Mellow Yellow Monday - Yellow Mushrooms in the Garden

I know they may be a little creepy to some, but I think these little yellow mushrooms are cute. I found them in my garden this morning and thought they would be perfect for Mellow Yellow Monday.

Happy MYM to all!

Ruby Tuesday - Roses Are Red

Finding candidates worthy to post for Ruby Tuesday has become one of my favorite things to do. This week I'm going to the garden again. Here goes.

Red Knock Out Rose Bud

Red Knock Out Rose

The Knock Out Rose is a member of the Earth Kind Roses Family. They are easy to grow, disease and insect resistant and above all beautiful.

These Knock Out Roses led me to plant a rose garden comprised of 5 different varieties of Earth Kind Roses. I highlighted the process in an earlier blog My Earth Kind Rose Garden .

I hope my Ruby Tuesday selections bring you joy.

Til next time,

Happy Gardening!

Mellow Yellow Monday - Friends in the Garden

Well it's Mellow Yellow Monday again! Hope everybody had a great weekend! I spent mine watching the rain come down. I'm not complaining it was great weather to stay inside and watch football.

Here are my entries for MYM! I hope they bring you joy.

Turks Cap is one of the favorite plants of the Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly!

These two Fiery Skipper Butterflies found more than just nectar when they visited this beautiful Zinnia in my garden!

This little bee found more than enough pollen in this bright yellow Cosmos that I planted near the pond in the garden!

Happy Mellow Yellow Monday!

Water Smarts in the Garden

It's Saturday afternoon here in Arlington, Texas and its been raining for the past 2 days. Being a gardener, I must say that I am very appreciative of the rain. But it got me to thinking about all of the dry hot days we experience here in Texas.

While most of my gardens are comprised of native plants, lets face it, they all need lots of water. I try to conserve as much as possible, so I'm always looking for new ideas to help me learn better ways to help me do that and help environment at the same time.

I ran across an article in the September/October 2009 issue of "Gardening How-To Magazine" entitled: Get Smarter About Water. It had some great ideas and I thought that I would share one of the tips that I really liked and thought that I would be able to do.

BRING INSIDE WATER OUT:

Garden water isn't limited to rainwater or the outdoor hose--use kitchen water too. If you've just boiled eggs, pasta, or vegetables, pour the leftover hot water on weeds and they'll soon wilt and die (great for weeds in driveway crevices and along walls). Let the water cool and you can use it on any of your plants--they'll especially love the cooking water's trace minerals. And don't dump water out when you rinse your almost-empty coffee pot. Instead, pour it on acid-loving plants like impatiens, begonias, irises, hydrangeas, aloes, and azaleas.

Look at the ways water goes to waste in your house and put it to good use. Place a pitcher on the kitchen counter for "recycled" water; whenever someone doesn't finish a glass of water, pour it into the pitcher. When it's full, use the water on houseplants or patio container plants. If your bathtub faucet leaks during your shower, put a bucket under the faucet, then use the water on an herb pot or window box.

I hope you find this article helpful. Like I said there are many other good tips on the website if you would like to visit www.gardeningclub.com.

Until next time.
Happy Gardening.

Ruby Tuesday - Red Hat

As you can tell by my blog title, I love gardening and spend a lot of time in my gardens. While that is my passion, I must say that there is another thing that I am quite passionate about.That is spending time with my Red Hat Society sisters.
For those that don't know, the Red Hat Society was started about ten years ago by a woman who was determined to enjoy life past the age of fifty. She wanted to celebrate life with her girlfriends around the same age. Donning Red Hats and Purple outfits the tea parties, vacations, and other fun outings began.

From one woman's determination not to let life

pass her by, an international phenomenal has swept up women around the world.
I'm proud to say that I am one of them.
So for this Ruby Tuesday post I thought that I would share a few of my favorite red hat things.

Mellow Yellow Monday- Pandora's Box Day Lily

Pandoras's Box Day Lily

Happy Labor Day!

Hope you enjoy my Mellow Yellow Monday Selection.

This day lily is reblooming from early spring.

It was quite a surprise when saw it a couple of days ago.

TODAY'S FLOWERS - NASTURTIUM

NASTURTIUM

I discovered this delicate white bloom in my Butterfly & Hummingbird Wildflower Garden. It only started blooming just a few days ago. What a lovely surprise. I hope you enjoy it as my Today's Flower entry.

Until next time,

Happy Gardening!

SkyWatch Friday - Happy Labor Day

I'm a proud American and this flag graces my home each and every day. With the upcoming Labor Day Weekend approaching I thought that this shot captured by my daughter early one July evening would be perfect for SkyWatch Friday. I hope you agree.

Until next time,

Happy Gardening!

Ruby Tuesday- Red Rules

Good Tuesday morning and welcome to my first Ruby Tuesday post.
I hope you enjoy my selections.

This red bloom is Turks Cap. It thrives
easily in my garden and the humming-
birds and butterflies love it. So do I!

This little Red Barn is a replica
of the many signs that you
will see while traveling through
the cities near Lookout Mountain,
Georgia. I found this bell at the gift
shop in Chattanooga, TN's airport.

A bright red Zinnia was just the spot
for this Swallowtail Butterfly visiting
my garden.

Mellow Yellow Monday- Flowers From Chesapeake Gardens

Moss Rose

Marigold

Sunflower

Hi Mellow Yellow Monday Submitters! I found this site visiting SkyWatch Friday blog submissions. I love the color yellow and decided to see what the Mellow Yellow Monday family was all about. I must say I have seen some very interesting, funny, and most of all, beautiful photos devoted to the color yellow. Here is my first entry. These photos are from my gardens. I hope you enjoy and Happy Gardening!

SkyWatch Friday - Blessed In Texas

On August 1, 2009 I stepped outside my front door and witnessed this beautiful summer sunset. You know it is said that everything is big in Texas, I just say I'm blessed in Texas. I hope you enjoy my SkyWatch Friday entry.

Until next time,

Happy Gardening!

The Roses of Chesapeake Gardens

It's summertime in Chesapeake Gardens and the flowers are beautiful. Especially the roses. I have enjoyed every step it took to get to this place in the gardens. If you've followed my blog you know that I planted my Earth Kind Rose garden this spring and have been logging the success up until now. I've made two slide shows so I can share the beauty of my Earth Kind Roses and also my less talked about Moss Rose Collection. Take a few moments enjoy what I see everyday. Until next time:

HAPPY GARDENING.

Butterflies in the Garden

While I took a break from blogging, my gardens have continued to grow and flourish. While I choose not to bore you with the reasons that led to my absence, I will say that through it all my garden was the one place I could always go to find comfort and peace.
In my garden I am never alone. I have lots of friends. The birds, the squirrels, bees and dragonflies and damselflies. But I think my most special friends are the butterflies. There are so many different kinds. So many beautiful colors. I never know who will show up on any given day. Whether its early morning, high noon, or late evening, they are my constant companions in the garden. I can always count on their presence to cheer me up. I hope you enjoy the images of my friends that I captured while strolling through my gardens.

Female Black Swallowtail


Fiery Skipper


American Snout


Gulf Fritillary


Gulf Fritillary


Giant Swallowtail



Cabbage White


Monarch