About Me

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South Carolina, United States
Vetsy is my nickname that my family have fondly called me since my childhood. My blog reflects my personal views about the world around me. My topics may be anything that interest me but the majority of it is about my favorite past times...nature and gardening. Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment or becoming a follower.

Monday, May 31, 2010

Scenes from our May Garden- 2010


The Spiderwort is one of my favorite purple wild flowers... They close up when the sun comes out, so I took pictures early in the morning.




The robins are in and out of the yard feeding their young in various places. A young robin  prefers the smaller bird bath....While an adult takes a sip from the bigger antique that once belonged to my paternal grandmother.




This photo does not show the true color of the roses on the front gate, it's a deep velvety shade of red that I have not seen else where in my area..It was transplanted from my paternal grandmother's yard.




Daisies and Ivy share a corner near the wooden fence. 




A close up of my intoxicating citrusy scented Mock orange flowers
( Philadephus coronaruis aureus)  The poor thing is assaulted unmercifully every year by ants and aphids who suck it dry! I would like to find an organic insecticide that will keep them away from this plant...Thank you for sharing any tips you have  that may help..




 I really love the funnel shaped flowers and colors of  the shrub Weigela, they are beautiful flowering shrubs that also attract hummingbirds." Eva Rathke"  is a gorgeous reddish purple..it and Pink florida weigela
( Not shown ) was planted by previous owners ages ago.



 " Red Prince (  in container ) I just purchased last week.


Another pass-along from my grandparents..is a sedum called Wall pepper ( crassulaceae) It will grow any where that pieces of it may fall.. they are all over in various places of my yard in cracks, between stones and rocks on the ground.. but  I don't worry when I spot these run always, for the roots are very shallow making them very easy to remove.






Houdini  Panini caught in the Act!.. girlfriend discovered where the handle is on the back door... I caught her reaching for it with my camera and she dashed away under the bed disgusted that I found out how she was getting out last week! ... She reaches for it and than leaps..putting all her weight on the handle until the door springs open...I'm on to you Missy!



 A critter that's most likely a squirrel had several of my nice ripened strawberries  for breakfast, Panini would love to catch one of these Villains and I'm almost tempted to let her ( Not!) for she would also make a bee-line straight to where Mom and Poppa Cardinal's nest site that lay in what I think is a Dutseia scrabra shrub....I would also feel guilty if one those square toothed vermin's should happen to bite her in the head, the squirrels around here aren't afraid of  No cats"  and would make Panini's fore-head appear just like the bitten berry in the photo.



My pink roses on the side of the house are looking healthier than last year when they too" like the Mock orange were attack by ants and aphids...So far there are none on these.." whew!
These are the scenes of May from my garden.  I hope you enjoyed them,  may you and yours have a wonderful Memorial Day..










Monday, May 24, 2010

" A Man Named Pearl "




A Man Named Pearl' is a delightful true story for anyone who loves to garden and have an appreciation for Topiaries.

Pearl Fryer a novice gardener from Bishopsville Sc,  has done with his garden that many said could not be done with-out a Horticultural back ground.

 His garden is now a wonderful work of Art that is seen today by people all over the World  it's a must see and a wonderful Documentary for people of all ages! 
please visit... www.amannamedpearl.com


Photo credit is  by giddygirlie of flikr.com





Friday, May 21, 2010

A few pass alongs and berries



These bearded Irises were given to my Mother by her sister a couple of years ago and a few were passed along to me, they have a perfumed scent, but I have to place my nose near them to smell them.
 


Below: Comfrey (symphytum tuberosum).. is an herb that was given to my parent's by my eldest sister, it is not yet in full bloom but is still gorgeous, the bees love it and I do too".





Added a Solar water lily fountain this month. A baby sparrow kept trying to drink from it, leaped onto it and I thought it was going to drown, but it took a big gulp and flew up and out to my relief and to my surprise!. I hate that I did not catch this action  with my camera..



Last year I planted my first strawberries and politely forgot the variety in the planter that is holding the ceramic bunny momma and baby... I have  two other  containers of 'Ozark beauty' which are Ever bearers. Ever bearers will produce fruit from spring to autumn.







Thanks for stopping by..Do leave a comment I enjoy them.

                                                                                         
                  

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day.. May 2010



It's that time again, the 15th of every month when we join Carol our host of Garden Blogger's bloom Day to post What's blooming in our gardens.





 This is one of the prettiest shrubs in my yard and I have never known for sure of it's exact specie, it  has lots of round white clustered flowers with a wonderful light scent like a very, very faint gardenia...butterflies were all over it today.. I think it is called..Deutzia Scabra ( doot-see-uh ) belonging to the Hydrangeaceae Family..
 I didn't get around to clipping it into a nice shape like I did last year..Oh" well"... it's still pretty.
                                        



Why must these yellow drops of sunshine be such a beautiful weed! I removed mass mountain's of them today and left a small patch that will probably be a mountain next year...I need to replace it with a look alike that's Not a weed! ..This weed I'm speaking of  is a creeping buttercup.. ( Ranunculous repens ) it spreads by under ground runners, which make it  a Monsters to get rid of...It is very invasive and I have tried year after year to get rid of it by digging it up.... But I must not have done a very good job removing all of the root system..because they returned as if I had never moved them at all.

 I read today that I should repeat the process more than once  ( lots of digging and tilling ) and that should do the trick..if not, I should try an herbicide. I don't really like to use chemicals in my garden so I guess I'll be getting some more exercise until I can find a replacement.






Purple Ice plant and dainty blue bell flowers...Two of my favorite colors in the garden. Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comments and have a Happy Garden Blogger's Bloom Day!



 





                                                                                                 


Sunday, May 9, 2010

Wishing you and your's a Happy Mother's Day!



HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY



A Mother’s love is something
that no one can explain,
It is made of deep devotion
and of sacrifice and pain,

It is endless and unselfish
and enduring come what may
For nothing can destroy it
or take that love away . . .

It is patient and forgiving
when all others are forsaking,
And it never fails or falters
     even though the heart is breaking 

It believes beyond believing
when the world around condemns,
And it glows with all the beauty
of the rarest, brightest gems . . .

It is far beyond defining,
it defies all explanation,
And it still remains a secret
  like the mysteries of creation 

A many splendor miracle
man cannot understand
And another wondrous evidence
of God’s tender guiding hand.

Helen Steiner Rice
(1900 – 1981)


                       Photo credit is ...by..Betsy J....of Flickr.com