Native Plants

I was reading an interesting article today on Native Plant "purists". You can find it HERE and well it got me to wondering, I would LOVE to be a purist! Yes I want to be the lady I mean have the yard where everyone in my town says "that is the yard of that crazy freak!" and then "I wonder if she has anything for my headaches?" in their next breath!

lol!

Yes eventually my goal is to have NO grass .... well let me correct that, no LAWN to mow... cause I fully want some grasses. Like lemon grass and some nice tall grasses to help with privacy and provide some food for the chickens I will be getting. :)

The college where I go to school and work has nice prairie garden filled with native plants. And I am slowly identifying them all. Ok, now do not laugh, but I just realized we have Dogbane in that garden! If you have never seen Dogbane, it has a very unique fruit. Two ovaries fuse, making two long fruits (similar to a skinny green bean) and then fuse on the ends. Just the two ends are fused. I need to get a picture.

but it is raining and storming out right now. I will try though later :)

Now I already have a pretty good start on some native plants in my yard. I have some nice yarrow and will most likely take a trip along the Ridge (that is Crowley's Ridge which is very unique, Google it) and see what plants are in seed right now. I hope to find some passion flower in seed. I always seem to miss that!

And despite my numerous efforts, I cannot seem to get Echinacea, purple cone-flower, to grow in my yard. I will be snagging some of the Ozark/Golden cone-flower from the prairie garden this year and trying that next year.

Here's to Native Plants! I hope you plant many and learn all about them and their medicinal uses!!

Feel free to share your favorites!

easy recipe

Trailer park Mama has a nice recipe for Calendula salve on her blog today. If you have not seen her blog yet, you should go and give it a lookie loo!

ADVENTURES OF A TRAILER PARK MAMA

delicious rain and cooler temps!

I am so loving the weather this past week! Lower temperatures: in the lower 80s and now we have had a couple days of awesome thunderstorms WITH rain!!!! (sometimes we have them without rain)

and now I have to wait for the grass to dry and mow. I have not had to mow for over a month!!

I have called for an estimate for a hand pump to be put on my well, no answer yet. And I hope to be able to put a greenhouse around the pump. I have an idea of what I want, even have it kinda sketched out. Now to build it. lol! I will need help for that since I have no clue!

Soaps at the Farmers Market!

Lot's of lovely soaps at the Farmers Market!

Looks like I may not get a fall garden in this year but....

I will be making plans for a new raised bed and more intensive gardening next year! I just was not too organized this year; but will be more so next year! :)

I also will be putting up more bird feeders this fall. I have had some interesting birds: purple finches of course, one hummer I saw but the feeder is being emptied so there may be more. And a pair of woodpeckers! I LOVE woodpeckers -ALL the species!!! Was very excited when I saw them! Lots of doves and robins. I would love to draw some golden finches!

just an update

I went out to water today, I cannot believe that there is still life out there in my garden. It has been SO hot out there. My herbs seem to be doing the best but I did lose my lambs ears. I do not think they will come back. Not sure if my citrus trees will make it or not. Their little leaves are all curled up. I started them from seed so I hope they make it.

I have about three tomatoes on one plant, the others are just not going pass the flower stage. And STILL none of my squash or cucumbers are doing anything but flowering!

The good news is that I have not had to mow my grass for almost a month! lol!

And some more good news is that my mint has come back so another week or so and I will start harvesting the leaves. I love the tea from it.

my three year old green pepper plant had one pepper on it and the heat COOKED IT! yes I went to check it, it was not quite big enough to pick, and it was all soft and COOKED! No peppers off it for me this year!

So I had bought a bag full of nuts last year after they went on sale for a buck a pound and I planted a bunch of them and a few of them came up, now comes the fun part: figuring out what nut tree they are! lol! I planted almond, hazelnut, English walnut, pecan and even a brazil nut or two. Time to get my tree book out! I would LOVE a few of each, not sure where I would put them in my yard (tiny yard).... I may have to see about buying the empty two lots one door down.... lol! If only I have the money! :)

all for now!

New Planting Zone map

Thanks global warming, I now can grow tropicals :D

So there is good and bad news in the news today

Bad news first:

Seems the gov has been raiding again:


Breaking news: Multi-agency armed raid hits Rawesome Foods, Healthy Family Farms for selling raw milk and cheese

Thanks to Natural News for the story!

READ STORY HERE

I am SO glad I moved out of CA!

Now for the GOOD news!


Court rules organic farmers can sue conventional, GMO farmers whose pesticides 'trespass' and contaminate their fields

READ ABOUT IT HERE!

Thanks again Natural News!!

I haven't seen EITHER of these stories in the main stream media. Sad reflection of the state of our country.