Organic Gardening: Nutrient Deficiency Problem Solver

http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/nutrient-deficiency-problem-solver
This is a very cool and very easy guide for diagnosing nutrient deficiencies in your plants and how to correct the problem organically.

Just Roses

These aren't recent. I was looking for a photo and stumbled up this file, these are from fall 2009. I just thought it would be a nice reminder of things coming soon. These may have been the only varieties I had at the time. I'm not sure and it's to early to think that far back, ya know.

1/22/2011 Texas Panhandle/High Plains Zone 6

Lower end of zone 6. Coldest we have been this season has been below 5 degrees F. The first part of August we were called home from vacation because of a house flood from an ice maker hose. We have been in a repair and remodel for a long time and just recently moved back into the house as work is almost done. Needless to say the flowers have not had any special attention. Neglected is a better work to describe my beds and plants.

Margaret Lauterbach: Garden for your health and survival

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2011/01/20/1495490/lineylineygarden-for-your-health.html
I've a linked our local garden columnist's, Margaret Lauterbach, review of a book by Carol Deppe "The Resilient Gardener, Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times." She brings up a lot of issues and I was wondering if anyone here is interested in these issues because I read A LOT and I would be happy to share anything of any interest to people here. I haven't read the book but after reading this review it's going on my wish list.

Among the issues addressed in the book (and review) are health, nutrition, plant breeding at home, seed saving, raising poultry at home, and being resilient to disasters both natural and man made. I'll be honest and say that back home in the San Francisco Bay Area I regarded my garden to be part of my earthquake survival kit, I tried to always have something ready to harvest in the garden or at least from the garden in storage. If the Big One had hit April through January then my garden would have been able to help feed not only my family but several of neighbors for days if not weeks--for February and March I would stock up on extra canned foods.

Here in Idaho our chances of experiencing a Big One in our life time is far less than the SF Bay Area but it's not zero. Our growing season is shorter and we don't have snow cover all winter to store our veggies in place in the garden. I'm finding myself wanting to grow fewer crops for fresh eating and more crops for winter storage--less summer squash and more winter squash, fewer designer tomatoes and more paste tomatoes, not so many green beans but far more dry/shelling beans, and I chose a chicken breed well known for laying eggs in winter (many breeds stop laying in winter).

Back to my original question, is anyone here interested in any of these issues? Would you like me to share articles that I read on these issues or anything else?

Seed Savers Exchange - Prickly Caterpillar

http://www.seedsavers.org/Details.aspx?itemNo=1225
Has anyone grown this plant before? I just bought the seeds this weekend, the lady said that it's a cool garnish that's edible but not yummy. It looks interesting, and being a legume it's useful for nitrogen fixing.

January hints of color, zone 8/9

We had a week with several hard freezes.  For us this means more than 4 hours below freezing.  The worse of this series had 12 hours in the low 20s, this was the worse seen this year.  Friday night brought a light freeze and Saturday we were back to spring like temperatures.  I spend much of the day working in the yard and taking note of things.  Happily, the new growth on the roses I shared last week was not damaged, the cuttings I've been working on also seem to have fared well.  Some signs of color are starting to emerge.

This is my 4th season with this camellia.  She was but a foot tall when I purchased it and is now about three feet high.  I almost lost her during her first year.  Her sister, planted in a shadier spot did well so I moved this one. She's recovered quite nicely.   Our warm days trigger the buds, which have been developing since June to open.  The buds themselves are oblivious to the freeze but you can see the damage it causes the petals.  This will be fine, a hard freeze after she's in full bloom will be detrimental.
This is her sister.  Her second year she had 21 blooms while the other had but one.  Last year the other surpassed it.  I'll no longer be able to fairly compare them as I'm using two different pruning styles so one will be tree like and the other bush.

This is my nun's orchid.  I acquired her last spring and have never seen her bloom.  From what I can tell it's mostly a pass along plant here and not really in commerce.  Most of her time here has been spent in shady corner pretty much ignored beyond an occasional watering.  I did read she doesn't do well with consistent temperatures below 40 degrees and that she should bloom late winter.  I moved her to a spot closer to the front door and when freezes are expected she'll come indoors for a week or so at a time. She was brought in last Monday afternoon.  On Thursday morning when I passed her I spotted a bud.  Closer examination showed two buds.  Now I've detected 7, including a few that haven't fully emerged.  I'm sort of excited! 

She moved back outdoors yesterday.  Tho one is hiding (camera shy I guess) there are three taller sprouts for buds.  If you look at the base you of the growth on the right you can see a bud just rising, there are 4 of these (or were yesterday, hopefully there are more)  I've read that the ragged foliage is normal and may get worse as she gets bigger.  After her bloom cycle, she's be moved ag'n to her shady hide away, it seems to have done well by her.  I've read a bit on propagating this, the stalk of the blooms is used to start cuttings.  I expect to try a few in the ground next year and have a few to pass along.



What's happening in your garden? 

A Visit to a Special Nursery Set in Australian Scrub Land.

Hi to all our Garden Gurus across the Globe.

 

It was now my pleasure to go visiting a beautiful Garden Nursery which is set in a most unusual setting south of where I live.

 

 

The Nursery is called Raywood Nursery and a more delightful garden full of exotics trees, shrubs and plants would be difficult to find any where else in such a unique environment.

 

 

Raywood, which used to be a renowned nursery in the Adelaide Hills situated in Piccadilly, was transferred in 1974 to Deep Creek, far south on the Fleurieu Peninsula South Australia and is established with in 30 acres of wild and thick Stringy Bark Forest.

 

 

 

The actual Deep Creek runs through the property supplying the nursery with the much needed water to keep everything looking so fresh and green.

 

 

Once inside this nursery, which sits next to a conservation park, it feels like you have stepped into another world.

 

 

Blue Wrens and many other bird species including Native finches all play a big part creating charm and uniqueness in this beautiful and captivating family owned nursery.

 

 

I hope that you enjoy my little slide show and might I say it was difficult to stop at posting many more photos into this slide show.

I had such a great day there with my camera and found the owners so very obliging.

I wish to thank them sincerely for the pleasure.

Cheers for Now Milli. 

 

 

Tree's in the Park

sorry i forgot the name of the tree, i do know it well but but, perhaps you do ?

January in a zone 8/9 garden

Mr Lincoln, lots of healthy new growth. We're going to experience a few freezes ag'n next week but as of yet they aren't predicting a hard one. I may be able to keep this growth.

I'm in Louisiana, right on the cusp of zones 8 and 9. Winters are relatively mild with us spending several days or weeks at a time in with spring like weather (70s/40s) divided but a day or three with lows below freezing. I grow mostly ornamentals with special interest in roses. I've been out examining my bushes today and thought I'd try a post here.