TALL Plants!

So I have had some incredible plant growth this year! Check this out....my Stargazer lilies (out of bloom) and my Black Krim tomatoes are taller than I am! I'm only 5'3"!

German Red Garlic

So I love garlic. :) When I do cook I cook with A LOT of garlic! I guess it's why I love Italian food :) Garlic just makes things taste SO good! And without salt! So at the farmer's market today I found these GIANT garlic bulbs! No, they aren't elephant garlic.... The guy said they are strong tasting, very garlicky. SOLD! It wasn't cheap though...it was $3 per bulb. I was going to get two, but I decided to get one only. I'll just plant all the cloves and eat it next year! Man I need a bigger yard....I can see why people who grow garlic end up with huge garlic patches!

Honeysuckle Berries

My honeysuckle has grown these very pretty berries after flowering. I
never knew they had berries, but I guess I should've known they
reproduce somehow! LOL Anyway, they are quite interesting to look at
since they change colors!

I'd show you a pic of my dahalias, but I have some hungry grasshoppers
eating them all :(

Largest Black Krim Tomato

This is the largest tomato I have this year and it isn't even done
growing yet! Not sure what went haywire here because all the others
were half its size! Hopefully no rain is going to split it!

Moneywort

This is the prettiest greenery ever! I love how it cascades over the
wall. It does grow everywhere, but it is easily pulled up and a
perrenial to boot!

Japanese Maple

I got this little maple in 2006 and it was this skinny little twig for
$40. I had to stake it in case a storm blew it over! The trunk at the
time was probably as big as the stake. Today, it has a 1" diameter
trunk! Finally took the stake out because it looked sturdy enough to
stand on its own. I wish it was more umbrella shaped, but it has
decided to grow to the right. Oh well...

Honeybees News!

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1918282,00.html

Mosquitos & Hot Peppers

So you're probably wondering what the heck do hot peppers have to do with mosquitos? Well....nothing! Just the two things I wanted to talk about today!

I don't know if this was just last night, but I was outside for maybe 10 minutes and I got 6 mosquitos bites! Three on my lower back and three on the back of my left ankle! Ugh! They itch like C-R-A-Z-Y!!! This is one part of summer I don't like. I have been lucky all summer...haven't gotten much (one?) till now! Of course, I hide inside the house at sunset, but I was surprised to see that they were out already last night at 6pm-ish since the sun wasn't even setting yet!

As for the hot peppers....I almost threw my new pepper seeds away! They were stuck in the junk mail. Luckily I saw something out of the corner of my eye that looked like a big white envelope! The pepper seeds I ordered for next year finally arrived. I got some chocolate habaneros 'congo black', Caribbean red pepper, and the king of all hot peppers....(and you though habaneros were bad!) Bhut Jolokia peppers! Otherwise known as the "ghost pepper", which is three times as hot as the habaneros! I can't wait to sucker someone into eating one.....muhahahaHAHAHAhahah!!!!

Slugs!

So, I went to harvest any ripe tomatoes today only to find that someone else has gotten to them already! There were holes all over them! :( Then I saw the tell tale slime trail....grrr!!! Ya know, I don't mind sharing, but at least share! They just hogged all my ripe tomatoes! :( All three went into my compost bin instead... There are a few green tomatoes left so hopefully they will ripen up. I also added organic slug bait so hopefully they will stay the heck away!

Butterworts For Sale - $2 each!

These act like fly paper! Great for fungus gnats!

New Wall

We moved our backyard wall further back to get more patio space. Looks good huh?

Habaneros!

Bulbophyllum in Bloom

Marigolds in Bloom

I started these from seed.

Bakyard Work

Our backyard patio is being enlarged and the best part is that I am not doing the work! Not that I did it the first time around...but I am hoping I get a corner of the remodel for an herb garden! Nothing that would be too far off from what I'm doing now, just more permanent.

On another note, my plumeria cutting looks like it is about to bloom and in its first year! :o The seedlings are growing quite well and have grown a lot! The one with the broken tip has branched. This could be a good thing....a squatty plant!

The habaneros are all ripening up! Tomatoes are YUMMY as well as the garlic! I can't believe it is August already though...Seems like it went by too fast as always!

Phal. John Ewing in Bloom

Phrag. kovachii

So my Paph. henryanum died a slow death. I bought it with 5 fans I
believe, but it had no roots when I got it home to repot. Wasn't
successful at re-rooting it. The seller promised a replacement.
Instead of getting the same plant I asked for a different one and I'd
make up the difference. I have been drooling over a kovachii and
thought it would hurt less getting one this way. It's like making
payments on it! LOL So I now have my most expensive orchid at a 5"
leaf span. Wish me luck!

Cash for Clunkers

I've been away the last few weeks...sorry my first post isn't quite about plants, but since this is a blog about sustainability I had to touch on this. The current administration thinks that throwing away money is a great idea without ever knowing where it actually ends up. When they run out, just print more! What is wrong with this thinking? Let me tell you starting with the Cash for Clunkers idea...

So you have an old car that's not environmentally friendly. The government wants to give you money so that you will trade it in and get something more eco-friendly. Sounds great on the surface...you'll SAVE THE WORLD! But that's where it is most flawed...keep in mind that we are in a recession. A lot of people are out of work and a car is not a small item to buy, expensive even. So a person trades in their "clunker" that they do not have to make payments on any longer and gets a new car, which comes with monthly payments AND full coverage insurance required since the bank isn't going to loan you any money if they are held liable for anything you do without it! Suddenly, you are in a money crunch! What if, like my taxi driver in Vegas, her husband gets injured and isn't able to work? Now you're down to one salary, car payments and full coverage insurance to pay on it!

PEOPLE!!! THIS IS NOT A GOOD IDEA!!! OBAMA IS NOT OUT TO SAVE YOU!

Also, did you ever stop to think what happened to the old clunkers they took? I'll bet you anything they got sent to Mexico or China. So they are STILL polluting the air! Don't think for one moment that a perfectly good SUV did not get sent elsewhere to make more money on rather than taking it to the scrap.

On top of it all...making a new car would cause more pollution than keeping an old one! Not all eco-friendly products are made w/o expending energy of some sort. It usually boils down to natural resources...the very ones we are trying not to use.

Think about it!


In gardening news...my habaneros are ripening up and I just harvested 3 tomatoes today.

NOT Bell Peppers!

My "yellow bell peppers" are really not looking that way. I don't know
what they are, but what are the chances that this was the only
seedling that survived that I started and the only one that doesn't
match what I had wanted on the package?!

My Garlic Harvest

I can't remember which ones are Music and which ones aren't. They are
smaller than I expected, but at least I got some!

New Blooms

I am so hot from cleaning the house that I decided to take a peek at my plants. I wanted to weed some plants out and downsize some, but as usual, that was pretty unsuccessful. I only found one plant! Of course, I didn't look outside, but as I was looking at what was left of my collection in the basement, while the others summered outside, I saw this little guy in bloom! I didn't even know it was in spike! When I say little...it is LITTLE! Maybe about 3" wide? The flowers are smaller, but they are also fragrant! It's a Neofinitia falcata. What name I don't know...forgot to look on the tag. It smells good enough to eat! I also found a Masdevallia in bloom. I saw the bud come up a few weeks ago and thought it was the only one, but turns out there are more to come! I will get a picture of it when it finally opens up all the way.

First Stargazer Flower in Bloom

New Planters

With new Caladiums...looks nice! Let's hope what I transplanted
survives!

Front Yard Today

Added Nasturtium seedlings after the storm washed away my compost.

Supposedly Yellow Bell Peppers...

These do not look like any sort of bell peppers to me!

Black Krim Tomatoes Getting Big!

Paph. moquettium in Bloom

Amorphophallus konjac out of dormancy after 2 years!

Hibiscus in Bloom

My sugar snaps are not tolerating drying out a little at all. A couple
vines have perished. I think I will put new seeds in.

The lilies are blooming slowly this year instead of one big flush of
flowers. The Stargazers still have a ways to go.

Garlic is getting there. It's almost July so almost time to harvest!

Starting new Nasturium and Columbine seeds since neither of which came
up this year. Guess my Nasturtium seeds were too old. My Columbine
just plain didn't come up. Winter must've done it in.

All my mushroom compost washed away in the stormin the front yard.
Gutter needs fixed and Justin wants to put up a divterter too, which
is probably a good idea.

Paph. moquettium is about to bloom! The bud is opening up! Can't wait!

Seed grown herbs are tiny still except for basil. That is catching up
to my store bought plant! Chives is weak as well as parsley & cilantro.

Marigold from seed is doing well. Started 6 and 5 made it. They are
about 3" tall and very pretty, but a ways from blooming!

One of my Amorphallus leafed out after being dormant for two years!
I'm excited! Lots of things growing. Just wished the summer heat would
stay away!

Stay cool!

Post-Storm Mess

So after work today it was nice and sunny....thank god! I came home and noticed that the water washed away my soil in my front yard! There were like grooves in the soil where the water had been! All the soil (I think all?) washed down (it's a hill) and gathered at the bottom covering up all my plants! I had to dig my plants back out as best I could. The storm also knocked all the flowers off my bush! :( Some saffron crocus bulbs got washed out too. Not sure how many I lost...I'll know if saffron crocuses grow in anyone else's yard! Luckily they were dormant so no biggie. I just dug a hole and threw the ones I found into it. Didn't even bother to make sure they were right side up lol They'll figure it out!

A branch fell on my lily/garlic patch in the backyard and broke a lily bud off as well as some petals off a flower. Had to stake 4 of them cuz they were all bent over. A miniature iris of mine in the backyard got washed out! Good thing I looked because it would've died! Looks like a lot of work this weekend besides studying for my test on Monday!

Vermicomposting: Another Method

I thought this was interesting....not only did I see a do it yourself version of this, but if you aren't the DIY type this is pretty cheap too. Not sure how well they work, but I wouldn't mind testing one! I just don't want to pay $60 to test it LOL If anyone is willing to try this, please let me know what you think!

http://www.redwormcomposting.com/the-worm-inn-continuous-flow-vermicomposting-system/

Tornado Warning

This is what I came home to after class. Had to step into the river
that was the sidewalk in front of my house to get inside! My shoes are
all wet! The corner of my front yard in the pic is also flooded.

Honeysuckle in Bloom

This was the part shade honeysuckle I found last year and it has
bloomed for me in exactly part shade! Worth getting if you love this
plant, but don't have full sun! The fragrance is just delicious!

Sweet Peas are BLOOMING!!!!

I can't believe it! Look what has actually FINALLY bloomed for me here in Pittsburgh!!! SWEET PEAS!!! :D It sure has been a long couple of months! I think I started the seeds in March or so? I think next time I will have to start them indoors and hopefully transfer them so that I can enjoy their blooms more!

The Pretty Bug ID'd!

Remember the pretty little bug on my lilies in my May 31st post? It's an immature form of a longhorned grasshopper! I was told they aren't much of a pest problem in the garden, but they do eat plants. So what's the definition of a pest? Cuz I consider anything that eats my plants a pest! LOL Too bad they are so pretty....supposedly they sing too! I hope they at least share my honeysuckle and lilies if I am willing to share with them!

Vermicomposting

Found this on my worm list tonight and thought it was an interesting idea!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Worm_bin_bag_for_indoor_vermicomposting_and_easy_s/

Success!!!

The sweet peas are about to bloom! YAY!!!

Black Krim Tomatoes & Sugar Ann Snap Peas

I just tasted my first sugar snap pea the other day....YUM! I can't wait for MORE! :D

Today I also found 3 baby Black Krim tomatoes growing! YIPEE!!!

Basil is doing well. Something is eating it. Oregano did not come back surprisingly. It did last year from the year before...guess our winter this year was worse?

Rarely Seen

My neighbor was showing me her plants when we came across this bug. Not sure what it was, but then I got an email announcing that we were to have an entomologist at our Master Gardener meeting next! Unfortunately, I was going to be unable to go since I have class during that time. I did snap some pictures of this bug...pics are below. Do you have any guess as to what it is? Since I couldn't go to the meeting, I asked if the entomologist could ID this bug for me. Are you ready for the answer? It's a rare sighting....BUT...it is the pupal form of a ladybug! So if you see these guys hanging around your garden....DO NOT kill them! :D Made sense since we found two near a patch of aphids...their favorite food!

'Sugar Ann' Sugar Snap Peas

The peas are growing! Can't wait to pick them! Something tells me I
won't have enough to cook with cuz I'll eat them before I have enough
to cook with!

First Lily Bloom

Lillies

Look how tall they are getting!

Sugar Snap Peas 'Sugar Ann'

I forgot to write about this! My Sugar Ann sugar snap peas are blooming! Can't wait for FRESH sugar snap peas! Yipee!

Post #100!

Yup, this is my 100th post! :o That's a lot of typing!

Anyhoo....today I went to Lowes to get sticky traps. Found a white peony and a red hydrangea! I had planted a red hydrangea from Park Seed's once, but as with all of the other plants I bought from them, none of them survived. Seeds are ok to buy there, but not plants! I also got two of these little fern like ground covers. Forget what they are called, but I had wanted two blacks, but got a black and a normal green one. Oh well! They supposedly grow in part shade/full sun and do well in drought! So it's perfect....I can do the part shade since it is really dry underneath. I will probably have to water them a bit till they get settled in though. Speaking of which, I forgot to do! Watered some other plants that needed water though. Oops? Oh well....later!

I think I'll plant the red hydrangea up front. I'd like to plant the peony in the back, but not sure I have the space.

Interesting Bug

This little guy has been living on my lily. Not sure what it is, but it sure is pretty!

Notes for the Future

Each planter up front takes 6 plugs of snapdragons or 12 plugs of pansies. Need new planters....

Seedlings

Out of 4 seeds planted of Acorn Squash, one sprouted. Today it was big enough that I repotted it into the big pot! I should've put the zucchini in that pot and the acorn squash in the zucchini pot! Oh well... I also planted my basil seedlings with my other basil. My cilantro I don't think is going to make it. I think one of my parsley is going to. The marigolds have sprouted easily. I can't wait to see these as they are the giant kind! I have 6! The miniature globe basil has sprouted too! Where am I going to plant all this??? I have no idea! I also planted some old nasturtium seeds up front. Don't know if they'll sprout. We'll see I guess!

FREE Heirloom Tomato Seeds!!!

http://wintersown.org/wseo1/YourChoiceTomatoSASE.html

http://www.helpgrowyoursoup.com/

What's in Bloom...

Paph. bellatulum ('Yellow Bird' x 'Yellow Sunset') from Marlow Orchids.

Paph. delenatii ('Amy's challenge' AM/AOS X 'Hsin-Ming' SM/TPS). Forget who I got this one from.

Pleurothalis mathildae. I sold my Motes Ascocenda today since it was so big and got this itty bitty beauty instead!

Another view of Pleurothalis mathildae.

Another view of Pleurothalis mathildae.

OT: Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)

Everyone needs to know the truth!

http://www.consumerfreedom.com/news_detail.cfm/headline/3899

Paph. bellatulum in Bloom

Better Late Than Never

This year has been late for a lot of things, one of which is summer, but I am not going to complain about the lack of heat and humidity! I am quite happy where it is at...SPRING! The first sign of things taking longer than usual was my orchids. They did not bloom in time for the show this past March. A few did, but my trust little mini Phal. did not. They are both currently in bloom right now and have been for a few weeks. My Paph. bellatulum just opened up and is looking gorgeous! My other Paph. delenatii is about to open! It sure has taken its sweet time to mature! I just saw that my Paph. moquettium is starting to spike! YIPEE!!! I haven't seen that in bloom since I bought it in bloom and oh my is it one gorgeous purple! It's also one gorgeous flower!

Here is something I want to show you...it's called a Mari Mari Marimo. What it is supposed to be is a ball of algae. They are most famous in Japan because of how sphereical they get in this lake where they occur. They occur elsewhere too, but just not as round. I've had this one for a few years. It was a bit smaller when I first got it. The jar is only about 2" tall. Upon further research, it did not seem that my "Marimo Ball" looked anything like the others. I think I have a fake! It looks more like a ball of algae fibers someone rolled together, but it is still neat nonetheless. I think some businessman in Hong Kong decided to take the public or something b/c if you look up the company the website ends in ".hk". They do sell ones like this in Japan in little jars, but I'm not sure if they look like mine or not. I did, however, buy a Marimo ball. I had one several years ago, but my fish decided to eat it! Once it was destroyed it went downhill from there, eventually becoming aquarium sludge. They sure have gone up in price since then though! I paid almost double of what it cost me my first one!

Things That Are Bad for You...and Good Too!

Just ran across this article on my way to post and thought everyone should read about this! Click here.

Anyhow...about plants! Last fall I had planted these bulbs called Moutain Bells for an "early" spring blooming while nothing else has bloomed yet and they never bloomed. What are they doing now? They are blooming! Or getting ready to at the very least. Guess they did not get the memo!

My Alliums are starting to bloom. They are surprisingly easy to grow, even in a part shade area. I am expecting Gladiator and Persian Blue to bloom as well as my no name Allium I got at May Market the one year.

The rain has finally let up and I was able to weed some of that clover out of my lawn! Temperatures are fairly low also so that gives my sweet peas some time to grow and hopefully bloom!

Yesterday at May Market I couldn't resist and got a black cherry tomato plant, a mystery plant (could be cana or banana), and two seedling plumerias! I also got a ton of lily, daffodil and grape hyacinth bulbs for my neighbor. It was great fun and we sold a lot dispite what was weighing on my mind since the morning vet visit with my dog. Can't wait for next year's May Market! Hopefully I will be able to put in more hours next year b/c it really is enjoyable.

So this past winter killed my hardy banana, two ferns, and Betilla striata.

Here are the pictures I promised:

May Market

May Market is today and tomorrow. This year it was moved to Phipps Conservatory instead of Phipps Garden Center, which was a bit of a bummer, but more parking. The amount of vendors was also quite a bit disappointing. It also did not have that cozy Sunday stroll type of air about it.

I still picked up some goodies though. Got a dwarf iris, variegated basil, variegated mint, 2 ostrich ferns, a type of herb with a pretty bouquet of purple flowers I don't remember the name of, another pot of Hakone grass, a miniature conifer that will max out at 2x3 feet, 2 Black Krim tomatoes, Bay tree, and maybe a few other things I can't remember the moment. I was also given a freebie standard purple, no name, bearded iris, which I gave to my neighbor since I really did not have the place for such a plant and I can just enjoy it in her garden instead. I'm sure she'd gladly share with me if I ever wanted a piece back!

Need to get pictures of all the goodies :D

Nematodes!

My flea nematodes arrived today. When I get a free moment and the rain lets up some I will water them into the ground and over spray into my neighbor's yard too :)

OT: Rescue Needs Help!

Pei People Shar Pei rescue recently took in a few shar peis due to a breeder's foreclosure. Please help them by fostering, donating directly at www.peipeople.com, or by purchasing one of my items, click here. All monies will benefit the rescue 100%. Shipping is separate. Will charge actual at cost shipping.

Weeds

It's been raining non-stop for days now! There doesn't seem to be an end in sight either. :( The one thing nice is that it has made the clay soil really soft so weeding has been fairly easy. I just need to take enough out each time that I am weeding faster than they are growing! I think the corn gluten has worn off. Again, I believe I maybe put the stuff on too late? Although it hasn't even been a year yet since I started this whole sustainable gardening thing and it supposedly takes about two years for the corn gluten to work wonderfully. We'll see!

With all this rain the grass was like 10" tall! Cutting it was a challenge and we weren't able to cut it any sooner since it was....you guessed it! RAINING! Ugh...I keep trying to tell myself "It's better than snow!", but seriously, when is enough, enough?! We're on flood watch here near the water. Did mother nature miss the memo of "April showers bring May flowers"? Hello?! It's MAY! Yeah, I'm a bit irritated by all the wet stuff!

Am I in Seattle or Pittsburgh?

I woke up to rain! Yep, that wet stuff that falls from the sky that even my dog says "I don't think so!" to! Seems like just yesterday that we mowed our grass (it was probably a week ago) and it is probably about 8" tall again! I did fertilize and lime the lawn yesterday so I guess I can't complain too much. I didn't have to water it! All the small broadleaf weeds are starting to pop up. With all this rain I guess I'll be weeding also while on the short break I have! If the weather is good I guess...I keep chugging along.

More Stuff

Yesterday I bought 4 black sweet potato vines and 2 chartreuse ones in case the "potatoes" that I replanted from last year don't show up. I think my front yard is going to look extremely nice this year with all the vines growing! The best part is that I don't have to worry about whether or not they will take over since they won't survive here in zone 6a! I had a surprise plant come up that I had forgotten about. I think it's a Trillium. Good thing I didn't try to dig and plant something there!

I also picked up a pack of four habaneros that I am going to try to grow in the pot on the side of the driveway that I have in my neighbor's yard since that is the only "full sun" I get. Luckily it's a rental property and it also belongs to the man who sold us our house so he doesn't seem to mind much! I gave it some 3-3-3 fertilizer so hopefully these tiny seedlings will grow up fast and start producing some peppers!

The hyacinths are almost done. They sure didn't last long :( I cut most of the stalks and gave them all some bone meal. I hope they are happy campers till next spring!

I also threw my Meyer's lemon tree outside since it is starting to leaf out and bud up too so I hope to have some lemons again! Going to fertilize it well this time around so that I get some BIG lemons! Have to find it a new pot though. It is still in the same pot it came in! Hard to find good looking cheap pots though. I also gave some 3-3-3 to this. It needs it.

My Sugar Ann sugar snap peas are coming up! YIPEE!!! I have yet to figure out a staking solution! Maybe just lots of sticks? Need them at least 2' tall though....I think I will just have to buy some as I don't have enough or any that are that tall.

Some of the herb seeds I planted from last year are sprouting! Some sprouted in record time! Hopefully they will do well and I can put them outside soon.

Now if the weather could just stay cool for a long while...those sweet peas are only about 2" tall!

Chilly Weather

Looks like spring is back...it's been really rainy and not so warm, but I guess it's a sign of spring! I think I planted my sweet peas too late. I never know when to plant these things here in zone 6a! Need to add lime and compost to lawn....clover is back! Think I'll add some fertilizer too. I think I'll be pretty busy the week and a half I have off in between classes! This house desperately needs some help.

Summer!

So much for spring! This weekend we had weather up into the 80s/90s! It's just way too hot...I'd like it to be a little cooler! I hope this doesn't mean this summer is going to be sweltering already...

I have had no luck selling my worm tea concentrate so I decided to use it instead. Hopefully, my plants like me for it! I moved all my hanging plants outside today and I even put my Butterworts out in hopes that they grow even better! Put a pitcher plant that I haven't had time to repot outside too as well as my Ascocenda orchid. Put my hangers in the ground ready for plants as soon as they get acclimated to the new bright light! The new begonias I bought are looking absolutely gorgeous! I need to get them in a bigger pot and hang them! Not sure where I am going to hang such a thing, but I'll find a place!

I am a bit late, but I just found my herb seeds from last year and decided to plant a few. Spring in the NE is so unpredictable that it is so hard to start things from seed. I wish I had a greenhouse!

Temps Rising

The forecast for this weekend is a high of into the 80s! I think I started my sweet peas a bit too late. It is tricky growing in a zone 6a when you are so used to zone 8! I am just not good at this timing thing. I wonder if it would be too much for the seeds to plant them in the fall? That way they have plenty of chill time and whenever they are ready they can grow! Only thing is that they are planted only 1" below soil surface and if they pop up early a frost could kill them....

"Sugar Ann" Snap Peas

YAY! The peas have arrived! I got an email from them earlier today saying that it would be shipped today or tomorrow. To my surprise, after coming home from a day of volunteering for Master Gardener hours at Phipps, my seeds were already in my maibox! Ok, so I don't have a mailbox....they were on the floor near my mail slot, but still! They're here! And all the way from Vermont! Can't wait to plant some this weekend in a windowbox! I hope the robins have picked through the vermicompost I put into it so that I have worm free compost for the peas! YUM! I bet these shorty peas would work well in a hanging basket too.

Such a Nice Day

This past Thursay and Friday were really nice as well as today. I'm glad of all three nice days I had to work on Friday since it wasn't quite as nice! I had planned on washing the car and double waxing it today, but my plans were thwarted thanks to J.

At least, I got to get some stuff done outside...spring clean up and planted my snapdragons since they really couldn't have stayed in those teeny weeny pots for any longer. Planted the basil too since it seemed to take cold nights ok. I brought out the sweet potato vines and replanted those. They shrunk a lot. I also replanted the Caladium. I hope it survived the winter. I also planted this Toad Lily my friend, Jen, gave me. It sure didn't look like much out of the package! Just this tiny skinny little root. Guess we'll see if it grows!

I didn't do so well as far as organized planting of my garlic and discovered a few spots I could've filled in so I moved the one garlic I had growing to the spot since it was off all alone without its garlic buddies!

Sure doesn't sound like much in a post, but I am pooped. Ready for sleep again! LOL

My lillies look like they have multiplied over the winter, which is really exciting! Can't wait to be able to share with my neighbor as she really liked my dark red lillies last year. I posted a pic of my front yard today...you can't see too well some of the things that are growing, but it is looking nice in person! If you are nearby, stop by and check it out.

It's supposed to start raining tomorrow for a few days. It's going to feel like a winter day in Seattle next week! Temps are going down so it will give my sweet peas some time to grow! They have already sprouted and peeking out! I am so glad winter is over!

Planter With Snapdragons

Front Yard in Spring Growth

Gardening & Cooking

I have noticed that most gardeners are also good cooks...except for me lol I rather be the taste tester ;) However, I do love growing edibles...if only I had more sun and space! I still have yet to receive my Sugar Ann pea seeds yet. I am quite excited about it even though, again, I do not have the space or the sun, but hopefully they will still produce! I thought about maybe growing them in a window box, but unfortunately it will only get afternoon sun on that windowsill. I really don't get full sun anywhere...too many tall trees in the backyard.

Otherwise....we have a few days of sunshine....yesterday, today and I believe tomorrow, but starting Sunday it's going to rain for a few days with the temps on the chillier side.

More Surprises

My sweet peas are popping up! My garlic has been growing well as you can see:



My lillies are also popping up in that patch. They have multiplied! YAY! One of my terrestrial orchids just stuck its little head up out of the mulch! Hopefully it won't get frost bite, but I did stick the cage over it in case some critter decides to make a meal out of an expensive plant! You can see the little green shoot in the middle of the pic:


This is something that I'm not sure what it is, but I think I planted it! Isn't it cute???

Ethanol

This is ridiculous b/c you need fossil fuels to produce ethanol.

Spring Weather

We spent a few days in warmer weather this past week...coming home was a bit of a disappointment! Spring days this year are quite chilly. Nights are cold enough to have a fire going in the fireplace! The only reason I am happy about this chilly weather is that it is not freezing for one and that this will give my sweet peas a chance to grow! I have missed those flowers dearly since I moved away from Seattle back in 2001. They are one of my favorites and I have not been able to grow them here in Pittsburgh with our short spring and fall weathers. They grow, but don't bloom at all. Hopefully it will be a mild summer here. I hate going to the Vintage Grand Prix when it is sweltering hot like it has been the first few years that I have lived here. My hyacinths are still working at it...since my lot is shady they are usually a week or two behind everyone else's bloom time!

Last night, I finally got around to reading my Gardening How-To magazine and found a sugar snap pea that only grows to a height of 18"! It was called Sugar Ann. I just had to order some! I got them from https://www.highmowingseeds.com. They seemed to have the lowest shipping. Hopefully I can get some to grow! I love those things fresh as I am sure Pele, my bearded dragon, would too!

I haven't planted any pansies this year. Should, but felt lazy :) I do, however, need to get some snapdragons before everyone snatches them all up! Been too busy studying in hopes of getting into the DMS (Diagnostic Medical Sonography) program at school. I am more determined at 30 than ever!

Dahlia

Today I found a Dahlia at Lowes I couldn't pass up...especially after I saw what the name was...Seattle! It's a dinnerplate yellow with white tipped flower that are 6-8" in diameter. The plant is 36" tall, takes full sun (which I have none of! But I'm going to try anyway!), package says it is deer resistant (not that I have a problem with them), good cut flowers, blooms all summer, and is hardy down to zone 8, but suitable for zones 4-8. I guess I will have to dig it up in the fall if I want it to come back next year. I should've shared one of the three bulbs I got with my neighbor so that I can at least see it bloom if mine doesn't! I may dig one back up later for her.

Peonies & Alliums

I am EXCITED!!! My one Peony is coming back! Thank god for labels b/c I wouldn't have remembered what I planted there! The one I got as a bareroot and unsure of whether it would grow or not has new shoots! Woohoo! Need to write new tags for some of them....can't read the labels much anymore!

All my Alliums are coming back including the new ones! They have really unique leaves...I am excited to see what they look like!

Sweet Peas

Ever since moving here to Pittsburgh eight years ago I have not been able to grow any blooming sized Sweet Peas, my favorite flowers. :( This year, it's been a bit chilly so I found a pack of Renee's Garden (www.reneesgarden.com) Windowbox Sweet Peas - Color Palette Cupid in my seed box. They are dated for 2006 so may not be all viable, but they are seeds afterall! Some will grow I am sure! I planted some in a big planter in my backyard and some in the two planters I have up front. I didn't have enough for it to go all the way around so I just did the front and one side of each pot. Hopefully I will get some blooms this year! They are supposed to be frost tolerant, and only 8-10 inches tall. While I don't have full sun as they prefer I am hoping I will at least get SOME flowers! Wish me luck!

Paph Roots

I thought semi-hyroponic was the eco-friendly answer to all this fir bark problem, but alas...my Paph. Green Glory was telling me another story! The poor guy is on the brink of death with no roots and barely any green top. As I looked at all my other plants that are going through the same symptoms I decided to transplant all my slipper orchids back into bark. The problem was finding enough pots since I have pretty much recycled all the pots that I had collected over the years thinking I would not need them again! Boy was I wrong! I did manage...there are a few plant (4?) that I haven't done or missed. It was quite tiring sterilizing and repotting all these plants. I still need to sterilize all those clay pebbles, but I need buckets and strainers!

Many were losing roots once I had unpotted them. Glad that I had caught them in time that they still had some live roots to grow with though and I repotted the ones that had been in the SH the longest. Those were generally the worst off. The pic above is of a Phrag. bessae X. It has a TON of roots as you can see, but there are only 3 main roots that are attached to the plant! Another Phrag. bessae X that I had bought as the same time as this one only had 2 main roots, but the same thing...massive amount of roots from those two. Only problem was that while I was cleaning off the dead leaves from the plant I accidentally broke off the WHOLE root system!!!! :( :( :( Had to re-wire it for re-rooting again. Luckily this is a healthy plant, so I expect a full recovery, while Green Glory I have my fingers, toes, arms and legs crossed that it makes it!

I am quite disappointed that SH did not work out the way I had hoped it would. It was keeping the plants way too wet. So it looks like back to bark it is! Some plants do well in it though, but not all!

Orchid Show 2009: Orchid Reflections

What a great show this year it was! I didn't do the society exhibit, which was really nice! Especially in light of the fact that my grandma passed away early in the morning my time St. Patty's day...I was definitely not feeling up to setting that darn thing up let alone much else! I got to get there late, which probably saved me some money! I was a little nervous that we'd have a bad weekend since it was sunny, but the sales were the best that I have seen in the eight years that I have been a member! I helped one of our vendors sell and none of us were able to go to lunch until 3pm on Saturday! Our feet, ankles and backs were really complaining by the end of the day!

I entered 3 plants into the show, one of which whose spike blasted apparently. :( But the other two got 2nd place ribbons in each of their own classes! I purchased a Phalaenopsis (Phal. for short) Zuma Pixie, Dendrobium (Den. for short) Aussie Chip, Paphiopedlium (Paph. for short) lowii crossed with another Paph, and a Paphiopedlium vietnamense! That is controlled purchasing in my book! The only other thing I bought was $50 in orchid supplies. At the end of the show, I was gifted with a species Phalaenopsis and a new Den. atroviolaceum cross!

I brought a Paph that hadn't been doing well in for the "Pros" to look at. Sadly, all the roots on it had died :( Dennis and I took it into orchid ER for an emergency operation only to find out it had no roots. So we cleaned it up...took it home, re-wired it with some fake roots for anchoring and brought it back in the next day w/ a new smaller pot as Dennis gave me some Diatomite or whatever it is called and we potted it back up. I watered it with a rooting solution and placed it in a spot with less light. Hopefully the roots will re-grow and I get to save this plant. It was a plant that everyone had their eyes on when I first had dibs on it! So please keep your fingers crossed! I really liked it too!

While I look forward to the show each year I am glad it is over. It was great to see all our vendors again. They become some good friends sometimes and you learn a lot from them!

Friday, March 20th is Officially Spring!

But down in my basement my orchids are already telling me that! Two of my Paphs are spiking! One I have never seen bloom before so I am excited! Lots of spikes coming, but of course, none in time for the show next weekend! I think there are a total of 6 down there in spike, 1 is ready to bloom up in the livingroom, two are blooming, and one is going out of bloom! Guess my "old" lights aren't too old that they are still blooming plants! Just when I thought I might not want to grow anymore plants for awhile....they give me a reason why I grew them in the first place!

Need to find time this week to put down some corn gluten outside!

Orchid Death and Birth

I went to install my new lights today since the power surge a few weeks back ruined them. Afterwards I watered all my orchids only to find out my reliable blooming small Ascocenda died. I suspected something was wrong last week since it was all of a sudden losing green leaves. Today they all fell off and the tell tale signs of a possible bacterial infection. Oh well....one plant down! Hopefully the other one blooms for me this year!

My Paph delenatii is about to bloom. A Tolumnia I got from Main Street Orchids is blooming! I have one in bud...almost in bloom and another that never spiked. Masdevallia Snowbird is in bloom and is holding its last bloom. There is also a mini Dendrobium is in bloom and fragrant. Forget the name of the plant.... A few other orchids are in spike! Guess my bulbs aren't too old! But I will change them out this fall to get the maximum amount of light for winter.

Weather is warming up! It is exciting :D

Another Light Out

I forgot to water my plants again this week, much later than usual, but they usually fair ok with the delay. As I descended the stairs down into the basement, where my light stand is located, I am greeted with extra darkness...more so than the one fixture that burned out, prolly due to the power surge that also ruined a few other things. Florescent tubes don't usually burn out together so I assume the surge got this fixture too. I didn't test it....but I did get everything watered. Moved some plants around so that those in bud could get some light. The rest of them can sit in darkness for awhile until I get around to picking up new lights. What I don't understand is that all the lights were plugged into surge protectors. Doesn't seem like it did any good...

Electrical Short

For once, since starting school I felt like fussing with my plants today. Maybe it was fate b/c as I groomed my plants and was looking them over I heard this noise that sounded as if someone was walking around the kitchen and the floor was creaking. The floor never creaked before.... Then the telltale "sssssstt!" sound came about above my head as I was squatting looking at the lower two shelves of my orchids. I looked up...I knew what that sound was! I just had to locate where it came from. I saw the smoke, but wasn't sure where it came from still...all the lights were working! I flipped the switch off so that it wouldn't start a house fire and went and got J. He came over to look at it. We could definitely smell it now....electronics burning. After his lookover we turned on the lights again on the grow stand and it wasn't the light I thought it was (top light), but instead it was the second shelf that was out! I guess the smoke rose... I unplugged that one. I guess now instead of buying more bulbs I have to buy a whole new unit too! Ugh...they are not easy to get in once the stand is where it is supposed to be with plants underneath it! I don't know what would've happened had I not been there. How is it that I am always around when electrical shortages happen???

Last Warm Day...

I hate it when winter teases us like this. The last few days have been spectacular! Tomorrow it'll get cold again :( Hope nothing is coming out of dormancy yet. I've taken the dog for walks since it's been so nice and it's been nice to be able to get out of the house! I'm sure he appreciates it as much as I do! I am ready for spring!

Warming Up!

Wow spring is just right around the corner because today was warm enough to wear just a light jacket or none at all if you are hot bodied! Got to clean up the yard a little...all those dead tomato plants got cut down except I missed one. Oh well!