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Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Earth Day...can you dig it?

Grandson Shawn * March 27, 2012

Good day, my dear readers!  I just popped by to wish you all a wonderful and prosperous Earth Day, which makes it's official appearance on Sunday, April 22, 2012.  As you can see, my little associate Scooter has agreed to accompany me with his earthy demonstrations.

"Everything here is so clear, you can see it...
And everything here is so near, you can feel it"...

The founder of Earth Day is said to have been US Senator Gaylord Nelson, but, the idea was actually presented  by John McDonnell, at a United Nations conference in 1969.    Looks like there might have originally been two separate days for this occasion...March 21st and April 22.  Eventually,  April 22nd became the designated date and, well, the entire week, actually.  Agreed?  Yay!  It was designed to get all schools involved in the movement, including colleges and universities.  And, the focus was, and is, to encourage all people, of all nationalities to show their (our) appreciation for our planet. 

Lets' work to protect the future of our environment!
Plant a tree!
Pick up trash from the yard and curb!
(even if you didn't throw it there)
Clean up the unwanted brush from your yard!
And try to keep unsightly vegetation under control!
Empty standing water from containers in your yard!
Keep your birdbaths clean with fresh water, daily!

Pledge an act of Green!
"The sun beamin' down between the leaves..."
photo by Suzanne * 04-04-12

Thank you so much for stopping by...remember, EVERYDAY is Earth Day!  We're all responsible for the well-being of our God-given earth!  Let's vow to at least TRY to do something constructive...just one thing a day!  I won't kick the coke bottle to the curb, if you won't!  I'll pick it up...even tho I don't drink coke!  I'll pick it up and I'll get it to the nearest trash can, even if it has to be MY trash can!
Do we have a mutual pledge?  Then I say, YAY!!!

Have a wonderful week...AND, a wonderful EARTH Life!

Thank you my little earth boy Shawn!
"Oh, let's dig it...can you dig it, baby?"

And many thanks to:
Google
Yahoo
Wikipedia

Thank you to 'The Friends of Distinction for 'Grazin' in The Grass'
Top 10 hit in 1969 on the Pop and R&B hit lists

HI MOM!

"Grazin' in the Grass is a Gas...can you dig it?"
Shawn aka. 'Scooter' ~ March 28, 2012

"And it's real, so real, so real, so real, so real...can you dig it?"

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Iris Inspection with my Garden Associate!

Grandson Shawn * March 28, 2012

Well, I'm back with the final update on my small flowerbed makeover from November, and, I brought my grandson Shawn, aka 'Scooter', with me.  Some of you may recall, I did a 'self video' of how I cleaned out this small, neglected flower bed after last summer's devastating drought!  It was an inexpensive project, since I already had plenty of Iris to move, and, the rock edging just needed to be re-arranged.  Below is a collage of the transformations as they took place from the original plantings until now.
photos and collage by Suzanne * KardKorner Headquarters
November 19, 2011 ~ March 30, 2012

***
Just what do we know about the almighty Iris?  That they're EVERYWHERE?  I thought they came from Kansas...but, I've been in Texas quite a while, and, I didn't bring them with me!  Hey!  You Floridians!  Did they come from your neck of the woods?  How about England and Australia...I'll bet there are plenty of Iris in your beautiful countries too!

Well, 'Scootie' and I did some digging worldwide and came up with a few answers to our questions.
just a few!!!

As we already know, Iris survive in most climates...specifically throughout the North temperate regions of the world.  Those areas would include, the meadowlands and riverbanks of Europe, and the Middle East...and, Northern Africa, Asia, and North America.
***
A little history
Iris got it's name from the Greek...it means rainbow, probably because they can be acquired in various colors.  A common name sometimes given to the Iris is 'flags'.
Iris is the ancient Greek goddess for the Messenger of Love.  And this sacred flower is considered a symbol of communication and messages: 
* the Purple Iris symbolizes wisdom and compliments.
* the Blue Iris is a symbol of faith and hope.
* the Yellow Iris symbolizes passion.
* and, the White Iris is a symbol of purity.

Here we have Iris, the Greek Goddess of the Rainbow

a lovely interpretation 

And, we also know that Iris come in many different colors, and shapes.  I've never raised any exotic Iris, such as the 'Dutch Iris', or the 'Butterly Iris', but they are very beautiful plants.  I've only had the pleasure of growing the common Iris, in a few of the pastel shades.


And here is an Iris from my FlowerBed makeover in November.
It's called 'Tall White Bearded Iris'
photo by Suzanne ~ March 28, 2012
and what a fragrance!  Undescribable

And these dudes got tall!!! So far I've only gotten to reap a few stems with four to six blooms on each.  I just don't know if any more will bloom for me this year.
I don't know...guess he's getting ready to haul!!!

Towering above the tower water feature


And these Iris smell like grapes!  Ummm...


A priceless smile!

Time to 'freak' Grandma out!
How about that Peace and Love headband?


Now it's back to work!

Time to wind down.  For all it's worth, the Iris is probably the simplest flowering plant to grow.  But, now that Spring is upon us, with continually warming temperatures, my Pansies are starting to wane.  I have already purchased some Impatiens that will replace the bright little faces until next fall.

    Here are just a few tips that have always worked for me: 
* Iris has a long, kind of potato-looking root that is easily planted.  Don't dig a large hole and bury the root.  Just scoop a shallow gully that will fit the size of your root, and place the root so the plant is standing.  I kind of pack the soil around the root and leave a bit of the top exposed.  This is what I was told to do by an old farmer who lived on the Brazos River, just west of Fort Worth.

* Iris do like water, but they don't care if  you miss a day or two.  They're easy...and can grow in just about any kind of soil.

* They can be planted on fence rows, around trees, on hillsides...I mean, just anywhere!

* Remember, if you want to transplant any of your Iris, do it after the blooming season, or early fall.  If you wait until next spring they will not bloom until the following year. 

* And, as the blooms dissipate, cut them off as close to the bottom of the stems as you can to keep the plant looking attractive.  When the leaves start looking bad, cut them down, all the same size if you can, with scissors.  I try to make a fan shape for each plant.  Once again, the plant can continue to look attractive.  Trust me...the leaves will grow back! 

***

I want to thank my cutie 'Scootie' for all of his help last week in the yard.  He's a real trooper...well, at his age, VERY EAGER to join in! 

And, thank you my dear, faithful readers for joining in on the Iris fun.  Since, I STILL can't figure out how to put links from my previous posts in a new post for references, I will just tell you that if you want to view my self videos of this little flowerbed makeover, they are in my archives under FlowerBed Makeover, Part 1 and Part 2.  They were done on November 20, 2011 and November 26, 2011, respectively.

As always, I must thank:
Yahoo
Google
wikipedia
theflowerexpert.com
Hi Mom!

"OKAY...I'm done here!"
(1973 Mustang convertible in the background being restored)

"There is no time like the old time,
when you and I were young.
When the buds of April blossomed,
and the birds of spring-time sung!"
~Oliver Wendell Holmes

Have a safe and beautiful Easter holiday
from MyTexasGardens!

Got eggs?