karynthegarden's Blog
karynthegarden's Blog
Last Post 25 days, 9 hours Ago
Apr 21, 2008 | 7:58 PM PST
Busy day potting shed has been thoroughly cleaning and reorganized I even took the shop vac to it, I have a total of 9 flats in the shed to be harden off geraniums, petunias, and impatiens, the forecast calls for mild evening so they should be fine I also cleaned out the storage shed and area around the other side of the garage and made a nice place with a little bit of a garden for Rudy to sit and ponder when he is not working on his trike project I wasn't able to get to the cedar hedge that will have to wait until Wed. and I soon want to think about painting my potting shed will see what the weekend brings We had our first BBQ this evening and did enjoy it. I am still dreaming of a deck on the back of the house it sure would be a nice addition to our yard and now that garage is rebuilt we are going to look into it . Work tomorrow so I am off to bed.
Apr 21, 2008 | 4:27 AM PST
Spring has sprung here finally the last 3 weeks have been lovely and warm and much is happening in the garden all the beds have been prepped and ready and I have begun moving some plants around but must be careful to watch for some of the late boomers like my balloon flowers which seem to take their time to break soil . Temps have been good today is going to be in the mid to low 70s and on the weekend we were in the low 80s in fact we could use a bit of rain. Today I want to clean up under the cedar hedge along side of the driveway that we planted last fall they made it through the winter ok but I will need to replace 2 cedars out front that are lookin pretty sad. My potting shed needs a going through want to clear out a few things I am not using and never will time to purge some and since this is our week for spring cleanup I want to get things ready for the curb and drop off the rest of the items at the sally ann. Its also its time for some of my plants to come out from under the grow lights and into the potting shed so they can begin to harden off I am pleased with my plants this year my geraniums petunias and impatiens have done really well and are ready for the potting shed but will need to be covered if we get any frost so I will be watching the forecasts closely. I have 8 blue poppies but they are very slow growers just now getting true leaves. the danish flag poppies grow at a much faster rate and of them I have 6, but the poppies will stay under the lights for a while longer and those blue poppies are really going to need babying . I feel for the folks out west as they are up to their necks in snow and temps are bitter cold there. Well sun is shinning and much I want to accomplish today so better get started.
Apr 3, 2008 | 7:26 PM PST
this will be short and sweet since i am dog tired but what a day outside in the garden finally my garden is awakening after a long winter I was surprised at the amount of growth on many of my perennials and my daffs and tulips are up about 3 inches Yards cleaned up and looking much better Saturday is expected to be another beautiful day even warmer than today so I will work on the front beds and get my shed ready for painting I want to do as much as i can this weekend since Haliee boo will be coming to spend next weekend with NaNa and Opa I also worked on the woodwork in the house and managed to strip the old varnish off the door trim in the dinning room and the old oak under all the dark stain is really lovely it looks so much better Ok I am sure none of this is making any sense cause I am half asleep time to call it a day Goodnight :-)
Mar 27, 2008 | 6:21 AM PST
Sun is playing hide and seek today when it shines it calls me to come outdoors . You can definitely feel that spring has arrived I spotted robins in the yard yesterday although there are still some big mounds of snow around left over from the big storm we had a few weeks back. My rock garden in front is totally visible and it temps me to start a clean up but I think I will be patient just a little longer. After my short lived excitement Monday over discovering that I had some success with my blue poppies ( the count is now 5) I was in a panic when I went for my camera to take some pics and it was not in the case I am usually very cautious with my camera and always return it to the case as I had thought I'd done after our trail walk on Sunday but I must have gotten side tracked or I would have realized it wasn't in my coat pocket when we returned home . Rudy and I figure it must have slipped out while we were navigated our way off trail which was impassable because the river had risen over the banks some so we went around the flooded area by cutting through the bush climbing up and over jumping from one spot to another and it was then that my camera must have fallen out. Monday in the blinding snow we made an attempt to back track our steps but no luck it was snowing fairly hard and had been snowing most of the day and was just too difficult to see ,so I posted notes and offered a reward but was so sick about it, how could I have let this happen I am usually so careful with it. One day later its a beautiful day lots of sunshine and very mild temps" a lovely spring day "and Rudy suggest we go have another look he must have been reading my mind, this time we could see our tacks from Sunday and where we had cut through and sure enough there it was it had been lying there since Sunday and was no worse for wear amazing. I am thankful and lessons learned when out and about it comes in the case no more slipping it in my coat pocket I should have know better! I am off today and since I cannot be in the garden I am going to work on the stairs get them ready to be varithaned.
Mar 25, 2008 | 6:10 AM PST
Wow! what a surprise! so small you . almost need to put your glasses on to see them, but there they are 3 tiny green shoots more than I had even hoped for. After trying several times before with no success finally I have done it . I have to say I am pretty excited about it really its a big deal for me and why I love gardening. I cant wait to tell Rudy I know after seeing me try several times before he will be thrilled for me . I had put the poppies in the potting shed for 5 weeks and then they came in under the grow lights March 9th and for days and days nothing seemed to be happening, at one point I thought perhaps they were too soggy so I placed them on the upper shelf of my stand which seems to be the warmest spot, but while doing some research I realized that too much warmth would not be good either so I moved them once again to the lower shelf and each day as I tend to my other trays of seeds and seedlings there are no signs of blue poppy life. I thought perhaps I had either rotted them away with too much moisture or cooked them with to much warmth but then I began to noticed the soil didn't seem so damp and I began to mist them daily along with my other trays thinking they were probably not going to amount to much but what the heck I would give it a few more days although thinking I would just pick up some more seeds and try again. So this morning as I am tending to my indoor garden checking on my danish flag poppies( which took awhile to germinate and made me wonder if all poppies are difficult to grow from seed) but did eventually began to grow to where I now have 10 tiny seedlings, as I moved on to check my no show blue poppies tray ,surprise! are my eyes deceiving me? where are my glasses?.... low and behold green!!! could it be? oh my ! yes it is!!!! so far the count is 3 but this is just step one the challenge now will be to keep them growing strong and healthy,and what a thrill it would be to one day plant them out in my garden so they must get my undivided attention. All other seedlings are doing really well and I am pleased. This is fun ! I love it ! :-).
Mar 23, 2008 | 4:00 PM PST
Rudy and I spent a quite day at home as we had a great family day at Sheldons yesterday Today was sunny and bright so we decided to go for a afternoon walk on the trails where we came upon not one but several robins my first sighting this spring a good sign . The trails are beautiful even with all the snow some of the pathways were flooded over slightly so we had some fun navigating through the bush until the trail was passable. I manage to do a little indoor gardening petunias and jasmine tobacco are all separated and into their own pots where they will remain until time to be planted out next up will be my browallia and phlox and around the middle of April I will sow my zinnias and who knows maybe (and this is a big maybe since they are saying were in for another snow storm) I can sow my sweet peas right in the ground ,we shall see. So all is well with my little indoor garden I have 14 flats on the go and I am enjoying caring for them as the grow its better than nothing :-) . Well work tomorrow so time to make lunches and then hubby and I will watch a movie we rented then call it a night . I hope all had a Pleasant Easter Weekend.
Mar 22, 2008 | 6:45 AM PST
Still on the inside looking out longing to get my hands in the dirt and to do some of the projects I am excited to get at we are still covered in snow , were having more days of sunshine but were still wearing our winter gloves instead of gardening gloves. Seedlings doing just fine, I planted 2 flats of browallia and 1 flat of phlox and they are just starting to germinate. Impatiens doing better since I put them in separate pots and petunias are ready to be separated that will be a job for tomorrow. .Mmmmm......... hams cooking and hubby says is smellin goood! We are off to London today to my brothers and his family to celebrate Easter as well as birthdays Crystal my youngest was 24 Thursday me I am blank blank :-) today and mom God Bless her who is 40 years older than me will be 91 a week from today, then April 7 Jennifer will be 26 and finally April 24 Haliee boo the grandbaby will be 2 so we have much to celebrate and I look forward to spending the day with all. Eric my oldest will not be there as hes in Italy near the end of a year long backpacking tour of Europe we have all missed him very much over the past year at our gatherings but we are pleased hes had the opportunity to see and experience so many amazing things . So I wish everyone has a wonderful Easter with their family and friends and those of you who can be in your gardens enjoy!
Mar 15, 2008 | 7:39 AM PST
Still waiting for spring thaw after last weekends major snow storm but the sun has been shinning and we put the clocks ahead last weekend so the days seem longer and the birds are a chirpin and you can just feel it in the air so it really wont be long. So to keep my sanity I have been busying myself with projects around the house I finished stripping the old brown paint off the stairs to reveal the lovely old oak it is such an improvement I still need to go over them with a few touch ups then some sanding and they will be ready to varathane and the spare bedroom is primed and ready for painting.Most seedlings are doing well the geraniums especially but I do find the impatiens are finicky my jasmine tobacco has germinated as well as my petunias, but those darn poppies of the danish flag variety I have only 2 which have germinated and the blue poppies nothing. Its time to put the impatiens into separate pots they might do better although they are not crowded at all and I have heard the doubles are more difficult to grow reason why they cost more to buy. I picked up some browallia seeds another plant I like to use often and you don't find everywhere ,a new variety call sky blue and a new scented phIox I have not grown either of these before so will be interesting to see how the do. So much for keeping it simple this year I will be running out of room for trays soon :-)
Mar 1, 2008 | 10:57 AM PST
I haven't felt like blogging lately guess I have been been suffering from cabin fever and needed to turn my attentions away from thoughts of gardening or go crazy with impatience. We had beautiful sunny days last weekend but still sooooooooo much snow seems like spring will never come, hubby and the grand baby and I decided to get out in it and we were glad we did. We headed across the street to the hiking trails something we don't take advantage of nearly as much as we should such beautiful trails right on our door step shame on us !!!! We took Hailee in her sled and boy did she have fun. Rudy and I would love teach her about the beauty of nature hiking camping ect. something we enjoy and would love to pass on to Boo. My seedlings are doing as they should and coming along nicely I find the impatiens grow much slower then the geraniums . Finally today something I could enjoy about gardening and not just read about , we went to a garden show in the next town over THE STRATFORD GARDEN FESTIVAL about a 30 minute drive from home much closer than driving to Toronto for the annual Canada Blooms, although its much smaller it was still quite good with several garden displays speakers and of course markets with plenty to spend your money on. I picked up some interesting and unusual seeds a really cool looking annual red and white poppy called Danish Flag it sports a white center surrounded by red ruffled petals caught my eye immediately also a highly fragrant light blue sweet pea I do love my true blue flowers and had never seen a sweet pea of this shade also speaking of fragrance a jasmine tobacco package says, all summer long the 3", flowers pour forth their lavish jasmine scent and can be smelled from 10' away well you have got to love that :-). As well I picked up a English daisy for Rudy he seems to always point them out so I figure must be a plant he takes a shine to. and of course had to pick up some toys for the garden as well a wind chime a combination of copper and glass prisms and a plant stake very Victorian looking which suits me just fine so it was a good afternoon and something I really needed. I will try to get my petunias jasmine tobacco and poppies sown this weekend and in another week my blue poppies will be ready to come in from the potting shed and under the grow lights and the sweet peas will be sown directly outside as soon as I can work the ground and when frost is still possible as the planting directions state . I shall post a few pictures then off to spend some time with hubby. feels good to be blogging again
Feb 21, 2008 | 6:47 PM PST
Sun was a nice pick me up today it was a beautiful day for the middle of February sometimes all you need is a bit of sun. Potting shed was warm as toast when I stepped in to check my poppies again the power of the sun I hung out in there for a bit and organized a few things I have tried and tried to post some photos with my blog but no luck followed instructions given buy helpful friends but for some reason my pc will not let me apply the photos so I will just have to use my albums. Seedlings grow a little everyday my geraniums are doing well. It will be great to have so many to use this season for all my planters and window boxes and all for or pennies. I will post a photo in my album as well as a photo of the inside of garage which is looking wonderful. Good news in the spare bedroom we pulled back the carpet to find no plywood subfloor to pull up and no brown paint to remove this should save us so much time and the pine looks to be in great condition ready for sanding can't wait to get at it ! I am looking forward to bringing Boo home for the weekend to hang out with her Nana and opa might even play outside in the snow. I will swing by after work and pick her up then we will stop by great gramma's for a visit before we head home. So my weekend belongs to Hailee as she will keep me busy!!! Feeling sleepy so better go make lunches then call it a night.
Feb 19, 2008 | 10:30 AM PST
Just another day of being couped up inside looking out the window at my garden buried deep in snow wishing for spring wanting to get started at all the plans for my garden I have dreamt up over the winter We are headed for another deep freeze weather channel called it an icy blast boy I cant wait for that just what I need!!! Seedlings are doing as they should be growing a little each day geraniums have tiny baby true leaves so cute :-) but all I can do is make sure they stay moist and get the light they need I have been toying with they idea of getting out the wood stripper and working on finishing stripping the stairs and maybe working on the banister it needs to be done and I need to keep busy, but first its lunch time so a bowl of soup on this cold winters day is in order and and then who knows .
Feb 18, 2008 | 7:21 PM PST
Today is the 1st ever family day a new paid paid holiday here in Ontario Canada. The powers that be felt we needed a paid holiday in Febuary...... gott'a love it eh! So Febuary 18th was proclaimed to be Family Day and in fact I love the concepted and I hope people will use this day to connect with their loved ones as Rudy and I did. I found some time to play with my camera today and was able to add a few pics, some winter photos and a few shots of the interiour of my shed showing the shelves I put up to hold some of my clay pots and a few pics of Boo!. My seedlings are doing well I am pleased with the high germination rate I recieved on both the impatiens and the gerainiums The true leaves of the gerainiums are beginning to show poppies are frozen in the shed and will come inside in a few weeks I will start my petunias and the end of the month and my zinnas at the end of March We had plenty of rain on Sunday which helped to wash away some of the snow but made for slippery conditions later in the day as the temperture dropped The garage is about 90% done we will be so pleased to not have that to deal with and to move on and get back to other things its been a challenge and a long road.
Feb 13, 2008 | 6:35 AM PST
We have been hit again with yet another winter storm and are buried knee deep in snow. I think I have a bit of cabin fever a bad case of hurry up and wait for the season to change . I am trying to keep busy inside with daily chores and such but really I am bored!... ok enough whining.......... woe is me I live in Canada and winters are long and cold deal with it!!! :-) The little bright spot is that most of my geraniums have begun to sprout so soon I will have my seedlings to fuss over and care for, a bit of green in a sea of white :-) . Impatiens seem slower to sprout but should happen soon. I am thinking I could have sown even more impatiens as I do have many shady spots in the garden and they fill in those bare spots amongst the perennials & shrubs so nicely I may end up purchasing a flat or two we shall see . Petunias will be sown at the end of the month and at the end of march my Zinnia's. Poppies are in the shed in a deep freeze once I bring them in under the grow lights the fun begins. I have plans to dress up the shed a bit and a few other hardscaping jobs I want to tackle this season but have to wait until weather permits but for now I will just keep dreaming of spring.
Feb 7, 2008 | 1:10 PM PST
I have been under the weather the last few days picked up a cold first one this season and its set me back a day or two and I didn't have the energy to do much so I let nature take its course and got plenty of rest and today I am beginning to feel better. Unfortunately my seeds are still needing to be sowed I felt I didn't want to attempt it when not feeling well I wanted to take my time and enjoy it and I knew the way I felt it would have just been a task . So perhaps after supper I may do some winter sowing but no later than this weekend as both geraniums and impatiens take longer than most . We were hit again with another nasty winter storm yesterday and even had lightning& thunderstorms Tuesd
ay night wild weather. I am pleased that I received my new PC today I am liking it a lot and best of all now I can use my new digital camera Rudy gave me for Christmas to record my garden and post the pictures later I will download the program for the camera and then I should be in business . Last check on the poppies the soil was frozen but they need the cooler temps to aid germination so I have read. Time to make some dinner then after I will come back and catch up on some of the blogs.
Feb 3, 2008 | 5:52 PM PST
My mother kept a garden, a garden of the heart. She planted all the good things that gave my life its start. She turned me to the sunshine and encouraged me to dream, Fostering and nurturing the seeds of self -esteem. And when the winds and rains came, she protect me enough- but not too much -she knew Id need to stand up strong and tough. Her constant good excample always taught me right from wrong, markers for my pathway that will last a lifetime long. I am my mothers garden. I am her legacy and I hope today she feels the love reflected back from me .
Well puttering in my shed I found this birthday card Jennifer gave me a few years back ,it warms my heart and makes me smile when ever I read it I keep it in the garden shed and I will cherish it always. I tidied up the potting shed this afternoon and poppys are sown and will stay in the shed till March 9th then inside under the grow lights Grow stand is cleared off keeping it down in the basement it seems to become a catch all when its not being used. My trays are set up and ready for planting but I will need to pick up 5or 6 more trays and some pots for the trays as some are just too worn out . Talk about worn out Rudys passed out on the sofa today we dry walled part of the ceiling in the garage Rudy made a t -bar and he hoisted the 10' sheets up the ladder and I held the other end up with the t-bar untill he could fasten the sheet securly to the studs. It was a back breaking job but we managed to finish a section and tommorrow he will work on the walls. Saturday was a great day hanging out with my girls and Cathy shopping for wedding and bridesmaid dresses Jennifer found her dress and the bridesmaid dresses as well everyones happy I am glad weather did not prevent me from keeping our shopping date. :-) Work tommorrow expect my seeds by Friday at the latest once I have them sown then I will get back to working on the house starting in the spare bedroom Lunches are made time to go relax for a few minutes then call it a night
