Summer Blooms

Come with me on a quick tour of some of our Summer Blooms around our yard.

As some of you may know, here in the South, we have to work very hard to get the soil just right to grow great flowers with all the heat we have and little rain .

We must first break up the Red Clay Soil and mix in some Compost and Peat Moss and do constant daily watering.

We will now show you some of our wonderful Summer Blooms, feel free to click on any image to enlarge for a better view.

Hostas in bloom

Close up of Hosta Blooms

An unknown flower ( bloom the size of penny)

A Pink Cosmos ( they come in different shades of Pink,and other colors)

Another Pink Cosmos, a shade darker Pink

A Tono Rustic Blackeyed Susan

A Day Lily..I played around with the background just for fun, See..I just made you smile.



Our friendly little Chipmunks

We will share with you some photo's of our friendly little Chipmunks that come out of the flower beds and steal seeds from the bird feeder.

These little chpmunks are so cute..but very fast moving..hard to have one sit still for a photograph..but He didn't see me till it was too late, and He was just curious enough to nerviously watch me taking His picture right before he dove into the feeder to steal some seeds then scurry away.

Click on any photograph for a better view ( larger ).

Rubbin His Tummy..thinking of food.

Just happens to notice me sitting on a log watching Him.

Looking around..very nervious.

Almost as if He were winking at me..mischevious little creautre.

I hope you enjoy Creators little animal people as I do.

My Bird Friends

Today I will share with you some photographs of our Bird Friends here in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

We begin with a Female House Finch, then a whole House Finch Family, followed by the very elusive Killdeer ( very fast moving and seldome sit still for more than a few seconds, even caught one in flight..leaving ).

As usual , click on any photograph to enlarge for a better view.

A Cute Female House Finch

Same Female different pose

Looking down at the feeder for Lunch

A Family of House Finches..notice the Male with the Red on his head.

I didn't notice it till I went to crop the photo, but you can see a Female flying up from behind the Day Lilie.

A Killdeer poking around the soil for bugs in our garden.

Another Killdeer.

A friend of the one above.

The real photographers challenge...capturing one in flight

They move so fast..really have to be prepared and fast.

Making of the Garden

It is that time again to get all of the 3/4 acre garden going, some of which has already been planted and is producing, however today come with me on a tour of how we have to do things here in the mountains of Western NC.

Here in the mountains we just do not get much rain in the summer ( example, 8 yrs. of total drought, not a drop of rain all summer ) so I have to put in irrigation drip lines to water the things we plant.

I first must use a garden rake to smooth out the tilled up soil in an area of around 16 ft. wide, then use a very sharp hoe to dig a trench around 4" to 6" deep on either side of a 40" wide area, I then roll out a "Lay Flat" drip line down the middle and then roll out the garden plastic ( 5 ft. wide roll ) down the whole row stretching tight the plastic and covering the overhanging plastic in the trenches on either side and packing the dirt down to hold it in place.

I will put in a few photographs below to show the process.

The reason I use the plastic is twofold, one..it keeps down weeds and second..it keeps the soil moist from the watering and helps to keep it from drying out...also I can inject Mirical Grow directly through the drip lines to the plants.

We will start the "Garden Tour" with a photo of Sunrise over the garden in early morning..then progress from there.

As usual you may click on any photo to enlarge for a better view.

 Sunrise over the Garden in early morning

 Just after Sunrise..start of day

 One of our many garden friends..I noticed he had a fealer missing.

 The start of preperation..smoothing out the ground.

 All smoothed out and a 4" to 6" trench dug with a hoe

on either side of the 40" wide row, with drip line layed down the middle.

'

 Rolling out the plastic.

 Covering the plastic on each side and keeping it stretched tight.

Completed Row ( 150 ft. long )