Monday 16 February 2009

Valentines Day







I Know I am very late, But I hope you all had a wonderful Valentines Day, I know I did! Actually I worked all day with my brother, but to me, spending time with family is a wonderful day. After that I spent the night at my sister's house, so that my parents could have the house to themselves.
Here are some pictures that I took last Spring, these berries are called serviceberries, and are really yummy. They taste very similar to blue berries, except they grow on trees rather than a bush. Serviceberry trees are often used as an ornamental plant in many homes. Most people don't know that serviceberries are edible, they just know that birds go crazy over thesse berries. So if you can get the berries before the birds you are in luck. I know that last year, there must have been a bumber crop, because there were way too many berries for both the birds and two teenage boys. That is a lot of berries. Each day my brother and I would go to the trees and gather tubs full along with our stomaches. Last Spring, my brother wrote a post on it, to see it click HERE. They are very yummy, if you have one in your yard or in your neighbores yard, get ready to have a new addiction.

Thursday 12 February 2009

Forcing

















Wow, I have not posted in nearly one whole month, that is terrible! I have been so busy with school and work. I have midterms this week, and life has been so hectic. I actually wrote this 3 weeks ago, just never attached pictures to it, so I never posted it. Well Here it it.
I have been hearing a lot about other people's experiences with forcing bulbs. Well, I didn't do one this year, but did do one last year. Boy, was that fun. There are many joys that come when you force a bulb, whether with a kit or not. When the weather is gray and bleak, like today, and you absolutely need some rays of sunshine; there is no better way to get it than with bringing some spring into you house in winter. And forcing really is not all that hard, trust me. There are many kits out there that you can buy, and they will grow all sorts of this, from the classic Paperwhite Narcissus to the modern Amaryllis. From easy to a bit more challenging, there are all degrees of difficulty to try.

Instead of buying a kit from the store, I decided to simply plant my own. I planted mixed daffodils that came in a bag from Loews(I think). Being my first time doing it, I know that I messed it up royally. First I buried them the recommended five to six inches, but this past year, I have seen people putting them so that only half the bulb is visible. I think I might of had the wrong variety for this. Any way, they did eventually come up, after I took them out of the refrigerator . Most bulbs that are going to be forced to be chilled in some soil in the refrigerator for a minimum of six months.

Here are my results. Not bad for my first go at, if I do say so myself. Happy Gardening....or not gardening...I don't know.

Robin also wrote about forcing here is her Link!

Friday 16 January 2009

Six Inches Deep









Brrrrrrr....I don't know about you, but it is cold here, like -10 without wind chill factoring into the problem ... I could tolerate some warm Puerto Rico weather right about know... I may have to post about my trip there, but that is another day!

While it was snowing yesterday, I got the brilliant idea to go out and get some pics of the snow falling. I grabbed my camera; layered on some hats, pants, shirts, gloves, and boots; and bravely faced the great out doors...okay, so just my neighborhood. I was able to get a lot of pics from the houses, here are some of them. I completely missed GBBD, so this is my make up.

Monday 12 January 2009

Spring Fever



















It is so close to spring I can almost taste it! Ah! I don't know about you, but I have been flooded with a ton of gardening catalogs! All of which have beautiful, vivid pictures of the new and old. And if you are not careful, yikes you can be caught up in them all; placing orders here and there. Eventually, you've spent a ton of cash. Being a teenager, in school, and having a small stream of cash; makes it hard for me to be able to buy all the things that catch my eye. So I have decided to practice restraint! So how can you overcome the winter blues, and still not break the bank?
  • First, decide what companies you want to order from, I like to pick only two or three. Pick the ones that are reputable or ones that you have ordered with before. There are many websites that have reviews for many companies that are out there. One that I have recently found was Dave's Garden. Here you can just click the the first letter of any gardening company, and it will instantly bring you a list of all the companies that have been reviewed!
Some good companies that I have had great success with are; Jung Seed Co., Seeds of Change, Park's Seeds, and Garden Alive.
  • Its okay to look at the onslaught of magazines that flood you in the spring, but try to remember that many of the nurseries in your area may grow some of the plants you are looking at. Always call your nursery and ask them if they will be getting of the plants that you are looking at, if not, it doesn't hurt to ask if they can...all they can say is no.
  • Last but not least, once you have decided what catalogs you will be ordering from, remember to look at their websites. Many companies have web specials. Just like it sounds, you can only get those specials if you order online. So be sure and look! Also be sure to order as soon as you can. Many times, if you wait too long, the things you want will be gone!
I hope that these little tips will help you when it comes time to ordering. Remember, if you have any questions, let me know. I am always eager to help!

Thursday 1 January 2009

Happy New Year

OK, well we have a lot to catch up with. There was Christmas Eve, Christmas, and of course New Years! While I am here, Happy New Year. I hope that your Christmas and every other holiday was wonderful! I know mine was. I know that I usually just post garden pics, but I must show off my lovely family! After all, if I didn't what type of brother/son would I be!


One year in 40 seconds from Eirik Solheim on Vimeo.

Okay, never mind, I can't show you any pictures. I can't find my camera at the moment. You may remember last time when I lost my camera cord, well this time it is my camera. I know that the camera is somewhere in the house, but we have had allot of people over because of the New Year, so hopefully I will find it soon! Again, if you have any suggestions on finding it, let me know!

Any way Happy NEW YEAR!

Monday 15 December 2008

GBBD December



















Happy GBBD! It is almost Christmas, and if you are like me, you as excited as a little child. The outside smells like snow, cold and damp; you can see your breath as you exhale; everything looks magical in white, red, and green; and music fills the air in your house and the stores. Every thing seems peaceful. Is not God good! The sow is falling on all of your plants and trees, and the ice makes everything light up. Here are some pictures winter ice.




















Wednesday 10 December 2008

I Can't Find It...HELP!!!


I have been wanting to post some thing on Thanks Giving, but I cannot find my camera cord. I have looked everywhere and cannot find it! If you have any suggestions on finding it, please let me know.
My Thanks Giving was wonderful, let me know how yours went.

School ends Tomorrow, and I cant wait! This is my first quarter, and I love it...for now. I am doing Post Secondary, which is just a fancy way of saying that I am both in high School and Collage. That is a load...I work part time too! That is life.

It has snowed so many times where I live...I can't wait for spring...but I do hope that we will get some snow for Christmas...I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. God Bless