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!

Snakes- How to keep snakes out of the yard

I was at a garden party last week when a woman asked me if I knew how to keep snakes out of her yard. She lives next to a national battle field and finds them around all the time. Now some snakes are beneficial because they eat rodents and bugs and are harmless. Some are not.
First you have to clean up your property. Move wood piles or rock piles toward the edge of your property.



Those cold blooded creatures love to hide in cool places. Make sure your grass is cut, leafs are raked and bushes are trimmed away from the ground. They won’t go were they can’t hide or find a nesting place.
Dogs are great. The scent of dogs will keep the snakes at bay.


Your bird feeder attracts squirrels and other rodents. It may also attract snakes. Any time you have a food source for wildlife you are asking snakes to dinner. Bird feeders are fine as long as you don’t have a snake problem.



This one was found in a ladder that had been stored near a dumpster then loaded onto the top of a van. They drove all the way home before they realized they had a snake on board.

Snakes are beneficial because they eat all those small critters that nibble on your garden. Bugs, grubs and whatever else is eating your vegetables and flowers.
What is a snakes favorite flower? Coily-flowers or course! :)

Just another Saturday- Marietta Farmers Market, Boxing Azaleas, Separating Hostas

We had a busy Saturday. First I took the dogs for a walk to the square. The farmers market is still there as in the You Tube video I did a couple of years ago.



Now across the street they have an artist market! Even more reason to visit!




On the way home we saw some azaleas at the Marlow House that had been trimmed into hedges. Now that they have bloomed they look so cool I had to take a photo.



So here is what we tackled today. I wanted to put separators between the Mondo grass and our lawn. In order to do that you have to dig down in between the two so the Mondo root won’t creep into the lawn.



We dug up the Dwarf Japanese maple tree and built up the base then planted it right back where it was. I wanted it to be higher so it could be seen over the other plants on the ground.



Next it was on to separating the Hostas. The ideal time to do this is before they leaf out.
I wanted to plant this Red Astilbe. I have Red, White, Pink and Purple planted in the bed out in the front yard and since this guy isn’t doing much in this little planter I decided it was time for a move to the front.



We also planted a red encore azalea, two Blue Mirror Delphinium and some more Bugleweed.
Now for an Epsom Salt bath, Deep Blue for my muscle pain (settersrun360@gmail.com for more information) and a glass of wine. Have a happy weekend!
P.S. My husband just tried Deep Blue on his lower back and had wonderful results.