Pretty Nifty Books #1, Toad Cottages and Shooting Stars

I love this book. Which might be amusing to some, as it is marketed to grandmas, and I am merely an aunt. The official title may actually even be "Grandma's Bag of Tricks: Toad Cottages..." Now, I DO have somewhat granny taste in some things, such as clothing, hobbies, clip art and such, so books are no different.

Image from Amazon. Obviously. 

The author, Sharon Lovejoy, is a grandmother, has written quite a few books about gardening (my favorite being "Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots," which is for kids, but I tend to like kiddish things!) but you need not be a child, a grandmother, or even an accomplished gardener to enjoy her books. My nieces are currently 4 years and almost 2 months, and I know I will get a lot of use out of this book, at least from the eldest, Madalyn, who loves being outside. Kaitlyn has a while to make up her mind regarding the great outdoors :)

With chapters ranging from setting up your house for kids, learning about nature, cooking, gardening and things to do on rainy days, there is no shortage of "things to do" within this book. Best of all, you need not have tons of money to do them. You needn't also be a grandparent or live in the country- I think some things could be adapted, for instance, if you have no room to garden, but do have access to a farmer's market, voila, instant garden. Nature walks can happen in city parks. Your imagination is the only limit.

The book is currently on Amazon going for $10.97, but I found my copy at B-A-M for a whopping $3.97, on one of those clearance tables. And don't forget to check your local library! I also wholeheartedly recommend "Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots," and will say I look forward to building a Sunflower house, solely because of that book.

A Really Dirty Post

I believe this was the year I found my "plant to always grow." Sorry I lack a clever, catchy name for said plant, maybe at some point one will enter my head.

Sorry for the upside-down pic. And my ugly floor. 

So, what is this brave little plant that won't quit? Moss Rose. AKA Portaluca and Purslane. I hear it is both edible and considered a weed. Which kind of saddens me. Why? Why is it considered a nuisance of a plant?

Not long after planting. Note the dried out soil and the dying Petunia, desperately trying to escape this dried-out hell.  I am a fan of this particular color variation. Very saturated in pictures!

Apparently, these guys are not just drought-tolerant, they prefer to be in drier soil. Its planter buddy, the Petunia, not as much. This has worked out great this summer, as I have gone away, forgotten to water, and just when all seems lost, we get a nice storm, and a day later....

KA-BLOOM!

And after that....

It's like it rained Miracle Gro. Please excuse my filthy carport. The maid is off. For life.

So far this year, I have managed to kill a Celosia, Begonia, Petunias, a lovely pink Gerber daisy, and have managed to not plant two bags of Gladiolus bubs. My rose from earlier this summer is still very much alive, the two Orchids I got seem maybe ok (one flowered and looks like it now wants to die; the other one is still bright, green, and flowerless.) My rose from last year is still blooming, which is great except I am not a fan of the color. Sickly pink striped with white. Meh. And my Azalea from last year has grown quite nicely. So, to my original point, if you currently suck at gardening, but love flowers, and would like to not suck so much at gardening, start with something easy. Like Moss Rose. And Zinnias. Just don't give up because you think your thumb is less than green :)