This and That: A Blog

 Woolly Apple mint is a reliable invasive!  One of the self-seeded Sungold tomatoes.  I guess I won't have to buy any plants this year!    Star of Bethlehem is a weed that's hard to get rid of, but it sure is pretty.  Hopefully it stays cool enough for the snap peas to reach maturity.  They are in no hurry this year.  One of the oreganos pops up all over the yard.  It's pretty, so I don't mind. Golden Oregano  Geum Fire Storm  One of the free curb irises is blooming.  As are the California poppies.  I think 99% of them came up in the paths not the beds.    I'm already pulling them out. The globe artichoke is coming back nicely.  The weather's been nice, cool mornings and warm afternoons in the 70s.  By the weekend it will cool off though, with rain expected in a few days.   That might give the peas a chance!

  " Welcome to The Numbers Game #112 . Today’s number is 234.To play along, go to your photos file folder and type the number  233 into the search bar. Then post a selection of the photos you find that include that number and post a link to your blog in my  Numbers Game  blog of the day." I visit a lot more blogs than my comments seem to suggest.  If you use Wordpress I may be unable to leave a comment.  I used to have an account, and now some Wordpress blogs are set to make me sign in, and even though I no longer have an account Wordpress remembers my email and won't let me continue.  Sorry.  I had that happen with three blogs already today.  

 Happy Labor Day to my fellow Americans!   The only thing different for me today is there's no mail. Here's the usual bunch of randoms for a Motley Monday. My lovely big lemon cucumber has zero cucumbers.  On the other hand, Salad Bush is going a bit crazy.  Someone who saw this photo said it looked like something from Chernobyl. The plant doesn't look much better! A lot of Pluots dried on the tree.  Second year that happened, although this year there were a lot falling off too.  Dill's going to seed. My hands sure smell like pickles after I touch it! This is orange mint.  It's quite an aggressive grower.  It's the last mint to flower in my yard. Although we're still in the 90s, it looks like autumn is on the way. Longfield's Pink daylily is flowering again.  Not in multiples like Brown-eyed Stella , but still flowering. Tomorrow's Tuesday Treasures post is the one I hinted at a few weeks ago .  If you want to see what $2.00 can g...

Garden Miscellaneous   Lovely plump sweet wild blackberries! Virginia Creeper berries are turning earlier than last year.  That doesn't necessarily mean an early winter, although it can.  It can also be a stress response to heat and drought as a survival mechanism.  I'd love cooler temperatures, but not an early winter! The berries can be eaten by wild birds without issue, but can be harmful to humans.  The berries and leaves contain oxalate crystals which can cause swelling of the tongue and throat, vomiting, diarrhea, and in rare cases difficulty swallowing or breathing due to the swelling of the throat.  Good thing they taste bad and children don't want a second taste!  Pet birds, particularly parakeets, may have reactions as well.  European Paper Wasp These invasive wasps made their first appearance in the US in the 1970s in Boston.   It's thought they arrived in cargo or packaging material.  They are aggressive to the nati...

The Numbers Game #84   "Today’s number is 206. ... go to your photos file folder and type that number into the search bar. Then post a selection of the photos you find that include that number and post a link to your blog in my  Numbers Game  blog of the day." upper left corner: Wrestles acrylic painting ©Win Smith in my collection

Almost August!  August is my birthday month.  I'm a Leo, but a very poor Leo as far as what we are "supposed" to be like!  A closet Leo maybe, as I do like things done my way.  But, doesn't everyone?  I remember years ago a round-table type thing where we were asked if we had to do something would we " do it the right way, or our way ?"  I said, " What if I think my way is the right way? "  I guess that's a Leo attitude. In the garden. I found a bird's nest on the ground in the Herb Garden area.  Since I fed the seedling lemon cucumbers and tomatoes they have taken off.  I am disappointed in the Lane's Best Super Natural Potting Soil.  I shouldn't have had to feed the plants so soon after planting them.   No cucumbers on the lemon cucumber plants yet, but lots of flowers. One Mystery tomato plant is a large type, with the deformed look of an heirloom.   You know, not the perfect round ones.  The other Mystery is ...