Sunday in the Garden

Hi there, everyone!

I hope that all enjoyed our almost-perfect Canada Day. What a wild storm in the middle of the afternoon, though.
I was pretty pleased with the result upon the growth of my gardens' flowers- finally, enough rain.

Just about now, raspberries and blackberries are beginning to ripen- of course, right under our cedar hedges, where the raccons re-plant them, every year. Of course, I am supposed to let them flourish in a small-space garden, so racoons can live.... (well I love the tiny bears) - I have petted several and fed them miniature marshmallows, like everyone else. In fact, I feel they have genetically imprinted as miniature marshmallows, since they are so fond of softie human food from our garbage hand. How can I tell from the tell-tale hand prints who the culprits are?

Zero Scaping

We were sort of winging it having a broken hose and a lost sprinkler. Now that I have cut the hose in two pieces, we have to get a new joining thing to re-attach the sprinkler. I have been getting by on about a minute sprinkle per day, per plant- or, a peripheral swish at maintaining developing seed. It didn't work- I planted nine packages of seed, with only three shows- the sunflowers, gypsophila and alyssum.

I am so disappointed- I planted Mexican Poppies and Carpathian Harebell seed last year. No Poppies emerged, and the three plants that I thought would be the Harebells have raised up flowering as Veronica- but in the bed-border, where short plants are supposed to grow.

I don't know what plant dealers are doing, these days. I bought a package of plant seed that some people are desperate to get rid of- Catnip (for the kitties) and this cost over three dollars, just because herbs are all the rage- designer, now, I suppose. Of course- instead of the hardy weeds that grew constantly in my fomer garden, NO catnip has shown. Etc, x several other packages of various types.

I did buy indigenous herbs plants from the Native Herb co.- my garden shall, one day have a flowering Labrador Tea. I grew up with enormous Rhododendrons in England, and I resent all the pathetic excuses for Rhododendrons and Azaleas that our Northern climate does not destroy. Every Azalea I have ever had had dies from anything it could think of!!

Our native Labrador Tea can survive Newfoundlands' harsh climate, so it should be OK in its coddled environ, here....

And Killex- the wonder weed killer!! What is going on? I bought a bottle of this last year, and sprayed every dandelion and plantain in the garden. Though the lawn lost a few of its dandelions, I have ten times the plantain populus. I had to weed out over four hundred dandelions, and have to manage a second crop plus the plantians (all hand-weeded out) this year. Besides using mean Killex on plants, I managed to hurt my hands and feet for over a week using this stuff. I have a feeling that it is not a very good product, and I am going back to organic controls. While I agree with my guy that the only way to get weeds in between cobbling is to spray them away, I don't like weed killing stuff. It kills Cosmos and other wildflowers.

I go for hardy plants, and like to feel that I am offering a mini-ecology that helps the land quite well. I grow medicinal herbs, as some of you (my friends) know. I got so specific about various medicinal gifts ,in my last garden, that I allowed Plantain as an herb in my herb garden bed. Of course, these grow enormously in clear earth, where they are unmowed.

Here , there is less garden space and squirrels. Damn the little sods! I can't plant bulbs without the tiny beings digging up and chewing every one! They also eat off every zucchini blossom as they emerge- so sunny and gorgeous. I should be enjoying the squash by now. I placed an old fish tank over the zucchini to see if it would help. What a year. I could grumble on and on....

Ian, I wonder whether you are enjoying a fine veggie garden,a s you did when you and Lynda shared a house together. Also Jan and Patti, do you have a big organic garden? I got an American Herb gardening magazine as a present, and I was so jealous over the fabulous overgrown colour possible in a California garden. So much growing time!! If only I had a large space, with at least a greenhouse!

NEWS!

My daughter-in law, Gayla Trail, is into her second printing for her new gardening book ,"You Grow Girl". She is a 31 year old web designer-researcher. I feel so proud of her. I recommend her book- I just found out why I ahd a boggy end to some of my tomatoes last year.No, I am not going to tell you -read her book!!! She offers tons of craft ideas and makes her relationship with the reader very fun!!! I have linked, here, to her website....

http://www.yougrowgirl.com

When I started this blog article, I had something to say as well as about the garden, but it is Sunday and I just plain forget, so have a happy and gentle day, yourselves....

Love from Sue