yardgranny6's Blog

Did I get a surprise this afternoon!  Went out to check the caterpiller that was roaming around and found a butterfly inside. Don't know where he came from but he was frantic to get out of there, I didn't even have time to see what it was!!!!  Black at any rate. Don't know where he decided to pupate as I have been watching them so closely. He had to have emerged inside the cage. No other way to get out of there. Life is a Beach every day in the world of gardening.

Took my 10 year old grandson out to see the cats and the one that is beginning to pupate.

WOW!! I hear rain!!!!!  HooRay for the water bill.

Got to finish packing, Load the car and get some rest, early to rise we will be in the morn.

More to Come Later

I will be missing all of you over the Labor Day weekend. My son and his wife are driving us to WV to visit my sister. They have not been to this part of that world and we hope to drive them around the old home place to see where we grew up and went to school. Also to eat at the diner that used to be our dad's old car dealership. Cool place. Looks like a Mayberry watering hole.  Check out my photo page for a look see. 

Received my 4 new blue Iris in the mail, plus the 2 Columbine plants. Also recieved one free iris, some shamrock and peacock iris bulbs as well. Put them all in pots for now. So exciting.

Have to add that there are 10 caterpillers in the butterfly cage now. One had started to wander which means it is looking for a place to make home until it becomes a full fledged Swallowtail Butterfly.

We actually got 1/2 of rain a couple of  days ago and it has been cloudy all day, still wet around in the garden. So nice for a change. Hopefully I will be able to get out and do some clean up chores in the morning. Even got the yard mowed this week. Some spots didn't need it and others were growing high. Guess the weeds just thrive on hot heat.

Planted a pack of mixed flower seeds some weeks back. Something came up and wouldn't you know it a plant I don't recognized. And you ask why don't I look at the seed pack? Of course I must have thrown it away while cleaning out my 'filled with every and anything' pockets and didn't notice. So now I am stuck until it grows big enough to bloom or I can find some else that does recognize this plant. They were seeds to be planted in the fall, so I suppose it will do alright.

Thank goodness for water hose timers. I will be able to keep the plants watered while I am gone. They won't need much but I do have some that will want a drink before I get back.    Have fun searching and blogging, and finding the Mystery plants. I will catch up with you in a few days. 

More to Come Later  

For those of you who may have wondered what happened to the young cat that spent a day in my yard. He wandered down the street after a man and his little boy. But somehow, he ended up visiting with a couple that lives four houses out. They named him Kenny after one of the Cosby shows neighborhood kids. He has filled out quite a bit and seems to be at home there. A happy ending for one little cat.

Started placing newspaper and cheap potting soil in the area designated for the Iris that is coming out of the main bed. It will be some time before the finished product. The summer has turned to typical South Carolina humidity plus heat weather. So no yard for this ole gal. It will cool soon enough, so patience is the keyword for now.

I look into Dougs Garden Website once in awhile. He is upgrading the site and it is becoming a pleasant sidetrip through the world of websites and blogs. Some people have a wonderful way of putting their ideas out there and I found one young woman whose writings are like listening to a pleasant song. I really enjoyed reading through her blogs. Believe her name was Heather. Will have to go back and find her again.

Enjoying reading blogs on this site as well. It is enjoyable going through your gardens, seeing what pleases you in the plant world.  The many different environments in which to garden in our nation,  makes sharing all the more exciting.

Having a very quite day today. Do have a few practical things to do on the computer though,, soooooooooooo

More to Come Later

Just getting me down not being able to get out into the yard and work hard.

There are no cats in the butterfly cage now, but lots of instars and eggs. So in a couple of weeks the tale will be finished. Either I have succeeded in keeping the caterpillers in or they are just great escape artists. I do know when they go on the move, they are really active. Giving they can crawl many feet before they begin to pupate they are also very motivated and strong to boot.

I put enough water on the main flower bed to put me in debt last night.  And this morning I am running a soaker hose in a shady area. My front yard is shady in the mornings so I took a few minutes to pull some grass in a corner near the driveway. That is the only place that had been showing any sign growth in the last couple of weeks. Of course it is in a spot where you don't want anything to flourish but choice plants.

The grandchildren started school yesterday. Brian will be 10 in October and is starting a new school. They moved last year and it put him in a different district, which is a good thing. Kelly is 13 and back to junior high. She says things are a bit different this year, more rules, which is also a good thing. Going to school is, in my book, one of the hardest jobs to have. At least when you get out of school and into a work situation, you do have the ability to choose whether you stay or leave for some other occupation. Having the ability to make decisions is also a good thing.

Our county extension service Master Gardener Association met at a friends home for a tour and education on their method of gardening. They not only  have fantastic flowering gardens, they also make a whale of a good vegetable garden. In order to support their hobby, they sell some of the veggies during the season and use their greenhouse to grow plants to sell in the spring. Since the greenhouse is not fitted for air conditioning they do not use it during the summer. They do have an outdoor shade shelter where they keep plants rooting. This past year the big love is starting all kinds of succulents.  And they have become experts. There are succulents blooming that I have never seen in bloom. All succulents bloom at some time in their livespans but not on any certain time table it seems. The right growing conditions are key and  they have come upon that perfect combination of soil, light and water. They started serious gardening in 1993. All the plants now in their gardens were started either from seed or cuttings. That includes not only perennials but shrubs and trees. Our city is fortunate to have a couple so willing to share their techniques. See pictures of their property. The buildings in the background on the veggie photo are not theirs.

Visiting other peoples gardens is one of the best ways to see new plants, find plants that would be good in your own gardens and learn other ways of mulching, feeding, weeding, watering and of course, taking advantage of the sharing all gardeners seem to enjoy. You come away happy, with a new plant or two and a sense of  renewed energy to get back out there on your own property and tame the soil and it's horticultural occupants.

More to Come Later

Butterfly cats that is.

(sing along here)  I had three cats in the cage and then there were two, two cats in the cage and now there is one. (or not)    think bottles of beer on the wall.

I had to place bricks on the top where the screen was touching the frame of the cage. It seems they may be strong enough to push right through that space and escape.

There are many eggs and instars inside though so I hope to see results in another few weeks. This is not as easy as it would seem.

Speaking of kitty cats. I do not have pets, but if I lived in the country I would have kept the little darling that found his way to my yard last week. He spend the day following me around, jumping at my feet and playing all over the place. Slept on the deck of the ramp all afternoon. Then he ended up following a little boy and his dad down the street. He was shorthaired pretty grey, with greenish eyes and four little white feet. Such a sweetie, hope he found a nice home.

Still so hot, someone said we might get relief from a storm at sea. Let us hope so. The back yard gardens are really begining to suffer. And no amount of tap water is going to help at this point. Keeping alive the plants I really want to save.  More to Come Later

This is an experiment with my Web album in Picasa. See if you can go there and see the critters in my garden.

The Robber Squirrel, the yellow-bellied woodpecker and for the first time in my yard the fantastic, majestic, breathtaking Red-headed woodpecker. He has the red hood and the black jacket. When he flies the white on his wings blends with the white on his lower body, so that it looks spectacular. Sure hope this works.

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We have storms on both sides of our area. Thunder and lightening far in the distance. Best chance we have had for rain in weeks. I am still watering tonight though. Finally bought a timer for the hose so I don't have to stay up til 11pm (late for me) and run in and out turning the water off, moving the hose, turning the water back on. Not my idea of a fun evening.

Will let you know tomorrow if we did get at least a little sprinkle. If you see those clouds, push them over my house please.

More to Come Later

Did mow part of the back yard this morning. The belt on the self propelled mower has stretched and is no longer working.  I got so hot pushing on my own had to leave half of it. Had thought about going out this evening, but I think I have "glowed" quite enough for one day. Just going outside to talk to my friend Bob about the good job he was doing moving a piece of chain link fence just made the 'glow' run down into my eyes.

You have heard the old saying: Horses sweat, Men perspire and Ladies Glow.

Also have him giving me an estimate on building a small lean-to at the shed and mounting two pieces of lattice work on the other.  I want to hang a mirror in between the two pieces and then grow Clematis or a climbing rose there. In my mind it will be pretty.

Next I will ask him to bid me a price on building me an arbor in that same area. There is a spot that has had some compost laying for 2/3 years. I think it will make a nice place for some type of water feature next spring.

It is only 7:30 here and I feel bedtime coming on already.  My shoulder muscles are tired and achy so will see you on the GG site soon.    More to Come Later.

So glad to have this blog to get all my frustrations written down. You would think with all the sweating, lifting, digging, stretching and arm presses with my pruners I couldn't possibly gain weight!!!!   WRONG.

So now it is back to the 'watching the food' again. We are going to WV for Labor Day and I will not take these 6 pounds with me. I know it is not hard to get it off, it is just the discipline needed on my part. Don't have much of it in my heart. Oh well, it will go by the by.

Of course I will not watch what I eat while I am there, my sis is a wonderful cook. Especially when she has company. My eldest son and his wife are driving us this time. My hubby is not able to drive anymore so this is a lifesaver. The son has never seen where I grew up, at least that he will remember. My two sisters and I took our very young broods to the old neighborhoods many years ago, when the oldest child was maybe 6? So it will be interesting.

Got to go to the grocery now to stock up on fruits, veggies and other good things to eat. This diet really is easy to do as I love most of the foods that are included. Will let you know at the end of the week how things are gong.

More to Come Later

Here are three pix of the cage as I built it. First pix shows one side of a screen with the two blocks screwed on. You go right through the metal frame into the block. You do this on two screens at the top and the bottom. When you finish you have two screens with four blocks and two screens without. Four screens in all.

Then you place the other two screens as close to the edge of the blocked screens as you can leaving no gaps. You want a solid cage. Again screw right through the metal frame into the ends of the block that are attached to the first screens.

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The above pix is also the side you place your hinges for the top of the cage. Screw again right through the metal frame at the side and into the top edge of the block and frame of the top screen.

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Someone let me know if this makes any sense at all. WOW!  Easier done than described. Linda B of SC

One of these days I will learn to use 'save draft' when I decide to change gears. You missed a really good blog. One of those you just can't duplicate. I was on a role. Better bet I won't do that again. It works OK to highlight and do 'copy; but only if you don't highlight and do 'copy' over your blog!!

My beauty the hollyhock has babies growing at her feet. She is a good mama. I will transplant them when they are bigger. They will like it at the new area on the shed side. Can't wait for that to get done. It is going to be pretty. A leanto so I can use the potting table in the shade or sprinkles and an arbor in front of that for sitting outside enjoying life with my neighbors, Judy especially. She and I love to 'do' in our yards.

The clematis that I dug earlier and potted are growing great. So great that I will have to get their new home ready next week, even if it has to be at daybreak. They are beginning to vine on anything that stands still for a while.Though the weather people around here say it is only going to be in the 95 degree range. Just as long as it is not 85 at 7:30 in the morning.

I have a friend that could not grasp the concept of mulch.  In the fall 'putting the gardens to bed' is one of my favorite things to do. Raking leaves/pineneedles into the beds or running the mower over the leaves and then raking is a very satisfying chore. The beds look so much better during the winter months and the plants enjoy a cover to keep them warm when the air around them gets chilly. When I lived in the mountains of WV, raking pineneedles on a crisp, warm fall day was a joy. A nice warm flannel shirt, comfy faded bluejeans and tennies that are worn to satisfaction are a given on a day like that. You can be transported to unknown places as the smell of fresh pine hits your nose and you listen to the sounds of the fall season. Amazing isn't it how the seasons offer up their own sounds?

Even the human beings in the home need nourishment once in awhile and it seems to be getting close to the luncheon hour. More to Come Later

Went outside to do a little watering and low and behold moisture was coming down from the sky. Had to call the hubby to come see for himself. Of course it was only one little lonely rain cloud and it was gone in just a few minutes. But it did give hope that it can still rain!

It even cooled down afterward; went from 97 to 90 degrees and it felt cool in the late evening. Even sat outside for a short while, I miss my yard. Picked some seed pods from the Texas Star to send to Tessa from Florida. Will put them in the mail tomorrow.

Ever know a gentleman? There are times when it is hard to spot one. Our Master Gardeners lost a wonderful gardener and friend to many of us this week. He was 81 and had a real heart for gardening. His name was Boyd. It was good to know you Boyd if only for a short while for myself. A few years ago our church lost a wonderful man named Jerry. He too was a gentleman. We will forever miss his knowledge of the Bible and his love for mankind. So in my lifetime I can say; Yes, I have known two men who were truly gentlemen. It was a privilege to know each one of these men.

Have a good evening everyone. More to Come Later

Here she is the newest member of the family. Miss Kalua Hershey, 2 months old. A longhaired, miniature daschund. I have not seen her yet but she has those puppy dog eyes.

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Yardwork will take a back seat this hot week in SC.  I go to the local YMCA for water aerobic classes three mornings a week when it is too hot to be outside or too cold during the winter.  That is one thing that helped me lose those 35 pounds last winter and spring.

Will try to go out on Tuesday morning early to put legs on the old porch swing that has lost its place in the garden. The swing is getting old and I will try to make a sitting place in the garden using 4x4's for legs. My husband is not sure my idea will work, time will tell when I sit on it the first time. Will also take pictures of the butterfly cage and post them on this blog. Soaphouse clued me in on the Photobucket.com site and it works like a charm. You can even resize your pictures.

In our state we have a tax free weekend to celebrate back to school days. Not that it doesn't also make the retailers a bit more money. Because what do we do when we find a sale? Save money? NOT! We tend to overspend in order to take advantage of the sales of course. You know the old story, a woman went shopping for one dress and came home with three. When asked why she bought more than she went for, she replied they were on sale? Did she save money, no but she got three nice dresses for less money each. :-D

Here is a bit of a story I heard this morning. It is a Billy Graham tale. Seems Billy was in town to speak at a conference. When the limo pulled around to pick him up, Billy looked at the driver and said that he had always wondered what it would be like to drive a limo and asked if the man would let him drive to the conference. After a bit of thought the driver said sure give it a try. So the driver got in the back and Billy put on the drivers hat and proceeded down the highway. Not used to such a large car, Billy began to drive a little too fast. Soon he saw a policecar pulling him over. The highway patrolman came to the drivers side and asked for the drivers ID. After looking at it a minute he said he would be right back and proceeded to walk to his patrolcar. He called in to his superior officer and asked what protocol to use when you stop someone of high stature. The supervisor asked who was it, the govenor? No answered the young patrol officer, higher than that! Well is it the US President? No answered the young man again, higher than that. Then who in the world is it? The young patrolman answered "I think it must be Jesus, because Billy Graham is the driver."

Hope you enjoyed this little tale. I don't remember jokes or stories very well and wanted to write this one down before I forgot. Have a great day! More to Come Later Linda B from SC

These are some of my African Violets. After many years of not having the proper light to grow them, we added on to the back of our home and included a small garden style room the light was perfect. The sun comes up from the East straight over the house. These little plants love this room.

This is a pot of three different colored Christmas Catcus. I take them outside in the summer.

Broke down and ordered some new iris plants. Like I really need more. But this was a great deal from Direct Gardening. 4 different blue ones with a freebie and free bulbs to boot for 15.95. Too good to pass up.

More To Come Later Linda B from SC

Just spent the last few hours reloading all my albums. Check them out . Seems you can add pictures to the existing albums but you have to contend with the vacant photo slots. It took me a little while to realize I could just delete the blank pictures. For now the job is complete. Sure hope that never happens again.

Finally fought the battle of the drill and the stubborn screws. Hubby came out and helped me steady the frame. Now to get a couple of small hinges to use for the screen that goes on top of the cage.  Trimmed all the heads off the fennel today. The parasitic wasps like the pollen on the fennel but they will lay eggs in the caterpillers. And we don't want that to happen. Saw a few more eggs so hopefully we will be able to see a few cats mature into flying flowers.

Another bane of my existence is wild burmuda grass. I wonder if there is really anything that will kill that stuff. It can creep in, over, through and up out of foot of soil to grow where you don't want it to, like in the flower beds. Spent a couple hours this am cleaning it out of the bank where I have mulched and planted verbena and three Knockout Roses. It is looking really good now that all the grass has been taken out. Not sure what to do with it this fall/winter. I am tempted to move all the verbena and spray real hard for grass and weeds. Sounds like more hard labor, wonder if I can get overtime for the job?

The heat is coming harder every day. May be 100 degrees over the next few days. Gag! I just don't do the heat. Never could even as a kid. I remember laying on a blanket under the big maple tree in WV looking up into the 'dome'. It was a beautiful tree. WV heat is not quite like SC heat but it was miserable.

I am old enough to remember the real dog days of summer when you just did not get out and run and play hard. That was the time of Polio and the Iron Lung plus other summer ills and flu stuff.  I saw an Iron Lung a number of years ago when I worked in a hospital office. They were bringing it down the hall and everyone stared and most wondered what in the world was that? I knew and just felt a rock in my stomach from the memories of that time. At 12 years old my best friend died of Polio and her brother was in an Iron Lung for a long while. He was eventually able to come out of it with some paralysis and became a lawyer. Thank God we have innoculations against that nasty disease.

Time to rest the shoulders. More to Come Later Linda B from SC

Spent the morning doing a little clean up and spraying for more weeds. Too hot for this yardgranny to do much heavy stuff. After that I began putting together my butterfly cage. Some of the screws were more stubborn than my middle son. Several went right in with no problem and then others were determined not to have any part of this project. Then after I got two screens put together, I realized I would have to take one side loose and reposition it so there would be no gap between the screens. Since it was almost noon and my patience had about worn out, I decided, much as "Miss Scarlett" would say, I'll do that job tomorrow. So first thing tomorrow I am going to finish that cage.

Since it looks as if my photo albums are not returning, I will have to begin reposting pictures. I am hoping my DIL will send a pix of my new grandpuppy. Kalua Hershey is her name and she is a longhaired, chocolate mini daschund. She will be a spoiled and much loved addition to their home.

A MG friend came by with a load of bearded iris last week. Some have found new homes and the others were finally heeled in until our next meeting to be shared with the group. I have a new spot being readied for my iris. They have not been moved in a number of years and did not bloom well this spring. They will all come out of the old bed and into the new one and be joined with a few of the new ones. Hope I remember to pick up some gypsum before I go to planting.

It is always nice to have someone else look at your gardens. They see it from a whole different perspective than the owners. A friend came by while I was out one day and then called to say my yard was 'beautiful'. Really made my day to hear that. Most of the time I see all the projects, weeds and plants that are not doing so well. So ask people to come over and look around anytime they are in your neighborhood, then be sure to ask them what they thought.

Time to go for more mulch next week. Seems there is always a need for a load. There are many places that need to be filled in especially the dogwood tree bed. That is the bed I weeded for 3 hours or more one Saturday. It was full of wild violets. And to think I used to love those little plants when I was a kid.

Must go for now, More to Come Later

(singing) "where have all the photos gone, took a long time posting" (my version)

Sure hope they find the bulk of mine, takes time to download those pictures. NUTS!

Had busy morning today. Went across the street to the intermediate school and helped work on a walled in courtyard. Has not been used in a number of years. Great place. Several teachers have taken it on as a project and will utilize the place this year. One of the teachers received a grant for $6000. What a coo! She has some really good ideas. Today we mixed sand and compost together and spread it out, the plants were to come today as well. Won't be able to help plant as my hubby has a doc appt. tomorrow morning.

Then a friend came to begin moving a piece of fence. It stands between my air/heat unit and my neighbors unit. She cannot get a mower behind her unit and there is no room to maneuver my mower. We both had units replaced a few years ago and you should have seen what those poor men had to go through. And they were both there at the same for a couple of days. They even knew each other as all these air/heat guys do. Now it will be necessary to move a few plants, dig up some roots and fill holes. More work for this ole gardener. It won't get done until it cools a whole lot, like in sept/oct.  Did you know the old tale about transplanting and moving plants only in the months that have an "R" in the spelling? Think about it.  

It Is So HOT!! and no rain, I am on my way outside to turn on the water. It is feast or famine with the weather isn't it. Oh Well, it is August now. Can't expect great weather 12 months out of the year. SC has great weather most of the time.

Wish I could take the air conditioner outside with me. Going Now  More to Come Later. LB