NEW GARDEN CHANGES

It has been more than a year since my last post and for that I apologize. Much has happened in my personal life during this past year and a half with most traumatic being the death of my husband, Jim. His death put many things on hold including regular posts to this blog.
In Jim's memory I have made many changes to both the gardens and interior of my home. The image to the left is a great example of one of the many changes. I originally had a large pond and a narrow stream that flowed into a smaller pond. The large pond is gone - replaced by a sunken garden. The longer stream is gone  and replaced by the water feature shown in left image. I love it. To see more of the backyard changes, please visit my new website page My New Sunken Garden.  This new feature still has a stream and this shorter stream still flows beneath my new cedar bridge and empties into the smaller pond.

I am totally in awe of my new sunken garden. I can't believe that my design ideas came to flourishen. Take a look a the image below.

This image to the left shows the Grand Rosetta Flagstone pathway leading to the inground pool and new sunroom. Many new boulders were moved to this area as well as newly planted shrubs, CAST low voltage lighting and improvements to the original 10 ft. high waterfall. River rock was added around the new boulders and drainage bins were installed.

The waterfall now drops down into a small catch basin and recirculates. Fred and Wilma still stand guard and a great patio area waits for a new set of outdoor table and chairs. The larger flagstone pieces make for a great pathway and I decided to have the cracks filled with a polymor substance instead of just sand. The polymor hardens like cement and thus helps to prevent weeds from settling. Thankfully, the sound of the water rushing down the limestone and the croaking frogs can still be heard over the screaming kids in the new inground pool!

 



Creating A New Garden Path

I cannot believe that it has been 5 months since my last post. Sorry about that. I have been very busy building my gardening website.

One of our spring projects was to create a new garden path. Originally, (4 years ago) we had planted 2 spruce trees on our center garden mound. The 2 trees have grown very quickly and ergo, we needed to move one of them, which we did last weekend. More on that later.

Now that the tree was moved, we dug and moved the earth to get ready to lay down the fabric landscape material. Once the fabric was down we dumped yards of red cedar bark chips along the newly created path. We edged the new path with limestone, which finished the look.

I am quite pleased with the outcome. By moving the large spruce, it actually opened up the view of the ponds from our house view advantage. I am always surprised at how quickly our project come together.

I still have a shrub or two to plant, but I'll wait for the mid summer sales.

Good job, Jim!!

All The Surprise Visitors

Let me introduce Dexster. The winter in Winnipeg has come in with a vengeance of snow....and white-tailed deer! There are actually 4 in this family of brown fuzzy beasts. Are they cute? Yes. Are they destructive? Yes...they chew on my beautiful somewhat tall cedars in the front yard.

Now, here's the issue. Mr. Christmas (aka Jim) decided to wrap red lights around the 2 somewhat tall cedars. Nice.  Except for Dexster and the furry family members pulling down and nibbling on the lower branches. Would they receive a shock? Not likely, but who wants to take down broken light strings in frigid temperatures...not Mr. Christmas (or me for that matter). So, what's the solution? Feed the dam things, of course. I hardly had given this solution much thought when Mr. Christmas walked in carrying a large bag of deer food...a mixture of oats, twigs and sunflower seeds. Now, 6 weeks later, we have all gained a little weight. The humans from my holiday baking and the deer from their daily dose of grains.

Is Dexster and his tag along the only visitors this holiday season? Heck no! Just prior to Christmas and our anticipated visit from our son and daughter-in-law, we discovered Hubert...the mouse. He must have been in the basement for a very short time as droppings were no where to be seen except for the shower. Yes, the shower. Must be our goooood tasting water. Out came the trap and peanut butter. Placed ever so carefully beside the shower, Hubert was trapped within the hour. What a feisty little thing. Releasing him back into the cold was the only option. We are a no kill household. Jim carried Hubert to the front ditch and watched as Hubert scampered into the deep snow.

Whew...lucky for us. Our son and daughter-in-law were to spend their nights in the lower level of the house and sharing the space with a mouse was not an option. My relief was short lived. Low and behold, the very next morning, what do we see in the shower? Yes, Hubert was back. In fact, it had snowed lightly the night before and we could actually see his tracks in the snow from the ditch right back to the garage. What a bugger! Out came the trap and the peanut butter. Here we go again. Within the hour, Hubert was once again trapped. What to do next. Jim was getting somewhat attached to this little creature...this worried me, so while Jim relaxed in the tub, I woke my daughter with a certain catch and release adventure. She would be the driver. This time we would take Hubert to the railway tracks. No way he could find his way back from that location. Being safe than sorry, I covered the trap (so he couldn't see anything) and off we went into the cold car and night. Arriving at the tracks and just down the street from our house, I released Hubert.

Back at the house, Jim's plan for Hubert was quite different. Sad that his new found 'pet' was gone, he quickly shared his thought of maybe buying a cage and keeping Hubert. Not likely.

The First Winnipeg Snowfall

Image of smaller pond covered with snow!

WOW! What a difference a day makes! On November 18th (image seen in my last post), the grass was so green and the taller perennial grasses were swaying in the wind. On November 19th, the first mini snowstorm hit us. A few inches of the white stuff fell on the city and winter is here to stay.

Today is November 24th and we are about to expereince our second mini snowstorm. The weatherman is calling for another few inches of snow and blowing in open areas.

As the temperature drops, my ponds freeze and I am hoping to get out the old skates and start some winter exercising. I don't ski or snowboard (way too old for that) so skating it is. When I was little, skating was the only winter activity affordable to my parents. My sister and I were lucky to always have a pair of skates.

Soon the seed catalogues will arrive in the mail and I will begin to dream of my 2011 flower gardens...

Backyard Berming

Our new backyard berm in the fall

I can hardly remember how the area in the above image flooded each spring and during the heavy rains in the summer.

Besides digging the two ponds, we knew something else had to be done. Berming was a natural choice. Bring in the 'dirt', pile it up to make it look hilly and add the sod. Sound easy? Well, sort of. We did have help lugging all of the dirt or clean fill as it is called to the backyard area. The raking of the fill was done by our daughter and the sodding was completed by Jim and myself. The job wasn't easy, but well worth it. After adding the bark pathway, we are quite pleased that water no longer stands, turning the area into a swamp. Now blankets can be thrown down for sun bathing and lawn chairs can be placed and directed to face the waterfall for pure enjoyment!

The berm when we had just completed the sodding

The new berm in the summer planted with annuals and the Sumac shrub

My Fall Garden

I can't believe that it is November 13 already...wasn't the snow melting just a while back and I was cursing all of the summer rain?

The image above is the last of the waterfall for this year. Today in zero degree weather we turned off the water and 'blew out' the underground pipes. What a job! And cold too! Now we wait for the sub-zero temperatures and for the larger pond to freeze over. Then out come the ice skates and I am back to shedding a few pounds. I always seem to add about 6 lbs from the end of gardening season to the beginning of skating season. I guess it's all that sitting at the computer that causes it...or is it the eating?

The above image was taken last week and I must say that the grass is still pretty green...the leaves have fallen but the grasses edging the pond are still swaying in the wind. I'm excited to see my Dwarf Blue Arctic Willow next year. It grew 3 times it's size in one year and planting it beside the waterfall was simply perfect. This is one shrub/tree that doesn't quickly shed leaves in the fall. Mine still has plenty.

Unfortunately, I did not heed my own suggestion and spray my my Tiger's Eye Sumac with a deer deterrent. Those silly beasts came into the yard and chewed it to bits...and bits. My own fault. I will know better for next year.

My Tiger's Eye Sumac Fall Colors

My Dwarf Blue Arctic Willow

My poor eaten Tiger's Eye Sumac

Marigolds, Petunias, Geraniums and more ordinary blooms...

I'm at rest for a moment. Contemplating on whether my Sumac Tigers Eye will return or will I once again please my husband and my grandmother's memory by planting Marigolds,  Petunias and  Geraniums in my 2011 flowerbed gardens??

The whisper of the more refined gardeners in my garden circle tell me that planting such ordinary blooms leaves little to the imagination. As they tour my garden and turn over every leaf with their meandering eyes, I get the impression that they are more interested and wowed by the double pond and stream creation than by my colourful and ordinary plant selections. Actually, their facial expressions expose the wonderment of where in the heck is the Astrantia (Masterwort) or the Siberian Bugloss (Brunnera or is it vice versa?) planted? To some extent I agree, my garden is far too colourful...not enough low lying/growing greenery. But, that's how my family likes it!

I have come to realize that I am not yet at the stage (yes, there are gardening stages) where planting involves muted colours (or maybe a punch or two of bright colour), various shades of green and variegated leaves. Heck, I just graduated from the planting only annual and perennials, to planting various garden shrubs. I'm progressing, really...I am.

I have promised these far more seasoned and educated gardeners, that in 2011, I will graduate to my next stage...plant more shades of green, whether it be perennials with very difficult Latin names to remember or annuals that have a more exotic appearance. However, one thing is for sure, whether they be in a container or planted by the side of the waterfall, Marigolds, Petunias and Geraniums will always have that special spot in my flowerbed gardens. My Oma would be proud.

My Fall Flower Gardens

Will my Sumac Tiger's Eye survive a cold Manitoba winter? I sure hope so. Many gardeners believe that this variety of Sumac is not a hardy in our zone 3, however my other variety of Sumacs have done very well thank you and have popped up in several spots on my peninsula garden. I realize that they are a bit aggressive but I really don't mind. I'll just pull them up and plant them else where. After all I do have 400 feet of space. The image above is dated the end of September, while the image below is dated October 15th.

While I am always sad when the leaves fall from the trees signalling winters approach, I am amazed at the vibrant coloring some of annuals give so close to freeze up. Take for instance the image below of the annual  Salvia Mystic Spires. Throughout the summer, this annual salvia bloomed a beautiful blue/purple color. Now, in mid October, the coloring has deepened to a deep bluish purple. Just amazing.

Surprisingly my Pavement Roses  finally stopped blooming. The leaves are turning yellow and the hips have formed. Of all the rose hips in my garden, the hips from the Pavement Roses are by far the most outstanding. They look like mini crabapples. I captured the image below on October 15th.

The soft needles from both Siberian Larches have turned yellow and are now dropping. The Dwarf Korean Lilac, which grew 2 fold this season also has leaves that turn and yellow orange in the fall. And would someone please tell my Limelight Hydrangea  to stop blooming? I will be heart broken when the temperature drops below freezing later this week. That message should also be sent to my Leopard's Bane. This SPRING blooming perennial has not stopped blooming. I have no idea why.

It's time to start the task of deep watering all of the garden shrubs and evergreens. As I move the deep water wand from tree to tree and shrub to shrub, I will take the opportunity to give the shrubs a slight haircut.

Doris

Growing The Limelight Hydrangea

I'm so excited!! I finally have a hydrangea blooming...and its almost October! Even my Leopards Bane is still blooming and it is a late spring to early summer bloomer. Go figure.

What a squirrely growing season the 2010 year has been. Similar to 2009, this spring and summer has been on the wet side...really wet side. On the bright side, we seldom put the water hose into the pond.

The only other Hydrangea, besides the Limelight pictured above, that bloomed this year was the Quick Fire planted by the large pond. My Annabelle has plenty of leaves and I can certainly see some buds, but within the next week the hard frost is to hit us and these buds will be history.

Let me know if you have expereinced the same crazy growing season.

My 5 Favourite Compact Herbs For The Flowerbed Garden

Why not mix herbs with your blooms? I do. Not only do I enjoy the colour that these herbs give to my gardens, but each separate scent is amazing. Not to mention that each herb serves a purpose within my bathtub, kitchen or underwear drawer!

Basil: grows to a dwarf bush-like plant, only about 12 inches tall. Pick for cooking prior to it blooming. Just keep snipping it and it keeps growing.

Oregano: another dwarf bush-like herb in growth. Variegated leaves and will flower pink. Grows to about 6 inches tall. I plant it as an edging annual plant in my middle flowerbed.

Lavender: my all time favourite. I grow as much as I can. Not only do I love the tall purple flower spikes (18 inches in height), I enjoy drying the Lavender and using a few springs in my bath water. Once dried, the Lavender Anouk makes great sachets for under the pillow or for our delicates. Try soaking some Lavender in water and spray lightly on linen/bedsheets.

Chives: who doesn't want Chives in the garden? Ready to snip and drop into so many recipes like...fresh mozzarella salad ...mmm! Grows to 12 inches tall with purple flowers. A great attraction for bees.

Lemon Balm: I planted the Lemon Balm as an annual in the summer of 2009. In mid July of this year I discovered, a most pleasant surprise, the Lemon Balm growing in three areas of my middle garden. Adding a few lemon leaves to a glass of ice tea is perfect. Try freezing a few leaves with water in ice cube trays and adding to your next punch bowl.

There you have it, my 5 favourite compact herbs for the flowerbed garden. Enjoy!

September Garden Update

This video was taken September 7th. Some of my annuals and perennials did not preform to my expectations. Too bad.

I had really hoped that with an early spring this year my plants would have bloomed earlier for longer enjoyment. Not to be. Two my hydrangeas won't even bloom before the first frost hits later this month. Only my Limelight is blooming and that's because I planted it this year!

I lost more than 25 perennials this year from a rather warm 2009 November and not enough snow cover. Then came the early 2010 spring (no snow by early March), only to be followed by a very cold and wet May/June. This cold and wet weather really stunted the growth of many of my perennials. If it sounds like I'm whining...I am. On well...there is always next year!!

Yellow Jacket Stings

WOW....stung by a nasty Yellow Jacket on Saturday afternoon, while picking my neighbours sweet black grapes hanging from her chain link fence. I had always known that I had some form of reaction to these stings, but this time the reaction was pretty severe.

The immediate pain was immense. My poor neighbour ran to get some antihistamine. I could feel a reaction coming on.Thank goodness Jim was home. Within seconds my breathing became laboured and I left dizzy enough to sit down on the kitchen floor.

It didn't take long before my middle finger swelled to almost double its size and I could no longer function with my hand.

What to do? Tried to ice it...the pain was just too great. Cleaned it, put on a anti itch creme and called it a day. So much for my transplanting my climbing roses and shrubs on Sunday. I hear that the symptoms from these stings can last for between 24 to 72 hours... just great.

Just don't ask to see my sting...it's my middle finger and it's as stiff as a board. You might think that I'm giving you the 'finger'.

Have a great Labour Day long weekend!

Doris

A Way To Deter Rabbits From Your Garden Flowers

Yes, this is a video showing our 'bugs' bunny. This must be an off-spring of Bugs senior, a rabbit who lived under our gazebo last gardening season...but who can tell?
As I believe in dealing with my garden critters the 'friendly, humane' way, Jim and I discovered that Bugs Jr. enjoyed Cheerios, the 5 grain Cheerios, if you please. Every day Bugs comes out from under the back gazebo and waits in a certain spot. At first, Bugs was a little jumpy and dashed away if you came too close. After a few days of repeat feeding, Bugs now sits patiently and quite calmly just waiting for us to pour out the Cheerios. Either strewn on the grass or on a plate, within the hour the cereal snack is gone.
This has most definitely helped in curbing the attack on my plants and it is quite enjoyable watching Bugs stuff his/her cheeks full. Hope you enjoy the short video and why not check out my YouTube Channel.

Best Long Blooming Perennials

Maiden Pinks - Dianthus

Coreopsis - Zagreb

I wish the rain would finally stop! The ditches are filled once again...there is another threat of over-land flooding and my flowerbed gardens are a 'muddy' mess!!

Actually, come to think of it, the last time I was able to take any decent flower images was August 23rd. How pathetic is that? And now tomorrow is September 1st. and within two weeks I am quite sure there will be the threat of frost...but I'm off on a tangent and this post was supposed to be about my suggestions for the best long blooming perennials.

The image to the left is the beautiful and dainty Dianthus Arctic Fire. This evergreen perennial does not totally die-back in the winter and is one of the first perennials to green in the spring. If you remember to deadhead, the Arctic Fire will bloom all summer long. The Dianthus make great groundcovers and work well under any type of rose shrubs or taller perennials.

The images to the right is one of my favorites, the Coreopsis Zagreb. As the seasons pass, this long blooming perennial can grow into a small shrub, just covered in tiny yellow daisy-like blooms. This is another perennial that requires deadheading if you want the continued blooming, but that's easy to do. Just take your garden scissors or your fingers and snip/snap off the spent blooms.

Both of these perennials require little maintenance other than the deadheading and are not bothered by any pests that I can remember. As always, I suggest adding a teaspoons of Myke's growth hormone to the hole prior to planting and keep well watered until established. You can find additional information on these two perennials using the link below. Because these two perennials are quite popular, they can be found in any local garden center and it's not too late to plant them right now.

Why not check out my web page for additional best long blooming perennials.

The Escape of the Monarch Butterfly

Here we have it...I watched this beautiful winged flyer being born...amazing. This Monarch Butterfly had just opened her wings for the very first time. Slowly and gently, her wings flapped in the wind. Gathering energy from the sun's rays, it wasn't long before she flew to the sky. How do I know it's a girl? Male Monarch's have a black dot on the lower part of each wing.

I had been watching the cocoons for several days and as each day passed, the cocoons became lighter in colour. At one point, you could actually see the colour orange of the forming butterfly.

To the left is the empty transparent cocoon. From the time the caterpillars manifested themselves into their respective cocoons, it took 14 days for the entire transformation. Isn't Mother Nature just amazing!

Earlier in my gardening days, I had not given any thought to the Monarch Butterflies or cocoons. I always appreciated the beauty of the butterfly, but never invested the time to plant their host or watch them evolve.

I can remember back to my good old school days...I thought the whole process was rather boring.  Today, I have come a long way to appreciating what is given to us as miracles or genetics as my husband calls it.

From the beginnings, I had 10 caterpillars roaming the Swamp Milkweed. They ate vigorously, up and down the leaves. I have a page dedicated to the Monarch Butterfly on my website. Check it out a view a short video of these furry fat creatures munching Monarch Butterfly. Once they outgrew their skins (a total of 5 times) they formed their chrysalis. I managed to find 7 cocoons.

In the image below, can you see the black formation of the Monarch wings?

I have already decided to plant additional Swamp Milkweeds for next season. As it stands for this year, the Monarch caterpillars did not destroy my plants as feared by many gardeners. In fact, my plants have tripled in growth/size and are about to bloom for the second time!

Doris

Monarch Butterfly Cocoons

What a miserable day...rain and wind. I'm sure that when the clouds clear I will find a few of my plants water logged or turned to mush. The first half of August was hot and muggy, so you would think that I would enjoy a cooler day. Not so. It seems that whenever we get rain, we literally get a deluge of water, ergo making it very difficult to work in the garden. No sense in compacting the soil. Oh well...a few days of reprieve allowing me to update my web site and make blog entries.

Within the next few days my cocooned caterpillars will emerge as Monarch Butterflies. The cocoon will become transparent and the butterfly will become visible. Can you already see (in the above image) the butterfly transforming inside? I have documented this wonderful act of Mother Nature and can been seen on my website My Gardening and Landscaping Makeover.  I had never before planted the Milkweed, which is the host plant. And unlike other gardeners, I didn't even mind them munching on the leaves.

Blue Chalk, Angelina and Mezzo

This trio...what a combination. Sedum Angelina to the far left...in the center, the Blue Chalk and to the right, the Dorotheanthus Mezzo.

I was determined to plant a succulent container this season but I was on the hunt for something different to plant...something that would cause other garden lovers to stop and say, wow.

If you can imagine, the trio were just tiny plants when I discovered them at my favorite garden center. And now, as the summer days are fleeting by, the Blue Chalk is looking a little more shrub-like and the Mezzo is trailing as it should with tiny buton size red flowers tucked neatly with the white edged succulent leaves.

All of the plants require a certain amount of sun light and can actually be planted in direct sun. Mine are in a part sun location.  The Sedum Angelina, will eventually provide a wonderful contrast colour of yellow, star shaped blooms and the lime green spikey leaves make another great contrast to the deep green leaves of the Blue Chalk.

Maybe next year I'll consider a larger container...I think that this one is going to be an issue pretty soon.

Bonfire Begonia

Here comes another new discovery for me late in the planting season. It wasn't until I visited a rural garden center that I discovered this beautiful begonia. Only three lonely plants sitting on an upper ledge...somewhat covered by some empty pots. Could someone have put these delicate looking gems aside, trying ever so hard to hide them from plain sight?

Naturally, any plant that glows such a magnificent coral red immediately catches my attention, no matter how hard someone tries to hide the plant.

Have I been living under a rock not to notice this annual in my previous adventures to the garden center? While the tag indicates that the Bonfire works well as a border plant, I can't imagine planting it in the ground! This begonia belongs in a planter box, basket or container...allowing for the naturally curving branches, filled with an abundance of brightly coloured blooms, to fall gently downwards.

Patience is needed to pick up the spent blooms, but really who cares. This annual is self cleaning, meaning that no deadheading is required. I must confess, however, that I do help it along and pick off the seed pods. I'm probably the only gardener that also deadheads the Lobelia. Crazy, I know.

Now, don't go thinking that I have so much time on my hands, it just that the plants seem to look so much better when only the living blooms are attached to the stems!

So, go ahead, find the Bonfire Begonia and while you are at it, buy another container for planting. Just remember to add Myke's growth hormone prior to adding the begonia. This begonia also prefers a moist soil, so don't forget to water regularly. Enjoy!

The Monarch Butterfly Caterpillar

This is the first year that I planted the Swamp Milkweed. Many gardeners have expressed their dismay in planting this perennial simply because of the Monarch Butterfly caterpillar. Then why have the plant in the first place?

The Milkweed perennial is the host plant for the Monarch Butterfly. No other plant will do. The Monarch can lay up to 400 eggs on the underside of the leaves. Not that each develops but when they do, the transformation of their life cycle is amazing.

Yes, true... this caterpillar does eat the leaves, however this is exactly why I planted the perennial. Actually, I also planted the Swamp Milkweed for my grandson, Sebastian. At his age, being 9 years old, just loves anything related to bugs.

As the caterpillar grows it sheds its skin 5 times before it transforms to the jade green chrysalis. Wait 10 days to 2 weeks and watch the Monarch emerge.

Besides watching the caterpillars, this perennial looks terrific planted by my waterfall and pond.

I was surprised to see how well the this Milkweed bloomed and grew in size for its first year. It tripled in size and has bloomed for well over 6 weeks.

For the next few weeks, I shall watch in wonder as my two caterpillars go through their life cycle.

Rabbits, rabbits and more rabbits...

Believe it or not, this is our newest little addition to our under the back porch abode. This is Bugs, Jr. I have told told by the neighbours that Bugs Senior is still around, but I have not seen her for quite sometime.

It has come to my attention that once you have one, the possibility of there being additional brothers and sisters is quite likely. For the past 2 months, I have only seen the above, unless the critters are that smart and are tricking me by all looking the same.

Up until last week, Bugs had little if any damage to my plants. He/she was very busy only eating the taller grass. Although not friendly enough to approach (and why would I), Bugs does allow me to garden rather close by and feels quite comfortable in having his/her picture taken...even a close-up.

Then the enivitable happened. Last week right in front of my eyes, little Bugs chewed off a perfectly good, healthy stem from my new planted Astilbe. Good grief! Do rabbits like Astilbe? I thought not. Well, they don't. Looking straight at me, she just left the poor broken stem sitting on the ground beside the plant and scampered away. It was almost as if a round of defiance was in order.

My husband Jim believes it's because we had not filled up her feeding bowl with Cheerios cereal, 5 grain, of course. This could be true. Yikes...I have not filled the bowl today...better get on that right away.

PS - I have many options that I use to stop deer and rabbits from eating my shrubs and perennials that really work. If you would like further information, please visit Stop Deer and Rabbits.