Japanese Maple
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Japanese Maple

I’ve wanted a Japanese Maple for a long time.  I love their shape, their size, and the fact that their lacy foliage often turns a brilliant color in the fall. An empty spot in a small bed beside our screened porch steps became the home to my new Japanese Maple, Acer palmatum ‘orangeola.’ I chose…

Summer Blooms

My main perennial bed has been pretty since spring.  I’ve shared that we’ve killed our lawn in hopes of ridding it of pesky Bermuda grass and I’m realizing that any flower bed looks better when surrounded by lush green grass instead of dead brown grass.  Regardless, this bed provides infinite pleasure to me. Lantana is…

Fruits of my Labor

I worked really hard yesterday to finish my mulching.  There’s one more area in our yard that needs mulch, but it can wait for now. The garden is now mulched with leaves and straw.  The straw is leftover from when our yard was planted last summer after our driveway construction.  I’m glad that we raked…

No Waste Gardening

No Waste Gardening

In my yard, I try to let no organic matter go to waste.  What am I talking about do you ask?  Read on! 1.  Save Your Leaves  In the fall I save every single leaf that I rake.  I load them onto tarps and drag them to their hiding spot behind my shed.  Do you…

Knee Deep

It’s been a crazy week here and it’s only Wednesday.  We’re doing state testing at school which makes for a stressful few weeks for both students and teachers.  I volunteered to host a retirement party next week.  When I think I might prepare for it, I’m not sure. Adding to this, my tennis team has…

Flowering Cactus

I inherited this unidentified plant from my grandmother many years ago and have only witnessed its bloom twice.  It froze a few years ago and almost died, but it has made a come back and is rewarding me this year with two blooms. Its not the most attractive hanging plant, but its blooms make it…

Bloom of the Red Maple

One of the things that my life science students learn about is the four phyla of plants:  moss, ferns, conifers, and flowering plants.  It’s hard for many of the students to imagine that trees like Oaks and Maples bloom. The Red Maple in my yard is currently blooming, so I had to capture pictures to…