The Last Post for November

 

Frank McCourt gives sound advice when words won’t come. “Sit and quiet yourself. Luxuriate in a certain memory and the details will come. Let the images flow.” As of this moment, nothing more creative surfaced other than a bit of advice from my trusted dog, Ben. Keep your eyes open. This is the season to see the structure within the landscape; its many shapes, textures and what is still evergreen. As Frank McCourt reminds us, “It will emerge. It will insist on being told.” 

Image of Ben enjoying the last of the November sunshine by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Planting Lettuce – It’s More than Green

 

Since reading this Thich Nhat Hanh quote, a packet of lettuce seeds will never look the same way to me. “When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce. You look into the reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the lettuce. Yet if we have problems with our friends or our family, we blame the other person. But if we know how to take care of them, they will grow well, like lettuce. Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and arguments. That is my experience. No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just understanding. If you understand, and you show that you understand, you can love, and the situation will change.” 

Thich Nhat Hanh loves to garden. So many of the principles we apply to gardening and designing outdoor spaces can simplify our workplace or personal relationships. So if you must, carry a packet of lettuce seeds to remind yourself that gardening and all its wonderful attributes is more than green. 

Don’t blame the lettuce. Understand if something needs more fertilizer, more water, more sun or less wind. It’s those simple rules of gardening that can be applied almost anywhere. Planting lettuce - It’s more than green. P.S. Just a quick gardening tip: Lettuce is very easy to grow. If you want to throw your hat into the garden ring, lettuce is it.

Image of lettuce seed packets with Rosemary in the forefront (also easy to grow) by Ann Bilowz 

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

The Early Signs of Quiet

 

On this wordless Wednesday, snowflakes linger in the landscape, reminding us that winter is almost here. As we transition into the dormant season of our gardens, these early signs of quiet become longer and more pronounced. We experience shorter days and less natural light.

This Ester Buchholz quote reiterates how we can embrace these early signs of quiet. “Others inspire us, information feeds us, practice improves our performance, but we need quiet time to figure things out, to emerge with new discoveries, to unearth original answers.” Enjoy the early signs of quiet.

Image of an old Farmers wall and Ferns dusted with snow by Ann Bilowz 

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

A Preview of what’s to come

 

If someone asked you today to define the word ‘legacy’ and what it means, you may spew off a text book definition or somewhere in between. One example that I might use is Greg heading to UMass Amherst this morning to do one of his favorite things - speaking to the landscape architectural students where he once studied and graduated some years ago. You could say it’s a bit like building or leaving a legacy.

So why title this blog post, ‘A Preview of what’s to come’? Well, for a couple of reasons. On December 22nd of this year, we will commemorate the 100th anniversary of Lady Bird Johnson’s birth. Her love for wildflowers and nature started at a young age but didn’t stop there. As First Lady, this early love of the outdoors and all its beauty came to blossom again. Rather than see interstates and highways filled with signs and trash during a tumultuous time in the country, she hoped to see native wildflowers blossoming instead. Rather than dream but do, with her husband, she passed the Highway Beautification Act in 1965. This lifelong passion became and still is her legacy today.

But here’s one more reason for the title of this post. Keep an eye out for an upcoming review and free giveaway of the book, MISS LADY BIRD'S WILDFLOWERS: HOW A FIRST LADY CHANGED AMERICA. Sounds like a perfect gift for under the tree. Or maybe you’re involved in a local children’s charity or organization. What better gift to give a child this holiday season than the same gift that inspired Lady Bird when she moved from Texas to Washington DC. When you see so few natural spaces for children to enjoy, create one or in the case of this book, give one away.

So on that note, this Ray Bradbury quote seems the picture-perfect way to end today’s post. It’s a preview of what’s to come. 

“Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you're there.

It doesn't matter what you do, he said, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away. The difference between the man who just cuts lawns and a real gardener is in the touching, he said. The lawn-cutter might just as well not have been there at all; the gardener will be there a lifetime.” 

In case you can’t wait for the review or the giveaway, here’s the title and the information for the book. MISS LADY BIRD'S WILDFLOWERS: HOW A FIRST LADY CHANGED AMERICA (HarperCollins, 2005) by award-winning author Kathi Appelt, illustrated by certified Texas Master Naturalist Joy Fisher Hein.

Image by Greg Bilowz of one of my favorite wildflowers - Lupines in the meadow

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

How Many Days until

 

Retail mania has hit. The fast forward button gets pressed, giving us plenty of reasons to tuck in and do cozy inside things like decorating instead. Gardening? What’s that? All those thoughts of seeds, plants and creating a garden space get shelved or take a simmer on the back burner.

But before we sign off on this year’s outside to do list, it’s time to iron out any last minute garden wrinkles and clean the gunk from the engines. Here’s a quick cold weather tip before winter and all its merriment reach us on December 21st. Run all your lawn and garden power tools until the tanks are empty or condition the remaining fuel with fuel conditioner. Your local power tool dealer is your best resource with tips and recommendations for winterizing your handy garden gadgets. And if you didn’t get to all those fallen leaves gathered in the plant beds, you might hold off on the leaf blower until you get to this. 

Yes, sometimes this whole garden thing sounds like a ton of work. But this proverb might convince you that it’s worth it in the long run. “Age may wrinkle the face, but lack of enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.” I haven’t met a gardener who lacks enthusiasm yet! What’s on your holiday list of gifts to give this year? Wrinkle cream? No way. Give someone the gift of enthusiasm instead. 

This ornamental Kale seemed like a better, more cheery picture instead of power tools and equipment. Plus, it has a bit of that wrinkly feel. And you can eat it, too! Another benefit of gardening.

Image of Ornamental Kale still kicking in the garden by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Wordless Wednesday

 

Happy Thanksgiving to all. And if you didn't get a chance to read yesterday's post, take a peek. http://blog.bilowzassociates.com/2012/11/what-makes-thanksgiving-special.html

Be safe, be thankful. See you next week.

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com

Happy Gardening. Annie
P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

What Makes Thanksgiving Special

 

Yes, this may be a flower break day; a time to hit the pause button before this festive holiday. And for those that frequent here regularly, an everyday part of this blog is a quote wrapped into the garden or design message; whatever it may be. But in my endless search for quotes, this Thich Nhat Hanh quote stuck with me. It reminded me of a Thanksgiving tradition started four years ago by a local church and a courageous family.

“Every one of us needs a home. The world needs a home. There are so many young people who are homeless. They may have a building to live in, but they are homeless in their hearts. That is why the most important practice of our time is to give each person a home.”

So before Thanksgiving, which signifies home and family, let’s recognize folks like Elaine and Kevin Jones. For the past four years with the local Bread of Life Church, a thanksgiving feast is prepared and served to veterans and those in need. Regardless of your faith or religion, this event is to celebrate and honor their son lost in combat five years ago through the Ryan Patrick Jones ‘Heart of a Hero’ foundation. 

We are always honored to be guests of Kevin and Elaine. But what amazes me most, despite what they have lost, their only child, they continue to build this concept of home through their generous hearts and gifts. The church members prepare and cook for five days in advance, while Elaine has Kevin driving to the western part of the state in search of fresh vegetables for the table. Then as a team, the church and the Jones welcome and honor all those that have served. In their hearts, it is never homeless.

So when you are with your family celebrating this Thanksgiving, take pause to be thankful, be grateful. Do not build just a place to live in. Truly give of your heart. Because as Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us ‘the world needs a home, every one of us needs a home.’ Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving.

Top Image by Ann Bilowz

Bottom Image of 1st Lt. Ryan Patrick Jones

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Still Digging Away

 

This past weekend’s weather was perfect for many of the unfinished outdoor chores. For us, it was cleaning up the vegetable garden, adding compost, fertilizer, and peat moss to the soil. Planting the garlic bulbs and uncovering the last of the potato stash. At least twenty to thirty more pounds beneath the rich soil that growing potatoes can create. Just in time, the newly dug, 'don’t forget to scrub' fresh potatoes for the Thanksgiving table.  

Yes, perhaps it was a tad late to plant the garlic but one must make do, hope for the best and be grateful that the ground can still be worked. For all those that did plant garlic this past fall, don’t forget to put down a layer of sterilized hay for winter protection. But just like grammar, there is an exception to the rule.

In last Friday’s post, the mulch tip was to insulate your newly planted perennials once the ground is completely frozen so as to prevent unwanted critters from finding those winter warm pockets. With bulbs, you want to cover the soil before the ground freezes, providing a layer of insulation for developing its roots.

To stay on target with Thanksgiving week, Thornton Wilder, the American playwright summed it up best. "We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." Yes, how wonderful to still be digging away in the garden this late in November. Gardening – discover it.  It's a wonderful treasure!

Image of the last stash of potatoes from the garden by Ann Bilowz  

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Friday Garden Tidbit

 

For all those folks that recently planted perennials this past spring, summer or fall, don’t forget to protect that newly planted material during winter’s unfriendly cold spells with mulch. This extra exercise should be done when the perennials and annuals are deadheaded and the beds are completely clean. Mulch acts as an insulating blanket to keep the ground from repeated freezing and thawing, which heaves newly planted perennials out of the ground. But hold on before you shovel the mulch. Don’t layer it on your beds for the winter season until the ground is completely frozen. Otherwise, you’re setting up the perfect Holiday Inn for the unwanted winter creatures (mice and the like) that make a total mess of your flower beds. As one unknown author pointed out, “The ornaments of your house will be the guests who frequent it.” 

P.S. In case you need a more complete fall to do garden list to assist, here’s one from the archives. http://blog.bilowzassociates.com/2010/11/garden-chatter.html 

Image of Purple Sage dotted with frost by Ann Bilowz  

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Countdown to Thanksgiving

 

It’s one week away, turkey day when it’s time to be thankful and enjoy an abundant spread. So to the point of today’s post - is the celebration at your home this year? Maybe you’re looking for new or retooled cooking ideas or questions on etiquette; we can all brush up on those, too. Hold the dinner reservations, this just in. A recently published book by Sam Sifton titled ‘Thanksgiving - How to Cook it Well’. It’s loaded with tips and recipes so it’s one for the library shelves.

For the Butternut Squash lovers, Sifton included a roasted butternut squash with sage recipe. It’s one to take advantage of if you chose this delectable vegetable as one of your garden crops this past growing season. The author reiterates my thoughts about roasted butternut squash. “Here is one of those recipes that may lead people to wonder why it is they don’t eat butternut squash throughout the year.” It’s a big ‘Thank Goodness’ for stored butternut squash in the basement and fresh sage still growing in little pockets of the garden.

And a gentle reminder - make sure if you're not planting Sage that you do it next year. And check this week’s past post on how to store your produce for wintertime use. http://blog.bilowzassociates.com/2012/11/tuesday-morning-stretch.html Butternut squash is a no-brainer for a garden and easy to keep. But don’t fret if you’re searching for local freshness; you can always visit a neighboring farm stand as many stay open throughout the holiday season.  

So with the countdown on, there is much to do and prepare. And with that mad dash to cook and clean, it is easy to get caught up in the rush. So here’s a reminder from an unknown author to make sure we pause and be grateful for the many blessings in our lives.

“You cannot be grateful and bitter.
You cannot be grateful and unhappy.
You cannot be grateful and without hope.
You cannot be grateful and unloving.
So just be grateful.” 

And if you are grateful enough to have all of the above, reach out to those who don’t. 

Image by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Wednesday’s Short Garden Message

 

“Stick to a task, 'til it sticks to you. Beginners are many, finishers are few." ~ Anonymous, as quoted in Small and Simple Things. In short, if you love beautiful outdoor spaces, stick to the task until it sticks to you.

Image by Ann Bilowz  

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Tuesday Morning Stretch

 

A rainy Tuesday morning is a good time for a stretching exercise with ways to extend and expand your garden throughout the year. Let’s jump-start our stretching with a Benjamin Franklin quote. “For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.” Are you stretching yet? It's time to kick off an action plan for extending your garden season when it matters most. 

 In case you missed last Wednesday’s post, http://blog.bilowzassociates.com/2012/11/whats-in-cold-storage.html, it asked what produce you had in cold storage. Maybe you skipped over it because you think it’s too tedious or you only grow a small amount. Maybe you just don’t think ‘long-term’ when lining out your produce patch. You don’t have to be a commercial farmer to think long-term, produce goals. And while the below link on storing produce from Johnny’s Selected Seeds is meant for the full-fledged farmer, the information is invaluable for any small amount of produce you should store.
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-storagecrops.aspx?source=homestoragecropsbanner1012

Plus, it can give you some ideas on what to try and test in next year’s garden patch. Think long-term, not just short-term growth. Another tidbit for Johnny’s: if you go to their website this Thursday, November 15th, their new 2013 products will be previewed prior to the catalog arriving in the mail soon.

If you’re behind like us, still planting garlic or picking a few things buried (i.e., potatoes and horseradish); it depends what you grow. Or maybe the produce area is off limits now, making all the more reason to have planting plans organized for next year.

Yes, it’s the Tuesday morning stretch. Think cold storage and extend your garden produce season throughout the year.

Top Image of Pumpkins in cold storage waiting to turn into Pumpkin something by Ann Bilowz 
Bottom Image of Garlic bulbs still waiting to get planted in the ground by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Friday’s Top Ten

 

Do you have ten reasons why you garden? Maybe you have ten reasons why you don’t. If you need some help coming up with a few reasons why to start or why it’s important to carry the garden torch, you can peruse this recent article. It might help you out. http://itemonline.com/local/x1095520547/Why-garden-Master-Gardeners-offer-a-Top-Ten-list

Or you can just enjoy these images of Ornamental Kale adorned in what’s left of yesterday’s snow.

 

We can’t forget a quote. Henry David Thoreau seems to sum it up best. “The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” Have a wonderful Friday and celebrate the Monday holiday with a heartfelt thank you to our Veterans. Don’t forget to show gratitude for the men and women of our Armed Forces.

All Images by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

 

Snow’s Wonder

 

“I search for the realness, the real feeling of a subject,
all the texture around it...
I always want to see the third dimension of something...
I want to come alive with the object.” ~ Andrew Wyeth

P.S. Drive safely to your destinations and always make a moment to admire snow’s wonder.

Images by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

What’s in Cold Storage

 

What did you grow in your garden this summer?

Joel Salatin, an organic farmer gives us some food for thought.

“The first supermarket supposedly appeared on the American landscape in 1946. That is not very long ago. Until then, where was all the food? Dear folks, the food was in homes, gardens, local fields, and forests. It was near kitchens, near tables, near bedsides. It was in the pantry, the cellar, the backyard.”

Images by Ann Bilowz 

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

November 6, 2012

 

 

“True transformation occurs only when we can look at ourselves squarely and face our attachments and inner demons, free from the buzz of commercial distraction and false social realities. We have to retreat into our own cocoons and come face-to-face with who we are. We have to turn toward our own inner darkness. For only by abandoning its attachments and facing the darkness does the caterpillar's body begin to spread out and its light, beautiful wings begin to form.” ~ Julia Butterfly Hill

Images by Ann Bilowz 

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

What is Form?

 

The painter, Paul Brandford states, “Lines as edges kill a sense of form.” For those who appreciate an organic design approach, the natural forms we experience in our surroundings shape what we create in our landscapes. For everyone else, there are straight lines.



Top Image of rock formation in nature by Ann Bilowz
Bottom Image and Landscape Design by Bilowz Associates Inc. ©

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Imagine Your New Space

 

Josh Billings once stated that “There are lots of people who mistake their imagination for their memory.” As we venture into the month of November, those beautiful parts of our landscape begin to chip and fade away. It’s that time of year to jump-start your imagination for what new spaces and garden places you can generate for next spring. One of the best ways to remember this year’s garden is through photographs. But to imagine new spaces and garden places is to create.  November is the perfect month to think design. Imagine; put your landscape master plan in place.

Image and Landscape Design by Bilowz Associates Inc. ©

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Just Around the Corner

 

It’s amazing when a plant suddenly blooms but this one in particular has special meaning; the Christmas season is upon us soon. When it comes to houseplants, I definitely break all the rules. Specifically with this Christmas cactus, it keeps chugging along year after year. Just when I’m not looking, at the oddest times, these beautiful reddish pink blossoms appear despite an absence of care. 

It’s just one of those flower moments to celebrate, often unnoticed if you aren’t paying attention. So like the coming of Christmas; a beautiful season to celebrate. As we ready ourselves for the hectic part of the holidays, pay attention to the season and the unexpected blooms. As Eli Khamarov reminds us, “The best things in life are unexpected - because there were no expectations.”

And for those who need a countdown, Christmas is how many days away?

Image of a Christmas cactus in bloom by Ann Bilowz 

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/