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

Nothing says Fall like a Scarecrow!!!

Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn. ~Elizabeth Lawrence

Fall is NOT my favorite time of the year, because I know Winter is not far behind.

I hate it when I have to start cleaning up all the flowerbeds and getting things ready to come inside.

I hate to be Cold so I know I won't be spending much time

outside..

I guess that is why I spend so much time outside in the summer...

I just don't want to come inside in the summer...

I did get to do one of my favorite things this weekend...

I went to the Greenhouse to work on Saturday..

I was so excited... I spent the morning listening to Sue tell me about all kinds of things, she started some coleus topiaries they looked so great, I had just started some at home, I hope mine will do ok in the house this winter.

I got my hands in the soil, I got to water lots of plants and I got to transplant some Coleus. Coleus of all things only one of my favorites. I'm looking forward to going back all winter to help with whatever I can..

Than I came home and got started doing that fall decorating...

If I can't get out there and plant I have to decorate..

I got my "FUNKY FLOWER POTS" back out. I knew I could find something to use them for again

Well here it is...

I went to the garden to pick a few Gourds from the

garden. I think I'm going to have plenty to decorate with...

So things are starting to really look like "FALL"

Have A Good One,

Lynn

"SIGNS OF FALL"

The caterpillar does all the work but the butterfly gets all the publicity. ~Attributed to George Carlin

All the signs are there, it is almost Fall. The days have been just beautiful.Cool mornings and beautiful Afternoons. As I worked in the gardens getting them ready for winter I found a few signs that fall are diffidently here...

This cute little Caterpillar climbing up one of the

Chinese Lanterns I just cut.

I decided not to bring him in with me...

A brand spanking new Monarch Butterfly, so new it wasn't able to fly. I still have 2 more that haven't hatched yet... The color is just so vibrant...

UPDATE...

as I was setting here typing I heard Tom yell, bring the camera..

He was getting ready to dump the stuff I just put in the cart and found this. The other Monarch, drying it's wings too. So we picked it up and moved it over with the other one...

Tom getting it moved...

Here they are together, I was so excited to see them both....

This is our brush pile...At least Tom thought it was...

Until this little volunteer came up this summer and has now covered the top of it...

It looks like it has hair...

The blooms are so bright...

I had no idea what kind of gourds they were but they are great.....

This one really says fall...The Sedum is in full bloom and getting more burgundy by the day. This one has really gotten big this year....

Well I hope you all have enjoyed the walk through the fall gardens. Have a great week and I will talk to you in a few days...

Have a good one...

Lynn

Dreaming of being a kid again....

If you're going to be weird, be confident about it.

- Life's Little Instruction Calendar

If you haven't noticed I love quotes, I hope you are enjoying them!!!

As I was cutting some plants and potting them up tonight, I was thinking of all the things I have already taken to school and wondering where I am going to put all this stuff!!! LOL

I even took my Monarch Butterfly Caterpillar to school for the kids to watch it do it's thing..It is now a cute little Cocoon... We are counting down the days til it is a beautiful Butterfly. I am just having a really hard time this year getting ready to bring everything in for the winter...

I need to live somewhere it is warm all year... No than I would miss all the wonderful seasons we have here.

I'm just glad I have the University Greenhouse to go to in the winter. Where I can play in the dirt all winter long...

I remember the first time I got to go to the Greenhouse... I thought I had died and gone to Heaven.

All the dirt I wanted and all the pots to plant in, and "SEEDS" LOTS AND LOTS OF SEEDS. Not to mention all the plants there were to propagate or transplant.. Then there was the water "unlimited" to water all I wanted and my own hose with "Plant Food" to feed all those little babies...

"WHAT COULD BE BETTER THAN THAT"?

I was learning and sucking it all in. I felt like a kid again playing in the dirt NO THEY CALL IT "SOIL". DIRT is what you find under your fingernails!!! LOL

Thought you might enjoy this....

This is how I set in the evenings at my computer, keeping quite warm. This little 6 pound dog has to be the best heating pad around!!! LOL...

It would be great If I weren't "50" something and hot enought the way it is!!! LOL

Her name is Claudia and she is about 12 years old. She is the most loving dog I know. Of course she is just plain "Cute". Especially when she does stuff like this...

She is just wedged between me and the chair...

With her little head resting on the back of the chair watching little Keigan sleeping on the bed...

Pets they are part of the family....

They never complain and love you all the time....

Have A Good One...

Lynn

A wonderful set of videos...

"Life is Full of Simple Pleasures!" unknown..

As I was checking a few of my favorite blogs today I came across something that looks so interesting. I have only begun to watch them, but I really wanted to share with you. There is so much to learn from them and the video is just beautiful how it is put together.

So when you have time sit back and forget the TV and the Reality Shows and learn a little about gardening...

I plan to spend the evening doing just that...

This it the first parts to the series:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6320912252148666793&q=

Here is part 2:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2437285178897644131&q=

I know you are saying have you LOST YOUR MIND, it is 4 hours of video..

Well just watch a little at a time, the blog will be here and the links will be to so keep coming back to visit!!!

I KNOW I SHOULD BE OUTSIDE DOING MORE OF THIS ....
But I have my hot cup of coffee and my Bon Bons and I'm going to sit back and just enjoy and learn.



So have a good one,
Lynn