Doodads — the yard on November 1

When I mentioned the witch hazel shrubs yesterday, Max said he bet they looked pretty. Of course that inspired me to get out there with the camera and take a few pics of the state of autumn illuminating the trees and shrubbery. Seven of the ten shrubs are doing well. Three are still hanging on….

#FFF 80 — art and nature

Hello All. Happy Friday! It’s been a whirlwind week and it isn’t over yet. Wednesday I went out for lunch to a place downtown called The Early Owl. I can’t remember what the building was years ago, but they’ve turned it into a bee-yoo-tiful restaurant. We had lunch up on the rooftop a few years…

Doodads — Queen Anne and Witch Hazel

Do you ever wonder why they name plants after women?  I just wondered when I saw the two flora I am including are named Queen Anne and Witch Hazel.  Anyway… the first pic is a lovely patch of lace out near the road.  It grows all over here. There is a plant that has gone…

A2Z 2025 — Day 23 — Witch Hazel and Willow

Witch HazelAnyone who has followed this blog for long knows I bought 10 young bare root witch hazel shrubs/trees a few years back and planted them along the south fence line.  It’s been a learning experience and there have been mishaps along the way — but all 10 are still alive.  I learned that deer…

Doodads — tomato, prickly pear propagation, fermenting, witch hazel, oh my

There are still pics from Tuesday at fmg but they will have to wait.  Instead, the focus of this post will be tomatoes, prickly pear propagation, more fermentation, and status of the witch hazel bushes. Tomatoes It’s been an ongoing experiment with the purple reign tomatoes.  The reviews that said they produced dwarf tomatoes is…

Doodads — witch hazel, prickly pear, and more

Friday and Saturday were spent mowing, trimming, and hauling bricks to the middle of the yard to build a foundation for the Amish-made lighthouse that has replaced the eroding, ant-infested wishing well my stepfather built for me many moons ago.  When the wood-shingled roof of it fell off last fall, a plan to replace emerged. …

Doodads — yardpics, one more time

A couple of these were taken a few days ago, at sunset, but the rest are pics taken today, out in that beautiful sunshine.  Be expecting more pics later tonight or in the next couple of days from Frederik Meijer Gardens (from now on abbreviated at FMG) as I’m headed over in a bit.  We…