This month's calendar is a bit confusing. It's supposed to feature matricaria recutita, or camomile. Well that's what the heading says, but the picture is quite different and the text describes a variety of plants, presumably all of the same family. There is a small picture inserted in the text, and that does have the typical daisy like flowers of camomile. . . .
reBlogged
to flowers
Posted by Sue Swift Reblogged by Old Roses to flowers on 2007-11-26, 00:29:59
Buying garden center guy - "can i help you with something" me - "yes, how much is this planter?" garden center guy - "well here's the price" *pointing at the yellow clearance sticker* me - "but that says 20 dollars, right?". . .
reBlogged
to containers
Posted by Gina Reblogged by Old Roses to containers on 2007-11-26, 00:29:32
After turning to a complete sissy yesterday over the frozen, hard-to-handle bags of topsoil, I came home and ordered 1.5 yards of topsoil from the garden center near my house. The truck was here within the hour! Now that's what I call service!. . .
reBlogged
to soil
Posted by Gina Reblogged by Old Roses to soil on 2007-11-26, 00:29:03
This is my prayer plant. I once told my husband that’s what it’s called and from then on he called it a “Creeping Jesus”. I don’t correct him anymore…it’s too funny and has become somewhat of an inside joke.
The botanical name for the prayer plant is Maranta leuconeura. The leaves on mine are just beautiful these days. I think I’ve hit just the right amount of light for it. . . .
reBlogged
to houseplants
on Nov 25, 2007, 2:44PM
Posted by Amy Reblogged by Old Roses to houseplants on 2007-11-26, 00:28:42
This small ornamental squash/pumpkin grew in the garden in 2006 (see a sibling here), from one I composted in the garden in 2005. He decorated the porch in 2007, but started getting squishy so I sat him out in the garden for composting. Well, there he sat Thanksgiving morning, just sparkling with frost. I couldn't capture the sparkles, but you can see his frosty glow in the morning light. . . .
In 2003, Niall Edworthy and his family purchased a home in West Sussex, England. It had a yard, a shed and a vegetable patch. He describes his first attempt at growing vegetables as a disaster. He bought a couple of books, asked advice from neighbors and the second year was merely pathetic. He decided to get serious about this gardening business and took a course, bought more books, bothered everyone who was willing to talk gardening and ended up with a “half-decent” garden the third year. . . .
reBlogged
to books
Posted by OldRoses Reblogged by Old Roses to books on 2007-11-26, 00:23:31
You've just installed a large garden pond with a flexible pond liner, only to find out later that it's ripped somewhere and leaks. How frustrating is that? But after you've...
reBlogged
to ponds
on Nov 25, 2007, 2:13AM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2007-11-26, 00:23:07
Yew shrubs are an old-time favorite in landscaping. Their popularity is due in part to their adaptability, as they can be grown in either sun or shade. Learn about some...
reBlogged
to shrubs
on Nov 24, 2007, 2:34AM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to shrubs on 2007-11-26, 00:22:38
Google seems to be a popular blogging topic. Mostly because Google seems to be quite broken right now, but also there are always people around amused at the search terms people use to find their blog or other strange things about Google.
Robin of Bumblebee Blog had a good idea. She suggested her readers [...]
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to blogs
on Nov 25, 2007, 10:10AM
Posted by Patrick Reblogged by Old Roses to blogs on 2007-11-26, 00:21:12
I brought back a couple of sprigs of crabapples back to the city - they look wonderful in the apartment-such intense dots of red. Here they are this morning creating an interesting still life composition with the shadows on the wall.
Aromatic Aster Aster oblongifolius 'Raydon's Favorite' (ASS-ter) (ob-long-ee-FOH-lee-um) Synonyms: Fall Aster, Symphyotrichum oblongifolium I took these Aster pictures during the first week of October and am just getting around to looking at them. I swear I should keep better track of things. It is sometimes fun to look back and see some ‘new’ pictures. There are few more on the roll that I will be posting this week. This first Aster is fairly tall at 36 inches, but it doesn’t flop over. The thing I like best about it is it really blooms late and for a long time. . . .
P.S. 139, Cortelyou and Rugby Roads, Beverley Square West, Flatbush, Brooklyn
This has been a spectacular year for fall foliage. We had ample, sometimes record, rainfall over the summer. We didn't...
On of my favorite vegetable combinations for this time of year. Its a mix of carrots, parsnips and beets. I wrap the beets in foil and bake at 375 for an hour, then peel and slice the next day. Boil sliced carrots 8 minutes, adding sliced parsnips for the last 5 minutes. Then mix everything in a baking dish with herbs and olive oil and bake for a bit. Good additions are potatoes, celeriac and onions. I have a rutabaga in the fridge I will try soon too. I also like to turn it into eggs and hash for breakfast. Yumm!!!
My birthday is November 23rd - it’s always been fairly inseparable from Thanksgiving - often falling on the same day (Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November, so the dates rotate). I never really liked cake growing up, but I absolutely loved pumpkin pie. So since pumpkin pie was a necessary component of Thanksgiving for our family, when I was younger I had the bright idea that we could just make one more pie for my birthday, to replace cake. My extra special birthday breakfast was pumpkin pie, followed by pumpkin pie for lunch (with leftover cranberries, stuffing, and potatoes), and pumpkin pie for dinner’s dessert. . .
reBlogged
to pumpkins recipes
on Nov 25, 2007, 1:39AM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to pumpkins, recipes on 2007-11-26, 00:16:26
I took advantage of a relatively sunny day today to clean up the garden a little. I was amazed at how the mind wanders and the things that occur to you when you're out in the garden with only your thoughts. I started to remember the photos that didn't get posted to this garden blog, all of the seeds that I never got around to sowing in the garden this year, the plants that didn't get propagated and the experiences I've had over the past two years in (or because of) the garden. Some of the things I was thinking about are universal to all gardeners and gardens but I can't help but think that some of them can only happen in an urban garden or to an urban gardener. . . .
My girl and I went for an early morning walk. We stopped by the storm water pond to see the ice forming on top. It's the same pond pictured in my current banner. The ice looked deceptively thin but we tossed a few large rocks onto it and watched as they sailed right across the pond. We deemed it safe enough for ducks to walk across. . . .
Everyone wants a christmas cactus this time of year. It doesn't matter if you live in California or Kentucky. If you have a christmas tree or a copper lantern. If you eat tofu scramble for breakfast or chicken fried steak and eggs. Everyone wants a christmas cactus.
The true Christmas cactus is more of a Grandma's hand-me-down plant. It's not often sold in stores because it tends to bloom a little after Christmas, although commercial nurseries can manipulate the light and bloom time.
What was I talking about? Oh yeah, christmas cactus. They're so pretty.
Q: What care can I give to my Christmas Cactus so that the buds will not drop off? Out of the 25 or so buds appearing on the plant last year only about seven or eight developed into full-blooming flowers.
A: Common causes of bud dropping are overwatering, exposure to cold drafts, a position too close to a heat source or lack of sufficient potash in the soil. Water your plant sparingly. Good luck, and I hope you have a beautiful Christmas Cactus come holiday time.
Thanksgiving Day was beautifully warm. In the 60's, with yellow leaves falling on the outdoor table. Our tradition is to grill a turkey. The food prep is a family event, accompanied by conversation and wine. The kids run and play. Dinner is traditional fare: turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, homemade breads and cranberry sauce. Then pies for dessert.
This year I didn't do much with produce from my own garden. I used lots of fresh garden sage, thyme, parsley and rosemary. But I didn't have time to prepare dishes from vegetables that are growing now: kale, chard and beets. I picked lots of arugula, but it was incredibly strong. Too peppery and bitter to eat. It made a nice garnish.
Small greenhouse, big problem. The guys at the garden stores tell me I need a squirrel cage fan. which is outrageously expensive and seems like overkill. Here's my plan:
Simple shutter vents, 1 low to the ground on the far end behind the heater and 1 high up above the door with a small box fan propped in front of it.
Any thoughts?
It's about 4x10x6.5 and made of plastic sheeting on a wood frame with a gravel floor.
reBlogged
to greenhouse tools
on Nov 24, 2007, 12:42PM
Posted by Marial
Reblogged by Old Roses to greenhouse, tools on 2007-11-26, 00:11:42
i have way too many oak leaves piled up. i know they're acidic and take forever to decompose. any organic way to speed up the decomp?
many just pines and oaks around me. also i assume these are good for the blueberry's and any thing else that likes acid
reBlogged
to compost foliage
on Nov 24, 2007, 8:57AM
Posted by George
Reblogged by Old Roses to compost, foliage on 2007-11-26, 00:11:17
White Beautyberry Callicarpa dichotoma 'Albifructus' (kal-ee-KAR-puh) (dy-KAW-toh-muh) Synonyms: var. albifructus
I think I got the name of this plant right. I wasn’t sure if it was this one or Callicarpa japonica 'Leucocarpa'. C. dichotoma is hardy to USDA Zone 7 and the japonica is hardy to Zone 5. I haven’t seen either growing in Connecticut before but think I will try to get the hardier one as I garden on the colder edge of Zone 7. Some Zone 7 plants will work but eventually we get a really cold winter and that is that for them. Purple Beautyberry is one of my favorite fall shrubs as you just don’t see that particular shade of purple in the garden much. . . .
reBlogged
to shrubs berries
on Nov 24, 2007, 10:23AM
via Cactus Blog on 1969-12-31, 19:00:00
