reBlogged to flowers whimsy photos

Posted by WashingtonGardener Reblogged by Old Roses to flowers, photos, whimsy on 2007-12-20, 14:42:18

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Does your Christmas spirit tend toward fiber optics or candlelight? Get ready for a lot of both.

Originally posted by Julie

reBlogged to poinsettia on Dec 18, 2007, 11:21PM

Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to poinsettia on 2007-12-20, 14:42:01

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I am not sure if this is a moral question or a legal one - probably both. But I am sure a Horticultural reader out there will know the answer. We've decided against a Christmas tree this year - with a newly-crawling baby in the house who is attracted to anything sparkly and likely to topple over, it seemed like a sensible move. My substitute is going to be a Christmas bouquet-type thing featuring stems of scarlet and lime Dogwood from the garden, some teasels I picked (possibly sprayed silver), rosehip branches, and some holly - with red berries, of...

reBlogged to holly on Dec 17, 2007, 4:28PM

Posted by Jane Perrone Reblogged by Old Roses to holly on 2007-12-20, 14:40:31

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This morning I’m finding it impossible to go back to bed. My husband gets up at 4:00 in the morning, Monday to Thursday. Usually I can just grunt a little when he kisses me good bye and go right back to sleep. The last couple of days there’s been way too much on my mind.

When I get stuck awake like that, I sometimes have a silly little ritual that helps me fall back to sleep: I imagine next year’s garden. I picture all of the plants I want to grow and how I want to arrange my plantings. . .

reBlogged to vegetables on Dec 18, 2007, 6:32AM

Posted by Amy Reblogged by Old Roses to vegetables on 2007-12-20, 14:40:21

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The December issue is out and available right here.  "What's New?" is a compilation of news and blog posts about such meaty topics as native plants, drought-resistance, composting, and organic gardening.  This month there's a link to Kathy Purdy's review of a new organic gardening book and Graham Rice's review of New Gardening - a British take on all those subject that I can't wait to read myself.  So please, if you know of good links or have written about these subjects yourself, drop me a line and I'll include them - both in the newsletter and permanently on the site. . . .

reBlogged to blogs

Posted by Susan Reblogged by Old Roses to blogs on 2007-12-20, 14:39:59

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Tuesday, December 18, 2007

4.1 degrees below zero this morning and the absence of the wind is nice. The nor'easter that hit Sunday dropped over two feet of snow here and being married to a shovel handle, a snow rake, and a snowplow for all of yesterday wasn't my idea of fun. In my high school days I plowed snow with a rag top Jeep for a local lady. It was her Jeep and I got to use it as long as I worked for her. Some memories are fun but youth has a way of covering up bad things. I know today that plowing snow for hours on end in a vehicle in which you could always see your breath was not good. There was a little electric fan blowing on the windshield to keep open a clear spot within the over-glaze of frost. It worked for me back then but now even plowing has become a chore. . . .

reBlogged to magazines books

Posted by George Africa Reblogged by Old Roses to books, magazines on 2007-12-20, 14:39:04

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A

reBlogged to design on Dec 18, 2007, 11:14PM

Posted by Rick Anderson Reblogged by Old Roses to design on 2007-12-20, 14:38:14

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reBlogged to tools

Posted by Nickie Reblogged by Old Roses to tools on 2007-12-20, 14:37:37

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The Natchez Trace was a wagon path which ran for almost 500 miles from Nashville, Tennessee to Natchez, Mississippi. It began as an Indian path and was noted by the first white explorers in the area. It was used extensively in the early 19th century and then began to be abandoned around 1830. You can still [...]

reBlogged to environment on Dec 18, 2007, 7:49PM

Posted by Bill Reblogged by Old Roses to environment on 2007-12-20, 14:37:29

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Signing off now for an end-of-year break, I wish my readers a pleasant and joyful holiday season. Christmas sets my focus on family and friends, and time for quiet reflection on the year gone past. I thank all of you who've stopped by this year to read about my garden, share your advice, and just plain cheer me on at times. I appreciate your comments, always. . . .

reBlogged to blogs catalogs

Posted by Christa Reblogged by Old Roses to blogs, catalogs on 2007-12-20, 14:37:21

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reBlogged to catalogs

Posted by Colleen Vanderlinden (nospam@example.com) Reblogged by Old Roses to catalogs on 2007-12-20, 14:36:41

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No, not a native of Sweden! But the root vegetable. I've posted before about how Felix only eats cat food. Cassius loves any kind of meat, prawns, fish, cheese, cream - Felix has been offered all these things, has sniffed...

reBlogged to vegetables on Dec 17, 2007, 2:37PM

Posted by Rosemary Reblogged by Old Roses to vegetables on 2007-12-20, 14:36:33

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reBlogged to weather

Posted by Betty Reblogged by Old Roses to weather on 2007-12-20, 14:36:22

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reBlogged to gardening whimsy

Posted by Carol Reblogged by Old Roses to Gardening, whimsy on 2007-12-20, 14:36:14

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Yay! It's time to start more martagon lilies.
Obviously, I have more patience than I thought. They do take 5 or more years to bloom from seed, you know.
:)

Last winter I only started about a dozen or so seed that I received from The Willow Garden to see exactly how successful I'd end up being. I think almost every single one germed and put out the cutest little bulb! So this year I decided I might as well give the rest of the package a try. . .

reBlogged to lilies seeds

Posted by Tina Reblogged by Old Roses to lilies, seeds on 2007-12-20, 14:36:02

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There is supposed to be a mountain in that 'vee' formed by the trees. That mountain is our weather predictor. When it starts to disappear, we know that we are going to have rain. We can even get an idea of how long it will be before the rain. I don't know what we'll do when the trees grow and cover our view as they have done with most of the rest of the mountains behind our property. . . .

reBlogged to weather on Dec 18, 2007, 5:24PM

Posted by La Gringa Reblogged by Old Roses to weather on 2007-12-20, 14:35:36

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Blogger now allows commenters to use their OpenIDs to leave comments. Blogger explains it better than I can, but from what I understand, it will now accept your existing OpenID's from WordPress, LiveJournal, or AOL to name a few. Bloggers, note that you may need to change your blog's settings to accept them. . . .

reBlogged to blogs on Dec 18, 2007, 11:08AM

Posted by La Gringa Reblogged by Old Roses to blogs on 2007-12-20, 14:35:13

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Famed northern California mushroom photographer, Taylor Lockwood, found a fun(gal) solution to the real versus fake Christmas tree dilemma.

By the way, his books make great Christmas presents. His latest title is Chasing the Rain.

To learn more about Mr. Lockwood, click here.

(Photo from Kingdom of Fungi Home Page)

reBlogged to trees fungi whimsy on Dec 18, 2007, 5:39PM

Posted by Angela Reblogged by Old Roses to fungi, trees, whimsy on 2007-12-20, 14:34:47

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New York Times

Seasonal Debate Rages Over Loveliest Branches

By J. MICHAEL KENNEDY

Published: December 7, 2007

A battle is being waged for the heart of the American Christmas tree customer, pitting the real evergreen against the once-lowly artificial tree. (Read more)

reBlogged to trees on Dec 18, 2007, 1:29PM

Posted by Angela Reblogged by Old Roses to trees on 2007-12-20, 14:34:22

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reBlogged to gardening

Posted by Susan Reblogged by Old Roses to Gardening on 2007-12-20, 14:33:59

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reBlogged to environment

Posted by Michele Reblogged by Old Roses to environment on 2007-12-20, 14:33:39

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reBlogged to trees pests

Posted by Susan Reblogged by Old Roses to pests, trees on 2007-12-20, 14:33:11

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Absolutely, growing your own and buying as locally as you can is the way to go, with some non-seasonal stuff from greenhouses or imports being necessary.

I also agree that anything we can do to turn rooftops and other surfaces into green space is beneficial to us all, not just for food but for air quality as well. . . .

reBlogged to environment on Dec 18, 2007, 4:03PM

Posted by Thorgrim Reblogged by Old Roses to environment on 2007-12-20, 14:31:16

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Lou, yeah, mostly I agree with you. A few of the examples you mention I do not have enough background evidence on to say much about either way.

Let me mention up front, that if you have not visited and read the material from affluenza.org, you may wish to do so. I think you and most here would find it very useful. They also have great videos you can borrow from most libraries. Many topics you see here on tribe stem from their promotion of ideas of living simpler, reduced consumerism, sustainability, etc. . . .

reBlogged to organic on Dec 18, 2007, 3:48PM

Posted by Thorgrim Reblogged by Old Roses to organic on 2007-12-20, 14:30:33

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While many of us are skating down the sidewalk, it’s nice to be reminded that some lucky gardeners are gearing up to prune the roses. Natasha Levitan walks us...

reBlogged to roses pruning on Dec 17, 2007, 8:44PM

Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to pruning, roses on 2007-12-20, 14:30:03

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So the calendar says it's the 19th, but in a post-modern world surely MY truth prevails over what others perceive as reality. I mean...it feels like the 15th...doesn't it?

Actually, I took these photos on the 15th but this last week of work before the holidays have been diabolical. Not to mention that a friend of mine passed away after a 2-year battle of cancer which has kept me insanely busy helping with the funeral preps and all that accompanies someone dying. . . .

reBlogged to flowers on Dec 18, 2007, 4:30PM

Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to flowers on 2007-12-20, 14:29:52

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With not a lot happening on the vegetable front (save to report that my garlic varieties Prim, Colorado Black and Uzbek Turban, have all come up) we were able to get some gardening done at the Friary in the run up to Christmas.

On a bitterly cold morning we kept warm by spreading 400 litres of bark mulch, having weeded first, though you'll see we weren't so careful in removing all the leaf debris.....time...time....if only we had more. . . .

reBlogged to gardening

Posted by John Curtin Reblogged by Old Roses to Gardening on 2007-12-20, 14:29:30

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No comments? Thinking you're a Johnny-no-mates? Your address red lined? Then maybe you are in a Blogger ghetto.

I've posted before about the obstacles to commenting on Blogger (read it here).

In their typical ballsy and humorous fashion this is how Garden Rant have weighed in (read it here).

If my comments on your Blogger account have stopped now you know why!

reBlogged to blogs

Posted by John Curtin Reblogged by Old Roses to blogs on 2007-12-20, 14:29:09

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With Iowa completely encased in ice then covered by snow and no relief in sight, cabin fever is setting in already, and the first day of winter doesn't show up on our frozen doorstep until Saturday. This time of year, before the new garden catalogues start showing up, I always drag out stacks of books by the best garden writers. However, as the years have gone by, I can almost quote some of these well-worn books from memory... it's time for some new blood. . . .

reBlogged to books

Posted by IBOY Reblogged by Old Roses to books on 2007-12-20, 14:28:59

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I've said it before but, since talk is cheap, I'll say it again: I love being frugal almost as much as I love my garden. Put the two passions of...

reBlogged to gardening on Dec 18, 2007, 2:39AM

Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to Gardening on 2007-12-20, 14:27:57

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A few weeks ago I was tagged by Ewa to reveal eight random facts about myself. I promised her I would do the post when I felt able to, so here goes. . . .

reBlogged to gardeners

Posted by A wildlife gardener Reblogged by Old Roses to gardeners on 2007-12-20, 00:34:53

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Hello World, this is Snappy in Wakefield...
I was looking at Statcounter, the countrys of people who visited today.
The USA has beaten the UK today with page loads for the first time in days.
I have had visitors from South Africa looking at the Dahlia and Snail photo...
Romantic Roses brought in someone from Sydney,Australia. . . .

reBlogged to blogs

Posted by snappy Reblogged by Old Roses to blogs on 2007-12-20, 00:34:22

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My first Bird photo in the fading light. Boy are these little ones shy! They dive bomb the table, grab a snack, then fly back into the hedgerow. There are small black berrys in the hedge,so thats what they have been feeding on. The black berrys are looking sparse though, so they have been investigating my bird food.
Today they have been devouring the fat balls that I cut up and put on the ground feeder, and in the bird table.
The wildlife guide thinks it takes two to three weeks for birds to get used to new feeders. They are coming slowly (and secretly).
I hope they get used to my Camera from behind the kitchen door :)

reBlogged to birds

Posted by snappy Reblogged by Old Roses to birds on 2007-12-20, 00:34:01

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I could not sleep last night for some reason.So
I planned the Kitchen garden side of the garden.
Some herbs are growing already, ready to be grown on in the cold frame, and some on the kitchen windowsill. Basil,Coriander, and Parsley.
I saw fruit bushes for sale at home base, and went back today to buy two. Photographed are my new plants: Blackberry Waldo, and Raspberry Tullamen. . . .

reBlogged to berries

Posted by snappy Reblogged by Old Roses to berries on 2007-12-20, 00:33:52

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Interested in finding the three main things you need to do in order to grow great perennial flowers in full sun? There are some decent pictures in the video (if you like perennial flower pictures)

Here’s a link to a video I just posted.

reBlogged to flowers on Dec 18, 2007, 3:54PM

Posted by Doug Reblogged by Old Roses to flowers on 2007-12-20, 00:33:29

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I think this is “that” column. The one where I tell you how to either kill or save your poinsettia because it just seems too nice to toss away. It seems that a column like this is obligatory; much like writing about not planting too early in the spring or your tomatoes will get frosted. I mean, if we haven’t figured out by now that frost is going to kill a tomato, what chance do we have with keeping poinsettia alive? You either want to do it or you don’t. . .

reBlogged to poinsettia on Dec 18, 2007, 7:54AM

Posted by Doug Reblogged by Old Roses to poinsettia on 2007-12-20, 00:32:28

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reBlogged to shows

Posted by Jane Berger Reblogged by Old Roses to shows on 2007-12-20, 00:31:40

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I was invited for a consultation to the garden below . The homeowner, an avid gardener, wanted my advice on how to improve it. She had been gardening for many years and already had a very good beginning. Wiith a few additions and re-arrangements the garden was completed. The most unusual thing about this little urban sanctuary is that it is smack dab in the middle of tall skyscrapers. Imagine hundreds of eyes peering down on you from above.

Urban courtyard with winding paths and planter beds is perfect for small garden. . . .

reBlogged to design

Posted by Carolyn gail Reblogged by Old Roses to design on 2007-12-20, 00:31:24

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The illnesses of winter broke into my plans a few days ago. I've planned my lemon balm plantation for quite a while now, to have leaves enough for tea for cold and other viral diseases. Then vomiting disease struck our little family, and we put ourselves in voluntary quarantine. I'm ever so grateful that our friends Cicci and Monika did some shopping for us during that time. They called us from ICA (swedish equivalent of Walmart)
"Hallo, did we write the note wrong? Do you really want five lemon balm plants?". . .

reBlogged to herbs

Posted by Rosengeranium Reblogged by Old Roses to herbs on 2007-12-20, 00:30:57

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reBlogged to snowdrop bulbs

Posted by Gotta Garden Reblogged by Old Roses to bulbs, snowdrop on 2007-12-20, 00:29:14

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How should I store caladium bulbs? (answer).

From The Old Farmer's Almanac.

reBlogged to bulbs on Dec 17, 2007, 11:00PM

Posted by The Old Farmer's Almanac Reblogged by Old Roses to bulbs on 2007-12-20, 00:29:04

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