A grasshopper on perennial hibiscus. Grasshoppers . . . . I hate the little beasties. This summer seems a banner year for these dahlia munching menaces. I use organic practices in the garden, and I needed a way to combat grasshoppers without killing bees and butterflies. Maintaining the balance of  things is the garden is so important. Luckily, I have assassin bugs and other natural predators, but I also use Nolo bait to kill young grasshoppers. Nolo bait isn't very effective on adults, but it will stop little, baby grasshoppers in their tracks. This is the brand I buy. I've never received any compensation from them except for disappearing grasshoppers, and that's enough. Here's how it works according to an agricultural information sheet from Colorado State University: "NOLO BAIT may provide suppression of grasshopper and Mormon cricket populations in crop and rangeland. It contains a microsporidial pathogen of grasshoppers. NOLO BAIT...

I was impressed by the size of this hydrangea. Rebecca is planning to remove her front, circular lawnette just beyond the hydrangea. I'm fond of a bit of lawn, but in California, I can see why she might want remove it. There is nothing like visiting the garden of a friend, especially when that friend is one you don't get to hang out with all the time. It was a thrill to finally see Rebecca Sweet's garden a couple of weeks ago while at Garden Bloggers' Fling in San Francisco. I've been traveling for two weeks, and I didn't take my laptop with me to Fling. I decided just to use my ipad. It worked for everything except posting on the blog. I have a complicated password to the blog's dashboard, and I'd forgotten it. Ah, life in 2013. Little touches abound throughout Rebecca's garden. I love how she groups similar...

A week or so ago, I gave a speech on how social media platforms like Pinterest changed the gardener in me. Social media is also always in flux, so I did some research especially for photo sharing services like Picasa/Google+, Photobucket and Flickr. I don't use the last two very often because I am already overstretched social media-wise, but other gardeners certainly can. I think Flickr's platform is beautiful. My Flickr photostream I'm still on Facebook, along with Twitter and Sulia, but Pinterest is one of my favorite ways to unwind after a long day of critical thinking. When pondering Pinterest and how much it has changed since its beginnings, I thought you might like to hear how it influenced my thinking and my garden. I am a writer, speaker and garden coach. One way I've used Pinterest is to send garden coaching clients over to my boards for ideas...

The entire garden is dancing a spring jig for the rains have come again to much of Oklahoma. Because it is Oklahoma, we are getting too much of course--everything in extremes is our motto--but for most of us, the water is still a blessing. All but the most western edges of the state are no longer in drought, and the central part of the state already exceeded its yearly total. The large pond behind my house beyond the lower pasture is full again. It was very low the last two years. The back garden in June 2013. Last night, another storm hit with a mighty wind. Most of my sunflowers that line the vegetable garden are down, but I over-planted on purpose. A lot of creatures like to eat sunflowers, so I always do a staggered planting. I'm glad they weren't blooming, or I would have mourned their loss more....