My Beloved Shelby

You may have noticed that I've not been blogging as much recently as I did in the past...there was a reason...my Shelby has been ill. Our vet who is WONDERFUL thought it was arthritis, first meds made her ill, second meds worked on the pain for about 3 days then we saw a rapid decline in her physical being. Last night I slept beside her knowing our moments together were coming to an end...touching her coat, nuzzling her, telling her how much I loved her and watching her sleep. Today she could not get up when I called her...I cried as I told Mr. B that I could not bear to watch her suffer any longer. Our Vet was out of town until May 1st...so they referred us to an incredible office filled with loving, caring and supportive staff and their Vet was superb! Tests were ordered and when the results came back my worst fears were confirmed.

Shelby passed on today. We said our goodbyes, held her, loved on her, asked her to go towards Bubba (our son) in Heaven. As we were leaving the vet's office Shelby struggled to walk, her tail wagging, her panting unabated and her love for us so powerful that if I could have gone on this last trip with her I would have. But now I again trust in God's wisdom and mercy. We have so many memories and were so blessed to have her in our lives that we are willing to believe that she runs with our Bubba, the angels and is pain free again in Heaven. She certainly brought Heaven on earth to each of us.

So thank you for your patience...I will mourn, I will tear up, I will smile at all the Shelby memories, I will meet up with her again in Heaven...to feel her gentle breath upon my face at the waking hour, to be greeted at Heaven's gates with her loving spirit, seeing her sitting at my feet no matter what my task was with her ever present wagging tail and all the while knowing...that she was mine and I was hers...gratefully.

Thank You!

What a wonderful surprise this morning to receive an Etsy Convo informing me that one of my necklaces was included in an Etsy Treasury!

I want to thank Favorite Scents for creating this gorgeous treasury based on "Love that Rusty Color"! Pop over and see all the pretty, delicious and very reasonably priced candles she has to offer in her Etsy shop! So special!

You can go here to see this spectacular Treasury!

It's so wonderful when someone recognizes your work and when a fellow Etsian takes the time to include said work in a Treasury...well...my heart beats a little faster and I am grateful! So my day is so much brighter now...I may even get that artistic nudge to make something or better yet...post something I already have made...

Hope y'all have a wonderful day! I know I will!

Thank you, Favorite Scents!

Yellow Irises are Blooming!

These beautiful Irises were a gift from my oldest daughter. They were first featured here. Now they are approximately 36 inches tall, the blooms are starting to open and the blooms typically last for weeks!

Once the bulbs have found a place to grow...they are difficult to move...their roots run deep...so I have them planted through out the gardens...some in part sun, some in shade and some in full sun...they all bloom and grow the same...and boy do they multiply! So now I'm off to enjoy them...I hope you do also!

Gaura!

This is a lovely plant named Gaura! Perhaps you've seen it in your local nursery. They require full sun and benign care. Their root system is compact but goes deep into the soil, thus allowing limited watering. Mine have always done well with other flowering plants and do not overtake the flower bed...they like their own little space.


I've had pink Gaura and white Gaura, notice there are no photos of pink Gaura. Does that tell you what happened? My Gaura are an annual favorite of aphids as well, the aphids feast on the flowering stems. I've tried a gentle washing with a weak dish soap and water solution...not very effective except for burning the leaves of the Gaura and other plants as well. It's funny the aphids do not touch any other plants in my garden. So after much trial and error, I now allow the Ladybugs to do their job and all is well.

When the flowering heads are blown by the wind they resemble butterflies fluttering in the garden. Mine bloom from early Spring through early Fall. If the flowering stems play out, just trim them back and soon they will blossom and bloom again for you.

These plants do well in my zone 7 but I've had absolutely no luck transplanting them. I've read that they are self seeders...hmmm? Mine evidently don't like that idea. However, one Fall Mr. B accidentally took his weed eater to them and to my surprise the following Spring I had baby plants everywhere the chopped stems fell. Go figure.

These Roses are a "Knock Out"!

I've always loved Roses but they haven't loved my care. I tried and tried but to no avail...they would die...with the exception of Mr. B's Yellow Rose which I defined as "Sandy does not touch"...I posted some photos of it here and as you can see it does very well with that rule!

I'd first seen these red Roses at my oldest daughter's in Kyle, Texas. I watched as these roses bloomed from early Spring through the heat of Summer and without fail they were never barren. I watched as the owners really treated them with benign care...hmmmm sounded like my kinda Rose!

I inquired about them from the owner and then again at their local nurseries. THEY ARE DOUBLE KNOCK OUT ROSES! Remember that name, and they come in several colors! They will grow to a height and width of 3 to 4 feet with dense foliage and lots of blooms! The price there was an average of $25.00 for a "small" one....for me that's pricey...and besides how would I ever get it home...we ALWAYS take the train from Fort Worth to San Marcos - that's another story cause WE LOVE TRAINS!

I chatted with Mr. B about these Roses while I was in Kyle....my dear love looked around here, found them on sale, called me inquiring about what was my favorite color and then he bought these two Rose bushes for me last year and they were on SALE $14.99 each. They were waiting for me in my garden area when I returned and I was thrilled!

This is one of the first two Roses he gave me.

This is the second of the first two Roses he gave me.


Now may I introduce 5 of their 6 babies!






HOORAY! I found a Rose that I can not only grow BUT propagate as well! These 5 babies were started during the hottest part of last Summer.

HOW'D I DO THAT?

I made cuttings on branches that had bloomed, at a joint where I left a 5 leafed branch on the Momma Rose. Then I dipped the cuttings in water and again in Rooting Hormone, placed them in Miracle Grow Potting Soil, in a clay pot with a saucer always filled with water. I placed them under a Crepe Myrtle tree in the morning sun with noon to evening shade....

Then I waited...at 3 weeks they were snug in the potting soil when I gave a gentle tug...first indication that they've started to root...

Then I waited some more...at 6 weeks they were ready to be transplanted to a holding garden...again morning sun and afternoon shade with dappled sunlight after 4pm...They over Wintered with snow and ice...remember last Winter? I know I'd prefer to forget it as well. But there they sat...with no preferential care...

Then this Spring I started watching these babies....one is very slow to grow...but it hanging in there...no photos as it's so small it hard to see in the photo...but it's there I promise.

The other 5 were growing and now they are full of buds and blooms are opening!

So...to move or not to move from the holding garden? They are happy and I find it is easier to plant abound them...the fence is covered with Yellow Honeysuckle, Carolina Creeper and Red Trumpet Vine so I pulled weeds for a couple of hours, threw in some Thrift bulbets, transplanted some other perennials and now I wait.

You'll notice in the photos I don't get too uptight about weeds. I pull what I can after a rain shower because they're easier to get out of the soil...and I tend to allow Mother Nature to take over...as I'm just the guardian of her flowering plants.

But so as not to pass up another opportunity for more Red Roses...I've started 3 more...they'll go in existing gardens or in areas that just need a pop of color.

I know this is a wordy post but I hope you enjoyed it and got some tips that will help you try to do the same!

Evening Primrose!

Evening Primrose are a favorite wildflower of mine. These just showed up about 8 years ago in one of my flower gardens. I love them! I hope you enjoy them as well!

Honey Bees!

The honey bees are everywhere! These little worker bees are very busy, flying from one flower to another. They don't seem to mind me attempting to capture them on film but don't let me try to pull weeds, they will start buzzing loudly and I know when to give them the space they need.

Purple Beauties!

I have no idea what these Purple Beauties are...but they've been a part of my flower gardens for approximately 12 years. Perhaps they were gifted to me by one of our local birds as they visited our feeders or birdbaths...did you know that can happen?

These flowers are so easy. They come back every year. They bloom early and continue through the hottest summer days as long as you "dead head" the spent flowers which quickly go to seed pods that look like brown ball shapes about the size of a baby pea. Then you can distribute the seed pods wherever you like. They will grow in sun or shade. If the seed pods mistakenly start to grow in a place you don't want ... just dig up the plant and move it to another place.

This is a very forgiving plant and will reward you with months of blooms!

The Wood Fern is Emerging From It's Winter Sleep.

I love Wood Fern! It's so easy to grow and although it requires daily light watering during the hottest of Summer...it'll reward you with HUGE showy fronds that for me define Mother Nature at her ethereal best!

My care tips: Plant in the Spring or Fall where the Wood Fern will get gentle early morning sun. Avoid any hot direct sunlight especially during Summer. Plan on daily light watering from Spring through Fall so as to avoid dry soil around the ferns. I cut mine back to the ground after the first freeze and scatter the mulched fronds back over the garden bed. When Spring first starts to tease us with warm days this hearty Wood Fern is not fooled...it'll wait until the day time temperatures reach a consistent 75 degrees to 80 degrees...then it starts to show it curved loopy baby fern fronds!

Now, with all that moisture in the fern beds you're probably wondering...MOSQUITOES? Well, they used to be a problem...so I got some tablets from a local nursery, it's all green and I'd plop them into the beds and there were few mosquitoes but they were still an issue. So what changed? For about 5 years we've had a colony of lizards that nest in the fern beds....and no Mosquitoes and even with our porch light....no telltale flying bugs...the lizards come out at night, eat every bug and we live in perfect harmony!

Well there was one exception, last year a baby lizard (about 1 1/2 inches long) made it's way into our home....to our bathroom...I'm dressing for bed after a shower...I feel something inside my gown...AHHHHHHHH! Yep, the baby lizard...Mr. B helped me and then he released it to the front porch again...we still laugh about that one...we don't know who was more scared...the baby lizard probably...but boy did I do a fast 2 step....well maybe a fast 1,000 steps!

To Everyone in the Land of Blog!

This is the first Rose from our Yellow Climbing Rose! There are lots more buds waiting to bloom and I am thrilled! This Rose blooms in early Spring and then again in early Fall. It does not like the heat of our Texas Summer but I love it anyway!

When I see a Yellow Rose, I think of TEXAS! But upon researching the meaning behind a Yellow Rose...I choose to offer these Yellow Roses "as a sign of friendship" to everyone in the Land of Blog"! May they brighten your day and may you know how much I appreciate all of you, your blogs, your talents, your support and most of all your friendship!

Purple Irises are Blooming!

Everyday the gardens are changing...and here is today's spotlight...the Purple Iris!