Goodbye 2011

I am more than happy to say goodbye to 2011.  For me it has not been a good year.  Wow, what a downer way to start a blog post. 

On a good note, I just finished my 5th chemo treatment and I am feeling pretty good.  One more treatment to go and I will be finished with chemo, woohoo, celebration!!   2012 is already looking better.

My only New Year's resolution is to get healthy in 2012 and put cancer behind me.  In 2012 I have one more chemo treatment, 6 weeks of radiation and another surgery in August.  By this time next year I can say "bye bye" to cancer.

So I leave 2011 showing you the blooms in my greenhouse.  It is so much fun to go to the greenhouse on a cold winter day and have blooming plants greet me.

Bird of Paradise

Ti plant, No blooms but lots of color

Angel Wing Begonia



Cyclamen

I think this is Josephs Coat



Bird of Paradise again....because I love them so much!

Kalanchoe and Poinsettia

I hope you have a very Happy New Year!! 

Until next time,

Greenhouse Remodel

Last year my greenhouse was absolutely full of plants that I was over-wintering.  It was so full that I could barely squeeze inside to water and there definitely was no room for starting seeds.

This fall my wonderful husband doubled the size of the greenhouse.  He had built the original lean-to type greenhouse on the south side of our house so he was familiar with how it was constructed.

The foundation is built from cinder blocks.  I have no knowledge of construction so I will not attempt to describe the building process.  

Here you can see the original greenhouse.  In the summer it serves as our pool house, holding all the floaties, etc for the swimming pool.

Here is the "almost" finished addition.  He will lay the concrete pavers along the foundation to help with soil erosion during rain storms. It also needs to be painted but for now it is sealed and the plants are happy campers inside.  It is heated with a natural gas furnace.

This is a view inside the original half.  There is plenty of space for my plants and me!!

The view from inside the original greenhouse into the new.  The water spicket is in the center.  He took out the original windows and moved them to the outer wall.  He left the original outer walls to support what is now the center of the greenhouse.  So I simply step through the opening to get to the other side.

The floor is gravel with black weed barrier underneath.  This is my potting bench.

Opposite the potting bench are my cactus and succulents and the shelving with the yellow water can is for growing flats of seedlings.

A view back into the original half.  In the corner I have lighted shelves where I start my seedlings from seed.

Thank you for taking a tour of my greenhouse.

Tomorrow I have another chemotherapy treatment.  I still have all of my hair but I may lose it during this treatment....although I have been saying that....so maybe I will be lucky and never lose it.

Just in case, I got another wig from the American Cancer Society yesterday.  Now I have 2 wigs, 3 ball caps, 1 straw hat and 7 chemo hats.  I'm ready to be bald if it happens.  When the time comes I will model a few of them for you.

Until next time,

The Forgotten Garden

Today I finished reading this book, The Forgotten Garden a novel by Kate Morton.  It is a great book. 

It takes place in Australia and England and has 552 pages.  I read this book in 2 weeks!!  I don't think I have ever read a book with that many pages that fast.  Being snowed in helped, plus the book was due back at the library and there are 4 people waiting to check it out....See I told you it is a good book. 

As for my garden I found these blooming in the greenhouse this week.

The Bird of Paradise is blooming again.  It enjoys the warmth and humidity in the greenhouse. 

Behind the birds is a new antique mirror that I purchased last month.  It has carved Scottish Thistles all around the edges and there are doors in the center that open to the mirror.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.
Until next time,

Empty Nest Gardens before a freeze

The weatherman has forecast an artic freeze for Thursday so I grabbed the camera and took a few pictures before the Empty Nest blooms are gone.

I love having blooming roses in November.

The leaves on the oak trees were so beautiful this year, the most color I can ever remember.

In the greenhouse the Bird of Paradise is still blooming.

 The greenhouse is absolutely jammed packed with plants.  I always try to save everything from the killing frost.  After Thanksgiving I will have to take cuttings of some of the plants and try to downsize a little so I can get inside the greenhouse to work....lol. 

I hope you have a great Thanksgiving.  I will be hosting 11 at my house.  Let us all be thankful for the many blessings in our lives.

Until next time,

Still Busy in the Yard

This week I have been busy moving my tropical plants into the greenhouse.  It continues to get down into the low 40's at night and even though the plants looked good outside I didn't want to take the chance that they might get damaged. 

My little green house cannot hold another plant.  It is bursting at the seams.

I have a 9'x12' greenhouse that my husband built about 10 years ago.  It has gas heat and running water and works very well to over winter the tropicals.  I plan to build a larger greenhouse next fall and use this one for starting seedlings. 

The leaves have started changing colors.  These are the oaks in the front yard.

Aren't the red leaves on this tree just beautiful?  This is my neighbors tree and I have no idea what kind of tree it is.

And look what is blooming again...my bird of paradise!  This plant is still sitting outside and is a very happy camper.  Somehow I will have to squeeze it into the greenhouse soon.

To end this post I thought I would show some of the plants that are still blooming.  Stella de Ore daylily, Queen Sophia Marigold, ToadLily, Purple Wave Petunia and Mums.

Until next time,