Something about the annual plant sale at our school puts me in the mood for all sorts of things outdoors. This morning, I picked up a hibiscus (Tradewinds Hurricane Lily). I loved its dark green leaves and bright pink flowers.

Now I'm thinking about this:

Wouldn't it be fun to have a lady bug house? I'm guessing its one of those "If you build it, they will come" sort of things.

The Topsy Turvy Upside Down Tomato Planter makes tomato growing seem much easier, because it eliminates the need for cages and stakes to protect the tomato.  Given the insane price of fresh vegetables lately, I've decided to try to grow more of our own produce this summer.  

This Moroccan garden lantern would be perfect for intimate garden parties. 

I like the idea of rain chains. They work as pretty, musical downspouts in place of the boring gutter ones.  These particular ones are copper, so they'll eventually develop a patina. 

This nesting block attracts native Mason bees, which are a kindler, gentler bee than your average honey bee. They're not territorial, so they will fly away rather than sting. Which is good. They don't make honey (or wax) and they're solitary, which is why the little nesting block is sufficient. Still, they're excellent polinators, so they go a long way toward helping the garden grow. A few hundred of the Mason bees can pollinate nearly an acre of fruit trees.

This site also has a large selection of houses for Mason bees and some good information on growing and managing your population.  They'll even custom make a bee house based on your own design.  For more information about Mason bees and other solitary bees, start here.