Sunday, March 22, 2009

First Day of Spring - March 20, 2009

How appropriate that on the first day of spring I had my first blooms. Of course I have several signs of spring with the sprouts of green everywhere.



Crocus


I also captured some finches at the feeder. I captured the pictures through a window of my kitchen so they are a bit fuzzy.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Flower and Patio Show 2009

Pictures at the Indianapolis Flower and Patio Show March 20, 2009





Tulips and Quince.... I was a bit disappointed as several displays didn't have their plants labeled




A peaceful retreat





A tropical retreat





Cute little Alligator for a Pond....... hee hee






First place display


Friday, March 20, 2009

Sorry but I haven't been inspired

I haven't posted for awhile as I haven't had the motivation.

My significant other, after 4 years of waiting for an answer on his disability claim, was told that he was due disability for only 2 years. For those of you who don't know he was in a motorcycle accident in 2004 and lost one of his legs, has short-term memory loss, and his pelvis was shattered and although it healed it is crooked which causes severe back pain. He has been on his own and worked full time since he was 16 years old in the construction field. This is all he knows and loves by the way.

The disability judge said there were some thousands of jobs for a ticket taker across America. We don't live in a big city and we aren't going to move to another state or city so he can get a job as a parking garage attendant taking money for a part time minimum wage job, it wouldn't be financially prudent to do so.

His brother owns a business and gave him a part time job answering the phones. He can't sit or stand very long without severe pain therefore, can only work part time. He did this for a couple of months. But now he is laid because his brother is losing his small business due to the economy and no tax relief or any other form of relief from the government is coming for small business owners. I'm not too worried about it myself as I am fortunate to be working full time and my employer has work on the books throughout 2009, but it is a blow to him as he feels useless unless he is providing to the household financially.

I doubt with just having a construction background and this economy he will find a job. It especially doesn't seem so when you have a federal government who's solutions are hopeless. Their attacks on business aren't going to create jobs, everyone knows that business people are the ones that create jobs. With a business tax rate the second highest in the world and it is going to be increased it looks like there will be more people without jobs at best and at worst even more businesses closing. With that there will be less tax revenues and the trillion dollar spending spree this administration is on will mean only one thing.......... everybody who is fortunate to still be working their taxes will go sky high.

Sorry I digress........ and I didn't mean to get into politics but these things have overshadowed the things I love to do most lately and that is gardening.

On a better note tonight a friend and I are going to go the Indianapols Flower and Patio show. I'm bringing my camera and hopefully something will inspire (I'm sure it will) to get ideas for my garden this year.

I'll bring the pictures here and I promise to be in a better mood.

Happy First Day of Spring!

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

March Sprouts

Springtime is the land awakening. The March winds are the morning yawn. ~Quoted by Lewis Grizzard in Kathy Sue Loudermilk, I Love You
The Stella D'Ora seeds are srpouting at least some of them. I know it's easier to divide, however, I wanted to try this little project of mine. These won't produce any flowers for 2 years. My next project will go underway this summer where I will be trying hybridizing daylily's.

Warm weather has finally arrived here in Indiana this week, some signs that our spring flowers are enjoying it as well.

Tulip


Daffodil

Tiger Lily

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Easy House Plants


False Shamrock 'Atropurpurea' (Oxalis triangularis subsp. papilionaceae)

This plant is an annual that I have had since 2007. I admit I am sometimes lazy so I had left it in a pot in my garage in the fall of that year . I brought it indoors in the spring of 2008 to clean the pot when I noticed a sprout, surprise! I left it alone to see what it was, I had forgotten what had been planted in it. I put it in a window all winter and the leaves grew more each day, it wasn't very robust so I didn't think it would survive , after all it had been in that window for a year. I was wrong, today it bloomed.


Above is a plant I have had for 10 years I have taken several cuttings from it over the years and given them to friends or have them in my office. The plant started as a cutting from a plant in an office I used to work for so I'm not sure what it is. I cut it back every fall and in the summer I hang it outside, last year it grew 3 feet. It thrives easily even when you neglect it. Which I admit I do, you can see in the picture I need to trim it up.


Pictured above is a new cutting I started from the original hanging one. Below is the plant 5 months later.