Garden Surprises for Green Thumb Sunday

The Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia) are in full bloom. I love these flowers. They just keep blooming and blooming all summer long and they don't need a lot of water. Plus, they make great, long-lasting cut flowers. This bunch actually bloomed from seed last year (one of the few things that did actually germinate and grow for me) and they're looking even better last year. I definitely need more Black-eyed Susans in my garden.

And if you gaze carefully into my tomato patch, you'll start to see these, baby tomatoes! Woohoo! I'm up to six so far and just seeing them makes my mouth water. I can practically taste them already.

And just look at this cosmos. I thought the white bit was a piece of something else, but it's really part of the petal. So pretty. I love these little garden surprises.

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

The Kitchen is Stylin' with New Roman Blinds

My kitchen looks sooooo much better now that the roman blinds are up instead of those horrid old venetians. It's amazing how relatively small changes can make such a huge difference. This is yet another project that was beautifully completed by the guy (I wasn't even home, how great is that?!). The list of projects he's completed around here is getting pretty long. I better be baking some brownies or something (except that the idea of me cooking scares him).

Now I just have to figure out some window treatments for the living room. Until I get a new couch and decide on my final colors, I'm thinking about getting some brown bamboo blinds like these. They would still look good under the curtains I will eventually purchase. Thoughts?

Herbs and Flowers for Green Thumb Sunday

Here's a pic of my herb and flower pot. It's doing pretty well, especially since I wasn't finding exactly what I wanted for this pot at the garden center a few weeks ago. I've become obsessed with the idea of combining herbs and flowers after reading Herbs in Pots: Artful and Practical Herbal Containers by Rob Proctor and David Macke. This is the only gardening book I've read so far that I would actually describe as entertaining and inspiring. It really is a fun read.

My pot has lemon balm, pineapple sage, camomile, a pink daisy and a phlox hybrid (Intensia lavender glow).

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

Nature Is Such a Tease

So last night, after I finish watering my wilted plants (hey, I've been busy), I'm weeding and the sky gets dark. The cloud rolls in. The wind picks up. The temperature drops like 10 degrees and it actually becomes pleasant outside. "Storm team announcements" pop up during every TV commercial break. I start thinking I had been a little hasty with the watering, but who cares, cause it's finally going to pour and my brown grass needs a drink (cause grass is not worth watering IMO) and even the freshly watered plants are probably still thirsty. So I wait. And wait. But then.....

nothing happens.

*sigh*

Surprise Flowers!

So Monday night I got home at 11:30, exhausted. It was my first day back to work after six days of vacation. I felt absolutely horrible (thanks allergies) and I had just said goodbye to one of my best friends who had been visiting from Finland and was going home. Needless to say, I wasn't in the greatest mood. And then I saw these roses sitting on my kitchen counter along with a note from my guy. My mood instantly did a 180. And the smile on my face lasted through the next day. Everytime I look at them, the smile comes back. They're the perfect shade of pink, which he said he picked because it looked better than the red. Totally the perfect choice. *happy sigh*


Sometimes, he really is the sweetest guy ever.

I just know you're dying to see them up close, aren't you?

Cosmos and Roses on Green Thumb Sunday

For today's Green Thumb Sunday, I'm going to focus on my two pink plants: cosmos and my rose.

After two unsuccessful attempts to grow cosmos from seeds, I finally purchased a few plants from the local garden center. I really like them. I think I might need to get some more.

My rose is also looking good, although I have no idea what it is. Can anyone help me out? I'm pretty sure it blooms throughout the summer. It has a bit of fragrance, but not a ton (although I'm so stuffed up right now it's hard for me to tell). So I'm thinking it's some kind of climber? It's one of the few things that was here when I bought the house two years ago. It seems to be doing better after the severe pruning I gave it in the spring. Now I'm wondering if it can be trained to climb so it doesn't start flopping over the edge of the raised bed and gets into the yard. Sounds like another project...



Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

Green Thumb Sunday

I was worried that the coreopsis I planted last year might not come back after I read that they often bloom themselves to death. But it did. And it's beautiful. The salvia is also blooming nicely.








But the best news is that it rained. See, I even have proof. Yes, gardening definitely gives me a different point of view. I can't remember ever being this happy about rain before. But, you know, my plants need it. Shown here, petunias and tiny cilantro seedlings.








Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

Storm Doors and Gun Shots

Memorial day weekend was an exciting one in my hood. First, my new, lovely storm door was installed, thanks to Jared's hard work. Gotta love those handy men, eh? I played the ever important roles of "fetch girl," and occasionally, "hold this woman."

As you can see, Jared did a lovely job. I mean look at that door! How straight and snugly it fits! Plus, the new storm has lovely features, including the ability to open and close at all times. This feature was horribly lacking in my last door. The wind sealed the new purchase by throwing the old one against the house and breaking the frame open.

But what's that about gun shots, you ask? Well, in other exciting neighborhood news, just as we were finishing up the door installation, we saw cop after cop race down the street while a helicopter circled above. Then we heard several gunshots. I was ducking and ready to go inside and lock every door possible, but Jared and apparently every neighbor on my street, wanted to stay outside and watch.

So it turns out some genius robbed the nearby CVS and escaped on his bike. It took the cops less than five minutes to find him and, for reasons still unknown, shoot him twice. Maybe the word will get out on the street that criminals get shot in the face in our neighborhood, thus deterring future crime? Here's hopin'.