I don’t know a lot about gardening in flooded areas, but am sure that those things that have very deep root systems will be the plants that will survive, depending upon how much erosion there is. I have had to replace some top soil around a few plants, but this year was not as bad as last year because we were prepared.

We are praying for all of you who have been affected by flooding. Recently my husband and I did some hiking in the woods, and came across a beautiful blanket of moss, something that I’m sure doesn’t mind a little flooding. I know moss may not seem terribly exciting to the traditional gardener, but I think it looks soft and beautiful and allow it to grow in the rocky wooded part of my garden.

Such a simple thing as green moss on the forest floor can bring a smile after a long, cold, snowy winter.  Among the first things that look green in the forest during early spring.

ANSWER added 7/16/10:  You can find the full picture by clicking here at my photo blog.

The last of my tulips have finished, and are ready to be cut back, but at the same time as I took the rosebush picture, I also captured this picture of a pink tulip that I’ve had in my garden for over 20 years.

And then there are my pink lily of the valley.   Each year they bloom in May, and sometimes if I have an abundance of them, I sell them as they are rarer than the white variety.  But not this year, I’m letting them spread a bit.

Last weekend I planted on my deck in planters, pots and containers and will eventually take some pictures of them when the vegetables and plants mature.  It has been a nice early growing season for us in Northern NJ.

I hope your gardens are doing well!

Please do not use photos without providing credit and link to this site.

My son took this pretty picture while we were away celebrating our 31st anniversary, and Easter in Lancaster, PA.

He uploaded this one to Webshots where he has other photos in case you’d like to click on this photo and visit his album, they aren’t all flowers, but he enjoys photographing outdoors.

We hope that all of you had a blessed Easter, or Resurrection Sunday as we like to call it. We remember Jesus resurrection from the dead after paying the penalty for our sin on the cross, remembered on Good Friday…and appreciated every day of the year.

Still, in spite of it all, in spite of seeing the end of the gardening season, then end of warm weather, there is beauty in the colors of fall, the changing of the seasons. Enjoy!

Her search for a home has made me look back on why we chose the place that we live. We chose our home based on the beauty that surrounds it more than the house itself, that has had it’s good points and some that aren’t so good…but I suppose that any homeowner could say the same thing for one reason or another. Still, when you are shopping for a home, it is important to have an honest real estate agent, and to do a lot of your own research, the internet has opened that ability up tremendously since our home purchase 26 years ago.

We sometimes think about moving, and wonder where we would go if we did. There are so many different States in the US with good things about them, it is hard to chose, but for me there would have to be some natural beauty around me or near me. I visited a missouri real estate site, for example, and that lead me to do a search on what might be in the area. Are there parks? Any woodlands around…I would be lost without my trees. If I still had young ones, I’d be considering the schools in the area, and the job market if you are not retired. There is so much to consider, and it is good to have websites like the one mentioned to help in the search.

Missouri does have some beautiful gardens, by the way, here is a picture that was taken in Branson, Missouri, by “mgsimm” of webshots that makes me think of the season that we are in right now, fall, with all the beautiful Mums blooming…in fact I am off to buy some for our property today or tomorrow.

I hope you enjoy the visit!

My husband is from the beautiful and magnificent State of Colorado. I may have shared with you before that I am always amazed that he has found a way to feel at home here in New Jersey, but living in the rural setting that we do is helpful with that, I’m sure. We have had the opportunity to travel out there on a number of occasions during our now-30 years of marriage, at least 5 road trips, and the rest by plane. Each has their advantages.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that Telluride Tourism is offering a special for those who want to take in the incredible beauty of Telluride and the surrounding areas. They are offering a ticket free for every 3 you buy. As I type this I feel the pull to be out there again, and I’m sure my husband feels it on a regular basis as his family is all in Colorado. There are many weekend events and festivals to please the whole family, and the beauty of nature is all around you in many forms.

May I also say that the visittelluride.com website is a beautiful thing to behold, many wonderful pictures of Colorado, enough to may me want to hop on the next plane and to make my hubby homesick.

I have an extra-special special to tell you about at the end of this post, but first…Florida!  This is the place that many escape to during the Spring, right on through the summer, and into the Fall months.  But Spring is when most of the people from our part of the US head down to Florida.

For many, the first thing that comes to mind is theme parks, we’ve done them and enjoyed them, but if/when I go down again, it will be for a quieter visit…no rides this time, I’d love to take in some of the natural beauty of the area.

Here is a list of things that you can consider if you, like I, would like to take in some natural beauty in Kissimmee:

• The Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens
• Florida Eco-Safari – in 4700 acres of Florida wilderness, on horseback, through land and water, exploring beautiful natural ecosystems of Florida.  There are MANY
• World of Orchids – those beautiful flowers, so many varieties to explore!
• The Heritage Trail – because I love to learn more about the history of the places I visit, this would be something I wouldn’t want to miss, with many museums and things to see along the way.
• The Bok Tower Gardens – I first saw this historic landmark an old linen postcard when sorting through some things obtained at an estate sale, and found it intriguing.  It would be a beautiful spot to visit.
• A Glass Bottom Boat ride at Silver Springs
• Bird Watching…this is something that doesn’t cost anything, and is so much fun, the unique birds in the area are so beautiful! You can do this at places like Lakefront Park, Peghorn Nature Park and Trail, Bull Creek Wildlife Management Area, Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area and more beautiful locations.

There are so many things to do, that the next time we go to Florida, we’ll plan much better, our last trip was with children, so mostly amusement parks and rides, but this type of trip will take more planning….and the www.visitkissimmee.com website seems to have all that’s needed to discover places to visit and plan.

Oh, the special I mentioned, it’s a Sweepstakes…..Kissimmee is giving away three (3) weekend getaways (3 days/2 nights) for two (2); and two (2) week-long vacations for four (4). 2 more drawings will be held on or around 5/1/09 and 6/1/09 (the first one has passed). Visit the site, and enter the Sweepstakes today, then look around at all the beautiful pictures and things to do.

As we long for the summer sun, my son enjoys taking pictures, and took this one in our yard, a bit of color against the whites (snow!), greys and browns of winter.  It’s so very cold this weekend, with some snow predicted Sunday…perhaps the longest, coldest winter we’ve experienced  a long time, and it’s nice to be able to post about things that just might be more important that gardening.

As you know, aside from gardening, I spend a lot of time sharing the health benefits of many plants, but this time, I want to share the health benefits of something else, cells, little microscopic stem cells. C’elle has provided a way for woman in particular to invest in the future health of themselves, or those that they love, through their own stem cells. They have found a way to harvest these cells from the menstrual blood, and can provide you with what you need to do this in the privacy of your own home. Pricing is something that should be taken into consideration, but who can put a value on something that can benefit life-threatening diseases that you, or blood-relatives such as your parents, a brother or sister, or one of your children may face in the years to come…diseases like Parkinsons, Alzheimers, and so many others.

Visit the site and learn more, give it some thought, and consider ordering what you need to help those you love form the privacy of your home.