hasn't returned to what was normal before the pandemic started, but it has become more normal.
I have been fully vaccinated for two months, and my oldest daughter, my son-in-law, and my grandson have all received their second dose. It means that I can visit them without wearing masks, and I can give them all hugs. That sure does make a difference.
Tuesday, March 23, 2021
HOUSEPLANT CONTAINERS AND A GARDEN JOURNAL
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I don't currently have any pets. I really do miss having a little dog and I am allergic to cats, so I have houseplants instead.
The nice thing about houseplants is they clean the air, they are pretty to look at, and they don't talk back. I do however talk to them and they seem to be happy with that.
I have started a journal to keep track of my indoor plants so that I can see what works for them. I am thinking about using my artistic abilities (of which I have none) to draw pictures of them.
I am also going to use it to journal my small outdoor garden this year. I know there are apps on my phone to do this, but I guess I am old fashioned and like to pick up a book to see what is going on with my plants.
I have a very eclectic mix of pots and baskets that I have collected over the years to show off my pretty and sometimes not so pretty plants. Let's be honest here, not every plant thrives.
Although most of my containers have been thrifted or purchased at auction I recently added some new pots to my collection.
Don't you love baskets of plants hanging in front of my windows? My apartments don't allow things to be hung from the ceiling, but a pretty swivel plant hanger on the wall
works perfectly with a double sea grass hanging basket.
Maximalism in a small space means using the things you love, and an eclectic assortment of containers sure adds to a homey feel.
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Saturday, March 13, 2021
BROWSING THE GARDEN CENTER
The weather has been beautiful here in Atlanta this week, so I have resumed my almost daily walking.
I wasn't able to do my normal walking route because they were filming a movie or TV show in my neighborhood and they were parked across the street from me.
Seeing so many wonderful things for the garden makes me wish I had a small yard. Since I don't, I just added to my indoor garden with a couple of new houseplants, and I will just have to be envious of those that have a space for these unique and fun things.
Thursday, February 18, 2021
LIFE WITH HOUSEPLANTS
There is no doubt that I love my houseplants Some people have dogs, some have cats, I have houseplants.
Don't get me wrong. I love pets, but I live in a small third floor apartment and don't feel it is practical right now. I would love to have a small dog, but don't feel that I can afford one and well I am terribly allergic to cats.
So, I lavish my attention on my houseplants. I have found that no matter how much you neglect some houseplants they will continue to thrive, while for other houseplants, no matter how much love you give them they will wither and die.
I guess that is the way it is with most things in life. People are like that. Some love to be nurtured and some just want to be left alone.
Winter is a hard season for houseplants, and as I sit here today I can almost hear them whispering to each other that surely it is almost spring and that they are wishing for a new growing season to begin. I know how they feel, although I certainly don't need to grow.
I learn new things about houseplants and their needs all of the time, but I find that some things I forget almost as soon as I learn them, so I am going to get another notebook. I want to learn all of their names and what I have found out about their care. Maybe I will even try to draw pictures of them, although my drawing skills might not actually help me when I try to differentiate between them.
I think I will also use the notebook to keep track of my little garden this summer.
Finally hung my plant hanger this week. Ignore the messy bits in the photo.
Yes, there are apps to do all of this, but I'm a bit old-fashioned I guess, and like to leaf through a notebook.
One of my favorite things about my life with houseplants is that I can talk to them and they never talk back.
Saturday, November 14, 2020
THE THANKSGIVING POLICE
This week I ran up against the Thanksgiving police aka Tessa.
When I mentioned last weekend that I was going to decorate for Christmas this week I got the evil eye. Tessa doesn't believe in decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving. Apparently it is disrespectful of Thanksgiving.
Soon I found myself defending my decision, but then I thought why am I arguing with an eight year old about my apartment. Although Tessa definitely wields some major power I won out. (Probably because I was alone in my apartment)
Wednesday I pulled out all of my Christmas decorations and went to work. How is it that I still have so many.
I got my tree up and decorated and sat down on my chair to admire it. That's when it happened, the fully decorated tree fell over. I sat staring at it in stunned silence and the first thing that I thought of was that maybe Tessa, aka the Thanksgiving police, was right. Thanksgiving was letting me know that I shouldn't be skipping over it.
After realizing how silly that was I got up, and after tying that tree to the table, I started over. Needless to say I was exhausted, but a nice cup of Christmas Thanksgiving eggnog, while sitting in my chair and admiring my handiwork, made me feel much better.
I'm not going to share the tree yet. After all I don't want the Thanksgiving police to show up at my door with a warrant for my arrest.
Friday, June 5, 2020
MY SUMMER GARDEN SPOT
Despite having the worst space for sun my little garden is doing its best to grow.
The wildflowers have popped up and are starting to reach to the sky. I'm hoping that by next month they will start to produce blooms that I can cut for bouquets for my apartment.
I'm noticing different things with the veggie plants.
Although both of the pepper plants have a small pepper already I have noticed that they are slow growing and the leaves are a bit yellow. They may be suffering from too much water, but unfortunately I can't control Mother Nature.
The one tomato plant is very healthy and is growing rapidly while producing flowers. Hopefully I can harvest a few tomatoes off of it this year before the squirrels get them.
I'm a bit concerned about the cucumber plant. It is behind the tomato plant and I am worried that it is being shaded, which is keeping it from growing.
I'm finding that the eggplant and summer squash that I bought most recently are doing better than the ones I bought first.
These are all photos I took earlier this week right after I weeded. Things have grown since then, including the weeds, so I will be out weeding this morning before it gets too hot and in between the rain showers.
My little garden may not be big, but it is helping to take my mind off of everything that is going on right now. Sorry for only one post this week, but like a lot of people I am a bit stressed right now and so I am taking mental health breaks as I need them.
I will be going over to visit the family this weekend. Tessa was gone when I was there last Saturday, so even though I missed seeing her it gave me a little more time with the other grandkids.
Stay safe, my friends.
P.S. Trixie has been confined to quarters after an enemy attack by two giant owls this week. Fortunately Trixie fought them off and there were no casualties, although Tessa appears to be MIA. I'll be searching around the backyard for that girl on Saturday.
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