Honey Bee's Home & Garden

Today's Harvest!

2011-06-28T12:33:00.001-05:00

Today I harvested a ton of Sun Gold cherry tomatoes, a ripe bunch of Black Pearl cherry tomatoes, a couple Italian Ice cherry tomatoes, some Sweet Banana Peppers, and some other large long peppers.

Giant Sunflower

2011-06-27T23:28:00.001-05:00

Glory Lily!

2011-06-26T22:45:00.001-05:00

We have been waiting 3 years for this Glory Lily to bloom! It kept dying and then would surprise us and start growing again, then die, and again grow etc. etc. Today we got a stunning surprise seeing the bloom open in all its glory! LOL And it didn't disappoint! Isn't God a wonderful artist?!

Garden Update

2011-05-16T17:03:00.001-05:00

Veggie Garden Update

2011-05-16T16:41:00.001-05:00

Shower Tile Finally Done

2011-05-07T02:16:00.000-05:00

Yay the tile is finally done! It looks amazing! My hubby did such an awesome job it totally looks professional if not better! I also got a pretty bath mat that has pretty crochet scallops on the edge!

Veggie Patch and More Flowers

2011-04-30T20:30:00.001-05:00

More Spring Photos

2011-04-30T19:55:00.001-05:00

A huge yummy strawberry a fragrant yellow daylily, and a lovely rose! Also a couple of photos of new roses we just planted. Knock Out Rose (bright red/pink) and Midnight Blue Rose (dark purple).

Bell Shaped Clematis 'Pagoda'

2011-04-30T14:20:00.003-05:00

Pretty Views

2011-04-28T16:12:00.001-05:00

Spring Flowers

2011-04-23T18:48:00.001-05:00

Pea Harvest

2011-04-23T17:30:00.001-05:00

Yay today yielded a good size harvest of peas! They are very tasty too, and to my surprise a little different from peas you buy! So our first time growing peas is successful!

Sweetheart Rose

2011-04-09T19:19:00.001-05:00

Our Sweetheart Climbing Rose is about to be in bloom full force! Here is the first of many to come! I wish you could smell it too. Though it is a tiny rose(this one is about an inch), it sure packs a punch! I can't wait until they are all blooming the scent will surely fill our garden!

Spring Flowers

2011-04-07T14:20:00.001-05:00

I took a tour of the garden today and here are some photos of flowers I saw!

Pea Pods!

2011-04-06T01:30:00.001-05:00

Yay now we have little pea pods! Getting closer to harvesting peas! I'm so excited and I can't wait to eat them! I've never had fresh from the garden peas before!

Yay new plants

2011-04-03T20:02:00.002-05:00

We splurged and got some new plants! A couple of ultra dwarf apple trees that will only be 3ft! A thornless boysenberry, and some herbs and other goodies.

Seed Starting

2011-04-01T10:00:00.002-05:00

I started four varieties of Sunflowers (one of which is a 16ft kind), four varieties of Zinnias, some Cosmos, Shirley Poppies, Nasturtiums, and Cottage Red Marigolds.

Peas and Sweet Peas

2011-03-26T17:56:00.002-05:00

Yay our sweet peas are really getting to blooming and now we have Pea blooms too! Yay it doesn't take long from bloom to pea pods!

Sweet Peas

2011-03-24T12:25:00.002-05:00

Yay we finally have some sweet peas blooming and I love that they are two shades of pink!

New flowers and seedlings

2011-03-15T18:58:00.004-05:00

Inspiration Photos

2011-03-14T17:37:00.001-05:00

Seeds

2011-03-14T17:35:00.001-05:00

Shed Down!

2011-03-11T20:27:00.002-05:00

When we found out the shed wasn't built properly and was leaning and going to fall eventually we decided to pull it down in a controlled way. So here's a photo of it down! We're going to build a gazebo the right way so it will be sturdy when finished.

Spring is Near

2011-03-08T18:49:00.006-05:00

Also here's a couple of flower photos!

Pretty pansies and violas!

We planted seeds and they are growing!

17 Jan. 2011 basil, cubanelle pepper, poppies, agastashe, mums, nicotiana, salvia

24 Jan. 2011 zinnias, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, squash, melons, cosmos

25 Jan. 2011 Peas Outside

Photo of the rows of peas growing!!!

Costa's Hummingbird

2010-11-16T16:39:00.001-05:00

Costa's Hummingbird in our Garden!!!

Colorful Flowers

2010-09-15T16:00:00.000-05:00

I adore this bell shaped Clematis, and it's growing so well!!!

Yellow Cannas

Pot filling in!

Morning Glory: The beauty of being Transparent

2010-09-15T15:02:00.002-05:00

This morning I came outside and saw this beautiful Morning Glory! I was just struck by how beautiful it was! I love how they shine and glow, and then I could feel God speaking to my heart, using this beautiful morning glory to reveal his truth to me.

Just look at how the light shines through it! God made us to shine his light through, so that others can see him in us!

Lately I've been reading through the book of James, and today the verse that stood out to me was:
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17 (NIV)
"Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow." James 1:17 (NLT)
As I read that verse I felt the Lord speaking to my heart a promise, that if I would trust him and be transparent he WILL shine through me.
That is very hard to do! When you are transparent, others can SEE YOU, and if others see you there is a risk of being hurt by them! You risk being judged, rejected, you name it, that is one of my biggest fears! Yet lately God has been challenging me to open up more and more, to be transparent, to let him shine through me how he wants to.
I also fear if I let others see my brokenness, my imperfections and weaknesses that they won't see God in me but just a bunch of blah.

BUT what the Lord was speaking to my heart is that he won't let that happen, as my face/heart/life is inclined towards him, and I allow myself to be transparent that he WILL shine through. I can trust him with that! He won't change or cast a shifting shadow! I just have to do my part and be transparent!

Garden Update

2010-08-30T21:12:00.005-05:00

Dark purple petunias have the most fragrance, the darker the stronger they are! They smell a lot like jasmine!

Freshly planted Daylilies!

Gerard has been installing an automatic watering system! Our dream is coming alive! Because of the watering system we are able to plant more and extend and place things better! Even pathways are starting to form!

Pretty Flowers and Veggie Harvest

2010-08-28T18:00:00.000-05:00

The Honeysuckle smells SO GOOD!!!

Our Passionflowers have been blooming a lot lately!

Harvested TONS of Greenbeans today!

Also harvested some tomatoes, jalapenos, and banana peppers. We made salsa from it too, and also planning on making stuffed jalapenos!

2010-07-31T10:00:00.001-05:00

Daylilies and Hibiscus

2010-07-31T10:00:00.000-05:00

Wildflower in our Garden

2010-07-20T10:00:00.001-05:00

We had an interesting wildflower pop up in our garden and it's so pretty that we don't have the heart to pull it out!!! LOL We don't know what it is but doesn't the flower remind you of foxglove?

Transforming a Shed to a Gazebo

2010-06-27T12:36:00.004-05:00

We've been dreaming and one of the dreams has been to turn this old shed into a Garden Gazebo! So we both love the idea and it finally reached a point where we wanted to DO IT!

Hubby knocked off all the siding and removed the door and old garage door. The electrical you see was jury-rigged by someone previously we've undone it because it's a fire hazard...

When we got all the siding off we found out that the framing isn't secured properly to the cement foundation!!! So next step is to bolt it down properly so that it is a safe structure!
Imagine with us what it will be when there is an opening on the front facing long side and "windows" all around like gazebos do. Also some lattice to give it more gazebo effects and with vines growing around it and gardening all around!!!
We want it to be a nice place for hanging out, BBQing, or a garden party!

Guest Bathroom Update

2010-01-02T22:57:00.000-05:00

Hubby is preparing to paint by finishing up the walls!

Yellow Rose Today

2009-10-21T16:34:00.001-05:00

Lovely Yellow Canna and Elephant Ear

2009-09-09T15:57:00.003-05:00

Our neglected garden is hanging in there! LOL Well to surprise us our newest yellow Canna bloomed, we've been waiting for it all season and here it is! So pretty!

Gerard's mother gave us some baby Elephant Ears and WOW is it taking off!
Hopefully with the weather cooling off soon we can get our garden in the ground!

Guest Bathroom Update

2009-08-18T22:38:00.000-05:00

Installed a new door which is wider than the original one!

Installed a timer fan!!!

My Spa Tub!

Spa Tub is IN

2009-07-30T15:32:00.003-05:00

Well the other tub/shower we put in when I was cleaning it I found CRACKS so it had to come out and be returned. So then we decided to get the spa tub since it was the same price and well...better! LOL
First some mortar and then 4mm plastic over the top (the manual specified to do that) to support the tub.

Proof that I was able help him get the tub in...yup it's a miracle! LOL Usually they are too heavy for me but this one was easier because it's a drop in without an apron.

It then needed more mortar to support it.

Gerard then built the last stringer. It's all hooked up now and after the cement and mortar dries we can test it and then tile.

Getting rid of the Decorative Wall

2009-07-29T18:06:00.001-05:00

Heehee we wanted to do that since we first saw the house! Yay more room!

Bathroom Renovation

2009-07-20T20:49:00.003-05:00

Well we got that wall out, and we got a bigger door for the bathroom too since the old one was dinky.

With help from our good friend Jon (who is a plumber) we got the tub and shower surround in as well as the new shower set (don't know what it's called)! It couldn't have been done without Jon's help!!! THANK YOU!!!

Demo for Guest Bathroom!!!

2009-07-20T14:41:00.003-05:00

Woo Hoo ripping out the wall closet that took up too much space in the bathroom!

See? Tall people would knock their knees on it!

You see that hole in the wall? Yeah you guessed it there was a cutting board mounted over it with the toilet paper roll attached...needless to say we removed it and mounted the TP in a better place!

The shower didn't work so we have to tear it out fix the plumbing...also the tub is rusted.

Hee hee all too happy to rip the silly space stealing closet out!

Yup proof of me doing some work too!
P.S. for demo that $5 pry bar is PRICELESS

We Got The KEYS!!! June 19th!!!

2009-07-20T14:26:00.002-05:00

Our Dream!
A Home of our Own in the beautiful Desert that we get to fix up!!!

Our New Home!!!!!

2009-07-20T14:16:00.004-05:00

The Kitchen

The Dining Room

Looking from the Dining Room to the Front Door

Living Room

The Fireplace

Looking from the Front Door to the Dining Room and out to the Back Yard

Our huge Back Yard!!! It's 60'D x 95'W

Storage Shed (may be a future workshop or outdoor room depends on what we dream up and do)

Pretty Views

2009-05-29T14:30:00.000-05:00

His Royal Highness

2009-05-29T14:21:00.003-05:00

Presenting His Royal Highness presiding over the Royal Gardens atop his Royal Passionflower Perch

Stunning Hollyhock

2009-05-21T13:11:00.002-05:00

The red hollyhock in the corner looked extra beautiful to me this morning!

Most of the cannas are blooming now and it's getting hot out, so it's turning summer in my garden! LOL

May Flowers

2009-05-14T12:02:00.003-05:00

Cannas

...and dwarf sunflower

Society Garlic and yellow daylily 'Bitsy'

Red Rose with lots around it

Cosmos

Guara

What's New?

2009-05-11T12:47:00.003-05:00

Well...this hollyhock is HUGE and finally blooming!

Also a surprise is the double flower in the dark red shade! We love it!

Another pretty pink one started blooming too!

The canna and dwarf sunflower are really getting going!

And take a wild guess what happened when we visited Lowe's...yup we bought 2 more passionflowers! LOL Well they were the smaller lower cost ones and different varieties! How could we resist? I will say we were very good and didn't buy the $25 clematis that was SO PRETTY and so tempting!!! I mean it's not everyday you see clematis in the desert! Wow this is how bad it is...I kinda wish we had bought it! HAHAHA

OH and 'Lavender Lady' has a fruit growing! I just read the article linked to the name below and I guess we will soon see exactly what specimen this is...bummer about the fruit being hollow though.
These two are:
Passiflora 'Lavender Lady'
Passiflora 'Blue Bouquet'

2009-05-09T13:14:00.001-05:00

Our first Canna to bloom! Yeay! And a dwarf sunflower!

A good photo of the color of my nice dark red hollyhock!

Tea in the Garden!

Spring Freestyle

2009-05-06T13:23:00.003-05:00

Lots of flowers reseeded themselves like the cosmos, bachelor buttons, marigolds, and petunias!

Wish you could smell the honeysuckle!

Canna getting ready to bloom as well as a dwarf sunflower that reseeded itself.

A scarlet runner been that reseeded! I was surprised to see it today!

I absolutely love the look of this dark red hollyhock and even more so surrounded by bachelor buttons that came back on their own!

There have been a few colors of bachelor buttons that weren't around last year I love when that happens! I like the pink and white combo.

This one is a dark purple although it's looking more blueish in photos.

My fave pink wave petunia that reseeded. In this pot is also a calabrachoa that wintered over(you have to look very closely to see the small light pink flowers), and a strawberry.

I loved the way this looked with the cannas starting to get big and the wave petunias growing in it, and then the marigolds growing into the petunias. Isn't that one of the prettiest marigolds? I love the leaves so lacy and the flowers are very small. There is a sea of these marigolds that reseeded!

My spot in the garden has a pretty red mandevilla blooming and my geraniums that haven't stopped all winter!

This is the veiw of the hollyhock and bachelor buttons from the swing.

I can also see these clematis flowers dangling from the swing...so cute! I love how the bud looks like a heart and when they open is the most cutest bell ever!

Pretty Spring Flowers

2009-04-27T13:43:00.001-05:00

We've had tons of ladybugs in our garden this year they love the bachelor buttons and cosmos the most!

Hummingbird

2009-04-20T13:35:00.001-05:00

New Passionflower

2009-04-18T13:28:00.002-05:00

Walking through Lowe's we found this beautiful Passiflora 'Victoria' and couldn't resist!!!

Shot focused on a bud.

Shot focused on flower.

Strawberries

2009-04-17T13:48:00.000-05:00

Strawberries picked fresh from our garden!

2009-04-14T13:31:00.000-05:00

2009-04-07T13:22:00.003-05:00

Happy Lil' Madie

Clematis 'Pagoda'

Sweetheart rose!

Sweet Peas

Don Juan Climbing Rose

More Spring Flowers

2009-03-30T12:31:00.000-05:00

Spring flowers

2009-03-27T12:11:00.001-05:00

Rose in Winter

2009-01-29T16:31:00.002-05:00

We are back to our unusually warm weather and the yellow rose started blooming again!!! I'm glad the snow didn't fully get it!

SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-12-15T21:00:00.000-05:00

Well anytime snow falls in the desert it is monumental! So when we woke up this morning and saw TONS of snow we had to go outside and play! Just yesterday our garden was blooming as normal we've not even had our first frost yet (very odd) so we knew something big would probably happen when it did hit. Still I would never have guessed it would have been this much snow!

We bundled up and went outside to take photos and build a snowman! Then we went for a walk and lucky for us we got to walk in all untrodden snow on our route!

Doesn't he look like the snowman from the movie Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer? I love his little chin that just happened to be there.
Then when we got back from our walk in a wonderful winter wonderland we decided to build another snowman for the front yard!

Cute eh? With a pile of snowballs at the ready for him too!

Still no frost...unusually warm weather!

2008-12-06T20:16:00.002-05:00

Sweet Pea's getting going

Strawberries are taking off!

Butterflies & Hummingbirds

2008-11-05T19:57:00.000-05:00

Hummingbird and Passion Flower

2008-10-25T17:13:00.004-05:00

Click on the photos to see them closer!

We've had a different hummingbird visiting us I don't know what variety it is but it has forked purple on it's neck! SO beautiful! I just searched it out and I believe it is a Costa's Hummingbird!

ALSO we've been waiting all year for this passion flower "Passiflora Actinia" to boom and it finally has!

Fall Splendor

2008-10-20T11:30:00.000-05:00

Blackberry Lily

2008-10-08T11:25:00.001-05:00

Isn't this stunning? What a special treat for these to have grown for us!

My Spot

2008-09-30T11:22:00.001-05:00

I come outside and sit here every morning! I love it!

Geranium

First Blackberry Lily

2008-09-30T11:13:00.002-05:00

First Blackberry Lily bloom!!!

Love this honeybee in a Heavenly Blue Morning Glory!

China hanging out in her spot!

Dwarf Sunflower

2008-09-13T13:40:00.002-05:00

Summer Garden and Dragonfly

2008-07-07T15:39:00.002-05:00

Lovely rust and clear dragonfly!

Our Guara is doing beautifully, I love how lace-like it is.

View of cannas, a hollyhock stem (main hollyhock trunk is cut down already), some petunias, some bachelor buttons, and zinnias.

View of dwarf lily of the nile, cannas, lavender, fairy rose, and Don Juan climbing rose.

Neat Blue Dragonfly

2008-07-07T15:37:00.000-05:00

Isn't this blue and black dragonfly beautiful?

Garden Update and Watermelons!

2008-06-20T12:29:00.001-05:00

Hummingbird Visitor

2008-06-20T12:25:00.000-05:00

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T09:00:00.001-05:00

Upon hearing that we were having trouble with our squash growing this is what my Dad wrote to me:

Melissa,

Use a Q tip and rub on one blossom/flowie and spread to the others. I was told by a Master Gardener that it helps, if you make a buzzing sound when you do it.

Love,

Dad

Yup.....that's my Dad!!! A very funny guy! Love you Dad!
(P.S. We've already been hand pollinating so the reason I'm posting this is about the "buzzing sound" LOL)

Baby Watermelon and Sweetheart Roses

2008-06-03T19:17:00.002-05:00

If you look really closely (you might need to click on the photo) you can see we have Baby Watermelons starting to grow!!!!!!

And here is another set of blooms of Sweetheart Roses, we just love this climbing rose it's so pretty!

Veggies to Eat!!!

2008-05-31T15:43:00.004-05:00

Yummy cooked them up tender-crisp with olive oil, lemon pepper, and salt!

Even the too small ones were good!

This morning the first tomato was perfect ripeness!

Nice size too!

Sliced up with some red wine vinaigrette!
Now I'm looking forward to more treats to come!

Garden Progress

2008-05-30T17:19:00.002-05:00

Well, with my Dad's suggestion I went ahead and picked any squash that seemed okay even if they are small still. I think a couple are still too small and may not taste good, but I'll give everything a try! I'm also trying out giving the squash more water at his suggestion too. We think our drippers might not water evenly enough and we might need to put in soaker hose instead.

Canna blooming!!! First of the season!

Also our Dwarf Lily of the Nile is budding out ready to bloom!

Butterfly Bush is huge and blooming and we've planted more plants and seeds in this area!

A few peeks

2008-05-28T16:08:00.002-05:00

Sacred Datura blooming

First ripening tomato!!!

Even though we are hand pollinating the squash are still dying after a certain size!!! Very frustrating!

Another Morning Glory and Squash Trouble

2008-05-16T15:35:00.004-05:00

Today we had another Blue Star and also a Heavenly Blue Morning Glories bloom today! I think those two varieties compliment each other nice.

Our weather is starting to get hot now...here comes summer!

Here is the new Don Juan blooming nicely and there are sweet pea's blooming with it all doing well, but with the hot weather coming the sweet pea's won't be around much longer.

The corn is starting to really grow, so is the squash, honeydew and tomatoes.

On this side you can see the peppers aren't taking off yet but they'll get there, also there is the watermelon doing great and the strawberries.

Tons of tomatoes!

Our yellow squash (dixie hybrid) even though I learned about pollinating, still you can see the one on the bottom is not doing good...since this is the first time we've grown squash I'm not sure if I should worry or not. I've been on top of pollination since the first one was a loss and I looked up how to grow squash.

Here is the green squash (cocozelle) they seem to be doing well. The one on the bottom I pollonated with a male yellow squash flower since no male flowers were open at the time the flower was open...hope it works!

Here in the center you can see the honeydew flowering!

Yum a nice big strawberry ripening!

First Morning Glory Bloom

2008-05-13T19:03:00.002-05:00

Robot gaurding the Morning Glories

"Blue Star" Morning Glory bloomed today! When we planted in this spot we didn't realize the sun would be moving. It was full sun and now it's mostly in shade but since morning glories are so tough they are tolerating it and growing anyway. After they get tall they will have full sun it's just that the fence shades them right now.

2008-05-05T18:39:00.000-05:00

2008-05-05T16:53:00.002-05:00

Visiting Hummingbirds

2008-04-28T19:22:00.002-05:00

Here is one of the hummingbirds that visited perched on a tie holding a hollyhock.

More Flowers

2008-04-28T12:59:00.002-05:00

As it turns out we planted what we thought was Red Poppies and sure enough as they are blooming we are finding out that it's actually a Poppy Mix! So we've gotten 3 kinds now, pink, orange, and white.

All the Sweet Peas are still going, and I'm loving all the different colors! Today is a bouquet day so I'll be cutting a nice large bunch of colorful and yummy Sweet Peas.

Wonderful Spring Day

2008-04-24T17:05:00.002-05:00

What was going to be the Red Poppy ended up being a Pink Poppy!!! LOL That's okay though just as beautiful!

Pink Mini-rose has HUGE flowers!

What's Growing

2008-04-23T12:29:00.002-05:00

Yeay!!! Another Pink Sweet Pea and also a Red one!!!

New Climbing Rose just added! Cecile Brunner aka Sweetheart Rose and we are sure hoping it's the everblooming variety! LOL We just bought it at WalMart so there's no real way of knowing.

Closeup, love it! It smells wonderful and even has a peppery scent too!

One of our pink mini-roses blooming.

I just love this surprise rambler that came, in fact I think I love it even more than the rose we were buying originally!

Red Poppies about to bloom!

Our baby tomato! Praying for more since the flowers keep dropping without setting fruit.

"Hummingbird" Moth

2008-04-23T12:24:00.003-05:00

Here is a photo and a video of a "Hummingbird" Moth it flies around similar to a hummingbird but it is actually a Moth! They kinda fly haphazard and are a little "dingy"! LOL They are smaller than a hummingbird though probably around 1-2 inches.

Lovely Red Roses

2008-04-15T16:50:00.003-05:00

Olympiad is blooming away and today got a little windy (okay a LOT windy) so I decided to go ahead and cut the open roses to enjoy indoors for a few days. Little did I know but I had enough for a pretty big size bouquet! It smells lovely too!

Rose Blooms, New Additions, and a Hummingbird

2008-04-14T15:03:00.004-05:00

Olympiad Red Rose
Isn't it beautiful? And it smells wonderful!

Added a Foxglove!

On the left is a Glory Lily newly planted and on the right is a Clematis, they should do well together.

Silver Queen Corn, Green and Yellow Squash, Honeydew Mellon, Tomatoes...

Peppers, Watermelon (Sugar Baby), and Strawberries. Sure hope we haven't crowded everything, but we are too excited to grow stuff! LOL

Lookie, lookie!!! A baby tomato!!!

Watermelon sprout. Sugar Baby variety.

Bell Pepper!

Here is a little vid of a hummingbird who visits us.

Spring in Full Bloom!

2008-04-12T17:53:00.006-05:00

Red Rose bloom, it's a pretty one but is a mistake and was grafted onto another rose's bud union but we are happy about it! Seems like some sort of shrub or ground cover rose.

Pink Sweet Pea looks as if it's nearing the end of it's life. That's expected though they don't live out here in the heat so they are perfect for Spring Time.

The Honeysuckle is blooming and a Sweet Pea with it. Also you can see the newest Hollyhock blooming is another pretty light pink!

Pretty Society Garlic Blooms and you can see how the Alyssum is really spreading out.

Olympiad Rose Bloom

Butterfly Bush geting bigger!

Passiflora Actinia with Red Poppies

We took off the black material, and started putting mulch down instead. Everything looks happier without it. It was like "blind" gardening with that stuff there and we couldn't see what was going on with the soil.

New Hollyhock blooming!

2008-04-07T18:25:00.003-05:00

Today I spotted this Hollyhock blooming it's the first once since the way early pink one started. I love how it's the nice deep pink color!

Garden in the Evening

2008-04-01T21:38:00.002-05:00

Anna's Hummingbird

2008-03-31T16:00:00.002-05:00

Today we saw a unique hummingbird that was brown and made a different kind of noise more like a whirring sound, but we didn't get a photo or video of it. Later on a lovely Anna's Hummingbird visited and this is the little video we got of him! I'm always surprised at how much bigger they are than the Ruby Throated hummingbirds!

Yummy!!!

2008-03-31T15:47:00.004-05:00

Looks Yummy!

Bought and planted a Green Bell Pepper too!

And a Honeydew Melon!

Also some Corn, Silver Queen, we put cut water bottles around them for now because the wind was really bad.

Strawberries Turning Red!!!

2008-03-28T17:56:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I spotted that the strawberries were starting to turn red!!!

Front to back we have 6 Strawberries, 2 types of peppers, 2 types of tomatoes, and 2 types of squash.

Passiflora Actinia with 3 red poppies around it.

Gotta love it when stuff starts filling in!

2008-03-24T16:54:00.003-05:00

Some Spring Roses for the First Day of Spring

2008-03-20T17:49:00.002-05:00

Spring Roses

2008-03-17T22:37:00.003-05:00

We couldn't resist buying this Yummy Yellow Tea Rose it's name is Gold Glow! It smells wonderfully too! I love how the color is a wonderful golden yellow and then fades to a soft yellow.

AND here you can see the roses already in our garden have got buds getting ready to bloom! I love spring! And I love the first roses of spring!

Gilia Field Videos

2008-03-16T21:09:00.005-05:00

Sweet Smelling Gilia Field

2008-03-16T20:50:00.007-05:00

The wonderful sweet smelling Gilia field right by the Rainbow Basin turn off road.

We spotted a white variety!

Some have softer colors.

Others are more vivid and contrasting.

The neat thing is seeing all the variations that come up some are larger...

...and others are smaller!

First Mini Rose Bloom!!!

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Here is the raised veggie bed all ready to go! We got 2 tomatoes both determinate varieties...in the desert if you get indeterminate you'll have a looming menace of a tomato on your hands! LOL Yup they turn into large ever growing monsters that get out of control! We have such a long growing season that it's better to get determinate varieties so that they will produce and be done...then we can always plant another set later. One time we planted an indeterminate cherry tomato and the thing went wild and we would even find tomato plants growing like weeds!
OK we also planted a six pack of strawberries! YUM
We used some landscape fabric this time to see how it works out, we've never really used it before, we'll get some mulch to cover over it too.

WOO HOO first mini rose bloom!!! We love these Fairy Roses so much we had to get some for this garden too.

Here is an overall shot of it...it's little now...but it will grow and billow! And you can see Don Juan back there still hasn't budded out but all the other roses have...we are worried it's going to die. Anybody got any tips to try and save it other than...wait and see?

See here? Look closely and you can see a ROSE BUD!!!!! Yup, now I'm sure you understand why we are worried about Don Juan all the other roses are off and running!

Sweet Pea still going, it's SO my favorite I have a huge bouquet in the house from it all the time! The Bougainvillea behind it is budding out too and you can see the hollyhocks are starting their run!

I just thought that little Viola that popped up in "Cupid" a short variety of Sweet Pea was just so adorable! We love Cupid so much we are for sure going to plant it next winter in larger quantities.