Garden pics for today June 11/13

5 perennials for shade gardens

Which 5 perennials for shade gardens you would like to have planted in your garden?

The five choices described below are to provide you with a starting point to get some plants into the shade areas of your gardening projects. I hope these few examples will encourage you to investigate using more types of shade plants that you can choose from throughout this site.

Most flowering plants typically like quite a bit of sunshine but there are also a great number of plants that prefer shady conditions and will do very well in shade.

It's great that there are such a variety of plants that like either sun or shade because a garden that is either fully shaded or fully exposed to the sunlight all the time is rare. There are always different patches in gardens where the light levels change throughout the day and seasons, and it is possible to create a beautiful arrangement of flowers if you know their lighting preferences.

You can have a beautiful shade garden area to sit in when you want to shelter from that summer heat. In shaded areas of your garden you can relax, read your favourite book, enjoy a cup of coffee - gaze at the beauty of your flowers, listen to the sounds of birds, and watch the colourful butterflies.

Usually people prefer to plant taller perennials in the background, near the house, garage or trees, middle sized plants in the centre, and the shortest plants at the front or inner part of the plot.

But of course different variants are possible; just make sure your plants have their blooming periods at different times of the season.

Astilbe Plants

One of the easiest perennials to plant and maintain. It comes in three main colors: white, pink or red, and different varieties grow to twenty, thirty and forty inches in height. It looks amazingly beautiful if planted in groups and/or in different color combinations, and its fluffy spikes of flowers create a great effect.

Lily Of the Valley

This plant looks humble and beautiful in its simplicity. Its bell shaped white flowers will bring a special charm to your shade garden and fill it with a fragrance. It can be used for a ground cover as it grows only up to six inches. Besides that, it is not difficult to take care of this plant, basic requirements are sufficient.

Foxglove Plant

This is a tall plant as it can reach up to five feet in height. That is why foxglove plants are perfect for the back row in your flower arrangement. Its large spikes with bell shaped flowers will bring a splash of color to your garden, ranging from purple to white. Be careful though as this pant is poisonous. Make sure it is out of reach of small children and pets.

Virginia Blue Bells

As you can make out from the name of this plant, its flowers are bell shaped and lavender blue in color. The plant is medium sized and grows up to around two feet high. In spite of having such tender flowers, this plant is actually very hardy and requires very little maintenance.

Lousiana Iris

This plant grows about two feet tall and produces four inch blooms. It also has a long flowering period which makes it an attractive option to plant it in your garden. The flowers are purple with a kind of velvety effect and are exceedingly beautiful. For a better view it is recommended to plant these perennials in groups.

Of course, this list is very short and does not contain all the wonderful plants you can choose from, but these 5 perennials for shade gardens would make a perfect start or addition to your existing landscape.

16 Foods That’ll Re-Grow from Kitchen Scraps

There’s nothing like eating your own home- grown vegies, and there are heaps of different foods that will re- grow from the scrap pieces that you’d normally throw out or put into your compost bin.

It’s fun. And very simple … if you know how to do it.

Just remember … the quality of the “parent” vegetable scrap will help to determine the quality of the re-growth. So, wherever possible, I recommend buying local organic produce, so you know your re-grown plants are fresh, healthy and free of chemical and genetic meddling.

Leeks, Scallions, Spring Onions and Fennel

You can either use the white root end of a vegetable that you have already cut, or buy a handful of new vegetables to use specifically for growing.

Simply place the white root end in a glass jar with a little water, and leave it in a sunny position. I keep mine in the kitchen window. The green leafy part of the plant will continue to shoot. When it’s time to cook, just snip off what you need from the green growth and leave the white root end in water to keep growing. Freshen up the water each week or so, and you’ll never have to buy them again.

Lemongrass

Lemongrass grows just like any other grass. To propagate it, place the root end (after you’ve cut the rest off) in a glass jar with a little water, and leave it in a sunny position.

Within a week or so, new growth will start to appear. Transplant your lemongrass into a pot and leave it in a sunny outdoor position. You can harvest your lemongrass when the stalks reach around a foot tall – just cut off what you need and leave the plant to keep growing.

Celery, Bok Choi, Romaine Lettuce & Cabbage

Similar to leeks, these vegetables will re-grow from the white root end. Cut the stalks off as you normally would, and place the root end in a shallow bowl of water – enough to cover the roots but not the top of your cutting. Place it in a sunny window position, occasionally spraying your cutting with water to keep the top moist.

After a few days, you should start to see roots and new leaves appear. After a week or so, transplant it into soil with just the leaves showing above the level of the soil. The plant will continue to grow, and within a few weeks it will sprout a whole new head.

Alternatively you can plant your cutting directly into soil (without starting the process in water) but you will need to keep the soil very moist for the first week until the new shoots start to appear. 

Ginger

Ginger is very easy to re-grow. Simply plant a spare piece of ginger rhizome (the thick knobbly bit you cook with) in potting soil with the newest (ie. smallest) buds facing upward. Ginger enjoys filtered, not direct, sunlight in a warm moist environment.

Before long it will start to grow new shoots and roots. Once the plant is established and you’re ready to harvest, pull up the whole plant, roots and all. Remove a piece of the rhizome, and re-plant it to repeat the process.

Ginger also makes a very attractive house-plant, so if you don’t use a lot of ginger in your cooking you can still enjoy the lovely plant between harvests.

Potatoes

Re-growing potatoes is a great way to avoid waste, as you can re-grow potatoes from any old potato that has ‘eyes’ growing on it. Pick a potato that has robust eyes, and cut it into pieces around 2 inches square, ensuring each piece has at least one or two eyes. Leave the cut pieces to sit at room temperature for a day or two, which allows the cut areas to dry and callous over. This prevents the potato piece from rotting after you plant it, ensuring that the new shoots get the maximum nutrition from each potato piece.

Potato plants enjoy a high-nutrient environment, so it is best to turn compost through your soil before you plant them. Plant your potato pieces around 8 inches deep with the eye facing upward, and cover it with around 4 inches of soil, leaving the other 4 inches empty. As your plant begins to grow and more roots appear, add more soil. If your plant really takes off, mound more soil around the base of the plant to help support its growth.

Garlic

You can re-grow a plant from just a single clove – just plant it, root-end down, in a warm position with plenty of direct sunlight. The garlic will root itself and produce new shoots. Once established, cut back the shoots and the plant will put all its energy into producing a tasty big garlic bulb. And like ginger, you can repeat the process with your new bulb.

Onions

Onions are one of the easiest vegetables to propagate. Just cut off the root end of your onion, leaving a ½ inch of onion on the roots. Place it in a sunny position in your garden and cover the top with soil. Ensure the soil is kept moist. Onions prefer a warm sunny environment, so if you live in a colder climate, keep them in pots and move them indoors during frostier months.

As you use your home-grown onions, keep re-planting the root ends you cut off, and you’ll never need to buy onions again.

Sweet Potatoes

When planted, sweet potato will produce eye-shoots much like a potato. Bury all or part of a sweet potato under a thin layer of soil in a moist sunny location. New shoots will start to appear through the soil in a week or so. Once the shoots reach around four inches in height, remove them and re-plant them, allowing about 12 inches space between each plant. It will take around 4 months for your sweet potatoes to be ready. In the meantime, keep an eye out for slugs… they love sweet potatoes.

To propagate sweet potatoes, it is essential to use an organic source since most commercial growers spray their sweet potatoes to prevent them from shooting.

Mushroom

Mushrooms can be propagated from cuttings, but they’re one of the more difficult veggies to re-grow. They enjoy warm humidity and nutrient-rich soil, but have to compete with other fungus for survival in that environment. Although it is not their preferred climate, cooler environments give mushrooms a better chance of winning the race against other fungi.

Prepare a mix of soil and compost in a pot (not in the ground) so your re-growth is portable and you can control the temperature of your mushroom. I have found most success with a warm filtered light during the day and a cool temperature at night. Just remove the head of the mushroom and plant the stalk in the soil, leaving just the top exposed. In the right conditions, the base will grow a whole new head. (In my experience, you’ll know fairly quickly if your mushroom has taken to the soil as it will either start to grow or start to rot in the first few days).

Pineapple

To re-grow pineapples, you need to remove the green leafy piece at the top and ensure that no fruit remains attached. Either hold the crown firmly by the leaves and twist the stalk out, or you can cut the top off the pineapple and remove the remaining fruit flesh with a knife (otherwise it will rot after planting and may kill your plant). Carefully slice small, horizontal sections from the bottom of the crown until you see root buds (the small circles on the flat base of the stalk). Remove the bottom few layers of leaves leaving about an inch base at the bottom of the stalk.

Plant your pineapple crown in a warm and well drained environment. Water your plant regularly at first, reducing to weekly watering once the plant is established. You will see growth in the first few months but it will take around 2-3 years before you are eating your own home-grown pineapples.

And one for the kids….. ‘Pet’ Carrot Tops!!

I call this a ‘pet’ because the plant that re-grows from planting a carrot top will NOT produce edible carrots, only a new carrot plant. The vegetable itself is a taproot which can’t re-grow once it has been removed from the plant. But it makes an attractive flowering plant for the kitchen, and they’re easy and lots of fun to grow…. for kids of all ages!

Cut the top off your carrot, leaving about an inch of vegetable at the root. Stick toothpicks into the sides of the carrot stump and balance it in a glass or jar. Fill the glass with water so that the level reaches the bottom of the cutting. Leave the glass in filtered, not direct, sunlight and ensure water is topped up to keep the bottom of your cutting wet. You’ll see roots sprout in a few days, and you can transplant your ‘pet’ carrot into soil after a week or so.

Your success re-growing lovely fresh vegies from scrap may vary, depending on your climate, the season, soil quality and sunlight available in your home or garden. And some vegies just propagate easier than others do. In my experience, a bit of trial and error is required, so don’t be afraid to do some experimenting. Get your hands dirty. It’s lots of fun! And there’s nothing like eating your own home-grown vegies.

All trimmed and ready for winter

Trimmed this rose of Sharon back so trunk gets thicker...

Cut back all perennials for winter!

Grass is bad!  Grubs this yr  treated with nematodes in Sept! Should do the trick!

Mans best friends  Mower, blower and a chair to enjoy work performed!

Trimmed Clematis back this fall  was a wee bit too big...will renew  for next spring!

Hosta - A gardener’s best friend

                                                              

http://gardensinspired.blogspot.ca/ 

One of the best-selling perennials in America is treasured not for its flowers but for its foliage.  Hosta has won the hearts of gardeners across the Country

A Variety of Hosta

A remarkable tolerance for shade and cold, resistance to insects and incomparable beauty and variety make these perennials simply irresistible.  Rippled, smooth, ruffled or ribbed, leaves range in size from petite (three-quarters-inch long) to giant (22 inches long).  Foliage colors include bright yellows, cool blues, and just about every shade of green imaginable.  Foliage edged in white, streaked with gold, or striped in contrasting tones of emerald and cream provide ample opportunity for designing one-of-a-kind beds and borders.  According to the American Hosta Society, there are more than 30 hosta hybridizers at work in the United States alone.  Cultivars with showier, fragrant blossoms have been cropping up in nurseries, expanding the palette still further.  Old as well as new cultivars bloom with white or lavender flowers in late summer, just when a splash of color is needed most.

Site selection:  While hostas tolerate a range of soils in USDA Zones 3 to 10, slightly acidic soil, amended with organic matter, produces the most vigorous growth.  At least two and a half hours of morning sun are needed for the richest coloration; yellows need more sun, blues less.

Planting:  Plant rhizomes anytime, with large-leaved specimens no closer than two feet apart.  If possible, mulch the first winter with pine needles or boughs to prevent heaving.

Care:  Young hostas need two seasons or more to mature, and require regular watering during dry spells.  Before spring growth appears, put down a ring of a balanced, slow-release fertilizer around the crown of the plant (never allow fertilizers to touch plant ‘eyes’).  While some gardeners divide their hostas every five years or so, it is not essential.

Great guy! Ask the Exterminator!

 http://www.asktheexterminator.com/index.shtml

Ask the Exterminator is produced and written by Rick Steinau, President of Ace Exterminating Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.  www.aceext.com

Rick has been involved in the pest control industry since 1963 in one capacity or another. Beginning as a replacement technician for vacationing full-time technicians, Rick was exposed to many different situations including residential, commercial and institutional accounts. He also worked on many termite crews using products ranging from chlordane to chloropicrin.

His pest control experiences include general pest control, termite control, fumigation, animal trapping, bird exclusion, ISO, Siliker, Yumm Brands and AIB audit account setups.

"Ask the Exterminator", says Mr. Steinau, "is written for the non-professional looking for clear, honest answers. I often include a humorous look at problems, but always try to make the problem resolution as simple and inexpensive as possible."

Mr. Steinau operates his company with the mission of giving his customers only what they need to fix their pest issues. "I don't believe in overselling and I strongly believe that most pest issues can be corrected using little or no pesticides."

Second round for day Lilly's and rose of Sharon's

My inside gardening reno of a different type!

End of season, some new blooms and the end of veggies.

Peppers changing to a nice yellow hue, can't wait to try them.

Trimmed my rose of Sharon 5 wks ago...shooting up new blooms!

Last of the tomatoes!

So surprised my lilies are  shooting up a second wave of blooms!

These peppers put a good show on this summer, so pleased.

Lawn and garden tips – gardening with vinegar - by Debra Anchors

    

by Debra Anchors
 http://gardensinspired.blogspot.ca/

 

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Vinegar has been used as an organic method of weed control, cleanser and as plant nutrition in the landscape for generations. Although these tips are not new, I am passing the information along for readers who may not yet be aware of how useful (and inexpensive) vinegar can be in the garden. I find that 10% vinegar (sometimes sold as pickling vinegar) works best but white distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar works also.

Kill grass: To kill grass on sidewalks and driveways, pour full strength white distilled vinegar on it.

Kill weeds: Spray white distilled vinegar full strength on top of weeds. Reapply on any new growth until plants have starved.

Increase soil acidity: In hard water areas, add a cup of vinegar to a gallon of tap water for watering acid loving plants like rhododendrons, gardenias or azaleas. The vinegar will release iron in the soil for the plants to use.

Neutralize garden lime: Rinse your hands liberally with white distilled vinegar after working with garden lime to avoid rough and flaking skin. Clean pots before re-potting, rinse with vinegar to remove excess lime.

Keep Flowers Longer: Add 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons white vinegar in a 1-quart vase of water.  Trim stems and change water every five days.

Fertilize potted plants: To create an inexpensive and mild fertilizer, which also purifies the water, mix 1 ounce of apple cider vinegar and1 gallon of water (an easy way to measure an ounce is to use a shot glass).

Add nutrients to your plants: Mix vinegar and water using a ratio of 1:8.  Mix a separate solution of sugar and water in a mixture of 1:8. Combine the vinegar and sugar mixtures. Add to your plants as long as needed.

Grow fruit trees from seed?

Three Reasons Why you should not try to grow fruit trees from seeds!

It seems like a great idea. You buy an incredibly delectable apple, peach, or bag of cherries and think you yourself, "I’d love to eat fruit like this all the time!" You look down at your plate and you see the left over pit or seeds and decide to save them and grow your own fruit tree.
I hate to be the one to tell you this, but don’t do it! You’ll almost certainly be disappointed with the results.

First and foremost, fruit trees reproduce sexually. Yep, you read that right. Your beloved apple had two parents, and is carrying genetic material from both the tree it grew on, and from a nearby apple tree. Just as human offspring often resemble their parents and siblings, but are not exactly the same, so too are trees that grow from seed. If you were to plant the seeds from fruit you enjoyed eating, the resulting plants will not produce fruit that is identical to what you ate. It may be similar, or more likely, it will bear only a little resemblance. This is because apples are often pollinated with crabapple trees, thus apples grown from seed are often small and very tart.

Second, when a plant breeder is trying to create a tree that produces tasty fruit, they don’t breed for healthy, vigorous roots because they know that they’ll be grafting their creation onto a different rootstock. For example, oranges are almost always grafted onto sour orange root stock, which gives the tree great disease resistance. Grafting also allows breeders to mix and match trees to rootstocks to create attributes they want, like dwarfism, cold/heat hardiness, etc. If you were somehow lucky enough to sprout a tree extremely similar to the parent you tasted, you still wouldn’t be able to overcome the fact that the roots that produced the fruit you tasted are not the roots your seedling will have.

Finally, let’s imagine that you hit the fruit tree jackpot and grew from seed a tree that is similar to the parent and has its own strong roots. It’s still not a good idea. Most fruit trees grown from seed take more than a decade to mature to the point where they can produce fruit. Oranges can take up to 15 years to become fruit-bearing trees. Who wants to wait that long? Even nurseries don’t wait that long. When you take a cutting from a mature tree and graft it onto rootstock, it is ready to bear fruit in a few years, not 15! Trees at the nursery are usually a year or two old. You’ll probably begin seeing fruit on it within a season or two after planting.

I know I was the bearer of bad news here, but don’t let this information stop you from starting a backyard (or balcony!) orchard. Just buy your tree from the nursery, don’t waste your time and energy on saving and growing fruit seeds.

Recycling to make a new window box shelf!

A couple of old brackets and wood can be transformed into a great window box shelf!

Refreshing Peach Lemonade

Welcome back Summer. I don't know how weather has been for you guys, but the past week or so the temperature has been a little on the chilly side. Except today. Today it's over 90 degrees. So while I sat in my apartment in front of my fan - I had a little craving for lemonade. The perfect Summer drink. So I ran to my kitchen and started mixing my concoction when I had another thought. You want to know what would make it even more perfect? Peaches. They're on sale right now at one of my local grocery stores - so I stocked up. I'm totally putting peaches in this lemonade.

I absolutely love peaches. They've been one of my favorite foods ever since I was a little kid. I remember going over to my Grandma's house about this time of year when I was younger and we would can peaches for the rest of the season. Then she would make these amazing peach pies, crisps, and cobblers. I gotta give her a call. We really need to do that again - and I really need to make some peach pie this Fall. So enjoy the recipe - I'm sipping on some right now. Oh yeah - and it's refined sugar free! Can't beat that!

Ingredients: 

• 4 cups of water
• 2 cups of chopped fresh or frozen peaches
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1 cup of fresh lemon juice (about 3 large lemons or 6 smaller lemons)
• 4 cups of ice
• 1 peach cut into wedges for the pitcher
• 1 lemon cut into slices for the pitcher

Mix the water, peaches, and agave nectar together in a big sauce pot. Bring to a boil, stir, and allow to simmer for three minutes. Once it's done simmering, remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool for twenty minutes. Once it's done cooling - pour it into a blender or use an immersion blender to create a puree. 

Juice your lemons until you've got 1 cup of fresh lemon juice. Pour the ice into a large pitcher followed by the lemon juice. Pour your cooled, pureed peach mixture into the pitcher and stir until well combined. Add in the sliced peach and lemon for decoration. Serve chilled.

Japanese knotweed poses public safety threat: ‘False bamboo’ can crack concrete, including bridge foundations and roads

It’s an invasive bamboo-like plant that splits concrete, grows through retaining walls, resists almost any attempt to kill it and can regenerate itself from just a tiny chunk of root.
Japanese knotweed is found throughout Metro Vancouver and was recently spotted at the base of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, leading an invasive plant specialist to recommend all bridges and overpasses in the region be assessed before the plant puts lives at risk by growing through — and weakening — concrete foundations.
“There’s not a full understanding of the damage the plant can do in this region,” said Jennifer Grenz, program manager at the Invasive Species Council of Metro Vancouver. “This is a plant that can grow through three metres of concrete.
“It outcompetes blackberry ... and anything that can outgrow blackberry — that’s a feat in itself.”
The plant has been found along the Burnaby portion of Highway 1 from Boundary Road to Canada Way. The area is undergoing construction as part of the $3.3-billion highway and Port Mann Bridge expansion, but project spokesman Greg Johnson said the weed has not delayed progress.
Each plant was injected with herbicide — the only proven eradication method — and once confirmed dead, the plants were either taken away and incinerated or buried three metres deep in the ground, Johnson said.
If left untreated the weed could seriously damage bridges and roads and even pipelines, Grenz warned.
“It’s finally come to a head where it is having an impact on infrastructure,” she said.
The plant has been known to choke off the banks of waterways from native plant species and grow through the foundations of houses, causing headaches for homeowners.
Residents who find the plant on their property should hire a landscaping company capable of destroying it with a herbicidal injection said Grenz, who owns an organic blueberry farm in Richmond and has seen the weed around her property.
Under the B.C. Weed Control Act, herbicides can be legally used on knotweed. However, Metro Vancouver lacks a coordinated strategy, like that of the Fraser Valley region, to deal with invasive plant species, Grenz said.
Vancouver Coun. Heather Deal, chairwoman of Metro Vancouver’s environment and parks committee, agreed the region needs a plan.
“You need to make sure people on both sides of the imaginary line between cities are doing the same work, because, as we know, invasives don’t recognize municipal boundaries,” Deal said.
Grenz asked Deal’s committee Wednesday for a $40,000 grant to coordinate a regional invasive plant strategy. Grenz said her council, which manages invasive species along local highways, could develop the strategy with another $35,000 grant from other levels of government.
Metro Vancouver staff will review the request and a decision will be made during the next committee meeting in September, Deal said.
Japanese knotweed, also called false bamboo, can grow more than two metres a year and was first exported from Japan as an ornamental plant that could provide fence-like cover and flourish with little care. The weed has also become a problem in the United Kingdom, where authorities faced massive cost overruns when they began construction of London’s Olympic Park velodrome in 2007 and found four hectares of the weed at the derelict site.

If removed from its soil, the weed can regenerate from a chunk of root weighing less than a gram, Grenz said. The plant composts very slowly and when mowed over, Japanese knotweed can produce a “million new plants,” she added.
“Plants aren’t as scary as the fish or insects that grab attention more quickly,” said Grenz of the weed’s inconspicuous infestation of the region. “It’s sad we’re at the point now where there’s so much damage that you can’t ignore it.”

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Japanese+knotweed+poses+public+safety+threat+expert/6890969/story.html#ixzz25vOQ6tat

Make Your Own Weed-Killer With Vinegar & Soap

I hate weeds.

Don’t you?

If you walk down the gardening aisle at your local nursery or big box store, you will see all sorts of weed-killers to choose from.

But, what if you could kill weeds using natural ingredients without having to run to buy one of one of those expensive weed-killers.

Did you know that you probably have a perfectly good weed-killer in your cupboard?

It’s VINEGAR!

Yes, it’s true…vinegar does kill weeds, especially when used along with dish soap.

(Dish soap, vinegar and a spray bottle – all you need for making your own weed killer.)

The acetic acid in vinegar “sucks out the water” from the weed, which dries it up.  The dish soap helps to break down the outer coat of the plant (cuticle), which helps that vinegar to work best.

Below, are two examples from my own landscape of how it worked:

Just 24 hours later….

Here is another example:

24 hours later….

I must admit, that I am really impressed with the results.

Here is the formula for making your own vinegar/soap weed-killer:

1-gallon vinegar (with 5% acetic acid)

1 oz. dish soap

Plastic spray bottle.

Directions: Mix the vinegar and soap together and pour into a spray bottle and spray onto weeds.

**Before you apply this weed-killer in your garden, here are some guidelines:

- Vinegar/soap weed-killer is non-selective, which means that it will also damage/kill your desirable plants. So be careful when applying to weeds.

- Apply on a sunny day with NO wind.  The sun helps the vinegar to dry out the weed.  You also want to wait for a windless day so that your spray won’t inadvertently spray onto other plants.

- Your vinegar weed-killer may or may not kill the root of the weed.  You may need to reapply it if green growth shows up afterward or pour a little of the weed-killer over the root zone to thoroughly kill large weeds

- Vinegar/soap weed-killer will not kill all types of weeds.  Experiment in your own garden to see which types of weeds it works on.

So, next time you need to kill weeds, simply open your cupboard and make your own with vinegar and soap.  It’s natural, effective and cheap!

Rose of Sharon

Two of my rose of sharon had grown so much and were so big I trimmed them a fair bit, even though they were still in bloom. That was 4 weeks ago. So surprised that they sent more shoots up and are full of buds again.