"Just One Look," and Feeding Holly While Ditching Malware; Dr. E's Greening Tips

I'm still trying to get rid of the malware ads; I did figure out if you keep hitting cancel, it will go to the ad, then you can hit the back button on your browser to read my blog. You have to keep doing this, but you do get to see the blog. I've contacted blogger and Goolge, but can't get rid of it, so I also post on Memoir, Writing your Life Story, another of my blogs.

Emily Doll from A Little Princess, public domain image

There is a chill in the air as we hit Mid-August. I long for fall but loathe winter. Not as many plants this year, but trying to nurture a thriving, twining pumpkin vine and a couple of interesting peppers. I have a two toned red and cream mini rosebush doing well, and several fairy gardens with plants, some monrovia that attracts monarchs and a yellow swallotail, and some very pretty colias this year. Marigolds and snapdragons did not have a good year at all, and we could find no black flowers.

One holly plant and a boxwood that is not an evergreen were blasted by below zero, unseasonaly cold temps two winters ago. I have used ferti-lome evergreen food on both; desperate times call for desperate measures. Both are coming back very slowly, and I'd say it isn 't about landscape, but survival.

Violae, public domain image

This last statement reminds me of Harlen Coben, and something he might write on survival, and of his quote on artistic inspriation from "Just one Look." I might add, that, for me, artistic inspiration is survival:

"Loneliness, the precursor to boredom, is conducive to the creative process. That was what artistic mediation was all about--boring yourself to the point where inspriation must emerge if only to preserve your sanity. A writer friend once explained that hte best cure for writer's block was to read a phone book. Bore yourself enough and the Muse will be obligated to push through the most log-filled of arteries" (27).

I think I'm there; Oh, Muse, where are you?!

Micro Mini Hulk carved from Human Hair; public domain image

From ferti-lome Evergreen Food:

For Narrow leav ebergreens like arbor vitae, fir, hemlock, juniper, larch, red cedar, spruce, taxus, yew [think mourning pics and "Eleby in a Country Churchyard:"

Boston Commons Graveyard; public domain image

"for plants 1-3 feet in ht, apply 2 caps full per plant and water well. For plants 3 to 6 feet in ht., apply 4 to 6 caps full and water well. For plarger plants 6 to 12 feet in ht, apply two caps full for each foot of et by punchng holes around the plant and filling with recommended amoutn of Evergreen Food. Water in well."

Phantom Petunia, public domain image

You should also try to avoid root damage by culitvating too deeply. I apid $8 for a four lb. bag. It seems to help.

Good Luck!