I found an casual garden insectary in my neighborhood. Read about it here.

If you’ve been watching Patti Moreno, the Garden Girl videos, you’ll know she is a fan of these ergonomic hand tools. I’ve also tried these tools myself and can see why they have a 98% approval rating from the National Home Gardening Club. They’re lightweight and designed to make it easier on your hand and wrist. – Jacqueline D’Elia, Olive Barn Founder. Now made from polished aluminum they’re even better. Rust-proof and easy to care for.

You can find them at Olivebarn.com

Here is an update on the Three Sisters Garden that Patti Moreno planted. According to Iroquois legend, the planting of corn, beans and squash together, also known as Three Sisters Planting, is a method of sustainable planting design to create an environment where the plants help to support each other. I found this helpful resource on three sisters planting at Renee’s Garden.

I found a neglected CATTLEYA (cat-LAY-a) in bloom in my garden this week. It was behind a large potted Meyer lemon tree on my driveway. Luckly it got filtered sunlight and splashes of water whenever I watered the lemon tree. To my surprise, I saw a glimpse of magenta out of the corner of my eye and there it was. I was hoping it would have been orange, but I am delighted just the same.

This is a beautiful waterlily named ‘Lindsey Woods’. There is a story behind this Water Lily. Rolf and Anita Nelson of Nelson Water Gardens & Nursery in Katy, Texas, chose to commemorate the life of one cancer victim by giving a tropical waterlily the 14 year old girl’s name: Lindsey Woods. Lindsey Woods died April 21, 1999 from cancer and the following year, Nelson’s introduced ‘Lindsey Woods,’ contributing $20 from the sale of every plant to the Texas Childrens Hospital.

You can read more about it here. I recommend you purchase the Lindsey Woods lily directly from Nelson Water Gardens to be sure that a portion of the sale goes to Texas Children’s Hospital. I did, and this lily has thrived in my neglected pond for two years. Today I’ll be transplanting it in a new spot.

I just purchased a new Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera after some extensive research. It came with an EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black) and today I took some close-up pictures of flowers and plants in my garden. I am an novice at using an SLR camera, but these pictures came out really nice right out of the box using the MACRO setting. I decided to upgrade from my old Sony Cybershot camera (which I have been using for the past 5 years) because it is difficult to capture product photos for our website without a lot of Photoshop touch-ups. That can be very time consuming.

Coleus in my Down Under Pot

Hamelia patens (Firebush) which grew as a volunteer in the corner of my backyard up against the fence. I didn’t have the heart to pull it out when I first noticed it and now I am glad I didn’t. It is about 5 feet tall and the butterflies love it.

Need I say more. I love Orange and this Hibiscus is one of my favorites.

Now, I really want to add the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras which after reading the reviews I can only image how stunning my botanical close-ups will be. It is pricey and with the photos above right out of the box, I may wait a bit…. but the reviews on this lens are alluring if you enjoy close-ups in the garden. Other accessories I just bought are:
Canon LP-E5 Battery Pack
The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D Companion
Canon ACK-E5 AC Adapter Kit

If you are like most of us, you may hesitate when trying to say those latin plant names in public. Afraid of pronouncing it wrong in front those garden experts at the nursery?

Have a look at this handy pronounciation guide from Fine Gardening. It is easy to use and really helps. Seeing the name spelled and then hearing it – makes all the difference. Soon you’ll be speaking PLANT-LATIN.

http://www.finegardening.com/pguide/pronunciation-guide-to-botanical-latin.aspx

We’ve been a fan of Brenda Beust Smith and the Lazy Gardener column for years. If you are looking for the Houston Chronicle’s Lazy Gardener column, you can now find it online at http://blogs.chron.com/lazygardener.

“THE LAZY GARDENER’S GUIDE ON CD” — a gardening book on CD offers gardening tips plus 12 pre-designed gardens for butterflies, hummers, sun, shade and more. Monthly what-to-do reminders for Greater Houston/Gulf Coast gardens. $20 each. Make checks payable to Brenda B. Smith & mail to: Lazy Gardener’s Guide on CD, 14011 Greenranch, Houston, TX 77039-2103.

Every year we see this horrifying site around Houston.  It’s CRAPE MURDER. The crime is sawing off the limbs of crape myrtles. This method of pruning creates weak wooded new growth, and I believe a playground for aphids once that new growth sprouts on the stubs.

Kathy Huber has some helpful tips on HoustonGrows about how to prune crape myrtles. Shown below is a beautiful crape myrtle in my neighborhood. The owner has let this crape grow into a stunning tree. I’ll be sure to post a  photo this summer when it is in bloom. I believe it is pink.

I found an excellent discussion going on at Garden Rant about Kitchen Gardening and it got me to thinking.  What a perfect time it is for the resurgence of vegetable gardening. With the economy in a slump and finances constrained, why not grow food right in your own backyard, instead of paying for it? For that matter, why not grow it on your patio, rooftop, side of the house, apartment window, whereever you have a pot or a patch of soil?  Will we soon become our grandmothers? Storing food? Read about the resurgence in root cellars in the New York Times. All across the nation, getting back to basics is taking root.

Will HGTV finally put the G back in their programming? Will a 24/7 Garden Channel emerge as the magnet for advertisers? Are you sick of watching the endless “FLIP your House”, “Stage your House”, and “How much is my House worth?” programs? HELP! Martha Stewart are you listening? It is time for a resurgence in kitchen gardening! I know, because I find myself watching “GardenGirl TV” videos. I love them. Here’s a sample:

So how much of your garden is dedicated to growing food and herbs? In the age of front lawns neatly manicured with ornamental shrubs, did you ever consider Gardening on Purpose? It’s good for your budget, your health, the planet and theraputic. This all ties into another topic I wanted to talk about this week. I’ll save that for the next post.