First sale on Zazzle

Just made my first sale on Zazzle It's a great feeling. So I added another card. More will be added soon.

Raspberry Ripple Pelargonium

An easy geranium to grow from seed and an excellent houseplant during the winter months. I keep mine in clay pots to avoid overwatering. The first fall, I dug them up and placed them upside down in a box. Soaked the roots 3 times to keep them from getting too dry. Last fall I decided to keep them as houseplants instead. They both bloomed a few times and need very little care.

This year I will try Thompson & Morgan's Ripple Mix. It includes Blueberry and Strawberry Ripple.

Garden Images

Delicious social bookmarking

 Social

I now have a links page on the Delicious site.
This should make it easier to keep track of the sites I recommend here and visit regularly myself.

10 Online Photo Editors

If you are looking for information on photo editors, I recommend visiting Daily Gyan. The author includes a description for each along with links. Also included are links to a site called Delicious, a social bookmarking site. Might be a good place for me to add all the links I recommend here.

Pelargonium Peltatum seeds

If you are looking for seeds to start your own pelargonium peltatum, visit Thompson & Morgan. They offer Summertime Mixed in packets of 6 seeds.

Blog Feed

A quick note to let you know that anyone who subscribed to the old feed needs to switch to the new one. The link is on the right.
Will keep you inform.

Tussock moth caterpillar

 Leaf eaters


Tussock Moth (Halysidota Tessellaris), (See Photo) that is the name I found it under in
Les insectes du Quebec

Caught this little guy munching on the leaves of a crab apple.
Couldn't resist taking a photo before moving him.
At the time, I didn't know if it would change into a butterfly or a moth, so no soapy water treatment.

Blogger Tricks.com

Stumbled on this site:

I'll be visiting on a regular basis. Lots of tricks to help your blog look more inviting. The templates are awesome.

Frog in rock garden

Wild Life

I am no longer a member of Imagekind.
 The Frog in the Garden photo can still be viewed in Portfolio.
As a gardener, I can appreciate these little guys.

Common Moss Rose

Old Garden Roses
 

Common moss rose, cabbage rose and according to
Lois Hole's rose favorites , the Egyptian rose.

In the BOTANICA'S POCKET ROSES , the cabbage rose is said to have originated from the Netherlands, circa 1596.

Wherever it came from, it's one of my favourites.
Only one flush a year, but with pruning can last several more weeks. Though not picky about soil, it suffers from mildew if not watered properly (soaker hoses are best) and needs good air circulation.

Got my first plant 18 years ago.
An heirloom from my husband's side of the family.
The first was planted in his grandmother's garden c. 1930.
I intend to keep the tradition going.

The thorny stems are lax and bow down under the weight of the flowers.
Thick gloves and long sleeves are a must for weeding and pruning.

It may look delicate, but this is one though rose.

Read more

Morden Sunrise

Canadian Rose


   The first hardy yellow flowered Parland rose.
Morden Sunrise, bred by the Department of Agriculture in Canada for winter hardiness, was introduced in 1999.
According to the Canadian Rose Society site, this rose is a complex mix of; Rosa Arkansana, Assiniboine, White Bouquet, Fire King and Prairie Princess.

The colour, as you can see by the photo is best described as coral.
So far it has survived two winters in my garden and showed a good resistance to diseases.

View Morden Sunrise with full description and links to sources.

Winchester Cathedral English rose

White English Roses

   A very popular white rose introduced in 1988 by David Austin.
With a nice old English rose scent.
When I bought this bush from Ritchie Feed & Seed in Ottawa late last summer, the leaves were covered with mildew.
I knew with proper air circulation the problem would go away and as you can see by the photo, it did.

Now will it survive winter?
For protection, I used rose collars, straw, a white dome and mother nature supplied about tree feet of snow. When the weather will start warming up, I will remove the dome during warm days but leave the collar and straw.
The dome will be replaced in the evenings.
I need to do this to protect the plant from cold drying wind and hungry wild turkeys.

Winchester Catherdral image and description.

Barbe Bleue

Ivy Leaf

Barbe Bleue (see photo) is a dark, velvety red pelargonium peltatum.
They are more difficult to overwinter than the zonal varieties.

I lost mine a few years ago.
There are a few new introduction that are similar in colour but are more vigorous.

One variety I would recommend is the Royal Dark Burgundy Barbe Bleue will be added in the photo book on pelargoniums.

Hybrid Perpetual roses

English Rose

  
  When I bought this rose bush in June of last year on the Byward market in Ottawa, it was tagged as a Ferdinand Pichard.
I collect old garden roses.
At first glance I knew this wasn't likely because it didn't have the distinctive stripes.
Ferdinand Pichard does fade to blush purple so I thought the blooms were a few days old.
So I planted it in a sandy loam amended with a vegetable compost with bone and blood meal.
The blooms opened blush purple.
I did have roses change shade because of the soil ph but I'm not sure if it would affect stripes.
The base colour is correct but no stripes.

The rose is now identified.
This lovely old garden rose is a Paul Neyron, Hybrid Perpetual

Downloads

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