Gardening at The ToadShed

Today is a regular off day for me so I decided to head on over to Blotanical and see whats been going on. I have met so many kind gardeners there, and everyone has something to share, so many helpful ideas and tips to use in the garden. It seems every day several more new garden blogs appear, and this is a good thing. It means that people are searching for something more, that they feel a desire to get back to nature and all that this wonderful earth offers us. We get so caught up in the day to day grind that we have somehow forgotten along the way what it is to relax and do things that we enjoy. Gardening is such a rewarding form of relaxation. Now I didn't say that there is no labor involved, because I am here to tell you that you will get your workout, hauling dirt and rocks, compost and mulch. Not to mention all of those plants that you just bought, you will probably at the least make 3-4 trips around the garden trying to decide the perfect spot. Then you have to dig all of th...

You may or may not have read one of my August post, in which I was having a huge problem with this weevil. It completely devoured my Black Eyed Susan's, not to mention several other plants. I have asked so many of my gardening friends about this insect, and no one has ever seen one or had a problem with them. I even bagged them up and took them to work to have a horticulturist look at them and he had no idea what it was. I have googled and looked at so many insects that looked similar but not found an exact match. I was obsessed with this last summer, and would like to get a head start on the nasty little devils this year. So please, if you have seen this bug and know its name. I would really appreciate any information. I have included a link back in the title post, this will take you to the original posting and show you a short film clip of it's devastating damage.

I began keeping a garden journal several years ago, It was just a regular journal with blank pages. I kept a record of my purchases and receipts. I noted rain dates and frost dates. I refer back to it from time to time. I often forget about plants that have gone dormant, until in the spring when I get out digging around and my spade strikes a bulb. Then I remember. A journal helps me with that as well. I found a wonderful journal from Lee Valley Tools, and my mother surprised me with it for my birthday! ( I just haven't had time to post about it. shhh ) , Any howsey, it is a beautifully crafted 10 yr journal with 541 pages. It has no pre printed years, so you can begin it at any time. I was so thrilled with it, I just had to share .

I had planned to arrive at Lake Guntersville by at least 6:00, Eagle Awareness Weekends are all this month, however at 6:00 I was awakened by a big boom and the sound of rain, I rolled over thinking that since I didn't make it there by sunrise maybe I would make it before sunset,when the Eagles come in to roost. And so, we did. My family's not as into birdwatching as I, but they go along, humoring me. We only saw three Eagles and this left me with the realization that I seriously need to upgrade my optics. I have four pairs of binoculars, I have 1-8x40, 1-10x42's with roof prisms and 1-10-30x50 zoom that was a gift from my mother -in -law, bless herheart. I also have an OLD pair of JC Penny 8x30's that I bought at a rummage sale years ago, and actually they are pretty good. Now I am ready for some more expensive better quality ones. I spent two days this holiday weekend searching, with no luck. Seems every pair I like are sold out except for the display and that comes w...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to Everyone!! My, I didn't realize that it had been so long since I last posted. I have been busy with the holidays as well as spending a great deal of time at the hospital. My Daddy had total knee replacement, so I have been involved in helping him and my Mama. One week before Christmas my brother-in-law had a life threatening episode and is still in the hospital. The doctors have still not found out the cause, which is very frightening, considering that he is only 39 and never had any health problems. So all of this has kept me quite busy. I finally got the chance to venture out in the garden today. I raked some leaves and pulled some ground ivy that was beginning to take over. Often during the winter my attention focuses mainly on bird watching and feeding. I had the opportunity to go out a few weeks ago and do some bird watching. Checkout the formation the birds had made against a Hawk, you can see the Hawk if you look closely. It reminded me...

Well , it won't be long now until the last leaves will fall and the trees will stand naked. I love fall, the crispness in the air and beautiful colors of the landscape. I often find myself collecting fallen leaves. Why, I don't know, because they are beautiful and I can't resist I suppose. However this fall I did make a collage of some leaves I had gathered. I made a frame of twigs and acorns. I thought it would look nice hanging in my garden shed.

While Googling the other day I came upon a web site of a Gardener/Author, Art Wolk, some of you may be familiar with him. I however had never heard of Art or his book, Garden Lunacy. After visiting his website I knew that I had to have a copy of this book. The website gives the reader a glimpse of whats inside the book. I am sure most of you can relate to the symptoms of Garden Lunacy, http://www.gardenlunacy.com/symptoms.htm I certainly could. You can place an order from his website and receive an autographed copy, or you could cheat like me and go to Amazon and order a slightly used copy.