Like some of the plants in these containers, I felt all prickly about my blog being hacked. It's all better now. The grass is 'Princess Molly.' I love that grass. Yesterday, my blog was hacked, and because of malware, it took down my blog host's entire system. Luckily, I have a wonderful technician who rebuilt the blog from scratch. It just came back online. Above are some of my containers filled with tropical plants. Tropicals are the way to go with plants in containers. Also, install a drip system like Bill and I did. I talk about it over at Lowe's website. Maybe a drip system for your containers would help you too. In weather news, the heat is stuck in the on position although I hear of cooler weather in our future. It's also back-to-school time again. My youngest went to a new middle school. My son is a...

I water the vegetable garden with soaker hoses, and the sandburs have thrived in the fence line. Makes it interesting when I go in there to harvest. The grass is crunchy. Fires abound, and leaves are falling from the trees. Walking to get the mail at the end of the driveway has become an endurance test nearly worthy of the Olympics. We've been over 100F for awhile, but unlike last year, there are fewer days of hellish temperatures, and we're seeing a gradual cool down. Southern sandbur up close and personal. You can see why they hurt. To add to our misery, It is also goat head or southern sandbur season. Get our your knives, boots and heavy duty gloves. It's time to celebrate in the Sooner State. Yes,  Cenchrus echinatus L., the southern sandbur or goat head sticker, is making our lives even more miserable than the heat and drought combined. Add some...

Bees gathering pollen and nourishment from one of the sunflowers I planted in the vegetable garden. I wandered over to Hayefield today, and read Nan's post on her garden and personal journey. It made me consider my own garden, and how it's changed over the years. I bought an app today, Day One, so I could journal about which plants perform best along with their names. I'm lapse at keeping a print journal, and I'm constantly at the computer. It seemed a good fit. My garden was once very different. I was a different gardener. I was a collector of roses and daylilies, and I sometimes still fall into that mode especially when they bloom. I wish I were stronger, but resistance is futile. The red fountain that sits at the center of the vegetable garden known as the potager. I had a lot of "hates" in the garden, and...