Now that you’ve massacred your pumpkins, here’s info on how to roast pumpkin seeds (and squash,too!):
Like something out of a scary movie: House eating snails! Oh, the horror!
Compliments of an Orb Spider.
Of course, I had to decorate with rubber chickens this year.
SAVE THE SNOWFLAKES!!!! 
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!
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Always a nice surprise to find out in the garden! This night blooming cereus puts on a good show for about a month each year.
From a distance…..
and spectacular up close…..
This plant and its flower hold a special place in my heart. A few year’s ago, I lost three friends in one year from breast cancer, all under the age of 50. The morning after I attended the third memorial that year, I woke up early, weighed down by the loss of three strong and vibrant women. I went out in the garden at dawn and found this plant blooming for the first time. It was poignant for me to find this delicate, beautiful flower the day after I said good-bye to yet another friend. Now, when this cereus blooms, I am reminded of my friends and the legacies they left behind. Such loss, but the passage of time finds their families moving on with their lives and this beautiful flower is a peaceful tribute.
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Of all the search words people use to find my blog, the Chinese Flame Tree is the top search string, by a landslide. Why? I have no idea. I mean, it’s a pretty tree, but what is it about this tree that makes it such a hot ticket?
The Chinese Flame Tree is native to eastern Asia. They are good for patios or as street trees. The trees can reach from 40 to 60 feet tall, but the average height is about 30 feet, growing about as wide. The roots go deep and they aren’t invasive. They are pretty easy-going regarding soil type, but they do like good drainage. They like full sun, and need regular, deep watering until they get established.
During a year’s time, the tree goes through quite a few phases of change. Chinese Flame Trees are deciduous, so the leaves come out on the tree during the spring. By summer the first flowers are emerging. They are small, yellow and very fragrant.
Pretty and delicate.
As the yellow flowers die back, they are replaced with delicate paper-like pink flowers that look like little paper lanterns.
So pretty.
When the pink flowers fill out on the tree, they hang above the leaf canopy, so it is pretty spectacular.
The canopy is pretty dense, and my brother, who has trimmed lots of trees, says the Chinese Elm Tree is one of his least favorites because the clean-up is a nightmare. Apparently the fluttering paper flowers and little leaves blowing around are really difficult to pick up. I guess that could be a downside, but that’s why we pay tree trimmers to do the dirty work, right? Otherwise, the tree is interesting and beautiful now that I’ve paid more attention. Isn’t that always the way?!!!
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And you thought Monday’s are hard!!! An Ode to Farmers by Paul Harvey.
EEEWWWWW! The danger of daring to eat the garden-variety slug. Not going to be a problem for me.
Nifty 50: This is a great time of year to plant these plants.
Pruning Clematis: I haven’t grown clematis but I’m seeing it in more gardens I tour all the time!
A new magazine: LEAF
Growing orchids in winter: Some helpful info on keeping your orchids on the right track.
Check out this video of an owl landing in slow motion. Wow!
This lovely video will get your Bloomin’ Monday off to a nice start!
Have a great week!
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I didn't really want to plant anything in that pot.....
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When I shop at Trader Joe’s, I’ll typically buy an orchid if there is something that really catches my eye. Their prices are soooo good and I’m getting better at taking care of these interesting plants. Here’s a beauty I bought a few weeks ago.
I wanted to use this urn that I bought at an estate sale and the orchid pot fit into it nicely, but the whole arrangement definitely needed help. The plastic pot needs to be hidden. What to do, what to do…..
I like to turn lemons into lemonade and remembered a wad of twine that was unravelled from its neat ball by Bart, the cat. He was named after Bart Simpson and is living up to his potential. Anyway, I grabbed this mess of string and artfully arranged it around the top of the plastic container inside the urn.
Voila! Much improved! I like the way the string is a bit wild combined with the old look of the urn and the sophistication of the orchid.
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