Planning season has started and to do it properly, we need lots and lots of plant and seed catalogs. Make sure you're on the mailing list for these top...
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to catalogs
on Jan 1, 2008, 8:25PM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to catalogs on 2008-01-03, 00:46:06
Usually I make a Dutch treat called "olebollen" (similar to apple fritters) on New's Years Eve. Because of my travels, I was too tired for that this year. Instead I am cooking my Capucijner peas.
I asked my aunt about how she remembers cooking these peas. She said she remembers eating them often while growing up in Holland. Usually as a pile of peas on the plate with salad and meat. She liked mixing them with the salad. She also said these peas have a different taste that not everyone likes. I am wondering if we will like the taste. . . .
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to pea
Posted by carletongardener Reblogged by Old Roses to pea on 2008-01-03, 00:45:43
Happy New Years! To ring in 2008, the weather has decided to dip. We are forecasted to have a low of 17 tonight! 13 for tomorrow! And here I thought I lived in warm, tropical Florida. I can't remember the last time we've had a hard freeze like this. It is a complete guess about which plants will make it through the frost and which won't. One of my prized plants is the bird of paradise.
Here is what it looked like this morning:
I knew I'd have to cover it this evening, but it is getting too big for my sheets. So, even though it killed me a little bit, I hacked about 10-12 leaves off the top. The leaves won't survive the frost anyway, and my main goal is to keep the plant alive. So right now it looks like this. . . ..
It's not everyday that one is given the opportunity to see the Australian Kookaburra in its own habitat. Not that it's an endangered species at all, rather there is becoming fewer areas of habitation available to them. City folk like us have to travel past the fringe residential areas to see them cavort amongst the peppermint trees chasing small insects and lizards for a nutritious snack. . . .
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to birds
on Jan 1, 2008, 6:43PM
Posted by Stuart Reblogged by Old Roses to birds on 2008-01-03, 00:43:43
1) I resolve to water my flats this winter so that I actually have more than a couple seedlings to show for my yearly $50 shopping spree from seed catalogs.
2) I resolve to water my houseplants at least once a week.
3) I resolve to water my annuals and new perenials daily during summer's hotest months.
4) I resolve to not beat myself up when I fail to uphold these resolutions and kill a zillion plants again this year.
reBlogged
to gardening
Posted by Nelumbo Reblogged by Old Roses to Gardening on 2008-01-03, 00:42:02
Thank you so much for joining us in our search for a happier, healthier, simpler, more fulfilling and more sustainable lifestyle. We absolutely LOVE our new life, and we hope you love yours as well.
You mean a lot to both Matt and I. As I push you further along your path, you are pushing us. So I thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for being there. . . .
reBlogged
to blogs
on Jan 2, 2008, 9:14PM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to blogs on 2008-01-03, 00:41:47
I have hardly been blogging about my Chacala garden. Mainly because I was waiting for my replacement computer. Without it I have been spending time there. I am really pleased with how things are growing. also bought a really pretty deep purple geranium. I can't remember what's a geranium and what's a Cranebill (is that the correct name? Can't remember). Anywhere I love the color. $1us. . . .
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to flowers
Posted by Andee Reblogged by Old Roses to flowers on 2008-01-03, 00:38:25
My Chacala garden has three of these plants growing in it. They are growing bigger everyday, and are about 4 feet across and four feet high, not counting the blossom stem. Apparently they are Criniums. They seem to blossom either two or three times a year. I am going back to check my notes later. One just finished blooming, and the other just started. . . .
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to flowers
Posted by Andee Reblogged by Old Roses to flowers on 2008-01-03, 00:38:00
We've been busy at Vermont Flower Farm and it's been a good kind of busy. My son Adam, his wife, Leah, and my grandson, Max arrived from Seattle to spend a few days with us. Despite some poor weather on either end of their journey, the visit was special. The odd hours, time change, and the activity of the holiday made us all a little squirrely, but that's not uncommon up here where red squirrels are as familiar as chickadees and blue jays. . . .
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to pests
Posted by George Africa Reblogged by Old Roses to pests on 2008-01-03, 00:37:37
Tread Lightly is a new campaign created by the creators of Guardian Unlimited, an online UK environmental news magazine. This campaign encourages us to take steps to reduce our own CO2 emissions through weekly pledges. Realizing that most people feel that reducing their footprint is just too hard, the staff has created easy pledges that encourage people to reduce their impact. . . .
The top five, in no particular order: 1. Give my houseplants a little more TLC. Including the ficus in the bathroom that needs some serious surgery, repotting and delousing 2. Sprout more seeds, especially alfalfa 3. Don't buy any more pumpkin seeds - the dozen or so packets I have are already enough! 4. Use the several gallons of chicken and guinea fowl stock in the freezer to make some nutritious soup 5. Finish the pathwork charm quilt that I intended my newborn baby (now eight months) to lie on What are yours?
Autumn came barreling along on the heels of summer and a few of the perennials and annuals that struggled in the dry heat perked up and put on a fresh show of growth and blooms. While I hate seeing the growing season come to an end, I do love the clear blue skies of October and the crisp cool nights. . . .
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to flowers
Posted by Kylee Reblogged by Old Roses to flowers on 2008-01-03, 00:35:21
Thanks to everyone who contributed their real-life stories to this Round-up about Rain
Barrels. Most of those comments can be found on this post at GardenRant.
Why all the interest in rain barrels?
They reduce the load on our municipal water supplies.
They save (a little) on our water bills, though not enough to
justify using them on the basis of cost alone. In one test a rain
barrel saved about 1,300 gallons over the summer, and one user told me
he'd saved $35 over the course of the summer. . . .
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to tools
Posted by Susan Reblogged by Old Roses to tools on 2008-01-03, 00:34:47
It's bright and cold today, a fine way to bring in the new year. Looking over the pond from our living room window, we see the many paths made by the wildlife that passes through our yard and neighborhood.
This winter we've added another wild inhabitant: a coyote. We first saw him in broad daylight on Christmas Eve day. Today he made another appearance - carving a new path across the pond.
It's a new year and a time to scribe new paths. My goal this year is to add to my life: increase and enhance the natural ecosystem of our yard, seek out and embrace new ways to be successful in my business, purposely bring more joy to other people's daily lives.
reBlogged
to wildlife
on Jan 1, 2008, 4:11PM
Posted by Talbin Reblogged by Old Roses to wildlife on 2008-01-03, 00:34:01
For those of you who think my snowdrops will shortly be rocketing from the earth and bursting into bloom: fear not. The snow came back. More predicted tomorrow.
Happy New Year. . . .
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to weather
on Jan 1, 2008, 4:09PM
Posted by Kathy Purdy Reblogged by Old Roses to weather on 2008-01-03, 00:33:49
Mulchfest 2008 is on! You can drop-off trees at Greenwood Cemetery, 25th Street and 5th Avenue, starting today through January 11, any time between 8am and 4:30pm. Starting this Thursday, January 3 through Wednesday, January 16, you can leave trees...
I think we’re “supposed” to write about what happened, what’s going to happen and what we’d like to see happen in this post. What a commonplace way to organize a blog post. So - you want to know that I intend to (finally-really) drop the excess weight? That I’m not going to build a new flower garden (building the veg garden instead)? This is interesting. . .
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to tools
on Jan 1, 2008, 12:31PM
Posted by Doug Reblogged by Old Roses to tools on 2008-01-03, 00:29:04
A turn of the calendar page, and so it begins; my new garden for 2008 is springing to life. At least on paper it is. The seed catalogs absorb me like the first rain to a sun-parched soil, pulling me in willingly with their beautifully written biographies of heirloom vegetables. A trickle of ideas becomes a deluge of possibilities. Can I make room for Paul Robeson's tomato? Is there space for the Gill Brothers' Golden Pippin Squash? Is there just one spare corner for Alan Chadwick's lettuce? It is so difficult to show restraint, but I know I must. The garden in which this cast of characters will cavort doesn't yet even exist. Maybe the better analogy for a seed catalog is not biography, but fantasy novel?. . .
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to gardening
Posted by Christa Reblogged by Old Roses to Gardening on 2008-01-03, 00:28:31
The Home Know-It-All is taking
Monday and Tuesday off to usher in the new year with friends. But I’ll
be back on January 2 ready to help you whip your home into shape in
2008!
This was the image on my sister's Christmas card this year, but I think he makes a good New Year's Koi too, don't you? (It seems like he's swimming in confetti.)
I was impressed that my 4th grade niece had colored such a pretty carp. Then I found out that she'd actually drawn it! She said they'd had something to copy from, but it isn't traced.
I think we've got a budding artist in the family.
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to whimsy
Posted by Rurality Reblogged by Old Roses to whimsy on 2008-01-03, 00:25:14
Today I woke up at half past three and made a coffee. I sat in the Kitchen and looked through the window at the garden. It was like Picadilly circus with the birds in the garden. . . .
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to birds
Posted by snappy Reblogged by Old Roses to birds on 2008-01-03, 00:24:47
New Year wishes to everyone! It's snowing again, here. A glance back at Jan. 1 last year,shows me that we we're in the middle of a very unseasonal heat wave, with temperatures reaching 71 deg. F on New Years Day. Although, winter eventually arrived, we recieved very little snow all year, perhaps less than a foot, total. This December, we are breaking records, or close to breaking it by an inch or so, for the most Snowfall in December. So nature, has a way of balancing things. I love snow, as so do many of the plants which I grow, who will need this deep layer of insulation from the fridged arctic blasts that surely will come in early January- typically, our coldest month. Tomorrow....8 degrees F. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. . . .
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to weather
Posted by Matt Reblogged by Old Roses to weather on 2008-01-03, 00:23:56
Since I just posted photos of my parents great grapefruit tree, I thought I'd photograph my own little lemon tree. Its a Myers lemon. It is about 8 years old now. Here in Massachusetts, I have it in a pot and bring it inside every winter and outside every spring. Two years ago it produced 3 beautiful lemons, but none last year. This year I am being very nice to it. I re-potted it this summer, and am trying hard to remember to water it now. I have one blossom now that seems to be setting fruit. Meyers lemons are awesome in martinis!. . .
via Oceanic Wilderness on 1969-12-31, 19:00:00
~ 'Window Wonderland'
I knew I'd have to cover it this evening, but it is getting too big for my sheets. So, even though it killed me a little bit, I hacked about 10-12 leaves off the top. The leaves won't survive the frost anyway, and my main goal is to keep the plant alive. So right now it looks like this. . . ..
