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FUN GIVEAWAY FROM ONE NUMBER EIGHT!

By |2017-10-26T11:14:38-04:00October 22, 2017|Uncategorized|

IT’S A GIVEAWAY!

It’s almost holiday time so I thought a Giveaway of some sort might be in order here.

You DO know I’ve opened a shop and am selling and restocking and shipping…from my Etsy shop.

ONENUMBEREIGHT

The brand new item I am promoting is my

JEWEL CASE CALENDAR

 

Each month has a separate page. There is a cover page. These are all from my own designs and graphics, reformatted for these perfect-size calendar pages. They come in a clear plastic jewel case (kind of like the old CD case..) that opens up and folds back to sit nicely on your desk.

I am giving away TWO OF THESE CALENDARS.
Go on over to our Etsy Shop to see more images of the calendars and read more about them!

Rules (it’s simple! ) are below. To be entered to win you must:

1)For one entry:  Leave a comment here. And please, be sure your email is included (it will NOT be published) so I can contact you if you win.

For additional entries, but NOT mandatory, you may:

2) For a second entry:  Visit, […]

FRIDAY FLOWERS: HELIANTHUS LOVE

By |2017-09-28T17:49:41-04:00September 28, 2017|Uncategorized|

These cheerful, bright, sunny flowers start to flower in September.
Helianthus angustifolius

There are many varieties of Helianthus, but these may be my favorite! Mine were gifted to me by a friend in the village about four years ago. It took almost two years until they spread and I knew they were happy. Now, by the end of August, the 6-8′ stems are filled with flowers. Yes, they are tall! Mine are set against the house and provide a perfect “screen” for the siding!

 

 

 

A morning’s gathering earlier this week:

 

Fun with a flat lay photo shoot:

 

And finally, an afternoon shot today with the sun coming in the kitchen window:

To find out more about this
“Narrow Leaf Sunflower”  Helianthus angustifolius
check out this site.

 

FRIDAY FLOWERS: WHITE GINGER LILY

By |2017-09-07T21:00:49-04:00September 7, 2017|Friday Flowers, Uncategorized|

Today is all about the
White Ginger Lily
or
Hedychium Coronarium
or
Butterfly Ginger Plant

Just how beautiful is this?
And, its scent matches its beauty!! It is sweet, and tropical, and reminiscent of honeysuckle.

 

 

These ginger lilies grow by spreading rhizomes, disappearing in the winter and re-emerging in late spring.
By August (in my Zone 7b) the plants are about four feet high and the vertical flowers start to emerge. What a sight! And what a scent!

The plants will easily and happily over-winter in Zone 7b and south of that. But don’t despair! If you are north of that you can easily dig up the rhizome and store for the winter. Just the way you handle dahlias…
Believe me, it’s worth it. Grow them in full sun and both you and the plants will be happy!

FRIDAY FLOWERS: DAY TRIP TO PINE KNOT FARMS

By |2017-03-02T18:21:13-05:00March 2, 2017|Uncategorized|

PINE KNOT FARMS

This is a very unusual destination!
Hellebores is the ONLY product you can buy here.

Dick and Judith Knott Tyler have owned the farm and run the business since 1982.  They know hellebores! They have written books and articles, they travel extensively to broaden their hellebore knowledge, and they give talks to many, many groups. I first heard them at the North Carolina Botanical Garden when I was new to this area…and to hellebores! Now I am hooked.

 

 

As far as the eye can see…hellebores!

 

 

 

And here are my new “babies”

 

 

Pretty special, aren’t they? In about two years they will have doubled in size and be oh so gorgeous. Stick around and I’ll show them to you!

It IS a long drive from our area. Take a lunch, or […]

FRIDAY FLOWERS: HELPING PLANTS SURVIVE THE COLD

By |2017-01-26T18:13:01-05:00January 26, 2017|Friday Flowers, Uncategorized|

It’s winter and it’s cold.
But unlike us, our plants can’t come inside for warmth…so how to give them a little help to survive winter’s cold? If you have a lot of snow cover so much the better. But if it is just plain cold, they may need and appreciate your help.

This very helpful article is from the North Carolina Agricultural Extension in Chatham County. While it is written for my area in North Carolina, in Zone 7b, it offers some very helpful and relevant information on protecting plants anywhere. Take a look:

“When Is The Damage Most Likely to Occur?”

Many factors impact whether or not a specific plant is damaged by cold temperatures, including snow cover. Extremely cold temperatures often follow a winter storm. If the storm left behind a blanket of snow, plants are less likely to be damaged – especially low growing plants, bulbs, and dormant perennials covered by snow.

Time of the year also makes a difference. When extreme cold occurs in the early part of winter (Jan – Feb), most landscape trees and shrubs, fruit trees, and berry plants are fully dormant and unlikely to be damaged.

Later in the season (March – April), many plant parts are more susceptible to temperatures below freezing, especially flower buds. Late […]

FRIDAY FLOWERS: ACUBA JAPONICA

By |2017-01-12T17:47:46-05:00January 12, 2017|Friday Flowers, Uncategorized|

I have a very healthy Acuba Japonica in a large pot on my terrace. It’s very happy: partly shaded under a Japanese Maple, with lots of enriched soil in the pot. Over the last few years it has grown ( a lot!) so I like to use the branches as greenery in my flower arrangements. Perfect.

Here you can just see that long green leaf on the left:

 

Here, in another arrangement, you can really see those nice green leaves:

Every few days I empty the vase to refresh the flowers and the water and after about ten days..and much to my surprise, the Acuba had rooted! I mean, it ROOTED!

I put it back in the water, and a few days later pulled it out again:

Very healthy roots, right?

And here it is, planted and ready to keep growing:

I lied! I actually have three Acubas, all slightly different. But they all do well under the tree and cutting the greens helps to keep the size in check. For more information all about this wonderful, versatile […]

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