Yes folks, after this past weekend rain, those unwelcome summer guests, mosquitoes, are back and they are HUNGRY! Maybe they are not as big as the one in this picture but their bite sure feels like they are! It is a given that if you are going to garden in Florida during the summer you are going to have to deal with these pesky, relentless insects. They are always hungriest in the early morning and early evening which, of course, is prime gardening time around here. The little blood-suckers sure aren't stupid!!
reBlogged
to pests
Posted by rusty in miami Reblogged by Old Roses to pests on 2008-04-11, 06:52:06
On a rainy, windy spring day, flocks of white crowned sparrows and song sparrows have come in from the north and one of the latter is bobbing its tail and singing sweetly to me from a low branch: Sit right down.... and I'll sing fory--e--w--w--w. Out in the garden, nosing around for something to take a picture of, I found this little snowdrop just opening its flowers. Galanthus 'Scharlockii' has a light green blush on each outer petal, which I find quite lovely. It's a small, late-blooming snowdrop, a clone of Galanthus nivalis that was discovered almost two hundred years ago in Germany. It has been nurtured in gardens all of this time; a high testament to its beauty.
reBlogged
to snowdrop
Posted by IBOY Reblogged by Old Roses to snowdrop on 2008-04-11, 06:51:41
Just a quick post to highlight some of my fellow Brooklynites who also blog about their gardens or gardening.
Brooklyn has more community gardens - about 300 - than the rest of New York City. More people live in Brooklyn (Kings County) than any of...
Berberis canadensis, American barberry, Bonsai at the North Carolina Arboretum.
I know that my photographs are the single most popular feature of this blog. My Flickr site gets even more traffic than this blog.
If you enjoy my photography here,...
If you haven’t done so already, you’re probably in the process of getting your garden in gear for spring. Because you’re going to be working outdoors, now’s the perfect time to whip the exterior of your home into shape too—after all, it’s probably taken quite a beating from the harsh winter weather. To get started, check out these general ideas for cleaning up your outdoor surroundings. This handy spring project checklist from Consumer Reports will help you stay on track. And here are three exterior-improvement areas you’ll want to pay particular attention to. . .
reBlogged
to design
Posted by Katie Reblogged by Old Roses to design on 2008-04-11, 06:49:36
From time to time I'll run across a garden blog entry on one of my regular reads that talks about how the blogger discovers how people are finding their blog. I've always been too embarrassed to say that I have no clue how to do this. Is it magic?. ..
reBlogged
to blogs
Posted by Gina Reblogged by Old Roses to blogs on 2008-04-11, 06:48:09
Today is the day that the big annual Garden Fair opens - Nordic Gardens, the biggest garden exhibition in the Nordic region. They open today at ten and I have been invited to visit this event by a blog admire....someone who actually likes my blogs :), thank you very much. I will take my daughter with me and of course my camera and tomorrow I'll give you a guided tour.
I found this lovely group of flowers this morning aren't they pretty together?
This picture is from Keukenhof Crocus 'Grand Maitre', Scarlet Baby and Antoinette.
TYRA
reBlogged
to shows
Posted by Tyra in Vaxholm Reblogged by Old Roses to shows on 2008-04-11, 06:47:13
A bit of an aphid invasion of my pear and apple trees. The trees are tough, and the aphids don't last long around here. I gave them a good spray with a mix of neem and peppermint soap. The smell alone should chase them away. Ladybugs, where are you???
This video has absolutely nothing to do with this post. I just thought I'd provide some entertainment for your listening enjoyment while you read. (Slide the bar to the 1:10:00 point to bypass the intro.)
There are 5 simple rules to keep in mind when planning a garden, whether it's a bed, border, garden room or landscaped area. . . .
Everything is popping up. Here I was so anxious to see some growth, green of any kind. Well, things are suddenly popping up everywhere after two days in the 60's. Making an appearance . . .
reBlogged
to spring plants
Posted by Tina Reblogged by Old Roses to plants, spring on 2008-04-11, 06:42:50
No, I'm not talking about cleaning. ;) I mean those so-called garden rooms.
I'm not claustrophobic, I don't think. But, I am use to wide open spaces. Great big ones. I like the idea of being able to see as far as the eye can see. I'm a fan of 'distance vision'. I'm not talking about defining areas with plants. I think that's cool. I'm talking walled-in, view-destroying, cut-off-from-outside-life rooms. . . .
reBlogged
to design
Posted by Tina Reblogged by Old Roses to design on 2008-04-11, 06:42:26
Spring has finally sprung in upstate NY, and this week we've been blessed with 3 superb, sunny days of 60º (15ºC) temperatures! It's difficult to find words to describe the delight in having a few warm days, free of the biting winds that blew all through March, and being able to get out into the garden to do some clean-up work. . . .
Here's a quick peek inside my composter. There are layers of garden waste layered below the current level. I go on walks to find old leaves to add to the layers since most of my garden waste is green. . ..
reBlogged
to compost
on Apr 10, 2008, 11:37AM
Posted by earlysnowdrop Reblogged by Old Roses to compost on 2008-04-11, 06:40:38
… can do wonders for the garden, especially at this time of year! The Forsythia are in full bloom, the Hyacinths are really popping, the entire Scilla bed is coming up, and all of the Daffodils are in bloom as are the Crocus. Here's one of the Hyacinths.
reBlogged
to spring
on Apr 10, 2008, 7:56AM
Posted by ToyTrains1 Reblogged by Old Roses to spring on 2008-04-11, 06:40:15
Used coffee grounds can easily be recycled, by mixing them into your compost pile. If you don't drink much coffee, maybe you'd like a free source of used coffee grounds....
reBlogged
to compost
on Apr 10, 2008, 3:43AM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to compost on 2008-04-11, 06:39:36
Gardeners here on the subtropical Gulf Coast are extremely well acquainted with fast-growing legumes. The most infamous is kudzu, a Japanese native plant innocently promoted in the 1930s as a means of erosion control. Farmers were paid $8 an acre to plant the twisting, woody vine in their unused fields, where it rapidly swallowed up the [...]
reBlogged
to peas
on Dec 31, 1969, 6:59PM
Posted by valwebb Reblogged by Old Roses to peas on 2008-04-11, 06:39:27
Four from the Farm Glory-of-the-Snow Chionodoxa forbesii (kye-oh-no-DOKS-uh)
Running late again this morning. Here are four photos from the farm’s garden. It is a windy, exposed site on the side of a ridge so spring comes a little later. I did some work in the big perennial border, which is usually cared for by the staff but I helped them divide and move a few things. The roses are cleaned up and ready to grow. . . .
My spring routine is to turn the soil of my garden beds. Today I turned three of my beds. I use a standard garden shovel and flip the soil over onto itself - the way my dad showed me years ago. If I have a cover crop, this gets turned under. This year I have a light cover of winter ryegrass. I like the wait a week or so, but sometimes right away, I smooth the soil level with the backside of a metal rake. Finally my irrigation lines get buried and the beds are ready to plant. . . .
reBlogged
to gardening
Posted by kathy Reblogged by Old Roses to Gardening on 2008-04-11, 06:37:51
Yesterday afternoon the clouds lifted and I jumped in the car to go look at the Virginia Bluebells at Bull Run Park near Centreville. I fear I won't be able to adequately describe the scene, but I'll try.
As you slog along the muddy trail towards the river, the forest floor looks as if a sudden snow flurry just started to stick. The tiny white and pink Spring Beauties (Claytonia sp.) cover the ground on both sides of the trail. As you approach the Cub Run river, you see a haze of blue. For the full effect, click through the photos to Picasaweb and then click the magnifying glass at the top right of the photo for a larger view. . . .
reBlogged
to bulbs
Posted by Entangled Reblogged by Old Roses to bulbs on 2008-04-11, 06:37:19
Last night the temperatures were in the mild 50s, not the chilly 50s as it has been for so long. There is also another frog out there trilling its heart out for love, than the spring peepers. I know this because I slept with the window open last night. . . .
reBlogged
to spring
Posted by millionbells Reblogged by Old Roses to spring on 2008-04-11, 06:35:55
After lunch, we went to the Natural Gardener nursery, which was one busy place on Saturday. If only I’d had an extra suitcase . . . . Austinites were tucking plants into wagons and waiting cheerfully in long lines. I saw bloggers from other locales trying to figure out how to convince [...]
reBlogged
to spring_fling
on Apr 10, 2008, 11:45AM
Posted by Dee Reblogged by Old Roses to spring_fling on 2008-04-11, 06:34:58
Some things simply prove to be a blessing in disguise! My old digicam developed some strange snag and won’t work howsoever hard I may try, it was pure misery. The first couple of days went showing the thing around to supposedly more electronically oriented friends of mine, but the problem, it seemed, was even beyond their technologically superior brains. It is so remarkable that whenever you are deprived of something, you yearn for it the most; precisely that happened to me as I saw beautiful blooms and butterflies, bees and birds, things I failed to appreciate with a working camera, but were beckoning when the damned camera won’t work.It was then that I decided that the time is ripe to reward myself with a brand new camera, a Sony cybershot H10.
reBlogged
to tools flowers
on Apr 10, 2008, 6:14AM
The Dwarf Daffodil Minnow in bloom in the windowbox, with the sky reflecting off the kitchen windowsill. Its like a painted backdrop from a really old movie! I love the delicate petals and central yellow cup. I was doing some research today into Florigraphy and the traditional meaning of Daffodils was "You bring me sunshine". . . .
reBlogged
to daffodils
Posted by snappy Reblogged by Old Roses to daffodils on 2008-04-11, 06:32:41
via The Gardener Side on 1969-12-31, 19:00:00
