reBlogged to tomatoes

Posted by carletongardener Reblogged by Old Roses to tomatoes on 2007-08-12, 06:23:00

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Seed garlic should start showing up in garden centers about this time of year. Well, it's not really seed, it's the whole clove. But since we're going to...

reBlogged to garlic on Aug 10, 2007, 9:48PM

Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to garlic on 2007-08-12, 06:19:51

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Today's lesson: Don't count your tomatoes before they develop

Karen Vati's Massapequa Park tomato garden is the most orderly and tidy vegetable patch I've ever seen, hands down. Tomato plants stand like soldiers at boot camp, neatly tied to perfectly erect homemade bamboo teepees in raised beds. . . .

reBlogged to tomatoes

Posted by Jessica Damiano Reblogged by Old Roses to tomatoes on 2007-08-12, 06:19:44

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Every time we'd go to Florida, I'd be enthralled by the tropical hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) in bloom. So many vibrant colors grabbed my attention every time we'd pass by them when walking or driving just about anywhere. Sadly, I knew we couldn't put them in the ground here in Ohio and expect them to live through the winter.

But that didn't mean I couldn't have hibiscus in Ohio. I could keep them in containers and take them in and out of the house as the weather dictated. Two winters ago, I bought a hibiscus plant for two dollars when we were in Florida and I brought it home on the plane. It survived the rest of the winter with a southern exposure in the house and then I planted it in the ground, pot and all, when night temperatures reached 50° consistently. . . .

reBlogged to hibsicus

Posted by Kylee Reblogged by Old Roses to hibsicus on 2007-08-12, 06:19:25

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My sister's house... is gardening a hereditary thing?

reBlogged to gardeners

Posted by IBOY Reblogged by Old Roses to gardeners on 2007-08-12, 06:18:58

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Before I tell you about the lily farm, I must thank a very good blogging friend for the above award. I've been remiss, since sweet Susie of Susie's Space presented me with this award several weeks ago. Because I recently turned 60 (yes, I'm blaming that momentous, over-the-hill milestone), my mind doesn't seem to retain things that need to be remembered quite so well anymore! I make lists, and then forget to read them. I think there's just too much information to remember.........and not as much room left to store it, after years of accumulated "stuff" :) Does anyone else have this problem?
I truly appreciate the compliment Susie. Thank you so much. . . .

reBlogged to lilies

Posted by Kerri Reblogged by Old Roses to lilies on 2007-08-12, 06:18:43

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Tasty lemon cucumbers. I understood cucumbers wouldn't grow as well here as they did in Alabama, so I settled for zucchini in the salads. Let me say this: Not the Same! So, I'm happy to find these perfectly sized cucumbers that will produce here in the NW. . . .

reBlogged to vegetables

Posted by Petunia's Gardener Reblogged by Old Roses to vegetables on 2007-08-12, 06:18:11

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It was a lot of work to clean up this area - the stumpery had become overgrown with Cissus cactiformis and the Opuntia was out of control! Even the Apsaragus fern was trying to take over the place.

The Kalanchoe pinnata/Bryophyllum pinnatum had been blooming and blooming and every time we waited for it to finish another flush would appear. Strangely enough, though, the Kalanchoe tubiflora has grown very tall but just will not bloom. . .

reBlogged to containers

Posted by Jade Reblogged by Old Roses to containers on 2007-08-12, 06:17:45

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From the Pueblo Chieftan (CO), without further comment:

David Spenny is so interested in cacti that he had a dead tree in his front yard sculpted into the shape of a cactus.
CHIEFTAIN PHOTOS/CHRIS McLEAN

reBlogged to cacti whimsy on Aug 11, 2007, 11:35AM

Posted by blog@cactusjungle.com (cactusblog) Reblogged by Old Roses to cacti, whimsy on 2007-08-12, 06:17:24

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It’s an eclectic mix of homes from the 20’s to the present. A neighborhood of the past, unlike the subdivisions of today. But what makes it such a wild place is the inhabitants. No, not the neighbors who live in the homes on our street, but the ones who live in the trees, the lake and the wooded areas. The place has a wildness about it - a touch of “Old Florida.” Century old live oaks that could tell some tales if only they could talk, alligators and herons just feet apart in the tannin-colored water, unusually large Pileated woodpeckers snatching insects off old maple trees with rotted out cavities in their trunks, hawks taking off with field mice and snakes in their talons, osprey who raise their young in nests perched atop the bald cypress trees . . .

reBlogged to landscape

Posted by Susan Reblogged by Old Roses to landscape on 2007-08-12, 06:17:15

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I couldn't resist snapping this shot in the dark, and I was actually surprised that it turned out as well as it did with my little camera.

Can you guess what it is? Give up? Okay, I'll tell you. It's a spider (see the spider in the top center) in his web that has trapped a hearty dinner of blind mosquitoes. They ought to keep him feasting for a while.

reBlogged to beneficials

Posted by Susan Reblogged by Old Roses to beneficials on 2007-08-12, 06:16:44

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I usually don‘t garden too much during the summer months, with the exception of mowing the lawn. And then I only do that in the evening or early morning hours. But this year I’m eager to get our new house landscaped, so I’m outside sweating away. . . .

reBlogged to landscape

Posted by Susan Reblogged by Old Roses to landscape on 2007-08-12, 06:16:35

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Our latest article in the Washington Examiner is out today. Read the article online here (August 10 edition - page 59), or grab the print version at the red street boxes around town today - the article is on R11 (Real Estate section - page 11). It is on Cutting Gardens and Pick-Your-Own Flower Farms. Photo here was taken at Rock Hill Orchard in Mt. Airy, MD. . . .

reBlogged to flowers

Posted by WashingtonGardener Reblogged by Old Roses to flowers on 2007-08-12, 06:15:42

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Hybrid Tea ‘Sunset Celebration’
Synonyms: Chantoli, Exotic ®, FRYxotic, Jolie Môme ®. Warm Wishes

Here are couple of more from the ‘new’ rose garden I will be taking care of. . . .

reBlogged to roses

Posted by Digital Flower Pictures Reblogged by Old Roses to roses on 2007-08-12, 06:15:13

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Garden mulch is one of the unsung heroes of landscaping, while landscape plants and hardscape get all the glory. You won't call neighbors over to brag about a new layer...

reBlogged to mulch on Aug 11, 2007, 4:41AM

Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to mulch on 2007-08-12, 06:14:50

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All last summer, I managed to keep my zucchinis harvested before they got oversized and crazy. I checked diligently, once, sometimes twice a day, and made sure to take them off the plant as soon as the blossoms at the end started to liquefy and drop off.

This year, I have been less diligent, but so far, had been all manner of lucky. . .

reBlogged to zucchini on Aug 10, 2007, 7:38PM

Posted by inadvertentgardener Reblogged by Old Roses to zucchini on 2007-08-12, 06:14:29

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OK, so remember how I said I would be happy with one bean? Just one? A single bean, perhaps served up on an eeny weeny plate, like a trophy?

May I present to you…tonight’s harvest:

I am approximately 31 times happier than I expected. Only now I am only 30 times happier. Because I already ate one raw just to see how good it would taste approximately 79 seconds after it was removed from the plant.

reBlogged to beans on Aug 9, 2007, 7:49PM

Posted by inadvertentgardener Reblogged by Old Roses to beans on 2007-08-12, 06:14:06

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In my previous entry, Watering Houseplants Part 1: Pick Them Up, I mentioned moisture meters that you can buy to help you determine when your houseplants need water. Some very forward thinking NYU college students have devised a system with a sensor that can tell when your houseplants need water or light and call your phone to let you know. For years indoor gardeners have been talking to their houseplants but now they can actually talk back. . . .

reBlogged to watering tools

Posted by MrBrownThumb Reblogged by Old Roses to tools, watering on 2007-08-12, 06:13:58

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The BF and I belong to three co-ops. We have three member numbers burned in our brains. We get three sets of member coupons. And every other month, we find three newsletters in our mailbox which I read cover to cover, sometimes twice. . . .

reBlogged to community_garden on Aug 10, 2007, 1:09PM

Posted by Jaime Chismar Reblogged by Old Roses to community_garden on 2007-08-12, 06:13:31

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I am amazed it hadn't happened before now, really. We (probably I, to be honest) have lost the tap key, that essential piece of allotment kit that allows us to turn on the tap near our plot when it's watering time. It's a little brass widget that goes on top of the tap, and small enough to be easily lost in long grass. I wandered up to the town council offices last week with the tiny person in her pushchair to pick up another one for the grand sum of £2.50 and the person who deals with the allotment admin...

reBlogged to allotments on Aug 11, 2007, 8:42AM

Posted by Jane Perrone Reblogged by Old Roses to allotments on 2007-08-12, 06:13:09

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Grab the Scavenger Hunt code. Photo Theme. Join the blogroll. Visit participants.

This weeks theme is Rows

When you take a close look at many flowers or leaves you can see that there’s often a pattern to how it’s been formed. I mean, take this Liatris stalk. When it’s in full bloom it just looks like a puffy floral stalk in the garden, but when you look a little more closely you’ll notice that the stalk is composed of many flower buds in tight rows. Each stalk must have at least 50 flowers on it. . .

reBlogged to liatris on Aug 11, 2007, 6:04AM

Posted by Tricia Reblogged by Old Roses to liatris on 2007-08-12, 06:12:55

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I’ve always found it fascinating how most herbs and a number of plants have been used throughout history to cure what ails us.

I actually have a number of books about herbs and their medicinal uses. I should dig them out and write about some of the more commonly found herbs from time to time. As I said, I’ve always had an interest in this, just as when I find that plants that we’ve always thought of as being ornamental turn out to actually be edible too. . .

reBlogged to herbs on Aug 11, 2007, 6:01AM

Posted by Tricia Reblogged by Old Roses to herbs on 2007-08-12, 06:12:32

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My husband filled our two bird feeders on Wednesday evening. Both were empty as of sunset Friday.

I wish I had a photo to show you. . . .

reBlogged to birds on Aug 11, 2007, 5:30AM

Posted by Tricia Reblogged by Old Roses to birds on 2007-08-12, 06:12:12

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I was just wondering how many of my readers use accent lighting in the garden?

We didn’t want the hassle of putting in an electric lighting system and I figured that in the long run we’d save more money by using solar lights so that’s the kind of accent lighting we use in our garden. . . .

reBlogged to tools on Aug 11, 2007, 5:29AM

Posted by Tricia Reblogged by Old Roses to tools on 2007-08-12, 06:11:50

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Sunsprite. What an aptly named rose.

This gem of a rose is located in the back flower bed of my garden. Considering that this rose is not all that tall - perhaps 3 feet at it’s tallest - I really should have planted it in a more prominent position so that I could enjoy it’s lovely flowers more often. . .

reBlogged to roses on Aug 11, 2007, 5:16AM

Posted by Tricia Reblogged by Old Roses to roses on 2007-08-12, 06:11:21

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Sharifa Asma - a lovely English rose.

Just looking at this photo brings the scent of this rose to mind. It has one of the most beautiful rose scents that I’ve ever smelled. . . .

reBlogged to roses on Aug 11, 2007, 4:28AM

Posted by Tricia Reblogged by Old Roses to roses on 2007-08-12, 06:11:01

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Aloe out in the cold. We have been admiring the snow covered mountains from afar for many years but we never saw the need to drive to the bottom of the mountain just to see the snow above.

This year the snow caught our attention when it was announced that the roads to Sutherland were cut off as a result of heavy snow and rain. . . .

reBlogged to aloes on Aug 11, 2007, 5:08AM

Posted by ericat Reblogged by Old Roses to aloes on 2007-08-12, 06:10:41

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This garden is behind a small house between some farms on a road to nowhere. I've said this before: it's amazing how many people who live in the country keep these amazing secret gardens. And I see why they go through the work of hosting a garden tour: sometimes it's all so lovely it just has to be shared. I'm sure it's an insane amount of work getting ready for the big day, but it's got to feel good to have a hundred other gardeners gush about your work of art. . . .

reBlogged to shows on Aug 10, 2007, 9:38PM

Posted by empressofdirt@gmail.com (M.J.Will) Reblogged by Old Roses to shows on 2007-08-12, 06:10:16

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attract only peace into your life....

reBlogged to flowers

Posted by Naturegirl Reblogged by Old Roses to flowers on 2007-08-12, 06:09:50

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For a minute that is what I thought.

Have you ever heard of the torsalo fly? No? Well.....good! You don't want to hear about it, read about it, or see it. Trust me. . . .

reBlogged to pests on Aug 10, 2007, 2:24PM

Posted by La Gringa Reblogged by Old Roses to pests on 2007-08-12, 06:09:22

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We've been experiencing some heavy rains in the Chicago area which my garden must really appreciate because I've been treating my garden like a xeriscaped garden-which it isn't. Aside from a couple of cherished plants in pots nothing has been getting supplemental watering this year. Because of the rains and horrible humidity I've not been spending much time in the garden looking at plants or looking for bugs to photograph so when I went out today I was surprised to find this little violet blooming in a pot. . . .

reBlogged to violas

Posted by MrBrownThumb Reblogged by Old Roses to violas on 2007-08-12, 06:09:01

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Ipomoea quamoclit is native from South America up to Northern Mexico. It has naturalized in some warmer zones in the United States. This annual twining vine is commonly known as Cypress Vine but also goes by the name of Hummingbird Vine and Star Glory. It is also sometimes confused with Ipomoea x sloteri "Cardinal Climber." While the two vines and flowers look similar they have some pretty obvious differences. In my opinion Cypress Vine is the better of these two plants because of the softer foliage and star shaped flowers. . . .

reBlogged to vines

Posted by MrBrownThumb Reblogged by Old Roses to vines on 2007-08-12, 06:08:38

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This is the first time I've ever planted seeds. I think the buds are so interesting. . .

reBlogged to seeds zinnias

Posted by Gina Reblogged by Old Roses to seeds, zinnias on 2007-08-12, 06:08:16

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In my sidebar under “Pecking Order” I used to have a Top 100 Gardening Sites badge. It was an amusing way to keep track of how I stood in relationship to other gardening websites–or...

reBlogged to blogs on Aug 9, 2007, 8:47PM

Posted by Kathy Purdy Reblogged by Old Roses to blogs on 2007-08-12, 06:07:40

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You know what mud wrestlers look like, right?  Well, we've got heat and drought here and the dirt is dry, so imagine, if you will, dust wrestlers.  Now you know what I look like every morning after an hour or so of sod removal in my back yard, the site of the excavation project.  Legs covered in dirt - because it's hot as hell and I'm wearing ragged cut-offs.  Then there's the huge amounts of sweat in which I'm drenched, and the damp frizzies that comprise my hairdo, and now you know why there's no photo to document the gardener at work.  Though it would be fun to have one, maybe to show people in the media what gardeners really look like when they're gardening.  Then they'd stop asking us to dress like we would for real gardening when we're photographed, which is just never gonna happen anyway.  We're happy to shower up, dress casually, wield our pruners and show off the garden, though, any time.

But back to the project, the removal of about 500 square feet of sod that I wrote about elsewhere.  I'm out there at 6 or 6:15 every morning, when there's barely enough light, and it's too hot to work already but the project must move forward so I can get a bunch of plants in the ground.  But gardeners know to pace themselves, and by 7:30 or so I've moved on to the essential job of keeping my plants from perishing in this drought.  I see dead and dying plants everywhere I look and it's pretty scary.

THE METHOD OF DESODIFICATION
With a flat-blade spade I slice under the sod or step on it to cut through the roots, covering an area of maybe 2x5 feet before stopping the cutting phase.  Then, on my knees, I take my favorite pointy trowel and lift-and-pull the chunk of soil, then slap it smartly across the dirt side with the edge of the trowel to break off the chunks of dirt, then shake it and throw it in the bucket for a trip to the compost pile.  And man, there's nothing like sod to make some damn good compost out of the huge pile of dead leaves down in the woods.

CHANGE OF PLANS
If you read the story I linked to about this project you know I thought I could just cover the lawn with newspaper and mulch, wait two months and start planting in the newly improved soil.  Thank gawd, some smart commenters gave me the reality check that it takes a LOT longer than 2 months for all that sod to decompose, and other commenters suggested I NOT replace the whole 1,000-sq lawn all at once.   So I'm removing half the lawn - the half with really crappy, spotty grass - and doing it the old-fashioned way, working up a good sweat in the bargain.  And for all my complaining about the heat, I love doing it because it's for the project and I'm just happy to have one.

Low maintenance gardening?  Not for this addict.

reBlogged to lawn on Aug 10, 2007, 8:26AM

Posted by Susan Reblogged by Old Roses to lawn on 2007-08-12, 06:07:22

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Brad has released the latest edition of Bulb Hunter Monthly, that offers free shipping on our spring products. Be on the look out for Zephyrantes grandiflora and Zephyranthes ‘Prairie Sunset.’ We also posted a new video with Dr. Welch talking about the Lycoris squamigera blooming at his garden in Louisiana. I don't think the video captures the blue, but here is one more shot of the Lycoris against a hydrangea offering a good comparison. . . .

reBlogged to bulbs

Posted by Chris Reblogged by Old Roses to bulbs on 2007-08-12, 06:05:26

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reBlogged to tools

Posted by Susan Reblogged by Old Roses to tools on 2007-08-12, 06:04:54

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With hundreds of thale cress seeds aboard the latest Endeavor spacecraft, astronauts will try growing a geeky garden over the next two months.

Originally posted by Julie

reBlogged to seeds on Aug 10, 2007, 8:31PM

Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to seeds on 2007-08-12, 06:04:42

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Today, I was a complete blithering idiot. Oh, I had an okay day. Did some shopping. Got the groceries I've been putting off. But because of taking a fishing class that ran way too late two days this week, I'm run down. So, while practicing my casting outside, I was faced with the reality that I haven't mowed my back lawn in weeks. And it needed it before the stretch of hot weather that kept me from doing any yardwork. . . .

reBlogged to gardening

Posted by millionbells Reblogged by Old Roses to Gardening on 2007-08-12, 06:03:25

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Five nights down, two to go. Have got sore feet, and am dreaming of the week off.I have planned another trip to Harlow Carr in a few weeks. This is an Agyranthemum with water jewels in the petals.

reBlogged to flowers

Posted by snappy Reblogged by Old Roses to flowers on 2007-08-12, 06:02:54

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