Have you seen this garden critter?

One of my tomato plants was becoming the full course meal for this finger-sized green monster!

Known as the Tomato Hornworm, this fella can strip a plant of its leaves in short order. And without leaves, we have no photosynthesis to create food for our tomato's growth...

Hard to spot, so keep a wary eye out for this chomper! Want more details? Go here:
http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/cimg308.html

Bug season has arrived,
Lyn

Community Service

It's always great to be able to share our time and talents to benefit others. Such was the opportunity for a new landscape for a returning Marine, stationed in Afghanistan for the past year.

Details can be seen online at this link in the Neighbor Newspapers:

http://www.neighbornewspapers.com/detail.html?sub_id=160926

Hats off to all the suppliers that came through with free or at-cost matierals and labor:
Dirt Tech Landscaping - dirttechlandscaping @yahoo.com, Robert Hattersly, 404-934-3478
Stovall Supply - Nick, 404-391-5037
Woodtech - 770-975-3279
Home Depot

Yours truly put the landscape design together and choose the plant materials. I dug a few holes too. Nothing better than the appreciation Nate and his lovely wife Kate had for their gift. Not that it would ever match the one Nate gave all of us by his selfless service. Thanks Nate!

Lyn

First Day of Summer?

You wouldn't know it by the date -- it's been "summer" hot for a few weeks now!

Looking back over past posts and reminded that April was a good month to install a drip irrigation system. Lots of people are tired of the hose and ready to let the plants go and (hopefully) the weeds too.

The reality is, when there's ample water, everything grows...when there's not, it's usually just the weeds that survive. Guess what -- it doesn't have to be this way! If you choose the low-maintenance plants and cultivars, keep your beds well mulched, and treat for weeds BEFORE they get out of hand, you CAN have a lovely landscape -- even when it's hot and dry. A lot of it is in the timing of your activities, to maximize the return on the hours you invest in your yard.

For now, grab a cool drink and plot how you are going to win the water war. Here are couple of links, so called 'food for thought'...

Drip Irrigation - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSHimq_J33I&feature=related
Low Maintenance Plants - http://ggmp.uga.edu/
Grass Alternatives (jump right to the 2:36 time mark to get to the good stuff on this video) -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj05btwgbwg&feature=related

Looking for the shade,
Lyn

A Sneak Peek

I'm often asked what my own backyard looks like...since I live in a cluster home community, I have to cram a lot of what I like in a very small space. And as the saying goes, ("the cobbler's children have no shoes"), my own space is the last to get attention.

Still, it's looking pretty these days with lots of blooms (tho the clematis are gone :(

A few photos here and more on the slide show to the right.

I am a happy gardener,
Lyn