Free...gratis...frei...libre...!

For all my Austin (and neighboring) garden blogging friends:  These two hose reels are free to a good home if you will come and pick them up!  First one to email and ask for them wins!

(Those of you in Indiana, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Maryland, Louisiana and the rest of the world are also certainly welcome to come get them!!!)

We are the proud parents of two new reels that retract automatically, and with tendonitis in both elbows, that's a Godsend to me since cranking is really hard on my arms.  But these two are in great shape, and I thought there'd be no one better to bequeath them to than one of my garden blogging friends.

So, first come, first served!

Nippers three ...

Nippers three, saving me
from overgrown trees, shrubs and vines

Nippers good, cutting wood
helping me, all the time

Nippers red, always wed
to my hand, hip or behind

Nippers three, how lovely
you make my garden shine!

Diana Kirby
May 21, 2008

Beans, beans ... you know the rest!

What a delight. I spent yesterday harvesting in the veggie garden. I got a giant bowl of green beans, collard greens, spinach and the last 3 radishes.

The green beans were delicious, as were the collards. Radishes and spinach will go in tonight's salad.

We have many tomatoes - but they are still very green. It's already getting hot here, so I'm worried about whether the blooms will continue to set very well. (I admit I bought some bloom set spray. I'm not sure if that works, but I REALLY want tomatoes!)

I found some more blooms on the strawberries, too, so we might have another small helping of those soon.





Thank you, thank you, thank you to Vanillalotus at New Sprout for solving my mysteries from the last post. She tells me:

The lily is called a Jacobean Lily, or Aztec Lily. It's latin name is Sprekelia formosissima. Here is a website with more information at Daves Garden.

The cool-looking moth is a giant/great leopard moth.

What a wonderful thing - to have you gardening friends as a resource for tips and troubles and to indentify those mysteries that pop up in our gardens periodically.

Thanks for all your ideas and help!

Mystery Challenge!

Ok, garden experts! I need help. This lily (I am assuming it is a lily of sorts) is stunningly beautiful. But I have no idea what it is. The entire stem is bright red, unlike the daylilies I know. Do you know what it might be?

I've done some google searches and come up empty. I'd love to have your ideas to search through. It lives in dappled shade, gets good water and the soil is probably mostly black clay so I think it's pretty hearty in that sense.

I planted them at our previous house and loved them so much that I divided them and brought these with me. I'd love to have more, but that would require a name!

Any ideas?


Ok - mystery #2 of the day! I found this amazing moth in our outdoor kitchen, where he/she hung out all day long in this spot. Must have been cozy! It looks like something you'd draw when you were doodling. Any idea what it might be?
And these are not mysterious at all, just pretty! Had to share a shot of my morning glories in their full morning glory! Don't they look happy?