Happy Hobby Habit

The Martagon Lilies Bloomed!

2011-06-09T09:51:00.000-04:00

Woot!!
I started them 5 years ago from seed I received from the Willow Garden, and here they are - What beauties!

They were so worth the wait. I still have more to bloom yet, plus the ones that were started a year later than these to, hopefully, have some new colors next year. I sure won't be disappointed if they're the same!
Happy growing!

Mid-August 2010

2010-08-11T11:54:00.002-04:00

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Quick one - busy, busy.
Blooms in the yard now:

I love this color.

Past bloom. I missed it.

Still tons of buds to open yet. I'm hoping I'll get at least a few the Japanese beetles haven't munched!

Another I love the color of this year.

The scent is glorious this year.

These were suppose to be the double cosmos 'extra' seed from Renee's Garden. Ummm, not quite...

These always cheer me up!

The hummers are happy.

So pretty.

And, just like every other year, my poor lil maple is confused again!! He's always in such a rush, and no amount of trying to explain to him that he's two months early is sinking in...

'Descendents' Is Stunning!!

2010-08-02T08:17:00.004-04:00

This animated short, called Descendents, with the Whoopi Goldberg as the voice of the older, wiser flower, is simply stunning!

Description from Binary Alchemy:"Descendants" is a 14 minute animated short about the wish of attaining the unattainable and about the fact that something good can evolve from something evil.

The two main characters are flowers (voiced by Whoopi Goldberg and Christy Scott Cashman) who grow on the edge of a clearing next to one another.
One is old and jaded by a mysterious history - the other one still young, vivid and curious. Destiny has brought these two together and it seems as if they would exist without possibility for change, until one day a visitor to the clearing brings something unexpected to their lives.

Descendants from Goro Fujita on Vimeo.

Grow Project, post 6

2010-08-01T12:02:00.003-04:00

And, once again, it's the first Sunday of the month. Wow, summer is flying by!

I'm sorry to say that most of the nasties all look rather pitiful.

The WS'd ones pretty much pooped out in the heat even though the pansies made it through looking ok. Hmmm....weird.

The ones started inside and transplanted to containers don't look too bad here and there. Still a bit small, but looking decent.

The one's started in the ground don't look too awful either. Although I only got 50% germination and only one has bloomed so far, these seem to be doing the best of all the methods I tried.

The nasties started in containers outside are another matter - they're very small and they haven't even begun to bloom yet. There's still time.

Since we still have another month and a half left to the growing season here, I won't give up on any of them yet, but honestly, they haven't performed anywhere near as well as I expected they would. Bummer.
I hope everyone else is having better luck with them than I am!

"I'm growing Nasturtium "Spitfire" for the GROW project. Thanks, to Renee's Garden for the seeds."

When Your Plants Start Conversing Amongst Themselves

2010-07-24T09:25:00.006-04:00

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I hit this point every single stinking year.
Ya know, where you glance out the window at some gawdawful wet, hot, muggy air that is-so-humid-laden-you-should-be-frosting-a-cake-with-it point and get so deflated, overwhelmed and disgusted that you just want to throw your hands up and say, "Well, fuck it!" (Hey, I never pronounced this blog to be G-rated.)

Today is that day this year. Yup, there's no hiding from it. Ok, unless I tape black tissue paper over every window and door in my house and hide under the thick, oversized comforter in the muggy, hot bedroom so I don't have to look at one single drooping, pissed-off-at-me plant. Unless this is a good day to die of heat stroke, that is sooo not gonna happen.

So, I end up watching my plants out the window watching me watch them.
And they are obviously talking shit about me. I can tell.
And they don't even have the decency to do it behind my back.
I see their happy little buds, flowers, fronds and leaves nodding at each other, don't think I don't!
I know what they're saying -

Phlox: "Geeez! We're just getting started and she's slacking already."

The daisies drooping with raindrops grumbling from across the walkway: "Pfffttt! where's our stake? Where the hell is our stake? We give up."

The columbines: "I wish she'd get out here long enough to collect all this seed we're wasting on the mulch. We thought she loved us!"

The bee balm nodding in agreement: "She's useless. Invasion, it's the only way!"

The irises, with a Cheshire cat grin: "If you were all just smart enough to do the spring thing..."

The peppers: "Where the hell are our epsom salts? We know she dosed last year, we can feel residue in the soil!"

The pole beans, tendrils waiving free in the breeze: "Awww, quit your whimpering! She couldn't even be bothered to give us a big enough pole. She's pathetic."

The whiney cucumbers: "Look! Just look at all these cucumber beetles. She only smooshed a hundred and fifty or so. What about the other thousand? We're gonna die, we're just gonna wilt and die, and then she'll complain about no pickles!"

The diva heucheras: "Ewww! Look at all those nasty weeds in the walkway. They're gonna touch us. She's going to let their unclean roots creep into the flowerbed and touch us!"

The snooty tomatoes: "She'll see. She'll just see what happens when we're ignored!

The Guaras: "Well, just see if we bother coming back next year. We'll just leave a pitiful empty spot in the flowerbed so everyone knows she doesn't take care of anything. That'll fix her wagon good!"

And then I glance at the lush, green, rain-laden and uncomplaining Boston ferns, grab the pruners and head out the door and into the rain amongst the overwhelming din of "Me first!"
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I'm On Gina's 'Virtual Garden Tours'

2010-07-19T06:54:00.006-04:00

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Squeee!
I'm a little (ok, a lot) excited.
Gina, over at My Skinny Garden, came up with the awesome idea of hosting what she calls "Virtual Garden Tours" so she and her blog readers could get to know their fellow bloggers and their gardens a little better through a survey and pictures.

And she asked me to participate! :)

It was hard to pick out any pictures that would even get close to showing the scale we garden on, but I think I did ok. Maybe? I wish I'd had some better ones to send (it's hard to keep the pot ghetto and weeds out of the frame and the garden wasn't looking so hot after the mini-drought), but I did my best, and it was quite fun!

So, if you're even a little bit curious or interested, head on over and read (and drool over some fab pics) about a few of your fellow bloggers (including moi!) and their gardens. If you'd like to be part of it, Gina has an email at the bottom of each gardener's tour to contact her.

Thanks again for the invite, Gina. The Tours was a fab idea!
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Hurrah, It Rained!

2010-07-17T08:51:00.003-04:00

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It has been over a month since we've had any measurable rain here. The storms that have been rolling across the state have all broken up and slipped around us. It is very strange to be able to see the clouds completely surrounding you and rain falling only a few miles away, but look straight up and see bright, blue sky! Of course, they're measuring and reporting the rain totals at the cities that are those few miles away and when I hear them say we've had a good rain I want to shout, "Bullcrap! Maybe you did!"

I really, really shouldn't complain since last year was the 'year without a summer', but it seems as if the last ten years have either been feast or famine when it comes to the weather.

But, it finally rained yesterday! I was worried we'd get a deluge and it would just roll across the soil without soaking in because the ground was like cracked concrete, but it turned out rather well. We had a nice gentle start and a quick burst of downpour, then it quit. So, it was perfect for the next bout of rain that moved through a few hours later to be absorbed beautifully.

Surprisingly, with the exception of a few crispy edged leaves on the hostas, everything I didn't break down and water seems to have weathered the dry period rather well. The plants all look so perky and happy today!

Oh, and I think our corn grew at least a foot overnight. Well, so did the weeds (but we won't speak of it!). lol.

Happy (no more drought) Growing!

Seriously?

2010-07-15T14:13:00.005-04:00

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I was completely surprised by the comments to this post on Thriftcore: Not Buying it- Could You Go 1 Year Without Shopping?

Seriously? They couldn't do it?
I'm sorta shocked.
Let me explain why.
I don't shop for anything except necessities. Period. (ok, that's leaving out clearance plants/seeds - they're my indulgence).
This is exactly how I've lived for 25 years, so I really am having trouble wrapping my brain around someone not being able to make it for one lousy year. Although, it probably helps a lot that I absolutely hate, hate shopping!

Seriously, if you have growing children, this probably isn't going to happen. They need clothes, toys, school supplies, etc. (honestly, how could you tell a child they couldn't have a new toy for their birthday? Or would that be under the 'necessity' list?)

We never go out except for free bingo every now and then, we don't buy clothes (I make most, or get them as gifts for Christmas/birthday and simply make them last, but haven't bought anything besides underwear in years and I make most of those, too), I can't even remember the last time I ate at a restaurant. The last movie I saw at a theater was "The Fly II" in 1989, which I won free tickets for. I cut my own hair or have a friend do it and I've always done the rest of the fams myself. I own 3 pairs of shoes - a pair of heels for weddings/funerals, one pair of sneakers that has lasted me five years and one pair of dollar shop flip-flops for wearing around the house/garden. My friends and I have always swapped/hand-me-downed baby and kids clothes. We might treat ourselves to McD's or BK once a year, but other than that we don't even buy fast food.

It is so weird to me to think that it'd be a challenge for most people to go a year living like I do every day.

I wonder how long it would take these people to start pulling their hair out if they had to swap lives with me? Seriously.

I should write a book for these people on how to live just like poor people do and make a million!
lol ;)
Could you go one year without buying anything but necessities?
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Tomato Megablooms

2010-07-09T10:00:00.004-04:00

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Megablooms happen on my, and lots of other tomato growers, plants almost every year. This year one has shown up on my Brandywine Pink, which is a first for me since I've never had one show on that variety before.

Megablooms aren't anything to panic over. Though the resulting fruit will be deformed and look rather ugly, it could end up weighing over 5 pounds and have a terrific flavor.

There is some argument about whether it strains the plant to produce such a mutant and that it might be better for the plant to just snip off the bloom and divert more of the plants energy to making more of the normal fruit, but ultimately, the choice is yours. No one knows exactly why these blooms form (some say from cold weather, but I don't buy that theory as my weather is usually 80's to 90's F by day and 60's to 70's F at night when they form) but they won't really hurt the plant.

Fortunately, I grow enough plants that I can afford to let a few mutants grow to maturity just out of curiosity. usually, it's my Rutgers or Ace55's that give me the megablooms, so I'm quite curious to find out what will eventually come of the Brandywine.

Happy (mutant) Growing!
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Grow Project, post 5

2010-07-04T07:59:00.003-04:00

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First Sunday of the month, so here is the next Grow Project post.

The ones WS'd in April bloomed at the beginning of June, but they aren't looking so great this month. Of course, it has been rain every other day and only in the 40's to 60's F. I'm hoping they'll get a second wind.

The one's started inside in May are pretty much at a stand still. It's starting to warm up a bit, so they should take off soon.

There was only a 50 percent germination rate on the one's sown directly in the ground and they also haven't done much. Very disappointing :( But, as you can see, they're about the same size as the ones above that are a month older.

The one's started in containers are so-so. Some look nice, but some just aren't looking good at all.

So far, they haven't really done all that well for me no matter what the planting method. I've got my fingers crossed that they'll all pick up soon and surprise me!

"I'm growing Nasturtium "Spitfire" for the GROW project. Thanks, to Renee's Garden for the seeds."
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I'm Being Very Bad To The Earth

2010-07-02T09:23:00.003-04:00

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This article, Politically Incorrect Gardening by Bart Ziegler, got me thinking about how bad I'm being. And, apparently, not only to my small piece of the environment, but to the entire earth.

But, you see, I can't help it!

I want to grow exactly what I want to grow, native or not. Alright, I do have to admit that this does not include invasives. Aegopodium anyone? ~shudder~

Every single vegetable I grow is not a native. So, should I stop growing and eating these things? That ain't gonna happen. Ever.

This is one part of the article that really put it in a nutshell:

"Yet some of these native-plant Nazis will go on about the heirloom tomatoes and rare purple-skinned potatoes they coddle in their vegetable gardens. But if you start applying the no-imports restriction to edible plants most of the kitchen garden would disappear."

"Now imagine a yard or flower bed with no imports. You can't grow tulips, daffodils or dianthus. Plow under your daylilies and dahlias and hostas. Chop down the lilacs, the willows, the peach and pear trees and the flowering cherries. All of them and scores more garden favorites came from other parts of the world, though many date as far back as colonial homesteaders.

And once you go down this path, how far should you travel?"

Exactly how far is too far?
Are you a Native Plant Purist? If you grow tomatoes, I'm guessing not.

I just can't bring myself to paying much attention to someone who says I'm hurting the butterflies and humming birds by growing snap dragons, basil and foxglove in my yard.

Dear Mother Earth,
I apologize!
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One Man's Trash

2010-06-23T08:06:00.003-04:00

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About this time every year, around here, something cool happens.
Ok, well it's cool to me anyways.
It's something we affectionately call 'junk days'.

Junk days is when people do their spring cleaning and get to throw out everything from their backyards, attics and garages that the town or regular garbage crew won't normally pick up.
Lots of people love junk days, not just those that get to get rid of "all that useless stuff and clutter".

Mostly it ends up being remodeling debris, like replaced sinks and toilets, or broken tvs, stereos, and furniture, but occasionally there are good things.
The majority of 'junkers' or 'pickers' are people that grab the metals and take them to the recyclers for cash, but some of us that 'go junkin' are after the good stuff.

Though most of them are embarrassed to admit they wander up and down the streets looking through people's throw-aways, some will wear it like a badge of honor (me!). It's simply 'dumpster diving' on a huge scale. We often get the look down the nose or the wrinkled nostrils when we admit that we do it. What is so wrong with recycling what someone else is sending to the dump? This is all stuff that could have a second use with someone who couldn't afford to buy it new.
And - you wouldn't believe what people throw away! Yup, finding that little gem is an exciting feeling, just like finding real treasure. Honestly, this is the only time of year I ever wish I owned a truck!

Here are just a few examples of what treasures I've gotten over the last couple of weeks from "goin' on a junkin' run" that I never could have afforded to have otherwise:

How cute is this?

Brand new.

Not even a crack in this one.

Or this one. Twins!

I love terracotta pots and think plants do so much better in them, but they're expensive, so I don't have many. Now I do! These, and many more, got added to the collection this week (yes, I 'junk picked' the huge white pot for my elephant ears a few years ago)

I got this a few years ago too. I love this pedestal! (ignore the dirt on the siding - we had a downpour)

These two pots looked so lonely in that pile by the road, so they came home with me! And so did that cute little candle plate.

My sister-in-law decided she didn't need a large patio set for just her and the hubs, so she bought a smaller one and gave us this one. By that time, the cushions were pretty well done for and we've been cushion-less for two years because I could never afford to buy new ones. They're ridiculously expensive! My daughter's boyfriend described sitting in them without cushions as "When you sit, it's like you're getting shanked in the back!" lol. Hey, you have to make-do with what you have, or in this case, don't have.

But, I found six on a junk run that only had small rips in them and sewed new covers. Unfortunately, the only fabric I had enough of that would last outside in the elements was this swimsuit fabric I'd bought for the girls years ago but never found swimsuit elastic for. Needless to say, the suits never got sewn for them, but the fabric got a new purpose.
They are way, way too bright, but I kind of like them! And everyone says they're comfy, so it's all good :)

We also found this table umbrella (that we needed) and I had just enough fabric left to edge it with so it would at least sorta match the chairs.

I also got four small shepherd's hooks, some small baskets to plant in, some very cool flower vases and some stick-in-the-ground swirly wire candle holders that fit the cute citronella candles (that I got three for 25 cents at the end of summer clearance last year) perfectly.

So, that's just a few things I've found goin' junkin'.
You know the old saying - "One man's trash is another man's treasure". Well, I'm not a man, but it's still treasure to me! :)

Happy (junkin') Growing!

I Won!

2010-06-23T07:00:00.003-04:00

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Colleen, over at In The Garden Online, is doing a fourth blogiversary celebration giveaway this week.
I figured there was no way I'd win with all those comments, but I couldn't keep my big mouth shut when Colleen asked "which edible plant is a “must” in your own garden"? I had to add my two cents.
Wow, my big mouth actually forgot to get me in trouble this time, because I won!
Woot!!
What'd I win?
Gayla Trail's book 'Grow Great Grub' and a collection of Botanical Garden's most popular veg seeds.
How fab is that? A book and seeds - does it get any better?
So excited!
Thanks for having this giveaway, Colleen!
And thanks to Gayla's publisher and Botanical Interest Seeds for donating stuff for me to win.
:)
Hop on over to In The Garden Online for the next blogiversary giveaway!
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The Nursery Business Is In A Mess

2010-06-13T07:34:00.003-04:00

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Surprise? Not really.

Here's an article recently written by Angela Treadwell-Palmer, President of Plants Nouveau.

The Nursery Business Is In A Mess…

My favorite (and true) comment in the entire article was from Roy Diblik of Northwind Perennial Farms: “Americans garden with mulch.”
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BP Dispersants Causing Crop And Bird Deaths?

2010-06-12T08:25:00.000-04:00

Grow Project, post 4

2010-06-06T07:32:00.002-04:00

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First Sunday of the month, so that means - here is the next GROW Project post.

First, the updates.
The one's I WS'd in April have been transplanted into hanging baskets with the pansies I started from seed. I ended up with 6 out of 10 seeds germinating. They've doubled in size and here is how they look now on June 6th:

Next up are the ones I started inside on May 2nd. 6 out of the 9 I sowed germinated. I'll be transplanting them into pots and flowerbeds here and there around the yard today.

And today I'll also be sowing the last of the seeds - 10 in the huge pots by the pond and the final 10 will go directly in the ground at the edge of my front flowerbed. Hopefully, the germination rates will improve. I guess we'll see! :)

"I'm growing Nasturtium "Spitfire" for the GROW project. Thanks, to Renee's Garden for the seeds."

UPDATE: Two days later, she bloomed!

What - she couldn't do that for the Sunday post date? :) Stinker!

Aliens In My Yard

2010-06-05T09:22:00.003-04:00

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Flowers are beautiful, no doubt about it, but if you ever get the chance to see them up really close, they begin to look like something from another world and more beautiful than ever. I wish I could get in even closer!

Some of the aliens hanging out in my yard today:

They're pretty cool, huh?
Even though I see these same flowers year after year, I'm always fascinated by them.

Happy (alien) Growing!
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I Don't Get It

2010-06-04T12:07:00.003-04:00

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~Huge whine alert~

I mention something cool and no one says anything.
Weeks or months later someone else mentions basically the same thing and suddenly it's cool.
I just don't get it.
OK, I do . . . I'm just not cool enough.
I'm being passed by (and over) at lightning speed.
Why do people who've just discovered gardening in the last few years suddenly have every bit of thought that comes out of their mouths taken as gospel as though they've become some overnight master of growing things? (ok, sorry, whole 'nother rant)
I'm apparently just not young enough or hip enough.
Pfffttt! Fine, what-evvvv.
I think I prefer my ancient but knowledgeable status much better.

~whine ended~
Carry on.
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Around The Yard In May

2010-06-01T07:48:00.004-04:00

Wow, long time no post.
We have been very busy finishing up the planting in the vegetable garden, but it's done. I think this is the earliest I've ever had everything in! It has been another really wacky weather year.
Cross your fingers for me that this is finally going to be a good watermelon year.
Brace yourself - very pic heavy portion coming up. But I have so much to show you!

First, remember that Thanksgiving cactus that keeps going? And going? She's on her fifth (yes, fifth!) bloom cycle! She seems to be on an every two month schedule = October, December, February, April, and now gearing up for June. Weird . . . but wonderful. I have an ever-blooming TC! If she blooms in August, I can officially say I have a Thanksgiving cactus that blooms year round. How fab is that?!
:)

My Asparagus Fern made it through the winter, and quite happily, I'd say.

Ok, to the yard-
I took a quick pick of the peony and weigela hedge while the sun was shining because, well, you know what happens as soon as the peonies bloom = downpour! Sure enough, it rained last night and now they look like hell. ~sigh~

I can't get enough of this combo. Festiva maxima with wine and roses:

Festiva maxima is such a beauty!

All right, I'm done boring you with those. Onward!
The clems are looking pretty good. Not as many blooms as usual, but I still love them:

I got my first bloom on the May apple:

The dianthus are looking fab (these are either Fire Witch or Pink Cheddar):

The Halward's Silver spirea was in rare form this year:

And, of course, the Columbines always look so pretty and cheery:

And last, but not least, even the herbs are getting in on a little blooming action.
The chives are going gangbusters and have such pretty (and edible) flowers.

The thymes (regular and variegated) that I used to edge the walkway (one of my best design ideas ever!) are looking grand. They smell so wonderful when people walk the paths and brush their pant legs or ankles against them. Heaven!

We expanded the veg garden this year. This is the DH finishing up the rototilling so we can finally get the last thing in - sweet corn.(this shows almost half of the garden, the other half is over to the left).

We've even had some nice wildlife show up:
Hawks. They were hunting in a pack of five. I've never seen more than three hunting together. We've had a huge one sitting in the willow across the road every day, but trying to get a good pic is pretty much a practice in frustration.

And our hummers finally showed up. Late, but they're here, so yay! We counted 3 at once working over one weigela (one of their most favorites), so who knows how many we'll have hanging out in the yard this year. I hope they brought lots of friends!

Whew!
So, that's what's been going on in my yard so far this year. Now comes the time for the real work around the yard. I don't even have all my WS'd stuff planted yet :( Shhhh!

Happy (here come the blooms) Growing!
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Late Blight Detected Already!

2010-05-17T15:11:00.005-04:00

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Grrrrr! Here we go again!

University of Maryland: Late Blight of Tomato

"Unfortunately late blight was detected in a greenhouse in St. Mary's County on May 7, 2010. The grower has taken measures to eradicate the disease. We don't know at this time whether it will spread, or if the grower will be able to contain the outbreak. We also do not know if this outbreak is related to the 2009 outbreak. We are monitoring the situation."

And from Louisiana: Tomato Blight Threatening South Louisiana Gardens

"Scientists at the LSU AgCenter recently confirmed the presence of late blight on tomatoes in home gardens in Terrebonne, Lafayette, Livingston and Tangipahoa parishes. Symptoms include black lesions on stems and petioles, blackening of the fruit, and dark, dead areas on the foliage.

“The disease is probably being introduced on infected transplants, so be sure to check tomato plants for symptoms before you buy them,” said LSU AgCenter plant pathologist Don Ferrin."

Arghhhhh!!!

Keep an eye on your plants, people, especially if you've purchased (or plan on it) and didn't grow from seed. That's not to say you won't get it if you grew from seed, or that you shouldn't be vigilant, you should. One gust of wind and . . .

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May Apples, Cat Birds And Wire Worms

2010-05-14T08:35:00.003-04:00

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Just a quick update -
Busy, busy!!!
I've gotten tons of WinterSown stuff transplanted to the flowerbeds . . . finally! This weather has been crazy. We had another freeze Wednesday night, so I was very glad I was a slacker getting things planted.

Time for some crappy pics. I think someone messed with the camera settings and I can't get a good pic of anything lately!

I finally got a bloom from the May Apple. Yay!

Unfortunately, something ate the buds off the Virginia Bluebells and there's no sign of the Blood Root this year. ~sigh~

But the Cat Birds are back (my nosey birdie), so that's another yay! They haven't been here long enough yet to start getting comfortable with me enough to almost let me touch them. It won't take them long. It never does :)

And (gross out warning!!!) the wire worms are already out there in huge numbers. I don't mind spiders, snakes, bugs, but these things totally gross me out! Ick, ick, ick! I imagine you're pretty darn glad that this pic is awful . . .

Happy (spring has started - for real) Gardening!
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The Tuesday Chuckle - A Little Early

2010-05-08T13:20:00.002-04:00

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Since Tuesday is the first day for a while that we'll be having some nice weather (snow on Mother's day...grrrr!), I'll most certainly be spending every waking moment messing about outside. So, enjoy the Tuesday Chuckle a few days early!

A New Garden Infestation:

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I Want To CRY!

2010-05-05T08:09:00.003-04:00

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I adore the country. I absolutely love it.
My parents lived in town, but I spent a good ninety percent of my childhood on my grandparents' dairy farm.
I had the best experiences of my life running across open fields, squeezing cow plops between my toes (what?!), learning to grow things, care for animals - both wild and domestic - breathing the fresh, clean air.

Wide open space was exactly THE reason DH and I decided to buy the old homestead. It was built back in the 1700's and began as an apple orchard before it became a working dairy farm. The land has been sold off in chunks to other farmers over the last few years to be used for pasture or crops, but there is still lots and lots of open space, the nearest neighbor a farmer a quarter mile away (and related).

This is the view across the road from my front yard, from one side to the other:

And this is what suddenly showed up the other day:

It says, "FOR SALE BY OWNER".

Oh. My. God.
Nooooo!!!!
The only thing I can imagine is some big freaking housing development or a f-ing Wally World sitting directly across the road.
It's being sold by the acre = Neighbors?! I don't WANT no stinking neighbors! They ruin everything. They just do. People are NOT smart. And they have dogs, and kids, and pesticides, and weed killers, and invasives. If I wanted to live in the hood, I would have bought a house there!
UGH!!
Will one of you gardeners please, please (oh, God, I'm begging you!) buy it!

I want to cry! I think I'll go do just that, right now . . .

Mr Bean's Lost Rhodie - Found

2010-05-05T07:37:00.005-04:00

Coolio!

Exotic Victorian flower lost 50 years ago is unearthed in English country garden.

"A rare 'lost' species of the plant, thought to have died out 50 years ago, is causing a buzz after being unearthed at a country house in Dorset.

Ray Abraham, discovered the 100-year-old Rhododendron beanianum just two months after taking up his role as head gardener at Minterne House. It is thought to be the only one in existence in the country."

See, gardeners really will save the world.
:)

Happy (lost and found) Growing!
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Who Knew?

2010-05-03T08:07:00.000-04:00

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Some cool things going on this week...

From 35F and pictures of snow in my yard to 84F in the span of three days - Who knew!?
I'm soooo not complaining. It's gorgeous, it's about time, and we deserve it, damn it!

Airborne Adventures is already up and flyin' around our house for the season - Who knew!?

(I didn't get to the camera quick enough before it got away!)

Icicle Pansies really will overwinter in my crappy zone 5 - Who knew!?

Jumping spiders love graham crackers - Who knew!?
Apologies to the squeamish, I like spiders :)

And I didn't get a pic, but I held the first black swallowtail of the year. I think he may have recently emerged because the flight muscles weren't working so well yet and he was in an area where I'd thrown last fall's dead stalks of parsley and fennel. I never even remembered to check in the fall before I cleaned up! (this is why I usually leave my yard such a mess all winter) Sadly, he eventually took flight.
I have never seen Black Swallowtails this early in the year. The first of May? Really? - Who knew!?

Happy (who knew!?) Growing!
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Grow Project, Post 3

2010-05-02T08:01:00.000-04:00

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It is the first Sunday of the month, once again, so here's my GROW project update for this month.
As I wrote in earlier posts, I've split the seeds for four separate trials.
This is how the WS'd ones are fairing so far:

Interesting, only 3 out of 10 germinated. I usually get better germination than that for regular nasturtiums, so I'm not sure if it's a result of not waiting long enough and the rest will eventually appear, or if that's going to be all I get. I guess we'll see.

This month's trial will be sowing some (9) in the house under lights. I'll be sowing them today.

Next month will be starting some in large pots and the rest directly in the ground. We'll see how it all goes!

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"I'm growing Nasturtium "Spitfire" for the GROW project. Thanks, to Renee's Garden for the seeds."
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Mouse & Trowel...Last Day For Nominations!

2010-04-30T07:41:00.003-04:00

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Don't forget to send in your nominations!
Today, April 30, is the last day to get them in.
So, if you haven't yet sent in yours, quit slackin' and do it, people! :)
You don't have to have someone in mind for each and every category but, please do send in at least one or two of your faves:
Mouse & Trowel Nominations
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The Tuesday Chuckle

2010-04-27T13:15:00.002-04:00

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Why is this a chuckle post? Because all you Southerners get a chance to point and laugh. Yeep, that'd be the white crap falling in my yard today.

Urrghh!
Suppose to be 80F by Sunday. I don't believe 'em.
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4th Bloom Cycle For My TC!

2010-04-24T08:30:00.003-04:00

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Wow, this is unreal!
As I posted about my Thanksgiving Cactus going through her third bloom cycle back in February, I mused that it would be something to have her bloom for a fourth time. In reality, I wasn't really expecting her to.
Well, she proved me wrong!
This is today, with more buds yet to open:

Four bloom cycles?
Holy cow, she's going to kill herself.
I've never seen anything like it. Two bloom cycles, yes. But, four?
I certainly hope she doesn't bloom herself to death.
Hmmm, I wonder if her seedlings will end up doing something like this. (They're coming along just dandy, by the way. And so cute!)
A continually blooming Thanksgiving cactus would be pretty cool, don't you think?

Happy (re-blooming!) Growing
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I'm Gonna Rip Their Ears Off!

2010-04-18T06:21:00.001-04:00

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We've never had bunny trouble.
In 25 years, absolutely no trouble.
My niece thinks they're cute. Ugh! They are rodents with tinier tails and bigger ears.
Glorified rats!

This is the first time they've ever bothered anything in the yard. They don't even bother with the veg garden - we've let the clover run rampant for their benefit (not to mention it's a bee favorite) and they've been more than content to placidly play and lazily munch on that as I watch and warn them all summer that they'll be stew if they mess with my stuff. They listen pretty well in the summer, but obviously their little pea brains have no use for remembering those threats come winter. This is what havoc they accomplished this winter-

The only thing the hubs specifically wanted, picked out and planted for himself - dwarf burning bush. There's a bit of green popping on two out of the three, so I'm hoping:

My poor pink primrose gnawed right down to nubs:

Spirea damage:

Ugh!! I hate bunnies!

Ok, some good news.
The Martagon lilies from seed are on year four (started fall of 2006). Yay! it takes anywhere between 5 and 7 years for them to bloom, so possibly only one more year to wait? I have my fingers crossed.

And I have these survivors from last year's sown seed. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. I'm always glad when they show their cheery faces for a second year.

Happy (non-bunny) Growing!
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HUGE Giveaway!!!

2010-04-17T08:19:00.003-04:00

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OMG!
Get your butts over to Double Danger and enter their encore giveaway (THIS WEEKEND)!
Seriously, look at what is up for grabs:

Encore Garden Giveaway #1 - Authentic Haven Brand Natural Brew Soil Conditioner Tea (3 winners)

Encore Garden Giveaway #2 – Annie’s Goat Hill Soaps

Encore Garden Giveaway #3 – Complete Idiot’s Guide to Composting

Encore Garden Giveaway #4 – F-F-F-FISKARS IS BACK (3 winners)

Encore Garden Giveaway #5 – Your Favorite Nursery - Annie’s Annuals (4 winners)

Encore Garden Giveaway #6 – Corona Garden Tools (5 winners)

Encore Garden Giveaway #7 – Ethel Gloves

Encore Garden Giveaway #8 – Felco Pruners

17 winners with this one - Holy cow!! Hurry up, get over there and enter!!
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Daff And Tulip Update

2010-04-14T06:13:00.001-04:00

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Well, they're still confused.
Poor things.
Most of the daffs are thinking about it.

But the tulips are already way ahead.

Even the azaleas think it's time!

I hope this wackiness sorts itself out. And soon!

Happy (weirdo weather) Growing!
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The Tuesday Chuckle

2010-04-13T08:21:00.002-04:00

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Got ten minutes for some tomfoolery?

Go ahead, try this Garden Puzzle.

It's another time waster - have fun!
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Ugly Pea Trellis

2010-04-12T08:15:00.003-04:00

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Brrrr . . . it's 31F out there right now.
Yesterday, the weather was finally nice enough to get a few things accomplished.

We got the pea trellis up and the peas planted - all two thousand of them (we've found they do much, much better when crammed on top of each other, as do the peppers (yes, it works!)) - and three rows of onions are in. The onions never did get their second haircut, but that's ok.

Since it's black, you can't really see the old bird netting we used in this picture, but it works a peach.

We chose 'Early Frosty' to trial this year since it's one we haven't yet grown and we haven't really been impressed with the 10 or so other varieties we've tried over the last 25 years.

"64days. Frosty produces a prolific yield of tightly packed 3.5" pods with medium-size peas. A distinct improvement over Little Marvel because of uniformity and higher number of peas per pod. It has a greater number of pods per plant as well. Plants are about 28" tall and have many double pods resulting in almost twice the yield of Little Marvel. Uniform dark green shelled peas are tender and sweet, both for fresh and frozen uses. The best early peas for home garden planting."

Sounds good, right?

Just like every year, the trellis looks ugly now (hey, you gotta do what you can with what you've got), but it'll look fab covered with pea pods! You won't even be able to tell what's under there by the time we're harvesting and freezing them.

Happy (ugly trellis) Growing!
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What's Wrong With This Picture

2010-04-09T09:05:00.005-04:00

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This is a very strange year so far.
My daffs are usually opening the very last of their buds when the tulips are still tightly closed and deciding whether it's time to open theirs.

Here is this years situation -
The daffodils are just barely beginning to open their buds:

And the tulips, who should be at least two to three weeks behind total bloom of the daffs, look like this:

I have never, ever had tulips this far along this early in the year. Certainly not trying to beat out the daff blooms! (See the hyacinth tucked in the tulip foliage? Not even thinking of sending up a bloom yet. Say what?)
Honestly, I don't blame the tulips for thinking it must be time. The weather has been complete wackiness for the last month, going from record 80's F temps back down to freezing every night for this coming week.
I think I'd be a tad confused myself.
I sure hope this wackiness doesn't continue through the summer. Three sucky growing years in a row would, well . . . suck!

Happy (bloomin' tulips!) Growing!
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Contest!

2010-04-08T09:48:00.002-04:00

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Don't forget to pop over to Double Danger and enter for today's daily prize.
All you have to do is leave a comment.

Today's prize is a Hori Hori Garden Knife!
Awesome, or what?
I so want one, but since I've already won something, I won't enter.

Hurry up, go enter and win something - you can thank me later.
:)
Good luck!!
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The Tuesday Chuckle

2010-04-06T19:43:00.000-04:00

The Seed from Johnny Kelly on Vimeo.

I Won!

2010-04-06T11:41:00.002-04:00

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I used to have the site Double Danger bookmarked on my computer.

Then we ran into some lightning (or should I say it ran into me) and my computer kinda caught on fire, along with everything else in the house that was plugged in, and I lost all my bookmarks.

Well, I found the site again the other day, and wow, am I glad I did!!

They are giving away a cool new garden product every day and all you have to do to enter is leave a comment. How easy is that?!

I did. And I won! How did that happen . . . I never win anything!
So, what did I win? I won (yeah, I like saying that, lol) Authentic Haven Brand natural brew manure teas from Annie.

I am so excited!
I really wanted to win those Fiskars pruners or loppers as my dollar store ones are really dull after years of use, but this is just as fantastic.
I can't wait to try it out on, well, everything!

Head on over to Double Danger and enter for today's prize.
You never know, you might win!
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Grow Project 2

2010-04-04T06:40:00.000-04:00

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It's the first Sunday of the month, so here is my next post for the 2010 Grow Project.
Last month's post: Grow Project 1

I'm splitting the seeds into 4 different trials. This month it's the WS'd one.

They're snuggled in jugs with their bretheren:

I hope they don't decide to jump the gun too quickly, but if they do, it will give me a good opportunity to observe how they handle it!

"I'm growing Nasturtium "Spitfire" for the GROW project. Thanks, to Renee's Garden for the seeds."
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2010 Mouse & Trowel Awards

2010-04-01T13:01:00.005-04:00

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Nominations are now open for the 2010 Mouse & Trowel Awards!
I hope you've all been thinking hard!

Here are this years categories (in case you're still thinking):

Best Writing

Best Photography

Best Blog Design

Post of the Year

Garden Blog of the Year

Best New Garden Blog (blog in which the first post was published on or after 1/1/09)

Best Gardenblogger to Follow on Twitter

Best Urban Gardening Blog

Best Rural Gardening/Farming Blog

Best Indoor Gardening Blog

Best Garden Design Blog

Best Container Gardening Blog

Best Blog About Growing Food

Best Blog by a Company

And here are Colleen's instructions:
Nominate up to five blogs in each category. Please include the URL of the blog or post you are nominating. One nomination form per person, please!

Nominations are open until midnight, 4/30/10.

Easy enough, eh? So, get em all lined up and get on over there to nominate your favorites!
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WinterSown Sprouts

2010-03-31T10:58:00.003-04:00

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Even after 7 years of Winter Sowing, I'm still amazed, every single spring, with those first ambitious sprouts. It has been freezing or below every night for the last week, 30's F during the day, and yet, here they are!
I'm doing the happy dance!

These two are always expected to be the first to win the race:

Poppies

and Bachelor Buttons

This is what they looked like a few short weeks ago:

If you don't know what Winter Sowing is, you can get more info from here, WinterSown.org, and here, GardenWeb's WS Forum. There is still plenty of time to give it a try if your still getting pretty cool weather, especially with annuals. Go for it!

Happy (first WS sprouts) Growing!
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Live Eagle Cam

2010-03-30T19:51:00.002-04:00

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This is very cool: Bald Eagle Nest Cam in Virginia

Eaglets are scheduled to be banded Wednesday, March 31 at 9:00 a.m. EDT. Follow the events in person at Norfolk Botanical Garden, or online on Eagle Cam.

I hope y'all can be on tomorrow to see it!
Pass the word. Quick! lol.
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Tiny Terrarium

2010-03-28T10:04:00.004-04:00

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This is what we did with our Sunday.
My oldest daughter is moving out of her old apartment and thought she'd be nice and change out all the blown bulbs, most of which were already blown out when they got there, so I figured now would be a good time to try out something I've been wanting to do for a long time.

The hubs followed the directions (found here) to hollow out the bulbs.
OK, he mostly followed them as our bulbs were a little different.

Only one had the kaolin in it and came clean and clear, so that one got used for the terrarium.

The rest were acid etched and will never come clear, so those got to be the rooting vases. I found the ornament hanger at the dollar store after Christmas for 10 cents (I'd had grand plans of hand painting some Christmas ornaments for next years gifts, but never found any on clearance) But, it worked perfect for this.

I'm really happy with the way these turned out!
And we got to break things, which is very therapeutic.

There are many, many different styles and sizes of glass and plastic objects you can use for terrariums. Use your imagination! Or, just look around the internet - people have used some cool stuff. Salvage stores are sometimes treasure troves. You just have to look around and think outside the box a little. The next time you spy something odd, clear and empty that you think is really cool but don't know what to do with . . .

Happy (tiny terrarium) Growing!
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Dominique Browning - Losing It

2010-03-26T14:42:00.002-04:00

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An excellent article by Dominique Browning, the former editor of House & Garden magazine:
Losing It
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Oh. My. God.

2010-03-26T10:02:00.004-04:00

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We put the lower pond in 10 years ago. This last winter was just too much for it:

Oh, man! This is going to be so much work to get back together. ~sigh~
Lesson to y'all = Make sure you use concrete blocks if you're going to install a rubber liner.
Yes, we knew better, but they weren't/aren't in the budget.

This is how pretty it used to look -

The upper pond was put in almost 20 years ago and is still looking pretty solid.

We transferred the fish to the upper pond, but the stress of the move was just too much for them. We're left with 4 orfe and 1 koi. My heart is broken - we lost my favorite, Miss Sweet Pea.

:( These weren't just pretty fish, they were our pets.

Every time one door closes, another opens (or so they say), so I guess it's time for that redesign we've been thinking about.
What better time than now, eh?

We'll be moving the waterfall and also the little stream, which also means the flowerbed will be expanded. Since I've been looking into getting Wakin fish for years (they're expensive and the closest place we've found that sells them is in Pennsylvania), maybe we'll just eek out the work on this and leave it empty for a while. The Wakins can handle our severe winters without a second thought and losing our koi just makes me want to throw up. I can't go through that again.

This year, so far, has started out so crappy! I'm hoping summer doesn't follow suit.
It's going to be a perfect growing year, right? RIGHT?

Happy (redesign) Growing!
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Peek-A-Boo!

2010-03-24T10:18:00.002-04:00

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Well, that didn't take long.
I brought the pots of caladium out to get started for this year on March 10, and one pot decided it was time to make an appearance already.

Still waiting on the other. Sometimes they take months to get going, so we'll see.

Unfortunately, the local herd of deer have also made themselves known.
~sigh~
Thanks for the warning?
(I know, pic stinks - they're those tiny dots on the horizon)

Happy (peek-a-boo) Growing! (that sounds a tad naughty...)
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You Know What?

2010-03-23T10:55:00.003-04:00

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Thanks so much, everyone, for your support. It really means a lot!
I'm sorry if I upset anyone! I didn't mean to make anyone sad.
:(

That article simply made a light bulb go off in my brain - I don't fit.

It's just that I realized, while I was reading, that I will never fit in with the majority of gardeners. I'm not even really sure how to express what I mean. Middle-class gardeners, maybe? Those with any disposable income? People who can afford to blow a few pennies here and there on the plants they really want? I've always known it, I just never wanted to accept it. Maybe it was just easier to pretend I was like most gardeners, and that my opinion counted for something.

And it made me very angry to think that Robin was coming across that people like me just aren't good enough. That I was somehow a complete failure as a gardener if I even dared to entertain the thought of using something as tacky as a Walmart tom cage. That I dared to even think of myself as anything better than dirt when it came to plant placement, paths or pretty garden design. And if I left a weed to see its glory - oh, boy! - I was useless.
And, for a little while, I believed it. Why bother with a blog if I have absolutely nothing to contribute and that is the type of thing people want - pretty gardens?

On the majority of blogs that I read, people are posting about all their newest acquisitions from the local nursery, online shops, seed catalogs, garden books, etc. (is it wrong that I get all excited for you guys?) and I can't even afford to walk in the doors of the places most of you guys shop at.

That article made me face those facts head-on. No matter how hard I try, I'll never be the norm.
Really, since I'm not even in their target demographic, I didn't even have a right to be angry about one word she wrote. I can't afford her book - I can't even afford to have an opinion.

And no, I'm not feeling sorry for myself or trying to put anyone on a guilt trip, it's just the way things are. Just the facts, Ma'am!

I've always been a fighter and never really let things get to me, but that article seemed to have enough power to, for a time, crush my spirit. If someone talked down to my kids in that manner, I would have kicked their ass, but here I was, believing every word that I was a crap gardener. I couldn't even justify refuting anything she said because I believed it was all true.

Honestly, what do I even have to offer to the gardening world? I will never have the newest, coolest, gotta-have thing. Ever. I will never have a 'socially acceptable' garden. Ever. I will never grow a 'pretty' vegetable garden. Ever. Food will never be grown for anything other than for being food. Ever.
Plants will always be propped up with sticks picked off the ground, recycled rebar and yarn. My paths will always be constructed from field picked stone and loads of free crushed red shale from a relative. My mulch will always consist of chipped wood (gasp!) leftovers from the town or utility companies. My plants will always come from trades, passalongs or clearance sales.

And you know what?
You guys made me see - I'm OK with that!

Growing things brings me joy. Eating preserved vegetables all winter that came from my summer garden makes me happy. Watching my kids learn to be more self sufficient and how to grow and care for plants that will sustain them, even in the worst of times in their lives, sustains me. Teaching them how to share what you have, or have learned, with those that need it makes me feel fabulous.

The only thing that matters, pretty or not, is that I'm growing things. Lots of things.
That I'm teaching my kids, friends and neighbors to be good stewards of the earth and how to make do with what you have - no matter how ugly it may be. That I have enough vegetables to share with those that don't have enough is important to me.

Whether I'm in the majority gardening group or not makes no difference, because every single day I sow a seed or pull a weed, I'm making a difference - Pretty gardens be damned! Rock on ugly gardens!

Words may have power, but gardening, and blog friends, have much, much more. And I have way too much to share to keep my mouth, and keyboard silent.

Besides, I'm scared of Colleen, Gina and crew coming over here and kicking my ass! ;)

Happy (ugly) Growing!
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Ugly Garden Silence

2010-03-22T09:03:00.003-04:00

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Like every other garden blogger out there, I've read Robin's guest post on Garden Rant.
I've also read through posts in response to that post from Colleen, Gina, MBT, Jessica , along with a few others, and Robin's response to the responses (whew!).

After reading the original guest post, I felt as though I'd just been picked on in the school yard because I was wearing hand-me-down bell bottoms instead of those cool new designer jeans I couldn't afford.
Seriously, Walmart tomato cages be damned, have you ever seen them grown in an uglier way than this?

Yes, rightly or not, my feelings were genuinely hurt. And it surprised me. A lot.

A friend asked me why her post bugged me so much when I've been growing veg and flowers for more than forty years and maybe she's been growing for two or three and probably doesn't know what she's talking about - and besides, anyone can put anything on the internet whether they know anything about the subject or not. But, I have great friends who would defend me if I said the sky was purple, so they don't count.

So I sat down to think about it and analyze why this was.

I think I've found the answer, but it isn't a simple one.

I believe vegetable gardeners can be split into many different groups, some individuals overlapping multiple styles.

The elitists (lets not even go there)
The newbies (and weren't we all at one time?)
The ornamentalists (I only grow those because they're cool)
The designers (anything that doesn't look pretty goes)
The truists (my grams/gramps/forefathers did it that way, it's good enough for me)
The scientists (start with the soil)
The budget-wise (It's not what I want, but it's all I'm willing to pay)
The mother-of-inventioners (I have 0 dollars to splurge and will Mickey mouse what I have to)
The crammers (I'll make it all fit)

And I'm sure you could add many, many more.

I overlap into many of those categories. I imagine many will only fit into the same ones as Robin, so will, quite rightly from their perspective, agree with her wholeheartedly. Those that don't, won't. Those that slightly overlap into hers will see some of her points as valid but see red at others.

But what got my panties in a wad was that she's assuming people have endless amounts of time and money to spend on their veg gardens and they all know what they're doing right from the get-go.

I'm sorry to burst her bubble, but a lot of people have none of the above.

Can you picture a single mom of 5 kids with two part time jobs, trying to get the bills paid and the kids fed, worried about a few weeds invading the garden when she's simply trying to get extra, healthy, nutritious food in their diets? Should she not garden at all? Should those children learn nothing about where their food comes from?

Or a disabled person on social security worried about what the neighbors think of them growing in 5 gallon buckets instead of in the ground because they can't bend over that far and can't afford to pay help? Instead, should they simply stare out the window wishing there was a way?

Or someone with every single plant surrounded by chicken wire or some other supposed 'ugly' barrier because the local wildlife decimates everything for the simple reason the neighbor thinks feeding anything with fur is cute? Should they just give up because someone thinks it's ugly?

I think Robin simply needs to walk in other gardeners' shoes for a few miles.

These are my personal facts:
I garden because I have to. No garden, no veg to eat. And yes, it brings me great joy.
I'm far from being any sort of designer.
I can't afford to buy cool garden stuff. Period. I use what I can get my hands on for free, regardless of how ugly it is.
In a nut shell - I do what I can with what I have. This is not a choice.

I've come to realize, sadly, that my way of gardening, and this blog, simply do not fit into the norm. The only place I fit is at the very bottom of the totem pole - the poor gardener.
Although I may have forty years of gardening knowledge to pass along by way of this blog, I probably won't. I certainly wouldn't want to contribute to the decay of the 'perfect' way of gardening or upset someone's sensibilities by suggesting they use buckets and window boxes if they can't bend and can't afford raised beds.

So, until I start feeling a little better about my garden, and myself, I'll let this blog sit silent.

I'll still continue to read and learn from all those great garden blogs because one can never stop absorbing useful things.
Besides, I'll be busy starting seedlings in some very ugly recycled containers.

Happy (ugly) Growing.
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The Bee Banquet

2010-03-17T07:51:00.005-04:00

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I put the pot of forced hyacinths outside for a good watering and some sun. A few minutes later, they were smothered with bees:

Those pics are of just a few blooms - there are 16 plants in this pot and there were dozens forcing themselves inside the blooms of each plant. I was delighted to see them, but am a bit worried. I've never seen this many awake this early.
This is probably their first meal of the year since there is nothing blooming yet. The daffodils and tulips have barely poked the tips of their leaves above ground.
Hopefully there will be something else flowering for these hungry bees by the time the hyacinths fade. It's only March for pete sake, even the dandelions won't be blooming for at least another month. I'll keep putting the pot outside daily until the hyacinths are done for. Now I wish I had forced lots more.
The temps went directly from freezing to 50's F. It might be much too early for the bees to be awake yet. I sure hope they have some hive food left!

Happy (for the bees) Growing!
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The Tuesday Chuckle

2010-03-16T09:07:00.003-04:00

Today's Tuesday Chuckle:

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Gardening Videos Motherload

2010-03-15T08:20:00.004-04:00

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Holy cow! A ton of garden videos globed together all in one place . . .

Garden Videos

If you click the arrow on the upper right, where it says 'change movies', you'll get a nice long list of garden topics to choose from. You'll get the same list by clicking on the bottom left 'open popular searches', so use whichever suits your fancy.

I had another site bookmarked that was sort of like it, but when lightning zapped my old comp last year, I lost it, so I was more than happy to have Stumbled (literally) across this one.

Happy (video) Growing!
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Potato Chip Day

2010-03-14T06:39:00.000-04:00

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Yes, there is a potato chip day and it's today!

National Potato Chip Day

I know y'all like them, but . . . yuck!

Maybe today is a good potato planting day in your neck of the woods.

Happy (potato) Growing!
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Chop!

2010-03-12T08:01:00.002-05:00

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It was time for the first onion seedling haircut . . .

Snip!

The second container got their greeness shortened, too. They grow so fast that it won't be long before it's time for haircut number two.

Happy (ouch!) Growing!
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Impatience

2010-03-11T06:18:00.002-05:00

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Spring seems to have sprung everywhere around the country except for here.
Fine! I'll just have to give it a little push . . .

I think Mr. Cardinal agrees with me. Hurry up Spring!

Happy (impatient for spring) Growing!
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Caladiums - Ready . . . Go!

2010-03-10T06:04:00.000-05:00

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It's time to start those caladiums.
Yes, I save everything. Yes, it's a problem.
I still have pansies going from last fall, for Pete sake!

But, overwintered properly, caladiums can be saved for years.
These (a pot of pink leaved and one of white) got a grand soak in a nice warm water bath and were promptly placed in the warmest room in the house.

Nope, nothing to see . . . yet.
These puppies want heat before they'll even think of budging from their slumber. Lots and lots of heat.
And, even then, it will take them eons to decide it's time to actually DO something - like show a smidgen of a sign that they didn't give up the ghost through their long sleep.
Eventually, they will. It just takes lots of waiting. And patience. And waiting. I've had them take up to 2 months to show any returning growth.

Hey, I waited all winter for some small sign of spring (no, I haven't seen one yet), I can wait a bit more. Gardeners do a lot of waiting.

Happy (sleepy plant) Growing!

The Tuesday Chuckle

2010-03-09T18:47:00.001-05:00

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Today's Chuckle is a total time waster and completely silly, but good fun.

Click HERE. Be careful, don't break her.
:)
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Name That Blog!

2010-03-08T07:56:00.002-05:00

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In all the years I've been blogging, I've come across some very interesting blog names.
Some make you think. Some make you chuckle. Some make you nod your head in agreement that it was the perfect name for a garden blog and you wish you'd thought of it first.
And some make you really wonder.

Mine is pretty easy to figure out - I have tons of hobbies, which have become more habit than hobby, and they make me happy.
For instance, I can't sit and watch tv without a sewing needle, quilt piece, book or yarn in my fingers. If I'm outside I'm messing with plants, soil or fish. If my hands aren't moving I'm wasting time. Of course, it could just be the result of my Grandmother's constant conditioning - "Idle hands are the devils tools." Happy Hobby Habit fit my blog perfectly.

Take Amy's blog, for example: Go Away I'm Gardening!
Now, seriously, I must think that 5 times a day in the summer! Perfect blog name.

Or, how about David's: Leave me Alone, I'm Digging.
Exactly! Perfect.

Kerri's Colors Of The Garden is rather self explanatory, yet very creative, don't you think? You know what you're going to read about before you even click. (although I secretly covet her container design skill. Shhh! Don't tell!)

How did those three decide on those interesting names for their garden blogs? Did they think long and hard or did those just pop into their heads?

Now, something like Herself's Houston Garden makes you wonder. Who's Herself? She's obviously gardening in Houston, but why use Herself? Intrigue!

Or, Lisa's Millertime. Why did she pick that? Is there some secret meaning we're all not privy to? Don't keep us in the dark!

Then there's Benjamin's Deep Middle. Interesting. Deep middle of what? Life, country, education, mountains? Do tell!

And Hanna's This Garden Is Illegal. It is? Cool! Why did she choose that name for her blog? Hmmmm . . . makes you wonder!

Occasionally, I think about a name change, but then I let the thought fall by the wayside. I like it and it fits for now. Maybe it'll be something to worry about in the future.

So, how did you decide on the name for your blog? Did you think about it for a while or was it just a spur-of-the moment thing? Did you want it to be something easy for people to remember? Have you come across one and wish you'd chosen something like it?

If you thought of something you liked better, would you be willing to change it? If you started a new one, would you think more about what it's name should be?

Maybe do a post on your own blog and tell us all about why it's named what it is - We want to know!
Well, at least I do. I'm a nosy gardener :)

Happy (naming) Growing!
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Blotanical News Update

2010-03-07T13:09:00.003-05:00

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For those of you that are still wondering about Blotanical and what Stuart has been up to, he has a new post up at the 'News' tab - just go to the front page and click on the tab or click here.
Some appreciative comments (which also don't seem to be working at the moment - just maybe keep it in the back of your mind for a future date) might be nice since he's managed to tip-toe through quite a mess recently and still kept trying to keep everyone happy.
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Stop! Thief!

2010-03-07T08:18:00.003-05:00

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I am so disappointed!
I had to remove all the pictures of my pressed flower cards because they were being stolen and used by Polyvore.
I found them here and here.
If they had just emailed me and asked to use them, I probably wouldn't have had a problem with it, but to just rip them off, use them in a collage and post them up for thousands of people to use as clip art just makes me so . . . PISSED!!

The hoops I have to jump through to get them removed aren't worth it. Check this out:

To file a copyright infringement notification with us, you will need to send a written communication that includes substantially the following (please consult your legal counsel or see Section 512(c)(3) of the Copyright Act to confirm these requirements):

Identify in sufficient detail the copyrighted work that you believe has been infringed upon.
Identify the material that you claim is infringing the copyrighted work listed in item. You must include URLs for the material you want taken down.
Provide your full name, address, telephone number, and email address, so that Polyvore can contact you.
Include the following statement: "I have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted materials described above as allegedly infringing is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law."
Include the following statement: "I swear, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate and that I am the copyright owner or am authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed."
Sign the notice, proving that you are a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

Really!? ARGGHH!
Ok, I'm going to go plant something and cool off.
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The Grow Project 1

2010-03-07T06:27:00.000-05:00

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It's the first Sunday of the month and although I can't really do anything with the seeds for the 2010 GROW Project yet, I can outline my plans for those seeds, so this will be the first official post.

This is what came in the mail last week:

I've always loved her seed packets. They're A work of art. The other thing I like - all the extra info added on a separate flap on the back of the packets:

I opened the packet and counted the seed amount because I wanted to give these a try in four separate ways: Winter Sown (that'll be next month's post), started inside, sown in containers outside and sown directly into the soil.

There were 39 seeds in the packet, so I'll split three trials into 10 seeds each, 9 for starting inside since that is where I'll have the least amount of room.

This is going to be fun!

Happy (nasturtium) Growing!
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"I'm growing Nasturtium "Spitfire" for the GROW project, thanks to ReneesGarden.com for the seeds."

Color Of The Year

2010-03-06T08:13:00.001-05:00

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Pantone's color of the year pick: Turquoise.
Ok, ick.
Accent color, yes - all over your house, yard and body?
Like I said, ick.
I would have been happier if they'd picked Oyster Gray.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the color itself. I actually adore turquoise. A pot or chair here and there in the garden to perk things up. Cool. New 'Caribbean' cookware for the kitchen. Cool. A nice delicate piece of jewelry. Also cool.
But, you know what ends up happening with this 'color of the year' thing. We'll be staring at it every time we turn a head - or a corner.
~Sigh~
Ick.

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Back To Getting Their Hands Dirty

2010-03-05T13:23:00.004-05:00

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Kudos to Marianne Taylor and Janet Crowther!

"[Both] decided to change the course of their lives last year and began teaching classes in organic, native and drought-tolerant gardening.
Taylor and Crowther teach classes in what they call "dirt therapy."
The idea, the women say, is to help people realize gardening can be fun, healthful and appetizing."

Full article here: 2 Gardeners Find New Lives In 'Dirt Therapy'

How lucky are they to be doing, and teaching about, something they love?
Although, as always, I wish all the garden teaching going on were free, (yes, I totally understand that's never going happen) their classes are pretty cheap.

*----------*----------*----------*

And cross your fingers that they vote yes! NY can always use more community gardens...

Gardeners Look To Reap New Contract

"After a successful first year, Plattsburgh Community Garden organizers are looking to secure another contract with the city.

The Plattsburgh City Common Council will vote next Thursday on whether the Community Garden can continue operating for another two years."

Happy (returning to the earth) Growing!
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Titchmarsh's 'Frightened Of Gardening' Trend

2010-03-05T08:05:00.003-05:00

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What is the DEAL with this?!
Alan Titchmarsh seems to be on a roll. Granted, he isn't one of my favorites, so I probably wouldn't have much good to say to begin with, but I wish he'd get over this 'people are frightened' thing!

Way back on January 25th, I posted about his article : British Society Is Frightened Of Gardening.

Well, here he is, at it again, with a new article today: Alan Titchmarsh: Don't Be frightened Of Your Garden.

Seriously, get over this idea that people are 'frightened', Alan. Try moving on to a topic that might be helpful!

Happy (non-frightened) Growing!
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Coleus - First Color

2010-03-04T06:16:00.002-05:00

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The coleus I sowed on February 1 are starting to show their first colors:

This one is from a packet that I bought. I usually harvest and save my own in the fall, but for some reason I didn't do it last fall. I'm not sure if it was because it got too cold too quickly or I simply forgot. Both reasons are equally likely.

I'll probably end up with a dozen or so plants to spread around the shade garden and containers. With the trees having to be removed every few years, the amount of shade in my yard is shrinking quickly. The last, a large maple that got hit by lightning last summer and a tornado a few years ago, may have to come down this summer.

I'm glad I whined about not seeing much of the flock of robins that stayed around all winter - maybe they heard me since they've been showing themselves a lot more lately. Ok, so it has nothing to do with me, they're more interested in searching the mulch pile for bugs. That pile is apparently heating up pretty well as it's the only thing for miles that's almost bare of snow.

And some sad news - I think there's a hole in the liner of the bottom pond. Argh! I'm so mad!
That'll be something to deal with come June.

Happy (coleus) Growing!
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Blotanical Lists Are Back

2010-03-03T18:34:00.002-05:00

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At least for . . right this second.
:)
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I'm expecting there might still be a few more bumps.
Happy reading!

Stuart Speaks

2010-03-03T08:04:00.005-05:00

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Rather, he tweets!
For those of you who don't do the tweet thing and want to be kept up-to-date:

(5 hours ago) "Finally into the backend of Blotanical. Should hopefully see the lists back up by the end of the day.

(3 hours ago) Blotanical lists are now up in temp mode. I shall continue watching them to ensure they stay up. Will let you know when they are A-Ok

(2 hours ago) It looks as though I'm going to need to split the lists again. With 50+ new blogs waiting to be added the lists are too demanding on space

(30 minutes ago) Obvious memory problems with Blotanical lists. Bear with me people, I'll get to it tomorrow night. Off to bed soon. Enuff for today - soz."

It looks like things are moving along (I'm getting a 404 for the lists right now). We just need to be patient a while longer.
Moving all that info to new servers is quite a technical challenge, to say the least, and bumps along the way are to be expected.
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Using Reusables

2010-03-02T11:32:00.003-05:00

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Colleen Vanderlinden, of In The Garden Online, Mouse & Trowel Awards and book (plus numerous articles) fame, has an interesting new article up at her About.com site - Colleen's Organic gardening Blog - "Reusing items For Seed Starting".

Whew! She's a busy girl.

She's included links in the article for some wonderful posts by some fellow bloggers, including me (yay!) who reuse ordinary items for seed starting.

The amount of waste that we humans generate is astonishing.
Any little bit we can do to reduce it deserves a kudos. I saw a picture of some large aluminum cans painted, planted and attached to a wall that was gorgeous and something I might try this year. You wouldn't think something like that would look too nice, but it looked much like carefully arranged attractive garden art.

We have to start somewhere, why not with starting seeds this spring?
If you get a second, check out the article and see if there's something listed that you might like to give a try.

What are you going to reuse for your garden/gardening this year?

Happy (reusable) Growing!
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The Tuesday Chuckle

2010-03-02T09:59:00.001-05:00

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Quit hogging the bowl!

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Buried

2010-02-28T09:38:00.003-05:00

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Here it is the 28th of February and I'm more than glad to see its backside slide out the door.
This heavy wet snow is awful and it's still falling. Roofs are collapsing.
I can't imagine how much this would have added up to if it was the fluffy stuff.

My Winter Sown jugs are under there . . . somewhere! I think I'll hold off on doing any more until some of this melts. At least they're nice and cozy three foot down.

Awww, he looks so forlorn -

That black spot behind the shrubs in the back left - that's our mailbox.

But, it does make for some pretty pictures. It's very quiet out there and kind of eerie.

How are things where you are?

Happy (think spring) Growing!
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Help With Blotanical Picks

2010-02-26T09:14:00.005-05:00

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Alrighty, since everyone seems to be going through major pick withdrawl because they can't do it the usual way on Blotanical, here's an alternative that should work while Stuart is busy kicking the servers :)

Sign in to Blotanical
Go to 'My Plot'
On the left, 'visit a blotanist' or 'visit a blogger' - pick whoever you're looking for.
When you get to their plot, click on 'MyBlogs'
The latest post will be at the bottom in blue.

If you right click on the blue link and open in new tab/window (whichever you prefer) you can just close it out after picking (or not) and go back to the left list of 'visit a blotanist' or 'visit a blogger' without losing where you were.

Sounds complicated, but it really isn't. Besides, it's a really good way to discover some new blogs you wouldn't have known about otherwise!
:)
Oh, and you can always click on the person (upper left in blue under how many picks for that post) that picked that post before you and see if you'd like to pick their post. A nice circle!

Happy (picking) Growing!
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One Ingredient Ice Cream

2010-02-26T08:12:00.003-05:00

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Besides the fact that I absolutely hate ice cream, I was kind of skeptical that this would work when I first read about it, but then we gave it a try.

It's magic! One minute it's just crumbs and suddenly, Whamo!, it's ice cream!

Instructions are here: One Ingredient Ice Cream

Try it, you'll be surprised.
What's better than guilt-free ice cream? I bet it'd be even better with pureed strawberries slathered on top.

And everyone likes it - including me! Getting someone who hates ice cream to actually like it is quite an accomplishment.

Happy (ice cream ingredient) Growing!
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Plant A-Head!

2010-02-25T09:55:00.005-05:00

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I was doing my daily Stumble through (Oh, how I love that site!) of garden sites, and came across something very, very cool:

Check this pic out - (Linky cause I didn't want to be accused of stealing the pic, especially since it comes from a TV channel that I absolutely loath): Planted Heads

I know it's not a new idea, but I still find them totally cool.
I need to find some heads . . .

Happy (new garden hairdo) Growing!
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Winter Robins & Icey Beauty

2010-02-25T09:04:00.004-05:00

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I was rather jealous of Flighty when he posted about his robins on the 21st.
I hadn't seen mine since December and was missing them.

People think they're strictly summer birds that leave for warmer parts in fall and return come spring, but this isn't completely true.
Though solitary birds most of the time, those that choose to stay around for the winter, mostly juveniles, will flock together and show up periodically through the winter months.

Even though there were about 50 of them in my yard, I wasn't as lucky as Flighty to get a good closeup shot, but I did manage to click a couple of one of them,

until he noticed me.

They are shy birds most of the time, but I've found that in winter they are overly skittish. I don't blame them since it's a lot harder to hide in all this winter bareness.

Since I had the camera out and the sun peeked out for a few moments, I thought I'd take some pics of these beautiful sparkling gems . . .

(I don't know what happened when I took this one, but it looks cool)

This is my favorite-

Although I am terribly sick of all this snow (another 10 inches coming today) there is still so much beauty out there it might not be all that bad. Yeah, I'm fibbing - winter still stinks!

Happy (winter beauty) Growing!
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When to Start Seeds

2010-02-23T11:10:00.000-05:00

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I get a lot of search hits about 'when to start seeds', but new gardeners inevitably end up at a post I did two years ago, Don't Make Seed Starting So Complicated. That post might help on the how, but doesn't give them a darn thing about when.

I guess it's time to help out with the 'when' to start those seeds.

First, the one thing you must know is when the last and first frost dates are for your area. This post should help out with that.

Mother Nature doesn't always work around those dates. Recently, it has been a very rare year when she does. But, the least you can do is give it a try and maybe she'll decide to look at a calendar this year.

Instead of giving a long list of what to start, since everyone is in different areas of the country, and even different countries altogether, I'm going to show you something that is so simple it's ridiculous. (yeah, it's one of those 'why didn't I think of that!' things). And the best part is that it will work no matter what part of the country, or world, you live in!

It's called The Grow Guide* and it looks like this when you first get there:

It's ridiculously easy to use.
First, pick your growing season. At this time of the year it's going to be spring. It also works great for planning that fall garden come summer time - just change the season to 'fall' and switch the planning date. But, right now, we're only going to deal with the spring garden.
Select a planning date. If you leave it as is, it will automatically pick today's date.
Next, simply pick your first and last frost dates and click 'process my grow guide data'.

Since there is nothing planned for me right now and I wouldn't have had anything to show you but a blank chart, I moved the 'planning date' forward and this is what comes up for the week of March 8th based on my own first and last frost dates:

One of the best things about this program is that you can keep moving the dates forward so you know in advance what you'll be sowing weeks ahead of time. I click through from week to week and transfer the sowing dates to paper. This way I have the entire sowing season at my fingertips.

One of the great things about this planner is that it not only shows you when to start what seeds inside, but also outside, when to start hardening and when to transplant. This is my result for moving the planning date to my last frost date of May 31:

The rest of the Weekend Gardener website is equally awesome. You can find seed starting info where "One page is devoted to each vegetable, flower, or herb seed."

This is just some of the info you'll get if you click 'broccoli':

About This Plant...: Family: Brassicaceae; Genus and species: Brassica oleracea (Botrytis group); Growing Season: spring and fall

Indoor Sowing...: Time needed to reach transplant size: 6-8 weeks; When to transplant to garden: 4 weeks before to 2 weeks after last spring frost

Outdoor Sowing...: When to sow outdoors: 4 weeks before last spring frost

Other Sowing Guidelines...: Approx. germination time: 4-20 days; Germination temp.: 45-85 degrees F.; Sowing depth: 1/4 inch; Days to maturity: 50-80 days from transplant

So, if you have questions about when you should be starting vegetable seeds, I hope you'll give the Grow Guide a try. It's easy and fun and isn't that what gardening is suppose to be?
And, of course, if you don't want to bother with all that starting seeds inside thing, there's always my biggest obsession: WinterSowing! (seeds started in recycled containers outside in the snow)

Happy (when to start seeds) Growing!

*I am, in now way, affiliated with the Grow Guide or Weekend Gardener. I just think it's an awesome program and equally awesome website for both new and experienced growers.
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The Tuesday Chuckle

2010-02-23T11:05:00.001-05:00

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A man walks into a flower shop "I'd like some flowers please."

"Certainly, Sir. What did you have in mind?"

He shrugs "Well I'm not sure, I uh, I uh, I uh..."

"Perhaps I could help. What exactly have you done?"
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Community Garden Resistance

2010-02-21T10:03:00.003-05:00

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I've been following the story of this proposed community garden for a while.

Rivals Dig in as Public Garden Plan Divides.

I still don't understand the resistance, or rather, I don't understand their reasoning.

"On one side of the fence are those who want to turn a corner of the Hardy Gallagher Reserve into a community garden, with 60 plots leased to people to grow vegetables.

On the other are those who fiercely oppose the alienation of public parkland for a select group. Mr Fraser said opponents were not concerned about the idea of a community garden, rather the suggested location and the fact that 1600 square metres would be fenced off. "

But, later in the article they say - "The reserve has already lost an area to parking, a bocce court and a large children's playground."

That means there have already been sections partitioned off to select groups. So, that statement doesn't hold water.

"Chris Fraser says losing part of the park is untenable given that space in inner city areas is so precious."

Doesn't it make that even more of a reason to use that space for something useful - like letting people grow food? Because, yeah, bocce is more important than sustenance.

Mr Fraser also said, "Vegetable gardens don't look the best when they start to go to seed.''

Ummm, what does that have to do with anything and why is he assuming the plot holders would let them go to seed? Or is that just a nice way of saying 'they won't keep up on maintenance and weed the dang things'?

Negotiating has been going on for 20 months. Do they have any idea how much food these people could have grown in those 20 months?!

The whole round and round is simply maddening. And the resistance seems pointless.
I think they need to think up some better reasons to keep saying no.

Happy (plot) Growing!
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Google Goggles Goes Planty Latin

2010-02-20T08:09:00.005-05:00

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Although I'll personally never own the gadget to do it, for those of you that will/do, the idea is awesome!

Struggling to find out the Latin names for plant? Google Goggles may have the answer.

"The Nexus One has an application called Google Goggles, which means that when you point its inbuilt camera at an object and take a picture, it will automatically search the web and come up with the relevant pages. Soon it promises to be able to identify animals, cars and – wouldn't you know it? – plants."

That certain plant in the neighborhood that you ~~covet, want, have to have~~ adore but have no idea what it is? Just point and shoot a pic and voila!
Really, how cool will that be?
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Broken Garden Tools Swapped For 20% Off

2010-02-20T07:59:00.004-05:00

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Now this sounds like a great idea!

Community scheme swaps broken garden tools for vouchers

Why don't they do something like that in the US?
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Blotanical is Back

2010-02-19T20:39:00.001-05:00

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Yay!
Blotanical is back up and running!
Now, that didn't hurt too bad, did it? ;)
Happy browsing.
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41 NY Parks and 14 Historic Sites Being Closed

2010-02-19T16:51:00.003-05:00

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What the hell is the Governor thinking?!

Many state parks to close under budget pressure

Central Region

Chittenango Falls State Park	Madison	Close Park
Clark Reservation State Park	Onondaga	Close Park
Fort Ontario State Historic Site	Oswego	Close Historic Site
Helen McNitt State Park	Madison	Close Park
Herkimer Home Historic Site	Herkimer	Close Historic Site
Hunts Pond State Park	Chenango	Close Park
Oquaga Creek State Park	Broome	Close Park
Old Erie Canal State Park	Onondaga	Close Park
Oriskany Battlefield/Steuben SHS	Oneida	Close Historic Site
Pixley Falls State Park	Oneida	Close Park
Robert Riddell State Park	Delaware	Close Park
Selkirk Shores State Park	Oswego	Close Public Swimming Beach

Finger Lakes Region

Beechwood State Park	Wayne	Close Park
Bonavista State Park	Seneca	Close Park
Chimney Bluffs State Park	Wayne	Close Park
Newtown Battlefield State Park	Chemung	Close Park
Springbrook Greens State Park	Cayuga	Close Park
Two Rivers State Park	Tioga	Close Park
Buttermilk Falls State Park	Tompkins	Close Public Swimming Area
Seneca Lake State Park	Seneca	Close Lake Swimming Beach
Stony Brook State Park	Steuben	Close Public Swimming Area

Thousand Islands Region

Canoe Island State Park	Jefferson	Close Park
Cedar Island State Park	Jefferson	Close Park
Eel Weir State Park	St. Lawrence	Close Park
Keewaydin State Park	Jefferson	Close Park
Macomb Reservation State Park	Clinton	Close Park
Mary Island State Park	Jefferson	Close Park
Point Au Roche State Park	Clinton	Close Park
Sackets Harbor State Historic Site	Jefferson	Close Historic Site

Saratoga-Capital Region

Bennington Battlefield State Park	Rensselaer	Close Historic Site
Hudson River Islands State Park	Rensselaer	Close Park
John Boyd Thacher State Park	Albany	Close Park
John Brown Farm Historic Site	Essex	Close Historic Site
Johnson Hall State Historic Site	Fulton	Close Historic Site
Max V. Shaul State Park	Schoharie	Close Park
Schodack Island State Park	Rensselaer	Close Park
Schoharie Crossing Historic Site	Schoharie	Close Historic Site
Schuyler Mansion Historic Site	Albany	Close Historic Site

Long Island

Brookhaven State Park	Suffolk	Close Park
Bethpage State Park	Suffolk	Eliminate Winter Sports; Reduce picnic area and polo field
Caleb Smith State Park Preserve	Suffolk	Close Park
Cold Spring Harbor State Park	Suffolk	Close Park
Connetquot River State Park	Suffolk	Close Weekdays
Heckscher State Park	Suffolk	Close Swimming Pool
Jones Beach State Park	Nassau	Close West Swimming Pool; Eliminate July 4th fireworks
Montauk Downs State Park	Suffolk	Close Swimming Pool
Nissequogue River State Park	Suffolk	Close Park
Orient Beach State Park	Suffolk	Close Park
Trail View State Park	Suffolk	Close Park

New York City Region

Bayswater Point State Park	Queens	Close Park
Riverbank State Park	New York	Reduce Operating Hours; Close Outdoor Swimming Pool; Eliminate Seniors Classes; and Community/Cultural Events

Palisades Region

Fort Montgomery Historic Site	Orange	Close Historic Site
Harriman SP– Anthony Wayne	Orange	Close Park Area
Harriman SP – Group Camps	Orange	Reduce Maintenance
High Tor State Park	Rockland	Close Pool
Knox Headquarters Historic Site	Orange	Close Historic Site
New Windsor Cantonment SHS	Orange	Close Historic Site
Schunnemunk State Park	Orange	Close Park
Stony Point State Historic Site	Orange	Close Historic Site
Tallman Mountain State Park	Rockland	Close Pool

Taconic Region

Donald J. Trump State Park	Westchester	Close Park
FDR (Roosevelt) State Park	Westchester	Reduce Swimming Pool Season
Hudson Highlands State Park	Putnam	Close Arden Point Area
James Baird State Park	Dutchess	Reduce Golf Course Season
Mills Norrie State Park	Dutchess	Reduce Golf Course Season
Olana State Historic Site	Columbia	Close 2 Days per Week
Philipse Manor Hall Historic Site	Westchester	Close Historic Site
Rockefeller State Park Preserve	Westchester	Eliminate Interpretive Programs
Taconic Outdoor Education Center	Putnam	Eliminate Interpretive Programs
Taconic State Park – Rudd Pond	Dutchess	Close Rudd Pond Area
Wonder Lake State Park	Putnam	Close Park

Genesee Region

Hamlin Beach State Park	Monroe	Close Swimming Beach 3 Days per Week
Oak Orchard State Marine Park	Orleans	Close Park
Regionwide	Multiple	Eliminate Camper Recreation Program

Niagara Region

Joseph Davis State Park	Niagara	Close Park
Knox Farm State Park	Erie	Close Park
Niagara Falls State Park	Niagara	Reduce Interpretive Programs
Wilson-Tuscarora State Park	Niagara	Close Park
Woodlawn Beach State Park	Erie	Close Park

Allegany Region

Allegany State Park	Cattaraugus	Close Quaker Area Swim Beach; Close Quaker Cabins Area on December 1st; Eliminate Winter Trails Maintenance; Reduce Recreation Programs
Long Point State Park	Chautauqua	Close Park

So, let me see if I've got this straight - keep complaining our kids are fat because they don't get any exercise . . . then take away nice outdoor activities so they have no reason to get out and enjoy their environment and get some exercise. Is that right? Thought so! Ugh!

News of 2 more plants closing in the area, so at this rate there won't be anyone around to enjoy these sites anyway. Today is not a good day for a lot of people in NY for a lot of reasons.
~sigh~
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February Bloom

2010-02-19T10:08:00.003-05:00

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Besides the Thanksgiving Cactus that just won't quit, I have a pansy bloom in February.
This is from one of the many plants I'm overwintering.

I know it's a disposable annual, but I can't help myself - if there's a chance to keep something going, I'll try it.
Besides, who doesn't love seeing beautiful blooms in winter that you really shouldn't be seeing?

Happy (overwintering) Growing!
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Mouse & Trowel Awards Returning in 2010

2010-02-17T10:52:00.007-05:00

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Colleen Vanderlinden, founder of the Mouse and Trowel Awards, will be bringing them back for another year of great blogger awards starting in April. This year's M&T's are being sponsored by Botanical Interests Seed Packets.

The official Mouse and Trowel Awards site is here: Mouse and Trowel Awards 2010.

If you're already a member of Facebook, you can go here to learn more (You should still be able to view the page without being on FB):

Mouse and Trowel Facebook Page

What you will find on the M&T FB page in the future-

"News about nomination and voting deadlines, announcements about categories, sponsors, and other news."

I'm really glad she's decided to host these again this year.
Let's all let her know we appreciate it and show her our support!
If you're already on FB, go click the 'fan' button. If not, this might be a good excuse to sign up.

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Happy (Mouse and Trowel) Growing!

The Tuesday Chuckle

2010-02-16T10:27:00.002-05:00

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Time for the Tuesday Chuckle:

Two older ladies were sitting on a park bench outside the local town hall where a flower show was in progress.

One leaned over and said, "Life is so boring. We never have any fun anymore. For $5.00 I'd take my clothes off right now and streak through that stupid flower show!"
"You're on!" said the other old lady, holding up a $5.00 bill.

As fast as she could, the first little old lady fumbled her way out of her clothes and, completely naked, streaked through the front door of the flower show.

Waiting outside, her friend soon heard a huge commotion inside the hall, followed by loud applause. The naked lady burst out through the door surrounded by a cheering crowd.

"What happened?" asked her waiting friend.
"Why, I won first prize for Best Dried Arrangement."
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Ha!

Happy (with a chuckle) Growing!
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Blotanical Down

2010-02-15T07:51:00.005-05:00

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Yup, Blotanical is down for some.
Message from Stuart:

Hi blotanists.Blotanical may be down for a few days as we sort out some issues and migrate to a new server. Please pass this message on.

Meanwhile, to keep those blog browsing blues away, click over to either Garden Power Guides, Top 100 Gardening Sites or Blog Catalog.

Happy (new-to-you blog reading) Growing!
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Be Bold - Add Color

2010-02-12T09:16:00.004-05:00

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A few years ago, I saw a custom built arbor that ran across the entire front of a house on one of 'those' shows.
I was immediately attached to the idea of having one like it.
The hubs wasn't so happy. Well, what did I expect, he'd be the one building it.

I must mention here that the hubs is a genius with his hands.
If I show him something in a book, mag or on tv, and the materials are cheap, he'll engineer it.
Or, at least a reasonable facsimile.

After the groaning about what a pain-in-the derriere this thing was going to be, he started drawing.
It was up in two days!

The problem was - it sat unpainted for two weeks because we couldn't decide on a color.
But, who wants a regular old white arbor? White is nice. Cottagey. Presents the vines and flowers well. Also, boring. Very, very boring.

We hemmed and hawed. Made suggestions to each other. Nahh-ed and maybe-ed each one.
Some we threw out immediately, some we mulled over for the entire two weeks. (dark evergreen green, anyone?)

We figured a trip to the little village hardware store was in order for a few more choices.
My youngest tagged along - I think she was 13 at the time.
She wandered down the paint aisle, pointed to a color chip and said, "That's the color you should paint it."

I was horrified. Florida Bay blue.
Bright, gaudy, in-your-face blue.

The hubs blinked at me and simply said, "Why not?"
I wanted to stamp my foot on the ancient wood floor and scream, "Because it's bright blue! We can't have that color screaming at people from the front of our house. What are you two thinking?"
The only thing I could think of was this house in my old neighborhood that had every strip of siding painted a different pastel color. We called it the 'rainbow house' and thought it was just the craziest, gaudiest thing ever. I didn't want my house being thought of like that!
It might look . . . trashy. (which is the thought I think most people's brains automatically jump to with color)

But, I'm not one to make a scene, you know. Not in public, anyway.
I stared at the chip, trying to envision what it might really look like against the white background of the house. Blue is my favorite color, after all. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad? It's not like it would be on the whole house or something. And we could always paint over it.

So, we painted it that shocking blue.
And we liked it!
Yes, we liked it a lot.
So did the neighbors.

All these years I've never been bold enough to paint my outdoor accessories the colors that I wanted. It was a real eye opener. Why is everyone so afraid of bold colors in the garden? They'll use shocking red, yellow, purple flowers, but everything else must blend into the background. Why? Why can't a pot or other garden accessory compliment other colors? Can you imagine a nice small splash of purple hidden among some hostas? Or a bit of sunny yellow nestled among some purple amaranth? A garden chair painted a soothing mint green situated in the shade garden inviting visitors to have a seat, relax and enjoy the scenery?

What's better than a beautiful splash of color, that isn't a flower, somewhere in the garden?
Start small, maybe a pot. (somewhere I saw a set of small buckets that someone had added feet to, painted pastel colors and used for flower pots. They were gorgeous!!)
Even a few small rocks placed here and there.
Be bold. Grab that paintbrush and try it. See how you feel about it.
Besides, you can always repaint.
:)

I'm now mulling over painting our pond bench lavender. Adding a little color was one of the best decisions we ever made, so why not?

Happy (adding that splash of color) Growing!
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Hydrangea "First Red" ... Help?

2010-02-11T07:59:00.007-05:00

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When the clearance sale rolled around last year, I bought hydrangea that were tagged 'First Red'.
Ok, let me make something clear here - hydrangeas and I don't get along all that well. We just don't see things eye to eye. I think, if there was a plant that was my polar opposite, hydrangea is it.

Around here, everyone has them in their yards. They grow like weeds.
Yup, they're another of those, "Any idiot can grow it," plants that I can't get to grow!

But, hey, they were 50 cents a piece. 50 cents! I know, don't say it. I'm a sucker. I bought the six they had left.

So, anyway, I'm giving myself another shot at growing them because, well, did I mention they were only 50 cents?
Here's the tag:

To save you the eye strain:

Hydrangea
First Red
Red flowers bloom in spring.
Part sun to part shade
Rich, porous soil.
Regular water use
Zone 6, -10 to 0F (-23 to -17C)

I've searched everywhere for some info on this one, and there isn't much.
I did find this from Richie seed & feed garden news, November 10, 2009:

New Plants for 2010!!!

First Red Hydrangea. Yet
another hydrangea for
new hydrangea lovers.
The “First Red” blooms
on old and new wood.
The blooms are an amazing
deep red and flower
from July to September.
This compact variety stays
under 20” tall. An amazing
dwarf variety.

Besides care instructions (that part I get) this is about all I've found, and bloom time doesn't even match! The stupid tag doesn't even list height, so is it really a dwarf or not?

Is it macrophylla, normalis, serrata, paniculata, (which is zoned to 3-4, so I wouldn't assume), quercifolia, arborescens?

Right now they're in two quart pots overwintering in a box by my back door with frozen soil. (I told you my house was cold!) Since they're zoned to 6, I'll have to drag them in every fall. <---pet peeve alert. Stop selling plants in areas they aren't zoned for!

I'll transplant them to three gallon pots in spring.
Obviously, pruning, besides shaping, is pretty much out of the question since it's suppose to bloom on both new and old wood.

Ugh! Why can't they just put more info on the freaking plant tags? This is one of my biggest pet peeves EVER. Give us more info, dang it!

So, does anyone know anything about 'First Red'?
Do you grow it?
I would be ever so grateful for some help on this one, please.

Happy (never enough tag info) Growing!
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$500K in seed funding

2010-02-10T13:21:00.004-05:00

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No, not for me. I wish!!
Go ahead, imagine what you could do with a seed budget that big - I'll wait.
Dum...dum...dum...dum..
Dum...dum...dum...
Ok, you back with me now? I know, it's terrible to have to leave that dream.
Sorry.

ITHACA - Aero Farm Systems, LLC (AeroFarms) of Ithaca has secured $500,000 in seed financing

What the heck kind of seed are they buying with $500,000?
Holy cripes!

"Aeroponic technology grows produce without soil and without sun, year-round and in any location."

People have been experimenting with that for a long time - it works.

"Ed Harwood, Ph.D., is founder and CEO of AeroFarms. He founded the company in 2004 as GreatVeggies LLC, based on his own design of an aeroponic growing system. Harwood previously served as associate director of Cornell Cooperative Extension for Agriculture and CEO of Topline Waikato, Inc.

Aero Farms' university partners include Cornell, North Carolina State, Alfred State SUNY College of Technology, and Rensselaer."

Umm, ok, I guess that's good?
Obviously, the possibilities are endless, but what will the final cost be to produce enough to make it worthwhile? And you still need space. Ooooo, huge abandoned high-rise opportunity here! Or, just abandoned buildings, period. It will be interesting to see what eventually comes of this.

Happy ( $500,000 worth of seed) growing!

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More Proof Organic is the Way to Go

2010-02-10T12:23:00.003-05:00

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Just came across this from my newsrunner:

Toxic chemicals used to kill voles kills two girls in Utah.

"Investigators say the gas may have entered into the family's home after an exterminator dropped Fumitoxin aluminum phosphide pellets in burrow holes in the lawn Friday to kill small rodents known as voles.

Meanwhile, a Sandy woman, Alice Pittman, said Wednesday that she now wonders if a September 2008 Fumitoxin application by the same exterminators - Bountiful-based Bugman Pest and Lawn - may be connected to the deaths of her two Basset hound puppies.

Pittman, 77, also recently had cancer-related surgery and said she worries the poison application could somehow be connected to her recent health problems as well. "Now, I wonder about that, too. It leaves a question in my mind," she said."

Man, oh, man. How sad is that? Think, of both your family and neighbors, before you let people throw chemicals will-nilly around your property. Cross your fingers that your neighbors don't do it either!

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She Just Keeps Going & Going & Going

2010-02-10T09:33:00.004-05:00

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My thanksgiving Cactus started the first bloom in October.
She repeat bloomed, which is not all that abnormal, for Christmas.
But, she's on her third bloom!
This is today:

I've never had one do this before. Two bloom cycles, yes. Three, no.
Nothing has really changed in her environment.

Maybe it's because of the breeding I did. Though, I don't know why the others didn't respond in the same manner since they produced seed also. The rest are setting their second buds now, but that's normal.
Or maybe it's that she's being threatened daily with freezing to death in the window she's in - the heat in the house has been turned way down this year out of necessity. (trust me, it's freaking cold in here! Most of my tropicals are not looking too grand as they're a bit miffed that a cold front has apparently settled into their nice cozy domain.)

I'm not sure why she's decided to impersonate the energizer bunny this time, but I'm glad she is!
Hmm, I wonder if she'll see fit to do a fourth in April for my step-mom's birthday? Now, wouldn't that be something!

Happy (reblooming) Growing!
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Murder in the Garden

2010-02-09T10:19:00.004-05:00

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Horticultural lecturer found murdered in the woods.

The 54-year-old had disappeared after meeting gardener Peter Ling for a drink.

Mrs. Casey had met Ling in 2000 when he was a student in her classes at Sutton College.

Whole story here: Horticultural lecturer murdered.

This boggles the mind - plant people are always such sweet people!

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Mommy Sells . . .

2010-02-09T09:24:00.005-05:00

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The Tuesday Chuckle-

Some children were asked to draw pictures of their parents at work . . .

No, she's not a pole dancer.
This was a picture drawn of Mom working at the local Home Depot selling shovels.
;)

Happy (shovel acquiring) growing!

Psstttt - have you answered the seed poll yet?
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Lights, Camera, Grow!

2010-02-08T08:33:00.003-05:00

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Yay! The plant stand is up!
:)
Of course, the only thing on there so far are the onions, but those 3 shelves will start filling up quickly in March.
I can't wait!
It'll be little green things everywhere. Winter doesn't get any better than that.

Since the light from window sills just won't cut it for healthy seedlings, we made this one from the plans at T's Flowers & Things three years ago. Very easy to set up and cheap, cheap, cheap.

The only problem we found with this design is that the upright sides should be much longer - there was very little room for plants as they got taller, like toms. We simply bought more PVC and cut longer pieces. Problem solved!
No matter how big or small the space you have, with a little measuring the plans can be changed to fit in just about any area, including closets. You could also add more levels if you have ceilings high enough.

The best thing about this design is that you can put it together so quickly (it took us all of 8 minutes to put up) and you can take the whole thing apart and store it in a very small space when not in use.
I labeled the parts, so assembly is a breeze.

What do you use for inside seed starting?

Happy (inside sowing) Growing!
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Taking Stock of Seeds

2010-02-05T09:24:00.007-05:00

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I finally completely sorted through my seed inventory.
I've been putting it off for a while.
See, the problem is that once I start rummaging through the stash, I want to start sowing everything. And now.
Yeah, I know it's not time way up here in the great white snow belt, but there's just something about the irresistible draw of those packets. Knowing there are beautiful green plants inside those itty-bitty packages called seeds, pulls something ancestral from deep inside. It's simply a miracle.
There be beauty and food in them-thar packets!
Best of all, starting from seed is so easy!

I'm not out of control yet. Besides, who can resist those end-of-year sales when they're marked down to 2 cents a pack? They always germinate exceptionally well, especially if you store them properly, and I never buy anything we won't eat, because really, what's the sense of that?
Thank goodness I have room to plant . . . most of them.

And how do I know when to start what?
Right here: Grow Guide.
Now, how easy is that thing?

Most of the flowers will be Winter Sown soon (I only have 16 jugs out there!), annuals much closer to spring, though.

I'll also be dragging out and assembling our homemade light stand pretty quick to start the onions.

I can't believe I'm so organized this year. Now, if Ma Nature will just cooperate with the weather this coming summer. She's slacked really badly the last few years and left us with ridiculously difficult growing conditions.

Your Seed - Bounty or Bare Bones

(yeah, I know 'hoarder' is spelled wrong, but I'm not going through all that again)
:)
2010 growing season - here we come!

Happy (seed sowing) growing!

Folded Newspaper Pot Pictorial

2010-02-03T16:04:00.004-05:00

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Since I get so many questions about how to make newspaper pots, and it's really, really hard to describe how to make them through emails or on the phone, I thought I'd just do the complete instructions with pictures here. It'll be much easier to point someone to this rather than explain how to fold them!

I've used regular lined paper instead of newspaper because it's easier to see in pictures, but the instructions are exactly the same for newspaper (one single page - rip down the fold in the newspaper and you'll have 2 sheets), you just get larger pots. The smaller ones I make from junk mail and the small size works great for seedlings since they fit together perfectly in trays.

I know this looks like a lot of work, and very confusing work to boot, but they really are easy once you do one and get the hang of it :)

Got your paper? Ready? OK, let's start!

1: fold the bottom short edge of the paper (A) up to the opposite short edge (B).

2: Make them even (you shouldn't be able to see B) and press the fold down well.

3: Now fold edge ( C) over to edge (D).

4: Make the edges even and press the fold down well.

5: Now comes the part that seems to be the hardest for everyone - slip your pointer finger inside the fold of the top layer only and pinch the bottom of the fold with your thumb. (We'll deal with the fold layer beneath this one in a minute.) Ignore the crease line - yours shouldn't have one yet.

6: Pinching the fold between your thumb and finger, pull (E) up and to the left until it meets (F). Line up the crease with the fold the best you can and press flat.

7: It should look like this:

8: Now take edge (G)

9: and fold it over to edge (H) and flatten.

10: Now let's do the same thing with the fold on the other side. Put your finger inside the fold at (i), your thumb under, pinch and

11: bring (i) up to meet (J). Press flat. It should look like the photo directly below this one (12).

12: Grasp top layer edge (K) and flip it over to meet edge (L). press flat.

13: You should have this:

14: Take edge (M) and fold it in to meet the center crease at (N). Line up the crease with the edge and press really well. Do the same with the opposite side - bringing edge (O) over to meet center crease (P). Press really well.

15: You should have this:

16: You're going to repeat what you just did with the last fold to make a second fold the same way. Take (Q) over to meet (R) and (S) over to meet (T). Line up the folds with the crease neatly and press down really well.

17: It should look like this:

18: Flip the whole thing over.

19: Repeat what you just finished doing on the other side. Fold both edges to the center once,

20: and then again. You'll have this:

21: Now, grasp the very top edge flap, pull it down toward you and fold it down flat.

22: It will look like this:

23: Flip the whole thing over and fold the other flap down.

24: Now you have this (at this point you can do a quick snip with scissors and cut off the bottom point for a drain hole if you'd like - don't do too much at once, you may end up with a larger hole than you wanted!)):

25: Pick the whole thing up,

26: push the side folds out with your fingers and press the bottom down flat.

27: Congratulations! You've made your first pot! You can staple down the flaps if you'd like - the staples rust away pretty quick in the soil and I've never come across one anywhere I've put these pots in.

28: Have fun making lots more!
Tip - If you plant pot and all, be sure to bury the top edge of the pots, or rip them down, as they can sometimes wick water away from your plant once in the ground. If your sure to bury all of the pot, it works just fine.

Happy (in newspaper pots) growing!

Plants on The Ground, Plants on The Ground

2010-02-03T08:47:00.005-05:00

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Come on - sing along!

Plants on the ground, plants on the ground,
Lookin' like a fool with your plants on the ground.
Bags full of soil, pots dumped sideways,
Lookin like a fool with yer plants on the ground.

(you sang along, right?)

I'm planning that spring rush. You know, when you twiddle your fingers all winter long just waiting for spring to get here and suddenly it's as if a starter gun has gone off but you're already a mile behind first place before you've even left the starting line.

So much to get done in such a short span of time! It happens every single spring.
And, like every other year, I'm determined to win this race with a plan.
It never pans out, but hey, at least I got a plan.

First on the list - get all those perennial plants I bought for a couple of pennies at the clearance sales last fall INTO the ground. I'm determined this year not to just let them sit there, in their pots, on the ground, giving sidelong glances and muttering, "Yeah, I'll get to you. Eventually."

They are being planted first!
Ok, after I get the beds prepped and get done dealing with the Winter Sown stuff. Oh, and get the cole crops into the veg garden and deal with dead wood and weed and . . .

The best laid plans of mice and men.
Yeah, some thing just never change.

Happy (plants on the ground) growing!

Countin' 'Em - NOT!

2010-02-02T12:23:00.004-05:00

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Over at Mr. McGregor's Daughter, there is The Great Houseplant Census of 2010 going on.
Plant countage.
But, I can't do it. I just can't!
I can't bring myself to count hundreds upon hundreds of plants.
It would totally blow my non-reality that I don't have that many.
I don't! Right?
No one can ever have too many plants. (or seeds for that matter, but that is so totally a different non- reality)
Why would she want to be so cruel as to burst this happy little dream bubble of denial I live in?

Do people count how many candies there are in a bag of M&Ms? Or how many blades of grass are in their lawn? How many blossoms the dogwood gets? So, see - I'm being completely and totally sensible! I'm very good at rationalizing any argument I have with myself.

Which reminded me about a counting post I did 3 years ago - "I Will Not Walk That Path To Hell" - about garden book counting. Go ahead and count yours - I dare ya.

Geez, now I'm all stressed and can't even look my plants in the ~~eyes~~ leaves. Which means I'll pretty much be staring at my toes all day.

So, thanks, Mr. McGregor's Daughter. Thanks . . .

I think I'll go to do something to destress - like, my taxes.

Happy (houseplant counting?) growing!
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Silly Cannas!

2010-02-01T10:43:00.003-05:00

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I checked on my stored Cannas today that I had started from a few seeds many years ago.
Yes, they multiply like rabbits, and I am so not complaining.
Silly things! Don't they know February is much too early for them to be doing this in zone 5?
It's usually March/April before I see much growth or any signs they're waking up.

Well, at least I know they're still alive.

Happy (early sprouting) growing!
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Sowing Coleus Seed

2010-02-01T07:46:00.003-05:00

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It's time to start the coleus again.
It's ridiculous how easy they are to grow from seed and you can get some pretty spectacular plants.
Just grab any container, any potting mix and, as you can see, you can find some really cheap seed.

Remember to remove whatever you use for a cover as soon as they sprout. They aren't too finicky to grow.

You never know, you might end up with something so pretty you'd like to keep it as a houseplant through the winter, or take a snip and stick it in water.

This year, one of the plants I'd brought into the house gave me a very interesting sport. I think I'll call it 'Golden Sparkle'!
Apparently, Mr. Deville, she isn't ready for her closeup because this is the best I could get, and it's too bad because she really is pretty . . .

If you've never started coleus from seed, maybe this is the year to give it a try.

Happy (coleus) growing!
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Brightest Moon of 2010

2010-01-30T07:58:00.003-05:00

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Last night's moon was the brightest it will be for all of 2010.

Since it was 13F below 0, this is as good as it gets. No way was I sticking a toe outside last night!
No, you don't have to say it - I already know I'm a big woosie when it comes to the cold.

Happy growing! (when it warms up)

Gardening Trends; What's In And What's Out For 2010

2010-01-29T14:46:00.006-05:00

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Well, now.

GMG 2010 Garden Trends (pdf)

1. Main Street is In. ----------------Wall Street is Out.
2. Edible gardens are In. --------Lawns are Out.
3. Slow Gardening is In. --------Instant gratification is Out.
4. Mindful is In. --------------Bling is Out.
5. Eco-Boosting is In. ------Chemical Dependent Gardens are Out.
6. Multi-tasking is In. -------------Single-Purpose gardening is Out
7. Perennials and Shrubs are In. ---------Divas are Out.

Doesn't look too much different than 2009's, does it?

GMG 2009 Garden Trends

-------What’s In--------------------------------What’s Out

1. Eco-Boosting is In!----------------Conspicuous Consumption is Out

2. Grow It Yourself (GIY) is In-------Doing it ALL for Me is Out

3. Blended gardens are In------------Segregated gardens are Out

4. Locavore is In---------------------Big carbon footprints are Out

5. Water is In-------------------------Water is Out

6. Outside is In-----------------------Inside is Out (But not “out”)

7. Info Lust is In----------------------Lack of Knowledge is Out

8. Quick & Simple is In----------------Over-the-top gardens are Out

9. Global Colors are In-----------------Safe colors are Out

10. Worldly is In-----------------------Cookie-cutter is Out

11. Bubbling is In-----------------------Excess is out

Happy (trendy) growing!