Fertilizer Friday AND Has Your Blog Content Been Lifted?

I just received an email from a fellow gardening blogger that a post of mine was lifted and posted on another blog. I verified this and found several other gardening blog posts on that sight that belong to some of ya'll. Please email me at rusdar at hotmail dot com and I'll give you the details.

The Bumbles are beginning to show up. White Petunia

The last Friday of February, can you believe it? Our February has been more Spring-like than I can ever recall. Oh, I am not complaining, I just don't want Old Man Winter to make a late visit and ruin what's going on in the gardens...join us over at http://tootsietime.blogspot.com/ to see what flowers/plants are being featured today.

Datura

Brugmansia

Pyrethrum-Painted Daisies

The large container of Pansies are just about to cover the Butterfly sign....hopefully the Butterflies will not need a welcome sign to visit. They have a standing invitation to my gardens.

I need an idea for the mailbox garden. It's full sun...I do have a Clematis on the mailbox...any suggestions?

Some of the Daffs in bloom...I still have some just emerging out of the soil and others with very swollen buds. Forgotten her name.

Ice Follies

February Gold

Erlicheer--double--yes, it is fragrant!

The long awaited blooms of the Camellia...

I do hope the rest of you will soon see Spring in your gardens.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today I am Thankful that Spring is closer than it was yesterday!

Wordless Wednesday...Guess What Fruit Flower This Is..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today I am Thankful for a small chance of rain on Friday.

What A Wonderful Weekend...

In the collage above, (click to enlarge) top left, Rosemary blooming. I have always had Rosemary in my gardens, this is the first time I have ever had any to bloom. Top right, all of the Daffs are either in bloom or are about to burst open. Bottom left, newly purchased Verbena. Middle, Goldfinch I photographed while doing the BYBC over the weekend. Bottom right, the first Morning Glory bloom of the season, started early in the greenhouse. She was supposed to be the Red Crimson Rambler, I'll take this delightful pink though.

The weather was just perfect this past weekend and appears to be continuing in the upcoming forecast. It really feels as if we have began an early Spring. (only time will tell)

Is your weather warming up?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today I am Thankful for wearing flip flops in February!

FF -- A Day Early...

Friday is FF over at http://tootsietime.blogspot.com , you can visit her today too. This old rickety bench was from my Mom's garden...it was just about to go in the trash when I decided I would try and get at least another year out of it.

Some moss, watered down paint and some glue.

It is sitting on the upper back deck steps between our kitchen door to the left and our bedroom doors to the right. It's a little better..I see I didn't paint the underneath, sigh. The containers on the steps will go out in the garden in a week or so. See the Diamond Frost that I overwintered? Looks pretty good huh?

Below : Ranunculus, I have 30 of them up in the garden. Rex Begonia, Nasturtium from seed. Dahila from seed, Lobelia from seed, Texas Bluebonnet from seed, Early Girl Tomatoes from seed, Poppies from seed, Celosia from seed and Astilbe from tuber....

Today I am Thankful for this beautiful weather we have been having and I am hoping your weather is wonderful too!

GBBD

Thank you Carol at http://maydreamsgardens.blogspot.com for hosting Garden Bloggers Bloom Day on the 15th of every month. Not only do we get to share our blooms, we also get to peek into beautiful gardens around the world.
My contribution this week begins with the first Daff bloom of the season.
Painted Lady Hibiscus has been overwintering in the greenhouse.

Newly acquired POTunias...love the soft yellow.

Callie Bright Red Calibrachoa..also recently purchased.

Stock

Osteospermum..Voltage Yellow

Osteospermum Astra Series

Osteospermum Astra Series Patented

The ever faithful Pansies

and the faithful Loropetulam.

I do hope everyone had a sweet Valentine's Day and that you let those around you know that you love them. Overuse, I LOVE YOU!

Take a look at what we have to look forward to this week. Makes it easy for a gardener to get out of bed in the morning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today I am Thankful for Carol and her faithfulness in hosting this ever growing meme each month.

I am so honored to be featured on Growing4Seasons by our own..Tootsie aka known as Glenda..

do take a peek. http://growing4seasons.com/2011/02/interview-with-darla/#comment-559

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today I am Thankful that great gardeners believe that I have something to offer... :)

Fertilizer Friday

Time to join FF over at http://tootsietime.blogspot.com , she is also having a give-a-way. After I dropped the youngest medium child at school this morning I found myself browsing the nursery center...Oh, how the flowers and plants are pouring in. I used some self-control and only purchased a few things.
Two Camelot Foxglove, Two Spanish Lavender and

a Callie Bright Red Calibrachoa.

Lets' have a small look inside the greenhouse this morning.

The Voltage African Daisies are ready to be moved into the garden.

A rooted Jacobina is finally putting on some new growth at the bottom. whew!

Jane Cowell Hibiscus was planted in the garden through most of the winter...about three weeks ago it was looking rather (dead) sad. This was a surprise replacement from my husband last spring when the winter took my first one away from me. I dug it up and put it in a container, it is now putting out some leaves..another whew!

At the end of summer I received another surprise, this time in the mail. I commented about Jean's beautiful white Rose of Sharon tree and the next thing I knew I had three little ones delivered right to my door! They went dormant on the front porch until the end of December, I then put the container in the greenhouse...viola! Thanks Jean!

Diamond Frost is doing wonderfully...Nasturtium in the foreground that I started from seed, they are such a pretty green.

Overwintered Ornamental Potato Vine...I also have cuttings rooting..the more you cut the bushier it gets.

My heart just sang a song first thing this morning. The youngest medium kid was looking out the kitchen door and she said.. "It looks so pretty in the greenhouse, may I go in there?" Me: "Well of course you can." I was grinning the entire time I was getting my camera!

Hoping to have a few different blooms for GBBD on the 15th..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today I am Thankful for the little things that make my heart sing!

Preparing For Spring...Other Than Seed Sowing...

For those of you suffering from winter doldrums, winter blues or as Skeeter put it over at http://tinaramsey.blogspot.com , Seasonal Affective Disorder aka SAD here are a few things you can do inside to prepare for spring.
Purchased a decorative wood birdhouse for a dollar. With some paint and moss I now have a cute little accent to add to my gardens, shelf or a container. A few metal pails before...pails are shown after painting in the photos below.

A pinecone out of the yard, a paper ball for a dollar some glue and moss.

One of the pails after sponging on different colors of paint and a few light strokes with some sand paper.

A piece of my Rosemary from the garden....I'm working on a small Rosemary Tree.

Just dug up some struggling Thyme and potted it up in another painted pail...yes, that's a painted fork in the pail with some moss on it.

If I can't find the right herb for this pail, perhaps some pink Painted Daisies would look nice.

Old plastic container from the dollar store that was repainted last Spring....

is now spruced up again for this Spring.

A plain terra cotta pot covered in moss.

Last but not least....I have some Angels that my Mom and Dad made some twenty years ago. They were decorated for Christmas. The one in my last post in the greenhouse, my SIL had and redone it with a gardening theme and gave it back to me. I just fell in love with it and had to redo one for one of my most Dear Friends....it will be in the mail next week...

Ya'll that are looking outside at a blanket or perhaps a quilt of snow..start working on your containers and little container art so when Spring arrives you'll be ready to plant them up and set them out!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today I am Thankful for that Dear Friend who sent me a book with great inspirational tips from the gardening shed.