Today is National Dog Day. It's their day to be celebrated. They
give us unconditional love. Look into those faces, those eyes, you
see that love. They give us comfort and devotion without question.
Extra treats indeed.
Celebrating two August birthdays. Son Benjamin on the 26th and
daughter Shakira the 27th. We are so blessed. They have given us
much joy and happiness.
Aunt Shakira and Papa Ben with grandson Ethan.
Here's a little something I put together with my olive tree
branches and tiny flowers from the garden. Also enjoy
the last of my blue and pink hydrangeas. I've been cutting
for indoor display and drying a lot since they have been
blooming. The lime green are still going strong.
Visit www.cookingthymewithdiana.com for a new recipe
Next up garden updates and a new month
Stop by INSTAGRAM, I'm at dianarn2627
Obsessed? Probably just a little, ummm maybe a little more. I
worry about every little ant, grasshopper, beetle, leaf damage,
fungus, on and on. There are pests, there are garden diseases.
If you have flowers, grow vegetables, then you're going to have
these problems.
We need to be educated…to know our bugs. Are they all bad?
No. Inspect your garden regularly… you want to detect
problems early on. Once you've identified your pest, the easier
it will be to manage. There are chemical methods and organic
earth-friendly methods. I leave that up to you.
There are beneficial insects that play a role in your garden.
They may also be a predator to the bad bugs. The trick is to
understand the difference. Visit the internet, lots of pictures,
advice and suggestions. Plant a variety of things that will
attract the goods bugs. They will need food like nectar and
pollen. Plant wisely. Some suggestions: Shasta daisies, asters,
cone flowers, fennel, and dill.
If we were to wipe out insects alone on
this planet, the rest of life and humanity
with it would mostly disappear from the
land. Within a few months. -E.O. Wilson
Word of the day: Blossom-End Rot
Noun. A disease caused by a deficiency of calcium particularly in
tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, and eggplant. The plant is
unable to absorb enough calcium from the soil. If you see a dark
rotting spot on the bottom of your tomato, that's blossom-end rot.
The tissues of the fruit are breaking down. Also water
fluctuations, stress, too much fertilizer can also be the cause.
Note:
You can purchase a calcium solution to help. Seems to work
better on tomatoes than on other vegetables, but ask your garden
center for help.
Now for the ugly, see that picture……...
Yep, guess what returned to our lower backyard!!! "Who you
gonna call?" Jack from barneswildlifecontrol.com on board
as I type this. More to come next week.
Thanks for stopping by.
Stop by www.cookingthymewithdiana.com for a new recipe!
Visit and "like" me on Instagram dianarn2627
I've talked about the beauty of flowers, about my love for
gardening and growing herbs and vegetables. (See the post
Gardening Is My Thing.) I wanted to expand on that thought
and just share my personal thoughts on why I garden.
Just find Mother Nature's address and
come and get your happiness.
-Shirley Temple
Yes, gardening is a great relaxer, it's exercise, it offers
satisfaction and gives rewards. Who doesn't appreciate
picking a fresh tomato or cutting a bouquet of zinnias
and daisies. Gardening is my own personal therapy,
it calms me, offers solitude and keeps me distracted
from the stresses of life when I need it to.
I like to think I have a relationship with Mother Nature.
I have to be outside. I like the sun shining, but I also love
a cloudy day and a good thunderstorm. I've been known
to work my yard and garden in the rain, yes love it.
Our planet's precious soil nourishes
the roots of people as well as plants.
-Katherine Robertson-Pilling
It makes me so happy to know my daughter Shakira
finds satisfaction in working in her yard and creating
her flower beds. When she said she was interested in
possibly, maybe growing some herbs, I was so excited.
Maybe I passed along my love of gardening gene!!
Thanks for stopping by,
Diana
visit me on Instagram, dianarn2627
Good riddance July. Please take all your heat and humidity with
you. Officially August has been forecasted to give us less intense
heat days and temperatures falling into the 80's. The rain outlook
for our region however, doesn't look so good. Ok we'll take what
we can get and be happy. It's still summer, lots of time to be out-
doors and enjoy all those warm weather activities. Our summer
flowers are just beautiful and putting on a show right now.
Remember watering is a must for our flowers, grass, and
gardens.
Enjoy my summer beauties….
Flowers will always give you a show…
Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.
-Gerard de Nerval
The earth laughs in flowers
Flowers don't worry about how they're going
to bloom. They just open up and turn toward
the light and that makes them beautiful.
-Jim Carrey
Let your flowers speak to you
Give someone flowers, it will feel so good
Visit me on Instagram, dianarn2627
