Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Greenhouse in Violet, ON


Potter's Greenhouses in Violet, ON May 2005

These Greenhouses are absolutely beautiful as you can see by my photos. Posted by Hello

Hort Club Greenhouse Tour

On Sunday, my friend Rhonda and I, did the Hort Club Greenhouse Tour - 3 Commercial Greenhouses in the Odessa area. The first garden centre was small but very well organized with beautifully potted plants - we enjoyed looking - they had lots of grasses. Then we traveled on to Violet to Potter's Greenhouse, a well established family operated greenhouse - I enjoy this place as it is very country - we bought lots of garden plants - their plants were excellent quality and we just kept walking and walking and looking at the hanging baskets, annuals, perennials, herbs, vegetables and on and on. I am on a marigold tangent this spring and bought a box even tho I have some growing in my greenhouse. Also, bought a Lantana - when starting to bloom, it is pink, then as it opens, it turns to orange and yellow. A flower new to me, Red Venedio, was my next purchase - has a gorgeous red daisy flower and poppy like leaf - hopefully, it will flower all summer.
The last stop was Burt's - a huge commercial grower - on Maple Road - I found Statice there - they also gave us a hanging plant (snapdragons) - I guess because we spent over $25.00. We also stopped for lunch at the home of some Hort Club members near the greenhouses - chili, fresh buns, coffee, and squares - very yummy! They have a gorgeous garden - lots of tulips and spring blooms.
It has been really cool here lately but this AM was so nice, I planted my marigolds and dusty millers, and dug up some plants from my garden for the Hort Club plant sale. I also dug up some dandelions.
ENJOYMENT: Newly planted flowers!

Thursday, May 12, 2005

Potting!!

It was sunny, windy and cool here today so, in my greenhouse, I repotted some plants for a friend - dumped off the old soil-washed the pots - used my Loblaws Super Soil - the best potting soil around and presently priced at $4.99 for 70Litres. I winter some Christmas cactus for a friend from my church - then I deliver them to his house and he hangs them outdoors all summer - brings them inside in autumn and miraculously gets them to bloom for decorating the Church at Christmas time. They are fuschia and salmon colours and he has had them for a number of years. I am getting them ready to deliver at the end of May.
Speaking of Christmas cactus - yesterday, when I did my volunteer work at the nursing home, I noticed a gorgeous pink and white flowered Christmas cactus - the ladies have been enjoying it since April 1st - it must be an Easter cactus. What a sight to see. Today, I also potted some of the curly willow branches that are rooting in a vase - the leaves are really popping on them - so - they will be sold at the Horti sale on May 28th.
I am really anxious now to get some of the geraniums outdoors, but, cold nights and frost are forecast so I must be the patient gardener again. Stopped at IGA Garden centre after my computer class but it was too cold and windy to look at the garden flowers there. Lake Ontario blows powerfully some days.
ENJOYMENT: My red Appledoorn and my yellow and red tulips.

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Gardening 2005

I have actually been gardening this week - on Monday, I dug up my front flower bed - it was pretty packed down by winter-I dug and hoed and took all the rocks out of it (20+ mostly round rocks). Winter killed my Coral Bells and Silver Mound, so I dug up the remnants of them. After putting all the rocks in place, I planted my 6 yellow pansy plants and also my marigolds. Because we have a family of Mourning Doves in our Blue Spruce, I collared all the marigolds with 6" bottomless green flower pots. For some reason, the doves will peck off the new plants and instead of picking them up for nesting material, they just leave them lying there, and after babying these seedlings for 2 months, I get slightly upset. I love the doves and don't mind sharing with them - but - I have limits. My front flower bed looks great now.
This evening, I started to dig up my herb garden - behind the greenhouse - I potted some baby chives for our Hort Sale (May 28), and cleaned up the Greek Oregano, which is starting to pop up nicely.
All of a sudden the sky darkened and the air chilled and my neighbour came over to visit, so I packed in the digging. It has been beautiful weather for the past 5 days but tonight will drop from 19 deg. C. to 3 deg. C. -
BRR!!
Went to my Hort meeting Monday PM - held at Country Depot Store and Garden Centre - Linda McPhea - a horticulturist spoke on new garden plants, annual and perennial, and showed us new garden hanging baskets and garden ornaments - it was great - we got 10% disc. off anything we bought after her talk. I bought 2 Lemon Yellow Strawflower plants - hope they do well in my garden as they are one of my favorites.
The greenhouse plants are growing and blooming like crazy - they love the heat!!
SADNESS: My silver mounds that I lost were at least 20 years old - my neighbour gave them to me and I cannot believe that I do not have them anymore.

Friday, May 06, 2005

Garden Centres are open for business now!

This AM, I tripped around some garden centres - now it really feels like Spring - and it was actually a beautiful day with more forecast for the weekend. Canadian Tire has a fabulous centre - hanging baskets on special for $8.88 - geraniums, pansies, bacopa, fushia, and on and on.
Home Depot is looking good also - lots of mums and carnations.
The IGA in my home area is great also - I bought 2 hanging pots of daisies, one pink and one white, to use at Church this weekend for the Crowning of Mary - the ladies crown the statue of Mary - nice tradition for Mother's Day weekend.
I will plant the daisies in the garden next week as I don't have a lot of places to hang plants, so hopefully the garden dirt will keep them going all summer - they are called Argyranthemum Frutescens - there is a website on the ticket - www.theflowerfields.com.
On Monday, our hort club members are going to a garden centre - called Country Depot - on John Counter Blvd. in Kingston - should be fun!
I gave away 2 of my geraniums today - one was an Apple Blossom Exotic. My friend will enjoy them, I'm sure.
ENJOYMENT: Garden Centres