On the Closing of the Blog

I hope everyone's Christmas was splendid! Ours was great spending time with two of the four kids and a few of the grandchilden. Be safe next week! As for me I've been busy working on the farm moving some of my trees and other plants as I am able to. More on that soon enough. 

Lately I have been rather distressed about the use of the photos from this blog on other websites, namely commercial websites. So I closed the blog thinking that would fix the problem but it has not and I thought I'd explain that situation today. Most of the websites using the photos from this blog have out of the country addresses and despite contacting the appropriate authorities about getting the photographs removed from the websites, I have had little luck. I was able to get the search results deleted by Google when I filed a complaint with them and I pursued the matter enough that for the most part I am somewhat satisfied. I can honestly say that in a few cases Google actually investigated and took action. Yahoo, one small victory in the war.

Pictures lifted and posted elsewhere include things ranging from my above ground swimming pool all the way to a simple picture of a patio in progress. These pictures were lifted and posted on commercial websites to sell products. In one case the webmaster took one of the pictures and used it twice on a website based out of North Carolina selling paving material like crushed stone, in another case the picture was used multiple times over and over again to sell things. The whole situation is ridiculous. I know webmasters probably don't take their own pictures to use on others websites but geez, at least ask if you can use the picture before compiling a website! Or, if you must, take a picture from a web page where there is NO notice stating pictures are not allowed to be used elsewhere. 

The problem with closing the blog is that the pictures are still available for people to see. I am not sure why since I publish all of my pictures as private. I guess that the pictures are on some kind of image search. You can see the pictures when you go to visit the page even though the blog is closed, the search engine shows a cached version of the webpage. Why????? I would think the pictures AND blog would remain unavailable unless you came to the actual blog posting and the blog was open--not closed--but that does not seem to be the case. 

The other complication with closing the blog is that when I file a DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) complaint--I almost always will file--I must show the original picture I claim to be mine. Each picture uploaded to the Internet is date and time stamped so when someone steals a photograph from a website (the original website), that original photograph will always be date time stamped earlier than the stolen photograph. I cannot remove the photographs from the blog because then I would not be able to prove they are mine when I file a complaint. I realized that getting the photographs off from other websites was going to be a problem so I hoped that closing the blog would at least eliminate new thefts, but it did not. All of this is a bit stressful to say the least.

I realize bloggers and photographers and numerous folks get their photographs stolen from websites each day and I understand this to a certain extent. But when I found that Google back image search and realized just what kind of websites and how many took liberties with the pictures found here, I guess I just kind of got really mad. Then when I was not able to get the images removed like usual, I got even madder and began to regret ever getting on the Internet. It seems people think that if an image is on the Internet it then becomes everyone else's image. This is surely not the actual truth but try convincing the hoards that like to believe this. Ha! Not an easy feat by any means but I still try, one person at a time. 

The Google back image search allows me to drop an actual photograph from this blog into the search bar and it will then show me all the websites that contain that particular photograph. Most website owners take photographs maybe innocently enough, maybe not, maybe they think the original owner will never discover the theft, I'm not sure why they take others photographs but when confronted they will usually do the right thing and immediately remove the photograph. I am okay with that situation. But then there are the website owners that are masked and protected by pass through hosting organizations who refuse to help or get involved. These website owners are very crafty and in the market of making money--off from others work. I am not content to let this issue go. I just can't see allowing this kind of use of the photographs that are posted here. I am simply a lay person who likes to share my experiences with gardening with others and I am not sure that chasing down those ideas and photographs from unscrupulous abusers are really worth it to me. I have even contemplated not blogging anymore. They win, no doubt. 

 One note on Pinterest. Despite a clear notice stating NO pinterest from this blog those folks either can't read or don't care because I still find photographs lifted from here and posted to Pinterest. That situation continues to be a thorn in my side. The pinners usually download them and then upload them or just take them from the Google image search. The good news about Pinterest tho, that the other websites I have been dealing with don' t have, is that Pinterest has a procedure in place to correct the problem of lifted photographs and I do take action each and every time I find this blog's photographs on Pinterest. I am not interested in traffic and neither is Skeeter. Sometimes that is the reasoning behind allowing photographs to be pinned on Pinterest, but no thanks!! I don't need or want those kinds of visits. I am interested in talking with others and learning from others and with keeping a photographic scrapbook of my gardening endeavors. Talking and sharing with others does not mean it's okay to take the photographs. I feel very strongly about this particular matter and I apologize if I offend anyone who has innocently enough used other people's photographs and who might be reading this post.

As an alternative to not blogging I have explored ways to stop successful downloading of photographs from here. It is just that those methods such as slicing and dicing and adding a transparent photo over the original photo are really rather time consuming and since I blog for fun, taking all of those measures will surely not make blogging all that fun for me.  So I guess for now I will simply try to use smaller photographs and maybe photographs I hope others are not looking for hoping to frustrate commercial website owners; I will post fewer pictures; and I guess I will take it day by day and see how it goes as I work for better methods to ensure this blog stays intact-on this blog....

in the garden....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

When I Was a New (Garden) Blogger......

 I warn you all this is a very long and opinionated post. These little tidbits are purely my observations after nearly five years of blogging (Blogiversary is on September 29th!) The fact I have been blogging this long is important because many bloggers don't last one year let alone five years. I have learned a lot throughout all of these years and hope to share some things with you all so if you have ever felt the same or been in the same boat you can know you are not alone! Please share your experiences for other bloggers. 

When I was a new blogger....

1. I worried about whether anyone would read or comment on posts I would write. Don't worry about comments. Comments come when you search for other bloggers with like interests and comment on their blog. Reading will obviously come with comments.  Comments also come as you build a database of work-which means you need to post regularly. New blogs ofen don't have a high ranking in search engines in part due to not having much content to be indexed. Once you get a lot of work on your blog you will get more readers and more of a higher ranking. I get many comments from people who are NOT bloggers who just want to weigh in on the subject I have posted about. They find the posts via searches-hence ranking. I appreciate those comments as much as the ones from bloggers. A bonus of these comments is I get to keep my fingertip on the pulse of gardening as in what is the trend out there.


2. I was very intimidated by blogs that seemed very big and well established. Almost every blog seems very big and well established when you first begin blogging, but remember those bloggers were once very new bloggers too! The one thing I never wanted this blog to become was intimating to new bloggers and I hope that it has not. I try very hard to welcome all bloggers new and old as even to this day--nearly five years after I began blogging-- I still distinctly remember what it was like to be new to the blogging world. I tell you it does not seem like a welcoming place and bloggers who want to be around for a while really have to be tough to keep blogging. 


3. I would try to comment in a way I thought would connect me to the blogger and be interesting for others to read. Comment as yourself and don't worry about what others think of your comment but never ever leave a negative comment on a blog. Remember whatever you put on the Internet will be there for a very long time. I have never won a prize for the best commenter but let me tell you I am one loyal commenter and I really do talk to the blogger and relate simply because I am me. That is just me on the web. I learn so much more by commenting my way; which should be the only way for you all too--comment as you!


4. I subscribed to all comments on almost all blog posts I commented on. Even today I still get comments from some of the early blogs I commented on. The subscription feature is nice if you wish to get the response from the blogger, but it can get overwhelming if you comment on a lot of posts. My suggestion is to read the prior comments and see if the blogger responds. If the blogger has not responded to any other comments it is a good bet you won't get a response on that blog either-but you should get a response on your blog.  If the blogger does respond and you don't want to miss the response then go ahead and subscribe. Once you get a response make sure you unsubscribe.


5. I noticed that when commenters would comment on my blog they would always begin their comment with, "Thanks for commenting on my blog....". I hated those comments and still do. If you are responding to someone's comment on their blog because they commented on your blog just leave a nice comment. There is no need to state the obvious that you are only responding because they commented on your blog as in "Thank you for your comment......" Just leave that part off.


6. I used to obsess about my traffic count and whether or not anyone was reading besides the commenters. Which was kind of funny because I had no way of knowing how many visitors came to the blog and only judged visitors traffic by comments. Get a traffic counter right away. I prefer Sitemeter but even Google Analytics that is now standard with Blogger blogs will tell you that more people read your blog than just the commenters! It is a really good feeling to know people read your posts! As any blogger will tell you. 


7. I thought that the first commenters on my blog would be best buddies with me forever. I was very loyal to all the bloggers that showed any interest in my blog and expected the same in return. Well, this was one of the hardest lessons I had to learn because the longer I blogged the more I realized we change in not only how we blog but in how we comment and relate on the Internet. While I still feel close to many of those early commenters and have even met many of them,  I realized that we certainly weren't best buddies and loyalty is not always enough to keep readers and commenters happy. Nonetheless, as commenters leave new ones come and that is the nature of blogging and social media.  I am slow to adapt to changes but adapt I do and understand the process.


8.  The more I blogged and thought I connected with others the more I thought that I wanted to meet the commenters since we had so much in common. Meeting new friends was a goal early on in my blogging endeavors and I was able to meet many new people, several of whom I would call friends, but there are far more that are mere acquaintances. It takes a lot more to be friends than talking on a blog. Even though a blogger may share part of his or her life with you and you may feel like you know the blogger well the relationship is not really 'real' until you put effort into really relating with the blogger in person. Many bloggers are not interested in this and that is fine.  Relationships are built through effort on both person's parts. If a blogger makes the effort to meet or visit you then you should certainly do the same if you are interested in pursuing the relationship. If not, then don't. It is logical that if you have something in common (gardening) then you have the basis for a friendship, but again, it takes effort on each person's part. I am very lucky to have met many who have made the effort to continue a relationship with me outside of this blog and I value their friendships. I need not name names because I hope they all know who they are! You all will see the same will happen to you with your blogs too.


9. I always felt like good manners meant responding to a commenter in some small way. When my comments were not acknowledged on either another blog or my own I felt like I was being ignored-rejected if you will. It was almost like I was talking to you and you weren't listening and would not respond. This happens a lot in blogging and I am sure it is not intended to be a slight. Sometimes bloggers get busy and might not get back to you, then again perhaps the blogger has different priorities for their blog than responding to commenters. It is time to move on if this happens to you and you don't like it and that is just what I would do.  If you like the blog then continue to read but you don't have to comment just because you read a blog. Commenting takes effort and if you can make the effort to comment on a blog then I think it is not too much to ask for the blogger to reciprocate. My co-poster Skeeter and I have always subscribed to this simple rule and it has worked out well for this blog. We hope we are not ignoring anyone at any time as it almost is never our intention to do this. 


10. I had to learn everything I know by experimenting. The school of hard knocks will definitely teach you but since blogging is supposed to be a 'community' wouldn't it be nice if we could share our knowledge or tips and techniques with others if we know they are in need of help? Let me give you an example, if you are a member of let's say Blotanical, and you see another blogger, new or not, is not a member, why not message that blogger and kindly at least tell them about that garden blogging community? No one ever did this for me and it may have been an oversight or not, but it left me a bit behind with marketing my blog in the beginning. After that lesson I made sure to tell all new bloggers about Blotanical and other ways of marketing their blogs that I knew of. I am sure there are many other forums for other types of blogs too and I speak not only as a garden blogger but as a blogger.  I also try to share what lessons I have learned about through this blog that other bloggers may not know. You will certainly hear about Pinterest below and from a post I did, but that is just one lesson I have learned the hard way. I do try to share those lessons with you all. Try to help others if you are in position to do so as the favor will be returned to you.


11. I felt like bloggers were in competition with one another for readers and commenters. This still befuddles me because I see no venue for a competition in blogging. There is no prize at the end of the day for being a top blog, no one is judging your blog, no one counts comments, and certainly most everyone who earns money from their blog is not broadcasting how much they earn so why does it seem as though bloggers are competing? Readers who read this blog can certainly come and read your blog as well. There are many times I will link to other blogs and I know from Sitemeter many readers outclick to other blogs in this manner. It takes nothing from this blog for a reader to read another blog. In fact, look at the sidebar and check out all the other blogs! Please do check out other blogs as I am sure that even if this blog does not appeal to you (and it won't to everyone) then there is one somewhere that will and forget about competing! There is no supreme blog at the end of the day and no big prize for the best blogger. And even if there were I guarantee that whoever will read 'the top' blog will also read other blogs. It is the nature of the beast but really not a competition.


12. I used to think constantly about my blog. What will I post next? Wow that is a great picture I just must get it for the blog! I would go over posts in my head as I was driving. I was a bit obsessed. It is normal. When we first start blogging and have passed the phase of wondering if anyone will read our blog we then are so overjoyed to get a few comments that we just want to post the best for our readers and think of posting constantly. This phase will pass as you can't possibly keep up with everything you wish to post and really you should post what interests you. In fact, there are many times now that I forget about posting until the last minute. Trust me, that phase will pass. Posting has become a habit for me as this blog is so easy for me to find information I need about my garden if the occasion arises. I enjoy the online record-that is mine-and I know Skeeter enjoys her online record of her garden-- so I post still but don't post half as much as I used to. In other words I am not as infatuated with blogging as I was when I was a new blogger. Again, post what is interesting to you but don't let blogging be work. If a post is interesting to you there is a good chance others will share your same interests so post what you like!


13. I did not have a clear goal in mind as to why I was blogging. My purpose was not defined specifically enough to keep me on task. We all blog for our very own special and unique reasons but knowing a few clear cut goals and putting them down in writing will help to keep us on track and it will also help to keep things in perspective when our goals have not been met by the blog. Let's say our goal for blogging is to simply keep a record of our garden online for future use. Well then why would it bother us if no one read our blog if we are simply keeping a record of our garden? It may still bother you if no one read your blog so you might possibly have more than one goal for your blog. Set priorities and set definitive goals that will work for you, but be aware that our goals may change the longer we blog. Blogs have a way of taking on a life of their own sometimes and we must be flexible to grow and adapt with them. 


14. I used to think that if I got to one good spot with blogging that I could stay there forever. For example, as the blog grew so did the traffic count and I was quite happy. But then the traffic count would fall off at certain times of the year no matter what I posted. For garden blogs traffic is going to ebb during the off garden season. Holidays seem to be a slow time too. But don't worry, garden season comes around each year and your traffic count will pick up again. 


15. I felt really inadequate when I visited a blog that had all those awards posted on their sidebars. Awards are great but if you really look at the awards a good many of them are awards someone decided to bestow on a blogger usually because they have a relationship with that blogger. The awards are awards made up by some tech savvy person who creates a cute badge for the award and then passes it around. Badges can be created by just about anyone so I personally am not impressed with the award system. If you are a new blogger, be aware the awards are coming your way once you find your niche. Do not worry about that aspect. Your blog is just as good without awards. Awards are not bestowed on only special blogs; they are bestowed on ALL blogs once you get your blog going. Usually the bestowers are bloggers in your year group who got the award from one of their blogging friends. I warn you though, they really don't mean much other than a badge on your sidebar. For me I decided early on not to post any awards because I never wanted a new blogger to be intimidated or to feel inadequate by awards on this blog if we happened to 'win' one or two. Additionally, probably to the chagrin of many award bestowers, I do not participate in award memes. Awards can possibly increase your exposure and up your traffic count but don't feel like you have to participate if you don't want to. Just graciously accept, or congratulate your blogging friends who get those awards and don't be intimidated.


16. Early on my purpose in blogging was to share my garden with local readers in my area. Later once I left the FTP I blogged through my goal became to learn about gardening from other garden bloggers. I sought out nearby bloggers and tried to read their blogs in order to learn. Just because a blogger is nearby and is considered a garden blogger does not mean you will learn anything from their blog that will help you in your garden. Some blogs are picture heavy with no words. I have a time learning if there are no explanations about the pictures. While the pictures may be pretty they simply don't usually teach me. On the other hand just because a blog is across the country does not mean you won't pick up a tip or two that will help you out in your garden. Be open to all sorts of blogs and try them all out until you find your niche.  Everyone is unique just like blogs. And you can certainly enjoy more than one blog and learn from bloggers all over the world and not just bloggers in your time zone. I'll give you a good example, I will never ever be able to grow a star fruit tree but it is so neat to see one growing in my tropical friend's gardens via their blogs that I learn! And enjoy.


17. I did not realize my photos went onto Google Images automatically. Some of my photos are tops in searches on Google images; which is okay since it will bring traffic to the blog, but it was most disconcerting finding my photos posted there for all to see in a forum other than my blog. Anything you upload to the Internet is going to a server somewhere. I am sure there are platforms where you have complete control over your material but with Blogger it is a Google product. I am guessing this might be why photos go to Google images but honestly I think most all photos go there so just be aware. 


18. I loved it that folks were reading my posts and commenting on them too but did not find such satisfaction when I began finding my posts scraped and posted elsewhere. Periodically Google your site name by typing in: "your url" and also typing in a sentence or two of your blog in quote marks. You should find all that applies. Check the sites out. Many you will recognize and be perfectly legitimate, some might not be so. This is not a foolproof method to find your unique work published on the Internet but it sure helps. I also use Sitemeter to tell me what people are Googling and it is surprising what comes up there. For instance, one of my most popular posts comes up number one when a person types in certain words. Right below my original post is a pirated 'Networkedblogs' post that is an exact copy of my post but which does not link back to my blog. This has been an issue I have been working to fix. My actions include reporting the situation to Google, GoDaddy (the 'hosting' party), and the FBI through their ICC complaint process. So far the post is still up but I'm still working on it. Normally you can find the IP address and check on WHOIS who owns the IP address then send them a 'Cease and Desist' letter. This has worked well for me many times. When it is another blogger stealing your posts report it through Google (Blogger) or whatever platform you use and I know Blogger will remove the post immediately. All of your pictures and posts are date time stamped when published and/or uploaded. It is an easy thing to prove you own the work and others who steal it know they are wrong and must take down your post.  Another good method for proving ownership of your posts is to have them emailed to you. I think I have all approximately 1600 posts on my email server. They are easily accessed should I need to prove ownership and that has happened in the past.


19. I thought exposure was a good thing. Then came along Pinterest. Some bloggers highly recommend this and I think that is a big mistake. But then I guess it depends why you blog. While I love traffic the two seconds someone clicks on my blog from my photos on Pinterest is not worth it to me. Many blogs with high traffic get the traffic count from hits like these from not only Pinterest but from Google images (visitors stay a whole lot longer). Have you ever Googled something and found a whole bunch of photos of your friend bloggers showing up in searches? It is because the blogger has their settings set to public perhaps in order to attract more traffic. All of my photos are set to private viewed only by me because I hope to eliminate stealing of my photos. For whatever they are worth my photos are mine and not to be used in a manner I do not want. Pinterest uses your photos and while some bloggers might think there is a good link back to their blog they are mistaken. They perhaps get about 10% of the traffic from their original photo that they should be getting and the reason is that the url gets lost in the posting and database Pinterest uses to display a photo. If this is okay with you then by all means do Pinterest but please be aware of the consequences. It is a bit unsettling to me to find my photos on a website I have never heard of while I am just searching the web. For more information about Pinterest please see this post.  

And if you do not like my opinion about Pinterest that is fine and you are welcomed to respectfully disagree. Personal attacks on this matter will not be posted in order to protect you-the blogger leaving the comment. I obviously get the comment and will remember it well but will not post it. Refer to lesson 3 that I learned as a new blogger a long time ago. No personal attacks and no negative comments as this has already happened so I speak from experience.

20. I did not always consider how my blog posts would affect readers. Many times readers will read a blog post and take the word of the blogger as gospel. This is never a good idea. At one of the garden societies I belong to a very wise woman said, "Why would anyone believe what one blogger writes?" Why indeed? I cannot answer that but oftentimes readers may come to trust a blogger and follow that blogger religiously. This simply makes no sense but it is human nature and is not too smart in my humble opinion. If you are shopping for a new car you do not just settle on one car, find one reference and go to one store to buy that car do you? I hope not. Most people will wisely shop around for more options and more information and will compare cars before they settle on one. When car shopping is done properly the car buyer can feel confident they have made the right decision. It is the same with information on blogs. Shop around and compare. If for instance you purchase a new plant like 'Sea Foam' artemisia and you came upon my post on this particular artemisia I would hope that you would not stop there in your research. Continue gathering information about that plant from more sources and look at where the information is coming from. If you live in Florida and I say artemisia is a good plant then don't assume it will work for you. Florida is different. Use your brain and compare sources of information and make a logical decision for yourself. For me I learned I should probably put a disclaimer on my blog to let readers know that just because something works or doesn't work for us does not mean it will work for all of you-the reader. This just makes sense but sometimes reading it on a blog hammers home the lesson. It is not so much to protect us but just to remind you that common sense needs to prevail with anything you read on the Internet. I always always research plants and so adore getting information from blogs that I prefer those to any other source. I do; however, I do prefer in depth information and not just a pretty picture. So if a blog does not have in depth information I will quickly move on. This is one reason I try to put in depth info on this blog. If the info I find on another blog is good I will always comment and tell the blogger how helpful their information was. I will then move on to a botanical garden website or university website or even a nursery website to find alternative information on that plant that will either complement or dispute what I read on the blog. I then make my educated decision on what I wish to do in my garden. The same goes for you all too!

21. I tried to participate in memes to be a part of the crowd because I thought I had to. Memes can get out of hand pretty darned fast. They are interesting and can be fun because you can go to one post and see a multitude of posts all on the same subject. How cool is that? The theory is that you will visit that one post then go visit all of the other blog posts that are linked on that post. The result will, if done properly, increase your traffic and expose you and the other bloggers to new blogs. Theoretically that is. Normally, memes tend to increase traffic only for the blogger who is 'sponsoring' the meme. At least in my experience. Early on when I participated in memes I would indeed go visit other blogs and it did expose me to new blogs. Unfortunately, even when I left a comment I would rarely get a response from that blogger or any traffic. I quickly decided that I did not need to do the work to up someone else's traffic and I found I actually did not like memes because they got to be too demanding. I do not normally participate in memes. If I do it will be a once yearly meme or there is a prize involved. Those monthly memes that everyone and their brother comes up with tend to start controlling how and what I post. Blogging is an individual thing for me because no one pays me to blog. I should be able to post what I wish to post. Most of the sponsors of memes won't even comment on a blog even though bloggers post on theirs! I feel I owe nothing to the sponsors so simply don't do them. Sorry to all of you who sponsor memes but this is how it is here. I find it much simpler to manage my blog in this manner and this blog has to be about how I like it and not how a blogger who sponsors memes feels about my blog or me. In the grand scheme of things I don't know most bloggers and don't owe any anything. It may sound harsh but like everything on this blog, it is my opinion. I am in touch with myself so I choose not to do memes. If you wish to participate as a new blogger then by all means do so! But be certain you are doing it for the right reasons; whatever they may be that is right for you! 

22. I wondered how many people subscribed to the blog. You can find out this information via your feed or via Google analytics. It is interesting to me that many people get their blog posts via email and never even visit this blog. Check and see if you have readers in this manner and I bet you will be pleasantly surprised if you are a traffic driven person.  


22. There are no rules for length of posts or number of pictures you post. This goes back to the blogging is an individual thing. If you do not post true to yourself I don't think blogging would be fun for you for very long. Don't try to emulate others just because they seem popular or have a good following. Find your niche and write true to yourself. If you want to post 1000 pictures or just one then do it! If you like to talk or write then do it! If you wish to remain silent then do it! Do your own thing. People will find you and if they like your voice they will return time and time again.  The key is to be passionate about what you blog about. Your passion will show through no matter what your voice is.

24. Don't take things personal on the Internet and in blogging. For the most part people don't actually know you. If someone you have never even met before says something that offends you just chalk it up to miscommunication on the web and perhaps view it from their perspective in a positive light. In other words if someone does not know you how can they possibly try to offend you or hurt you? They can't so it can't be personal on the web. If you are the type of person that holds grudges and makes that mighty clear when you personally meet another blogger then that is another story we won't even address here. For new bloggers who don't know anyone in blogging get out there and get your feet wet and have fun blogging. Don't worry about others as long as you stay positive and don't send fire thrower posts at others you will be all right. Garden blogging in particular is so not personal towards others. 
  
25. I did not proofread as well as I should have. In fact, I still don't proofread and edit all that well as you all can attest if you have read this entire post. Proofreading and editing posts is good if only to make posts easier for your readers to read and understand. That being said unless you have another person read your posts it is hard for the writer of the post to catch and correct all errors. Blogger has made it simpler over the last few years with their feature called "Preview". I find it much easier to catch errors if I preview posts ahead of time. Even then I might not catch all errors. If I go back to a post and find an error I always correct it. 

26. I did not understand the importance of internal and external links. I still don't totally understand links but I do know that if you wind up linking to a lot of outside your blog urls some of those urls are bound to go down. I always try to fix these as I have read that a lot of broken links will eventually affect your blog. I also try to do a lot of internal links because I am fairly sure the posts Skeeter and I post will not go down. Not only that but when another person steals your work internal links help to direct your traffic back to you. Links are usually good but be sure to check them occasionally. I do this via Sitemeter.

Despite all of my advice on this post and lessons learned these tidbits are merely my observations. Each blogger will have their own take on blogging and each and every blog will be different. We are all individuals and that is what makes blogging really cool! There are no set rules. We don't answer to anyone but ourselves (unless you are a paid blogger and THAT is a whole other ballgame I have not discussed here). If there is one thing I hope you'll take away from this post it is that I seek only to let you all know that if some of these lessons learned resonate with you then you are not alone! For me blogging has made me see that many of my trials and tribulations, successes and failures, thoughts and deeds, are shared by others too....and that makes a community....

in the garden.....

My girl CeCe pictured in the picture is an old lady who can care less about anything around her. She cares only about living, eats the same food every day at the same time, and plods around when she needs to do so. We, as people and bloggers can learn so much from dogs. And that is to focus on our lives and our world and what is important no matter what that may be for us. Life is too short to worry about blogging so have fun and enjoy it for you!

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Stealing Someone's Blog Posts-Not Cool

Many of my blogging friends and readers will recognize the above post of mine that I posted January 13, 2009. This post is one of my most often Googled posts and people seem to love the pictures of my treasured glass on glass mosaics that I made and mounted in my garden. In fact, it is such a beloved post another 'blogger' (read thief) decided to 'gather' a bunch of Internet articles that the person (not sure if a he or she) felt were 'wonderful' articles from the Internet. The problem is that these wonderful articles don't just appear on the Internet and don't belong to the Internet. Someone has to post these wonderful articles and hopefully that someone is the creative individual who originated the article. Posting someone else's work as your own is so not cool and this is what happened to my glass on glass mosaic post. 

When I found this post of mine I was absolutely shocked. First at the audacity, then, well just at the audacity and I am outraged. I found my post when I checked my Sitemeter for outclicks. I almost always check Sitemeter for outclicks because you can kind of see what people are interested in, where they came from and what photos they like best. This particular visitor was interested in a picture and outclicked on a picture that was posted in my original Glass on Glass post. I then went to look at the referral words which were "Glass Mosaic". When I clicked on that referral it took me to this other blog! That was not what I had expected at all needless to say. 


At this point I did two things. I left a very loud comment about letting the 'owner' of the blog know that I was the lawful owner of the post the person had posted and that I was reporting the theft to Blogger. You see, Blogger has its own policies for operating and copyright infringement is clearly in contradiction to those policies. They have a wonderful reporting page where you can report these kinds of thefts. Reporting this theft was the second thing I did. 

I am happy to report I promptly received a response that my legal complaint was received and was in the queue for action. It took another two days to finally receive an email that the offending site was removed and no longer available. I went and verified it myself and I was ever so happy the system worked! You see, had Blogger not taken the site down I'm not sure what I could've done. The 'blogger' who posted my article did not acknowledge my comment though the blog is still active-with a post on the same day I left my comment! The person did not try to contact me or apologize or offer to remove it at all. That would've been the right thing to do. 







I certainly realize that when you post things on the web, whether they be comments, words, pictures, or videos then those things are there forever and that other people can access your stuff. I get it. I do, but that does not mean that you can republish original work as your own. Certainly I don't mind links to my blog and my work and I'm sure Skeeter does not mind that either, but republishing work as your own??? Even when links within that original blog link back to the original blog? There was no link in the post that gave me credit for my work. This blogger, and I use the term loosely, made it seem as though the work belonged to him or her. Even though in the blogs header it says 'this is collection of articles from the Internet'. People don't understand what when there is an article on a blog that it might be from someone else. Blogs should be from the blogger unless specifically stated that there is a guest blogger. There are problems with bloggers or anyone else publishing the work of others. It is not the way to go even without legal problems republishing another's work as your own is unethical and amoral. If you are going to have a blog then have a blog for your own use of things you do. Surely no one has a life that is so boring they must collect articles from other authors to post on a blog? If this person appreciated my article then he or she should've copied it or bookmarked it for their own use and/or included a link in their blog for others to locate. This is the normal procedure I see used by most bloggers. Note: I must say that this blog was not a commercial blog and as far as I could see did not earn any money from ads or anything else but I still did not appreciate my blog post reposted word for word by another blogger.


We at In the Garden never have to worry about anyone saying they found their blog work on our blog because we post all original artwork and thoughts from our own lives and experiences. We post our own pictures and our words because this blog is a scrapbook of our gardens and experiences that we just happen to share with all of you and the world. When it gets to the point that our lives and experiences are stolen like this it really makes us wonder if all of our work is even worth it. 


This is the second time this has happened to our blog posts that I am aware of. In the first case Blogger took the offending website down once I proved the post was mine. While I don't mind proving the post is mine; which I do by keeping all of the original emails of my posts and by the fact that once I hit publish my photos and words are time stamped in the great world of links and urls; I think people need to discipline themselves and act how they would like to be treated. I wonder if this person would appreciate me stealing their words (if they have any) and republishing them as my work? 

in the garden....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Blog Issues

By SKEETER;

I am popping in here today to let you know I am having issues with some of your blogs. I don't know why but for some reason, I am not able to post comments on your blogs. I want you to know that I have tried to leave many comments with little luck.

Some of these blog's are: Karin/Southern Meadows, Girl Rural, Patricia Tryon, Casa Mariposa, Wendy, Stacy-Knee Deep in Bloomers, Holleygarden, etc... I don't know if it is the way in which you have your blog set up or what. I am not a Blog administrator as Tina is the head of this blog. Maybe this is the issue...???...

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I am reading all blogs of people that comment on my posting days along with many other blogs. I am just not able to chat with you on your blogs...

Is anyone else having such issues???

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Bloggers' Kindness Unifies and Leaves a Lasting Impression

From In the Garden

After more than three years of blogging I've been most blessed to 'virtually' meet many other bloggers and to look into their gardens and to share a bit of their lives. I've also met a few other bloggers in person and have enjoyed swapping plants and talking of gardening. Gardening is a hobby most people are most passionate about.

Gardening is not only a very popular hobby but it is a hobby that unites people all across the world. A lobelia is a lobelia in Washington State just like it is in Tennessee. A banana tree is a banana tree here in the United States just like it is in the Caribbean. An oak tree is an oak tree in Europe just like it is here in my home state of Tennessee. I find plants a most comforting unifier for this world because when all diplomacy and communications fail; we will still have plants all throughout the world no matter what language we speak, what religion we practice or what our temperature and growing conditions bring us we will still have plants that can unify us. But not only do plants unify us they connect us in personal ways. Who among you have your grandmother's peony growing in your garden? Or perhaps you grow peonies because your grandmother grew them even if you don't have hers. Plants provide a comforting normalcy to our lives and plants and I think that is one reason gardening is such a popular hobby.

If you are a blogger and choose to share some special plant or seeds with a fellow blogger you too are unifying people-bloggers from all across the world and the country. This is a very special way of connecting with others and a method of connecting I never would've anticipated when I began blogging. Then, someone would occasionally email me and offer me a plant or a seed. Huh? I never even knew you could send plants through the mail (only from commercial sources) so I was stunned! Seeds yes, but plants? Wow! 

Some plants are most special and hard to find so when a fellow blogger offers up a coveted plant it is with a great deal of gratitude that I accept the offer. It is a kindness I remember for a very long time and growing that plant that another blogger sent me helps me to think of that person each time I see the plant-it is a unifier since I live so far from most bloggers. I am not going to name all of the gifts I've received through blogging because that is just not something I generally do on this blog, but I wanted to share a few with you today.

Earlier this year Catherine of A Gardener's Progress shared some seeds with me. She sent me several but the ones that come to mind are: great blue lobelia, 'Lilac Fantasy' veronica, and red valerian. I diligently planted and babied those seeds and the resulting seedlings and I have finally found success! The plants I thought were red valerian actually turned out to be great blue lobelia and what an awesome and wonderful surprise the lobelia turned out to be. It is actually still blooming in my frozen garden here in Tennessee! Thanks Catherine!

Marnie from Lilacs and Roses and I did a daylily swap-through the mail. She has the most gorgeous daylilies and sent me not only a lovely daylily but some irises and a book too! How very sweet and I will so enjoy the daylilies and irises in my 'Friendship' area of my gardens. That is an area that is growing as I collect more and more plants.

Lastly, Kathleen of Kasey's Korner offered me some Veronicastrum virginicum or Culver's Root. It arrived perfectly and is happy in my garden. I've seen the Culver's root on so many garden blogs I really liked it. I'm pretty sure it will do well in my garden conditions too and am ever so excited to see it grow and bloom here-and to think it came all the way from Colorado!

So when you blog and you talk with your fellow bloggers and maybe offer to share a plant or some seeds with your colleagues think about how you unify us all and how those plants will leave a lasting impression....

in the garden....

I've received several plant exchanges and gifts in the mail from bloggers near and far. I've also traded with other gardeners and bloggers in person. I tell you all of these plants and gifts make me think of the giver-not for the gift but for the gesture. Plus I so love plants. I think pass a long plants are sometimes the best.

Do you think of special folks who have given you plants?


Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,

In the Garden

Native Plants and Plant Collecting

From In the Garden

******PSA*****Tomorrow's workshop on Tennessee Yards/Neighborhoods Done Right is CANCELED! ***

The one thing I have always valued most from blogging is learning. I am a life long learner and consider learning to be a basic principle and tenet of my life. It sounds corny but it is true and probably explains why I've attended college in some form or another for more than twenty years. Yes, you heard right-more than twenty years. Some of my close friends and family consider me a 'professional student'. I consider that a great compliment even if it is meant in a fun way instead of a serious way because learning is great!

Prior to beginning this blog in September of 2007 I knew very little about native plants. In fact, I kind of knew nothing. Yes, sure, I knew there was a native plant movement and that there were purists who espoused only native plants. I understood native plants are adapted to the their natural location and that they required less maintenance, but I just did not know enough about the plants themselves in order to really focus on native plantings so I never really paid much attention to the movement-until now.

The one thing I have always paid attention to was plant collecting. My number one goal for my garden is biodiversity. To me biodiversity means the greatest number of living organisms living together in a harmony. Specifically, I wish for a wide variety of plants (trees, shrubs, perennials, etc) for the pleasure of viewing, touching, smelling, and perhaps tasting. I also wish for these diverse plants to attract a great deal of other living creatures-insects such as butterflies, frogs, toads, and other small amphibians, and all birds-no deer, chipmunks, voles or squirrels need apply. I think a wider range of plants is more likely to attract more wildlife and so I collect plants. But let's be honest, I also collect plants to have the plants for my pleasure and to be the first one on the block with that new plant or that cool plant or the plant that no one else has or can get to grow. Yes, I will admit it all-plant collecting is for me.

I try to put all plants together in a fashion that pleases me. I envision sweeping English styled borders right next to moss carpeted woodland paths where trilliums bloom with abandon. I want the tallest oak tree, the greenest lawn, and the largest stand of brilliant coneflowers, I want it all in my garden. The reality is this, I can't have it all. After gardening here for eight years I've come to realize my dream of English styled borders will not work under the mature oaks and other trees I have on my property. I have had to adjust my vision of what type of plants and gardens please me.

It has been a struggle but one long overdue. I am now focusing more on shade plants and shade tolerant plants than any other type of plant. It is a bitter pill for me to swallow but after many failures in my garden I've decided to really work with my garden and change my focus from those English styled borders to a more natural setting. I have some spots that do receive some sun and I will still work within every square inch of those areas to grow the perennials I so love, but I am focusing more on native plants. And let me tell you why.

The biggest reason I am focusing on native plants in addition to learning about them more in depth-thanks to blogging-has been that many native plants are adapted to the shady conditions in my garden. If you think about it you will realize why. My area of the country is covered by deciduous forests. It is the primary biome of Tennessee and much of the southeastern United States. I think the term is called 'temperate deciduous forest biome' and explains why so many oaks, maples, hickories, and many other trees grow in this region. All of these types of trees make their home in my garden. I love my trees but the trade off is I have to choose more shade tolerant, and in most cases, less colorful plants to grow under the trees.

Fortunately, due to my plant collecting I have inadvertently already added many natives to my garden as well as non-natives and even some exotic plants. I am not going to stop collecting plants but I do plan to be more aware of a plant's origin when purchasing a new plant. This will give me an edge in ensuring a plant is adaptable to my climate and growing conditions regardless of whether the plant is native or non-native. Starting next Wednesday I've added another standard day posting to my monthly calender on my sidebar. Gail of Clay and Limestone posts a Wildflower Wednesday on her blog the fourth Wednesday of the month. I have learned so much from her blog regarding wildflowers and natives and for that I am most grateful to her. Since I had that Wednesday free I thought it would be an ideal 'Standard Day Posting' to add to my blog. Bear with me as I post on natives and wildflowers because I am still learning.

I am going to include not only wildflowers but natives on this Wednesday. I don't think the two are the same thing so I've taken a bit of a liberty with Gail's meme. Next Wednesday's post will see my first native plant posting. I have two Virginia bloggers to thank for identifying the plant for me and I will publicly thank them in that post. Like I said I am not too good with these natives so without the help of other bloggers-like you-I could never learn and I tell you that would not be a good thing for me-professional student or not:)

Now for a clue or two as to what this native plant might be:

1. It is evergreen.
2. It looks and smells like a Eastern red cedar but grows only 4" high.
3. It is a groundcover.
4. It grows in full shade-a bonus!

Check in next Wednesday for the answer. I could not find this plant in my books and there is scant information on the web about it. Please no guesses on this post. If you know the plant check in next Wednesday and say so then. Let's all learn together. Thanks.

in the garden....

The pictured wildflower above was identified by Gail. Thanks! It is a crinkled toothwort (Cardamine diphylla). It is so exciting seeing the stirrings of new life in the ground-native or not:)

I have been out of town on a garden learning trip, but will return later this evening and be around to visit all my blogging friends as soon as I am able to unwind and unpack. Thanks for visiting and be sure to put your thinking cap on for identifying this beautiful native plant I'll feature next week.


Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,

In the Garden

Spectacular Sango Kaku and J. Maple Fall Color and a Vacation

From In the Garden

I cannot help but showcase the fall color of some of my Japanese maples. Japanese maples are my favorite small trees (crepes come in second place) and I think you can see why from the fall color of a few of mine. Pictured above is Sango Kaku. I call this my Christy tree because she was here visiting when I planted it in 2003.




I don't believe I've ever posted on this little Japanese maple, cultivar unknown. It was also planted in 2003 when I came home from Iraq and finally had the time to garden. The red is wonderful. This tree was damaged quite heavily in the freeze of 2007 but has recovered nicely. I'm looking for good things from it as it grows. I have other Japanese maple cultivars that are putting on a good show but they are very small so I'm not ready to share them. Aside from the fact that I simply love Japanese maples, I have more of this kind of tree than any other kind of tree here; hence I call it my signature plant. Someday all of them will be big and it will simply be a sight to see with them all here. I anxiously await that day!

Well, now that the obligatory pretty pictures (sadly the pictures cannot compare to the real thing) are out of the way we come to the real reason of my post. We here at In the Garden will be taking the month of December off from blogging in order to spend quality time with our families and loved ones. In the meantime we thought we'd leave you with some favored posts from the past. These are in no particular order but they are older posts regular readers may have missed or may want to look back over. I have provided a brief description so you don't waste your time looking through them all in case the subject does not interest you. Browse them if desired or not. We all know time is precious. Some of these do not have photos due to them being old. I lost many of pictures when I switched my blog over from the FTP website to blogger. Sigh, such is life. Enjoy.

1. Patience? Who has any of this in the garden?

2. Fertilizer? Get some energizer bunnies.

3. Silent Spring? A tribute to a wonderful pioneering woman who stood her ground and changed America.

4. Things You'll Never Hear a Gardener Say. 'Nuff said.

5. Land Grant Universities. Interesting information about your local extension offices and the universities they are affiliated with.

6. Who's In the Garden? One of my favorite posts of all time. This post generated a lot of comments-conversations amongst the core group of commenters of this garden blog when it first started. It was like sitting on the front porch and I do miss that.

7. Gigantic Snow People. Putting the quirks of a great north eastern state to work and utilizing that cold snow to make lots of fun.

8. The Masters in Georgia. A wonderful look at spring colors and an American tradition.

9. Cedar. A wonderful versatile tree with many uses that brings back memories.

10. Wildlife In the Garden. Sharing our gardens with a multitude of life.

11. Fiddleheads. Love them all and a special tribute.

12. Mom's Vegetable Garden. Where memories are made.

13. Flying Flowers. A lovely look at butterflies.

14. Shenandoah Color. A colorful drive.

15. Citrus in the Deep South. The yummy flavorfulness of healthy citrus.

Fifteen posts are more than enough I think. You all take care.

Do be safe over the holidays and here's wishing you all Happy Holidays from all of us here....

in the garden....

Some Changes Coming to In the Garden

From In the Garden

'Forever and Ever', a northern cultivar of hydrangea that performs wonderfully here in my garden.

September will mark the two year 'Blogiversary' for In the Garden. And what fun it has been! Just as I did last year on the one year 'Blogiversary' I will update how the blog looks (if anyone can help me understand simple instructions for making my header photo fit in its space I'd be greatly indebted:) and make a few changes this year. I involve my co-posters in the changes as well and I have a great deal of fun (ok, not really!) updating the look. But this year I am not only updating the look of the blog, but also how we will be posting. Effective immediately we will not be posting on the weekends unless the 10th, 15th, or 20th fall on a weekend but even then I may just post on the work day prior to the weekend, and we will probably not post every day of the week either. I will have to see how it all pans out as we go along.

When I started this blog I had a lot of support in the form of local commenters. One of them gave me some good advice that I have tried to stick to. It was to post daily and post only once per day. I've pretty much stuck to this because I felt it was important for the readers and for the blog. While it is still important I also have to consider my time and after two years of constant blogging, I'm a bit-uh-tired. Even with co-posters I still blog on those days they post. Maybe not as actively, but I still blog. I love it-positively adore blogging and talking with you all but it has gotten to a point that I wish to simply turn off the computer and have a day away from the computer and all the fun I get from it. I think it only fair that to do that I should not post every day; therefore I will not feel such a big need to comment every day.

Many of you have remarked how I am very good at commenting and wonder how the heck I keep up with it. I like commenting and I think it important to keep up with all new posts of my favorite blogs with a comment. If I get behind I get a bit stressed because the blogger on the other end might feel I missed them or whatever-even though I know they understand. Or then again, they might not even miss my comment at all but still I comment. I don't like getting behind and find it easier to keep up as we go along, therefore I comment frequently but I will not be able to as I get busier here and refocus some things. Many of you have many commenters and we've all been in the blogging thing together for awhile now. Some for years. Without you all commenting daily the way you do this blog would not be what it is and I thank every single one of you. For those who comment even on days you do not post-you're the best! For those who find it important to catch up with posts they've missed-my hat's off to you! For those who come by just to say hello and to see what is going on in the garden occasionally-wow! Every single person who takes the time to leave a comment is just simply awesome in my book. Commenting does take time and effort and I know every single blogger realizes this and I want to tell every single commenter-blogger or not-and I think I speak for all bloggers-THANKS!

'Limelight' hydrangeas (seen on the recent pond tour-not in my garden:(

Commenting not only takes time and thought but also to a certain extent, a bit of bravery. Sometimes we commenters wonder what we should say or would it make sense or will it be warmly received and we get intimidated by the very thought of commenting on a new blog. After the first comment the ice is just getting broken and we can really relax and talk 'in the garden' or on your blog and really feel like a part of a community. New bloggers-don't be afraid to comment! In the words of a famous shoe manufacturer-Just Do It! You will be rewarded.

PeeGee Hydrangea just 'hanging' around-like me soon!

Blogging is a really big social network that is accessible to all. It does not concern itself with race, age, socioeconomic status, or education. It is simply about talking and sharing and learning. These are basic human needs that can be met quite easily through the Internet. So if you have the hankering to talk or blog or twitter or whatever, Just Do It.

I am not going to lay out the specifics of when we will post because it may change. I am generally a very regimented person and I like routines, but I don't want to establish a routine at this point. Skeeter will be posting on weekdays. Lola has declined to continue to post (at least for now), and Dawn will post the last Monday of the month. I will for sure be posting on the 10th (Plant of the Month), 15th (Bloom Day), and the 20th (Veggie Garden Update) but those dates are the only dates I guarantee at this point, though I am sure I will post more often than just three times a month I just don't know. So keep checking your blogroll for new posts because there will be no more daily 5 AM posts from this blog.

Everyone take care. I did not feel like I had to explain the changes, but thought that after nearly two years of daily posting some sort of explanation might be in order when this blog does not publish a post tomorrow. Plus, my mother said I should:) All of my co-posters know that I've been meaning to make this change for a while (several months) but have held off and instead set a date for the two year Blogiversary. Funny timing too because once winter comes things will slow down a bit and I may be more focused, but we shall see as times goes on exactly how posting for me will pan out. I will not be blogging on days I do not post-except here and on my sister's blog, however I will certainly try to catch up with all blogs as I am able to on the days I do post. I may even pop in on my days off too but right now I intend to turn off the computer after my morning blogging sessions....

in the garden....

I chose to highlight hydrangeas for this post because they are my favorite shrubs.

Everyone have a great weekend and we'll see you next week....

in the garden....

North Carolina Bloggers on My Mind

From In the Garden

Well, I must say it is great to be home again but boy did we have fun! All of us-even the Jimster and Mr. Fix-it. Many of you have asked me to post some pictures of our blogging friend's gardens and I am here to comply-in a way. Yesterday I posted a picture of two special flowers, one from Cameron's garden, and one from Helen's garden. In today's post I will share the most special flowers in the gardens-Cameron and Helen themselves! (Plus one picture of each garden)

First of all let me say that our visit to see Cameron and Helen was pretty short notice. I found out the day prior to our departure that Mr. Fix-it's car interests would take us close to the Raleigh area; which was close to both Cameron and Helen. I quickly emailed both of them and asked if we could meet somewhere, maybe even the JC Raulston Arboretum. They both were most excited and invited us to their homes! Hey, I'd much rather see their gardens than the arboretum any day but don't you tell anyone that okay? Mum's the word! We did not have time to visit any other North Carolina bloggers, perhaps next time.

It takes a special person to trust a complete stranger enough to invite them and their family to their homes. I am always heartened when folks do this for me and my family. I guess we are not complete strangers since we talk on the blogs, but you know what I mean. Meeting other bloggers might not be for everyone, but given a chance and an opportunity I have no qualms with at least asking to meet someone, and I have been very blessed to have positive responses from all the bloggers I've contacted. I've taken to putting asterisks next to the names of bloggers I've met so I can keep track. Ha! No, I don't really need to do that, but now you know why you have an asterisk next to your name if you've ever wondered. I got this trick from Annie in Austin. So, on to the visits!We'll start with Cameron because her home was the first stop on our travels to the Raleigh area in North Carolina. First of all, I love the name Cameron and had really gotten used to calling her Cameron. She has posted about her name before and most folks know it is Freda. Do you know how it is pronounced? I didn't but do now. It is pronounced Fred-a. As in Fred with an a on the end. A very nice name. I remember another name I did not how to pronounce and it was Faire Garden. I always had thought it was pronounced Fair-ee Garden, but found out that no, it is pronounced Fair Garden. A common mistake I think and one easily made on blogs. Another reason to meet the real person if you ask me.

We had excellent directions to Cameron's home, but I tell you as soon as we rounded the corner of the road no directions were needed as I had seen Cameron's home situated in its lovely cottage garden many times on her blog, Defining Your Home and Garden. I knew right away we had arrived. Mr. Fix-it was still busy checking the street address though. Just like a man!

I took several photos. I was most impressed by the crytomeria (I hope that is what it is as I always get confused on the crytomerias and chaemocyparis) gracing the garden, as well as all the butterflies and bees, but truly loved the textures, all the plants, and how they flowed together in a liquid manner. Here is one photo I took from the garden. It shows the crytomeria, along with creeping Jenny, cotoneaster, and what I think is calla lilies? (Help Cameron) This picture was taken by the waterfall; which is the beginning of the long stream Cameron has in her garden. It had a lovely sound!When we arrived we were greeted by Cameron, Charm (her beautiful and ever so sweet greyhound) and Cameron's husband. They were a delightful family and great hosts. We had such a good time! And yes, her garden is everything and more that you see on her wonderful blog. It was alive with bees, butterflies and all sorts of wildlife. It was truly an awesome sight. The trickle of the stream in the background added to the ambiance and really made us feel like we were in a wildlife refuge. It was most wonderful and well designed. We all loved it and so enjoyed our visit we may have to make another one! Are you listening Cameron? The problem with garden visits, is you only get a snapshot in time. I suspect Cameron's garden is abuzz with life all year and it would be great to see it again. Thank you so much from our family to you, your husband and sweet Charm for hosting us!
Helen is the second blogger on our visit. She lived a bit further away and more in town. Helen and I have been talking for quite a while and in fact, she is the one who encouraged me (with a slight kick in the you know what) to hang out my shingle and get busy as a garden coach. I will forever be grateful to her as it is a perfect match for me. I think Mr. Fix-it is quite happy too that someone got me motivated to get out and work. He is a bit puzzled as to why anyone would pay for gardening help. We are both garden coaches, me a fledgling one that has emailed Helen too many times to count asking her all sorts of things most professionals don't talk about, and she an experienced one who is active at the JC Raulston Arboretum. She has always been supportive and helpful and really a blessing. If you need a mentor in gardening, she is the go to gal.

Helen has already posted about visit our visit, so go see her here and say hello if you've not already. Her garden was truly a wonder. Anyone who hires Helen gets their money's worth. Like with Cameron's home, I needed no street numbers to recognize the house and garden. We were warmly greeted by Helen and her three wonderful children. They were just too cute! Jimmy surely thought the oldest daughter was most cute too.
Helen showed us around her garden and Mr. Fix-it followed along in tow. He usually does not do this but was most interested to hear about the plants. I was a bit shocked but enjoyed him coming along. The first plant that caught my eye was a huge (like 20 foot tall) windmill palm. I could not believe it! It was sited on the south side of her home along a chimney and was ever so cool. I failed to snap a picture of it. (You never really know how folks feel about others taking pictures so I waited to ask her and then forgot to go back. Thank goodness Helen sent me a photo!) This palm was simply spectacular. It fit in well with the Southern Magnolia sited close by. I loved it. The garden had so many rooms, styles, and love that you could see the hard work in every nook and cranny. I was truly amazed. Helen also had many specimen plants. She is modest with her plants too but let me tell you, she has many rare and awesome plants in her garden that are very happy with her tender loving care. Thanks so much for having us over Helen and tell those kids they were awesome!

Let me close with saying that I was so truly honored to get personal private tours of these two most special bloggers' gardens. Both of their gardens amazed me, not so much for the designs and plants, but for the gardeners themselves. Anyone who has a garden knows they are not easy to take care of, but it is something we do because we love the work and the feeling of nurturing a garden. It is so clearly evident how much these two gardeners loved their gardens and poured their hearts out into them that I was touched.

The first picture is of myself and Cameron. We are sitting on her front steps so as to not show my big hips. The second picture is of Helen and I. We should've been seated there as well so she does not look like two feet taller than me! I really did look for a step stool but there wasn't one to be found.

Okay, now on the the plant identification. Did you guess them? Was it fun or hard? I must know so give me some constructive feedback. I thought this would be a good way to share Cameron's and Helen's gardens with you and I hope they don't mind.

Here are the answers:

Cameron's Plant (the first one): Common Name: Sweet Bay Magnolia, Latin Name: Magnolia virginiana.

Helen's Plant (the second one): Common Name: Bears Breeches; Latin Name: Acanthus spinosa. (This particular beauty is named 'Summer Beauty' and is a cross between spinosa and mollis. I accepted either name for the Latin name.)

The two recipients of marker stones are: Drumroll please..........

Sweetbay and Janet at Queen of Seaford. Congrats to you both!

Only two other folks emailed me with guesses on the plants. They are Karen at Greenwalks, and Barry. Thanks! It occurred to me that maybe the plants were too hard, or that folks were afraid to email me because I might send unwanted emails. I totally understand this, but let me assure you, I don't earn money from my blog (probably dumb), and I'm not selling anything so don't worry about soliciting emails from me-ever. I'll be giving away more marker stones most likely in September at our two year Blogiversary so there will be another chance to have your very own.

in the garden....

P.S. The daylily pictured above is growing in Helen's garden. It was the biggest daylily I'd ever seen. Helen said it opened just for me-I'd like to think so.

He's Moved Home Again!

This post is long overdue. I am so darned happy to write it finally too. Many of you have wondered how I spend so much time blogging. Well, you are about to find out.

First of all let me say I am a very loyal person and faithful. I work hard to be diligent in all I do. I think blogging is important for not only me but for others I talk to. I remember what it was like just beginning to blog and wondering if anyone was reading or even cared what I thought about gardening. Once the first comments came to this blog I realized, hey, some folks are actually reading!! And that made me happy. It made me feel like all my hard work was worth the time.

The more folks commented, the more I commented and talked and conversations began. From conversations friendships developed. One thing led to another and before I knew it I felt as though I knew the people I spoke to on this blog and on their own blogs.

Personalities DO come out in blogs. I have had the pleasure of meeting several bloggers not only in Tennessee, but from as far away as Florida, Georgia, Maine, and Ohio. Blogging changed a bit further for me because not only did I have relationships with people on this blog, but I also got to know them outside of the blog.

Whenever I speak to someone on here it is as though I speak to them in person. I know it is not always the same on the Internet as in person, but one single point remains-you do develop relationships (and hopefully friendships) with folks on blogs, not all, but some for sure. It takes two way conversation in addition to having common interests. Hence, comments and 'talking' are a big part of this blog.

Once these relationships developed, a commitment came about that I placed upon myself. I really want to talk to all my friends on here and do so by commenting on their blogs as well as this one. More and more folks began commenting and I began knowing more and more people which took more and more time. Wow! Lots of time!

I enjoy the social interaction, the learning, and all the tours to other gardens I may not ever have seen otherwise. I've learned so much and gained so much more than I ever expected when I first began blogging nearly two years ago. But again, anyone who blogs knows blogging takes time and a commitment. I've already explained my commitment thing, now onto the time.

Where do I get the time? I am very efficient and have a system but mainly the big reason I have time to blog is because my husband (Mr. Fix-it, aka Roger) lives in another state! Yes, it is true. He has lived in Indiana since August of 2005, but now his tour of duty in Evansville Indiana has come to an end and he has moved back home!!!

Let me explain lest anyone get the wrong idea-Lola-no panics now:)) Regular readers know my husband is a recruiter. He is an Army recruiter; a very important job as we all know. Without recruiters there might not be an all volunteer Army. As much maligned as recruiters are, I can honestly say from my experience in the Army, recruiters are the hardest working men and women in the Army! My husband would much rather suffer the hardships in Iraq (he's been already) or Afghanistan than serve even one more day in recruiting. Recruiting is tough, but Mr. Fix-it is a professional and had a job to do, so he did it, and did it well.

In November 2004 we were notified by the Department of the Army that Mr. Fix-it was selected for recruiting duty. Normally, recruiters selected for this type of duty are required to serve for three years. Sometimes recruiters don't even make it one year due to the grueling hours and tough sales experience it requires of the men and women. Mr. Fix-it was due to attend recruiting school in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, then he would report to his recruiting station in August 2005. Fine. Fair enough. Three years is not so long really. This is part of Army life and we accepted it completely, all the while hoping his recruiting duty would see him here close to home-preferably in Clarksville.

Alas, it was not to be. Mr. Fix-it was assigned to the Indianapolis Recruiting Battalion, with duty in Evansville, Indiana. His last duty station in this company saw him recruiting soldiers in Jasper, Indiana; while the company headquarters is located in Bloomington. This is a hard tour for regular Army soldiers (think lots of driving and oh yes, let's throw in a time difference because Indiana is one of those states that-well, let's just say there are two time zones!) because of the unavailability of normal Army logistics and because of working totally in the civilian world. Civilians have a totally different mentality than Army folks, or even folks in a city around an Army town. At any rate, Mr. Fix-it has been tremendously successful in his job of recruiting. He earned one of the Army's highest recruiting awards, the gold Recruiter ring. I am SO proud of him and even posted about it here. He may consider it more of a war trophy, but I am ecstatic he earned it!! So he gave it to me. Ha! Funny guy huh?

Recruiting soldiers in a time of war is pretty difficult. While I love the folks in southern Indiana, they are very anti Army when it comes to their kids serving in the Army. I kind of don't blame them. The Army certainly comes with risks, but so does every day life; there are no guarantees. I have two daughters who have served in the Army (one is in right now) so I talk from an experienced point of view. There is nothing wrong with wanting your son or daughter close to home, but if that son or daughter wishes to join the military-then the parent should be supportive and not hate the recruiter. 'Nuff said on this issue. Just know recruiters have a tough job.

Recruiting saw Mr. Fix-it working 60-80 hour workweeks. All hours of every day of the week were fair game. He has received phone calls on his Army issued cell phone at 2 am while on vacation, to 10 am on Christmas day. Yes, such is the life. All part of the job I guess, but not so conducive to family life. As such, we made the difficult decision to maintain two separate households while Mr. Fix-it was a recruiter. Logically, living apart in order to maintain our home and life here in Tennessee made sense to us. Not only were there long hours to contend with (think NO family dinners due to work commitments), there was the issue of Jimmy and his school. Selling or renting our Tennessee home was not an option. Living apart and purchasing a 'temporary' home was the only route we could go. Mr. Fix-it could concentrate on his very important recruiting duties while in Evansville, and then he could focus on family when the time was right-mainly weekends.

Evansville is a short two hour drive from our home in Tennessee. Either the Jimster and I drove up to Evansville (with all dogs in tow) or Mr. Fix-it drove down to Tennessee every single weekend. By the time 2008 came around we were getting excited about Mr. Fix-it's tour of duty coming to an end. It HAD been three years! A quick email to the Department of the Army asking when he would receive his next assignment and could it be Fort Campbell brought us a BIG shock. Mr. Fix-it was extended for an extra nine months. Instead of his tour of duty ending in August 2008 as it should have, it was now scheduled to end the following April (now May).

I must say somewhere along the way the Army Recruiting Command changed its procedures for operations. Instead of working unGodly hours and beating up their 'salesmen' each day, they switched to a 'team concept'. This concept allowed the recruiters some more time off and took off a lot of pressure. Also, about this time the economy began tanking and guess what? The Army began getting lots of men and women who all of a sudden wanted to join the Army. And, the folks who are currently in the Army, want to stay! The Army now found itself in a good position and is actually shortening some recruiter's tours, not Mr. Fix-it's though, but he is done nonetheless!

I started this blog in the fall of 2007; which was about one year prior to Mr. Fix-it being scheduled to come home. I had plenty of time to blog since he lived elsewhere. Jimmy and I do our own thing so I had lots of flexibility (think plenty of frozen dinners whenever I was done gardening or blogging or whatever). We saw hubby on the weekends, vacations, and special occasions such as Army sponsored trips to Great Wolf Lodge and the Sheraton in Indianapolis (boy was that cool!), and we spoke to each other each and every day; without fail. Time moved on and before we knew it the tour of duty ended. Mr. Fix-it has been reassigned to Fort Campbell so he has moved back in!!!

This is such a wonderful thing for us all and we are very happy to have him home. He's been living here now for a few weeks and we have needed no adjustment to our schedules-except one. He goes to sleep with the television on. This is not my thing so he says for me to stay up and blog. Yup! Go figure! By the time I go to bed the television is off and all is well. We've adjusted well and at that is awesome! Jimmy is very happy to have his Dad home now.

What does this mean for my blogging? We shall see. I am going to have to re-prioritize without doubt. I will always blog as I learn so much and enjoy the interaction, but I may not be as diligent as I have always been. I don't think that will be an issue for my blogging friends BUT it is an issue for me. I have to get over it though because things will change for me somewhat. I simply will not want to be on here as much as I was prior to Mr. Fix-it coming home. I have established a pattern and habits that will be hard for me to change, but change they will. There is so much to be done around the house-and I am not even talking the garden. I am not exactly sure how things will pan out with blogging, perhaps I may not post as often. Or perhaps I may not comment as often, I just don't know. I do plan to keep my standard day postings for sure. As far as other posts I have about 50 in the hopper still and more come every single day. Posts that are important for me to share (in my opinion) but maybe not so important at all in the big picture of things may just sit in the hopper and never be posted. Preparing posts takes time, as does visiting and commenting and so on. We shall see how I can balance it all but I can see I will be without a doubt spending less time blogging, though he's been home for two weeks now and I've only slightly slowed down, so we'll see. For now I plan to do like I always try to do and take it one day at a time....

in the garden....

P.S. Mother's Day saw us in Evansville finally moving the last of the furniture down here to Tennessee. Fortunately it didn't rain too hard on our uncovered trailer-so much for weather reports!

I did get in a short garden visit to my friend's house with the lovely irises. She of course, shared some more with me. I will always remember Mr. Fix-it's days in Evansville as days of good shopping, beautiful plants and outdoor things, and nice folks.

I hope we can still visit often and sell our house soon! Wish us luck as the economy is so bad there that we may be lucky to sell our house for what we paid for it four years ago! Not a happy day for us at all.

P.P.S. Sorry such a long post-but you all know me! Feel free to skip over it quickly!! But now you know how I got into blogging and how I have been able to spend so much time on here. It has all been a joy, and good thing Mr. Fix-it is such a good guy to understand.

I made the sign in the picture above back in 2004 when Roger returned from a one year deployment to Iraq. Little did I know I would have a reason to use it again.

in the garden....working very hard lately.