Tuesday, June 14, 2005


Prize winning peonies!! Posted by Hello

June Flower Show 2005

I picked through the garden and my greenhouse for some Flower Show entries for the Horti Club meeting. Things are just starting to grow and some perennials are not doing well due to the heat and lack of moisture-but-I received a 1st ribbon for a Begonia houseplant (shown in one of my Blogs previously) and a Columbine (it was growing on the edge of the lawn near the fence and my husband actually weed wacked it earlier but it grew back and became a beautiful winner). I received 2nd ribbons for a pale pink geranium, yellow pansies, a Jade plant and a flower arrangement called Light and Shadow. 3rd ribbons were given to a branch of Bleeding Heart, peony (which won 1st last year-I still call them my 1st prize peonies) and an arrangement called Perfect Pitcher. I won ribbons for all my entries-I don't understand why more members don't enter-it is a lot of fun-the hardest part is finding containers to put everything in as I like to make a good presentation. There were fabulous peonies and 2 orchids, not a lot of roses, and no African violets-the irises were beautiful as well.
It is a little cooler this a.m. -20deg. C. -and we had rain around 10:00p.m. last night so the garden is damp but it is still muggy and hazy. Last night, driving home, I couldn't see Lake Ontario -it was a big smog.
Enjoyment: Flower Shows

Monday, June 13, 2005

In the garden!

I am enjoying my garden -all my seeds have popped and are growing -we have had a few little showers and lots of heat -our water ban has not been lifted to date and I don't know if the township has found the leaky pipes yet. Yesterday, my neighbour gave me some morning glory seedlings that appeared in her flower bed. I have never had this flower before and I transplanted them to grow up one side of my arbor. I have sweet peas planted on the other side. I think I will have a lot of love-lies-bleeding again this year. The mixed annual seed packet from Butchart Gardens is mostly that plant. My sunflowers are sprouted and the squirrels haven't discovered them so hopefully they will grow tall and beautiful. My brother and his wife are coming to Ontario from Alberta in July and I want my garden to be beautiful for them.
Tonight is the Flower Show at my Horti Club - I am entering my peonies, a columbine branch, some pansies and probably an arrangement in a pitcher-and of course, a houseplant, from the greenhouse.
The greenhouse is thriving in the heat - I have to water heavily these days - temperature has been reaching 35deg. C. in there the past few days - I have been transplanting and repotting a lot of plants. I still have geraniums to move outdoors.

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

My garden is planted for 2005!

It has been 2 weeks since I wrote in my blog and it has been a busy 2 weeks with lots of life stuff going on but last week, I planted my garden. I love planting seeds and save a lot over the summer, so this year I did not buy any seeds - did buy some plants instead - tiny tim tomatoes , sweet red peppers, marigolds, cornflowers (batchelor buttons) to help support ALS, strawflowers, basil and summer savory, red and white onions. My rows of flowers consist of nasturtium, calendula, cosmos, mixed annual cut flowers, sunflowers, lavetera, sweet peas, dahliahs. Vegetables are oriental salad mix, swiss chard, gourmet lettuce, carrots and onions, and the tomatoes. All the seeds are popping through except the carrots and very few nasturtiums. I did not save all the flower seeds, some packets were unopened last year. I also have some perennials as well.
We are having a very hot, dry spell now and on Sunday, June 5th, our township gave all residents a total outdoor water ban due to low reservoir levels at the water plant and major leaks in the distribution system.
Our community lives on Lake Ontario - a huge body of water - so it is strange to be on a water ban. I have been doing a little watering with my watering can and I have been praying for "holy water" from heaven.
My greenhouse is pretty empty now - I took a carload of houseplants to our Hort Club Sale on May 28th, gave Mr. Finn his 5 Christmas cactus plants (I wintered them for him) and put quite a few geraniums in my outside pots and a couple in my front flower bed. Once a year, I completely empty the greenhouse and disinfect it and clean all the glass - that time is approaching now.
I have a lot of petunias coming up in my garden from last year - what a bonus that is! I also have summer savory in my herb garden - it reseeded from last year.
My fun plant is one marigold named Mike (after my brother)- he deadheaded a marigold at the B.C.Legislation building in 2004 and gave it to me. I tried to start seedlings from the flower and one plant grew, so it is named after him and everyday, I give Mike a little drink!!
Enjoyment: Watching all my seeds pop through the ground!!