Oh, Yea! Check Out This Tree!

I Couldn't Help Myself!

We really needed another tree!

(click on any of the photos...)

(flag marks the spot)

So, I called for help! Some great friends/folks from our local Nursery accomodated me.


















Getting ready to plant...












Oh! Isn't this getting exciting?

Yea! Look at that!
I had to give a hug! :-)

Well, what do you think?

We planted a 'Sunburst' (seedless, thornless) Honey Locust tree.
(Some nice information if you click above link. It'll be fine here, as it will tolerate partial sun)

Beautiful Spring foliage.
Nice filtered shade.
30 to 40 feet tall... someday.

Pretty as a picture!

Not toooo shady. ;-)

Would You Plant Just One More Tree If You Lived Here?

I'll let YOU decide!

This photo of the front of our house was taken in May 2004. The two large trees at the left of center were removed by mid-June 2005. There was a problem that I cannot seem to recall.

As an aside, you might notice my "Sunny Corner Bed" was not so sunny then. It used to be a bed of iris that had become overgrown and crowded, resulting in very few blossoms. We'd moved into this house in October 2002, so the previous Spring had shown the need for reworking this bed! :-)

Now the photo below was taken April 23, 2008. You can see the cluster of three shagbark hickory trees was still standing in the front yard... they provided a wonderful shade canopy, as well as a beautiful accent.

Here's are two more photos, taken July 31, 2008 of these beautiful trees.

This one might give you an idea as to the proximity of the trees to the front of the house.

However, they were three separate trees competing for root space and light source. They were just WAY too close to the house. Hence, they had to leave the premises (especially after I'd watched a wind storm push them around and nearer the house!) See this post from last Summer.

The photo below was taken November 27, 2008.
Does it look a little bare over there?
Even with my sister's little tree in the foreground?

I thought perhaps you'd agree with me. :-)
My next post will show you what I had done just recently!

Saturday was a Flood Relief Work Day!

This has nothing to do with gardening,
but I want you to see what we did
on Saturday!

Click right here or on the photo below. This was "our house!" :-)

Nothing Shady - in fact it was a beautiful day!! Just click on the photo above to transport yourself to the complete post! :-)

Green Thumb Sunday - October 25, 2009

Holiday Cactus

These aren't true Christmas cacti, according to the explanation given by Mr. Brown Thumb of Chicago.


However, here's a post from October 19, 2008 showing this particular cactus in bloom.

And here's the same cactus blooming today.


I believe I've detected a pattern!
:-)

PS - My red-flowering cactus has plenty of buds, and will be blooming before too very long.

Not a disappointment and nothing "shady" about it!
Have a wonderful day.
Visit As the Garden Grows to see how you can participate in this meme. Then click their "home" button to place a comment about your post so we can visit you, too! :-)

Gooseneck Loosestrife Breaks Loose!

Actually, this plant could prove to be a thug,
if it had room to spread wherever it wanted...

Here's a post on the plant when it's blooming: Gooseneck Loosestrife

I can't say I've ever seen this plant look more beautiful than it's looking this Fall!

It must have something to do with the couple of weeks of COLD, wet weather we experienced earlier!

Have a great day!

I Wonder if Tricyrtis Don't Like a Little Sunshine?

Do you Wonder?
I'm just Wondering... about 'Blue Wonder.'

These two plants are just completing their second season, as they were planted early in the Spring of 2008. They do get all morning and late afternoon shade. They also get a bit of direct sun in between times. On a cloudy day and in the shade, my camera captures the blue color better. I wonder if the sunshine has any effect on the color of the blossom? At any rate, I've enjoyed taking photos of this very healthy couple of plants!!

These first two photos were taken in August 2009.

These photos were taken September 27, 2009.

And these three photos were taken yesterday.
(I used a little zoom on this photo, but not much)

Standing in the same place, I zoomed to take this photo...

and a little more to capture this one. :-)

Do you think you'll want to add this one to your Wish List?
Yes, I'm enjoying the new camera.
Nothing shady about that! ;-)

Green Thumb Sunday

Hi all! I may have missed Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, but I'm ready to roll with Green Thumb Sunday... and this is what's "blooming out back!" Forgive me, but the first couple are just Fall Photos - please click to enlarge most of these photos. And you'll find a few foliage shots, also.

I did, however, forget to photograph 'Blue Wonder' tricyrtis... which has grown terrifically and has been blooming like crazy forever! I'll post it very soon.

Here we have an infamous Burning Bush next to a Rhododendron and the Gooseneck Loosestrife in the bottom left corner... and a closeup of the Rhody. ; -) And that's all the comment you'll get today.














































































































Visit As the Garden Grows to join this meme. The instructions are here. When you finish, click here to add a comment if you decide to post this month!


This last photo is 'Red October' hosta that began blooming in September and continues! :-)

Doesn't this look good?
The photo is of a muffin featured at the Better Homes and Gardens site.

Sixteen Tables

Sixteen tables and sixty-four chairs...
add
a dozen booths and a baker's wares.

Enter some people, together or not...
add
conversation and drink...
and one with a thought.

'Tis a small simple verse,
this small simple verse -
Which,
when I arise...
gets put in the purse.

by yours truly
(moi)

All this before getting the groceries one morning last week (while sitting at a table with a muffin, a cup of tea, a pencil and a scrap of paper)! Who says two weeks of overcast skies, and cold rainy weather isn't inspiring? ha! We've now had two great days in a row and we're looking forward to several more! Yea!

The Development of My Friends' Garden Bed

You can click on any of these photos. Nearly every one will enlarge for better detail.

This is a photo of my friends' yard October 31, 2008.

The tilling and planting of a new flower bed inspired (click here) This Post.

My friends and I have had a great time this summer!

May 21, 2009
J did his tilling and it's ready to plant!

Look at this! Plants...

...and more plants!

This photo was taken June 8, 2009, after a few days'
deluge of rainfall! (Looking from the back to the front)
This photo was taken June 10... look what J did (trenches all around)!

In August S and one of her friends
and all four children and I made stepping stones.
(Click Here)

After everything was planted, J added a nice thick layer of shredded mulch.

And I just kept checking in all Summer and Fall!
(photo taken June 1, 2009)There's a blank spot behind the peony in the foreground.
Daughter E planted Shasta Daisy seeds.
(planted June 25, 2009)
Notice that the seeds are growing (behind her stepping stone).
(photo taken October 9, 2009)
A close-up of the Shasta Daisies.
They grew! :-)
Do you remember the post about Summer Projects?
One of those projects was the birdbath with the Sum & Substance leaf (click here)
that now resides in this garden!
A close-up of the middle of the bed... Nan Ondra should see this!
One of her favorite three plants was once Persicaria,
which I ordered and planted in this bed.

October 7, 2009
(Photos from the southwest corner back to the front.)

From the road... in June
July 8, 2009
October 3, 2009

Won't it be fun to see this garden next Spring? Just think how much more mature and developed the plants should be? :-)