tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599Fri, 21 Nov 2025 08:56:54 +0000humorgardeningfairiesgarden bloggers bloom dayvegetable gardenbooksbulbsperennialsBloggingholidaysweathergarden bloggers book clubshrubsflowersfallindoor gardeningtoolsfamilyspringseedsgarden designwinterhoesletters to gardening friendstreeswildflower wednesdayrabbitshouseplantsreviewsvegetable gardeningdr. hortfreudweedsgardening geekSecretsgardenshortense hoeloveinsectsvegetableswhen a gardenergardenerslawnembracefruitsannualscompostpestssocietylawnsweedingGreen Thumb Sundaybirdsthoughts turn to gardeningWith a shared love of gardeningorchidsold womanone act playsGreen Bandana Garden Clubgarden fairiestravelvinesChristmas Cottontailpodcastplant taxonomysoiltomatoesDear Friend and Gardenerhortus sanuspassalong plantsdrought recoveryground coverspoemsporch chatgrassesvegetable gardensbookgarden bloggers design workshopguest bloggerpublic gardensseasonswildflowersblogging weatherfruitgardenherbsindianalanguage of gardenerspruningreal gardenersroseswildlifeYou Can Grow Thata gardener's guidebonsaifenceshumor gardeningperennials. humorphotographyscience of gardeningFoliagePost Produceboarddial-a-horticulturistfall.gitggloriosa vanderhortholidayhortoiseruminationssalad daystulipsvideowildflower wednesaywoodworkingyoutubeAll year I dream of the days of May when the sun is warm, the sky is blue, the grass is green, and the garden is all new again!https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/noreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)Blogger2893125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-3516470757915782644Thu, 17 Dec 2020 15:44:00 +00002020-12-17T10:44:44.198-05:00https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/12/over-here-im-over-here-now.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-1643807755859691871Wed, 16 Dec 2020 17:06:00 +00002020-12-16T12:06:52.334-05:00Hello! I've moved my blog to Wordpress! If you get an email every time I post on my May Dreams Gardens blog, and would like to continue to get an email from my new location, sign up here! Thanks and hope to see you at my new location! https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/12/follow-this-link-to-my-new-blog-location.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-3838955006657379800Tue, 08 Dec 2020 19:34:00 +00002020-12-09T09:55:34.803-05:00gardeninghumor One of the first lessons gardeners learn about plants is they need NPK—nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium—to grow into healthy, strong plants.  But just as important might be the EIP that gardeners bring to the garden.EIP? Yes, EIP—Enthusiasm, Imagination, and Perseverance.Allow me to explain.A gardener needs to bring their enthusiasm to gardening. No half-hearted attempts https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/12/eip-just-as-important-as-npk.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-2473578327838982840Sun, 29 Nov 2020 14:48:00 +00002020-11-29T09:48:18.675-05:00humorwinter All throughout the land, on this first Sunday of Advent, on this eve of the first predicted snowfall of the season, gardeners everywhere are scurrying around putting the last of the garden to be bed.Hoses. Check. Disconnected and hauled into the garage.Pots.  Check.  Hauled into the garage or covered to keep them from getting too wet and freezing and then cracking.Veggie Garden. https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/11/a-different-kind-of-holiday-greenery.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-2291144379970401002Sat, 21 Nov 2020 16:41:00 +00002020-11-21T16:21:08.782-05:00humor   The Thanksgiving Thumper was appalled when she hopped into a local hardware store in mid-November and saw a display of bright red Christmas poinsettias. And then she listened and realized that over the public address system, they were playing Christmas tunes. She wanted to run out of the store right that minute but she needed some hardware items to help Carol button up the househttps://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/11/the-thanksgiving-thumper.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-7629932628360865105Sun, 15 Nov 2020 05:00:00 +00002020-11-15T00:00:01.295-05:00garden bloggers bloom day Welcome to Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day for November 2020.Here in my USDA Hardiness Zone 6a garden in central Indiana, we've enjoyed some warm November days and some cold November days. Today is one of the cold days.But not so cold that I couldn't run out for a few minutes and take a couple of pictures.First up are these little button mums which are still sort of blooming and definitely https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/11/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-november-2020.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-3043029327608647194Tue, 03 Nov 2020 17:53:00 +00002020-11-03T12:53:58.611-05:00bulbsfairieshumor"Whoa, Nellie," I said to myself. "Those crocuses are sure multiplying and making a nice display in late autumn."And indeed they are.I assure you that I didn't plant that many autumn crocuses which could mean only one thing.Garden fairies here!  We are garden fairies and we are pleased and chuffed to bits that Carol noticed how many crocuses we managed to make bloom this late in the year.Forhttps://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/11/those-autumn-crocuses.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-4222212246560712428Mon, 26 Oct 2020 13:47:00 +00002020-10-27T09:04:31.717-04:00BloggingbulbshumorWhen you post about gardening on Facebook...Look, everyone, at my pretty flower. Like, like, like, screech, what's that? Oh, I almost got runover by that political ad.  Wasn't expecting that! It's no one I'd ever vote for. They aren't even in my district! I'm going to just scroll past that and hey, are those some nice looking shoes or what? I didn't know I needed new shoes! And oh my https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/10/garden-talk-on-facebook.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-189614512461117320Fri, 23 Oct 2020 19:17:00 +00002020-10-23T15:17:53.498-04:00bulbsWith my magical gardening powers, I made crocuses bloom in late fall.Would you like to know how I did it? Would you like some of this magic for your garden? But can you handle this kind of magic? Are you ready for the neighbors to look and wonder? Are you ready for the questions?If you are ready, then read on.  To get crocuses to bloom in the fall, plant the fall-blooming crocuses. The https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/10/put-your-magical-gardening-powers-on.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-891754980879242750Wed, 21 Oct 2020 13:53:00 +00002020-10-21T09:53:53.953-04:00BloggingIf you've ever sat and stared at your computer wondering what to post on your garden blog, or any blog, then this is the post for you!I'm going to give you five ideas that you can use anytime on your own garden blog to make an engaging post.Idea number one is to sow some seeds. Well, not actual seeds, but symbolic seeds. Seeds equal ideas. Share some of your ideas about gardening and see if they https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/10/five-ideas-for-garden-blog-posts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-7842538325230131998Thu, 15 Oct 2020 04:00:00 +00002020-10-15T00:00:05.527-04:00garden bloggers bloom day Welcome to Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day for October 2020.Here in my USDA Hardiness Zone 6a garden in central Indiana, we are still in the midst of a late-season dry spell that is in its eighth week.Ever the optimist, I think that surely it is going to rain soon. And we have gotten rain twice, but only one-tenth of an inch each time.  So because I think it is going to rain soon, I don't https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/10/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-october-2020.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-6399854073982224371Sun, 11 Oct 2020 14:27:00 +00002020-10-11T21:52:47.873-04:00fruit I just harvested figs I grew myself in Indiana on a fig tree growing outside. You can grow figs too!Whenever I harvest a bowl of figs I am tempted to arrange them in a lovely still life setting, suitable for a Renaissance-style painting. Even though I cannot off the top of my head recall such a painting.Figs just look old-worldly to me. Would you like to know my secrets for growing https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/10/growing-figs-outdoors-in-indiana.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-8329952907474248732Wed, 07 Oct 2020 13:05:00 +00002020-10-07T09:05:10.108-04:00The big mass of green growing up through this large tree is a giant bittersweet vine.  Fortunately, this large vine on this large tree is not my problem. It is near my neighborhood and I see it on my daily walk. I know it is a bittersweet vine and for most of the summer and early fall, I assumed it was the Asian bittersweet, Celastrus orbiculatus, a big take-charge kind of vine that onehttps://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/10/beware-of-big-woody-vines.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-1882807598433357574Sun, 04 Oct 2020 21:35:00 +00002020-10-04T17:35:06.128-04:00Garden fairies here!We are garden fairies and we have decided that it is time for us to provide another report on what is really going on around this garden.We will start off by telling everyone what Carol is doing which because she is inherently lazy is going to be a rather short report.We could make a longer report out of what she hasn't been doing but should be doing, starting off with https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/10/garden-fairies-provide-early-fall-report.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-1991984924311615758Thu, 01 Oct 2020 02:16:00 +00002020-09-30T22:57:04.431-04:00fallgardening“And all at once, summer collapsed into fall.” - Oscar WildeI notice as I walk around the neighborhood these days that some trees are already shedding their leaves—river birches and ash trees primarily. (Yes, there are a few ash trees still growing in my neighborhood, protected from the Emerald Ash Borers by their owners' judicious use of systemic insecticide treatments.)Is there anything better https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/09/summer-collapsed.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-3311153036014648690Sun, 27 Sep 2020 13:25:00 +00002020-09-27T09:25:16.527-04:00gardeningweedsI must not allow this redbud tree seedling to continue to grow and take over this flower bed.  I will cut it out today.I promise.Ugh. Such an ugly picture.  I am only showing it here to illustrate how if you do not attend to your flower beds by removing tree seedlings, you'll soon see small trees everywhere.I do realize that some gardeners like to keep the tree seedlings that randomly https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/09/i-must-not-allow.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-3385624321124504008Thu, 24 Sep 2020 21:23:00 +00002020-09-24T17:23:54.747-04:00fallpodcast This week, Dee Nash and I published our 100th Gardenangelists podcast episode.That's a nice milestone, don't you think?Through those 100 episodes, we've learned quite a bit and hopefully shared some nice tidbits about gardening.We learned along the way that publishing a podcast isn't quite as easy as writing a blog post and hitting "publish" when you are done writing and have given it a https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/09/milestones.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-5107293429922096461Mon, 21 Sep 2020 12:55:00 +00002020-09-21T08:55:58.292-04:00I ran across a quote today..."Comparison is the death of joy."  The quote is attributed to Mark Twain who died in 1910 so let's assume he wrote that sometime in the late 1800s. That means even way back then, people knew that if you found joy in your <<insert something here like garden, home, family, degree, book, etc. etc. etc.>> but then compared it to someone else's <&https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/09/enjoy-your-joy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-1239927287381749647Tue, 15 Sep 2020 04:00:00 +00002020-09-15T00:00:02.866-04:00garden bloggers bloom dayWelcome to Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day for September 2020.Here in my USDA Hardiness Zone 6a garden in central Indiana we stopped getting rain around mid-August and the garden is dry as dust.  And that is making it look a little (a lot) rough around the edges.Still, I found some blooms and plenty of them. Plus I am pleased to have spotted lots of bees and butterflies too. They are going https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/09/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-september-2020.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-1642270914059200256Thu, 10 Sep 2020 19:51:00 +00002020-09-10T15:51:34.977-04:00humorI am not going to write it.I am not going to write "Orange you glad you garden?"Nope. Not here.  I'm just going to show pumpkins and orange zinnias and orange marigolds.  My pumpkin isn't going to win any prizes. I actually have five little pumpkins and this is the best of the patch. Not too bad considering the lack of attention I gave my pumpkin patch and the rough treatment of the https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/09/orange-is-color.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-3430763775722131274Sat, 05 Sep 2020 00:01:00 +00002020-09-04T21:29:38.240-04:00perennialsI love being on time, which means being just a few minutes early. I do not like the opposite of being on time, which is being late.So I am happy to see the colchicums are right on time, maybe a tiny bit early.They are lovely flowers. The foliage comes up in the spring and dies back by mid-summer. My recollection is the foliage came up good and strong this past spring so this nice clump of https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/09/colchicums-report-on-time.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-5194407076093326722Fri, 28 Aug 2020 19:30:00 +00002020-09-04T21:30:03.205-04:00insectsThis is my best insect photo ever, taken about 10 years ago in my own backyard.What are you seeing there, you ask? What you are seeing is a cicada killing wasp actually stinging a cicada, paralyzing it so that it can become...Screech. Halt. My apologies.I'll spare you the gory details about what happens to that cicada.Just know that what caused me to see this and take the picture was https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/08/cicada-killing-wasps-are-back.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-2788755269087175049Sat, 22 Aug 2020 00:41:00 +00002020-08-22T10:39:27.898-04:00annualsI rescued the zinnias from the evil clutches of the weeds and for now, peace reigns in the garden.And it is lovely.Honestly, these are the best zinnias I've ever grown. There are zinnias in all colors, except blue and purple. I don't think zinnias come in purple and they definitely aren't any blue zinnias.Some of the zinnias are over four feet tall!And from where I'm looking, there doesn't https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/08/the-best-zinnias-ive-ever-grown.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-7916613299429440068Wed, 19 Aug 2020 13:12:00 +00002020-08-19T09:12:49.648-04:00booksfairieshumor Garden fairies here!How do you like what Florene and Flora did to these zinnias?  They are quite proud of how they made the colors fade on the petals. We would love to tell people what variety of zinnias these are but once again, Carol disappoints as she no longer has the seed packets. Nor did she make a list of the zinnia varieties she planted.And the writing on the plastic https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/08/garden-fairies-see-and-tell.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-731500652428786089Sat, 15 Aug 2020 04:05:00 +00002020-08-15T08:42:12.730-04:00garden bloggers bloom day Welcome to Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day for August 2020.Here in my USDA Hardiness Zone 6a garden in central Indiana, I wasn't quite sure where to begin! I have a lot more flowers than I thought. So, let's just start looking, shall we?First off, I have Allium 'Millenium' blooming all over because I planted it along the edges of several borders. It is a bee and pollinator magnet.  https://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2020/08/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-august-2020.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Carol Michel)55