Fertilizer Friday and Tree ID...

It's time to join the party in Canada over at http://tootsietime.blogspot.com/ ...
These Narrow Leaf Zinnias, Angelonia and Sun Loving Coleus have done great in this area.

Black Eyed Susan Vine on the lattice.

BES Vine in the tipsy container.

Firespike is brilliant this year.

Second go round of Zinnias this year volunteered to come up in the walkway.

My Sedum wheelbarrow is filling in.

Yellow Narrow Leaf Zinnias are just about done.

Loropetalum, Fringe Flower--zones 7-10... can be pruned at anytime of the year.

A couple of Purple Coneflowers are still hanging around.

Balloon Flower

It's 41 degrees here (5 Celsuis) with a threat of light frost this weekend. Today I will be taking cuttings and gathering seeds for next Spring.

Tootsie has posted her sprouting Loofah seeds that I sent her. If you would like to see how I harvested them, click a couple of posts back or go to my sidebar at the bottom and click on the Loofah post.

**Update**: The tree that I asked about in my last post was identified by http://nanak-mygardenpath.blogspot.com and confirmed by http://sweetbay103.blogspot.com ...Baccharis halimifolia--Salt Marsh Elder, Sea Myrtle or Groundsel. Zones 5-9, tolerates a wide range of soil types (wet, dry, brackish), deciduous, multitrunked, 10-15 feet high. Can be pruned to any shape suitable for your garden.

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Today I am Thankful for the crispness of Autumn.

ID This Tree...Please..

Last year about this time I found a small tree growing next to my Althea. The leaves were of
similar shape, color and texture. The one big difference through last winter was this new tree was growing and fast, while the Althea was going dormant. DH and I were so excited to see little white buds forming on this tree about a month ago. Not so excited when they never really made flowers. There are actually three trees in this photo, I am referring to the two trees to the right in this photo. The one to the very right w/o blooms is the Althea, Rose of Sharon. The one to the left with the little white sort of blooms is the tree I'm asking about. In one year this tree is slightly taller than the Althea. It's a cool tree, just not sure I am thrilled about the area it's taking up in my full sun garden...

DH and I are amazed at the Bees that are constantly swarming in this tree. Can anyone help me with information about this tree and it's name? Could it be a Privet in the Ligustrum Family?

DH bought me two Japanese Yew Trees off the distressed rack last weekend, 3 bucks a piece.

Does anyone have experience with this tree?

Now, I just need to find their forever homes...

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Today I am Thankful to be turning my attention back to my home and gardens.

Drying Loofah's 101 & A Little Halloween...

You can really pick Loofah at any stage, the ideal way is to let them dry or turn yellow/brown on the vine. As they dry they will become lighter in weight and the skin will pull away from the sponge inside. Feels like a ball that needs some air in it, you know how you can pinch the rubber?You just peel the skin off of the sponge. (excuse the stained fingers, she colored her sister's hair with kool-aid)

Once the skin is all peeled off you will see three chambers inside where the seeds are located.

You can dig the seeds out or

bang the sponge..see the loofah juice? (we love the way our hands feel after having this juice on them) If we would have left the loofah on the vine a little longer it would be dry. I let one turn almost completely brown, when I picked it the skin came off in two pieces, the sponge was dry and the seeds shook right out.

(not pictured) We let water run through the chambers from the water faucet or garden hose to wash out some hard to reach seeds and return the loofah to it's original shape.

Hang to dry, as it dries the last of the seeds will fall out. Reminds me of the Shredded Wheat cereal. If the loofah has dark areas on the sponge you can soak in a mild solution of bleach and water for a few minutes. These sponges can be used for bathing or cleaning. Remember to hang to dry after each use and DO NOT share if you use yours to bathe with. There is also a dry brushing technique, you dry brush your skin upward towards your heart for better circulation and radiant looking skin.

This is NOT even close to the amount of seeds that one loofah produces. Please let me know if you are interested in trying to grow loofah's, I have plenty of seeds to share. They are easy peasy, just need a long growing season (you can start them indoors) and a strong support to climb on. We used some trees, next year we will be using the chain link fence out back.

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I don't really care for Halloween...we do let the girls dress up and drive them around our neighborhood to a few houses though.

Here's our Nerd...

and our Scarecrow.

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Today I am Thankful to share our Loofah experience....and that Halloween is over....