Update

Mom is doing lots better, She is home from the hospital, on oxygen and meds. Her breathing is getting better. she is along way from being on the arobics floor,but I'm sure she will be back as soon as she can... She is loving all the cards and phone calls, she just gives me that big smile as she tells me who she got cards from today!!! THANKS!!!

Have a great Halloween !!! More later...

Moms 80th Birthday when she got her new dog!!! "Blondie"

Have a good one,

Lynn

Not much to report !

I love my mother as the trees love water and sunshine - she helps me grow, prosper, and reach great heights. ~Adabella Radici



My mother has been the hospital for a week with pneumonia. She is 82 going on 62... This is the first time she has been in the hospital since she was 21. She is not happy to be there but she realizes she has to be there. A few more days and I think she will get to come home... Please say a prayer for her... and me when she gets home... LOL


We had some little snow flurries today ... I HATE SNOW AND I HATE TO BE COLD!!!


The yard and flower beds are put to bed for the winter. So I will have to rely on the greenhouse for my flower FIX...

Have a good one,

Lynn

A fun day at the WVU Greenhouse !!!

Gardens... should be like lovely, well-shaped girls: all curves, secret corners, unexpected deviations, seductive surprises and then still more curves. ~H.E. Bates, A Love of Flowers



On my way to Morgantown the leaves were beautiful, I just had to snap a few shots...
Now with all the frost this week the leaves are almost gone. I'm glad I got to see them at their best ! The mums were wonderful in front of the Creative Arts Center, all different colors of fall on such a beautiful morning...

As I pulled up in front of the Greenhouse I thought of the pointsetta's that I remember the day the little plugs came UPS. They were so tiny and just a few weeks ago they had gotten so much bigger and were well on their to blooming. In just a little over a month they will have the big sale and I'm quite sure they will be beautiful...

Here they are still pretty green but they will be slowly changing that beautiful Red!!!

I will try to send some more Greenhouse Pictures in a few days...

Have a Great One,

Lynn

WHERE TO PUT ALL OF THIS STUFF???

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came -
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.~George Cooper, "October's Party"


Yesterday was a day of ...OK WHERE TO PUT ALL OF THIS STUFF???
It was the first day of hunting season so I had the weekend all to myself. Life is good...
It is a beautiful weekend to work and get some things off my dinning room table and under the lights in the basement. Only one problem ... That table was full of things that needed cleared off. So I had to start inside. But here are some of my little starts in their new home for the winter...
I sure hope they make it through the winter.

Now I have my dinning room table back. Of course I still have a few things to take to school for the windows there...

Then to the outside for some more seed searching.. Profusion Zinnias are full of seeds right now.

BUT which ones are the seeds. I have always saved the little seed at the end of the petal. Right that is it... Isn't It??? So what are these??? While picking off the blooms I discovered all of the seed looking things inside the center of each flower. Of course I went straight to my Dave's Garden experts. (http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/)Posted the pictures and found the answer...What a place I love it, there is always someone that knows just exactly what you need to know...

They are both seeds. But how much easier to collect them from the center. I just hadn't waited

long enough for the centers to dry out... I learn something every time I go into the garden... There is just so much to learn!!! I did find a little something still trying to hold onto it's bloom... The lobillia is still really spectacular. I think that is why I plant it each year. That great color lasts forever...

Have a Good One..

Lynn

Thrifty Gardening...

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~Albert Camus

If you haven't already thought about it, now is the time to gather all your seeds for next year. Almost everything is going to seed. Just start looking at all those plants that are starting to put out those hundreds of seeds. Why buy all those Marigolds again next year when you have thousands of seeds sitting right there. They are one of the easiest flowers to grow from seed. Your kids will really enjoy growing a few for themselves...

Look at all those impatiens that are still holding on. You will be amazed at the amount of seeds they put on.

See that little green pod...

Yep that's the one, it is almost ready to pop with seeds.

When it is ready , put one hand under it and pop it.

Be careful seeds will go everywhere...
The Nigella you can just save the seed or put them where you want them for next year right how. Just drop them on top the soil and you will see them start to come up in the very early spring.
Look inside you will find all the seeds you need for next year...

All those little cuttings you can take to propagate for next year. I have cut back all the Geranium's and dipped in rooting hormone and have them potted up and ready to come inside for the winter. Just keep them pinched back and water a little add a little sun and you will have plenty to start off the summer...

Lantana, Heliotrope, Begonias, Strawberry Begonias, Bridal Vail, Sweet Potato Vine, Coleus and so many more can be over wintered, just a couple cuttings off of each and you will be amazed at what you have saved in the spring....

Don't forget in the spring visit all your garden friends early, there isn't a gardener I know that doesn't love to give things away in the spring. There are always new things coming up that we will either have to dig up and give away or they will go to the compost pile if you can't find a home for them. I know I would much rather share then see them go to compost!!!

Remember check to see what time of the year you can divide the things that are big enough to divide. Some you can divide now, if you are going to divide things in the spring make sure you do it early so you won't bother their blooming time...

I hope some of this has helped you...

Try a few of those seeds you will be amazed at what you can grow at home and save yourself some money this spring by do it!!!

The Monarch Butterfly....

"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower." ~Hans Christian Anderson


My Monarch Butterfly was a success with our Kindergarten Class. I found another Caterpillar (Katie the Caterpillar) on my Butterfly Weed, took it to school in a nice big jar...

Of course we didn't catch it tuning into a cocoon,(Cris the Chrysalis) but the kids thought it was cool...

This picture was taken just before it opened. It was so neat to see those wings so clear. How small they looked...
Until it opened up and they all unfolded in front of us...

We counted down the days til it turned into our beautiful Butterfly..(Betty the Butterfly)

Thank goodness we caught it on video...

So here you go, watch how cute it is...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioT3eeoSniM

Now it was time to let her go (her of course because she was so BEAUTIFUL)

She flew up into the tree just high enough that we could see her one more time...

The kids loved it, then she took off one more time making a loop all the way around us and away she went.

It was amazing to watch the whole process and I was so glad to have been able to share it with the kids...

Hope you ENJOYED!!!

Have a good one...

Lynn