the 'good' gossip, that is…

Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue!

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Happy 4th of July!  And to our neighbors up North, Happy Canada Day!

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Here’s my favorite red, white and blue combination that always provides me with the perfect vase full of cut flowers this time of year – ‘Blue Moon’ Agapanthus, ‘Fourth of July’ roses and Feverfew.

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I must admit, this grouping wasn’t intentional on my part.  The Feverfew re-seeded itself snugly between the two – and Voila! Serendipity at it’s finest!

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Praying Mantis nests…for the tough-to-please teenager

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This year I’ve written a few things about how to engage your older kids in the garden.  Definitely not as easy as when they were young!  It takes a little more craftiness than having their own ‘big kid shovel’ to lure some of these kids (my daughter being a perfect example) back into the garden, so I’m always trying to get creative.

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One foolproof method is if you can find anything the slightest bit icky – such as my mushroom experiment.  One of my biggest successes to date has been bringing a few praying mantis nests home from the nursery.

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Green Design – Indoor & Outdoor Plantscape

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Do you ever walk down a busy street and you see a hint of something cool peeking out from the doorway of a building, and you just KNOW something good is about to happen?  Well that’s what happened to me the other day when I was in San Jose and stumbled upon Green Design Indoor and Outdoor Plantscape.

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First of all, anything that says ‘Green’ in the title grabs my attention, coupled with the word ‘Design’ – and I’m all theirs.  After finding and chatting with one of the owners (a sweet Vietnamese woman – one of 7 siblings who own this shop) and getting a brief tour, she gently lets me loose with my camera, saying “Take your time, enjoy, I’ll be up front when you’re done”.  She must get this a lot.

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It’s the little things in life…..

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I absolutely love all birds.

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From my aviary, which my husband lovingly built for me (which houses my canaries and finches) to the many different birds that visit my garden.

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From ‘Ewww’ to ‘Cool!’

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I walked into Peets Coffee the other day (sounds like the beginning of a joke, doesn’t it?)

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Seriously! I walked in and saw these cool mushroom ‘kits’ for sale.  Being an avid gardener, I was immediately intrigued so I snatched one up for $15.00.  Having a teenager, I find it’s more and more difficult for me to keep her interested in gardening, so I’m a sucker for gimmicks that might grab her attention.

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