Garden Views

We Were in Lavender Country!

2010-03-21T11:27:00.002-07:00

On a recent trip to Provence (October 2009) we went to a lavender museum in the small town of Coustellet, which is about 40 km east of Avignon. I wasn't sure what to expect, as I had to wonder what could be of interest there...

The first thing you learn is that there are two types of lavender used in the perfume industry. Since I am very interested in plants, it immediately became interesting.

Neither of these are the ornamental lavenders we grow in our gardens. One is referred to as fine lavender and it is distilled and sold as a perfume. It is very expensive. It is very hardy and and grows from 800 mt (~2500') to 1400 mt (~4500') in altitude.

The other is a hybrid that was developed to produce more flowers and therefore more perfume. It has many branches whereas the ornamental one has more compact flowers and the flowers are on an unbranched stem.

(taken from the website of the Lavender Museum)

The hybrid lavender is referred to as lavandine. It grows in limestone soils, below 600 mt (~2000'). The perfume has a camphor smell, though you can still tell that it is lavender. It is used to scent things like wash detergent and is called an industrial perfume. It is no longer cultivated in France.

Next was a movie. We were horrified to learn that after the perfume is distilled the waste material (flowers and stems) is dumped over a bank and burned. We mentioned our dismay to the young lady at the front desk, and it seems that others had made a similar comment. She said that the material could not be composted. I was willing to allow her that (after all, she was just an employee) but I asked her to inform her bosses that the material could be shredded and used as mulch, tilled into the soil, etc. I was pleased to see that my son felt as strongly about this as I did!

Once in the actual museum we were handed an object about the same size as a walkie-talkie, which explained all the exhibits to us. They have them available in many languages. We simply pressed the button of the display and we got an excellent explanation. This made a huge difference to our enjoyment of the museum. The tour went at whatever pace you wanted it to and you didn't have to read anything.

On the left in the poster is described the fine lavender, and on the right is the lavandine. It takes 130 kg of lavender flowers to make one kg of essential oil and 20 to 25 kg of essential oil is produced per hectare (2.5 acres). No wonder its so expensive!

Lavender blooms in June, July and early August and is harvested when in full bloom. The countryside is a patchwork of purple fields during bloom-time and many artists are inspired to paint the scene.

The boutique has beautiful (but expensive) products...lotions, massage oil, soaps, bubble bath, eau de toilette, shower gel, etc. We truly enjoyed this museum!!

Kiva

2009-10-23T21:36:00.000-07:00

If I remember correctly, long ago I promised to devote a post to Kiva. I just finished re-investing the loan re-payments and I noticed a nice blurb that I could just drop into this blog post.

I also highly recommend a gift certificate as a Christmas present for all those people who just don't need anymore "stuff" for Christmas. Choosing the loan recipients is a wonderful experience!

Hi!

I just made a loan to someone in Liberia using a revolutionary new website called Kiva (www.kiva.org).

You can go to Kiva's website and lend to someone across the globe who needs a loan for their business - like raising goats, selling vegetables at market or making bricks. Each loan has a picture of the entrepreneur, a description of their business and how they plan to use the loan so you know exactly how your money is being spent - and you get updates letting you know how the entrepreneur is going.

The best part is, when the entrepreneur pays back their loan you get your money back - and Kiva's loans are managed by microfinance institutions on the ground who have a lot of experience doing this, so you can trust that your money is being handled responsibly.

I just made a loan to an entrepreneur named Tenneh Saah in Liberia.
She is a widow supporting her 4 children with her very small business. She still need another $750.00 to complete her loan request of $1,000.00 (you can loan as little as $25.00!). Help me get this entrepreneur off the ground by clicking on the link below to make a loan to Tenneh Saah too:

http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=146600

(I expect that by the time you read this she will have received all the money she needs, but many other have requested loans, so just go to Kiva.org or click the banner on the right side of this blog.)

It's finally easy to actually do something about poverty - using Kiva I know exactly who my money is loaned to and what they're using it for. And most of all, I know that I'm helping them build a
sustainable business that will provide income to feed, clothe, house and educate their family long after my loan is paid back.

Join me in changing the world - one loan at a time.

Thanks!

---------------------------------------------------------
What others are saying about www.Kiva.org:

'Revolutionising how donors and lenders in the US are connecting with small entrepreneurs in developing countries.'
-- BBC

'If you've got 25 bucks, a PC and a PayPal account, you've now got the wherewithal to be an international financier.'
-- CNN Money

'Smaller investors can make loans of as little as $25 to specific individual entrepreneurs through a service launched last fall by Kiva.org.'
-- The Wall Street Journal

'An inexpensive feel-good investment opportunity...All loaned funds go directly to the applicants, and most loans are repaid in full.'
-- Entrepreneur Magazine

Clematis and Siberian Iris

2009-06-16T16:25:00.002-07:00

The clematis was the one I thought I moved a few years ago, and was supposed to be purple and white....a real beauty. No complaints about his one, especially when I saw it next to the purple Siberian Iris!

Magnificent Magnolia Tree

2009-05-08T21:18:00.007-07:00

There are quite a few magnolia trees in Kelowna BC. Most years I seem to be there at the right time to witness their magnificence.

It was very difficult to find a single flower to photograph, and even more difficult to be able to set it off on its own, like this one.

Recipe for Hand Cream, or Lotion

2009-04-16T08:41:00.003-07:00

Years ago a thoughtful quilter gave me a small container of homemade hand lotion, along with the recipe to make more of my own. I can't remember her name, but I know she lived at the time, in Penticton, BC. If she happens to read this, I want to thank her many times over!

Since the only time of the year that I need a hand lotion is in the spring and is to do with gardening, it occurred to me that there may be others who would like this recipe. It is also free of scented ingredients, which has been a real hit with people with allergies, and since my husband discovered it, he uses it more than I do!

The ingredients are available at a pharmacy, and in Canada I have to get most of them directly from the pharmacist. Only the glycerine is likely to be out on the shelves. In our very small town the pharmacist had to order in some of the ingredients for me, but this recipe is now so popular here that he keeps them in stock. The cost is about $15-20 for the 1.5 litres (or quarts) that this recipe makes.

Gardener's Hand Cream

15 gm Sodium Lauryl Sulphate
120 gm Cetyl Alcohol
2 - 100ml bottle Glycerine
15 gm Lanolin Anhydrous
4 cups boiling water

Melt first four ingredients in a double boiler. The sulphate does not melt, but will later, when added to the water.

Add to boiling water in a large bowl. Beat on medium speed until thick and creamy (this takes about 10 minutes). You can add a few tablespoons of aloe vera gel if you wish. Also, some of your favourite essential oil if you prefer it to be scented.

Makes about 1.5 litres or quarts.

I hope you enjoy it.

I Have Planted My Roses

2009-03-20T08:58:00.011-07:00

Sort of. In early March I received a phone call from Rachel at Palatine Roses. I had placed an order last fall and had asked for shipping in mid April. Last year they arrived with lots of long new growth that needed to be removed because the bare roots can't supply that growth with water. So when Rachel asked if she could ship earlier I was torn but her reasoning was good. She wanted to ship all the rose orders to BC in a cold storage truck and then have them distributed by Canada Post from a single point in BC. I explained that I was not in the part of BC that gets really cold and snowy, not the balmy part. But she was able to convince me that I could simply heel them in, paying attention to placing them horizontally and covering them with dirt.

The roses arrived and I looked out at our yard and shook my head. No dirt was showing. Not wanting to pot up so many roses I came up with an idea. Logic told me that the huge piles of snow might do. So I dug a hole in a pile that I knew would melt late because of it being in the shade, and I laid the incredibly big and healthy (with no new growth) group of bare root roses in the snow and carefully settled loose snow in between all the roots and around the rest of the plants. I figured they couldn't possibly dry out there, right? And when you think about it, this isn't much different from what Mother Nature does to them. While it is cold in their den, its not freezing. Okay, I think I have convinced myself. They will be just fine.

Update: It worked out superbly and I will definitely do this again.

The Pictures Tell the Sad Tale

2009-01-14T17:47:00.008-08:00

The release of pent-up snow on our metal roof is a pretty significant event. It can fall off the upper roof, onto the main one with a house-shaking thud. Just such a thud was heard but my husband said "I hope that wasn't the chimney. It is leaning." Such a comment definitely piqued my interest!! So out we dashed to view the roof. The chimney was still where it was supposed to be, but it was definitely leaning.

No matter what angle you viewed it from, it was definitely leaning.

So back in we went and in less than 5 minutes. We heard another crash. DH says "That has to be the chimney."

He went up to survey the damage. Its hard to tell from this picture that he is on a roof, but he is many feet above the ground.

So he determined that since it is too cold for mortar to set, we will have to do without the use of our woodstove for the rest of the winter. I sure hope we are done with the coldest part of the winter and will just coast out the rest of it. Dare I hope?

The Snow Kept Coming!

2009-01-11T14:17:00.010-08:00

We are one hundred miles north of Spokane, Washington and I know that if someone there reads this post they will scoff. They had 62" of snow in December, and we had less than half of that. But it was still very beautiful!! Usually when we get snow it starts to melt down in a few days, so it rarely lasts very long on the trees. But this time we had fluffy snow piling up for 3 full weeks. It was a true winter wonderland.

I put this ruler in the snow on our deck. It was fully covered after the next snowfall. What made it so interesting was to check how much snow had accumulated right after it finished snowing, then look at the ruler 24 and 48 hours later. The snow would settle as much as 2", without any melting temperatures!

It started to melt about 4 days ago, but here are some pics I took a few hours before it started to melt.

Annoyance

2009-01-09T21:38:00.005-08:00

About an hour ago I was wandering though Picasa on my computer, deleting some photos. Picasa is a free downloadable image organizer and editor from Google. Very handy, particularly in that you can upload very easily to Picasaweb, a free online photo album.

As I was looking through I said "Why are these images here? I have other copies of them. I will just delete them." So I deleted away, not bothering to read the message that came up in a box where I hit the "Yes" buttom. Suddenly I caught a glimpse of something like "this image will be deleted from your blog". WHAT!!??!!

It seems that Picasa makes folder of all the photos one puts on their blog. That folder does not show up in my Windows folder, only in Picasa.

The box said it may take up to 24 hrs before it happens. I guess I can't re-upload anything until they disappear, or I will have two copies. How annoying this is!

Balancing Acts

2009-01-02T12:01:00.008-08:00

We have had quite a bit of snow so far this winter. Luckily the temperature has been cold enough to keep the snow on the trees, therefore creating a true winter wonderland. Yesterday my ruler in the snow on our balcony read 20" but had compressed down to 19" by this morning.

To keep colour in the forefront in my life, I make quilts in the winter. I call it my indoor gardening.

Freezing Rain

2008-12-07T09:08:00.008-08:00

We have been experiencing freezing rain off and on for the last 2 days. Its pretty scary to step onto our cement pad at the garage and unexpectedly go for a slide. The ornamental grasses that I love to gaze at in the winter are suffering a bit, but hopefully once the ice on them melts, the Calamagrostis will spring back up.

A week ago we had 3-4" of wet snow. The grasses were bent over so I took a stick and gently lifted them out of it. They were just recovering nicely when the freezing rain hit.

The two pics below are of an Oregon grape plant that grows naturally in our yard, and my husband (a committed non-gardener) wants me to incorporate into a new planted area.

This tube is normally smooth.

This afternoon its supposed to either rain or snow. Rain should melt the ice, but snow will sit on top of it and hide it. Not good. And the poor Calamagrostis will never spring up again.

Leeks

2008-10-13T09:40:00.004-07:00

This past spring, in a moment of weakness, I purchased a package of leek seedlings. I have grown them once before, but was frustrated with what a nuisance it was to dig a trench to plant them in, then to gradually fill it in as the leeks grew. Then there was the problem with cleaning the dirt from inside each leek.

With a little more time on my hands now (post-children era) I decided to try again. This time I gave a lot of thought to how to grow them. I figured that if I could keep the soil away from the sides of the stem, then it shouldn't get into the folds, right? As the leeks got bigger in the flat, I had run out of time. So I just dug a trench, set the leeks in, firmed them in the soil, and put smallish leaves (I collect bags of leaves and always have some on hand) between them and the sides of the trench.

Awhile later I filled in the trench, being sure to keep some leaves around the plants. I was not holding out a lot of hope for this method, as I assumed the leaves would break down, but it was the only idea that was feasible at the time.

I am amazed and happy to report that this technique worked incredibly well!! I have completely dirt-free leeks, with an incredibly long section of white...about 10".

Now to deal with them all....

I wrote this about a month ago, intending to include a picture, but I didn't get a photo taken before they were all "dealt with".

Cacti at the Majorelle Gardens in Marrakesh

2008-07-20T17:49:00.003-07:00

Right after the pond and fountain there was a cactus garden. Rather unexpected after the relative lushness of the rest of the garden. However Morocco is not a lush country, so I should not have been surprised.

Too bad I couldn't have put something next to this monster to show the scale. If memory serves me correctly, it was about 5-6' across.

I bet you can guess why I took a pic of this cactus!

It was closing time and we were being kicked out, but I grabbed a quick shot of this wrinkly one.

When I stopped to take a pic of this one, my daughter suggested it would be better from a slightly different angle. So I handed the camera to her and she took the second shot. I can't decide which is more interesting, so why not include both!

He has a green thumb!

2008-07-10T14:16:00.004-07:00

My son has succeeded in growing basil and thyme in his apt in Baku in Azerbaijan. I mailed the seeds around March 15, and they took 4-5 weeks to reach him. I started some basil seeds myself soon after I mailed the seeds to him, but mine are nowhere near as big. He said that his just took off.

You have to give him credit for coming up with containers, however I will have to mention the apparent lack of drainage, at least in the upside down ones.

It also looks like he is growing these indoors, rather than on his balcony. I have so many questions to ask him....

More Colour from the Majorelle Gardens

2008-07-06T09:05:00.009-07:00

I believe that the first three pics below are of windows on the building that houses the Museum of Islamic Art. We didn't go in, as it was almost closing time.

my daughter

Majorelle Gardens, Marrakech, Morocco

2008-06-06T07:56:00.012-07:00

Having heard that Yves Saint-Laurent passed away recently, I was reminded that I had not yet posted pictures of his Majorelle Gardens in Marrakech.

The gardens were originally built in 1924 by artist and serious plant collector Jacques Majorelle. In 1980 Yves Saint-Laurent and Pierre Bergé bought it.

The first view is of these colourful pots, amongst a grove of giant bamboo:

The cobalt blue colour was used often in the gardens, and is named Majorelle bleu, after the artist and designer of the gardens.

More pics soon.

Seedling Care - Instructions to My Son in Azerbaijan

2008-06-01T10:51:00.002-07:00

Its too bad it took 5 weeks for those seeds to get to you, but I am happy to hear that you are proceeding. I expect that now your seeds have sprouted and you are ready for instructions on the next step.

Seedling Care

The seedlings need lots of light, and they need warmth to grow quickly. If put outside they may dry out too quickly and since night temps are lower outside that indoors, it is a good idea to keep them inside, as they will grow faster.

So if you have a sunny windowsill, put them on. This is when things get messy. Soil and water comes out of the containers when watering. Put on top of plastic to protect countertops, windowsills or whatever.

The care you give your seedlings in the weeks following germination is critical. Keep moist, but not dripping, as excess wetness will encourage a fungus called damping off*, which kill seedlings. Small pots and flats dry out quickly, so check it often. How can you tell if the soil is dry? The soil shrinks from the edges of the container. The container is light. Or the worst indicator is that the plants are wilting. This is very bad. You want to avoid this!

If your seedlings are growing in a windowsill, turn often to encourage straight stems. Also, gently brush the palm of your hand against the tops of the seedlings to encourage strong stem growth. (I have never tried this. I only read it for the first time today).

The first two leaves you will see on the plant are not true leaves but food storage cells called cotyledons. Once the first true leaves have developed, it's time to start fertilizing. Choose a good liquid organic fertilizer (10-10-10 or 20-20-20) and use a half-strength solution once a week.

About a week after germination, you need to thin your seedlings. You probably have noticed that you have waaaaayyyy more plants than you can use. Start by snipping off at ground level (not pulling out) the weaker and slower seedlings. Send me a pick and I will give you further instructions. Crowding will decrease air circulation, which encourages damping off, so thin them!

Yellow and Red

2008-05-14T10:59:00.005-07:00

Its been a good morning for colour. He flew across in front of the window and sat in the tree.

A male Western Tanager
Then came two females. He moved closer to them, watching them like teenages boys watch the girls. Then came 2 more males. No scrapping, but this guy came dangerously close to our cat. Luckily she is 14 yr and her hunting days are probably over.

Another Tanager
Do you suppose they may like our yard because they fit right in, colour-wise?

Beauty of Appledoorn tulips

Seed Starting #1 - To My Son in Azerbaijan

2008-04-24T13:56:00.009-07:00

Use Small Containers First

Start your seeds in small containers, such as yogurt, cottage cheese containers, or a milk carton, laid on its side (about 5cm deep), with the opposite side cut off (staple closed the end that was opened). Some people use egg cartons (expect to transplant quite quickly from such a small container). Make sure you put one or more holes, about half a centimeter in diameter, in the bottom of all these containers. If the holes are too big soil will fall out.

Egg and milk cartons, almost ready for seeds
Prepare the Containers for Sowing

Put newspapers or plastic on your table. Makes clean up much easier.
Fill pots or flats to the top with your potting mixture and firm the soil and level the surface (a flat-bottomed cup or glass work well for this). Water the soil and allow it to drain thoroughly before sowing the seeds. I like to let it sit in a larger container that has water in it, so that the water soaks up from the bottom. That way you are sure to have the entire soil mass wet. This is important, as the soil can be difficult to get wet. You want there to be about .5cm of space above the soil.

Label your containers. If they becomes mixed up you can send me pics later and I can ID them.

Sowing Seeds

Sprinkle the seeds on the surface of the damp soil and cover with a very thin layer of soil. In a egg carton compartment put 2-3 seeds. In a milk carton, put a group of 2 or 3 every couple of inches. Firm the soil. It is important the the seeds have good contact with the soil. The top layer of soil should absorb moisture from the layer below. If possible, continue to water from the bottom. If you must water from a container, use one with a spout or use a thin-lipped glass…something you can control the flow out of. If the water comes out too fast, it will send all the seeds to a corner.

Slip into a plastic bag so you won’t have to water. Leave it open. If you have a heater place your containers near it so they will germinate faster, but be careful, because they will also dry out faster. The top of the fridge is also a warm spot. Some types of seeds will germinate in approximately one week, though some will be faster and others slower. Once germination occurs remove the bag and move them to a sunny spot indoors.

To My Son in Azerbaijan - How to Start Seeds

2008-04-24T13:48:00.002-07:00

I have a son living and working in Baku in Azerbaijan. Where is that you ask? On the west side of the Caspian Sea, between Russia and Iran. Baku is on approximately the same latitude as Northern California, Istanbul and Naples.

Central Asia, with Azerbaijan in orange, to the left of centerMap is from the U of Texas website
He wants to grow herbs on his south-facing balcony, so I have sent him packages of basil, thyme, rosemary, Greek oregano (this is the white-flowered one and is so much better than the purple-flowered plant), along with some marigold seeds. He is ready with some containers and potting soil that he has been able to find in Baku.

He is 24 yr and has never grown anything before so I figure he needs lots of help. So I have prepared detailed instructions for him. I would love to hear from those of you who might have tips to add to my posts.

He has a blog that he has had for a few years, from when he was in India, Cairo and now Baku. There is lots of wonderful reading there! I hope he will show pics of his plants as they progress.

!!!! Arctic Air !!!!

2008-04-21T08:38:00.004-07:00

We have been breaking records all over British Columbia for the past few days. The previous weekend we had the first nice weather, and now we are back to winter. Vancouver and Victoria woke up to snow on Saturday. Actually, in our little town of Grand Forks, we got off pretty easy. To the west of us, in the Okanagan Valley, it was much colder and they had lots of snow on Saturday. The snowfall this morning was our only accumulation of the weekend.

Some Plants That Survive the Dry of Morocco

2008-04-19T13:17:00.006-07:00

All the pics below were taken in the area of Tafraoute, which is a few hundred kilometers south of Marrakech.

Above was the first of these plants that I saw that had flowers. The rest of them didn't even have any greenery. They were just a bundle of crocked stems with thorns.

I was hiking up a small mountain and encountered many clumps of both of these plants. From a distance the mountain looked devoid of vegetation, but there was actually quite a bit once one was up close.

A foundation planting. It is about 30" tall.

Cacti are particularly good as garbage catchers, something which is needed in Morocco.

Fragile Ecosystem and Desertification

2008-04-16T08:53:00.004-07:00

Wikipedia: "Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting primarily from human activities and influenced by climatic variations. Current desertification is taking place much faster worldwide than historically and usually arises from the demands of increased populations that settle on the land in order to grow crops and graze animals."

What we saw in Morocco is that the western edge of the Sahara is moving westwards, swallowing up surrounding land by depositing sand. As gardeners know, it is very difficult to grow things in sand. A reduction in productive arable land means people and animals may go hungry. Since 93% of Morocco is arid, the government is working on stopping the encroachment, but 55,000 acres of arable land is disappearing per year. Can mere humans possibly stop it, not only in Morocco, but in many other countries?

At the end of the 19th Century Morocco had over 15 million date palms. Now there are only 4.5 million. This reduction means a huge drop in income for a large part of the local population.

According to Wikipedia: "It has been determined that the primary reasons for desertification are overgrazing, over cultivation, incorrect irigation methods, deforestation, overdrafting of groundwater, increased soil salinity, and global climate change."

I must admit that when our guide told us about the problem of the expanding desert and showed us sandy areas far from major sand dunes of the Sahara, I was puzzled. It was like there was a sand magnet under the ground.

While I have not found an explanation for pockets of sand (I suppose the wind is the main culprit), it seems that (Wiki) "Desertification does not occur in linear, easily mappable patterns. Deserts advance erratically, forming patches on their borders. Areas far from natural deserts can degrade quickly to barren soil, rock, or sand through poor land management. The presence of a nearby desert has no direct relationship to desertification. Unfortunately, an area undergoing desertification is brought to public attention only after the process is well under way. Often little data are available to indicate the previous state of the ecosystem or the rate of degradation."

You frequently hear the phrase fragile ecosystem. After reading the info on Wikipedia and having seen the edge of the desert in Morocco, I understand it much better. There is nothing like nature's classroom and travelling to broaden our understanding of everything and everyone else.

The Sahara Desert

2008-03-26T19:05:00.011-07:00

Aboard a camel, we approach the dunes of Erg Chebbi
The land around these huge sand dunes is flat as a pancake and bone dry. The palm trees appear to be engulfed by sand dunes. Likely the desert has encroached on them. This process is called desertification, a subject I plan to deal with in the next post.

Is this dragonfly alive or dead?
We were awakened (if we actually managed to sleep) to observe the sunrise over the Sahara. We got out of our warm bedding and climbed the dunes surrounding our camp. It is not warm in the desert at night. The dragonfly was likely just responding to the lower air temperature and would come to life once the sun rose, and warmed it up.

There is vegetation in the Sahara
If you, like me, assumed that the Sahara was only sand, it would come as a surprise to you to see that there are many clumps of grass to be seen.

Animal tracks
While waiting for the sun to rise I noted some tracks, but could not even imagine what animal might make them.

Shadows at sunrise
We were infatuated with the shadows and the lower the sun was, the longer the legs of our camels were! But it was difficult to take pics as camels do not give a smooth ride!

My daughter, and behind her, Lisa
This pic shows some of the vegetation on the dunes.

It was about 2 months ago that I was there. Sigh....it was such a great trip. I absolutely love reviewing my photos.

To the East of the High Atlas Mountains

2008-03-19T12:16:00.007-07:00

Well done Jackie! Yes, the Sahara Desert in on the lee side of the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.

So we were on our way to our camel trekking excursion when our guide stopped to point out this plant to us. It is an amazing plant as it was by far the largest plant around and the only broad leafed plant I had seen for hours.

Our guide told us it was called Calotropis procera. Today I did some research on it.

my daughter checking out Calotropis procera
Common names include Apple Of Sodom, Rubberbush, and Giant Milkweed. It is a member of the Asclepias family, and is related to the lovely orange flowered drought tolerant garden plant commonly known as Butterfly Weed. It is one of the few plants that neither goats nor camels will eat.

the flower buds
It seems it is being considered for cancer treatment. From the SciELO website:

"Calotropis procera, a wild growing plant is well known for its medicinal uses in traditional system of medicine for the treatment of variety of disease conditions that include leprosy, ulcers, tumors and piles... The milky white latex obtained from the plant exhibits potent anti-inflammatory activity in various animal models that is comparable to standard anti-inflammatory drugs... It has been well established through various experimental and clinical studies that drugs possessing anti-inflammatory activity also exhibit anti-cancer properties."

The dried seed pod
And from the Herb Society of America website:

"..it is a magnificent shrub, reaching 10 feet tall, with large silver-green leaves, clusters of waxy purple-tipped flowers, and inflated pale green seed pods. The pods split open when ripe to release silk-tufted seed to the wind. The latex is poisonous, containing digitalis-like compounds that affect the heart, and is used to make arrow poison. Medicinally, the acrid sap latex is used to treat boils, infected wounds and other skin problems in people, and to treat parasitic skin infestations in animals. It also yields ash for making gunpowder, and extremely strong fiber."

the seeds
There are a number of interesting comments from people growing it in Florida on the Daves Garden website. It seems that the plant is a favourite of Monarch butterflies.

What an interesting plant!

Onion Storage and Storks in Morocco

2008-03-13T15:16:00.011-07:00

There are onions in there!
Our guide informed us that these structures are for onion storage. I use the word "structure" loosely as there are no walls. It seems the onions are carefully insulated (straw and dirt?) from the cold and wet so that they last through the winter and the season over which they are sold is therefore greatly extended. It was impressive to see the numerous neat rows with the yellow tarps.

Storks in Ifrane
Soon after the onion storage we started to see the storks on rooftops. I was totally smitten and took pics of every stork and nest that I saw! The storks are considered to be good luck so despite the mess that their nests bring, they seem to be happily tolerated, even in the upscale city of Ifrane, where everything is new. Kinda reminded me of Banff, in Alberta.

More storks in Ifrane
There is a ski hill near Ifrane, but on Feb 6 it was long closed. Spring has come much too early to Morocco this year.

Me on the left, our guide in the middle
and my daughter on the right
We really enjoyed our guide!

Morocco has the High Atlas, the Middle Atlas, the Anti Atlas and the Sahro mountain ranges. These pics were from the Middle Atlas, which usually receives plenty of snow, however not this year. After the mountain ranges a rain shadow effect kicks in in a big way. Anyone know what is to the east of these mountains?

Bahia Palace In Marrakech, Morocco

2008-03-09T10:27:00.013-07:00

Poinsettia
This tall poinsettia was growing in the garden of the Bahia Palace in Marrakech. It must have been 15' tall. A far cry from our little Christmas plants! As a grower of houseplants in a northern climate, I find it very amusing to travel to these plant's native lands and see the plant as it is meant to grow.

Banana Flower
A single large flower grows at the bottom of the string of fruit. I looked up banana flower on Google Images and it seems they are quite spectacular when open.

I am surprised that they point upwards rather than down. Moroccan bananas are smaller than what we get in North American grocery stores.

Interior of Bahia Palace
Every square inch of the walls were intensively decorated in this palace that is just over a hundred years old. The rooms vary in size according to the importance of each wife or concubine.

A fountain with floating rose petals
On our way to the palace we spied this fountain in the courtyard of a restaurant. The water was flowing and the sound was lovely. It was magical. Marrakech has thousands of roses planted in the parks of the city, particularly on the way to the airport.

Almond Trees Were in Bloom in Morocco

2008-03-04T09:00:00.009-08:00

almond blossoms
I had spied many small trees in bloom as I travelled inland from Tiznit to Tafraoute. Some had pink blossoms, others white. I had wondered if either of them were almond blossoms and it turned out that they both were.

almond tree near Tafraoute
Not all of the almond trees in Morocco were as healthy as this one. Unfortunately many were much shorter and scrawnier.

The Tafraoute area (south of Marrakech) has an almond blossom festival every year, around mid to late February. I was there in late January so I missed it.

between Agadir and Marrakech
Travelling by bus from Agadir to Marrakech I was in awe of the almonds in bloom in the valley below the road. Unfortunately it is a little difficult to take pics through a bus window, while it was barrelling along.

A few days later I hired a driver and asked him about whether or not almonds self-seed themselves, as I am used to seeing fruit trees planted in carefully laid out rows, while these almond trees were helter skelter. But I was told that almond seeds do not produce a tree that will produce good almonds and therefore all must be grafted and then planted. So I think that some of the trees that are growing in difficult places (see up the hillside in the background of this pic) must be self-seeded and those growing healthily, though not organized, are grafted plants.

a typical shop, this one selling dates (many different kinds),
raisins, dried apricots, almonds, and garlic
I also found it interesting to note that almonds in Morocco are not cheap. In the Tafraoute area they were $9/kilo and in Marrakech, for the tourists, they were $13/kilo ($6/lb). In a bulk store here we buy them for $10/kilo.

Generally in Morocco the prices are not indicated. You must bargain. There is one price for the locals and another for the tourists. I have read that Germans, Americans and Japanese pay the highest prices!

What is unusual is that in Tafraoute and at the carts in the Jemma El Fna square in Marrakech, the prices of the dried fruit and nuts were clearly labelled.

What Are These Rock Piles About?

2008-02-29T09:36:00.001-08:00

Saw lots of these on the side of the road out in the countryside in Morocco. Would never have known what they were about if I hadn't hired a car and driver for a few days. He told us that the containers hold honey. The area appeared to be devoid of inhabitants so I said "You leave money and take the honey?" "No, someone will notice if you stop and they will come to you." No one came to me while taking pics, but I was only there a couple of minutes.

This container looks so battered and has no lid. I am guessing it was too cold for there to be any bees yet, or they would be in the containers cleaning out the honey!

A Fescue?

2008-02-27T10:30:00.007-08:00

Since I work for an ornamental grass nursery, I notice grasses on my travels. This grass was carpeting the hillsides at around 1600 mt (5000') in the Middle Atlas.

Festuca ?
It is likely a Festuca however it is not blue enough to be Festuca punctoria. Like F. punctoria its leaves are incredibly stiff and spikey. You would definitely not want to fall on this grass nor can I image any animals grazing on it.

My daughter's foot for a size reference
This area should have been covered in snow. Luckily for us it wasn't.

A photo I grabbed before getting back into
the car. I love Arabic script.

Palm Trees in Morocco

2008-02-21T14:21:00.008-08:00

Please indulge my fascination with palm trees. I am from a snowy climate and we just don't have them here.

Correct me if I am wrong but I believe these are dates hanging from this palm tree.

Date Palm
As we drove by many clumps of these I wondered if, since it looked like a palm, could it really be one? I was assured that it was. I should have put something beside it so it was obvious how short it is. I would say it is 12" in height.

Dwarf Palm
If one looked up and studied the palm trees, it was possible to note that they are not all the same. This one had very large drooping leaves.

Drooping palms
A typical scene of palms. I took the pic for the orange tree, cause I realized that I had not taken one yet.

Common palms
And for a little humour. We were on our way to the Marrakech airport when I spotted a few of these. I wish I knew why they felt a need to put really tall fake palms there.

Fake plam tree

Have Been in Morocco

2008-02-17T04:05:00.005-08:00

I just returned from 3 weeks in Morocco, where I took pics of as many plants as I could find to take pics of. However the variety of plant life is very different from in Costa Rica, where lush plant life is what the country is all about. Morocco receives very little precipitation, even on the coastal side of the Atlas Mts. (For those of you not sure of the country's locations, it is in the north-west of Africa, on the west side of the Sahara Desert). The native vegetation has a distinct "I have worked out ways to preserve moisture" look. This bougainvillea in Tarroudant, which is the only place I saw fields being irrigated with overhead sprinklers, obviously benefited from moisture and grew as tall as the lamp-post. The walls on either side are at least 8' tall.

Bougainvillea in Tarroudant, Morocco
Morocco appears to be in trouble this year, due to a combination of a lack of precipitation and such abnormally warm weather so early in the season. We (my daughter and I) were told that spring was about 6 - 8 wks ahead of schedule. In the area on the Algeria/Sahara side of the High Atlas Mts our driver/guide (who was very knowledgeable about the environment) pointed out 2 doves on the side of the road. He said that they should not be in the area so early. The warm weather had fooled them into thinking it was mid to late March. By being there so early there was not enough food for them yet so they were small. Since they themselves are a food source for locals, their small size affects the people of the area.

Much more about Morocco to come.

Worm Poop

2008-01-12T12:35:00.000-08:00

While at the website of Kiva.org (one of my favourite websites - about making small loans to entrepreneurs in other countries), I visited the website of one of their supporters called GOOD Magazine. How could one pass up the opportunity to see what a business with the name of GOOD is all about? As may be expected, this organization is about presenting subscribers and viewers to the website with info regarding good stuff that is happening in our world. One article that caught my eye was about a young man who makes and markets worm castings. A visit to his TerraCycle website shows that he buys used containers to market his Worm Poop. Very cool! However I must admit that I wish that most of our containers were not produced in the first place. At least with the way they are used at TerraCycle, they do not need to be reprocessed before they are used again.

Checking the website further for locations near me where this product is sold, I see that it is in WalMart, Home Depot and Zellers. I must have seen this product before but I don't visit those stores very often (WalMart I refuse to visit) and since I don't buy fertilizer I guess I have missed it. Now I will watch for it.

The site also mentions Urban Street Golf. What a great solution to the havoc that golf courses are playing with our environment.

By the way, on the side of one of the pages of the GOOD website is an ad that asks people to vote for a Stick of Butter on Nov 7th. I am in Canada and have never heard about this. Can anyone fill me in?

I think I will have to blog about Kiva the next time.

Beauty in the Snow

2007-12-31T16:05:00.000-08:00

I think "Ringlet Grass" would be a good name for this grass
Trees bowing to me as I passed!

Dragon Fruit

2007-12-08T13:56:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I noticed this fruit the grocery store. Naturally, I had to give it a try. It is called Dragon fruit and a look at it on Wikipedia told me that it is actually an epiphytic vine-like cactus and is also called Pitaya and Strawberry pear, amongst others. The word epiphytic looked familiar and I realized that I did a post on Epiphytes quite sometime ago. Click on the link to learn more about them.

Pitaya is native to Central and South America, and its bloom is called Moonflower (it only blooms at night). There are two other types of Dragon fruit, one with a deep red interior and another that has yellow skin and a white interior.

To eat it one simply cuts a soft fruit in half and you can easily scoop out the flesh with a spoon. As for taste, it is actually quite dull. Similar to a kiwi fruit in that it has those crunchy seeds, but even less flavourful. However it is much larger than a kiwi.

Would I buy one again? No, not unless some kids were coming for dinner (I love exposing people, especially kids) to new things.

Welcoming Jack Frost

2007-12-04T18:35:00.000-08:00

Iris leaves
I think it lasted for about a week. We had some rain (a rare occurence) and then it froze and remained below freezing. I guess it was the humidity in the air that condensed on the plants (feel free to correct me if I am wrong) and haloed them all. They were all so pretty.

Alchemilla mollis leaves (Lady's Mantle)
My fingers got very cold taking the pics, but it was worth it to look at the garden in late November, finding yet more things that thrill me about it.

Random leaves
Honest, I didn't arrange them this way. They just happened to be lying there, exactly as you see them.

Captured a Few Watercolour Shots

2007-11-21T21:13:00.001-08:00

Had some fun with Photoshop Elements and the ice crystals that all the plants are loaded with.

Conspicuous Consumption

2007-05-19T10:13:00.000-07:00

While researching "environmental weddings" for a client who wants a website, I came upon this article in The Independent, a UK newspaper. It reveals how much carbon is released when vast amounts of money are spent on totally unnecessary luxuries:

"Liz Hurley's long-haul wedding has produced a carbon footprint so large that it would take the average British couple more than 10 years to contribute as much to heating up the planet as she and Arun Nayar have done in little over a week. It would take a typical Indian couple a massive 123 years."

I love it that the details of how much carbon was emitted by a celebrity's celebration is able to be calculated and revealed to us. This sort of thing will go a long way towards making people understand the role that they play in climate change:

"Best Foot Forward says the biggest polluter is the Learjet, which will emit more than 70,000kg on its 12,000-mile round-trip. Accommodation in India adds 18,605kg, and food and drink 18,000kg. Flying in flowers produces 28,250kg, and flying three chefs to India adds 2,377kg. Guests and staff travelling to Gloucestershire released 30,000kg. The bride's flight to Milan for a dress fitting added just 215kg."

I am baffled by how our media continually discusses industry along with carbon emissions. If we stop buying so much, in particular if we stop buying from "black list" industries, then they will have to change. If we stop reading magazines that showcase celebrities and their conspicuous consumption, then slowly but surely, the magazines and the celebrities, the advertisers and the industries will begin to get the hint. It all rests in OUR hands. It must become uncool to be a consumer.

Tulips

2007-05-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

Usually I do not even bother to try to take pictures of flowers when the sun is shining. Anything the sun reflects off of results in a white area. However I thought I would give a try with the tulips below, when I saw the interesting shadows that were created. It would be a nicer picture if I went to the trouble to fade the edges, which would get rid of the distracting background.

Florissa Tulip

Dicentra spectabilis 'Gold Heart' - Bleeding Heart

2007-05-11T10:02:00.000-07:00

Iowa Gardening Woman and Nickie were absolutely correct in identifying the mystery flower as bleeding heart. Well done! I can see I am going to have to be much more devious if I want to fool anyone again. You two got it very quickly!

Here are more shots of one of the "pride and joy" plants in my garden. I have also noted that this is one plant I located correctly my very first try. I planted it about 8 yrs ago and have never moved it!

Dicentra spectabilis 'Gold Heart' - Bleeding Heart
And here it is full-size
I have found this plant to be very easy to grow in my Zone 5 climate in southern British Columbia. It needs to be kept watered, but doesn't need an excessive amount of irrigation but that may be because mine is in dappled shade all day. In full sun I think it would need a lot of water.

It doesn't die down in the summer.

Mystery Flower

2007-05-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

Who can tell me the name of this flower?

More pics of Daydream

2007-05-06T13:10:00.000-07:00

Daydream, about to open
I guess an appropriate comment to make right now would be "Its MY blog and I can post as many shots of Daydream as I want!" LOL

Daydream, as dark as it gets

Daydream Tulip

2007-05-03T21:33:00.000-07:00

Daydream Tulip
I was very disappointed in this tulip when I first saw pale lemon coloured blooms. I wondered why I would have bought it and to make it worse, it was blooming with the daffodils, which are a much brighter yellow. Then after a few days I noticed some orangey-coloured tulip blooms and realized that the color was changing with age.

This is Daydream too!
Daydream is a Darwin hybrid. Previously I had not been excited about the hybrid tulips because I thought they were a little boring and because they pretty much die out after one year.

Darwin hybrids are different in that they are supposed to come back year after year and still look great. I sure hope so!!

Narcissus

2007-04-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

Jetfire
I believe that Jetfire is the Narcissus that attracts the most attention in my garden. It is shorter and earlier than King Alfred. While many other Narcissus nod downwards, even though this one does, its recurved petals mean that it shows up really well.

Orangerie
Not very orange in the center, but very pretty. Also not very tall, though it is its first year, so maybe it will be taller next year.

A tip I learned a number of years ago is that one should plant daffodils at least half way back in a planting bed. The foliage from perennials will hide the leaves until they are done for the year. It has worked beautifully for me.

When it comes to the shorter bulbs, crocus is fine at the very front, but medium height foliage is best disguised by the foliage of daylilies or ornamental grasses.

Polygonatum

2007-04-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

Polygonatum
This plant has changed its Latin name a number of times, and I have had considerable experience with changes in Latin names, such that I am not going to go out on a limb and declare what the name of this one is! But it is the variegated form, about 18" tall.

When I first planted this Solomon's Seal it was not happy. The plain version took off, but this one looked like it would die. So I moved it. Same story. Then I had a spot where nothing would grow because it was so dry. This one loved it there and has spread to entirely fill a 6 x 3' area. I am almost sad because my husband offered to build a little "deck" out over the pond, as a way to deal with this area where nothing would survive. It would have been lovely but when these plants thrived I gave up the idea of the deck. I guess I should be trading for some other project, though I expect he will have a bout of memory loss if I bring up the subject.

Pulsatilla vulgaris Rubra

2007-04-23T17:08:00.000-07:00

I great little plant with a long period of interest. The seedheads on Pulsatilla are delicate and feathery. I guess I will have to be sure to grab a photo later. Also, I have a Pulsatilla called Papageno. It has fringed petals. It is growing in a dry spot so I am not sure that it will be as nice a display as this one, but it is also worth growing.

Ancilla Tulip

2007-04-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

First thing this morning I told myself that I needed to get outside with my camera. Then came the comment from Kate in my previous post. How could I not oblige someone that says something so nice! So out I went and here are the shots of Ancilla tulip:

These first two are as it looks "in real life"

Then sometimes you get the right angle and the right background and you end up with something much better than was planned:

Ancilla was a new tulip I planted last fall and it has been a very pleasant surprise. This early kaufmanniana tulip gives a lovely break from the yellow of the daffodils, though I can hardly believe I said that as I LOVE the yellow daffodils.

Mr. Magnificent

2007-04-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

We have been very slow to seed our last area in lawn. The soil was put there years ago when we hand-dug out our basement, or should I say when my husband hand-dug our basement (I was pregnant). We were dumb enough to build our house on posts and in our cold climate, that does not work well at all!!

So we are slowly improving the soil, with the addition of coffee grounds, leaves and the burying of our compostable garbage (burying it is so much easier than composting it!).

So we had some 25 yr old barley seed and decided to toss it out on the area produce a green manure crop. Last year it didn't sprout. Maybe it was too old, or should I say, it was very likely too old. There is still lots left so I tossed a bunch of it out again this year.

Result: hundreds of bobbing heads (Juncos) and the recent visitors - a magnificent pheasant and his much less colourful mate. Watching her eating on the ground, of which she is almost the same colour, made me think that the male, while he is gorgeously colourful, he has a distinct disadvantage. He is so easy to see that he is a predator-magnet. How could anyone or anything not notice Mr. Magnificent?

Have You Ever Seen a Seal Print?

2007-03-29T08:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was talking to a nice lady in Newfoundland (the easternmost province of Canada). She mentioned that she grows grapes. What! Grapes can grow on The Rock? In cloudy and cool Newfoundland? This did not make sense to me. However I went to her website (Dark Cove Cottage Farm and Winery) and sure enough, she grows beautiful grapes in a town called Gambo, which obviously has a nice climate. Along with many beautiful and charming pictures of Newfoundland her website had this great picture:
Seal prints
By the way, guess what kind of dogs she has? Check out her website to view the big boys.

I really enjoyed talking to Glenda.

Washington Post Article on Willows

2007-03-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

Google Alert just sent me an email and it happened to include the link from the Washington Post where the article I mentioned is on the website. So here it is, if you want to read it. The picture is pretty blah though. The willow stems are pretty accurate in the picture in my last post.

Today is the first day that I can tell spring is coming. Water is running down our driveway and I get to partake in one of my favorite springtime activities - channeling the flow. I just love to make mini ditches with a stick and watch them catch the water and send it off in another direction.

Salix irrorata

2007-03-09T12:52:00.000-08:00

I think I feel an urge to boast a little.

I do a website for a nursery that sells ornamental grasses and willows. I also answer email, etc. About two weeks ago Adrian Higgins from the Washington Post contacted the owner, wanting to do an article on willows and asked for a picture of one of the willows. I had taken this picture of Salix irrorata and on Thursday, Mar 1 it was published, along with a really nice write-up about willows and Bluestem Nursery. We have been flooded with orders ever since. It is absolutely amazing how many people have ordered cuttings of this willow!!

Salix irrorata
I looked for the article, so as to provide a link to it, but it appears to be already gone from the Washington Post website.

Bluestem Nursery also had a request from a company that makes plant tags. They wanted my picture of Salix pentandra. They actually paid me for it. Whoopeee!

Tips for Photographing Flowers

2007-02-11T14:04:00.000-08:00

Since I don't want to pretend that I have sufficient expertise in the area of flower photography to post tips, when I stumbled upon this information regarding photographing roses, I thought it might be something that others would find useful. Lots of practial info at the website of the Connecticut Rose Society.

Gardening is Like a Drug

2007-02-05T17:42:00.000-08:00

Blackswamp Girl left a comment under my last post and that led me to her blog to see what someone with such an interesting "handle" could be blogging about. Be sure to read her interesting post and the subsequent comments about Gardening and Artistry. She suggests that gardeners are artists. I must admit that I feel like I employ some artistic principles when I lay out my beds and plan my plantings. But I garden first and foremost for the thrill the color gives me. My thrice daily walks to inspect the garden make me smile and make my heart beat faster. The sense of accomplishment/success is also not to be ignored. I guess it is a little strange to think about the physical effort that has gone into my garden, vs what I get out of it. Many people would (and do) question it. But I know that many of you understand because for many of us gardening is like a drug and we are addicted!!!

Looking over the rest of her blog I noticed a beautiful picture of Chasmanthium. That reminded me that I took gazillions of pictures of mine last fall. A few turned out quite nicely, so here is yet another picture of the very photogenic seedheads of Northern sea oats.

Chasmanthium latifolium

Last Winter Was So Different

2007-02-02T14:25:00.000-08:00

Last winter the month of January was very rainy. This winter we have a foot and a half of snow on the ground and its been well below freezing for weeks. I even stuck my well-used quilting ruler in the snow and took a picture! It snowed some more right after I took it.

All this snow should be good for the plants though. Last winter the rain in January is what I blame for the demise of my 2 magnificent Centranthus rubras (Jupiter's beard or Red valerian). They have carrot like roots but they rotted. It is a very hardy plants, so it wasn't the cold and since the seedlings around these two were perfectly healthy I could only assume that the rain and resulting ice is what killed the plants.

In December I found this orchard near Kelowna and for some reason there were still loads of apples on the trees. It was a beautiful sight!

Birds and Windows

2007-01-03T11:41:00.000-08:00

Ugh, just lost a bird. The one and only thrush. We have birdfeeders and I hadn't gotten around to putting up the decals in the window that supposedly warn birds to not fly into them. Now I can't find the decals. However last summer I put up a long spiral in one window that was getting hit a number of times a day (silly Juncos) and it completely eliminated the problem. So I had a couple of spirals in the house so I put them up on the inside of the glass. Seems to be working as in the space of about 5 minutes I noticed three goldfinches head for the window and veer away at the last moment.

In case you don't know what this spiral thingy is that I am talking about, I have bravely taken a picture. You ask why I consider myself to be brave? The window needs cleaning! One of the reasons it is dirty is because of birds hitting it. And do I want to go out and clean it? Not when its -15 C!!! However I did go out and refill the feeders.

My Canon IS S2 - A Review

2006-11-18T10:48:00.005-08:00

I am receiving lots of compliments regarding my pictures, so I thought it would be appropriate to write a post about my camera.

I spent a great deal of time researching cameras so that I could get one that would keep me happy for years.

What was important to me in a camera is that it take pictures where the object (flower) is in focus, but the background would be blurry. In my opinion, it is impossible to take nice pictures of flowers if the blackground isn't blurred. This is called being able to control the depth of field, which with the old style of cameras was taken care of by adjusting the f stop. With digital cameras the term used is being able to adjust the AV (aperature value).

Other major considerations were the zoom ability. (Tip: ignore the digital zoom. It isn't really a zoom) Just pay attention to the optical zoom. The Canon IS S2 has a 12x zoom. Most digital cameras have a 3x zoom. My son, who travels a lot, pointed out that the advantage to a good zoom is that you can take pictures of people without them knowing it. In foreign countries this can be important, as both he and I consider it rude and intrusive to stick a camera in someone's face. Of course you can also take pics of people you know without them knowing it. I have also turned off the "click" sound.

One of the problems with a long zoom is that blurry pictures are more common because of your hand shaking when snapping the shutter. Hence there is a feature called image stabilization. That is what the IS stands for in the name of the camera. It truly works. I have yet to take a blurry picture!!

The zoom is fantastic for taking close-up pics of flowers. When reading the instruction book, I happened to pick up a comment that it said that if you use the zoom when taking a close-up, the background will be blurry. Good enough for me! So I just stand back a few feet, zoom in on a flower and it takes great pics. I don't even bother to work with the aperature value (okay, I tried once or twice but I wasn't happy with the results). Its just too easy!!!!

The Canon IS S2 also has a fold out screen that rotates. At first this made me nervous, thinking that it couldn't be very solid, but it certainly doesn't feel fragile. The advantages to this type of screen are numerous. First, the screen is protected. Second, you can take pics of people without appearing to be looking at the camera. This is really great for candid shots. And it is great for taking pics of plants. I have held the camera overhead and near ground level and the rotating screen makes that easy.

Why not get a digital SLR camera? Too many lenses to carry around and too expensive. I like having the telephoto (zoom) right there on the camera. No lenses to change. Simply move a button and the subject is closer. How easy is that!!

There are 2 cameras with similar features that are similar to the Canon IS S2 and those are the Panasonic FZ7 and the Sony DSC-H2. The former does not have the fold out screen and when I picked one up and snapped the shutter I couldn't believe how much less comforable it was to handle. Something as simple as the position of the shutter button on the Canon (and Sony) was amazing. The Sony also doesn't have the fold out screen and I prefer the SD memory cards because they have become the standard and are therefore much cheaper than any of the other memory cards. Also, the Sony can only be repaired in Texas. Not at all convenient when travelling or living in another country.

Due to the Canon IS S2 having a fold out display, the size of the LCD monitor is smaller than the Panasonic or Sony. That is the only disadvantage I have noted, however the fold out screen is more important to me than its size. I believe the new Canon IS S3 has a slightly larger screen. I see that it has dropped dramatically in price in the last 3 months.

It also takes excellent indoor pics under amazingly low light and without a flash. As a matter of fact the color is better without the flash.

I think that pretty much covers it other than that I wanted to keep the camera to a 5MP size. I really don't plan to blow up any of my pictures to a huge size, so 5MP is plenty. Cheaper too.

If you go to Amazon.com you can read many many owners' reviews of the cameras I mentioned. This feature at Amazon was very helpful to me in making my camera selection. The colored text above links directly to Amazon if you want to read the reviews.

By the way, the main complaint about the Canon IS S2 was the fact that the lens cap fell off easily. Mine has that problem fixed.

Where Did this White Stuff Come From?

2006-11-09T18:12:00.000-08:00

As a kid we got excited when we got the first snowfall, but as I get older I find there is much less enthusiasm. So I tried to look on the bright side and sure enough, there were lots of great pics to be had:

Scabrosa rosehips
Miscanthus
Mountain Ash berries

Carex grayi

2006-11-02T16:37:00.000-08:00

Carex grayi
This grass has the most amazing seedheads! If you want to read more about the plant simply visit this link Carex grayi.

They are so cute, but....

2006-10-02T18:13:00.000-07:00

This shot was taken from inside the house, through a dirty window, and about 55 feet away. Love my camera!!
Usually squirrels make a lot of noise but this year they are totally quiet. I have come to realize that their incessant chatter is a way of drawing out any predators. They make a racket and if no cats appear to be interested, then they figure it is safe to run to the pond for a drink. There they battle with a flock of juvenile robins.

This one just finished dining on apples. We have only a handful of apples this year because they have been up in the tree, eating them before they even fall.

Next year we need to get a younger cat.

Small Dragonflies

2006-09-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

There have been an abundance of squirrels, frogs and dragonflies this summer. Oh yes, and rose slugs. The dragonflies and frogs are friendly, but the other two have caused considerable damage (see below).

I was happy to finally catch a photo of any sort of dragonfly, as I had previously noted that the big ones hover and just as I grab my camera they fly away. This shot was taken from a chair and was quite a distance from the rhodo they had landed on.

Tip of the Day - Squirrel Food

2006-09-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

These gloves are, or should I say "were", for doing battle with rose bushes. They look like they have been through a battle alright, however it wasn't with rose bushes!!

Yesterday I was cleaning up my new storage area, which is a big bench with a lift-up top, and discoved many mouse turds and these destroyed gloves. My husband declared them to be squirrel turds and since we have squirrels running all over the yard this year, I was willing to agree with him.

So the tip comes in that one shouldn't put nice leather gloves where your cats can't protect them. See, the cats roam around immediately outside the bench but they can't get into it. So as long as the squirrel can get into the bench, it is safe.

Wait a minute! How does a squirrel get by two outdoor cats to get into a bench which is right up against the house? Hmmm, time to have a serious talk with the cats. Or maybe it is time to get a new (and hungry) cat.

Or maybe what we should be doing is fattening up the squirrels.....

The Many Faces of My Playboy

2006-09-08T16:58:00.000-07:00

A budding Playboy
The flower may not be fancy but the colors sure are. The colors in bud are stunning and it does not disappoint after it opens. First there is a beautiful contrast of orange and yellow, which softens to pink and pale yellow.

Playboy in full glory
Then it ages to a deeper pink.

Playboy - the final stage
Playboys lead a fast life and perish all too soon.

Molineux and Rose Slugs

2006-09-06T11:37:00.000-07:00

Molineux
Probably the first thing that catches the eye is this threesome of gorgeous roses, but if you look above the flowers you will see some leaves that have been eaten. The culprit is a little green worm that can only be found on the underside of the leaves, and by no means is it munching beside every hole you will find. Sometimes you have to look at the backside of many leaves to find the little munchers. The first time I encountered them I was astonished to find that an army of them can do major damage in a single day. So I now watch for holes in new leaves and then I have a squish-fest. Yep, I can squish with the best of them.

Molineux
I first found out about this gorgeous rose on the GardenWeb forums where someone with the nickname of none-other-than molineux ranted and raved about it and put pictures online that were even more gorgeous than these. He also pointed out that it smells wonderful. So even though I already had placed an order with Pickering, I simply had to place another so I could have this rose!!

It has not disappointed. Other than being short this year (it never gets very tall) it has bloomed well and has had no disease (blackspot is rarely a problem here in the very dry interior of BC) and mildew is non-existent.

It is hard to control the camera when I am around this rose!!

Honey Perfume

2006-09-04T14:26:00.000-07:00

Honey Perfume
This is probably my best rose. I bought the plant last summer and it has performed enthusiastically for me this year. It is almost always in bloom and has had two large flushes. I can scarcely take my eyes off this plant! It also smells really nice.

Rose - Buck's Fizz & Pensioners Voice

2006-08-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

I must admit that the last picture was taken with a temporary camera. I now have in my hot little hands, a Canon IS S2. Whoopee!! What an amazing camera it is. I have just begun to explore its uses, but here are a few of my best results to date:

Buck's Fizz
At one time I assumed this must be one of the roses developed by Dr Griffith Buck, but I have not been able to find any mention of it in lists of his roses.

Pensioners Voice (aka Michelle Wright)
I picked up this beauty for $7.50 in early spring this year. It was in a special section labelled as last year's roses. Both this rose and my Iceberg have done extremely well. I will definitely make a special trip there next year. Beats buying them at the end of the season for only 20% off.

Cleome

2006-08-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

Cleome Sparkler
I finally have a camera!! I have been dying to take pictures of my garden but after the stealing of both of our cameras in Costa Rica, it has taken awhile to decide which camera to get to replace them. This is my son's replacement, identical to the one that was stolen. It is an Olympus and is just so easy to use.

Sod Furniture

2006-07-26T16:39:00.000-07:00

Today I discovered a site called StumbleUpon. After I downloaded the toolbar I now have, just a click away, a never-ending supply of websites on the subjects I have checked off. We are also encouraged to rate and submit sites. Its a little faster than using a search engine, and there is the happy element of surprise. Of course the downside is that you don't get anything else done!!

from The Farm Show website
As I was stumbling around I found an interesting site about a new magazine in the UK, which yielded this article about lawn furniture and how to make it. Now this isn't the kind of furniture you buy and place on your lawn, rather this is made out of turf!! Check out the article. They call is a grass pouffe. Others call it sod furniture, organic furniture, or grass furniture. I guess it would be a bit of a pain to mow/clip, but it sure looks a great conversation piece!! More instructions here.

The article was written by Greg Tate. A quick trip to his website revealed these stunning creations pictured above.

Anyone Have Recipes for Garlic Scapes?

2006-07-07T09:46:00.000-07:00

Since Rachel replied to my post below I realized that I am not the only person who eats garlic scapes. Therefore there must be some delicious recipes out there. Anyone want to share theirs?

Garlic Scapes

2006-07-06T12:51:00.001-07:00

Most of the supermarket garlic is softneck garlic, but if you happen to grow hardneck garlic (such as varieties from the Rocambole, Porcelain, and Purple Stripe groups) you will have flower scapes that should be cut off at this time of the year (in my Zone 5 climate).

Besides the scapes making one of the most beautiful shapes in nature, they are also delicious to eat. My friends at Boundary Garlic insure that I have a couple of huge bags of them in the fridge. They keep for at least a month.

The part beyond the bulge (it ends in a point) is really tough, so I always cut it off just below the bulge. Then they can be oiled and barbecued or marinated:

Marinated Garlic Scapes

Steamed garlic scapes, cut into bite-sized pieces
Raw red onion (or other mild onion), thinly sliced
Red pepper strips, lightly steamed
Equal amounts of olive oil and lemon juice
Chopped fresh herbs (dill, parsley, mint, etc, alone or in combination)

Mix oil, lemon juice and herbs in bottom of bowl. Add vegies. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Toss then refridgerate for about an hour.

I have also left the scapes to dry for use in dried flower arrangements. They loose some of their curl, but are still very interesting. I understand that in Japan the fresh scapes are popular for arranging.

Moisture crystals

2006-06-25T12:19:00.000-07:00

If you haven't used these before take heed. They expand!!!

I was told that I could use these under plants planted in dry areas. The crystals hold a lot of water. So I planted some climbing annuals in a place that gets some water but not enough for healthy growth. So I put my trowel into the soil, worked it a little, made a fairly small hole, dropped a couple of tablespoons of the dry crystals into the bottom of the hole, and planted the morning glory plug on top. A couple of weeks later I was working in the area and noticed some of the plants had been pushed out of the ground. I tried to push them back in but the soil had a peculiar resistance. Instead of becoming packed, it pushed back at me. I remembered the crystals and dug into the soil to find it full of cubes of about half an inch in diameter. So I removed most of them, distributed them in the surrounding soil and settled the plant back into place.

Now I wonder how it is that the moisture gets to the plants if the roots of the plant are not in contact with the moisture cube. We made one of those neck coolers with some cubes in it and the fabric on the outside is never wet. So if the cubes don't wick moisture to cotton how do they give up its moisture to the soil? You would think that the roots must make contact with the cube, mustn't they?

A couple of weeks ago I read (but did not retain) information regarding the way that roots absorb water from the soil. It was rather complicated. I have been searching for it but cannot find it. However I have found info regarding how to apply the crystals (mined were bulk packaged and came without instructions). One is supposed to mix them uniformly into the soil before planting and keep some of that soil to backfill around the plant, leaving the top 1 - 2" without any crystals. It is preferable to allow the crystals to absorb moisture before mixing with the soil and the proportions are about 1.5 tsp to 1 gallon of soil.

Looks like I did everything wrong!!

This isn't what I read earlier, but nonetheless it is an explanation of how plant roots absorb water (from Wikipedia):

"Osmotic pressure or turgor (also called turgor pressure) is the pressure produced by a solution in a space that is enclosed by a differentially permeable membrane.

When a biological cell is in a hypotonic environment (the cell interior contains a lower concentration of water than its exterior), water flows across the cell membrane into the cell, causing it to expand. The membrane (or, in plant cells, the cell wall) restricts the expansion, which causes an increase in pressure. The resulting pressure is called turgor. This pressure is what prevents more water from flowing into the cell, thus creating a pressure equilibrium between water flowing down the concentration gradient and the taut membrane pushing back. In this example, the equilibrium prevents the cell from ever becoming isotonic to its environment. Cells not adapted to hypotonic environments, with the flow of water into them but no strong membrane or cell wall, will burst. The osmotic pressure π of a dilute solution can be calculated using the formula

where

M is the molarity
R is the gas constant
T is the thermodynamic temperature (formerly called absolute temperature)

Note the similarity of the above formula to the ideal gas law, and also that osmotic pressure is not dependent on particle charge."

No wonder I didn't retain it the first time I read about it....

Very Entertaining and Clever

2006-06-13T08:56:00.000-07:00

I like to read the posts of my son's friends as I find it interesting to see what goes on in the minds of the early-twenties crowd (or at least some of them). This morning Nicholas had a link to this extremely clever and entertaining little movie: Grocery Store Wars.

One of the links along the bottom of the site lead me to this interesting bit of info:

The top ten most POP (Persistent Organic Pollutants) contaminated foods are butter, canteloupe, cucumbers, meatloaf, peanuts, pickles, popcorn, radishes, spinach and squash.

Yummy Pics of Roses in Zone 5 (not mine)

2006-06-11T08:46:00.000-07:00

Previously I posted a link to a hilarious story known as Pappu's Misadventures with Alfalfa Tea. Well, Pappu has posted pictures of his/her roses in the Rose Gallery at GardenWeb, so I would say that the witches brew worked!

Hedge of Carefree Wonder
Line of roses is Champlain and on the arbour is Ramblin' Red
I have learned that Ramblin' Red was created by the same person that developed Knockout. This is significant because Knockout is totally resistant to blackspot by all accounts. While not a spectacular flower the display is good, the color is good, disease resistance is excellent and it blooms all the time. So if Ramblin' Red is as good, then this is significant for cold climate rose gardeners!!

As for Carefree Wonder, I bought one last summer. It is just about ready to bloom....

My Tip of the Day

2006-06-08T12:52:00.000-07:00

Instead of using chemicals or hand-digging weeds from between bricks, stepping stones or pavers, try pouring a bit of boiling water on them. Works great for anything with a bunch crown. Not sure about those that travel underground. Anyone try it on running weeds?

My Alfalfa Tea Doesn't Stink

2006-06-01T09:31:00.000-07:00

Twice I have made alfalfa tea. Both times it appeared to ferment as it produced to, with the foam on top. But when I did the nose test to be sure it was as ready (I assume stinky is ready), it just smelled like the alfalfa pellets did before water was added. So both times I let it sit longer, hoping to find out what all the fuss was about regarding the stench, but no stench was forthcoming. I even let the dregs sit for a couple of extra weeks and all they did was go moldy on top, but no stench.

So either I am too much of a farm girl and can easily tolerate these smells, or the alfalfa that other people use has something different in it. I checked the list on the bag and mine appears to be straight alfalfa, no other ingredients.

So I guess I am just lucky! Cause my roses are responding happily. There are lots of buds breaking at the bud union, just like is supposed to happen.

I Was So Excited When it Bloomed....

2006-05-28T10:32:00.000-07:00

A few years ago a friend was moving and gave us his huge corn plant. It has been very happy. About a week ago I was surprised to see that it was blooming (flowers much whiter than those in the picture)!

Yesterday morning we noticed a light scent in the house and determined it was the flowers of the corn plant. However by late afternoon it was getting stronger. My son ate dinner right next to it and declared it was strong, but okay. As the evening wore on I became more concerned. It had become very noticeable throughout the entire house. The flowers were quite attractive, but was the smell just too strong? Well, I woke up at 1:30am and the first thing I noticed was the smell. Tried burying my nose in the blankets, but it didn't work. So down I went, grabbed some scissors, cut off the three flowering stems and chucked them out onto the deck. Then I went and opened doors and swung them back and forth to get the air moving, hopefully to speed up the exit of the stench.

While looking for a picture online I discovered that the Latin name is Dracaena fragrans Massangeana. Note the word fragrans...

I have been reminded of my time at a bed and breakfast in Costa Rica, where one of the owners was happy to find the source of a scent she detected outside. She brought a single stem in and it scented the room. I am quite sure that this is the very same plant, as it was growing all over Costa Rica, and is used for living fences.

The picture is from a website that has an HUGE number of pictures of tropical plants, including fruit I haven't heard of: Top Tropicals.

Flooding in My Town

2006-05-24T07:36:00.000-07:00

From the CBC website
At first they said this was a picture of another town and then miraculously later in the day they correctly identified it as Grand Forks. We still aren't shown on the map lower down in the article. Weird thing is that we are the largest town affected by flooding.

Two pretty big rivers meet just above the top of the picture (hence the name Grand Forks). The one that comes from the north goes by our house, well, way out in front of our house. There is a big field and about 50 to 60 vertical feet between us and the river. But the field was 90% covered in water on Sunday. My son and his friend went canoeing on the new lake. Now it is only about 50% covered.

Grand Forks was a bustling place on Sunday, when the rivers reached their peak. Dumptrucks dumping loads of sand for people to fill sandbags, emergency crews out and about, sump pumps running, sandbagged homes and gawkers, both on two feet and in cars. Our normally quiet North Fork road had a steady stream of cars driving the 20 mile loop up to the Hummingbird Bridge and back to town. Pretty dramatic scenery when the normally beautifully green valley bottom turns to water. I have heard that the road past the bridge is washed out.

Mother Nature still rules.

Willow Catkins

2006-05-16T08:54:00.000-07:00

This willow is called Salix udensis 'Sekka'. It has a huge number of catkins in the spring, making it a magnet for bees. I rarely water it and in our dry climate that is unusual for all but native plants.

Alfalfa Tea for Roses

2006-05-15T07:57:00.000-07:00

The rose growers on the GardenWeb forums are very excited about alfalfa tea. I have been putting alfalfa pellets around my roses for the past couple of years, but evidently the tea works faster and there seems to be an added benefit in the fact that it is fermented. Why alfalfa? It contains triacontanol, which is a growth stimulant, and it is said to produce higher yields. I keep hearing about increased basal breakouts. What is that? New growth from the bud union. Hmm, wonder if it helps own-root roses....?

I have read lots of interesting stories about alfalfa tea...mainly regarding its smell. I make my own wine and beer, so I am familiar with the smell of fermentation. No problem I say. However the description of the brew, "It makes my nose hairs stand on end", "It looks and smells like vomit. Is that normal?"..."No, that doesn't sound like it smells bad enough. ;~) You're looking for week old vomit from a vegetarian wino who has a dead fish in his pocket." Yikes!! Seems that wearing a gas mask, rain slicker and gum boots is a good idea.

Despite the scary storis I started a batch a good distance from the house.

The recipe calls for:
10-12 cups of alfalfa pellets in a 32 gallon garbage can (with lid)
Add water, stir, steep 4 to 5 days in the sun
It is ready to use when it has a yeasty (or vomit, etc) smell and foam on the surface.
Use about 1 gallon per large rose bush.
Recommendations for frequency of use varies from every week or 2 to twice during the growing season.

When at the bottom there will be sludge left. Simply fill again with water, let ferment and use again. After that just throw the sludge in the compost pile or bury somewhere.

Just before adding to the roses you may want to add to the barrel epsom salts (1 cup), chelated iron (1/2 c), fish emulsion (1-2 c), seaweed (1 c), chelated iron (1 c), or any liquid fertilizer. Just be careful to keep the nutrients balanced so that you are not adding too much nitrogen, etc.

So I made my alfafa brew, but we had cold weather and I think that the yeast were killed. It foamed but it didn't smell. However I have added it to the plants that were not moved this spring. Then I added it to those that had been moved and had been in the ground about 3 weeks. The bareroots I am waiting until they show signs of aggressive growth. Evidently they need to wait about 2 weeks after planting. However the soil has been cold so I don't think they are settled in very well yet, so they will have to wait another week. Besides I hope to have the proper stinky stuff to offer them then.

Time for Some Pictures

2006-05-06T08:29:00.000-07:00

I have still not purchased another camera, after mine was stolen in Costa Rica. But my son is here for a few days, with his camera. So I captured a few shots.

This is a sensational tulip I picked up last fall. This picture is a smidgen more yellow than it really is. Should be slightly more orange. It glows. I must get more. It is a kaufmanniana tulip called 'Donald Duck'. Another really gorgeous kaufmanniana is 'Stressa'. Huge blooms. I really like the short-stemmed tulips, preferring them to their more famous cousins.

In the background of the above photo is one of my favourite plants, Brunnera. For two months it has a sea of clear blue blooms floating above rich green foliage. Then the stems carrying the leaves need to be cleared out (it will self-seed) and huge hosta-like leaves take their place, similar to what Pulmonaria does. For those who have a problem with slugs, you could try Brunnera as a substitute.

Nitrogen Requirements for Roses

2006-05-02T17:33:00.000-07:00

From Mike on the GardenWeb forums, when replying to someone's question about feeding roses:

“The average daily nitrogen need of a green house rose has been determined to be 70 mg per day. This amounts to 0.21 ounces over a 3 month period. If you feed each rose 1 tbs of 10-10-10 , that's 0.5 ounces of fertilizer or 0.05 ounces of nitrogen - about 1/4 of what the rose needs. If you feed 4 tbs of 10-10-10, that's 2 ounces of fertilizer or 0.2 ounces of nitrogen - exactly equal to what the rose needs. I would go on the high side with 6 tbs per rose.”

Wow!

I am making alfalfa tea for my roses. It is supposed to promote basal breaks, the branches that start from the bud union (the bulge in the trunk, just above the roots).

Have also been soaking my new bare-root roses in diluted willow water. My hands sore from cutting up willow rods, so those roses had better like it. But it is time to get out and finish planting them!!

Rose Obsession - con't

2006-04-28T07:48:00.000-07:00

So I did manage to pick up some more roses. The part that baffles me is that I have spent countless hours researching and making a firm list of the roses I want/need (of course I need them). I had also decided that it was important to check out the roses first thing in the spring so as to be able to get the best specimens, rather than pick up the puny plants that are left at the end of the season and are reduced by 20%. I bought a number of such roses last fall and looking at the weak-looking plants I now realize that the full price plants are in fact a much better deal. Same sort of story for the milk carton roses. Don't you just love that term? It means the roses in plastic bags and little boxes sold at the big box stores. Anyway, I understand that they have had their roots severely trimmed to be able to fit into the little homes.

So what do you think I did? Well I avoided box stores altogether so that helped in that department. However first nursery I went to didn't have any roses that tempted me until I discoved an area devoted to last year's rose, and they were only $7.50 each! So what do you think I did? Yes, I bought three. Two were incredibly healthy - Icebergs - (one was for a friend) and the other was Pensioner's Voice, which was pretty high up on my list and I hadn't been able to find elsewhere. So there I was, back to my old tricks.

About 3 weeks ago I had a friend pick up Brass Band and Eureka from a nursery in Kelowna. They had just been potted so she was able to get me the two very best plants. They have such thick canes it is amazing. It will be interesting to watch them grow this year.

Also picked up Intrigue and Gingersnap. And my order from Pickering finally came in yesterday. They are currently soaking in water with some willow water added. I was surprised to open the 2 year old jar of willow water and find that it didn't smell at all. So I made up some more (I have an enormous armload of willows rods that I pruned from my fedge). Willows contain a natural rooting compound.

I am seriously considering placing another order with Pickering. Am I nuts? I haven't been able to find Molineux potted, so it seems to me I have no choice. So which other ones will I have to order too....

Heading out of town

2006-04-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

My rose order did not arrive yesterday. Since I have to go out of town in a minute, to a much larger city, I just might have to poke my head into a nursery or two....

Here is a really good website with information for growing roses in cold climates: University of Minnesota Extension Services have grown many hardy roses and have reported on them. Click on the colored text to go straight to the website.

Willow Water & Roses - part 8

2006-04-21T10:38:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a comment left by Reading Dirt, I explored the links he/she gave me. I have done a lot of research and had already looked at all of those links except for one. And wouldn't you know it, that was the very one that has a great tidbit of info for me.

This link says:
"Step 2: Soak the roots overnight in a bucket of water. If you want, you can add a weak solution of rooting activator which contains synthetic Vitamin B-1 (like SUPERThrive). However, a mild solution of "willow water" will also work - if you have access to willows, that is. This procedure rehydrates the roots. [Hint: If you have added supplements to your soaking water, save the water for use later in the planting process.]"

Not only do I have access to willow, I have some forgotten 2 year old willow water in a sealed jar!! I hear it stinks but I will give it a try.

Today I am expecting my 12 bareroot roses to arrive. I already have water in large buckets, so now I am off to add the willow water. I think I will also make up another batch of willow water and lift some of my roses to soak in it too.

Here are some instructions for making willow water. Oops, it says it keeps for 2 months. Oh well, I will try it anyway.

So thanks Dirty Reading, oops I mean Reading Dirt.

Feeling a Little Down (roses part 7)

2006-04-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

I was pretty excited that I had found the reason my roses were under-achieving. So I went to the rose forum, briefly explained my situation and posted this question:

"Besides the obvious regarding fertilizer application, is there anything I could or should do to encourage better roots? I realize that a fertilizer high in phosphorus will help, but what about lifting the plants and soaking in a solution high in phosphorus?

Or sprinkling some rooting hormone powder in the soil?"

I only got 2 replies. One was from a man who seems to know an incredible amount about growing roses. He said:

"I think it's a myth that phosphorous, or any other single fertilizer element, promotes root growth. All the elements are necessary for all growth and if any element is deficient, all growth is eventually affected. If you think fertilizer has burned your plant roots, then the last thing you want to try as a cure is soaking in a fertilizer. I would think that if you really are burning the roots of your roses, you would see an immediate effect in the way of wilting or burned leaf edges. Poor root development might be due to a compacted, heavy soil and your potted plant probably is in a much looser soil."

Well, that was a shock. I was sure I would be offered a suggestion of some sort of solution to soak them in. (However Tabris has what must be burned leaves every year for 3 to 4 yrs. When I first planted it I put some rose fertilizer spikes beside it. I can't believe I have publicly admitted that!!)

The other person misunderstood part of my question.

So I then asked:

"Is it possible that most roses do not have root hairs at this time of the year in Zn 5? I noticed that IHT is also the rose with the least dieback (virtually none). When I move a rose no soil adheres because I have loose soil and also perhaps because the roses don't have enough roots to hold any soil in place. I guess I just don't know what the roots of a healthy rose bush should look like. Has anyone moved one that can tell me?"

No one has replied and my post is now on about the 3rd page. Not likely that anyone will answer. Why is it that if someone puts out a question about everyone's favorite floribunda, that the thread goes on for weeks (actually I found that thread to be incredibly helpful), while my question gets so little help. Sigh...

I Think I Know What I Did Wrong! Roses - part 6

2006-04-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

Perhaps I have burned the root hairs!! I read this on the Maine Rose Society's website:
Burning Root Hairs
"The growing tips of root hairs can be “burned” by fertilizer unless you wet the soil well before applying fertilizer. To both understand and avoid “burned” root hairs a bit of understanding of the process by which plant take up fertilizer is in order. First nutrients are absorbed at the growing tips of root hairs by a process that includes that of osmosis. If the soil is dry when fertilizers are applied there is a heavy concentration of the nutrient inside the plant and a lesser concentration outside the plant. This will draw both water and nutrients out of the plant and starve the rose. By watering the plant before applying the fertilizer you create a more balanced situation between the plant and soil. Then when you apply fertilizer you create enrichment in the soil, followed by movement into the plant where the plant puts the ingredient to work in the process of growing."

If I fertilized with a chemical fertilizer 3 times a year for the past two years, it is quite likely that I did it at least once, if not all 6 times, when the soil was dry.

On my roses and rhododendrons is the only place I use chemical fertilizers. Everywhere else I have just used manure and leaf mulch and the growth is positively lush. The Explorer roses get a slow release fertilizer. So it looks like their roots have not been burned by it. This is a major breakthrough!! Now I need to understand how to promote the growth of root hairs.

How do you like this fun bit of info:

"Root hairs are formed by two separate processes: initiation and subsequent tip growth. Root hair initiation is always accompanied by a highly localized increase in xyloglucan endotransglycosylase (XET) action at the site of future bulge formation, where the trichoblast locally loosens its cell wall....The ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid shifts both root hair initiation and the local increase in XET action toward the root tip. On the other hand, roots treated with the ethylene inhibitor aminoethoxyvinyl-glycine, as well as roots of mutants affected in root hair initiation (rhl1, rhd6-1, and axr2-1) revealed no localized increases of XET action at all and consequently did not initiate root hairs. Disruption of actin and microtubules did not prevent the localized increase in XET action."

Got that? (it is from a Plant Physiology website)

I Have Discovered a Problem (part 5)

2006-04-16T08:28:00.000-07:00

The last couple of day I have been moving roses. Digging holes in the beautiful earth, putting some upside down turf in the bottom of the hole and backfilling with the beautiful earth, leaf mold, about half a cup of the delicious mix, a cup of alfalfa pellets and an ice cream bucket of the transplanting solution. NOW they should be happy.

After moving a few roses I suddenly realized something. None of the roots had root hairs! Are rose roots different? Do they not need the tiny roots? Or could this be why I do not have nice lush rose bushes?? Could the roots die and that is why roses seemed to go downhill the year after I planted them?

International Herald Tribune was a rose that very happily lived all last summer in its pot. It bloomed like crazy. I popped it out of its pot and into the ground for the winter. When I dug it up to move it there were zillions of lovely little white root hairs! Shouldn’t the others have some too?

Next research mission – why don’t the roses have root hairs? Hmm, seems that can be a problem if the drainage isn’t good. How could I not have good drainage? Its gravel underneath. Wait a minute, I remember hitting an area that had something like hardpan when I was digging the trench. So I went to that area, dug down to the gravel and poured a bucket of water in it. In about an hour it was gone. My research indicated that bad drainage was when it stayed for many hours. Ok, can’t blame bad drainage.

Could my upside down turf be causing slow drainage? Can’t believe that. Its just a single layer.

So its back to researching.

Rose Frustration - part 4

2006-04-15T11:31:00.001-07:00

Visiting the rose forum a couple of weeks ago, looking for fertilizer suggestions, I started to think that my soil is probably missing some micronutrient. I have heard that around here the sheep must be vaccinated with zinc because our soil is deficient in it. So luckily we have a store in this tiny town that I live in (population 4500) that sells all kinds of bulk goodies. So I bought the following ingredients which I expect/hope will be irresistible to roses:

rock phosphate – for phosphorus
kelp meal – for micronutrients and potash (1-0-2)
Epsom salts – for magnesium
blood meal – for nitrogen
bone meal – for phosphorus
gypsum - a combination of sulphur, and calcium; sulphur for lowering pH, calcium is an important macronutrient
greensand – for micronutrients and potash

Made up a bucket of 1 part of each plus a tiny bit of fritted trace elements. Unfortunately my store did not have fish meal but I also bought a big bag of alfalfa pellets, which is good for nitrogen and something that helps with basal branching on roses. Also added some some compost activator (I had noted that it is in the mix sold by a famous rosarian). Mice were getting into it so I might as well use it.

So armed with a bucket of alfalfa pellets, a bucket of the delicious mix, and a bucket of transplanting solution (10-52-10) I headed out to start moving roses around. One other thing I had learned in my research was that roses could be planted a little closer together than I had done mine. So I am rearranging my beds to allow for lots more roses, planted about 24” apart. NOW I should have a colorful display.

Struggling With Roses (part 3)

2006-04-14T08:36:00.000-07:00

Two summers ago I started to fastidiously fertilize my roses. Previously I had used the slow-release fertilizer but since I understand it requires heat to release the nutrients, I figured there might be a problem with the plant not getting nutrients first thing in the spring and so last spring I scattered a handful of rose food around each plant (admittedly it was cheap rose food) and scratched it in. Fed them in mid-April, late May and mid July. I now reserve the slow release only for the Explorer roses (cause evidently they don’t like the fast-acting fertilizers).

So last year I figured I may have solved my problem by fertilizing early. Did it work? NO. But to be fair, there were a couple that looked pretty good.

I also read that roses like slightly acid soil. Mine is 7.0, so I scattered a little sulphur around each plant. Note to self: Do not add manure. It is alkaline.

I also scratched in coffee grounds and mulched with shredded leaves (love my mulching lawn mower!). I set up a nice system with soaker hoses.

So the plants had water, nutrients, mulch and sunshine. Were they happy? NO. What elusive element was/is missing?

I love the internet and I love to research, so I visited the GardenWeb forum on roses. I lurked for hours. The result was that I decided I must have the wrong plants. The pictures displayed there by rose fanatics left me breathless (though I hate it when they post gorgeous pictures of roses blooming in their gardens when there is still snow on the ground here!). I must have some of those plants!! And if people in colder climates than mine could rant and rave about their grand displays of roses, why can’t I!!!!

So I planned for many hours (I hate to admit how many) which roses would work best, and what to plant them next to and how to incorporate more of these beauties. Last fall I placed an order for 12 roses with Pickering, feeling confident that it was just a matter of choosing the right plants.

Why Can't I Grow Wonderful Roses? (con't)

2006-04-13T08:22:00.000-07:00

In all fairness to myself, I do have a few roses that work well. Of the Explorer roses John Franklin gets hacked down to a manageable size every couple of years, while John Cabot, Henry Kelsey and William Baffin are happily reaching for the sky while growing on supports. Capt Samuel Holland is coming along. We took down a large fir tree two years ago and it landed on De Montarville. I hear is is a lovely rose. I hope it recovers fully this year.

But the floribundas (and a couple of HT's that I was given) are just not working.

Successful Roses
Playboy
Double Delight
Knockout
Marina
Rio Samba looks very pretty good in the fall
Climbing Iceberg - mediocre(not a climber in my climate)
Gertrude Jeykll - mediocre
Chuckles - just so-so

Sad-Looking Roses
Outta the Blue (I guess its kinda mediocre)
Celebration
Lavaglut (a milk carton rose that looked great the first year, then I moved it and its not near as nice anymore)
Royal Bonica (very sad)
Sunsprite (this is supposed to be a wonderful rose???)
Playboy 2
Europeana (kinda mediocre)
Tabris
Burgund

SSOS (single stem on steroids) Roses
Gemini
Sheila's Perfume
Flutterbye
All That Jazz

(I believe this is Gemini, a plant that was given to me by someone who had deer problems and had never even seen it bloom)
New Ones Bought Last Summer
About Face (sure didn't look happy last year)
Sexy Rexy (same)
Perfume Perfection
Honey Perfume
Heart 'n Soul
International Herald Tribune
Dream Orange

Why Can't I Succeed With Roses?

2006-04-12T15:31:00.000-07:00

Its time to leave Costa Rica behind and concentrate on this year’s garden, cause things are starting to become colorful here, with crocuses nearing the end of their bloom and the daffs just starting (spring is late this year).

This year I am determined to have nice roses. Last summer I was absolutely disgusted with them, or at least with most of the floribundas in my backyard. So last summer I began my quest to understand why I cannot grow roses with the same success that I have with all the other plants in my yard.

I am going to run through all my thoughts and practices, just in case something suddenly looks wrong, either to myself or a reader.

I believe the soil is very good. About 4 or 5 years ago I dug an 18” deep by 3-5’ wide trench in the sandy subsoil (yes, the lawn is growing in subsoil). I placed turf that had been removed from a friend’s yard (wonderful silty soil) upside down in the trench. Then I filled the trench with organic material, silty and sandy topsoil.

Full of expectations of a wonderful display, the next spring I moved roses into place and bought some additional plants. The results were only so-so, but it was the first year.

The next year was actually even less successful. My favorite rose Tabris sent up a couple of shoots, bloomed and then the branches sort of died. Not a blackspot problem, but the leaves got tan-colored patches that dried and dropped. Very little growth after that. The next year the plant started out with some blooms and then did the same thing again. Last summer it looked a tiny bit better.

That's it for today...

And More Tropical Flowers

2006-04-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

I have no idea what this flower is either. There were a number of these racemes on a shrub about 5 or 6' tall. The plant was stunning!!

This is quite a common flower in Costa Rica. I am guessing that it is a ginger.

More Gorgeous Flowers

2006-03-31T18:01:00.000-08:00

This one is called Red Torch Ginger. It is a very large and solid flower!
No idea what this flower is called. Though the individual flowers were very nice, the plants seem to display very few blooms at one time.

Gorgeous Tropical Flowers

2006-03-28T08:06:00.000-08:00

Caesalpinia pulcherrima - the Mexican Red Bird of Paradise
Anyone know the name of this?
These two flowers were found within a few feet of each other on a backroad near the "village" of Ojochal on the south Pacific coast of Costa Rica. It was a hot and humid Christmas day and we were hiking to a waterfall. It was in this area that I found the nicest flowers of the entire trip. More pics to come.

Red Sealing Wax Palm

2006-03-20T20:10:00.000-08:00

I saw picture of this palm on a hotel's website, and between it and the fact that the hotel was on the ocean, I just had to go there. We spent 3 very enjoyable nights, just south of Dominical, on the Pacific Ocean.

It appears that the only part of the stem that is red is the new growth. So it is only red above the topmost joint. But with new shoots growing from the base, there are red sections at varying levels.

After some searching I found that its Latin name (I love Latin names) is Cyrtostachys lakka and its common name is Red sealing wax palm. So I assume it is used for sealing wax (gee, am I clever or what?). This is not a common palm in Costa Rica.

Blue Morpho Butterfly

2006-03-14T18:23:00.000-08:00

It is a sight to make you heart beat faster - a huge bright blue butterfly flitting across your path. The Blue Morpho butterfly is about 5" across and has a completely different underside. We toured a butterfly farm near Quespos where it was explained to us that the underside of the wings, when folded offer the brightly colored morpho protection because to a predator it looks that there is an big eye staring back at them.

(The image is from a website of Tom Davis, a frequent traveller to Costa Rica. His website has lots of interesting photos of the fauna of CR.)

These butterflies rarely land with their wings open so that it is difficult to take a picture of them. It is my guess that may be why there are so many copywrited photos of the butterfly. If I had been lucky enough to score a good photo I guess I might be inclined to copywrite it too! But if you go to Google Images and enter Blue Morpho you will be able to see more pictures of this gorgeous creature.

Heliconias

2006-03-02T08:33:00.000-08:00

I first heard the word Heliconia on our tour of the cloud forest. Then I kept seeing them all over Costa Rica. I wish I had known a bit more about them before I left. There are so many different kinds (see more photos here), some hang down, but most stand up. The one on the left was growing in the wild in Manuel Antonio Park, which is on the west coast of Costa Rica. The flowers were at eye level, and were growing in the shade.

The picture below was taken in a garden further south in CR. These are a different variety as they were much shorter and the flowers smaller. These plants were quite common and since there are numerous garden centers in CR, I expect they are readily available. On my next trip I will have to visit some!

Buttressed Tree Roots

2006-02-25T08:39:00.000-08:00

We saw this fascinating tree at a place called Hacienda Baru, which is a couple of kilometers north of Dominical, on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Those roots are the same height as my mother, who is about 5' tall.

It is thought that the reason rainforest trees developed these shallow roots is to give the tree a broad base of support under windy conditions. Another theory is that these roots are an adaptation to the shallow rainforest soils, so that the roots seek nutrients near the surface.

If you knock on the roots, it is obvious that they are hollow.

Mile After Mile of Oil Palms

2006-02-12T09:09:00.000-08:00

On the Pacific Coast road, south of Jaco there is an almost unbroken landscape of oil palm plantations. Palm oil is used in chocolate, bread, potato chips, detergents, cosmetics, sunscreen, margarine, shortening, baked goods, soups, crackers, candies and is used an enormous amount in the fast food industry.
(this picture is from Costa Rica Conservation Trust website)
According to the report Cruel Oil, How Palm Oil Harms Health, Rainforest and Wildlife palm oil is an alternative to oils that are high in trans fat. However it is more conducive to heart disease than olive, soy or canola oil and the World Health Organization is discouraging its use. "If current trends in palm oil consumption continue, that oil’s global impact on public health will increase greatly."

Not only is the oil a health risk, but presents environmental problems too. Reading the report Cruel Oil is a real eye-opener:,

"Once oil palm has replaced the immense variety of hundreds of species of trees, vines, shrubs, mosses, and other plants found on every acre of lowland rainforest, most animals can no longer live there. An oil palm plantation is, in effect, a “biological desert.” As an industrial plantation crop, oil palm is grown as a monoculture. Most of the other plants found are low-growing ground cover. Without the rainforest’s plenteous variety of fruits, nuts, leaves, roots, nectar, bark, shoots, and other plant materials to eat, most animals cannot survive. And, without plenty of plant-eating prey animals such as deer to hunt, carnivores such as tigers cannot survive either. The plantations provide habitat for only 20 percent or less of the previously resident mammals, reptiles, and birds."

Why do we need junk food? Why do we think we need makeup? Why can't we just get by with less?

Photos of Costa Rica

2006-02-08T15:35:00.000-08:00

After a number of starts and stops, I now have the photos of the trip on this nice website. These pictures were taken with my son's camera, after mine was "relocated".

Living Fence Posts

2006-02-02T16:49:00.000-08:00

(This picture was found on the very interesting website of Finca Leola, a site about reforestation in Costa Rica.)

Living fences are a favorite subject of mine, so I was very happy to see them in Costa Rica. What are they? A stick is put in the ground and it takes root. It is the beginnings of a tree. Willow works very well for this in cooler climates. In fact the fedge (a hedge-like fence) is gaining popularity in gardens in the UK and North America.

In CR live wood sticks are put in the ground and then barbed wire is attached to them. No need to worry about digging big post holes or eventually replacing the posts. You just have to prune them back yearly if you want to keep them short, but as you can see in the picture, pruning is not necessary.

These living fences contribute to the enviroment in so many ways: shade for animals, shelter for the birds and help with air pollution. They are also cheap to establish and it is difficult for people to drive their car through a living fence!

Why aren't more of us using living fences?