My Little Willow Was Broken

 In winter, under a cap of snow, the willow was beautiful. The sun's rays broke through its branches. But the snow and strong gusty wind turned out to be too strong for such a small willow. 

 

In the spring, when the snow melted, the willow presented a sad sight. Its not thick trunk turned out to be broken. Parts of the bark and wood stuck out in all directions. I was so sorry for my beauty. 

What could I do? I I could not go to the garden and asked my neighbor to cut down its wounded trunk and coat the cut with garden pitch. It turned out that new branches had already begun to grow from the remaining part of the trunk.

 

I hope that at the end of the warm season the willow will transform and will look fluffy and green. Of course, it will not immediately become a beauty, but over time I hope my willow will be like this.

Ants

 Finally I arrived in the garden. The weather was great, warm. I decided to check the greenhouse. Unfortunately, ants settled there last year. Last autumn I poured a lot of pieces of marigolds and dug up the ground so that the pieces of the plant were deeper. They say that ants do not like the smell of marigolds and go to another place.

 

I don’t know what will happen this year, but I want the ants not to crawl on the plants, although they do not spoil them.

So I decided to read about ants, their habits and habitats.
The life of ants is interesting and unusual. Intelligent ants know exactly where everything is, remember landmarks and beacons. In complex labyrinths, they easily find a treat and deliver it to the nest along the shortest paths. The scout ants, having found prey, return to the nest, tell the worker ants where to look and rush off for new trophies. The workers go after what they have found and easily find it without a guide. These workers, harmless in themselves, become the main culprits of the spread of aphids on plants.

 

I want to try sprinkling cinnamon in the greenhouse so that the ants move to another place. I am NOT sure that this is a good solution.

 

And how do you keep ants away from your plants or your house?

P.S. these photos are from the internet

What is interesting about crocus?

 Crocus is one of the very first flowers that bloom in our garden in the spring. These flowers are the first harbingers that it is time to wake up from hibernation and work on the garden. 

The great German philosopher, poet and naturalist Goethe called crocuses spring flowers of joy. Probably because after a harsh winter they are the first harbingers of the awakening of nature. 

 

 

Since ancient times, crocuses have been grown in Assyria, India and Egypt. The ancient Greeks considered crocus a symbol of happiness, the flower of the goddess of the morning dawn Aurora. 

Now crocuses are cultivated as a spicy, dye, medicinal and ornamental plant. Crocus is most widely used because of its valuable product (stigma), which is used in cooking as a seasoning for dishes. The stigma contains the coloring agents croquin and saffron, as well as essential oil with a pleasant smell and taste. 

 

Saffron was known not only as a fragrant agent, as a dye for fabric, as an exquisite seasoning used in royal kitchens, but also as a precious medicine. Descriptions of the medicinal properties of saffron are in Chinese medical books dating back to 2600 BC and in Egyptian texts dating back to 1500 BC. 

 

There are many types of crocuses in nature, among which are yellow, bright blue with purple stripes, and pinkish. The British believe that admiring crocuses sets a romantic mood, instills a desire for travel and noble deeds. 

 

It is recommended to admire the spring purple crocuses more often. This species is especially popular in Great Britain - the Royal Horticultural Society respects it very much not only for the beauty of its forms, but also for its enviable vitality.