reBlogged to mulch

Posted by Petunia's Gardener Reblogged by Old Roses to mulch on 2008-03-21, 18:20:01

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Watch gardening expert P. Allen Smith share his clever design tips and ideas for planting schemes.

reBlogged to gardens

Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to Gardens on 2008-03-21, 18:19:41

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11:06 (advance scout)

reBlogged to birds

Posted by Rurality Reblogged by Old Roses to birds on 2008-03-21, 18:19:33

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Happy first day of spring, well this picture was not taken this spring but still a good reminder of days to come.

reBlogged to weather

Posted by The Cheap Vegetable Gardener Reblogged by Old Roses to weather on 2008-03-21, 18:19:12

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First thing this morning, a cheerful voice on the radio prounounced that today is, "At long last, the first day of spring!". . .

reBlogged to spring

Posted by Blackswamp_Girl Reblogged by Old Roses to spring on 2008-03-21, 18:19:03

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 Photo by permission of Delta Airlines

 

Delta Airlines has earned its wings this month by unveiling its green Sky Magazine issue sure to inspire its travelers to take those steps to make an environmental difference in our world. . . .

reBlogged to magazines environment on Mar 20, 2008, 5:27PM

Posted by Green Talk Reblogged by Old Roses to environment, magazines on 2008-03-21, 18:18:42

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Now, I finally understand it! I'll try it tomorrow. Here's where I found the easy instructions.

reBlogged to propagation

Posted by ldybug Reblogged by Old Roses to propagation on 2008-03-21, 18:17:57

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I'm on such a propagation kick lately. Here's the begonia from my inlaws...what a nice surprise this was last week!

I just came across a great set of tutorials for propagating begonia plants from both leaves and stem cuttings. I get a lot of ideas and advice from gardenweb (not affiliated with them) and came across this great tutorial today.

reBlogged to propagation

Posted by ldybug Reblogged by Old Roses to propagation on 2008-03-21, 18:17:34

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I bought a plant from Home Depot last year which was labelled "tropical foliage." I just found out what it's true identity is...Song of India.

reBlogged to plants

Posted by ldybug Reblogged by Old Roses to plants on 2008-03-21, 18:17:05

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Another quick update on the croton and rubber plant cuttings I stuck in a pot back on Jan 31. The other day, there were two new leaves emerging from the rubber plant and roots on the crotons. Here's what they looked like the day I took the cuttings.

reBlogged to propagation

Posted by ldybug Reblogged by Old Roses to propagation on 2008-03-21, 18:16:43

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I recieved and planted the brambles (both blackberries and raspberries) on march 1. When they arrived from the Massachusetts nursery, they were dormant and bare root. They looked like sticks with scraggly dry roots and there was absolutely no green nor any signs of life.

I guess our humid, warm climate instantly broke the dormancy (is that how you say it?). Within one week, there were green nubbies, which soon errupted into this foliage. Think about what a feat it is to go from a stick to this lush (kinda) juvenile plant in less than 2 weeks!!! Hopefully, they will put this much energy into producing fruit next year!

reBlogged to plants

Posted by ldybug Reblogged by Old Roses to plants on 2008-03-21, 18:16:11

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On a recent walk, I came across this morning glory growing wild on a fence. I've tried to grow morning glory here in Florida and it dried up after a few weeks. I guess this is proof it can and does thrive down here. I have a friend who is growing it too. It must just need partial shade and a vertical surface on which to climb. Oh well.

reBlogged to vines

Posted by ldybug Reblogged by Old Roses to vines on 2008-03-21, 18:15:47

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I just might have to knock on a strager's door to ask what the heck kind of tree this is. It has weird pine-cone looking fruit and the large roots are above ground (like mangroves). I've never seen it on the water. The few "flowers" it has look more like lufa sponges than flowers. The foliage looks like palm fronds, but the trunk is clearly not from the palm family. How odd!

reBlogged to trees

Posted by ldybug Reblogged by Old Roses to trees on 2008-03-21, 18:15:19

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I found another great website that is helping me decide on plants for the new hedge. Turns out that the allamanda bush doesn't bloom unless it's in full sun. The crotons should do fine. The gold mound will want full sun also. . ..

reBlogged to landscape

Posted by ldybug Reblogged by Old Roses to landscape on 2008-03-21, 18:14:57

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I have a new neighbor in the garden; a Mourning Dove moved in and build a nest in my bougainvillea plant next to my gardening shed. I will be extra careful not to disturb the family.

My gardening day was interrupted mid morning by a heavy rain and not much got done. I am planning to finish tomorrow but the forecast is for more rain.

reBlogged to birds weather

Posted by rusty in miami Reblogged by Old Roses to birds, weather on 2008-03-21, 18:14:34

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Here is the online link to this week's The List: Top Home & Garden Events on page 20 of yesterday's print edition in the Washington Examiner. You can find the Examiner in the many red street-boxes around town. I saved a screen capture of the listing as a JPG and posted it here -- which you can now click on to read at 100%. . . .

reBlogged to magazines

Posted by WashingtonGardener Reblogged by Old Roses to magazines on 2008-03-21, 18:14:21

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I'd say Mr. and Mrs. Dove are waiting for the warm weather the same way I am, but I have a feeling that they're content just to hang out together, whatever the weather, always living in The Now. . ..

reBlogged to birds on Mar 20, 2008, 9:36PM

Posted by empressofdirt@gmail.com (M.J.Will) Reblogged by Old Roses to birds on 2008-03-21, 18:13:57

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For the past few months our local newspaper has ran a weekly column on bloggers in our area. I have read each one that they have printed. Most all of the blogs that have been highlighted have been about these peoples personal lives, and most from the under 30 crowd. Each week I would become more frustrated, sometimes yelling at the newspaper that there were people out there blogging for a purpose, and not just which bar they got wasted at on Saturday night. Now, I know that is important to some people, but it is much more important to me to know whose lenten rose is blooming first, and who ordered what seeds, and when will they plant them. . . .

reBlogged to blogs

Posted by vonlafin Reblogged by Old Roses to blogs on 2008-03-21, 18:13:33

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SPRING CLEANING
March bustles in on windy feet
And sweeps my doorstep and my street.
She washes and cleans with pounding rains,
Scrubbing the earth of winter stains.
She shakes the grime from carpet green
Till naught but fresh new blades are seen.
Then, house in order, all neat as a pin,
She ushers gentle springtime in.
~ Susan Reiner

(No, it doesn't look like this yet! This photo is from last spring.)

reBlogged to spring

Posted by Beth Reblogged by Old Roses to spring on 2008-03-21, 18:13:10

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reBlogged to spring

Posted by joey Reblogged by Old Roses to spring on 2008-03-21, 18:12:59

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The Close-up: At the risk of sounding like a broken record here, and with apologies to those who already understand this stuff anyway, let me just state one more time that though there are many wonderful things about point and shoot digital cameras, there are also many limitations. For flower and garden people who just love getting in close, who just love showing the texture and detail of a plant or flower’s parts, or capturing all those tiny little bee’s knees and aphid butts, capturing those things is absolutely possible, but you’re going to find that most little digi-cameras require you to be zoomed back, more or less to widest-angle lens lengths while focusing on subjects in macro/close-up mode. . . .

reBlogged to tools on Mar 20, 2008, 9:16PM

Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to tools on 2008-03-21, 18:12:26

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Being Good Friday it is only logical to take a look at the Ultimate Gardener. And I'm calling Jesus the 'Ultimate Gardener' because if we measured our gardening skills against his, we would all fall far short of his talents. . . .

reBlogged to gardeners on Mar 20, 2008, 7:03PM

Posted by scrobins@westnet.com.au (Stuart) Reblogged by Old Roses to gardeners on 2008-03-21, 18:11:34

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Inspired by Cats red and yellow sweets these pair of flowers were growing in the centre bed of the community garden up at the allotment yesterday. The Red Rhubarb-esque of the Tulip, and the Yellow of the Daffodil.
I thought of these two colour combination before I slept last night.My own Daff's and Tulips are only thinking about flowering. The red tinged Tulip is very early flowering.
I hope my own gardens will flower soon then I can blog them.

reBlogged to flowers

Posted by snappy Reblogged by Old Roses to flowers on 2008-03-21, 18:11:01

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The creek today: the flooding usually lasts just a day
Amazingly, yesterday we hardly saw a bird. Then today, we had flocks of birds on the property. If I were a bird photographer, I'd have pictures of them. . . .

reBlogged to spring birds

Posted by Yvonne Cunnington Reblogged by Old Roses to birds, spring on 2008-03-21, 18:10:47

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A

reBlogged to spring on Mar 20, 2008, 6:38PM

Posted by inadvertentgardener Reblogged by Old Roses to spring on 2008-03-21, 18:10:16

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Mike from Korea has asked me about what "cultivated variety" or c.v. means tacked onto the end of a species name.

Q: I don't exaclty understand what the "cultivated varitety" means. . . .

reBlogged to plants on Mar 20, 2008, 12:31PM

Posted by blog@cactusjungle.com (cactusblog) Reblogged by Old Roses to plants on 2008-03-21, 18:09:59

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reBlogged to blogs succulents on Mar 20, 2008, 10:30AM

Posted by blog@cactusjungle.com (cactusblog) Reblogged by Old Roses to blogs, succulents on 2008-03-21, 18:09:39

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Happy solstice, friends! Soon we'll be planting and digging and watering up a storm. Can't wait!

reBlogged to spring on Mar 20, 2008, 9:49PM

Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to spring on 2008-03-21, 18:09:22

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For some reason I hate that word "tablescape". I think it's because, before this garden show, the only time I'd ever heard the word was when it was used by a particular (annoying) lady on the food network who likes to end meal fixing with a big cornily decorated dinner table. Unfortunately, the "tablescapes" were about the prettiest thing at the Chicagoland Flower & Garden show.

reBlogged to shows

Posted by Gina Reblogged by Old Roses to shows on 2008-03-21, 18:09:10

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Allyson from Kennesaw, GA raised a question about the best vegetables for growing in a small garden area: “I am a first time gardener and I don’t know what to plant that will not over load my very limited garden space.”

“After reading your site, I have determined I could handle a few bush green beans, and some lettuce. I will plant zucchini in a couple of separate deep containers, but really want to plant some potatoes and onions. . . .

reBlogged to vegetables planting on Mar 20, 2008, 9:41PM

Posted by Kenny Point Reblogged by Old Roses to planting, vegetables on 2008-03-21, 18:08:39

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I have a large spathiphyllum plant. How do I get it to bloom? (answer).

From The Old Farmer's Almanac.

reBlogged to houseplants on Mar 20, 2008, 11:00PM

Posted by The Old Farmer's Almanac Reblogged by Old Roses to houseplants on 2008-03-21, 18:08:10

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reBlogged to foliage

Posted by Tyra in Vaxholm Reblogged by Old Roses to foliage on 2008-03-21, 06:30:37

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RAIN, GLORIOUS RAIN so much of it that our 1,000L water tanks from the guttering are all full. The recently planted trees and shrubs will be thankful and Gonzalo next door, who's been busy with his veg planting will be overjoyed. It's uncanny how he seems to get the timing just right - always rotivating and seeding before the rain. And what a deluge it was. . ..

reBlogged to weather

Posted by ladyluz Reblogged by Old Roses to weather on 2008-03-21, 06:29:44

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reBlogged to soil

Posted by Rosengeranium Reblogged by Old Roses to soil on 2008-03-21, 06:29:23

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I can be reached at empress of dirt at gmail dot com.

Truth be told, I never manage to respond to all my emails. Not even those from my very own dear mother. But I do read them....

If you really want my attention, you can always try jumping up and down in the comment box. Just don't bump your head.

Thank you,

Melissa
Empress of Dirt

reBlogged to blogs on Mar 20, 2008, 2:39PM

Posted by empressofdirt@gmail.com (M.J.Will) Reblogged by Old Roses to blogs on 2008-03-21, 06:29:08

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Red Lily of the Valley Shrub (Pieris japonica 'Flamingo')

Nikon 50mm/1.8 Shots

Phillip over at Dirt Therapy commented the other day that he was thinking of buying a Nikon 50mm lens so I wanted to post a few pictures to maybe help his decision. When I was leaving the Main Greenhouse at Planting Fields on Sunday I decided to put on the 50 and shoot my way out to the parking lot. Now conditions were basically terrible, it was raining, very late afternoon on an overcast day and I was tired. I think that most lenses, especially the $100 ones, would not do as well under those circumstances. Working with the 1.8 setting can be a little difficult with the nature shots. It really gives a razor thin depth of field. . . .

reBlogged to flowers on Mar 20, 2008, 7:00AM

Posted by Digital Flower Pictures Reblogged by Old Roses to flowers on 2008-03-21, 06:28:48

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Welcome Spring

Willkommen im Frühling

The long winter break is almost over and it's time to get back to gardening! I am sure you are getting into the spring spirit when you look at my pictures, too! Come along!

Nach der langen Winterpause erwacht der Garten jeden Tag mehr und auch auf der Terrasse sieht es schon recht frühlingshaft aus!

It was pretty warmish last week-end and I very much enjoyed being outside in the garden. . .

reBlogged to spring

Posted by Anita Reblogged by Old Roses to spring on 2008-03-21, 06:28:21

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Tired of searching for seed or plant sources on Google and getting the same few, or no results?  Looking for the rare, the unusual, or just another source than the ubiquitous 'big names' for your seeds?

Mother Earth News has compiled a search parameter that custom fits Google to a gardener's needs.

Check it out.

This tool has already pointed me to a fascinating new vendor:
Plants of the Southwest

Hope you have the same kind of success in your next search!

reBlogged to tools on Mar 20, 2008, 2:12PM

Posted by Jenn Reblogged by Old Roses to tools on 2008-03-21, 06:26:48

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A

reBlogged to weather on Mar 20, 2008, 8:22AM

Posted by Rick Anderson Reblogged by Old Roses to weather on 2008-03-21, 06:26:33

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I took a stroll around the yard on a recent warm afternoon and was delighted to see some unmistakable signs of life:

COLORFUL YOUNG LEAVES ARE
UNFURLING AT THE BASE OF THE
Heuchera (Coral Bells)

reBlogged to spring plants

Posted by Beth Reblogged by Old Roses to plants, spring on 2008-03-21, 06:26:15

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I am just back from two weeks in Canada and feeling somewhat jetlagged in addition to a head cold, so forgive me if this post is a little less coherent than usual. I have lots of posts buzzing around in my head, including my thoughts on my local council's new food waste collection scheme, an update on the wormery (find out how did the worms got on while I was away!) and a couple of book reviews, plus a look at the new Wiggly Wigglers catalogue, to which I am a contributor. But for the moment what's got my attention...

reBlogged to community_garden on Mar 20, 2008, 4:46PM

Posted by Jane Perrone Reblogged by Old Roses to community_garden on 2008-03-21, 06:25:42

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My collection of birdhouses continues. I hope you aren't getting fed up looking at all of them by now. . ..

reBlogged to birds

Posted by Crafty Gardener Reblogged by Old Roses to birds on 2008-03-21, 06:24:24

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I had to leave my house yesterday for a fiercely needed food shopping trip.
Crowds/People=Ick!
I know, I know - your heart just bleeds for me. . .

reBlogged to vegetables gardening

Posted by Tina Reblogged by Old Roses to Gardening, vegetables on 2008-03-21, 06:23:14

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