Sunflower bouquet When your mom is in the hospital again, what do you send her? Instead of indoor plant she will later pass off to you or let die, how about a sunflower bouquet? A few weeks ago, Andy from the Sunflower Guy wrote and asked me if he could send me a sunflower bouquet for review. As he writes on his website, sunflowers are awesome, and I love their cheery faces. A few days later, I got home from a long day filled with family and work obligations and on my front stoop was a bright shiny box which stated: "Unzip. Lift. Water. Smile." I certainly needed a smile, and the box brought one to my eyes. I unzipped the box as instructed, poured in a bit of flower food, added water, and now my table is graced with the Pacific Sun bouquet shown above. The flowers are guaranteed...

'Shindeshojo' japanese maple on the north side of the garage Next to roses, nothing is more beautiful than a well grown Acer palmatum. When their leaves unfurl, Japanese maples are beautiful in spring. Then, they bloom and produce seeds. Throughout our Oklahoma summers like many other plants and people for that matter, they hang on for dear life, but in fall, they dress in party frocks, with the green-leaved varieties turning yellow, orange or rust, while the red cultivars deepen. A few, like 'Sango kaku' also sport gorgeous winter bark. What else could you request from a small tree? The most popular post on my blog shows how to plant a Japanese maple. Because of search engines, it remains my highest ranking post even in its third year. The cultivar I planted that day was 'Tamukeyama,' and despite temperature extremes, it is still growing strong in the lower garden. A....

Since it's October 10, 2010, and I completely stole this idea from Carol of May Dreams Garden, here are ten things which show the seasons do change even when the weather seems to be stuck on 85F. 10. My Charlotte, who I've been watching spin her web and catch bugs for about a month looked sickly yesterday. This morning, she was gone. Sigh, but she left egg sacks on the gutter system. I, like Wilbur, will protect them for her. 9. The mornings are beginning later, for Brother Sun anyway. I'm still up at 6:00 a.m. Monday through Friday to get the kids to school. I only take Bear now though. The others drive themselves. St. Francis, who is said to have composed the Canticle of the Creatures, had his feast day October 4. 8. A pronounced nip in the morning air makes me grab a light sweater before my...

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