They're So Cute When They're Little

Last month on a stroll through my garden, I spotted something on the coneflowers.   As I got closer, I realized they were teeny tiny baby grasshoppers.

I can almost hear the collective "aaawe they're so cute" out in blogland.

And they are cute...when they are little.

But they grow up to be really ugly yellowish-green eating machines!

The Differential grasshopper, Melanoplus differentialis, 

is one of the most common grasshoppers in Texas. 

Here's one (among many, believe me) on my 'King Humbert' Canna.

The chewing has commenced!

Have I gone bug-eyed over this plague of evil beasts,
or are they chewing holes in the shape of hearts?

Are they only tormenting me further by chewing butterfly shaped holes, too?!

Here are a few pictures of the cannas before the munching mayhem began.

When the grasshoppers have had their fill, I will cut the shredded remains to the ground, and hopefully they will return to their former glory.

In an effort to find a glimmer of good amid the gluttonous grasshoppers, 

I'm linking to Guest Heart Thursday 

Hop on over; it'll do your heart some good.

I'm also linking with Shadow Shot Sunday 2


Enjoy

Toni :-)

What's Bloomin' - December 2011

It's been a few months since I have participated in Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, so I was excited to have a little extra time to join in this month.

Since we have been hit with a couple of hard freezes in the last few weeks, blooms are in short supply in my perennial gardens, but my containers are full of cool season annuals with colorful blooms.

Instead of just the usual snapshot of pansies growing in containers, I thought I'd fire up the ol' scanner again and show you my blooms from a different perspective.

Here are a couple of scans showing a collection of my 

pansies, violas, cyclamen, and kale.

The pansies and kale can take just about anything our usually moderate winters dish out here in north Texas, so I have cheerful pansy faces smiling at me all winter long and well into spring.   The cyclamen is a little more cold tender, so it needs to be protected when we dip down into the low 20s and teens.  I also use dianthus, parsley, cilantro, lettuce, bok choy, and dusty miller in my winter containers.

If you'd like to see other garden scans I've created, click here.   And if you'd like to learn how you can create some beautiful scans of your own, click here.

Lastly, if you'd like to see what's bloomin' in other parts of the world, visit May Dreams Gardens as Carol graciously hosts Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day each month for gardeners 'round the world who want to share their blooms.

I am also linking with Guest Heart Thursday 

because these pansies have stolen my heart :-)

Join me tomorrow as I look forward to spring blooms through winter foliage...

Toni :-)

The Alphabet Returns (S, T, U)

The alphabet decided to abandon August and skip September.   I can't say I blame it; I was pretty much AWOL in August and got sidetracked in September, too.     I was more into numbers than letters this summer anyway, as I watched the mercury and the total number of 100-degree days continue to rise and break records.

But I digress.   So where were we when the alphabet left off?

Oh,yes, "R" is for Rocks 

I just have to show you one more rock to give you an idea of how much...

...I (heart) rocks

I found this rock at the edge of my dry creek bed the other day.
It now has a special place in my... heart :-)

Okay....moving on.

"S"

is for Sedum

I have several varieties of sedum.   I don't know the name of this one, but it is evergreen and gets a tiny pinkish/white star-shaped bloom on it in the spring.   It works great in the garden as well as containers.

This one shall remain nameless, as well.
I got it from a little pinch off a plant at a garden tour I attended (yes, I got permission!)  I have never seen it bloom.  It goes dormant in winter, but returns without fail in the spring.

One place I grow sedum is in the plant pockets
of a large strawberry pot I have.
I grow tomatoes in the top of the pot.

Below is 'Autumn Joy' Sedum during its better days.

I wish I could say it was my joy this autumn, but it is not.
These pictures were taken earlier this summer,
but since then it has flopped over and croaked :-(
I will spare you pictures of the carnage.

This is 'Autumn Joy' in another spot in my garden that is holding its own...for now.   I have issues growing this plant.   If I can keep any of it alive, next spring I am going to try a recommendation from a local horticulturist:

"In the spring or early summer, 

cut them back to about half when they are 8 inches tall.  

This cutback will make them fuller for their fall season." 

I am considering putting it in a container
to give it the ideal drainage conditions it requires.

Here's a new addition...'Autumn Fire'  
So far so good on this one (fingers crossed)

The one above is Sedum kamtschaticum (say that fast three times!)
I got this as a division off a plant from a friend.
It gets a small yellow bloom on it in the spring.   

This is Sedum reflexum (a/k/a Sedum rupestre)
This evergreen sedum has a small yellow bloom in the spring, as well.

 

This is a new sedum that I planted by my pond among the moss rock.
It is called Stonecrop 'John Creech.' 
I have yet to see it bloom, but the plant tag shows a tiny pink bloom.

Did you know that Stonecrop is the common name for Sedum?
There are around 400 species in this plant family!
Click here for more information.

T"

is for...

This little guy (or gal) wanders through my garden from time to time.  

"U"
is for Umbrella Grass

Cyperus alternifolius

It has gotten huge this year, so next spring it will be due for a
reduction in size.

Speaking of umbrellas, I actually got the opportunity to use one yesterday!!

I took a stroll through my garden in the -- wait for it -- 

RAIN !

The sweetest four-letter word our parched Texas soil has ever heard :-)

Click here to view previous posts in the Alphabet Garden Series

Until next time...

Toni :-)

P.S.  Do you put your heart into your garden?

Check out Guest Heart Thursday 

 

Short But Sweet

I woke this morning to the sound of thunder

How far off I sat and wondered

Started humming a song from 1962...

(Thank you, Bob Seger)

Then out in the yard there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...

Rain!!!!!!   

Hallelujah!!!

 (insert angels singing)

 Do you see the heart in the clouds?

The rain was very short, but very sweet.

And with a few clouds finally in the sky, I was able to get some beautiful early morning sky shots to link up with...

SkyWatch Friday

Also linking to Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday

Grateful in Grapevine...

Toni :-)