As they say, TGIF! And during our latest heat wave, wouldn't you like to trade places with this parrot? I know I would. This tropical marguerita-loving guy is the latest addition to my backyard oasis and just in time for the real heat!
As some of you might remember, awhile back I blogged about the sad death of my beloved rope light Flamingos. They used to stand as party-guards around my pond in the summer.

For those of you who haven’t yet taken the rope light plung, rope lights, unlike regular party lights (i.e. Christmas lights), only have so many hours of use and then they’re done. You can’t just change a bad bulb. And only if it were just one. My experience usually entails a whole section of lights going out at once.

Anyway, after about five years of summer use, and cleverly disguising burned out lights by hiding them behind smaller plants, my Flamingos had too many lights out this year, and I had to say good-bye.

I strung up some different party lights (seen in the photo behind the Flamingos), but it just hasn’t been the same. However, I’m happy to report that thanks to a new shop on the back bay of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, I have a whole new flock of Flamingos!

It’s called Tropical Island Delight, and the good news is that if you’re not planning a vacation to Rehoboth Beach anytime soon, you can visit online at www.tropicalislanddelight.com!

The store specializes in accents and accessories to help make your home or landscape get that "Tropical" vacation feeling. Or, as described on their web site, "Parrotphernalia for Parrotheads! Palm Trees, Lighted Yard Art, Parrot Gifts, Auto Tags, Garden Flags and lot's more. Items in the Tropical Theme."

They also carry a variety of beach towels, doormats, signs, decals, slates and other assorted "Tropical" items (like the boat-bound floating parrot above). So pay them a visit, and get Tricked Out for the Tropics in your oasis. It'll feel even more like a vacation getaway, and won't cost you any gas!

That reminds me, this weekend will be the perfect time to get out my 7-ft. rope light Palm Tree. See you in the Tropics!

OK, I'm back from vacation, and I'm always amazed at how much my garden seems to grow while I'm away.
I spend time every day tending to various aspects of my garden. I'm happy to do it. It's very therapeutic and I enjoy seeing the plants grow and bloom or produce veggies. But sometimes it's like watching paint dry ...
Before I go on vacation, I always trim things up, make sure the last plants are planted, finally finish mulching and water and fertilize everything again.
Although every vacation is a great getaway, there's no place like home, and I look forward to seeing what's been happening in the garden. And I'm never disappointed. Everything seems to have grown a lot this time ... the pond's overcome with water hyacinths and lillypads. (I'm happy to report that the waterfall's just fine.)
My dad's on "pond watch" while I'm away, feeding the fish, and making sure things runs smoothly. So he couldn't help himself and already cleaned the new waterfall filter twice. "You can't believe how much easier it is than the old filter," he told me over the phone. "Dad, the new filter's not supposed to need cleaning for a couple of weeks," I said.
"Yeah, but I just wanted to see how difficult it was and it's not at all!" he gleamed.
The ornamental grass has gotten taller. New spikes are coming out of the top of the ravena grasses. The butterfly bushes are starting to bloom. The hydrangeas are blooming. The annual salvias have returned among the stones in the path. I haven't planted annual salvias in at least three years, but they must re-seed themselves and keep coming back each year. I even have petunias coming up through the bricks in the patio. They must have re-seeded out of the planter pots I had there last year. That's the "cool" thing about a mild winter ... sometimes annuals come back.
And it's time to prune my wave petunias, a chore that I don't look forward too. Everything I read says that it's perfectly fine to cut them back. It promotes more blooms. But that hasn't exactly been my luck over the years. They are definitely getting too leggy now, but I know once I cut them back it'll be weeks before they bloom again. I just can't win with them!
On a brighter note, the first veggies have been harvested out of the garden ... we have a few cherry tomatoes, the first Early Girl tomato, four zucchini and six cucumbers! Yes, I love to have fresh vegetables in the summer. Soon we'll be making our own bruschetta and cucumber salad. I already made some zucchini bread, and we recently dined on zucchini "crab" cakes.
Before leaving on vacation, I declared that my 2008 Planting Season was officially over ... I spoke too soon. I bought a few new plants on vacation, and yesterday I had to stop at Lowe's to get gravel for a new pond plant I bought ... and there by the check out stood racks of plants marked "Clearance." Well, you know, I couldn't pass that by without a look. So I got some elephant ears ($1.99), a lonely lime green hosta ($1.49), lantana ($2.49) and a few more geraniums (all under $1), because, you know, I can't pass up a bargain.
Remember, there's still a lot of good stock out there, just be sure to check the roots before buying. And when planting these late buys, definitely break up the root ball so the roots don't continue growing in the shape of the pot they've been kept in.
So now that I'm back, there's lots to share ... I tell you about the new plants I got at Rehoboth Beach, plus the unexpected visitor on one of them, my lillies, salvias, ferns, hostas, the parrot boat and, best of all, the triumphant return of Flamingos to my nighttime landscape!

Before I had my pond, I had my flamingos. Three tall boys, molded in iron and outlined with pink rope lights, they are my favorite outdoor accents. From the moment I first saw them at Boscov's, I knew they had to come home with me. And, at $29.99 minus register roulette, the price was right too.

The first year, they stood dutifully around our inground 20-gallon fountain. It was under their pink glow that I first saw Hank, mistaking him for a "frog statue". (I quickly realized as I walked past, that I didn't have a frog statue.) Hank loved the flamingos too. Night after hot summer night, he sat by them, waiting for their hot pink flare to attract insects for dinner.

And even though I've been told that rope lights only have so many hours in them and then they're done, I thought my boys would last forever ... sadly, this year it was not meant to be. I should've seen it coming, only last year one of the guy's legs didn't light. I cleverly hid it behind some dwarf fountan grass and no one was the wiser. But this year, the really big guy on the end's whole head and neck won't light and even the third guy has lights out. It is with a heavy heart that I'm going to put them out for trash pick up tonight ...

The pond just isn't the same without the flamingos. I have some kind of special lighting for around the pond for each season. Sure we have a light in the pond, but the lighting around the pond makes it more festive. I have Jack O'Lantern and skull lights for the fall, giant Christmas bulbs and/or candy canes for winter and giant Easter eggs for spring. (The Easter eggs were still up until this weekend, because I can't find a suitable summer replacement!)

But yesterday, I finally caved and put up some decorative patio lights on green fence stakes hidden in the tall grass. It's a bit dull and I'm on the lookout for something better. Oh sure, I can find more flamingos easily online, but they've gone up in price too. Now they're about $24.99 just for one! Maybe I'll check that old standby eBay, if you can't find it there, they don't make it!

Don't feel to bad for me, there's still that 7 ft. rope light palm tree in the basement (it's a bit bright when fully lit), and, I do have a rope light crab at our vacation home. Maybe he'd look pretty good up against the grasses ... hmmmm. I'll let you know.

By the way, I put out the solar tiki lights and they all lit up last night! They'd better, they were just brand new last year!