Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Another mystery flower, and odds and ends

Good morning Everyone ~ Hope you have a great day today whatever you do. I got up at 5 this morning as I just couldn't sleep any longer. I crocheted a bit, answered some emails, and read and answered blog posts. I want to get a crock-pot meal going, make coleslaw, and some oatmeal-craisin cookies. I've got clean laundry to fold and put away too. Plus I'm itchin' to be stitchin' and beading again, and I need to take pictures of things ready to sell, and upload them into my blog.

I want to thank Bernie of Bush Bernie's Garden Blog, for the name of my last mystery plant. Urena sinuata or the Burr Mallow, or Caesar Weed. Here in FL it is on the invasive plant list, so I guess I'll pull this one up and any others that I see. I don't have many, though, and have always enjoyed them when they bloom. They look like a sweet cottage type plant. They were originally brought here for a cash crop for fiber, I think. They grow lushly in moist areas, which my gardens are not, so I only have one or two at a time.

The mystery plant for today is a shrub that gets to be about 10' tall and I see these growing all over. I finally took 6 cuttings from shrubs in an empty lot the other day and potted them up, after re-cutting the ends, plus I scraped the ends up about an inch, and sprinkled them with root tone, for promoting root growth. The flowers smell like honey, to me, and are huge.



Monday morning before heading out to do our errands DH visited a curbside pile on the next street sw of us. I saw him coming in the driveway with a 3 drawer plastic storage unit. Inside one of the drawers was something lacey in a sage green color. I took it out and it is a curtain panel, made in America. I was thrilled. I was already happy over the storage unit, but the curtain was the icing on the cake. I hand washed it, and then washed the storage unit too, after we got back home and after lunch.

I measured the unit, and saw that it would fit next to my other ones in my little workspace here, so had to take out what was in that space holding my magazines, which lead to reorganizing in here and in the bedroom too yesterday. I also hung the curtain panel in the window and just love how it transforms the space. DH liked the new look as well. I've still got to cut wall paper panels for the drawer fronts, as I did in the other units. Excuse the pink and purple unit, it also was found curbside sometime ago, beggars can't be choosers. :-)







Here is a beaded parrot that DH got a week or so ago, from the same yard sale that he got my nice Mexican glazed planter from, only on the next weekend. He told me there was something for me in a room I spend a lot of time in. I thought he meant the scullery/kitchen area, so looked in there first. Then I came in here to my little space, where I do spend a lot of time, and saw it, and laughed with delight. He looks great in here. He stands about 8 1/2 inches tall. He was only $2, and DH couldn't pass him up for that price.







Guess that's it from Plum Cottage this morning.

******

Don't underestimate the therapeutic value of gardening.
It's the one area where we can all use our nascent creative talents
to make a truly satisfying work of art.

Every individual,
with thought, patience and a large portion of help from nature,
has it in them to create their own private paradise:
truly a thing of beauty
and a joy for ever.

Geoff Hamilton, Paradise Gardens

******

The above quote reminds me of Karen's post this morning over at the Quarry Garden.

It was a great read, as are all the other posts in this series.

******


Zone 10 ~ s.e. FL

9 comments:

NanaK said...

Your shrub looks like Mexican Sunflower, Tithonia diversifolia. Link for more info.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/59827/

My son has this plant on his acre and it is beautiful but it is huge and needs a drastic cut-back after blooming to keep it from taking over. I think the flowers smell like honey too.

What a sweet gift from your hubby. The beaded parrot fits right into your beading craftroom.

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Thanks Nana. I hope these take off for me.

Gardener on Sherlock Street said...

You sure are a busy little lady today. It is nice to get up early and accomplish tasks before the world comes looking for you isn't it? Nice finds from the curb. I don't know what your mystery flower is but I like it!

gld said...

That parrot just looks right at home in there.

I like the new curtain panel too. It is nice to have a change once in a while.

You may have to post that oatmeal craisin recipe. I still haven't found the definitive oatmeal cookie.

Val said...

That parrot is great--standing on the branch! :)

Corner Gardener Sue said...

Hi Flowerlady,
Your husband is a sweetie to bring things like that to you. Mine would never stop to pick up something from the curb, even though he does put things on our curb sometimes. Of course, he puts a "free" sign, so folks know that's why it's there.

I like that curtain panel.

I can't always sleep as late as I'd like to, either. It sounds like you got a lot done.

Skeeter said...

I just love it when a blogger identifies a mystery plant for me. It makes blogging so fun dont ya think? The beaded parrot is wonderful. Kudos to DH for the find…

Lemon Verbena Lady said...

Hi FlowerLady,

I miss your relaxing music, but DH found a winner in that parrot! I'm trying to reorganize as well. You're an inspiration! Thanks.

Christine B. said...

Glad to hear I'm not the only one that still uses a crockpot. My sisters laugh at me for it!

What a useful husband to have an eye out for you whilst strolling the yard sales. Mine has eyes only for tools and machine bits and pieces.

Christine in Alaska