From my photo files- Dried Shrimp Shells, Grecian Pattern Plant, Vinegar to kill weeds

I was just going over some of the photos I’d taken and thought I’d share some of them with you. I had planted a couple of these Grecian Pattern Plants in the garden on September 5th of last year and posted it on my Grow it First facebook page. Well, they are just beginning to bloom so I thought I’d post this photo.



They’ll have whitish purple flowers soon. This plant is supposed to spread like wildfire so make sure they are in a contained but shady area. In some countries these plants are considered a weed. One persons weed is another persons fancy so there you go. I’ll add a photo once the blooms have all come out. I really love this plant/weed.



My friend Kate sent this idea to me. By using vinegar instead of Round Up or some other chemical weed killer - you are helping to keep the environment clean and keeping your animals safe in the yard. I tried it. I have some grass in a path that needed controlling. I sprayed the vinegar on the grass then I took another photo 2 days later.



It is working but slowly. The place smelled like pickles at first but that smell goes away fast. If you get some vinegar on your hands just rub a little vanilla extract on them and that will take the smell away. I suppose if you were to really drench the weeds it would work faster. At $3 a gallon you can afford to do just that.



Have you ever wondered what poison ivy looks like? Here it is. You know the old saying - 3 leaves stay away, 5 leaves it’s okay. I have heard that the oil from poison ivy can stay active for up to 5 years on unwashed tools or clothing so be careful out there. Unless you’ve come across it and have suffered the consequences you may not really have an idea what to stay away from. They now make poison ivy blocks with lanolin that will help prevent you from getting poison ivy. So if you know you are going out in the woods you may want to pick some up. Once you have poison ivy you should make a paste with some baking soda and water and apply it to the affected area.



I’ll leave you with one last thing. My friend Alicia gave me this hint for planting roses. She said it’s an old family secret that has been passed down for generations although I feel it’s common knowledge around really prolific rose connoisseurs. Next time you have shrimp for dinner - save the shells, dry them out and plant them with your roses. They love the nutrients in the shells and your roses will love you for it. Till next time.

P.S. This photo added June 1st. Best I could do. Grecian Pattern Plant Blooming!