A VISIT TO GRANDMA'S HOUSE

My two and a half year old granddaughter recently came to visit Grandma's house for the first time. Anticipating the curiosity of a toddler I had put all my cleaning products on a higher shelf and placed large breakables out of reach. BUT toddlers are resourceful. I had forgotten about my miniatures. What is more attractive to a toddler than something that seems to be their size.

Baby Shelley claimed my 3"x3" copy of "Romeo and Juliet"; my little pop-up flower book; my tiny tea sets. She was fascinated by the small piano and organ music boxes. She even asked if she could pound on them.

I was surprised when Baby decided my step stool would be her high chair. She easily recognized the stool would fit her perfectly and be the right height for the dining table.

Baby and Grandma had a great time playing tea party. Of course, she was the hostess. She determined if and when her guest would get a second cup of tea. We also had coffee using miniature campfire coffeepot and cups.

Needless to say, I'm anxiously looking forward to Baby's next visit.

JEWELS OF OPAR

Aha, I bet you thought this post would be about a new jewelry line on Etsy.

A former president of Park Seed who happened to be a lifelong Tarzan fan was responsible for the common name for Talinum paniculatum. Ever read Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar"?

Limon Talinum is a chartreuse leafed, succulent-looking plant that adds great color and dimension to my container gardens. It sends up a stem of pink flowers that result in delicate cinnamon colored seed pods that dance daintily above the attractive foliage.

According to my research Talinum is only hardy to zone 9. However, I found it self seeded in several of my containers. I've even found it growing in the cracks of my patio. I'm concerned this plant could become a pest despite it's attractiveness.

I'll give it one more year, then decide whether it will be love or war.

Hibiscus trionum

This plant is so unusual and so mysterious I don't want to believe it can be invasive and a noxious weed. About three years ago I found it hiding under the leaves of a sage plant in my herb garden. The tender little flower bud is pale green and nearly translucent, it reminds me of a pickled onion. When I was finally able to catch this Hibiscus in bloom, I was delighted with the beautiful little flower. One of the common names for Hibiscus trionum is "Flower Of An Hour". The beautiful flower with cream colored petals and dark center only lasts a few hours. Other common names for this self-seeding annual are Bladder Hibiscus, Venus Mallow, and Rose Mallow.

GARDEN WALK

Have you had an impromptu brown bag lunch yet? Okay, the next step is an informal garden walk. Anyone can have a garden walk. I sent out emails to my contacts and phoned a few friends who don't email and invited them for coffee and a garden walk. I wanted to do the walk in the morning while the Morning Glories are still open. Also, walking through a garden at the beginning of the day with a cup of coffee in hand seems like the ideal way to enjoy nature's bounty. My garden walk was today and it was a perfect day. My friends stopped by and I showed off my most treasured blooms. Fortunately, a Tiger Flower was open. No one was familiar with this lovely flower that only blooms for one day. Although the Brugmansia (Angel's Trumpet) has been blooming for a couple of weeks, only one flower was open today. As we walked along the garden path, we talked about poisonous plants, such as Castor Bean and Foxglove; discussed whether red plants in the garden are necessary to attract hummingbirds; and chatted about the advantages of container gardening. It was a lovely morning. I especially enjoyed the interaction with fellow gardeners.