Purple Leaf Smoke Tree hangs on

I bought it at a bargin for $4.00. I had my doubts that it would survive.

But with a little TLC this small tree is growing.

Sharing some plant love!

Purple Leaf Smoke tree

This is a Purple Leaf Smoke tree I purchased for around $4 at a local Fred's store. It came in a cardboard box with the roots in a plastic bag. The picture of the tree on the box was beautiful but I'm sure actual results may vary! The contents of the box was a stick with four tiny green leaves and about 1 cup of dirt. I thought, no way this will ever survive the drive home much less grow.
Well, we did make it home, me and the tree. The young sprig sat in the box another couple of days and then I was able to get it planted in this container on our back deck. Sort of like a tree nursery!

                        I think this little guy will need some extra TLC.

Changing of the Pots!

Two of my old terracotta pots.
I purchased new bases and filled them with good garden soil. Later I added a ring of river rocks around the base of each flower pot.

Gutter Garden?? This maybe a new trash to treasure idea.

Read about Gutter Gardens.

What a great idea! I've been researching and wanting to plan some small garden areas. I'm interested in five sister planting and container gardening. A few days ago I added a radish garden to my back yard. Gutters would be really cool for radish plants.

Below is a photo of our Earth Box last year. I will post a new photo of the lettuce, carrots and cucumbers that I have planted soon.

From JJ's Big Green Blog

The garden and the Earth Box

I like to dig in dirt! I've tried for many years to have small gardens. The typical veggie plants or raised bed gardens is my standard. I still try to have a little garden out back but now I've increased the amount of container gardening on the deck.

It's our second season with the Earth Box garden. To date I've planted lettuce, carrots and cucumbers together in the EB. I'm beginning to see fine sprouts of lettuce! My EB was a thrift store find. I didn't know what it was when I first saw it, a heap of terracotta plastic and metal pipes in a cardboard box. After I checked it out closer I knew it was not your average flower container since there was a water reservoir and watering pipe. So for 4.99 I couldn't leave it in the store. I'm so glad I bought it and wish that it hadn't been late summer when I did. This is the easiest and cleanest container gardening I've ever done!

Last year we grew cucumbers and spaghetti squash (my kids favorite) and picked many cucumbers and six or seven squash. This is the first spring planting. I'm excited to see what the EB gives me! For more on the EB this article is a good read. Vegetable Patch Vs. Earth Box Garden Guides

Another purple tree

photo courtesy of photobucket.com

I  bought a new tree today. It's a Purple-leaf Smoke Tree.  This will be a nice balance to the purple-leaf plum trees we have in the landscape. With any luck it will grow and do well for us. According to the instructions it requires little to no maintenance and will grow in poor soil.  Of course the one I bought is about 14 inches tall but maybe we'll get a beauty out of it like the one in this picture.

Sunflowers in bloom

Sharing new photos of sunflowers in my earthbox. I love the brilliant yellow color of this tall sunflower with the red from the hummingbird feeder.

I have enjoyed this box so far. This is not a prize planting but the flowers are living and blooming so that's a big plus. The corn turned out not to do as well. I had dreams of having this huge growth of beautiful, lush green plants. The thought was to move the planter over near the kitchen window when it was most healthy and full. Well, as you can see....I can only dream on and take this into my experience file. Stiil it was fun planting and the busy hummingbirds make it even better!

Yes, there is life outside of Wii!

Is that a huge bee? Or what?

While having that first cup of morning Joe today, I saw what I thought to be the biggest bumble bee I've ever seen! I admit I was not fully awake; it takes more than a sip or smell of coffee to get me going in the a.m.

I looked out of the kitchen window and there it was a big, black insect type butt hovering over the white carnation grass that grows so beautifully below the back deck. Or, what I thought was an insect butt.

The entirety of my morning visitor was hidden beyond the deck boards, except it's back side. Oh, and I have to say the eyes are older than they used to be, not to mention the size of the cobs webs wrapped around my brain early in the morning. Well, it only took a second and the huge bee like "insect" became clearer! Yes, it was the first humming bird I've seen this season. I was so excited!

I have been eagerly awaiting their arrival, as I'm sure many people have. The colors, flight and personalities of these feathered jewels are amazing! I filled the feeder and I'm waiting for the birds to decide that they like it maybe as much as the bright flowers growing around our home.


This is a colored pencil drawing of a hummingbird in purple by me. I like to draw in graphite and now am experimenting with colored pencil. Here is Flower with butterfly that I've done in graphite; this is an early piece.

Purple Leaf Plum tree

From the landscape....

We have four Purple Leaf plum trees as part of our landscape. Here are a few pics which show 3 of these trees, which are all in different stages of growth. The potted tree, or container plant, is an experiment in growth and is in the 3rd year of growth. It was transplanted to this container last year.


A container plant on the back deck.


This purple leaf plum was grown in a container and planted last year. This is at the 4th year of growth.

All photos by J J Fields

This is the "momma tree" which we originally purchased from a garden shop. This tree is approximately 8 years old. This tree has given us many "babies" that are transplanted in the spring to small garden pots or containers. They make great pass along plants to my family.

For more information on the Purple Leaf Plum tree try this source:

wikipedia - purple leaf or cherry plum

Garden: Spiderwort flower

From the garden....


Spiderwort is a hardy plant in the garden. The blooms are blue in the case of our plants but, there are many species. The flowers open early in the morning and are a nice sight with that morning cup of coffee.

The pro- Plants can be cut down and within a week or so they are up again and blooming. The spiderwort is known as a cut and come again type of plant.

The con- Spiderwort plants spread. A cluster may grow in a nice tended flower bed and then a stray will pop up 10-15ft away. So be specific when placing these wild growers in the garden.

We came to have Spiderwort flowers by pass along plants. Pass along plants are usually well established growers and will do well in a new garden. The best part of getting pass along plants is that with each plant or flower come memories of the person who gave it to you.

A dear friend gave me these plants when we moved to our new home more than 15 years ago. I will always remember her and the lovely garden she grew.

Find more on spiderwort flowers here.

Beautiful flowers on a sunny Day

It was beautiful out yesterday so, I couldn't resist the call of the wild and spent a good bit of time wondering around shooting pictures of nature and the landscape. The landscape around me is an ever on-going project. Check out this Azalea.

A gift I received for Valentine's Day one year. It has been a colorful addition in the yard since.

Vinca Blooming Now!

Photo © JJ Fields 2008

A little purple vinca has shown up for spring in the garden. Another sign of the earth renewing itself.
How beautiful.

Read more about Vinca plants here.

Happy St. Patrick's Day...

Early wishes!

Happy St. Patrick's Day...
Originally uploaded by j_jyarbrough

Isn't this the most beautiful picture.?

I love green. The greens of our natural Earth.

I don't really care for celebrating St. Patricks day, however. I recall as a school-aged child other children could be cruel, with all the pinching that went on, all day, if you were unlucky and didn't wear green.

One year a sweet old teacher would not have this nonsense in her classroom. She set about with tape and a sheet of green construction paper and by the end of her rounds every one in class had his/her chest adorned with "green". End of pinching!

The worst was when Mom dressed me head to toe in green, that awful green striped top. Going off to school looking like a piece of green pepperment candy was not good. Oh My!

On the look out here for spring, for sure!