Back in the U.S. of A.

I love the weather today! It's a blissfully cool 68F. and a slight breeze that gives me the strength to get out there and tackle the weeds. They took advantage of my vacation to sneak in an extra foot of growth. I vowed last year that beggars-ticks (Bidens frondosa) would never be allowed to bloom in my yard... the seeds get stuck in my dogs hair and in my clothes and are awful to try to remove! If you garden, you know the little devils.The Latin name Bidens means two toothed, and they use both of them to cling tenaciously to anything that brushes against them. It's hard to believe that they are related to the sweet Bidens that my local nursery sells for $5 each! Those sunny yellow flowers are so cheerful... imagine my surprise when I found them growing by the roadside in northern Ecuador. They look fabulous entwined with lantana, proving once again that Mother Nature is the best gardener! This picture is of a flower stall in Cuenca, Ecuador. When I was at my condo last week, I was buying 25 roses for $2 total cost. That's a big reason right there to visit Ecuador! If you'd like to see pictures of the condo, visit www.CotacachiLiving.com/rentals and check out PrimaVera II Penthouse.