Patio Reading Anyone!?

Hi everyone! Happy Monday!

I’m officially back in the USA and settled at my home. It truly was an amazing trip but I’m really really happy to be home!

I will be spending the next couple days catching up on your blog post and seeing what everyone has been up to! While I do that I will be sitting on my deck.

Here is the current situation… Thank goodness I have an excellent cat sitter that takes care of watering everything while I am on vacation! She waters and feeds the cats and she also waters my plants! I am so grateful for her because I can take trips and know everything here is under control… She probably does a better job than I do myself!

I love my Clematis! I had a different purple one the past three years but it finally died this year. I had to replant this beautiful one at the beginning of the summer.

I only have the clematis and three other flowers. The whole rest of my patio is herbs. I use these all summer long to make some really fun recipes. Maybe one day I’ll do a post of all the recipes of things that I make with my herbs I grow.

Isn’t this one beautiful!?!? Love the color!!

And this one… I get one of these every year… The hummingbirds love this plant! The place I get it from grows them so large it takes up a whole side of my patio… It truly is my favorite plant next to my clematis!!

and here are all the herbs…they are all doing well this year with the exception of basil. I bought a basil plant with brown under leaves…the lady at the store told me that is would be fine once it got sun. Well I planted it between my other two basil plants and it turns out it had some kind of mold that basil gets. I was so angry within three days all of my basil plants were covered in molds and brown spots. Don’t ever listen to people at the store… Listen to your gut. I only purchase it because it was the last basil plant they had left - I should’ve listen to my gut! Ugh!!

I usually have A LOT of basil but I planted this little guy under the clematis and he’s the only basil plant that survived.

Here’s the curly parsley - I use this in my Tabouli


Here’s the sage…

Here’s the oregano….

And now the dill…this is delicious on potato’s and salmon!!


Here is the lemon oregano…

And then here is the rosemary…

Next is the mint planter…it has sweet mint on the sides and chocolate mint in the middle…yum!!!

Last but not least is my favorite tree that then I will be bringing in once winter comes… It is a pineapple guava tree. Fingers crossed I can actually get fruit from this someday!

I hope everyone is having a great Monday!! I am off to read what everyone has been up to!! 

Hugs to everyone!! Be grateful for both what you have and what you do not have!!!

Not Amused Mother Nature!

I have been DYING to go buy flowers since I ran across my first daffodil a few weeks ago. Well, last night I pulled the trigger and it is all down hill form here! I ran out to Simmon's Farm. All their plants are so healthy, full and live really long so I always go there!!!  They have the sweetest owner working at the location I go to on Route 19...I love her...she is the sweetest woman EVER!!  I got my hanging plants for the patio! I bought two fuchsia's (one red with purple and one red with lavender). They are awesome!
 Here they are on my cat stand...they will eventually make it out the the porch! So pretty, right?!?

I also bought two assorted planters filled with amazing variations of flowers and they too will eventually make it outside!

On the dresser in the right of this picture are the plants that I bought to create at least one but probably two railing planters on my deck. And also a few random basil plants because I LOVE basil!! Again, outside soon I hope!

The reason they are all inside is as follows...

 Yes, it is snowing in Pgh! I knew it was going to get cold a day or two but seriously, snow?!?!?!?!

I am so done with the white stuff!

I am not laughing!!! Bring on Spring!

What is your weather like?! Hopefully some of you are enjoying a little heat!!!

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Patio gardening in full swing!!

On Monday I was able to stop and get all my herbs on the way home from work. I got all my herbs and flowers planted...cannot wait to start harvesting the awesomeness in salads all summer!!!!

The picture below has my hanging pot with yellow pansies...and the ledge planters have basil varieties, flowers, rosemary, dill and more flowers!!!

This picture shows the awesome corner planters I bought already assembled this year - love them!!! Also a shot of the ledge planter on the right that has cilantro and spearmint and below that the circle planter that has curly parsley.

And this is another shot to the right of the patio....did I mention that I love gardening and flowers and herbs?!?!?!

So - my advice to you....get out and plant a flower or two or three!!! Happy planting to you all!!!!

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All the crops

I LOVE NATURE!!! I was driving to my meeting Saturday morning after spin class and I saw this...how cute!?!?!?! Bambi and her little kids on the side of the road - this is a close as my cell phone would zoom in - good thing there was no-one else on this road as they would have probably plowed into me since I stopped right in the middle - LOL!!!!

Soooo cute!







Here are the garden progress pictures I promised - actually my patio garden...check it out!!!! Little baby peppers.....sooooooooooo many baby peppers!!!



Here is the pepper plant itself.......so big and loaded with peppers and flowers!





I am eating this today!!! First tomato from my crops!! LOL!!! I had my doubts about trying the Topsy Turvy but it is the first to have a red fruit!!!!! Yeah Topsy Turvy!!!!!!

First strawberry - I did not eat this as i pulled it off and the underside was moldy....not doing so swell on the strawberry plant :-(

This is Mint and Italian Basil....very anisy flavor.....YUM!!!!!!!!!!!

These are rosemary and basil....I plant LOTS of basil!!!!!

This has Texas Tarragon, Curley Parsley, Basil and Spearmint - I have almost depleted my mint crops as I found this new recipe for beans/mint/feta that I love - I will post that tomorrow...it is sooooooooooooooooo good......I am making it CONSTANTLY!

Here are my two tomatos in pots...lots of green ones but none red yet!!!!!!!

Another shot of the pepper plant

Here is the strawberry plant.....

Here is the Topsy Turvey!!!!!!!!!

Here are some of my pretty posies...

Here is the patio from down below...It is like a jungle up here - I LOVE IT!!

Here is the view on the patio - I love summer!!!!!!!!!!!!