Newest Flowers

I wanted a cute flowering plant on my kitchen counter.  I previously had a nice green plant but it was kind of blah.  I fell in love with this Dahlia as the flower was stunning. 

 

 

I saw the buds and thought this was the one.  Unfortunately it must not have gotten enough sunlight and none of the other buds bloomed.  I put it outside in partial sun under a butterfly bush hoping it would be happier.  A heavy rainstorm came in and the plant looks rough.  I will keep an eye on it.

 

In the meantime I had been shopping and saw a pretty Gerber Daisy.  I love them and had just given my mom a pink one for Mother's Day.  I decided to get a red one. 

So far it is happy.  I hope it thrives inside as I like that pop of red against the black granite.


Knock out rose from a cutting

I love bright pretty flowers.  I had several hibiscus flowers in containers but they didn't make it through the winter.  Since I had some knockout roses I decided to try to root some.  I cut a stem off my existing roses after the 2nd bud (branch area) and put honey on the end then put them in the middle of the new containers.  Of the 4 I planted 2 lived.  One actually got a big bloom on the tiny plant.

So far the 2 little plants are doing well.  I have tried 2 new stems for the other planters.  Hopefully they will take root and thrive.  We have had some heavy rain here in GA so that should help all the plants.

October Garden

It is starting to cool off a little in Georgia.  I took some pictures of my garden before the leaves all start dropping.

Finally, the 3 hibiscus I had in containers all bloomed at the same time.  I love the way they look.  I am not sure they will survive the winter, but hope they do.

The houses are close together so the garden is long and narrow.  I like how it is looking now.

I am thinking for winter I will get pansies to keep it happy and bright. :-)

Is Ello the next big thing?

I must admit, I was not very excited about another social media site.  I am already a member of facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, pinterest and more.  I read a little more about Ello and they do have a good pitch.
 
Ello, the ad-free social network capitalizing on the perception that it's the "anti-Facebook"

They launched about a month ago and it is invitation only at this time.  Sadly for me, I have received no invite. :(

They do not ask your name or gender so you can be more anonymous.  That could be good and bad. 

It appears they are going to upsell users on special features as a means to make money.  This eliminates the need for ads.

As soon as I get an invite (you can request one on their site), I will check it out and post an update.  I really spend alot of time on the various social sites I use now so I don't have alot of free time for a new one....unless it is amazing.

We shall see.
 

Knock Out Roses

I do pretty well with plants unless they are high maintenance.  Most of the plants I picked for my garden were rugged.  When I was at Home Depot they recommended a knock out rose.  The minute I heard "rose" I tuned out.  I picture all the special fertilizers and food you have to give a rose and even then they can door poorly.  I was told knock out roses are rugged and don't need to be pampered, so I gave them a try.  I am impressed with how tough they are and how frequently they bloom.  No black spots on the leaves or insects attacking them.

They are easy to grow, disease resistant and bloom a long time.  If that wasn't good enough, they are reasonably priced. I bought the smallest container and the plants doubled in size quickly.  I did give them a little plant food, but that was it as far as care. 

If you want the beauty of roses without the hassle, these may be for you. I am very impressed with them.

Contests

I want to have fun contests on this blog.  As I am new to the blog world, I will need to figure out how to use rafflecopter and anything else related to contests (hint: any tips are welcome).

Let me know what kind of things you would like to see as a prize.

Some things I am considering:

Beauty items: Cleansers, soaps, makeup

Dvds: Kids and adult

Supplies: for sweepers or business use

Of course GCs are what many of you want so I will do some of those contests.

Hang tight, once I get a little further along with the blog I will run the first contest.

Inspirational Quotes

As you can tell from the blog, I try hard to keep a positive outlook on life.  One thing I love is seeing inspirational pictures and quotes.  Here are a few of my favs:

• Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. –Robert Frost

• The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. –Amelia Earhart

• Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans. –John Lennon

• Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover. –Mark Twain

• I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. –Maya Angelou

•  Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.  Live the life you have imagined. –Henry David Thoreau

This is one of my favorite quotes overall.  To this day I am a huge admirer of Walt Disney and his vision.

•  Dream, diversify—and never miss an angle - Walt Disney

What are your favorite quotes?  I am always looking for new inspiration. :)