I haven't written a decent blog post in several days and it's because of one gigantic, multi-faceted reason. There's just so much going on here! Spring has sprung and I feel pulled in so many different directions. There needs to be two of me. . . .
reBlogged
to gardening
Posted by Kylee Reblogged by Old Roses to Gardening on 2008-04-12, 06:31:49
Happy Friday Gardeners, Garden Bloggers and Blog Readers!
This is Stella the Dwarf Cherry tree. Yes I know it's not a good picture - I need photography lessons. Stella was ordered and delivered by GB. Thanks, GB! She got them from Miller's Nursery and I was surprised at what good shape it arrived in. For now, Stella gets to live in a pot. I had planned to keep this on the patio but I'm a little concerned that it'll be too big for it. I actually bought the fancy dirt for Stella. When I opened the bag of Scott's Organic Potting Soil I really did say "wow", out loud. The stuff is so dark and fluffy and I sorta wish I'd never tried it because now that's all I want to use. . .
reBlogged
to trees
Posted by Gina Reblogged by Old Roses to trees on 2008-04-12, 06:31:22
In El Paso they fret over wintering plants. So they build them a greenhouse or two. And you would do well to follow suit, so you too can have happy and healthy cactus this time of year. And hothouse tomatoes too. From the El Paso Times.
(H)e's getting a jump-start by growing some (tomatoes) from seed in a greenhouse at the demonstration garden at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center, off Interstate 10 East and Americas....
Peter Beste, who has a large cactus garden in the Northeast, uses a greenhouse for cactus from South America.
We just got a desert tortoise, sort of a rescue. I hope our red-foots like her.
Henry Mitchell, in his best-known book The Essential Earthman has this to say about hybrid crocuses: "Let us have no more talk about 'fat Dutch crocuses'... as if the gardener loved only the slender, elegant wild crocuses... unfed, unbred, and untouched by the Dutch. The truth is that nothing is more sprightly to see than patches of fat Dutch crocuses in March, coming as they do to lift our spirits and amaze the young and simple.". . .
reBlogged
to crocus
Posted by IBOY Reblogged by Old Roses to crocus on 2008-04-12, 06:26:32
I have a confession to make. I sometimes grow plants that I not sure of the name or cultural requirements for. This is one of them. It is a tender perennial that a local nursery grows and we often use them in containers. I am not sure of the species or cultivar name but have a feeling that it maybe E. pectinatus 'Sonnenschoens'. A constant season long bloomer this flower actually over wintered in the greenhouse and since I have looked it up I now have a little more information. . . .
I was clearing away some of the dried leaves from the newly sprouting tulips when I noticed one leaf wouldn't pull away. On looking closer I could see that two determined tulips had poked their way right through the leaf. I didn't have the heart to pull the leaf away once I noticed all the hard work they had gone to. I'm going to leave the leaf there and see what happens as the tulips continue to grow.
reBlogged
to tulip
Posted by Crafty Gardener Reblogged by Old Roses to tulip on 2008-04-12, 06:25:41
For rose care in spring, Marie Iannotti recommends:
"judicious pruning"
"some food"
"and a bit of preventative maintenance"
Such rose care in spring, says About's Gardening Guide, "will save a lot of work this...
reBlogged
to roses
on Apr 11, 2008, 12:12AM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to roses on 2008-04-12, 06:25:31
During our on again, off again rainy Sunday, I was able to plant some more tomato seeds and put them in the "oven" to sprout. These are Ilidi tomatoes, and the best kind: shared by another gardener! Thanks for sharing, Matron! I can see we'll be doing some fine garden grazing this year. These are the type that don't always make it into the house. . . .
Eighteen days after Easter: The dogwood we’ve been watching really doesn’t seem all that close to full blossom yet. This is taking longer than I thought it would!
Cheryl guessed the tree would be at full blossom by today, 18 days after Easter — April 10. Sorry Cheryl — she’s not there yet!My original guess was [...]
Polygonatum is an awkward name for such an elegant plant. Even Solomons Seal doesnt really do it justice. Polygonatum gracefully arches and nods in the shade garden. ...
reBlogged
to plants
on Apr 10, 2008, 9:01PM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to plants on 2008-04-12, 06:23:59
We have a new Organic Gardening Guide here at About. Colleen Vanderlinden is just getting her site revved up, but already she has some wonderful tips for all of...
reBlogged
to pests organic
on Apr 10, 2008, 9:01PM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to organic, pests on 2008-04-12, 06:22:00
I’m probably going to regret not going hanami last Sunday. Since then, the weather has taken a turn for the worse. The last few days the rain has been heavy and I wonder if there will be any sakura blossom left on the trees. It’s good for the garden though. No amount of rain was [...]
reBlogged
to weather
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to weather on 2008-04-12, 06:21:52
Beans are supposed to be easy. Really easy. But for some reason, I always seem to have a hard time with Roma beans. A few weeks ago I planted several beans in a container and kept it watered well. Nothing. The beans were still there a week later, but nothing was germinating. So I decided to pre-soak them in a wet paper towel, thinking it would only take a day or two for them to germinate that way. . . .
reBlogged
to seeds
Posted by Claire Splan Reblogged by Old Roses to seeds on 2008-04-12, 06:16:41
Recently I wrote about the changing trends in gardens and how plants seem to disappear out of vogue. One plant that I didn't mention was azalea bushes which seem to go through sporadical encores. One minute they're detested, the next they're the must-have trendsetter. Love them or not, I'm sure they will be with us for a very long time to come.
The most probable cause of their attention is twofold; (1) They bloom their butts off, and (2) they are fairly easy to grow. So easy, in fact, that many azaleas are sold in supermarkets - and who buys plants from the supermarket apart from those people wanting to just stick something in the ground?. . .
I planted these Tigridia bulbs (Mexican Shellflower) about 65 days ago. Here's the original post and the 1-month update.
Today, the first flower bloomed and then wilted in the florida heat by 2pm. The foliage was very suceptible to some kind of pest. Nothing else was affected though.
reBlogged
to flowers
Posted by ldybug Reblogged by Old Roses to flowers on 2008-04-12, 06:13:34
Here is the online link to this week's The List: Top Home & Garden Events on page 26 of today'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 click on to read at 100%.
For item #1, Earth Day at Silver Spring Whole Foods, I stopped in the store today to check on my Herb Pot workshop arrangements for Saturday morning. All is set, now I just have to pull out my herbal texts tonight and get cramming. There are still a few registration spots open, so sign up now if you'd like a space.
Also, if you have not gotten a chance to learn your Orchid ABCs - go by the USBG on the Mall and see the orchid show before it closes on Sunday.
My NBC4 segment on container gardening got postponed due to technical difficulties. Ah, the thrills of live television. A nearby radio station had upped their signal last week and now any outdoor live recordings pick up their feed or have a loud hum in all the microphones. We tried it four different ways and if you watched you even saw a teaser for us "coming up." In the end though, they decided it'd be best to tape it inside and it will air tomorrow (Thurs 4/10 at 4pm -- should be close to the 4:50 block.) Pictured here is Veronica Johnson in our compromise indoor set-up. Such gorgeous weather outside today, too bad we could not use it.
People in temperate climates everywhere are pulling their lawn mowers out of the storage shed or garage and preparing for that first trim of the season. After getting the dust off of the mower, it’s also important to dust off the mind before firing up the engine. Remember, the whole reason for lawn mowing is to promote a healthy, flourishing yard that adds to the attractiveness and value of your property. . . .
reBlogged
to lawn
on Apr 10, 2008, 7:52PM
Posted by peach Reblogged by Old Roses to lawn on 2008-04-12, 06:12:25
We've been moving forward with our garden building project in fits and starts lately -- more fits than starts, really, given that it's been too wet to do much digging. We're concerned about compacting and damaging the soil if we work on it when it's too wet. . .
reBlogged
to gardens tools
Posted by Christa Reblogged by Old Roses to Gardens, tools on 2008-04-12, 06:08:02
Its spring! The birds are nesting. Skippy and I walked through the gardens at Rock Meadow (Belmont) where I hope to have a community plot assignment on Saturday. I was enthralled by the nesting birds. I didn't look too hard, but found several nesting tree swallows and 3 beautiful pairs of nesting Eastern blue birds!
There's a big open field of conservation land adjacent to the gardens where the town has nesting boxes scattered. It is a beautiful habitat for many species.
reBlogged
to birds
Posted by kathy Reblogged by Old Roses to birds on 2008-04-12, 06:07:31
Well I think I've had made a huge blunder. Last year I did a landscape design for a lady who wanted to rip out her boxwoods and replace them with flowering shrubs. She asked me if I would like to have the boxwoods and since my foundation shrubs were really ratty, I accepted. . . .
reBlogged
to boxwood
Posted by Phillip Reblogged by Old Roses to boxwood on 2008-04-12, 06:07:22
The ghostly gardeners Peonies are growing really well throughout the left border. A large clump has appeared under the Viburnum.Even more red spears are still appearing.I know they spread through a creeping rhizome as I dug one up before in the name of being nosy...
reBlogged
to peony
Posted by snappy Reblogged by Old Roses to peony on 2008-04-12, 06:06:33
My thanks once again to Blogger for selecting me as a Blog of Note. The past week has sent more than 30,000 visitors from all over the world to Sweet Home and Garden Chicago. I'm lucky to get that many in a year.
While most of the messages were complimentary I did receive a warning that "google was spying for the CIA, " a few propositions and some solicitations to advertise.
I look forward to seeing more garden bloggers become a Blog of Note.
reBlogged
to blogs
Posted by Carolyn gail Reblogged by Old Roses to blogs on 2008-04-12, 06:05:39
We are getting about two inches of rain today. A sure sign of spring is when the ducks come back and walk through our back yard. I think I have a picture of them on my blog from last year at this time as well.
reBlogged
to weather birds
Posted by Lisa Reblogged by Old Roses to birds, weather on 2008-04-12, 06:05:16
Chard ('Sea Foam' from Pinetree -- an excellent cultivar), carrots, sorrel, tomatoes & coriander. In a bed that I designed in circles.
Granex onions finally starting to bulb up. First time I've grown onions: Found a huge bunch of starts for sale in a hidden corner at Lowe's this winter. I've been thinning them and eating the young ones as scallions. Like most short day onions, these are sweet and therefore keep poorly, so I plan on leaving them in the ground as long as possible, pulling them as I need them. In a bed fmade from leaf mold. . . .
via A Caribbean Garden on 1969-12-31, 19:00:00
